Praisefor

TheSevenLevelsofCommunication

Theability tobuildrelationships is thebackboneofasuccessfulbusiness.Thephonecall,thehandshake,thelunchmeeting—that’swherebusinessisdone,andMichaelMaherknowshowtodoit.Ifyouwanttowininbusiness,you’vegottolearnhowtowinwithpeople,andthisbookwillshowyouhowtodojustthat.

DaveRamsey,HostofTheDaveRamseyShowandNYTimesBestsellingAuthorofTheTotalMoneyMakeover

(7L) is theclearest,mostconcisebookI’vereadonwhatit takestobeagreatsalesperson. It is obvious why Michael J. Maher is one of the greatest salespeople in the world. (7L) will become a classic and I plan to use it in ourtraining.

LarryKendall,AuthorofNinjaSelling

It’seasytofocusonwhatwesayratherthanhowwesayit.Maher’sbookwillteachyouhow tocommunicate inaway that literally turnsyour relationshipsintoreferrals:mostofthetimewithoutyouevenhavingtoask.

TomHopkins,SalesTrainerandBestsellingAuthorofHowtoMastertheArtofSellingandHowtoMastertheArtofListingandSellingRealEstate.

Everyrealestateagentneeds toread thisbookandgive it toall theirreferralpartners! In (7L),MichaelMaher shows you how to build a recession-proofnetwork that will continue to send you business no matter what the marketconditions.

Dr.IvanMisner,NYTimesBestsellingauthorofMastersofSalesandFounderofBNIandReferralInstitute

Ready tostopwastingmoneyonadvertising?Learn from themanwhobuiltaworld-class business by investing in relationships. It’s warm…it’s effective.MichaelMaherhasshownthatbuildingareferralgeneratingcommunityisnotonlyanicerwayofdoingbusiness,butasuperiorbusinessmodelthatcanworkforyou.

HowardBrinton, Founder and Former CEO of Star Power Systems, Hall ofFameSpeaker(RE/MAX,CRS).

Think yourmarket is down?Maybe it’s you!MichaelMaher—one of the bestinnovators and professionals of the 21st Century— will show you how to

recognize and adjust to today’smarket and build a business that canweatheranyrecession!Read(7L)now.

AllanDomb, StarPower Star and commonly known asNorthAmerica’s Top-ProducingRealEstateAgent.

It’seasytofocusonwhatwesayratherthanhowwesayit.Maher’sbookwillteachyouhow tocommunicate inaway that literally turnsyour relationshipsintoreferrals.Youwillneverlookatrealestatethesamewayafterreading(7L)TheSevenLevelsofCommunication.Thisisaprovenmethodtoexplodeyourbusinesswithoutcoldcallingorexpensiveadvertising.

Dr.TonyAlessandra,authorofCollaborativeSelling&ThePlatinumRuleforSalesMastery

MichaelMaher’s(7L)TheSevenLevelsofCommunication isamustreadforthe serious realestatepro.Heknowswhat it takes todeliver5StarCustomerServicefromtheheartwithcommitmentandgenerosity.

DanielleKennedy, Bestselling Author of How to List and Sell Real Estate—DominateEveryTurnof theMarket. 30thAnniversaryEdition (Cengage), realestatesalestrainer.

MichaelMaherexplainsthattherearecertainlevelsofcommunicationthatofferaveryhighreturnonyourinvestment.Withthatinmind,Ican’tthinkofabetterinvestmentthanthisbook.

FloydWickman, founder of Sweathogs, Bestselling author of six books, NSAHallofFameSalesTrainer,oneofREALTOR®Magazine’s25MostInfluentialPeopleinRealEstate.

(7L)TheSevenLevelsofCommunication isa terrificbook.Aproven,no-failformulaforsuccessinrealestatesales(though,theseprincipleswouldworkinany type of sales) from one of themost successful real estate professionals inmodern times. Rarely have I read a book that teaches so powerfully whilekeeping the reader so involved. This book –written in the form of a fictionalstory – is a gem thatwill help anyonewho follows its instruction touch a lotmore lives and make a lot more money in the process. If you run a salesorganization,considerpromotingthisbooktoeveryoneonyourteam.Ifyouarebeginninginsalesorevenalong-timeveteranofthesalesprofession,investinthisbookforyourself.You’llbegladyoudid.

BobBurg, BestsellingAuthor ofEndlessReferrals andCo-Author of TheGo-GiverandGo-GiversSellMore

There are few people that I consider a master at the referral business andMichaelMaherisattheheadofhisclass.Thiscompellingstoryweavesataleof how to create a network of people that is so powerful yet so simple toimplement. By simply following and implementing the concepts in (7L) TheSeven Levels of Communication, your foundation for a successful career insaleswillbeautomatic.Sosetasidethetimeforsomeserious,yetfunreading!

BobCorcoran,FounderofCorcoranConsulting&Coaching,Author-MakeaCommitment:SoartoSuccessinRealEstate

A true relationship is a treasured gift. Michael Maher shows us the path tobuilding a relationship and the value each and every one has not just to ourbusinessesbuttousaspeople.

AlexCharfen, CEO of STAR POWER Systems, Distressed Property Institute,LLC,andRelativityPress

In(7L),Maherdoesagreatjobinshowinghowtoleveragetechnologybutnotbe consumed by it. He states in Chapter 8 that our online interaction is a“promise”-thepromiseofafutureinteractionwhetherviaphoneorinperson.Ibelieve many sales and relationships fail because at times we can rely tooheavily on social media and emails. Maher provides tools, ideas and moreimportantlytheconceptsofhowtodobusinesstherightway.

JamesNellis, #11 in RE/MAXUSA (2009), CertifiedCRS Instructor and StarPowerStar.

“Icouldn’tputthisbookdownuntilIfinishedit!MichaelJ.Maherhasnailedit!(7L)TheSevenLevelsofCommunication:GofromRelationshipstoReferralsisatextbookongrowingyourbusinesswithoutthemethodsmanytypicallythinkarerequiredtodoso.Michael takes the concepts learned from themastersof salesand relationshipmarketingandboils it down to an easy to duplicate strategy to take you from“zero to hero” in a great read that won’t take you weeks or months tounderstandandimplement.Ifyouare in thebusinessof servingpeople in the fieldof sales, this isamustread.Regardlessofyourfield,it’sthepeopleyoualreadyknowwhocanleadyoufromwhereyouaretowhereyouwanttobeandMichaelislivingproofthatthisworks.Itwillworkforyoutoo.Actnow,notlater!Doitnow!Yourfamily,yourclients,yourwalletandyouwillappreciateit.”

JimSahnger,ChiefFacultyMemberLoanToolboxandTop-ProducingLender.

“Thereareveryfewbookswherethereaderlearns,isinspiredand,atthesametime,enjoysthereadingexperience.That ispreciselywhatMichaelMaherhasaccomplished with his (7L) The Seven Levels of Communication: Go fromRelationships to Referrals. This easy read takes you on a journey of provenstrategiestoincreaseyourbusinesssuccessandyou’llfinditrewardingtoknowthatniceguys/galscanfinishfirst!”

Rick DeLuca, Rick DeLuca Seminars, internationally-renowned Real EstateTrainer.

“Michaelhasmasteredtheartofrelationships,andin(7L)hetrulyinspiresusalltotakeourbusinessestothenextlevel.”

BradKorn, Owner of Cyberstars, Star Power Star, and Top-Producing RealEstateAgent.

“MichaelJ.Mahergoesstraighttotheheartofsuccessforanyoneinbusiness:it’s all about relationships.Rather than theorize on this, though,Michael uses(7L)tocraftatangible,actionablestrategyfordoingexactlywhateverysmartbusinessperson needs to do to build a lasting, meaningful, extraordinarybusiness. When you’ve heard someone say, ‘It’s really pretty simple to besuccessful’ you’ve likely shrugged it off. Now, with (7L), let me tell you withcertainty, success is simple AND here’s the book to help you do it. All of mycoachingclientswillhavethisasarequiredread,andI’mrecommendingit tocolleaguesandfamilymembersaswell.Congratulations,Michael–yourdadisproudofyou.”

AmyStoehr,FounderandCEOofRealEstateMastersGuildandFounderandCEOofChangingLanesConsulting

TheSevenLevelsofCommunicationGofromRelationshipstoReferrals

MichaelJ.Maher

AuthorHouse™1663LibertyDriveBloomington,IN47403www.authorhouse.comPhone:1-800-839-8640©2010MichaelJ.Maher.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedbyanymeanswithoutthewrittenpermissionoftheauthor.FirstpublishedbyAuthorHouse10/1/2010ISBN:978-1-4520-3396-9(sc)ISBN:978-1-4520-3397-6(hc)ISBN:978-1-4520-3398-3(e)LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2010908243PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmericaBloomington,IndianaThisbookisprintedonacid-freepaper.

Contents

DedicationIntroduction

LunchofaLifetimeJayMichaelsSpeaks

CommunicatingwithYourselfYouCan’tEvenSpellCommunicateWithoutTime

You’reinthePeopleBusinessPhoneCalls

CommunicationPlansElectronicCommunication

TransformationJayMichaelsSpeaksAgainAnotherLunchofaLifetimeEpilogue:TheGenerosity

GenerationGlossaryofTerms

HeartfeltAppreciationEndNotes

Dedication

Tomy father, Patrick JosephMaher.Hewas a high school teacher and coachwhotaughtmeandmanyothersuntilhisdeathattheageof54afterathree-yearbattlewithcancer.Duringthosethreeyears,IlearnedmoreaboutmydadthanIhadinthenearly20yearsbefore.Oneofhisregretswasnotwritinghismemoirs– and what words of wisdom those would have been! You will not only belearningfrommeduringyourtimewiththisbook,butyouwillalsobelearningfrom my father. He passed away on September 1, 1992 and had over 1000peopleathisfuneral.

Dad,wewrotethistogether.

Introduction

Iheardmyheartflat-line.Theheartbeatmonitorscreameditsalarm.Soonafter,IopenedmyeyestoalargeGermanwomanallinwhitehovering

overme.Heaven?No,Heavenwasn’tquitereadyformeyet.“Welcomeback.Yougaveusquiteascarethere,”saidtheheadnurse.Iwasn’teventhinkingIwasdying.Notme.Itwastoounbelievable.Itwasn’t

mytime.Itcouldn’tbe.Iwasingoodhealth.IlookedaroundthehospitalroomandIrealized…IalmostDIEDjustnow.Realityhitme.Tearswelledupinmyeyes.Ifearverylittle,butIwasscared.IamNOTacrier,butastheypreppedmeforsurgerytoimplantatemporarypacemaker,Iwasfrightenedtotears.Irememberlookingatthenurse’schalkboardintheroomonwhichDecember

18, 2007 was written. I thought, “I can’t die on that date. There is nothingsignificant aboutDecember 18, 2007.”Then I thought ofmywife, Sheri. Shewouldkillme if Idied!Shedoesnot take losswell and Iknewshewouldbemadaswellassad.Thecardiologistaskedmehernameandnumber.Itoldhimquietlyandaskedhimtoholdoffoncallingher.Iwouldhavetocoachhimonhowtoapproachher.Another thought flashed throughmymind. I don’t have any children. Sheri

andIhaddiscussedchildren,butneverseriously.Iwasambivalenttotheidea–untilthatmoment.Inowwantedachild.Somethingelsecametomindandfrankly,itsurprisedmealittle.Ithoughtof

myfather.Myfatherwasahighschool teacher.Hewasvery influential in thecommunityandcoachedthreesports.Withthatschedule,hewasbusy.Whenwetalked, it was mostly about sports… until he got cancer. During a poignant

moment just before his death, he shared with me his only regret; he had notwrittenhismemoirs.ThinkingabouthimandhiswordsthatdaymademerealizeIhadknowledge,asystem,andabeliefthatneededtobeshared.Thisbook,theone you have in your hands or on your screen at this moment, is theaccumulation of my learning, implementing, failing, and evaluating thestrategiesnecessarytobuildabusinessbasedonothersrecommendingmeandmy services. In your hands, youhold the strategies, techniques, and systems Iused – and continue to use daily - to become known as “America’s MostReferredRealEstateProfessional.”As I have been blessed with greater success, I have had the privilege of

teachingandcoachingotherstodothesame.Thisbooktellsthestoryofmanyofmycoachingclientsandmembersofmyteam;menandwomenwhoarereadytoevolve from theEgoEra to theGenerosityGeneration.Theyare ready tostopwastingmoneyoncostlypersonalpromotion and invest in relationships.Theywanttobuildmorethanabusiness;theywanttoleavealegacy.Ifyouwantabusinessthatwilloutliveyou,thisbookwillshowyouhowto

build it. If you are ready to build a large, highly profitable business usingnothing but word of mouth, this book will provide you with the strategies,techniques,andresourcesyouneed.Itismyhopethatitwillleadyounotonlytogreaterfinancialfreedom,butalsotoamorefulfillingexistence.Iwishmydadhadputtogetherhismemoirs.Itwouldbesuchagreatread.I

amnowthefatherofapreciouslittleboy.IimaginesittingonthefloorduringreadingtimewithMaxandreadingmydad’sstories,advice,andwisdom.Afterreading this book again, I realize thatmy dad and Iwrote this together. I amhonoringhislegacybypassingonthisknowledge.Isurvivedthatfatefuldaytohelp,teach,andcoachothers.Whathadalmostkilledme?It turnedout tobebloodclots–acomplication

fromknee surgery Ihad fourdaysprior.There is aFriedrichNietzschequote,“Whatdoesn’tkillusonlymakesusstronger.”Here’smyadvicetoletyouknowyoudon’thavetonearlydietotrulylive:“Don’twaitforalife-changingeventtochangeyourlife.”

