Robert Fiacco's Blog, page 22

Valor

To those who have served and those who have died that we may be free, thank you and God bless you.

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Presenting an Idea

Presenting an idea or thought to a supervisor or organization you belong to can be both stressful and frustrating. There are a number of reasons...

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Making A Presentation.

Making a presentation and trying to sell an idea is something many of us worry about. Here are ten reactions we don’t want to receive when we give a presentation:...

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Change Is Good!

Dear Readers,

 

I would like thank all of you for your support over the past year and I am excited to say that my website is getting a facelift. The new site www.bobfiacco.com  will have a fresh new look and be more focused on inspiration and education. thoughts that I believe have changed my life and I hope will touch yours.

 

My goal is to have three posts each week. On Mondays I will share a inspirational thought to help you start your week off with a positive thought. I will blog on Wednesdays (educational) and Fridays (inspirational). I truly hope you find value and maybe some humor.

 

Sign up in the month of March, to receive my blog automatically and you will have a chance to win one of five copies of my book “Showing Up To Play”.

Your email:

 

Good Selling,

Bob     

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It’s painful to be pretty…. Seven Keys to Business Hygiene!

While in Las Vegas this week speaking at a National Sales Convention I needed to clean myself up so I thought I would re-share one of my favorite blog….It’s painful to be pretty!

Here are my two new friends Salon Bellagio Barber – Christina Rogers and Makeup Artist Steven Sunga

Number 1 – Mathew McConaughey, I enjoy some of your movies but enough with the O’ natural body treatment. If you want to sit around your own home stewing in your own body odor, good for you but if you’re going out in public deodorant and a little cologne would be appreciated. Nobody that I know gets turned on by another person’s body odor, unless I’m running with the wrong crowd….. You stink!

Number 2 – A shower is mandatory at least once per day unless you’re in prison. If you are working with the public how could you not shower daily and yes I prefer a shower. As Kramer says on reruns of Seinfeld “How could you sit in a tepid pool of your own filth?” But hey that’s me! ….While you’re there wash your hair. (Hey I made a rhyme)

Number 3 – Unless your goal is to have a family of birds or possibly rodents of some type set up home in your eyebrows a weekly trim is mandatory. My eyebrows get out of control weekly if I ignore them so why would you possibly let them go unattended forever….let me let you in on a little secret… THEY LOOK RIDICULOUS AND EVERYONE THINKS SO. Maybe no one ever told Andy Rooney but you are officially on notice.

Number 4 – Listen, years ago when I started to realize that I was losing my beautiful naturally curly hair I thought nature was making up for the loss by allowing it to grow like weeds out my ears and nose. Fortunately for me my wife informed me that there was nothing even remotely attractive about having the world’s longest nose hair. Please if you want to close presentations and make a good impression don’t give anyone cause to question what the hell is hanging out your ears or nose. Get a trim weekly …I’m sure your barber will be glad to help and while your there do away with the unabrow, unless you’re trying out for a Star Trek movie.

Number 5 – This one is so simple but so often missed. Clean, trim and file your nails. Even if you work with your hand you can take care of this one in that shower that we talked about earlier.

Number 6 – White teeth to me are the ultimate sign of good appearance. You can have it all going for you but if your teeth are the color of baked beans, well I’m sorry it just doesn’t get it. I will confess this one took me a while to get right myself. For most of my life my teeth had a yellow tint to them and I asked my dentist what I should do and he replyed “Wear a brown tie!” …..not funny. Finally I found a dentist who set me up with a whitening tray and my smile sparkles. Spend the money….it’s worth it.

Number 7 – Realize that there is probably a good chance that your breath is kick’en. Even if you brush, floss and gargle. If you drank a cup of coffee, smoked a cigarette or ate a breakfast burrito with hot sauce you most likely are in trouble. Keep a tooth brush at work, mints and never pass up a piece of gum when offered.

Are these things simple? Yes, important to success absolutely.

And please no hurt feelings meant for anyone…just trying to help.

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Good Selling

Bob

Inspiration and Action –The Chicken or the Egg?

