You can blame the weather, the economic climate, the other person who cut in on you on the way to work, or even the family member who hasn’t tidied up after themselves for your lack of progress in your business or  your life. But what does the blame game ever achieve?

Absolutely nothing!

It all comes back to taking full responsibility for your own future – by taking the ‘bull by the horns’ as it were, and pushing through whatever opposition is standing between you and success.

It has nothing to do with feelings. Because if you’re living a life dominated by how you feel – nothing will ever get done.

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I was with one of our clients the other day and he shared the following sales wisdom with me.

So let me share it with you.

He declared that the number one sales tip was this: ‘Get the other person talking about themselves and you’ll make a friend, and ultimately a client.’

I have personally found that to be true. I never go in to a sales meeting ‘to sell’. I go in there to make a friend, find a need – and I do that by using the art of questioning. My purpose is clear, and that is, that I am more knowledgeable about their business at the end of the meeting than I was at the start of the meeting.

Here’s another trick that a business coach shared with me – to make sure that you are using the number one sales tip.

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Social analyst Mark McCrindle did a study to further understand the way families communicate, and four clear consumer trends that have emerged along with four behavioral patterns.

One lesson from the research is that the theory you have to be young to be switched on is false. ‘Your use of technology is strongly linked to behavioural patterns or attitudes to life, rather than age,’ Mr McCrindle said.

So when it comes to being a consumer, then who are you?

1. Downagers – who is Generation Y in attitude but not in age. You often hear that young people are the early adopters of technology, but it is actually the baby boomers who spend more on technology than any other generation. They’re using the technology, they’re connecting, they’re social networking and they’re texting their kids.

2. Explorers – they are positive towards technology, they’re looking to use technology, but they’re new to technology.

3. Power Workers – They’re using technology not just in a social context and they’re not new to technology. They are empowered by technology. Yhey’re using it in a very useful and productive and profitable way.

4. Traditionalists – They just are not interested or motivated by the technology.

Along with the consumer groups, there are the four behavioral labels.

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Here are some great tips to help you to understand how to manage the Gen Ys in your organisation.

• Understand their motives and values. Work is a social outlet for them and they value being part of a bigger community, so engage them in the team’s vision. If they feel part of the team, they’ll work towards the common goal.
• Involve them in decision making. They like to contribute.
• Embrace their ideas. Ideas are their strength and they often bring them to managers, even if not requested,
• Salaries and promotions are not the big motivators, though they expect to be paid well. They want to have fun at work, so create a social environment with training opportunities.
• Be flexible. They like to travel, explore new pursuits and get engaged in big social issues like animal rights and the environment. Finding ways to allow them to pursue their activities through unpaid leave will increase their longevity with the company.
• Provide lots of stimulation. They’ve grown up watching five different screens at the one time so they’re used to being entertained. Offer a variety of roles or the chance to move between positions and divisions.
• They like to be mentored.
• Set ground rules around social networking and technology usage early and firmly. Expect to be challenged on them and be ready to justify your policies. They will comply if the rules are explained.

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“Refuse good advice and watch your plans fail; take good counsel and watch them succeed.” - Proverbs 15:22

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. There is no focus! I often say – if you chase two rabbits, they will both escape.

When I assist businesses (and not-for-profit organizations) these days, I take them through a 4 to 5 hour planning process that asks these questions. From their answers we develop an actionable plan.

Here is the process you can apply:-

Where do you want to be in three years?

Do you want to grow by 10%, 30%, double your size, expand nationally or Internationally, even sell?

I will not accept “I want to stay where I am” – why?

1. They will soon move backwards and go out of business due to inevitable cost increases and loss of customers.
2. They will not action the plan anyway.
3. There will be no momentum, leading to complacency and eventually the organisation will die.

What are the barriers to achieving where you want to be in three years?

When you can list the barriers, then you will be able to start writing actions to address these. Later in this article we will deal with actioning these.

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