1LunchofaLifetime

“WhenwritteninChinesetheword‘crisis’iscomposedoftwocharacters–onerepresentsdangerandtheotherrepresentsopportunity.”JohnF.Kennedy

“Rick,tobehonestwithyou,Idon’tthinkyou’llbeinthebusinessayearfromnow.”The words rang in Rick’s ears as the alarm jolted him out of an uneasy

slumber. Two weeks had passed and he still couldn’t get the image of thatsmirking, self-satisfied face out of hismind.With less than an hour until hislunch appointment and his bed feelingmore comfortable than ever, he brieflydebatedcanceling;afterall,itwasjustanotherlender…No,hethought,he’dbettergo.Afreemealwasafreemeal,andheneededto

getupanyway.Rick steppedoveryesterday’sclothesand fumbledaround thebathroomfor

his shaving cream.Thirtyminutes later, he had showered andwas driving hisbeloved BMW, the last of his souvenirs from the good old glory days. Heindulgedinamomentaryflashbackofhowhehadboughtitwithcashhemadefrom just two months of commissions. Pulling onto the highway, he thoughtsullenly,thosewerethedays.He lookedup tocheck theexitnumber, andas if to add insult to injury,he

caught a glimpse of DonDasick’s new billboard. There it was: the smirking,cap-toothedsmile, slicked-backhair, andacaption that read“DialDon!”Rickcringedinvoluntarily.Well,theoldguymustbedoingsomethingright.He’sstillsellingmorethantherestofusintheofficeputtogether.Itwas11:27a.m.whenRickshuffledintoEVTRestaurantforhis11:30lunch

appointment.Hefelthisstomachrumble,buthishungerwasovershadowedbyhis need for coffee. The dining room was already humming with quiet

conversationpunctuatedby the clinkingofglasses, silver and fine china.Rickglanced around him. He had seen the place numerous times—the buildingtoweredoverthehighwayhetookhomefromwork—butthiswashisfirstlookinside.The hugemarble columns in the atrium drew his eyes up from the walnut

wood of the hostess stand to the magnificent chandeliers dangling from theceiling,whichmusthavebeenatleastfortyfeethigh.Comfortableboothslinedthewalls,givingtheplacealuxuriousandelegantappearancewhilemaintainingacozyfeelingatthesametime.Howcomehehadneverbeenherebefore?“Katherine!”The woman’s delighted voice interrupted the subdued buzz of the diners,

startling Rick. His eyes quickly returned to the stand, where he now saw thewomanhugging“Katherine,”whowasobviouslythehostess.Someone’sexcited,hethoughttohimself,givinghiswatchaquickglance.“Rick!”thesameladycalledinhisdirectionasshereleasedthehostess.Rickmethercheerfulgazeandmusteredupasmuchenthusiasmashecould.

“Michelle!”heresponded,realizingitwashislunchcompanionwhohadofferedtheenthusiasticgreeting.Shesureishappy.Isshegettingmarriedorsomething?“Rick, this isKatherine,”Michelle said as she introduced the hostess. “Her

sonwasjustawardedafootballscholarshiptoOhioState.Katherine,Rickisinrealestate,andhe’llhavetofillmeinontherestofhislifebeforeIcantellyouanythingmore.”RickshookKatherine’shandandofferedhiscongratulations.SheblushedandturnedtoMichelle.“Yourusualspot?”Katherineasked.“Please!”Michelleansweredwithasmile,andKatherineescortedthepairto

oneoftheprivateboothsinthebackcornerofthelargediningroom.“Joshmentioned that thiswas a nice place,” Rick said as he sat down and

scannedthemenu.“Iseeitfromthehighwayallthetime,butI’dneverbeenin.”“You’vegot to try the crabcakes.They’re fantastic,”Michelle said, still all

smiles.Isshereallythathappythatthishostess’skidgotafootballscholarship?Rickbriefly studied thewomanacross the table fromhim.Shewaswearingablackwool pantsuit and a black rubber bracelet on her left wrist. She lookedmoreorlesshisage.Hehadknownplentyof“peppy”girls—especiallyfifteenyearsagoincollege—butMichelleseemednothinglikethem.Shewasclearlyaprofessional,butanimatedbyanenergythatdefiedhisabilitytocategorize:alotdifferentfromthekindofmortgagepersonwhousuallytookhimtolunch.“I’mgladyouhadthetimetogettogether,”shecontinued,breakingintohis

thoughts.“Sohowarethingsgoingforyou?”Rickfeltthemusclesinthebackofhisnecktighteninvoluntarily,ashispolite

smile melted away. “Great,” he answered mechanically, looking back at the

menu.Hefelttheurgetoyawn,butsuppressedit.MaybeI’llgobackhomeafterthis and take a nap.As if reading his thoughts, thewaitress approached theirtablewithacoffeepotandtooktheirdrinkorders.“Hi,Michelle,”thewaitresssaidwithasmile.“Who’sthisluckyguy?”“Jo Ellen!” Michelle scolded jokingly. “This is Rick Masters. He’s in real

estate.Rick,JoEllenisgettingherdegreeinfashiondesign.Isn’tthatgreat?”“Yeah,” said Rick, a little taken aback. Was Michelle some sort of local

celebrity?Whydideveryonehereseemtoknowher?Theyorderedtheirdrinks,andJoEllendeparted.Thepairwassilentforamoment.“So, youwere tellingme that business was great,”Michelle reminded him

softly.Hervoicemadehimthinkofhisoldersisterwhenshecalledtomakesurehewaseatinghealthyandexercising.“Yeah,right,”Ricklaughed.“Iguessitreallydependsonwhichansweryou

want—mineorthecompany’s.I’mnottryingtoruinanyoneelse’sdaywithmyproblems.”Rickwantednothingmorethantoreturntobed,notthathehadbeensleepingwellrecently.“I don’t mind,” Michelle offered gently. “We all have problems now and

then.”There’sthatsmileagain.“Well,problemsseemtobethenormforme,”Ricksighed,scanningherface

to see howmuch he should reveal.Was he really about to spill his guts to alender? It went against his every instinct, but there was something disarmingaboutMichelle’smanner.WhatdoIhavetolose?“Thetruthis,thingsaretoughright now. Like everyone else, wewere killing it a few years back. Now themarket is killingme.”Michelle nodded sympathetically and took a sip of herwater.“Imean,Iusedtocomplainifalistingwasonthemarketformorethanthree weeks,” he continued. “Now I’ve got properties that have been sittingaroundformonths.I’mtakingbuyersouttolook,andI’mthinking,thesepeoplearen’t serious! I’m basically a glorified tour guide right now, and…” Rickstoppedabruptly.Okay,that’senough.Morethanenough,actually.HelookeduptoseeMichelle’sreaction.A cloudmoved in the breeze outside the large frontwindow, and the room

seemed to darken. Jo Ellen returned with bread and salad and said, “OhMichelle,Katherinejustgavedirectionstothegentlemanmeetingyouat2:00.Ijustwantedtoletyouknow.”“First time here?”Rick asked sarcastically.Michelle smiled.As he thought

abouteverythinghehadjustrevealed,headdedweakly,“Sorry,didn’tmeantoturnthisintoaconfessional.”“Don’tworryaboutit,”Michelleassuredhim.“Look,youknowI’malender.

I’vehadplentyofagentsgrinandtellmethat thiswas theirbestyearever,so

I’mgladIdon’tlookthatstupidtoyou!”Shelaughed.Itwasanicelaugh,notgiddyorboisterous.What’stheword?Genuine.“Yeah,IneverthoughtI’dseetheday.”Rickshookhishead.Itactuallyfelt

goodtoletitout.“Itusedtobesoeasy.Abuyerwouldcall.You’dshowthemaround.They’d buy.They needed to sell, so you listed their home.You put asign in theiryardand itwouldsell.Thosedaysaregone, letme tellyou.Anddon’t evengetme started on Internet leads. I’ve gotten somany e-mails fromMickeyMouse, I don’t think I everwant to visitDisneyland again!Honestly,Michelle,IthinkI’maboutdone.”Geez,amIdone?IalwayssaidI’ddiebeforeI’dgobacktoaccounting…Michellesmiledagain.“Well,Ihopeyou’renotdone.”“Why’sthat?”Rickaskedwithsurprise.WhatcanIpossiblydoforher,with

myzeroleadsandmylistingslanguishingonthemarket?“Becausemarkets rise and fall all the time.Weall know that.But there are

some things money can’t buy: reliability, integrity, all that good stuff,” shesmiled, takingabiteofhersalad.“It’snoteverydayImeetanagentwhowasreferredtomebyaclientwhogradedthatagentatenoutoften.Joshwasveryimpressedwithyou.”Rick felt hismood begin to lift. I knew he likedme, but I didn’t realize he

rankedmeaten.HewasstartingtofeelgladhehadtakenJosh’sadvicetomeetMichelle.Hefelthimselfbegintorelax.“Well,Iguessyouguysarehurtingonthemortgagesidetoo,right?”heasked,

expecting that it wasMichelle’s turn to unload. “A loan officer I know fromcollegejusttoldmelastweekthathehadtogiveupandgoworkfortheIRS!Sowhataboutyou?”“Well, which answer do you want—the company’s or mine?” Michelle

laughed.Ricklaughedtooandfelthisshouldersrelaxalittle.“Hey,Ithoughtwewerespillingourgutshere!”Rickretorted,leaningbackin

hischairandthrowinghishandsupinmockoffense.“Yes,yes,ofcourse,”Michelleassuredhim.“Thetruthiswe’reactuallydoing

verywellwithoneexception.”“What’stheexception?”Rickaskedcuriously.Verywell?Nowondershe’sin

suchagoodmood.Shehastobetheonlyoneinthisindustrydoing“verywell.”“I’m looking forways to help local agentsmarket our new first-time home

buyerprograms.Wouldyoumindopeningthedooratyourbrokerageformetodoa“LunchandLearn”seminaratyouroffice?I’llbuythelunch,ofcourse.”“Noproblem,”Rickanswered.She canbuy thewhole office lunchand that

stillwon’tcreateanyleads.“Sowhatdoyouteachinyourseminar?”“Well, we offer all kinds of instruction,”Michelle explained. The question

seemedtolightasparkofexcitement.“Ofcourseweeducateagentsonthetypesof loansweoffer,butwealso teacheffectiveclient follow-up, leadgenerationtechniques and things like that. I usually just askmycontactwhat thebiggestchallengeisforagentsintheoffice.”Rick’seyeshadopenedwidewhenheheardhermentionleadgeneration,but

he was determined to play it cool. “So you guys are really doing well rightnow?”heaskedcasually.“Well, I’m really grateful, because I know it’s been tough for a lot of good

folks.Butactually,we’reonpacetodoubleourbusinessfromlastyear,whichwasupsignificantlyfromtheyearbeforethat,”Michellesaidmodestly.“That’s impressive!What are you doing?” he said, trying not to sound too

impressed.HeandMichellehadcrossedpathsovertheyears,buthehadneverpegged her as anyone remarkable. Like most agents, he had a love-haterelationshipwithhomelenders.Theywereanintegralpartof thebusiness,buthecouldnevershake thefeeling that theywereall just leecheswhowanted toprofit off his hard work. Yet he felt Michelle’s words piercing through hisprotective layers of cynicism despite his best efforts to resist. I think she isactuallytellingmethetruth.Whytheheckwouldshecare,though?“Well,we’redoinglotsofthings,”Michelleexplained,takingasipofhertea.

“I’ll be happy to go over some stuff inmore detail in aminute. But before Iforget,JayMichaelsiscomingtotownthisFriday.Whydon’tyoucomeasmyguest?It’snormallyprettyexpensivetoattend,butIthinkIcangetyouaticket.”Atthatmoment,JoEllenreturnedwiththeirentrees.“I’msorry,butwhoisJayMichaels?”Rickhadnoideawhatshewastalking

aboutandthesmellofhisfoodhadcaughthisattention.“He’s theguywho taughtmeabout theGenerosityGeneration,which is the

wholephilosophyofourcompany,”Michelleexplained,takingabite.“GenerosityGeneration?”Rickaskedapologetically.Geez,I’moutofit…but

thesecrabcakesaregreat.“Basically,itmeansthemoreyougive,themoreyouget.Jayshowsbusiness

people likeyouandmehowto turnourrelationships intoreferrals.There’snocatch,”sheadded,perceivinghisskepticism.“It’sjustareallygoodsystem.Youknowhow some say it’s all aboutwhoyouknow, and some say it’s all aboutwhoknowsyou?Well Jay says it’saboutwhoyouknow,howwellyouknowthemandwhoTHEYknow.Like,JoEllen?She’sinschoolsoshe’snotbuyingrightnow,butshereferredhersistertome.Hersisterhadagreatexperienceandreferred her neighbor who was refinancing. I would have never gotten thatbusinessifIhadn’tlearnedhowfromJayandmycoach.”“Oh,” Rick responded. Katherine smiled at both of them as she escorted

anothercoupletotheadjacentbooth.Ibetthathostessgaveherbusinesstoo.As theybothate,Michelle talked freelyaboutherbusinessandher life: she

wasgetting toknowsomegreatpeople, and she seemed tohave an endearingstory about each of them. She also seemed to be speaking a foreign languageusing terms Rick had never heard: she mentioned the Generosity Generationagain and said something about aCommunicationPyramid and the InfluentialZone.Shespokeaboutmaking1st&10callsandcommunicatinghersolutionsto her community.Ricknodded, but felt himself losing trackofwhat shewassaying.Overall, though, he knew she felt confident aboutwhere her businesswas going, even in a downmarket, and that her life was more balanced andfulfillingthanithadeverbeen.“I mean, even with market ups and downs, you have to admit this is an

incrediblyexcitingtimetobeinthebusiness,”Michellesaid.“Whatdoyoumean?”Rickasked,honestlyconfused.Exciting?“That’swhattheGenerosityGenerationisallabout,”Michelleexplained.“In

theolddays,theonlywaytogetbusinesswascold-calling,door-knocking,andotherwaysto‘markettostrangers’.Everybodyspenttimeandmoneytryingtoattractandclosepeoplethey’dnevermet.IntheGenerosityGeneration,wecanspendourtime,energy,effort,andmoneyonpeopleweactuallylikeandtrust.Inthe end, those are the ones who are most valuable to our business.” Rickconsidered this. Michelle was so animated and energetic as she spoke, butinsteadoffeelingirritated,hefeltintrigued.Howcanshehavesomuchpassionforthisstuff?“Connecting with people has never been easier,”Michelle continued. “The

more people I connect with, the more people think of me as a ‘mover andshaker.’Themorepeoplethinkofmethatway,themorepeopleIconnectwith.ItgrowsitselfandIdon’tgethunguponoradoorslammedinmyface.”“Canyougivemeanexampleofsomethingspecificwhichyou’redoingthat’s

different?”Rickasked.“Well, I couldgiveyou lotsof examples.Like just thismorning, insteadof

clippingarticlestosendtoclientsliketheolddays;IusedGoogleAlertstostayintouchwithallmyclientsandreferralpartners,andremindthemhowmuchIcare about them. It doesn’t cost me anything and takes no time. The GoogleAlertcomes in, I reviewit,and thenI forward it to theperson inmydatabasewithashorte-mailfromme.IsetupaGoogleAlertforallmyreferralpartnersand top referral sources; I call thosepeopleAmbassadors andChampions. It’salmost like having staff to keep tabs on the people in my community.” Sheadded,seeingtheconfusiononRick’sface,“Oh,it’sreallyeasy.Icanshowyouhow todo it in twenty seconds.Before I do that, just to let youknow, I have

anotherappointmentcominginat1:00.That’sinabout15minutes.”“Okay.Thanks,”Rick answered.Michelle explainedGoogleAlerts inmore

detail[1],pullingoutherphoneanddemonstratingtheprocess.Rickthought,I’dlike to set up aGoogleAlert onDonDasick to seewhat he’s doing. Jo Ellenquietly cleared their plates and refilledRick’s coffeewithout being asked.Astheycontinuedtochat,RickwastemptedseveraltimestobringupDonandaskifMichellehadheardanythingabouthim,butheresisted.“Rick,doyoumindifIaskyouabusinessquestion?”Michellesaid.“Sure,Michelle.Shoot.”“Ifyouhada friendorneighborwhowas looking to refinanceorbuy,who

wouldyourecommend?”Michelleaskedalmostcasually.Rick thought about his neighbor living in the condo downstairs; she had

asked, but he hadn’t referred her anywhere because he didn’t get paid forrefinances.Hesippedhiscoffeeandthoughtsomemore.“Idon’tknow.The last time I talked to someoneabout refinancing, Ididn’t

sendheranywhere.Probablyshouldhave,butIdon’treallyhaveago-toperson.IguessI’dhavetosayIdon’tknow,”hefinallyanswered.“Whatwouldittakeformetobethatgo-toperson?”Goodquestion.“Idon’tknow,”Rickansweredhonestly.“Imean,thismeetingdidn’tdoyou

any harm. If you can be successful in this market, you’ve got to be doingsomethingright. Iguess I’dneed to learnmoreaboutwhatyou’redoing tobesuccessful,andmoreaboutwhatloansyoudoanddon’tdo.”“Great,”Michellesmiledgently.“Iwanttobeyourgo-topersonforloans.I

don’t need all your business. Just giveme a few shots permonth.And if I’mhearingyoucorrectly,you’resayingthatifyougettoknowmeandmybusinessbetterandlikewhatyousee,I’dbeyourgo-toperson?AmIcorrect?”Afewshotspermonthwouldbeallmybusiness.“Yep.Thataboutsumsitup,”