 I recently have read many articles that have caused me to think about the relationship between inspiration and action. My favorite belief has always been “All I need every day is to be inspired the rest will take care of itself.”

The articles call into question the idea that inspiration is the catalyst to action, sufficiently inspired one will then take action. The articles challenged this belief offering and alternative view point that action, in fact, is the spark of inspiration.

As I have thought about this idea over the past several weeks, I must say that it has caused me to question my belief system on this point. In looking at things that have inspired my life they were not inherent within me. In reflection, most of my life’s passions are things introduced to me and over time and action (working in these areas) I found inspiration from them.

Certainly I do not want to take an emphatic stance on this issue, but it is a great concept for us all to ponder. While we are thinking about it, let’s find something worthwhile and take action. We never know where it may lead.

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Good Selling

Bob

Seven Lies of Success

 

As I prepare for a talk in Las Vegas at a National Convention for a major Insurance Marketing Organization I thought I would share my upcoming talk …it’s my favorite and changed my life.

I have always dreamed big about my life, even during the tough times. There have many many individuals and many books that helped me through those times. One book in particular has had a large impact on me and I would like to share a chapter of this book with my thoughts on it.

The book is “Unlimited Power” by Tony Robbins and the chapter is ” The Seven Lies of Success”

Tony Robbins calls these seven concepts lies because if you want to believe they have no bearing on your success than, to you, they are lies. But to those of us who chose to believe them, your live can be changed forever.

Here you go;

Number One – Everything happens for a reason and a purpose and it serves us.

When I was born I was born with a congenital hip, this caused me to walk with sever limp until I was 45 years old and had my first hip replacement. As a child I went through what you can imagine any child in the 1950′s might go through that was different. I was picked on and called names; now I’m not telling you this so you can feel sorry for me. You don’t need to, I live an incredible life. I tell you this for this reason, I believe that how I was born was one of the greatest blessings in my life it help me to become the person that I am today. It helps me to develop my personality, my work ethic and my attitude.

Everything happens for a reason and a purpose and it serves us.

Number Two – There is no such thing as failure

We don’t fail at things in life; we simply decide that whatever we are trying to do is not worth the time and hardships we must go through to get it. If you think about your life you probably have everything you ever really wanted in life, you decided it wasn’t worth what you had to go through to get it or you are still working on it.

There is no such thing as failure.

Number Three – Whatever happens take responsibility

The day that we accept responsibility for the things that happen in our lives is the day we become free. We certainly can’t control everything that happens to us but we can control how we act and feel about those things.

Whatever happens take responsibility?

Number Four – It’s not necessary to understand everything to be able to use everything.

There are so many things that you could learn in our business. Different markets, products, companies, riders, underwriting. If we try to become an expert on every possible option that is out there we would never do anything.

I t’s not necessary to understand everything to be able to use everything.

Number Five – People are your greatest resource.

We are in the people business do you truly care about people and I mean all people or do you only care about those that you can make money on. I believe if we our truly in the people business than we need to care about all people our clients but also the person who waits on us at the dinner or serves us the coffee at the coffee shop.

People are your greatest resource.

Number Six – Work is play

Mark Twain said, ” to make your vocation your vacation is success”. Love what you do if not look for your passion and follow it.

Work is play.

Number Seven – There’s no abiding success without commitment.

We are committed to something or we are committed to nothing. Absolute commitment can give use the passion to never give up.

There’s no abiding success without commitment.

Thank you Tony!

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Good Selling

Bob

 

 

Inspiration and Motivation Understanding The Difference

All I need every day is to be inspired the rest will take care of itself. I learned many years ago that I could never motivate anyone, motivating someone was the act of attempting to entice them to make someone do something that they were either unwilling or unable to do. What I have tried to do in my life is inspire others.

The word inspired means “to be inspirit”. It is an internal spark that will move you to actions and thoughts that may otherwise not surface within someone. The words motivation and inspiration are often used in tandem with each but motivation and inspiration are simply not the same!

MOTIVATION; often is required to drive one to take an action that they do not want to take on or to do something they feel that they need to do. It is usually not driven by an internal passion to perform.

