last Wednesday I hosted the teleseminar
100 Days to Your Greatest Success!

It was fantastic, and I recorded it. If you're
the type to set goals, then you'll want to take
45 minute to listen to Gary Ryan Blair,
The Goals Guy™.

This guy doesn't come cheap, and it was only
because he's my coach that I was able to secure
him for a teleseminar designed just for you!

Gary's been helping organizations and TV
shows for 20 years — orgs like NASA,
IBM, Starbucks, and even consults for
the TV show, The Biggest Loser.

So who better to listen to when it comes
to setting and achieving goals???

I hope you take the time to listen to this
invigorating mp3, which will really get you
thinking... and hopefully, taking action:

http://getgreatclients.com/_literature_48635
/Gary_Ryan_Blair_100_Day_Challenge

Then consider joining myself and thousands
of others as we take advantage of Gary's
life-changing program, the 100 Day Challenge!

Click the link below to watch the 100 Day Challenge
Start Fast Video. Then learn more about the
100 Day Challenge where it says "Click here to
join":

http://getgreatclients.com

Here's something cool: One of my colleagues,
Karen K., asked me to see if she and I can start
at the same time so we can go through the
100 Day Challenge neck-in-neck together.

So I asked Gary if he'd "reset the clock" for
us, to start today, the 31st, and he said yes!

So if you join today, you can start with myself
and Karen and we can be part of a group
traveling this journey together!

What fun, being able to communicate in the
100 Day Challenge Forum and add the
power of the buddy system to achieving some
really important business and personal goals!

What are YOUR goals for 2010? One of mine is
to MASTER the art and science of self-hypnosis.
And I'll surely do it in the next 100 days.

How are you with your time-management?

I can promise you you'll come out the other end
of this thing challenge with the one single most
important thing you can improve on in business
and that is time-management, and smarter time-
choices.

Gary will be asking, "What is the highest and best
use of your time? Are you spending 80 percent
of your time doing the work of someone who
would do it for $10/hr?"

Gary will ask, "When does your mind work best?"

It works best when you have a CLEAR picture of
what it is that you want. Not, "I want to lose weight,"
but "I want to lose 20 pounds by March 31, and that
means I need to lose 1.67 pounds per week, starting
this week." And then picture yourself at that weight...
using the power of your mind, just like the Gold Medal
Winners.

Your goals need to be...

1. Visual - you need a future picture
2. Specific
3. Measurable
4. Time bound (you have a deadline!)
5. There needs to be a proper sequence

Gary grew his business 312% last year using what
he knows, that he is sharing with us.

And before I go, I'd like to share his acronym
for FOCUS... which has helped me
in my work with Gary in 2009. FOCUS stands for
Follow One Course Until Successful.

Gary once said, "Scratch anyone successful and
you'll find someone seriously committed
to a select few, very clearly defined goals." I
printed that statement and it is taped down
to my desk, right in front of my computer
where I see it every day.

Gary's helped me in 2009... why not join me and
others in our group and have lots of
fun achieving big goals together over the next
100 days!

Join the Challenge today!

http://getgreatclients.com

If you haven't yet signed up for the
Jan. 27, 2010 Teleseminar
'100 Days to Your Greatest Success'
visit:
http://getgreatclients.com/BookingRetrieve.aspx?ID=66816

To get the most out of this upcoming
FREE 1-hour Teleseminar,
read the following guest article by The Goals Guy™:

The purpose of setting a goal must be to achieve it, as there is no purer form of success, no more exact and exacting test of what you are capable of, than to achieve a desirable outcome. A quality life is an example of what can be accomplished when thoughtful attention, goal setting and purposeful action come together without compromise.

The thing that makes goal setting both exciting and important are the results achieved because of it. But, the ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice you to become the person it takes to achieve them, for what you become, you’ll soon find is so much more important than the goal itself.

The definition of success is quite different for each individual. Yet, the fundamentals for achieving a goal will forever remain the same. It begins with decisiveness, proceeds to focus, advances to action, persistence, follow through and eventually victory. There is no other way.

Scratch anyone successful and you’ll find someone seriously committed to a select few, very clearly defined goals. All too often and quite easily life flounders on a sea of luck and opportunity. Goal setting takes your life and gives it direction.

Goal setting helps you to determine:

• What
• Why
• Where
• When,

These are questions that only one person can answer. You!