Rickansweredashedrainedhislastbitofcoffee.JoEllenslippedbysilentlyfortherefill.“Great,thankyouforthatanswer.I’vepreparedsomeinformationforyouto

learn more about the solutions I provide,” Michelle said, sliding a one-pagedocument across the table. “This is another thing I learned fromJayMichaelsandSevenLevels.It’scalledaSpectrumofSolutionsanditshowsthefullrangeofservicesIcanprovideforyouandyourclients.”Rickglanceddownatthebrochureandthenfeelingbold,blurtedout,“Look,

neitherofusmakesmoneywhennobody’sbuying.Clearlyyou’vefoundthelastpeople in townwhoare.You’reaskingmeforhelp,andIappreciatewhatyousaidaboutmyreputation.Butifyou’redoingaswellasyouseemtobe,I’dliketo know more about what you’re doing. Google Alerts and this Spectrum of

Solutionspagedidn’texplodeyourbusiness.”“Well,letmeturnthataround,”Michellesaidsoftly.“WhatcanIdotohelp

you?Whatdoyouneedrightnow?”“Honestly,Ineedgood,solid leads,”Rickconfessed.“LikeIsaid,I’vetried

the magazines, newspapers, home journals, Internet advertising, everything. IknowIcandeliverwhatbuyersneed,butI’mjustnotfindingthepeoplewhoarebuying.”“Ihearyou,”Michellesaid.“IreallythinkIcanhelpyouwiththat.Butfirst,

justcomeonFridayandwe’lltalkaboutitmoreafterthat.OnceyouhearwhatJayhastosay,whatIsaywillmakealotmoresense.”Isshesayingshegotallthisfromsomeseminar?“Well,ifhereallyhelpedyouthatmuch,I’llgo,”Rickdecided.Asthetworosetoleave,asharplydressedmanapproachedtheirtable.“Hi,Michelle,” he said. “I sawyou from the foyer and Iwanted to let you

knowIwashere forour1:00.”The twohuggedandRicknoticedAlan tuckatendrilofMichelle’shairbehindherleftear.“Alan,thisisRickMasters.He’sarealestateagent.Rick,thisisAlanHubble,he’sanattorneyatHubble,Rogers,andSpence. I’ll be right back, but you two should exchange cards.”ThemenobeyedandmadesmalltalkasMichelleslippedofftotheladies’room.“Hubble,RogersandSpence,”Ricksaid.“That’sdowntown,right?”“Top floor of theRogersBankBuilding,”Alan smiled.Well, good for you,

Rick thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “So how do you knowMichelle?”“Oh, you know, I’m an agent so I know lots of lenders,” Rick said

nonchalantly.“Well, she’s quite an up and comer,” Alan smiled. “Did she tell you the

numbersshedidthisquarter?”Rick smiled and nodded, trying to think of a way to end the conversation,

whenMichellereturned.“Well,it’sbeenapleasure,Michelle.Nicetomeetyou,Alan,”Rickoffered,

startingtothinkabouttherestofhisday.“Rick,absolutely!”Michellesmiled.“We talkedallbusiness today,butnext

timeIwanttohearmoreaboutyourgoalsandwhatyoudoforfun.I’llseeyouFriday!”Fun? Rick watched Alan and Michelle head to their booth before turning

towardsthedoor.“Goodbye,Mr.Masters,”Katherinecalledtohim.“Goodbye!”Rick smiledandcalledback, surprisedat theenthusiasm inhis

own voice. He reached for his car keys and realized that for the first time in

weeks,henolongerfelttired.Maybehe’dheadintotheofficeafterall.

2JayMichaelsSpeaks

“Whenthestudentisready,theteacherwillappear.”ChineseProverb

By the time Friday came, Rick was his tired, listless self again. Still, hecouldn’tbackoutofthisevent.Naturallyhecouldthinkofamillionexcusesthatsoundedplausible;butMichellehadleftavoicemail,sentane-mail,andmaileda card reminding him. Canceling nowwould be beyond tacky, and Rick stillprizedhisintegrityevenifhefeltlikehisdignitywasbleedingtodeath.Hewasshockedtofindtheconventioncenterparkinglotnearlyfullwhenhe

arrived fifteenminutes early.He entered the building and looked around. I’venever seen thisplace socrowded.Theremustbe somethingelsegoingon too.Yetaglanceatthesignsseemedtorevealthateveryonewasthereforthesameevent. Not only that, the crowd seemed eerily friendly. People were hugging,exchangingwarmhandshakesandevenkisseson thecheek. It feltmore likeafamilyreuniontoRick:someoneelse’sfamilyreunion.WhatamIdoinghere?Hefoundtheregistrationtableandreceivedhispacketfromacheerfulyoung

woman.InithesawablackrubberbraceletjustliketheonehehadglimpsedonMichelle’swristatlunch.IhopeIcanfindher.Rickdidn’tmindbeingalone,butsomethingabouttheintenselyfriendlyconversationsaroundhimmadehimfeelleftout.HeneededMichelletohelphimmakesenseofallthis.Heexaminedtheblackbandandwasreadingitwhenhefeltataponhisshoulder.“Thereyouare!”Michellesaid,givinghimaquickhug.Thatwasnice.Does

sheevernotsmile?“I’msogladyoumadeit!”“Metoo!”Ricksaidquickly.Truthfully,hehadbeengladshewantedhimto

come, even if he felt a little hesitant about being there. “I appreciate all thereminders.”“Well,I thinkyou’rereallygoingtoenjoyit.Oh,andthankssomuchfore-

mailing your broker. I called him and we’ve got the “Lunch and Learn”scheduled.”“Oh, good, it was no trouble really,” Rick said, trying to sound casual.

“Anyway,I’veneverseenthisplacesofull.”“Isavedyouaseatclosetothefrontwithmeandafewothers.Let’sheadup

therebeforetheygetstarted.”Rickfollowedherintothemainauditoriumanddowntowardsthestage.Wow,

we’reinthe“Reserved”seating.Iguessshedoesknowsomepeople.Rickwasvery glad he was headed there with her, instead of sitting by himself in thiscrowd.Whentheyarrivedattheirsection,Rickshookhandswithafewnewpeople.

Oh,there’sAlan,henoticed,lookingdowntherow.What’salawyerdoinghere?Rickfeltasmalltwingeofdisappointmentthathechosetoignore.The crowd began to hoot and holler as the lights dimmed and somemusic

begantoplay.Itwasstrangetofeelsomuchenergyatabusinessevent.Dotheythinkwe’reatarockconcertorsomething?An introductory video played, which stirred up everyone even further; and

finally,JayMichaelshimselfjoggedtothecenterofthestageandwavedtothecrowd.Hewas of average height and build, dressed in a black suit andmockturtleneck. Rick realized that he had half expected to see a movie star orcelebrityathleteemerge.Hefoundhimselfrisingwitheverybodyelsetogiveathunderous standing ovation. The intensity was reaching a fever pitch withshoutsandcheers.Rickfeltchillsrunuphisspine,despitehimself.Itremindedhimofthetimehishighschoolfootballteamhadmadetheplayoffsforthefirsttimeintenyears.“Thank you!” Jay started. ToRick’s surprise, instead of quieting down, the

roar got louder. The back and forth continued for what seemed like severalminutesasJaycontinuedtogreetthecrowdandtheywelcomedhiminreturn.“Welcome, members of the Generosity Generation!” Jay began. “I am so

excited to share the SevenLevels ofCommunicationwith you and show youhowtogofromrelationshipstoreferrals.EvenveteransandAmbassadorsinthecrowdwillspotmanynewitemstonightaswecontinuallyimproveourgame!”Morecheers.Jeez,thesepeoplereallylovethisguy.Jayraisedhishandsandthecrowdquietedalmostinstantly.Itwastimetoget

towork.Ricknoticednobodytooktheirseat.Jaycontinued,“Asmanyofyouknow,Ialwaysstartmydayandmypresentationswithaffirmations.Theyfocusourmindsforthetaskahead.Let’sgetstarted!”Oh,great,Rickthought.Hehadtriedaffirmationsbefore,staringinthemirror

every morning and telling himself he was stronger and better. It had done

nothing.Heregoesnothing,hethought.Jay passionately said the affirmations and then the crowd repeated them.A

loud clap followed each. Rickmouthed along, and glanced to his side to seewhat Michelle and her row of fans were doing. They were enthusiasticallyparticipating,althoughhecaughtAlanlookingathisBlackBerryseveraltimes.Hecan’tbehereforanythingbutMichelle.Theaffirmationscontinued.“Idoitnow!”Jayshouted.“Idoitnow!”Thecrowdresponded.CLAP!“Excellent!” Jay shouted. “I want each of you to take a look at the black

rubber bracelet you received in your packet. This is your procrastination-elimination-solution.”Mywhat?Okay…Rickthought.“Doyourememberwhenyourteachermadeyouwritesomethingonthechalkboardoverandoverwhenyou misbehaved? My teacher made me write phrases liked, ‘I will not pullCindy’shair’ and ‘Iwillnot chewonmypencil in class’.Shemademewritethosethingssothatitwouldbeinstilledinmymindtodotherightthing.Iwantthese wrist bands to instill a sense of urgency in you. If your buyers aren’tbuying and your sellers aren’tmotivated to sell, perhaps it isYOUR sense ofurgencythatislacking,nottheirs.”Rickthoughtaboutthatforamoment.MYsenseofurgency?Forallthisnoise

andhype,Jayhadcutrighttothechase.Rickfeltoddlyalertinresponse.“Toconquerprocrastination,thisbandwillremindyoutoDOITNOW!”Jay

continued.“Tapyourbandrightnowandsaytoyourself,‘Doitnow.’”Everyonetappedhisorherbandandshouted,“DOITNOW!”Rickrepeated

thelinealongwitheveryoneelse.Anotherthunderousclapfollowed.“Again!”Jayimplored.Rick tapped the band on hiswrist. “DO ITNOW!” the crowd shouted and

then clapped. They did it five more times with each shout and clap gettinglouder.“Affirmations—whatagreatwaytostart!”Jaycontinued.“Pleasehaveaseat.

Thankyou.”Thecrowdsettledin.“Awisemanoncesaid,‘Beginwiththeendinmind.’What’sinterestingabout

thephilosophyoftheSevenLevelsisthatthefirstthingyoulookatistheend…yourend. It soundshorrible,butweareallmortalsandwill somedayfaceourend.Weneed tomakesureour livesANDourbusinessesarealignedwith thelegacywewant to leave.Todrawa line frompointA to pointB,weneed toknowwherepointBisandwhatitlookslike.Considerthesequestions:Iftherewereonlytwelvewordswrittenonyourtombstone,whatwouldyouwantthemtobe?Whowouldyouwantatyourfuneral?Whatwouldyouwantthemtosayaboutyou?”

Rickshuddered.WhowouldcometomyfuneralifIdiedtoday?Thethoughtwasa terribleone.Rickdidn’twant topursue it furtherbuthecouldn’t resist.Didthisreallyhaveanythingtodowithhisbusiness?“Whatyouwantsaidaboutyouatyourfuneralhaseverythingtodowithhow

youdobusinesstoday,”Jaydeclared,asif inanswertoRick’squestion.“Yourbusiness should be a vehicle for helping you live and leave a legacy. Yourbusinessshouldhelpyoufulfillyourpurpose.Themostimportantconversationyoueverhaveistheonewithyourself.Youraffirmationsarestatementsofwhoyouareandwhoyouwillbe.Theyshapethekindofbusinessyouwillrunandinturnthetypeoflifeyouwilllead.”AsRickponderedthis,Jaybegantellingastoryaboutcoldcalling,spamminganddoor-knockingwhichwasgettingalotofchuckles.Rickhadnever thoughtofhisbusinessasmuchmore thanaway tomake a living,much less a “legacy.” The thought of his funeral continued tobotherhim.“Likemostofyou,mybrokerstoldmetheonlywayIcouldsucceedinthis

businesswastobeaspammer,asolicitororacriminal!”Jaydeclaredtoroarsoflaughter.“IknewIhadtofindabetterway.”Well,ifyoudid,I’dlovetohearit,Rickthoughtsarcastically.“Then I thought about who I had really sold to in the last sixmonths:my

mother’scousin,mycollegeroommate’sbrotherandanotherfriendofafriend,”Jaycontinued.So?“Andthedifferencehitme:thepeopleIhadsoldtotrustedme.Theyusedme

becausewe had a relationship. I realized that itwasmy relationships, notmymarketingbudgetthatwasgoingtocreatemyfuture.”Rickconsideredhispoint.Joshhadusedhimbecauseofamutualfriend.“Istoppedchasingleads.Idecidednottospendanotherdimeonadvertising.I

decided to be like a lighthouse that attracts, guides, and directs instead ofrunningallovertheplacepursuingclients.Guesswhathappened?”Youburntout,Rickchuckledtohimself.“I doubledmybusiness…everyyear… for four straight years!”The crowd

cheered.Sure,ifIhadatonoffriendsandrelativesallovertheplace,Icouldmakea

killingsellingtoallthemtoo.Jaywenton,“When isa lighthousemostnecessary?When there isastorm.