INSPIRATION; comes from deep within someone’s heart and soul usually looked on by that person as something that they are compelled to do, driven by an urge deep within yourself.

Five places to find INSPIRATION:

1. Nature

2. The Web

3. Though Possibility Thinking

4. Other people

5. Your inner self

Motivation is a process of beating “yourself into doing something while the possibility for inspiration is everywhere in life if you will allow yourself to let it in. Wake up every morning and ask to be inspired and ask to inspire someone else and see what can happen in your life.

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Good Selling

Bob

 

 

Seven Keys To Profitable Network Marketing

One of the saddest things that I see in my industry is the failure of individuals that are the best networked people I know, individuals that belong to the Rotary, the Lions Club and three Business to Business networking groups (that only allow one individual from any industry in the group). They attend Chamber meetings weekly and pretty much know everybody in town. And when they wash out of the business they are the most well known unemployed people in the community. So how does this happen? I think the answer is in part that they have never been shown how to properly and profitably network market in a respectfully manner and turn their contacts into clients. Also I believe there is a fear of being thought of as a pushy salesperson to these valuable prospective prospects.

There is Seven Keys To profitable Network Marketing;

 

1. Understand that everyone is there for the same reason to profitably network market      themselves or their companies. So when you decide to turn your time into money don’t feel like you will surprise anyone.

2. Add value to the organization first, don’t show up at a meeting and start shoving your business card at everyone you meet. Get involved; join a committee be an asset to the organization.

3. Instead of giving out your card and waiting for someone to call you with a ” check stapled to their forehead” made out to your company, work on gathering other members cards and ask them about their business.

- How long have they been around?

- What do the do?

- What is their biggest market challenge?

Do not, at this time, try to market yourself to them. Be genuine and care about their business and what they do.

4. Set up a database of all these cards and the information you gather for use at a later date.

5. Drop an email or letter saying how nice it was to meet them and mention something that you uncovered in your conversation. Example: ” Bill it was great meeting you last week and talking about you company. I would love to have a cup of coffee sometime and find out more, I think it was fascinating hearing about how you got started in your business.” Obviously there would need to be something, somewhat, fascinating…but you get the idea.

6. Set up a concrete timeline as to how soon you will reach out to someone you meet and get a card from. But remember give yourself time to be recognized in the organization as a doer. Remember everyone is there for the same reason but to profitably network market yourself you need to be look at as a person who is a giver and a doer.

7. Ask for an appointment to tell about what you do and how you may be able to help their business. After your coffee and another fact finding you need to make that call that will eventually lead to a new client. If you truly offer something of value and can help them, what do you have to be ashamed of.

Profitable network marketing takes work and patience and you need to be careful to not allow it to become a purely social event, even though one of the “serendipities” of our business is our best clients can become our best friends.

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Good Selling

Bob

 

 

 

Vision Statement vs Mission Statement

It is truly amazing to me how many men and women fail to take the time each January to sit down and write concrete goals for the coming year and at the same time evaluate where they ended the prior year in relation to the goals they, should have, set the prior year.

Remember when we were young and we use to say “You’re not the boss of me!” Will this is the reality of life as an adult “You’re the boss of you now!” Regardless of what you do for a living you’re the boss of your life and your life is a business, believe it or not. There is a profit and loss statement, or at least there should be. How much did you earn? How much did you spend? Was your life profitable this year or did your end up in the red? You are the CEO of a corporation called “Your Life, Inc.” and were you take it is totally up to you. It doesn’t matter if you are a waitress, mechanic or sales person you should use the same principals to run your life that are used to run any other business.

So do you have a Vision Statement for your life, where do you want to go one year from now, five years from now? How are you going to get there and what are your core principles that guide your life to these ends.

I think one problem is that no one sits us down when we are young and helps us to understand these principals, so let’s start and look at the difference between a Vision and a Mission and there is a difference.

VISION STATEMENT:  

What do you want
Where do you want to be
What are your values and beliefs

MISSION STATEMENT: 

How will you get there
Who will it benefit

Understanding were you want to go and why are the first steps in success. Once that is established you can begin to take action….action without direction can certainly lead to disaster.

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Good Selling,

Bob