If time is money, then goal setting is invaluable, for goals keep you focused, on time, and on schedule. You are responsible for your own success. You either work hard for what you want or you don’t; therefore if you want to be successful in any endeavor take complete ownership of the process, which begins with goal setting.

 A life without direction is as foolish as going to sea without a compass. A ship with a broken rudder may maintain a full head of steam, but never reach a port, unless by accident. And if it does find a port, its cargo may not be suited to the people, climate or culture. You life, much like a ship must be directed to a definite destination for which your cargo of core skills and aspirations are best suited. If you want to succeed, you must not drift aimlessly.

It is out of vogue to speak of goal setting but there is nothing more fashionable than success, which owes its very life to goals.

Success requires that you pass the test before the learning the lesson. It requires patience to create anything of lasting value; it requires hard choices, complete commitment and total focus.

Success wants you to pursue you goals with great devotion and passion and says no to you when you are unprepared to appreciate it.

Success demands dedication, discipline, hard work, and courage. It requires your utmost attention and will not allow itself to be taken for granted. Success must be earned, deserved, respected and appreciated. Success plays by specific, non-negotiable rules, it will always require that goals be clearly identified, plans in place and action consistently enforced.

The basics of goal setting and results orientation are simple. If you want to get better outcomes, you must prioritize every action and activity you undertake, you must compartmentalize everything you do in order to remain focused on the goal at hand, and you must maximize your time and energy to capture the goal.

No one has the market cornered on success – it’s unlimited as to what you can be, do and have. You must learn the fundamentals of goal setting and be willing to invest a lifetime of discipline to continually enforce those fundamentals. Like any other good habit, you must do a few things and repeat them consistently and it will stay with you for life.

Most people have no training on how to successfully set and achieve a goal and try various strategies and finally acquire some knowledge through the bitter pill of experience. This is like learning to drive by having a series of accidents. Keep this in mind, if you do not profit from your mistakes, someone else will!

Your mind while blessed with permanent memory is cursed with lousy recall. Written goals are catalysts, transforming agents for success and achievement, they must be written as those kept only in your mind have an uncanny way of remaining figments of your imagination.

From eureka to achievement, the evolution of a goal begins in the mind and immediately takes shape when pen is put to paper. The goal progresses from thought to sketch, from sketch to action, and finally from action to achievement in real time. The achievement of a goal is an exemplary tale of power, purpose, and potential.

A goal is more than a thought in your head. It’s a profound message about who you are and what you are capable of.

To enjoy the fruits of victory begin by visualizing your goal and continue with that image until completion. If you first go there in your thoughts then your body will soon follow.  I assure you, every Astronaut walks on the moon thousands of times in their mind before their feet ever touch the surface of the moon.

Embrace a small, select list of goals that gratify your passion and which beg for your attention. The ones that say come and get me. But, remember that no goal is complete until it’s entirely finished. Halfway doesn’t count, nor do good intentions or high hopes. For a goal to be achieved it must be saturated with personal integrity and ample doses of follow through.

Success begets success, and it also begets a strong desire to continually seek new adventures. A goal achieved is a mark of personal growth and mastery. It means that you have accomplished what you set out to do, that you have grown in ability and ambition and that you are now prepared to take on new challenges.

Will goal-setting ever become non-essential? If history is any judge the answer is a resounding no. Goal setting is not just a right it’s a responsibility. Goal setting is a responsibility that matters, in that everything counts!

___________________________________________________

Gary Ryan Blair is President of The Goals Guy. A visionary and gifted conceptual thinker, Gary is highly regarded as a speaker, consultant, strategic planner, and coach to leading companies throughout the globe. He helps business owners, corporate executives and sales professionals manage their time, set their priorities, and stay focused so they can achieve their goals, grow their business, and sustain a lasting competitive advantage.

To learn more, visit The Goals Guy at www.GoalsGuy.com as well as www.gotgoals.com

Now is the best time to land new clients and here's why...

January, February, March and April are HOT months for landing new clients if you're in marketing or the world of business-to-business.

Marketing departments have their new budgets for the year, the holidays are past and goals are set, and marketers are anxious to meet them. 

A more than cursory reading of marketing trade mags points to optimism for 2010. In fact, there is agreement that marketing budgets are up for 2010. Want to see the stats for yourself?