Welookfora lighthousewhenweneedguidanceanddirection,andespeciallyduringastorm.”Iseewherethisisgoing.He’stryingtosayhissystemwillmakeyoushinein

“economic”storms…

“Look, thepress loves thehighwindsandroughseas. It’snothingpersonal,butnobodyrushestobuyamagazineorwatchaspecialreportonhowsafeandwonderfuleverythingis.Fearisapowerfulmotivatorandfearsellsads!”Rickhadneverreallythoughtofitthatway.True,timesweretough.Buthow

muchof his perceptionwas shapedby themedia?Hewould have to considerthat.“Listen to that quiet voice inside: you know what those news reports are

sayingdoesn’taffectyou!”Itdoesn’t?“Look,youcan’tcontrol thenationalorglobaleconomy,butyouhave total

control over your personal economy and your attitude.You can lose your car,yourjob,yourhome…allyourstuff.Itcouldhappen.Butwhatdoyouhavethatnoonecantakeaway?”WhatdoIhave?“Yourknowledge,yourrelationships,yourfamily,yourloveforothers,your

health, your faith andyour happiness.Those are yours.Theydon’t dependoneconomicconditions.Theydon’tdependonthemarket.Theydependonyou.”Rickthoughtaboutthat.“Istartedtodothemathofwhatabusinessbasedonreferrals,introductions

andconnectionscouldlooklike.Iknowyouweretoldtherewouldbenomath”– the crowd laughed—“but thismay be themost importantmath you’ve everseen.Let’s sayyouhave150people inyourdatabase.Raiseyourhand ifyouhaveatleast150peopleinyourdatabase.”Rickraisedhishandandlookedaroundtheroom.Nearlyeverypersonhadhis

handup. “Now, everybusiness has a turnover rate.For example, theNationalAssociationofREALTORS®estimatesthattheaveragepersonmovesoneoutofeveryfiveyears.So thatmeansone-fifthor twentypercentofyourdatabase—thirtypeople—moveseachyear.“Ifyoudidthirtytransactionslastyear,youwouldbeinthetoptenpercentof

allrealestateagentsnationwide,”Jaycontinued.“Andwhenyouthinkaboutit,if those people sold and then bought, that’s sixty transactions a year from adatabaseofonly150people.”Thecrowdmurmured.Rickhadn’tthoughtabouthis database inmonths.He had started it in some software program and thenstartedcollectingbusinesscardsandkeeping theminashoebox. Idoubt I cangetsixtytransactionsoutofthatbox.“Butwhereitreallygetsinteresting,”Jaywenton,“iswiththefolksthatthe

people in your database know. The average wedding has about 250 peopleinvited,butwe’llsaythateveryoneyouknowisconnectedto150otherpeople.So150times150is22,500andthatisyourCommunity.Ifyou’rearealestate

professional and twenty percent of your Community is moving, then 4500people in your Community aremoving. Folks, that is 9000 transactions!Andthat’swithadatabaseofjust150people!”DidIhearthatright?JayrepeatedthefigureandRicktookoutanotepadand

startedjottingdownwhathewassaying.“Nowbeforewebreak,let’shearfromanAmbassadorwhoisimplementing

some of the strategies of the Seven Levels. Ladies and gentleman: JaniceWeinberger!”Atinylady—shehadtobelessthanfivefeettall—stoodupandappearedon

the screens. She must be sixty!Rick tried to imagine what this woman couldpossiblyhavetosaytosuchalargecrowd.Hethoughtaboutcheckinghistexts.Janicespoke,“IjustwanttosaythatIamlivingproofthatyou’renevertoo

oldofadogtolearnnewtricks.Ihavebeenarealestateagentforthirtyyears.”Rick’s ears perked up. “I absolutely love helping first-time buyers get intohomesandstartbuildingwealth.Afteryearsofblastingneighborhoodswithsixweeks of postcards and getting maybe one or two calls, most of them angrycalls…”Ricklaughedalongwiththeaudience.Irememberthosecalls.“…Idecided togivemycoach’smethods a try. I focusedonone apartment

complexwhereIknewthatrentsweregoingupandtherewereaffordablehomesnearby.Iwroteeachofthoserentersahandwrittennotelettingthemknowthatwhentheydecidedtolookforahome,Iwantedtobetheirgal.IletthemknowIwas having a home buyer seminar and invited them to come.” The crowdmurmured,waitingtohearwhathappened.“I’mhere to tellyou thatoutof350people—yes, Iwrote350handwritten

notes— I had 77 respond – 77!And ten of them letme know that theyweresorrytheycouldn’tattendbutwantedtolearnmore!Sixmonthslater,Iamstillworkingwithsomeofthosepeoplethatcalled.”Theaudienceclappedandafewstoodup.Rickwantedtostanduptoo.Whatagreat idea!“The lessonsof theSevenLevelswork.Nomatterwhatyourage,youcanbecomeamemberofTheGenerosityGeneration.Thankyou,Jay,”Janicefinished.ThunderousapplausefollowedasJayannouncedthebreak.Ricklookedathisnotesandtookadeepbreathasthecrowdbegantogetup

andmingle.Asheglancedupfromhisseat,hesawMichellestandingnearhim.Hesmiledandstoodup.“Wow,thisisreallysomething…”heoffered,notreallysurewhattosay.“Iknow,”Michellereplied,clearlypleasedwithhisresponse.“Andthisisjust

thetipoftheiceberg.Ican’twaitforyoutoseetheCommunicationPyramidandTheUpward Spiral of L.I.F.E…Before I forget I want to introduce you to acouple of people. You remember Alan of course.” Alan looked up from his

BlackBerryandofferedhishandagain.Ricksaid,“Sure,fromEVT.”Hisvoiceinvoluntarilydeepenedashespoke.“Yeah,” Alan answered. Then he turned to Michelle abruptly. “Listen, I’d

bettergetgoing.IjustgotamessagethatthefirmneedsabrieffiledbyMondaymorning.YouknowIhaveticketstothegametomorrow,so…”“Oh that’s okay,” Michelle said kindly. Rick thought he detected

disappointmentinhervoice.ShegaveAlanahuggoodbyeandintroducedRicktoJeffSchmidt,achiropractor;andChristySutton,anetworkmarketer.Afteralittle conversation, Rick found out that everybody hadmetwithMichelle lastTuesdayatEVTRestaurant.Huh,she’sreallygettingitdone.Rick rememberedwhat she had said about being perceived as amover and

shaker. He looked down again at his pages of notes and thought about thehomework Jay had assigned them. Normally, Rick would have ignored apresenter’s“actionitems,”butthistimehefeltstrangelymotivatedtolookathisdatabase.Thelightsbegantodimagain,alertingeveryonethatthebreakwasaboutto

end.Rickstrodebacktohisseatquickly.Thisisactuallyhelpful.Couldtherebeadifferentwayofdoingbusiness?IbetDondoesn’tknowhalfthisstuff…RickfeltapangofhumiliationinthepitofhisstomachashetriedinvaintoputthatconversationwithDon out of hismind.“Rick, to be honest with you, I don’tthink you’ll be in the business a year from now.”Hewas relieved to see thecrowdsettledownandJayMichaelsjogtothestagetoloudcheersandapplause.“Okay,guys,”Jay resumed,“Nowit’s timefor theCommunicationPyramid

you’ve heard somuch about. I need everyone here to stand up. Some of youknow what’s coming but I know you’ll indulge me anyway.” Rick stood upalongwiththecrowd.“Great. There is only one rule for this game: you have to be completely

honest.NowIwantyoutoimaginethatyouhavenoplansfornextFriday.YouopenyourmorningpapertomorrowandyouseeafullpageadwithapictureofDonaldTrumpsaying,‘Iwantyoutoattendmyupcomingeventinyourcity.’Ifyouare100%certainyouwillattendthatevent,basedonseeingthatad,Iwantyoutositdownnow.”Rickkeptstanding.Helookedaround.Everyoneelsewasstillstandingtoo.Whereishegoingwiththis?“Really?” Jay laughed. “C’mon, guys, this is themost famousman in real

estateandheranafullpageadtogetyoutocometohisevent.Nowwhatifyougotajumbopostcardinthemailwiththesamepictureandthesamemessage?AnyaffectonthoseFridayplans?Sitdownifthat’sgoingtogetyouthere.”Rickremainedstanding.Hethoughthesawsomeonesitdownoutofthecornerofhiseye,buthecouldn’tbesure.

“Andwhat if you got an e-mail inviting you to the event?” Jay continued.“Wouldthatmakeyouabsolutelycertaintogo?”Ricksawaguynearthebacksitdownandawomansitdownnearthecenteraisle.“Sure,youmight.Afterall,hemightnotmakeitoutthisfartoooften.Hemightsignyourbook…itcouldbefun!”Thecrowdchuckled.“Nowlet’ssayyougotahand-addressednotefromareturnaddressyoudon’t

recognize,”Jaysaid.“Youopentheenvelope,flipopenthecard,andthereisahandwritten note fromDonaldTrump.He asks you to attend his event that iscomingsoontoyourcity.Youlickyourthumbandwipetheink,confirmingthatitwasoriginal.IfyouknewbeyondareasonabledoubtthatthenotehadcomefromDonaldTrump,wouldyougo?”Ricksawthatmorethanhalftheroomwasnowsittingdown.Jaycontinuedwithasmile,“Nowyou’reatworkandyourreceptionistsays

youhaveacall.Youhearthatfamiliarvoicesay,‘ThisisDonaldTrump.Ionlyhaveaminutehere,but Iwanted to inviteyou toanevent I’mhaving inyourcity.CanIcountonyoutoattend?’Nowifthathappens,andyouknowyou’renotpartofaprank,howmanypeopleinthisroomwouldbeatthatevent?Ricksatdownalongwithmanyothers.Aphonecall fromDonaldTrump?Sure,I’mthere…“Andforyouholdouts,”Jaylaughed,“Whatifyoucameoutofyourofficeto

findMr. Trump himself in yourwaiting area.He shakes your hand, tells youabout the event and asks you to come.Will that get you there?” The crowdmurmuredloudlyaseverylastpersonsatdown.Jayhesitatedtoletthepointsinkin.Thecrowdwasmurmuring.“Okay,thatgotallofyou,”Jaysaidasthecrowdquieteddown.“Sonowyou

seewhynoonerespondstothebillboards,orthebusbenchesorthehugeads.You wouldn’t respond to that, and neither will they. Yet you just heard howmanypeoplerespondedtomyfriendJaniceoverthere,whenshetookthetimetowriteeachof thepeople in thatapartmentcomplex.Becauseyousee, to thepeople in that apartment complex, Janice is their Donald Trump! She doesn’thave a TV show, but she is the gal getting it done in their community! Sheshowed she cared enough towrite personally andoffer tohelp.HowmanyofyoufoundoutaboutTHISeventbyahandwrittennote,phonecall,orin-personinvitation?”Everyhandwentupintheroom.Rickwasfloored.Itwassotrue!Allthose

cold calls, all those newspaper and magazine ads: they never worked. Theynevergeneratedanydecentleads.I’vebeenwastingsomuchtimeandmoney…“Well, Iknowwedidn’trunasinglead.I thinkyouguysarestartingtoget

it!”Jaylaughed.Jaycontinuedmovingthroughsomeslides,furtherexplaining

theSevenLevelsofCommunicationandtheCommunicationPyramidandRicktooknotesasfasthispenwouldallowhim.

“Nowbeforeweletyougotonight,you’regoingtobeofferedtheopportunity

toinvestinyourselfbysigningupforcoaching.Ithinkalmostallofyoucanseethat this ismorethananyonecanabsorbandimplementinonenight.”Yougotthatright.“SotherearetwomorepeopleIwantyoutohearfrom.LikeJanice,they came to a conference just like this. And like Janice, they signed up forcoaching. The first is amortgage professional that was ready to throw in thetoweljustunderayearago.Everyone,welcomeMichellePhillips.”ToRick’s shock,Michelle rose from their rowandwalkedupon stage and

stoodnexttoJay.Jeez,didshegettaller?Seeingthewomanhehadjustchattedwithsocasuallyaddressingacrowdofthissizefeltalmostsurreal.“Thanks, Jay!”Michelle said.She looks soconfident! “Ihavebeencoached

foraboutsevenmonthsnowandit’sbeenanincredibleexperience.”“Michelle,tellushowthingsaregoingandaboutsomeofthestrategiesthat

you’veimplementedunderyourcoach’sleadership,”Jaysaid.“Well, Jay, in amarket thatwas down40% in number of sales and20% in

sales price,we’ve INCREASED our business by 78% in transactions and ourvolume by 49%. Most of that came in the last six months of the year. I’veincreasedmyincomebyover$100,000inthelastsixmonths.”Rickjoinedthecrowdinapplauding.“Oneofthemostimportantfactorsinyourhomeownershipexperienceisyourrelationshipwithyourneighbors.Evenintoday’sfast-pacedworld,weneedtotakethetimetogettoknowthepeoplearoundus,”Michellecontinued.“Sonowwethrowahousewarmingpartyforeveryoneofourbuyer-clientsasawaytomeetthoseneighbors.”“Howdoesthatwork?”Jayaskedwithgenuineinterest.“Well, we throw them a party thirty to forty-five days after closing. That

timeframe seemed toworkbest.Wecater the food, put out branded signs andtakeapicturewithourclientsinfrontofthehousewithasoldsign.Mycoachalso suggested thatwegiveout doorprizes so that eachguest fills out a doorprize entry form. That’s how we get information for follow-up and ask forreferrals.Weget threeor four referralson thedoorprize entry formsat everyparty.”“Wow, that’sagreat idea,”Jaysaid,and thecrowdapplaudedinagreement.

That isagreat idea.Rick’smindwas fillingwithpossibilities.Whyhadn’thethoughtofthatbefore?“Whatdoesitgenerallycostyou?”Jayasked.“Between200and300dollarsforfood,butI’mluckyenoughtohaveseveral

partners inmybusinesswhohelpmewith the cost for the party. I used to bereallyshy…”Yeah,right,Rickthought.“AndIwasstillcomingoutofthatshellwhenwedidourfirstfewparties.MycoachsuggestedIputmyselfintheroleof

aserver.AssoonasIdidthatattheparties,notonlydidIfeelmorecomfortable,butIgotmorereferrals!”“Didyouhaveanychallengeswiththismodelatfirst?”Jayasked.“Oh,sure,”Michellelaughed.“Weusedtowaituntilclosingtoasktheclients

if theywanted todoahousewarmingparty.Thatdidn’tgoover sowellwhenthey were stressed out about moving. So after some trial and error we gotsmarterandbeganexplainingthehousewarmingpartyattheinitialconsultationinsteadofwaitinguntilclosing.Wejustmade itapartof theprocess.Yougetpre-approved,makeanoffer,getacontract, signpapersatclosing, thenhostahousewarmingparty.”“Andyourcoachhashelpedyourefineyourmodel?”Jayinquired.“Oh yes,” Michelle confirmed. “Coach is never satisfied. Our system was

prettygoodfourmonthsago.ThenmycoachshowedmehowtousesomeoftheconceptsfromtheCommunicationPyramidtotakethepartiestothenextlevel.First,hesuggestedthatIcallallinviteestoconfirmthattheywouldbeattending.WeweresendingniceinvitationsoutandIfeltthatwasenough.Ifigureditwasuptothebuyer-clienttogetthemthere.Butmycoachkeptemphasizingthatwewantedtoimmerseourselvesinourbuyer-clients’circleoffriends.Tomaximizemytime,Ineededtogetasmanyaspossibletothatparty.SoIbegancallingtoconfirm and attendance soared. Instead of getting 50% or less, we are nowgettingmore than75%.Andwithmorepeople, the energy is alsohigher.Theclientsseemtoenjoythemselvesmore.Thesepartiesarealotoffun![2]”“So it sounds like this is a big reason you’ve seen such growth in your

businesswhileothersareseeingdeclines,”Jayoffered.“Absolutely.Coachinghelpedmeunderstandhow to implementwhat Iwas

learningabouttheSevenLevels.Theideasaresimpleandinexpensivebutverypowerful. Idefinitelywouldn’tbewhereIamwithout theseprinciplesandmycoach’shelpinputtingthemintopractice.”“Thanks,Michelle,” Jay smiledandRick joined thecrowd inapplaudingas

she made her way down the side stairs and back to her seat. Rick caught aglimpseofhersmile.Shelookedalmostradiant.Wow!GoMichelle!“Michelle’s success is a great reminder of how cultivating a few deep

relationshipsisbetterthanaccruingthousandsofshallowrelationships.Someoneelsewhounderstandsthisconceptisoneofouryoungestcoachingclients.At22yearsold,Jeremyhasablossominglandscapingbusinessandhedoesn’tspendapennyonadvertising.Hedoesn’tevenhaveayellowpagesad.He’sasbusyasyou can get and has hired ten new people in the last six months. Everyone,welcomeJeremyStahl.”Rickwatchedayoungmanwalkacrossthestageandtakethemicrophonethat

Michellehadjustheld.Hewasshorterthanaverageandworejeansandabrightbluebutton-downshirtwithhiscompany logoon thechestpocket.He’s justakid!Rickthought.“Thankyou, Jay.Great tobehere.Mydad thought Iwascrazy tospendso

muchmoney on coaching,” Jeremy’s voice affectionately imitated his father’scountry accent– “‘why in tarnation areyougoing topay someone to tell youwhattodo?’”Thecrowdlaughedinresponse.“Butinmygut,IknewIneededhelptotakemybusinesstothenextlevel.MydadisthebestmanIknowandhetaughtmeeverythingIknowaboutlandscaping,buthenevertookthebusinessbeyondputtingfoodonourtableandkeepingaroofoverourheads.Iknewwecoulddobetterthanthat.”“Sohowdidithappenforyou,Jeremy?”Jayasked.“Ihadmetanoldergentlemanatanetworkingfunctionwhowasagolfcourse

grounds’consultant.Iknewthisguywastherealdeal,soIaskedmycoachonhow to maximize the contact. We put together a plan. I had already written“Birdie”—that’s what they call him— a handwritten note immediately aftermeetinghim.IhadalsoputaP.S.inthereforhimtocallme.Hedidcall,andwechattedalittlebitandsetupafollowuptimeforcoffee.Iputhimintooneofmy Tuesday afternoon networking slots.Wemet and it went great. Thenmycoach and I worked it out to get him onto Lionbrooke.” Rick raised hiseyebrows.Lionbrookewasthemostexclusivegolfcourseintheregionandwasknownworldwide.“CoachandIthentookourplanstothenextlevel.Ifoundouthisgrandson,

Wyatt,isafantasticgolferatthelocalhighschool,soIsetupateetimeforthethreeofusandhadalimopickupBirdieandhisgrandson.Isatinthebackandgreetedthem.Theylovedit.Heck,Ilovedit.”Thecrowdbuzzedwithapproval.“Idon’trememberhowweshot.Itdidn’tmatter.Itwasafantasticday.”Jayproddedhimon,“Thestorydoesn’tendthere.Keepgoing,Jeremy.”“Well,itwasgoingtheextramile,butinreality,thewholedayincludingtips

costmelessthan$2000.Iwouldneverhaveeventhoughtaboutallthiswithoutmycoach’spushing.And itonlygetsbetter. I followedupwithahandwrittennotetobothofthem,thankingthemfortheirtime.Twoweekslater,Igotacall.Birdiehad tengolf courses thatneeded landscapearchitectureworkdone, thisfall. That could be nearly one million dollars in business! But there’s more.BirdiehadstruckupaconversationwiththeproatLionbrookeandnowhewasgoingtodosomeconsultingwiththatcoursetoo.Lastly,Wyattqualifiedforthehighschoolstatechampionshipandguesswherethattournamentwasplayedthisyear?Yes,Lionbrooke.And you guessed it,Wyattwon. Folks, I know this ishardtobelieve.Believemethisstuffistoocrazytomakeup.”

Jay looked like a proud papa as he applauded. “Let’s give a big hand toJeremy. What an outstanding story about the power of going deep withrelationships!Giveyourselfanaction item toput togetheraGoDeepDay foroneofyourAmbassadorswithinthenext60days.Believeme,itwillbewortheverypenny.“NowbeforeI letyougo, Iwant tosharesomethingwith thoseofyouwho

mightbehavingaroughyear.”Ricklookedupexpectantly.“IwantyoutoknowthatthereisonlyonedifferencebetweenJeremy,whojusthadhisbestyearever,andyou.There’sonlyonedifferencebetweenJanice,orMichelleandyou.Andthatisthattheyarejustfailingatahigherlevel.”Manyintheaudiencelaughed.Whatishetalkingabout?Rickwondered.Noneofthemlooklikethey’refailingatall.“All of us knowwhat a downward spiral in life is. Things go from bad to

worse until they’re spinning out of control. Well I want to close tonight byreminding you of the Upward Spiral of L.I.F.E. LIFE stands for Learn,Implement,Fail,Evaluate.”Rickjottedthisdownasquicklyashecould,asJayshowednosignofslowingdown.“Imagineaspiralstaircase,”Jaycontinued.“Theonlywaytoclimbeachstep

is to go through this process: Learn, Implement, Fail, Evaluate. Every honestpersonknowsthatfailureisapartoflife.Butifyoulearnedanythingtonightandyouimplementit,thenwhenyoufailnext,youwillfailatahigherlevel.Whenyouevaluatethatfailure,youwillfindyourselfonthenextstepinthatupwardspiral.Andthosewhoaretopproducersnotonlyfail,buttheyfailfaster.Learn,Implement,Fail,Evaluate.TheUpwardSprialofL.I.F.E.will takeyouhigherthanyou’veeverdreamed.”AsJaywrappeduptheconferencewithsomeclosingremarks,Rickwasdeep

inthought.Thiseveninghadofferedhimthemostusefuladviceandideasthathe could remember getting, but he knew therewas noway he could turn hisbusiness aroundby himself.Hedid need accountability, or hewould continuedoingwhathe’dbeendoingforthelasteighteenmonths.Ican’taffordcoaching.Ican’taffordcoaching.Thethoughtrepeateditselfin

hisbrainlikeascratchedCD.Therewerenotwowaysaboutit:billswerepilingupandnomatterhowgoodtheseideaswere,hedidn’thaveanyleadsrightnow.RicksmiledweaklyatMichellewhowasbusytalkingtoalonglineofpeople

who had gathered in response to her impressive testimonial. Shewaved backapologeticallyandcontinuedtoattendtoherfans.YetRickthoughthecaughtaglimpseofgenuineconcernonherface.Itwasuselesstodebateitanymore.Rickknewwhatheneededtodo.Ashe

picked up his briefcase, he became strangely aware of how fast his heartwas

beatingandhowsweatyhispalmshadbecome.Withagrimresolve,heheadedover toa large tablealreadymobbedbyattendees.Rick reached forhiswalletandpulledoutthecreditcardhehadvowedtouseonlyforemergencies.

3CommunicatingwithYourself

“Thewaywecommunicatewithothersandwithourselvesultimatelydeterminesthequalityofourlives.”AnthonyRobbins

“Thanksformeetingme,Michelle,”Ricksaidashebroughttwolargecoffeestotheircornertable.“Noproblem,”sheassuredhim,takinghercup.ForamomentRickthoughtof

heronstageattheconferenceagain,thecrowdhangingonhereveryword.Yethereshewashavingcoffeewithhim.Prettycool,actually.“I know you’re busy but I didn’t really knowwho else to call,” he offered

apologetically. Itwas true.Brianwasprobablyhisbest friend,and ithadbeenages since they’d hungout.The rest of his Friday night drinking buddies hadgonethewayofthedinosaurwhenhestoppedbuyingtheirdrinks.“Well,I’llgetright down to it. I think I might have made a mistake by signing up forcoaching…”“Whatmakesyousaythat?”Michelleasked,unfazed.Jeez,andIwasworried

aboutoffendingher.“Well,firstofall,there’sthemoney…”Rickbegan.“Oh,Itotallyunderstand,”Michelleassuredhim.“Iknowit’snotcheap.”“But listen, I understand the money-back guarantee, and I believe the guy

whenhesayshe’llgivemymoneybackifIdon’tthinkthesesessionsimprovemy business. I don’t think Jay’s hurting…” They both laughed. “But there’ssomethingelse. It’shard toexplain.But I’mnot sure I’m thekindofguy thatcoachingwillworkfor.”“Whatdoyoumean?”Michelleaskedgently.“Well,it’sjustthatI’mareallyprivateperson,youknow?I’mnotallintothe

touchy-feelystuffthewayyouguysare.”“Usguys?”Michellesmiled,sippinghercoffee.

“You know, the ‘JayMichaels’ Generosity Generation.’ I mean, I think it’sgreatandeverything,butallthehighfivesandhugsjustaren’treallymystyle.I’mthekindofguythat justwantstoget thingsdone,youknow.Notthatyouguysaren’tgettingitdone…”“Well, that’s the thing,”Michelle said softly. “You’ve honed in on a really

importantdistinction.Wearedifferent,andthat’swhatmakesoursystemwork.ButIpromiseyou,itcanworkforanyone,evenaprivateperson.”Didshejustwinkatme?“Howcanyoubesure?”Rickaskeddoubtfully.Itwastooembarrassingtotell

her that he had approachedDon justweeks before formentorship and he hadrespondedwithadarkforecastforRick’sbusiness.IfDonwhohadbeenaroundforeverthoughthewasdoomed,howwouldthiscoachbeanydifferent?“Becauselookatme!”Michellelaughed,asiftheanswerwasobvious.“You

heardmeattheconference.Iusedtobedeathlyshy!”“Yeah, Ihave toconfess, Ihaveahard timebelieving that,”Rickchuckled,

draininghiscup.“Well,believe it,Mister. Ididn’tevenattend the firsthousewarmingparty I

setupbecauseIwastoonervous!I’mtellingyou,ifcoachingcanworkforme,itcanworkforyou.Especiallywiththecoachyou’vebeenassignedto.Imadesureyougothim.”Wastheresomethingmoreinthatsmile?No,she’swithAlan.I’msuresheis.“Youdid?”Rickasked.AmIblushing?Whatiswrongwithme?“Sure,”shesmiled.“He’sthesameguythatworkedwithme.He’slikeadad,

oragrandfather.You’lllearntolovehim,Ipromise!”“Learntolovehim?”Rickraisedhiseyebrows.“I’mnotgoingtolie toyou:he’stough,”Michellelaughed.“Buthe’sgreat.

I’mtellingyou,hetaughtmeeverythingIknow—well,heandJay…”“Okay,”Rickchuckled,feelinghismoodliftabit.“I’lltakeyourwordforit.”“Just thinkof it thisway:whathaveyougot to lose?”Michelleasked.Rick

had to admit shewas right. If it didn’twork, he could always get hismoneyback.

WhatDoISayToMyself?“Well, Mr. Rick Masters, how are you?” Rick was surprised at the gruff,

seriousvoicethatgreetedhimontheotherendoftheline.Itremindedhimofhisshopteacherinjuniorhighschool.“Doingfine,”Ricksaidinhisbestgoodol’boyvoice.“Well,I’mnotoneforsmalltalk,sowhatsaywefigureoutifthisisgoingto

workforyou,okay?”

“Okay,”Rickwas a little taken aback.This is the guywho taughtMichelleeverythingsheknows?“Good.I’mgoingtoaskyousomequestionsandyoujustfireback.Don’ttry

toover-think.Gotit?”“Sure.”Rickwasnotsurewhattoexpect.“Onascaleof1to10,ifa10getsreferralsallthetime,whereareyou?”Rickthoughtaboutitforamoment,“Probablya5.”Ormaybea1or2.“Great.Whatwouldittakeforyoutobea10?”“Idon’tknow.ThesesessionsIguess.”“Fairenough.Areyoufriendly?”Coachcontinued.“Sure.”Rickwantedtoreturnthequestion,butkeptquiet.“Areyoutrustworthy?”“Yes,”Rickreplied.“Okay,lastquestion.Areyouwillingtoputalladvertisingontheback-burner

and focusonbuildinga relationship-basedbusiness?”Alladvertising?While Istillhavenoleads?Rickstartedtofeellikehehadsomethingtoloseafterall.“Whatabouthomemagazines?”Rickasked,tryingtosoundcasual.“Cockamamie!”What did he just say? Rick thought. “No magazines. No

newspapers.NoYellow Pages.No billboards.No advertising!”Coach’s voicefirm,butslightlyimpatient.“For how long?”What good is this coaching if I become homeless in the

process?“Just as long as we’re doing this training. There are seven sessions—you

knowthat—andyougoatyourownpace.Sohoweverlongittakesyou,that’showlongyou’renotadvertising.”Rickhadafeelingthat“no”wasnotreallyanoption.“Okay,Iguessso.”“Cockamamie!” Is this guy real? He sounds like a cartoon character… “I

mean,aretheybustingdownyourdoorbecauseofthehomemagazineads?”“Well,no…”“Okay, then itwon’tbeaproblem.Nowyou’reeither inoryou’reoutwith

this,sowhat’sitgoingtobe?”“I’m in,”Rick said firmly.What am I doing?Everyonewho thought I was

finishedisgoingtoknowitforsurenow.Don’sgoingtobelike…“Okay,”Coachsaid,interruptingRick’sthoughts.“Now,Jaywantsmetotell

you that this call is a sacred space. I’mnotone forall thepsychobabble,”Meneither! “But just know that you can say whatever you want when we’re onthesecalls.You’renotgoingtoshockmeandI’mnotgoingtotellanyone.I’vehearditall.I’mnotheretotellyouthatyou’reagoodorbadperson,I’mheretohelpyouthroughtheSevenLevels.”

“Gotcha.”“Okay,onelastthing,”Coachsaid,almostchuckling.“Lotsofyoukidswho

sign up for coaching arewhat I like to call ‘education junkies.’ You listen toCDs, readeveryonlinearticleyoucanfindon the industry,andhaveapileofmagazinesonyourcoffeetable,”Okay…Rickwasn’tsurewherethiswasgoing.“Well,whilewe’reworkingon this,we’re going to cut all that off. Just for

rightnow.Saveitallanddiverightinwhenwe’redone,butfornownooutsidebooks,noCDs,nomagazines,noRSSfeeds,nowebinars,noneofthat.Believeme, you’re going to have plenty of things to read,watch, and listen to duringthesesessions.Justmakesureyou’retakingthemedicinethedoctorordersandnotmixingitwithanythingelse.It’saboutfocus,gotit?”“Gotit.”AmIjoiningacult?AmIallowedtowatchthelocalnewstoseeif

it’sgoingtorain?