Although this is from November 2009, BtoB offers the best statistical survey on the outlook for 2010, with the cheery front-page article headline, "2010 Outlook Survey shows marketing budgets to grow." In fact, almost 40 percent of marketers are upping their budgets!

Other news from both DM News and BtoB is that hiring is up for high-level marketing positions, always a strong indicator of better times to come.

And for those of you who completed the MARLOW Marketing Method™ for Copywriters — where you learned advanced lead-generation — you'll be thrilled to know that according to this survey, the top goal of B2B marketers in 2010 is client acquisition (61 percent). You are ideally equipped to help these marketers go after more suspects, prospects, and clients!

And while my end-of-year reading revealed plenty of cautious optimism, (e.g., "With the economy beginning to pull out of the deepest downturn in generations..." — Internet Retailer), this month's DM News was like a breath of fresh air!

The January issue reports that Pepsi abandoned Super Bowl advertising in favor of direct marketing (this is momentous in the history of direct marketing, a major brand like this abandoning the Super Bowl!).

Top trends are showing an increase in marketing to international markets (and higher open rates for direct mail overseas).

Mobile marketing is fully here as a marketing medium (after years on the back burner).

And with all of this digital information floating around, marketers are able to target more robustly than ever. (And yes, the FTC is watching!)

Here are more marketing highlights for 2010: 
http://www.dmnews.com/editors-choice-2010/section/1369/

So, my friend... do you want more clients? Do you want your first client? Then it's time to get on the horn...

I teach my students how to do prospect mailings and then follow up on the phone. Lately I've been doing lots of role-playing. Later this month we'll role-play follow-up-call scripts in my Coffee Klatch coaching program, which is exclusive to MARLOW Marketing Method™ for Copywriters graduates.

But in February, my esteemed colleague Pam Magnuson and I will conduct an intensive workshop on how to land clients using proven follow-up phone call tactics. Be sure to watch for the email with details!

In the meantime, here are some tips I can share from the work I've done with students this week:

• Keep your script short. Try to limit it to four or five bullet points on a 3 x 5 card.

• Remind your prospect of your benefit, e.g., that you can help her increase her marketing ROI.

• Do not be overly thankful or subservient. You've done the hard work of targeting correctly. (In reality, they should be thanking you for doing the work that it took to make a relevant and potentially valuable connection!)

• Do not engage in long conversation unless it pertains to an actual job, otherwise you'll look like you have lots of free time and the potential client will assume you're not good enough to be busy.

• Stand up when you make your calls. You'll be amazed at how much more confident you sound!

• Have the potential client's website up so you can feel connected if you should get him on the line. It's also very handy for coming up with connecting words on the fly. I was once able to use the phrase "enterprise-level" judiciously in a conversation, since it was prominent on the website of the prospect I was speaking to.

• Have three scripts: one for voice mail (leave your phone number twice and speak slowly when you do); one for the gatekeeper (a powerful person you want to become friends with!); and one for the actual contact.

• Keep meticulous records of your contacts and call back when you say you will.

• Make personal notes and reference them when appropriate (e.g., "So how was that trip to Lausanne?"). Your prospect will be very impressed by the fact that you care enough to "remember" details.

• Don't follow up your best potential clients first. Do 20 or 30 follow up calls and save your most prized potential clients for when you're polished, confident, and smooth.

• Understand that when you are doing follow up calls, you're not a web designer or a copywriter or a consultant... you're a sales pro whose job it is to get the client for the web designer or copywriter or consultant.

• Think in terms of numbers. If you make 100 follow up calls, direct response statistics say you'll get at least one new client. (A 1 percent conversion.) Stay focused on the numbers and you will blast through the "no's" and occasional rudeness to reach the person who has been eagerly waiting for you to call. 

My students usually gain two clients per 100 calls. That's because of what they learn in my coaching program.

So let's get going and get on the phone... make the new year and the new momentum work in your favor. How many new clients do you want for 2010? Think about it.

Because I have a gift for you, and that is my own coach, Gary Ryan Blair. Gary is The GoalsGuy and on Wednesday, January 27, 2010 at 12 noon Pacific Standard Time, I'll bring Gary to you in a FREE Teleseminar!

This is the right time for you to hear his message and tap into the powerful methodologies and motivations he uses to enact positive change in companies as large as Ford, Coca-Cola and IBM, and even individuals such as myself.

Mark your calendar now for January 27 from 12 to 1 pm PST, and watch for more exciting information to come on this must-attend FREE event!