TheWhy“Okay, so let’s get going.” Coach continued, “Rick, what got you into real

estate?”Rickansweredquickly,“Opportunity.”“Opportunityforwhat?”Rick thought for a second. “Honestly, formoney and independence. I hated

myold job.Mydadhadalwaystoldmetobecomeanaccountant.Good,safe,whitecollar job.And Idid it. I studied throughcollege,passed theCPAexamandfiguredoutat26thatIhatedgoingtoworkeveryday.”“Whatdidyouhateaboutit?”“Ihatedbeing inanofficealldayand Ihatedbeing toldwhat todoall the

time,Iguess.MysisterknewIwasmiserableandshetoldmetotrygettingmybroker’s license.She thought itwould fitmypersonalitybetter. I followedheradviceandI’venever really lookedback.AndIshowedmydadIcouldmakemoneydoingsomethingelse.”“Butnotsomuchrightnow?”Ouch.“Yeah,yougotme there. Imean, themarket’skillingmerightnow. Iguess

maybeDadwasright…”Ricklaughedbitterly.“Idon’t think so. I thinkyouare cut out for this. I just thinkyou’ll benefit

fromanewapproach.”“Thanks.”HearingCoachsaythatfeltsurprisinglygood.“Well, I assumeyou’vebeen to a lot of sales seminars inyour life,”Coach

saidwithasigh.“Sure.”“Soyoualreadyknowthattobeagoodsalesman,your‘why’hastobestrong

enough.Whenyourwhyisstrongenough,thehowtakescareofitself.ForalotoftheguysItalkto,they’reouttherefortheirwivesandkids.Youdon’thaveanyofthat,doyou?”“Well, no…” Rick stammered. That’s getting a little personal. For a brief

moment,Rickwonderedwhyhehadnevergottenmarried.Whowouldithavebeen?Tracy,Karen,Shawna…hislastfewgirlfriendshadbeengreatlookingandKarenhadactuallybeenalotoffun,buthecouldn’tpictureanyofthemraisinghiskids.Sincethemoneyhaddriedup,ithadbeenprettylonelythough.Thenathoughtoccurredtohim,“Well,whataboutyou,Coach?”heasked.“That’sreallynoneofyourbusiness,”Coachsaidflatly.“Butsinceyouasked,

yes, fortyyears lastMayandhersmileandthe trustofmytwosonsandbabygirlweremy‘why’everydayIwasoutthere.ImarriedherthedaybeforeIleftforBasicTraining.Iwantedtogivethemalifethatdidn’tdependontheweatheror farm subsidies likemy father’s did.Didmy time here and abroad, gotmyeducation and went into sales.We didn’t have performance awards and littleachievementplaquesbackthen,Rick;justsimplecommissions.ButIknewthatwomanandthosekidswerecountingonmeandIwasnevergoingtolet themdown.” Rick was silent. The conviction in Coach’s voice was almostoverpowering.DoIcareaboutanythingthatdeeply?“Soyoucouldwineveryawardthereisinrealestateandbeonthecoverof

ForbesandDadwouldstillthinkyoufailedbecauseyouleftaccounting,right?”Coachinquired.“Yeah,you’reprobablyright,”Rickagreed.“Butthatsisterofyours;you’dliketomakeherproud,huh?”“Yeah,Iwould…”Rickfoughtthelumprisinginhisthroat.“Nooffense,but

whatdoesthishavetodowithgettingreferrals?”heaskedsharply.“Watchitthere,”Coachwarned.“Remember,you’retheonewhoneedsthis,

notme.Mr.Michaelsdidn’tpullmeoutofretirementtotalktopeoplewhodon’twanttobebothered.I’djustassoonbefishingifyou’renotgoingtofollowallthewaythroughwiththis…”“Fair enough,” Rick said quickly. “I didn’t mean to be disrespectful. I just

didn’tunderstandhowitconnected.”“It’sallaboutthewhy,Rick.Ifpartofyourwhyisbeingindependent,you’ll

soonlearnthatnoneofuscanachievesuccessonourown.But let’smoveon.Whydon’tyoutellmewhatyougotoutoftheconferencewithJay?That’swhywe’retalking,right?”“Yeah, Iguessso,”Ricksaid.He thoughtaboutwhathad impressedhimso

muchattheconference,whichnowseemedverylongago.“Well,ItookalotofnotesandtheinformationwasmuchmorepracticalthanwhatI’vegottenatalot

ofotherseminars.TheCommunicationPyramid,andthenumberoftransactionsyou should have based onyour database: I had never heard that before.But Iguess what put it over the top for me was the testimonials. I mean, I knewMichelle already and some of her story, but hearing from that lady and thatyoungguy…andI thinkthey’re legitbecausewhat theydidreallymadesense.Thoseweregreatideas.”“SoMichelle,JaniceandJeremygotquantifiablesuccessfromtheircoaching

time.Tellme,attheendofthesesevensessions,whatwillquantifiablesuccesslooklikeforyou?”Coachasked.Rickthought.“I’mnottotallysure.Morereferrals,Iguess…”“Howmanyreferralsareyougettingperweeknow?”Coachasked.“Perweek?”Rickasked,clearinghisthroat.“Maybeonepermonth.”“So let’s say twelveper year.Let’s set aReferralGoal,”Coach said. “How

manyreferralsdoyouwanttoearninthenexttwelvemonths?”“Twenty-five?”Ricksaidhesitantly.WherewasIgoingtoget25referrals?“Cockamamie, Rick! You need to speakwith conviction.Makeme believe

youbelievewhatyou’resaying!”Coachcommandedthroughtheearpiece.Rickimmediatelysatupstraight.“Okay,Iwilltrytoget25referralsinthenexttwelvemonths,”Ricksaidina

deepervoice.“Try?”Coachasked.“IWILL get 25 referrals in the next twelvemonths,” Rick said withmore

authority.“Okay,setitatfifty,”Coachprodded.“Youwillreceivefiftyreferralsinthe

next12months.YouWILL.Ifyoudon’t,we’llgiveyou100%ofyourmoneyback.Deal?”Ricksaid,“Deal.”That’sthedealofthecenturyforme!Coach continued by saying, “To get fifty referrals, you will need to

consciouslygiveout100referrals.Youreferinspectorstoyourbuyers,youreferyourneighborstolendersforre-fis,youconnectpeopleinyourCommunitywithoneanother,andyourefermembersofyourCommunitytootheragentsinotherparts of the country. You’re now going to look for opportunities to connectpeople.Right?”“Right,”Rickanswered.He and coach continued to talk for severalmoreminutes, discussingRick’s

specific goals and what he hoped to get out of the sessions. He told Rick tocreate several affirmations forhimselfwhichwouldgoonpost-it notesonhismirrorandsomethinghecalledaBlessingsBook[3]wherehewouldwritehisaffirmationsandthefivethingshewasgratefulforeachmorning.Rickrolledhis

eyes,imaginingapinknotebookcoveredwithflowersandunicorns.Thentheystarted talkingnumbers:CoachaskedRickforasalesgoal for thenext twelvemonthsandthenchallengedhimtotripleit.Rickwasstunnedtosilence.“Iwant that number on yourmirror, on your computer and in your office,”

Coachordered.Thenhestartedtalkingaboutphysicalfitness.Nexthe’lltellmeIneedtobemarriedinsixmonths…Still,Rickknewthatheneededtostarttakingbettercareofhimself.“Look,ifanoldguylikemecangetupandrunfivemilesaday,thentheleast

youcandoisgetbacktothegym!”“Fairenough!”Ricklaughed.Coachcontinuedtalking,explaininghowtobreakuptherestofRick’sgoals

into manageable daily tasks. “We need to add one more post-it note to yourmirror and one more thing in your Blessings Book,” Coach finished. “It’spowerful and it’s called the Rainmaker’s Affirmation: ‘Each and every day,someone,somewhereinmycity,needsmyservices.MyjobTODAYistofindthatperson.’Internalizethisandyou’llthinklikeatopproducer.”Rick wrote the Rainmaker’s Affirmation in his notes capitalizing the word

“TODAY”.Hestillwasn’t sureaboutall theseaffirmations,butheknewfromthesoundofCoach’svoicethattheywerenon-negotiable.Coach told him to write the twelve-word epitaph he wanted to see on his

tombstoneanddoavisionexercisecalledTheFourEulogies–whathewouldwant four special people, including a client, to say about him at his funeral.Rick’sminddriftedbacktoJay’sremarksattheconference.“Look, ifmycommanderwantedmetochartacourse throughthejungleor

thedesert frompointAtopointB,hehadto tellmewherepointBwas.Yourfuneral,likeitornot,ispointB,”Coachpointedout.“Yeah,”Ricksaidquietly.Hestilldidn’tlikethinkingabouthisfuneral.Coach

continuedwithanotheritemRickhadneverconsidered–ThePerfectVoicemailGreeting[4]showedRickhowtotakecontrolofhisphonecallsandfreedhimupseveralhoursoftheday.“And another thing,” Coach added, clearing his throat. “You got your

wristbandattheconference.You’regoingtorepeat‘DoItNow”toyourself49times,3timesdaily[5].”“What?”Rickaskedindisbelief.“It’s about urgency,Rick,”Coach explained. “It’s hard tomakeyourself do

things.I’myourcoach,butI’mnotthereyellingatyou24/7.Thisexercisewillbuildyoursenseofurgencyjustlikecurlingfreeweightswillbuildyourbiceps.”When am I going to find the time to get all this done? Of course withoutadvertising, I won’t really be busy showing houses…Rick’s heart sank briefly.

WhatamIgoingtodoifthisdoesn’twork?Heglancedathiswatchandrealizedthattheirtimewasalmostup.“Isthatenoughhomeworkforyou?”Coachchuckled.“Yeah,definitely.”Rickfeltalittleoverwhelmed,buttriedhardnottoshowit.

PowerfulPOWERNotes“Okay, now we’ve got just a few minutes left, so let’s talk about those

HandwrittenNotes.Janice’sstoryimpressedyou,soIknowyou’llbewillingtotry.”“Absolutely,”Rickanswered.“ButImeanistherereallyallthatmuchtoit?I

learnedhowtowriteafriendlyletterinthirdgrade…”Assoonasheheardthewordscomeoutofhismouth,heknewitwasamistake.“Cockamamie!”Coachblurtedout. “If itwere that simple all yourdrinking

buddieswouldbe doing it!Listen, there is awrongway to do this, I promiseyou.I’mgoingtosaveyouawholelotoftimeandtellyouhowtodoitright.Youcaneitherbethankfulforthatorwecanendthecallnow.”“No,no,”Rickapologized.“Ijustdidn’tgetit,that’sall.”Geez.“Okay,listen,thisisimportant.Herearethe7StepstoaPOWERNote:”Ricklistenedcarefullyandwrote:

7StepstoaPOWERNote:

1.Useunbrandedcardswithasymbolormonogramthatrepresentsyou.It’sapersonalnote.

2.Useblueink.Itlooksoriginalandpositive.

3.Words–useyou,butavoidI,me,my.

4.Bespecificinyourpraise.Identifyandacknowledgeacharacteristic,atalent,auniquequality.

5.LeveragethePowerofPositiveProjection.Identifyapersonalcharacteristicyouwanttoimproveandexpressrespectforotherswhopossessthatquality(happiness,wealth,balance,etc.)

6.Writerightly–slopetextslightlyupwardfromlefttoright.ReadYourHandwritingCanChangeYourLifebyVimalaRodgers.[6]

7.ThePoweroftheP.S.UseaP.S.asacall-to-action:asktherecipienttotakeactionsuchase-mailingorcalling.

“WhomdoIwritethesePOWERNotesto?”Rickasked.

“Everybodyyouknow,”Coach answered. “Pickup a business card, look inyour e-mail, look in your database - find a person, identify a positivecharacteristictoacknowledge,andwritethenote.Writeasmanyasyoucanthisweek–at least50.Remember towriteacompellingP.S.,andyourphonewillring.”“WhatdoIsaywhentheycall?”Rickasked.“You’llknow,”Coachansweredwithoutexplaining.“We’reshortontime,but

there’s onemoreVERY important topic Iwant to cover before our time endstoday.DoIhaveyourattention?Iwanttowarnyouaboutsomething.”“Yes,”Rickansweredaffirmatively.Warnme?Coach continued, “Iwant towarn you about something thatwill happen as

youexperiencetheSevenLevels.It’scalledSuccessSuicide.”“Success Suicide?”Rick asked. I knew it. I am going to have to drink the

Kool-Aid!

SuccessSuicide“It’s the breakdown before the breakthrough. This has happened to all my

clients justas theyareon thebrinkofachieving theirgoals,”Coachexplainedsomberly. “It is real, and it is serious. As you become more successful,somethinginsideyouwillstarttoresistthatchange.Youwillgetsickorinjuredorsomethingelsewillhappenthatwilltrytosabotageyou.”“SowhatdoIdo?”Rickwasskeptical,butfigureditcouldn’thurttoask.“Youpersevere.SuccessSuicidecanrearitsuglyheadinmanyways.Many

timesitisinthedecisionsyoumake.Onotheroccasions,itisaphysicalformofself-sabotage like illness or accidents. You must persevere. This is the all-importantbreakdownbeforethebreakthrough.”Coachsaidseriously.“So is this coaching going towork for you,Rick?”Coach askedmatter-of-

factly.“Well,Iguessthat’skindofuptome,isn’tit?”Rickoffered.“Verygood,”Coachsaidwithahintofapproval inhisvoice.“Doyouhave

everythingyouneedtocompletetheactionitems?”“Yeah,Ithinkso,”Rickanswered.Hefelttired.Ithadbeenalottoabsorband

hehadalotofhomeworktodo.HehadalotofPOWERNotestowrite.Theysaidgoodbye,andRicklookedattheclockonhiswall.Itwastoolatetogointotheofficeanyway.Besides,hisalertshadjustlethimknowthatDonhadsoldthehomeoftheformergovernortoapro-footballplayer.Thelast thingheneededwastogoinandhearDonregalingeveryonewiththeconquest.Mightaswellordersomecarry-outandstartonhishomework.I wonder what Michelle’s doing tonight…Rick stopped the thought as he

walkeddownhisstreettothecornerdelitopickuphisdinner.Whatwasgoingon?Michellewasnothis typeatall.Rickhadspenthisadult lifechasingandcatchingleggyblondes,withanoccasionalbrunetteoraredheadthrowninforgoodmeasure.Michellewas,byanyobjectivestandard,physicallyaverage.Herhairwasnice,shehadatrimfigurebuttherewasnothingaboutherappearancethatwouldhavemadehimnoticeheronthestreet.WhydoIkeepthinkingabouther?Rickreturnedtohiscondowithhissandwichandmountainoffriesandspread

everythingouton thedining roomtable.Betweenbites,hegrabbedhispadofnotes from thecall andexaminedhisaction items.What shouldhe startwith?Coach hadwarned him that he had to cancel all his adswithin the next threedays.ThethoughtmadeRicksicktohisstomach.Therehad tobesomethingelsehecouldworkon.Writinghisaffirmations?

Countinghisblessings?Creatingtheepitaphforhistombstone?Thatstillseemssomorbid,evenifwearesupposedtobeginwiththeendinmind.Asmuchashedidn’twanttodealwithit,writingaPOWERNotetoJayand

toCoachseemedlikethebestwaytogo.Hepolishedoffhalfhissandwichandwent intohisoffice tostart.Heclearedapath throughhis filesandbooksandpickedupthemorningpaper.Ashefoldedittothrowaway,hecaughtaglimpseofDon’sfacesmirkingathimfromtherealestatesection.Suddenly,athoughthithim:isthisanadforahouseorforspraytan?Ricklaughedoutloud.Itseemedsobizarreallofasudden.Whywouldyou

makeyourpicturebiggerthanthehouseyouweretryingtosell?Hechuckedthepaperinthetrashandfoundthenotecardshehadprintedawhileback.

4YouCan’tEvenSpellCommunicateWithoutTime

“Thistime,likealltimes,isaverygoodone,ifwebutknowwhattodowithit.”RalphWaldoEmerson

Rick raced back to his condo, morning coffee in hand, and smiled at hisneighbor as he unlocked his door.He never had learned how to brew itwell.Untilacoupleofweeksago,hisearlymorningtriptothecoffeeshophousedinthebottomofhisbuildinghadbeenhismostreliablepleasanthumaninteraction.Butallthatwaschanging.Ashereachedhisdoor,hefelthisphonevibrate.Itwasstillalittleunnatural

forhimnottoanswer.Forthefirsttimeinmonths,Rickwasbusy.Hegulpedhiscoffee as he looked at his phone and grabbed his legal pad tomake a list ofpeople to call back. He was grateful for Coach’s instruction to change hisvoicemailmessage.Insteadof“I’llgetbacktoyouassoonaspossible,”whichCoach had explainedwas a lie; it nowgave the caller specific timeswhen hewouldreturncalls.HesoonfoundthatCoachwasright:hehadmorefreedombycontrollingwhenhemadehiscallsinsteadofansweringhisphoneeverytimeitrang.Rick looked at his notepad in horror.He realized therewere three, no four,

messages from yesterday that he had failed to return. Ugh! I changed myvoicemailmessageandI’mstilllying!Not that Rick was upset. Far from it. He was writing POWER Notes to

everyoneheknewasCoachinstructedandpeoplewerecalling.Hehadshownthree properties yesterday, two the day before and eight last week. It had notevenbeenthatlongsincehiscoachingcall.Even the affirmations,which stillmadeRick roll his eyeswhen he thought

about them, were starting to work their magic and he found himself smilingmoredespitehimself.Hehadabounce inhisstep thathadbeenmissingfora

while. After readingQBQ: The Question Behind the Question, watching TheSecretseveraltimesandlisteningtoNapoleonHill’sThink&GrowRich[7];heknewhisattitudehadchanged.Hehadarenewedsenseofpurpose.Writing his blessings down every morning had made an even bigger

difference:Rickhadrarely takenthetimetoconsiderhowmuchbetterhis lifewas—even in the toughest of times—than that of so many others. He had ahome, he had transportation, enough to eat, and although his family wasn’tperfect, theylovedhimandhadprovidedeverythingheneededinlife.Writinghiseulogieshadmadehimappreciatethoserelationships.Hissisterhadnoticedthedifferenceimmediately.“What’s gotten into you, Rick?” his sister asked on their regular Sunday

eveningcall.“Yousound,yousound…““Lessmiserable?”Rickhadinterjectedwithalaugh.“Yeah!That’sit!Whoisshe?”RickwantedtotalktoSusanaboutMichelle,butwhatwastheretosay?“No,

it’s nothing like that. It’s just that business is finally picking up. I think thiscoachingthingwasactuallyagoodidea.”“Ihadagoodfeelingaboutit…”shehadagreed.“Wellthatmadeoneofus.Butit’sdefinitelywhatIneedrightnow.Theguy

knowswhathe’stalkingabout,despitethefactthathetotallysoundslikeamoresophisticated version ofMr.Winston from shop class, and he e-mails me liketwiceadaytomakesureI’mdoingmystuff.”“Mr.Winston?Really?”she laughed“Still that iswhatyouneed,Rick.You

wouldn’thaveeverturnedinyourhomeworkifMomandIhadn’tstayedonyourcase.”Rickturnedbacktohislegalpadandsighed.Somethingsneverchange!His

diningroomtable,whichhadbecomehisdesksincehisactualdeskinhisofficewashiddenbyclutter;wascoveredwithpost-its,stacksofe-mailprintouts,andthe four legalpadshehadusedup trying todohishomework.Rickshookhishead.Itwastoooverwhelmingtoeventhinkabout.Atanyrate,thefirstorderofbusinesswastoreturnthesecalls.Heaccessed

hisvoicemailandpickedupapentojotdowntheinformation.Tohissurprise,hishandfeltsore.Ha!Next thingyouknow, thesePOWERNotesaregoing togivemecarpal tunnel!He listened to eachmessage, jottingdown the relevantinformation.Rick’sminddriftedtohisupcomingcoachingcall.HeknewCoachwasgoing

toaskhimwhohisaccountabilitypartnerwouldbe,buthewasstillcomingupempty. Brianwas way too busywith his third kid on the way, plus they hadmovedoutofthestate.Noneofhisother“friends,”evenifRickstartedbuying

the rounds again, was the right kind of person.He had thought several timesabout asking Michelle. They were supposed to meet again today at 1:00 todiscusshousewarmingparties,sinceRickhadaclientclosingbeforetheendofthemonth.Ohno! Rick looked again at his legal pad: he had just received amessage

fromanewclient confirming an appointment today to sign thepaperwork forlisting her home. I’m supposed tomeetMichelle at 1:00 and the client at thesame time! Rick felt sick. Double booked! He hadn’t been busy enough todouble book before today! I’ve got no choice, he thought sadly. He sighedheavilyandpickeduphisphone.

Time’sUp“Hey,Coach,”Ricksaidastheirsecondconferencecallbegan.“Hi,Rick.I’mnottoohappywithyourightnow.Youwannaguesswhy?”Oh,

boy.Rick’sstomachsankabit.Thishasnotbeenagoodday.“Well,Icanthinkofa lotofreasons,”hesaidas lightheartedlyashecould.

“ButIguessyou’dbettertellme.”“IgotyournoteandsodidJay.I’mgladyoudid theassignment.ButI told

youspecificallytouseunbrandedcards.”Ugh!Ican’tbelieveIforgot.Rickhadorderedthecardsagesagoandhadn’tthoughttwiceaboutpullingthemout.Isitreallythatbigofadeal?“Look.Doesyourmomsendyouabirthdaycardthatsays‘MomIndustries’

onit?Whatwouldyouthinkifshedid?”“Igetit,”Rickapologized.“Okay.Remember,thisisnotaboutlookingbig.It’saboutbeingpersonaland

real.Nowlet’sgetdowntoit.Icantellbythewayyou’rerespondingtomye-mailsthatyouareflyingbytheseatofyourpants.AmIright?”“Yeah,”Rickadmitted.“Okay, that’sgoingtohavetostop.Ialwayssaythatwhereveryouare,you

needtobethere100%.Ifyou’rerippingandrunning,you’renevergoingtobeabletogiveyourclientstheattentiontheydeserveandtheywon’treferyou.“Today is about time.Your first action item is aVisionExercise. LikeThe

FourEulogies,thisexercisemakesyoulookatthebigpicture.You’regoingtoimagineyourPerfectWorkdayandwrite itout fromthemomentyouwakeupuntil the moment you go to bed. Break it down hour-by-hour and describeexactlywhatyou’redoingonyourperfectworkday.Gotit?”“Got it,”Rick answered.Noproblem.He had ended up enjoying The Four

Eulogiesexercisemorethanhethoughthewould.

TheInfluentialZone&TimeBlocking“Rick,doyou rememberwhich three levelsof theCommunicationPyramid

comprisetheInfluentialZone?”Coachasked.Rick thought he detected a note of condescension, and answered as

confidently as possible. “Phone Calls, Events & Seminars and One-on-OneMeetings.”“Yes, you need 80% of your work time to be on the phone or in front of

people,”Coach explained. “The onlyway to ensure you are spending enoughtimeintheInfluentialZoneistoplanforitbyblockingyourtimeonanhourlybasis.”“So like school? Chemistry first period, math second, and all that?” Rick

asked.“Verysimilar,”Coachanswered.“Inthiscase,youhavethreecoursesthatare

goingtotake80%ofyourworkday.StayintheInfluentialZoneforthemajorityofyourtimeandyourbusinesswillflourish.“Schedule your Reply Times to return phone calls and check e-mail first.

You’redoingthoseat11:00and4:00rightnowandthat’sfine.Next,blockoffanhourofWhiteSpaceaday.”“WhiteSpace?”Rickasked.“Opentime,”Coachexplained.“Thisallowsyoutodoanythingyouwant–

catchuponpaperwork,takeawalk,returnextracalls,grabacupofcoffeeandsoon.Itgivesyouflexibilitywithinstructure.“Also, you’ll need at least four hours eachweek for focusedphone calls to

people inyourCommunity.These timesarecalledyourHourofPower.Thesearecallstothepeopleinyourdatabase–thoseyou’veworkedwithinthepast,networkingcontacts,friends,family,anybodyyoudon’thavetocall,butshould.Thenyou’llhavethe1st&10calls.Youdotheseassoonasyougettotheofficeeachday.”“SothepeoplethatI’mshowinghousestothatweek?”Rickasked.“Yes, but others as well. These calls are first thing in the morning, no

exceptions.Thebusieryouget, themore important these callsbecome.You’llcall referral sources, cooperating agents, recent networking contacts, teammembers,potential clients, and soon.You’llwritedown thepeople,numbers,andreasonsforyour1st&10callsduringyourPre-LeaveRitual.”“Pre-LeaveRitual?”Rickasked.Allthisnewterminologysoundedstrange.

TheFourEnrichingRituals“Thereare four ritualsyouaregoing toestablish inyour lifeaspartof this

coaching,”Coachexplained.“Thegreatestthingaboutourlineofworkcanalso

beourAchillesheel:our time isourown.Thesefour ritualswillpreventyourlifefromgettingoutofcontrol,nomatterhowbusyyouget.”“Soundsgood,”Ricksaid,stillunconvinced.“ThefirstisyourMorningRitual.Thisshouldincludeyouraffirmations,your

BlessingsBook,personalpreparation,andexercise.Takeyourmorningrun,liftweights,orwhateveritisyoudo.”“Gotit,”Rickanswered,writingitdown.“NextisthePre-LeaveRitualIjustmentioned.Thisisrightbeforeyouleave

work.Getyourdeskinorder,writedownyour1st&10calls,andsendmeyourrankingonyourtimeblockforthedaywhileyou’rebeingcoached.”“Somydeskshouldbeempty?”Rickasked.“Not necessarily. Everything just needs to be neat and set out theway you

needit for thenextday,”Coachexplained.“ThirdisyourPre-Sleepritual.Weallknowthatkidsdobetterwithabedtimeroutine,butbelieveitornotitworkson adults too. Include some reading and visualization for the next day. Someclientspray,doyoga,stretchormeditate.That’suptoyou,butIpromiseonceyoustartyou’llnoticethedifferenceinthemorning.”“Okay,sowhat’snumber four?”Rickasked, realizing that theyhadcovered

theentireday.“ThefourthisyourSundayNightRitual.Youtakealookattheentireweek’s

schedule,make sure your appointments are in order and thenmake sure yourclothes fitwith theweatherandwhatyouhavegoingon.Arrange them in thecloset, rightdown to thesocks.Somepeoplealsoplan theirweeklymenu,butyoucanjuststartwithyourwardrobe.Thisonlytakesafewminutes,butitcansavevaluableamountsoftimeandenergy.”“Ican see that,”Ricksaid.Hewas thinkingaboutwhatamajoradjustment

evenattemptingtoimplementtheSundayNightRitualwouldbe.

TheNetworkingStack&CreatingaHomeCourtAdvantage“Now, you knowmy good friendMichelle, don’t you?”Coach asked.Rick

wasstartled;hehalfexpectedCoachtocomeoutwithsomethingalongthelinesof“Whatdoyouwantwithmydaughter?”“Sure,”heanswered,alittletentatively.Ofallpeopletodoublebook.“Ofcourseyoudo,”Coachchuckled.“She’stheonethatreferredyoutome.

AnywayyoufirstmetheratarestaurantcalledEVTrightthereoffthehighway,right?”“Yeah,how’dyouknow?”Rickwassurprised.Coachignoredthequestion.“Andeveryoneseemedtoknowher,right?Hostess,waitresses,managers…”“Yeah,wereyouthere?”Ricklaughed,alittlesarcastically,despitehimself.

“Ofcoursenot.”Rickfeltlikeachildbeingcorrectedbytheprincipalofhisschool.“ButtheresponseyousawdidnotcomebecauseMichellewontheMissCongenialityAward in high school. I couldn’t evenhear her on the phone forhalf of our first call. I thought I needed a hearing aid!” Rick was unable tosuppressasnort.“ButEVTispartofherstrategy.Whatyouobservedthatdayiswhathappenswhenyoumakearestaurantyourhometerritory.Thewaythestaffhandledher:itmadeyourespectherandtrusthermoredidn’tit?”“Yeah,”Rickadmitted.“Nowyoucanimaginehowmanyreferralsshe’sgottenfromthestaffthere:I

think itwasover a dozen—direct and indirect—last timewe counted and thatwas a few months ago. But it’s not just that. It’s a great way to make yournetworkingmoreefficient.”“Yeah.SowhatdoIdo,gointhereandactlikeabigshot?”Rickjoked.“Cockamamie!Rick,myhair’salreadygrey,okay?Yougoinandyoubecome

aregular.Tipwell.Imean20%minimum.Gettoknowthestaff:treatthemlikeVIPs.Askthemabouttheirkids,jobsandhobbies.RememberFROG.”“Frog?”Rickasked.“Yes,F,R,O,G, isanacronymto remindyou to focuson theotherperson

andwhatkindofquestionstoask.AskquestionsabouttheirFamily,Recreation,OccupationandGoals,”Coachanswered.RickrememberedhowMichellehadcommentedabout thehostess’ssonand

thewaitress’scareerambitions.“Beforeyouknowit,it’slikethatshow,Cheers,whereeverybodyknowsyour

name.”Yeah,itwaskindoflikethat.IwonderifMichellewouldmindifIhungoutatEVTRestauranttoo…“Okay, asyouget toknoweveryoneat the restaurant, and it needs tobeas

niceasEVT, thenyoustart tostackyourappointmentsonerightafteranother.You’llhaveanetworkinglunch,andtheneachhour thereafterfor twoor threehourswillbenetworkingmeetingsatthesamerestaurant.Insteadoftryingtofititinallduringtheweek,yougetitdoneinonedayorevenoneafternoon.”RickrememberedhowmanypeopleMichellehadmetthatdayatEVTRestaurant.“Yeah,I’llhavetogetonthat,”Rickagreed.“Do it now,”Coach commanded. “TheNetworkingStack at a regular place

cutsdownontransportationtime,you’llneverbelate,andyou’llnevergetlost.Eventually,ifyoukeeptippingwellenough,you’llhavehomecourtadvantageateveryappointment.Youcouldspenda lotofmoneyandjoinaprivateclub,butsomecontactsmightnotfeelcomfortablemeetingyouthere.Thisoffersyouaneutrallocationwithallthoseadvantagesandnoneofthecosts.“Also,youcanstrategically schedulepeople tohelpyourbusinessand their

businesses.Remember,your1:00appointmentmeetsyour11:30andyour2andyour 2:00 appointment meets your 1 and your 3. Strategically scheduleAmbassadorsandConnectorsnext toapotentialclientorsomebodythatcouldhelp his business. The Networking Stack at a classy restaurant is a criticalstrategyforgrowingandnurturingyourCommunity.”“Okay,I’mgoingtogiveitatry.”“Cockamamie!Look,Rick,inBasicTrainingtheydon’ttellyoutotrytoget

overthewall,andthisisyourBasic.Thereisnotry.There’sonlydo.Thinkofitasstartinganexerciseregimen.Everythingishardandhurtsatfirst,butyou’llreap the benefits if you stick with it. Focus on one thing at a time: thismultitaskingbusinessisoverrated.”“Yeah,Iguessso.”Ricklaughed.“Icantellthisisgoingtobeachallengeforyou.SoIwantyoutoturninyour

two-weektimeblock[8]tomebymidnighttonight.I’llbeup.”“It’llbethere,”Rickansweredfirmly.Heknewtherewasnopointintryingto

reasonwithCoachaboutthedeadline.“Gotta‘DoItNow’,right?”Ricktappedthebandonhiswrist.

ConnectingwithConnectors“Exactly!” Coach said. “Okay, the next strategy is called ‘Connectingwith

Connectors.’Thisishowyougetreadyforanetworkingevent.Obviously,you’lllearntobestrategicaboutpickingwhatyouattend.Nowhowareyougoingtoknowwhattoexpect?”“Checkoutthewebsitefortheevent?”Rickventured.“Sure,butyou’reonlygoingtocheckthatouttofindthenumberofwhoever

isinchargeofmembershipsoyoucancallhimorhertofindoutwhatyouneedto know. You will ask the chairperson two questions: Find out if theintroductionswillbeformalorinformal,andthenamesofthetopthreeorfourpeopleyoushouldmeet– themost influentialpeople.Ask tobe introduced tothem.Gotthat?”“Yeah,”Ricksaid,jottingitdown.“Next,usethatinformationtoprepare:Googlethosefolkssoyouknowwhat

tosaytothem.Oncewe’reatthedayoftheevent,whatareyousupposedtobethinkingabout?”“Notsure.”“First, gowith the spirit of helpfulness.Yes, youwant to get business.But

peoplecansmellatakeramileaway,anditdon’tsmellpretty,youknowwhatImean?Jaysaysto‘Leadwiththegivinghand’andIthinkthatsaysitprettywell.Nowwhenareyougoingtogetthere?”

“Tenminutesearly?”“Trythirty!Wearyournamebadgeonyourrightsidesothatwhenyoushake

handsit is thrustforwardandeasytoread.Thatmeetingorganizerislikeyourcompass in the wilderness: he or she will point you where you need to go.Introduceyourself tohimand remindhimofwhathepromisedyou.Whenhestarts to get busy, don’t pester him. Just remind him real politely, ‘You hadmentionedIshouldmeetso-and-so.’You’llgetyourintroduction.”Rickthoughtaboutafunctionhehadattendedacoupleyearsbackwherehe

hadwaited for hours tomeet one of the county chairpersons, only to see herchattingwithDonforhours.IwishI’dthoughtofthisthen…“Next,useFROG,justlikeintherestaurant,totakeagenuineinterestinthese

folks.ButIthinkyou’reprettygoodatconnectingwithpeoplewhenyoutry…”Rick smiled to himself. Itwas nice to have a strength noticed. “And last, butcertainlynotleast,isyourfollow-upstrategy.Anyguesses?”“POWERNotestoeveryoneImeet?”“Youbet.NownoticehowtheConnectingwithConnectors[9]strategyworks

with your Networking Stack. You’ll meet the Connectors at the events andfunnel them to yourNetworking Stack.Remember if people see youwith themoversandshakers,theyassumeyouareonetoo,”Coachsaidmatter-of-factly.“Thatmakessense,”Rickreplied.

ASuccessfulSuccessStoryCoach shifted gears. “When was the last time you made something good

happenforaclient?”heasked.Rickwassilentforamoment,thinking.“Well,severalmonthsagoIdidhelpa

manunloadhishouse.Heneededtomovetotakecareofhisdad.Itfeltgoodtohelphimdothat.”“Great.You’regoingtohavealotmorestorieslikethatone,butoneofyour

actionitemsfromtodaywillbetowritemetwelvesuccessstories.Takeyourlasttwelve closings and write me a story about that client. The process is reallysimple.Rickwrote:

The7StepstoaSuccessfulSuccessStory:

1.Whatwastheclients’situation?(Bespecificabouttheproblemorchallenge.)Forexample:JoshandJillwerefirsttimehomebuyers.

2.Whatwouldhavehappenedifyouweren’tinvolved?(Whatistheworstpossiblethingthatcouldhavehappened?)JoshandJillcouldhaveboughtthefirsthometheysaw–backedtohighway.

3.Howdidyouhelpthemsolvetheproblem?Educatedthemonwhatmakesagoodinvestment.

4.Whatwastheresult?Bespecific.Theyboughtagreathomethatisagreatinvestment.Oncul-de-sac,desirableplan,andneighborhoodthathasagoodhistoryofappreciation.

5.Whatdidtheclientsayordotoletyouknowyoudidwell?(Includetheirtestimonialorthattheyreferredme.Forexample,theyreferredmetoChrisHills,anotherfirsttimehomebuyer.)

6.AskforSPECIFICandRELEVANTReferralsExample:Whoisapersonyouknowbuyingtheirfirsthome–couldbearenterorevenasonordaughterofsomeoneyouknow?

7.CalltoAction.Useasentencelike:“Pleasereplytothise-mailwiththenameandtheirsituation.Ipromisethey’llgettheexcellentservicetheydeserve.”

“Youhaveplentytodo,”Coachsaidinanunderstatement.“Thisisapivotaltimeforyouandyourcareer.AfterimplementingthesecretsinthissessionandstudyingDanKennedy,StephenCoveyandBrianTracy,you’regoing toseeatremendousincreaseinyourproductivity.”Rickhungupthephoneandstaredatablanksheetoflegalpaper.Allhecouldthinkaboutwashowhewasgoingtogethis timeblockingfor

the next two weeks done before midnight. He noticed Michelle had called.Hopeful,hecheckedhismessages…

5You’reinthePeopleBusiness

“Lovecurespeople–boththeoneswhogiveitandtheoneswhoreceiveit.”Dr.KarlMenninger

“Hi,Lisa,”Ricksmiledashestrodeintotheoffice.Itwas8:55a.m.“Hey,Rick!”thereceptionistanswered.“Inearlyagain.Youlookgreat.Have

youlostweight?”“Trying,”Ricksaid,secretlypleased.“I’mfinallygettingbackinthegymand

evenrunningsome.”“Well,Ileftyourmessagesonyourdesk;therewerequiteafew.Iguessit’s

true…”hervoicetrailedoffasifshehadletthelastwordsslipoutaccidentally.“What’strue?”Rickasked,loweringhisvoice.“Well,attheadministrativemeetingsIthoughtIoverheardthatyou’reonpace

tooutsellDonthismonth,”shewhispered.“What?” Rick was shocked. Sure business had picked up, but Don was

untouchable.RickhadseenalocalbuswithDon’shugesmilingpicturejustonthewaytoworkthatmorning.“Ithoughthejustsoldsomeplacetotheformergovernororsomething.”“Yeah, but I think he did that at a deep discount to get the deal. The firm

hardlymadeanymoney, andbesides thatwas lastmonth.Ohmygosh!Don’ttellanyoneIsaidthat,”sheaddedquietly.“Don’tworry,”Rickassuredher.“Bytheway,howwasMary’strackmeeton

Saturday?”“Oh, really great!” she answered, her eyes shining with pride. “She took

secondinlongjumpandmadethefinalsintheopen400;therewereclubstherefromalloverthecounty.Thanksforasking!”“Well, tellherIsaid,‘Goodjob’andthatshe’dbettergivemeanautograph

beforeshegoestotheOlympics.”LisalaughedasRickwenttotheconference

room,closedthedoor,andputhismobilephoneonvibrate.Onebyonehehammeredhis1st&10callsout.Coachwas right: itdidgo

fasterwhenyoujustsatdownandconcentratedonit.Heenjoyedthesecallsandhe was really enjoying the structure of the time-blocked schedule. No moredoublebookingforme!Although he had plenty of blessings to write down in his notebook each

morning,Rickwas still trying to recover from thedisasterwithMichelle.Shehadreturnedhisvoicemailwithoneofherown;itwaspoliteenough,butRickhadafeelingshewasnothappyatall.Hesighedheavily.Helookedattheclock:almosttimetogogetsomecoffee.“Hey, buddy!” Don’s overly friendly, slightly condescending voice caught

Rickoffguardashefilledhismug.“Hey,man,”hereturned, lookingoverhisshouldertoseeDialDonhimself,

deckedoutasusualinanItaliansuitandperfectlycoifedhair.Iwonderifhegetsmanicures…RicktriedtoshootaglanceatDon’shandswithoutbeingnoticed.“SoIhearyouwenttothatGenerationLovefestseminarwhenitwasintown.

Tryingtobeoneofthoselovey-doveyagents,huh?”He’smockingme.Ididn’tknowhe’dheardoftheGenerosityGeneration.“Yeah, I went to check it out,” Rick answered trying to sound nonchalant.

“Somehelpfulstuff,actually.”“Yeah,right!”Donlaughed.“Look,Igottatellyou,Igotyourvoicemailthe

otherday.Iwascallingtoseeifyouwantedtocometooneofmyopenhouses;Ihave like twenty going on but I don’t know what your clients can afford.Anyway,Idon’tknowwhattheytoldyouatthatseminarbutthatisthelongest,mosthilariousvoicemailgreetingIhaveeverheardinmylife.Youmustbejusthangingontothebottomrung,rightnowbuddy.”Rickdidn’tanswer.Beforehecould thinkofaclever retort,Donwasdown

thehall,offeringa“Hey,buddy,”toallwhopassed.Rickwassmartingfromtheinsult,butforcedhimselftofocusonthetasksathand.HehadafulldayaheadandanothercallwithCoachthatnight.

It’sAllaboutPeopleThat eveningRickwas close to home, his large dinner salad resting on the

passengerseatofhiscarasheponderedtheremainderofhisday.Hewouldeat,showerandbereadyforhiscallwithCoachat9:00.HehadsuccessfullypushedtheunpleasantinteractionofthatmorningtothebackofhisminduntilhepassedDon’sbillboard,smilingathimfromthehighwayexit.Likeawave, theangerandfrustrationhithimalloveragain.Thiswasnoframeofmindforacoachingcall:hewouldhavetotrytopullittogethersomehow.

“How’s the e-mail addiction?” Coach laughed, when they got started. Heseemedtobeinaparticularlygoodmood.“Oh,IthinkI’malmostcured,”Ricksaid,chucklingdespitetheirritationthat

theshowerhadfailedtowashaway.“Imean,I’mtoobusy.ThreetimesadayisallIcanworkin.”“WellInoticedyourreplieswerecomingatregulartimes.That’sgoodwork.

Most guys take longer to kick the habit, especiallywith these smart phones,”Coachsaidapprovingly.“Sohowdidthenetworkingeventgo?”“Actually,prettywell.ThememberchairfortheChamberofCommercewas

surprisinglyhelpfulandhedidintroducemetosomekeypeopletherelikeyousaidhewould.Honestly,Iwouldhavebeenintimidatedbypeoplelikethisafewyearsago.Oneismyage:thesonofaformerUSSenatorwhogrewuparoundhere.I’mprettysureIbaggedgroceriesforhisfamilywhilehewasawayatprepschool. But I just asked him about his family and interests. Turns out, he’s ahugeCowboysfan.AfterIfoundthatout,wereallyhititoff.”“That sounds like itwent reallywell,”Coach said.Rick told himabout the

restofhisconversationswith the influencershehadmetandhowhehadusedFROGtobreaktheice,keepthefocusontheConnectorsandretaincontrolofthe dialogue. “Good job, Rick. I’m proud of you.Now are you ready for theMagicQuestion?”“Iguessso,”Ricksaid,wonderingwhatthatcouldpossiblymean.

TheMagicQuestion&TheDiSCovery“Okay,herewego:Howwouldyourbestfrienddescribeyou:1)straight-to-

the-point,2)socialandoutgoing,3)steadyanddependable,or4)cautiousandperfectlyaccurate?”“I’malittlebitofallthoseCoach,”Rickreplied.“Ifyouhadtojustchooseone,whichwoulditbe?”“IwouldsayI’mstraight-to-the-point,”Rickanswered.“Me too,”Coach said. “Rick, Iwant you to put theMagicQuestion on all

your intake forms andnext to your phone.You’ll learn how important it is toknow the behavioral style of your client. There are four distinct behavioralstyles.Everybodyhassomeofeach,butoneofthemistypicallymoredominantthantheothers.ThefourbehavioralstylesspelltheacronymDiSC.®[10]“D stands for Dominance. D’s are straight-to-the-point. They tend to be

driven,fast-paced,impatient,efficientandbrutallyhonest.Theyaren’tintolongexplanations:theywantthebottom-line.”“Gotit,”Ricksaid,jottingitdown.That’sme,allright.“I stands for Influence, and i’s love socializing. They are often outgoing,

friendly, emotional, and energetic. They’re the life of the party.” Just likemysister,andhalfthewaitressesatEVT…“S is Steadiness. An S is steady and dependable,” Coach continued. “S’s

nurture. They live to serve and please others. They prefer predictability andsecurity over spontaneity and excitement. They enjoy executing systems.”Sounds like Michelle. Rick was surprised how naturally everyone’s behaviorseemedtofitintothesecategoriesthatCoachwasdescribing.“CisforCompliance.C’sareperfectionistswhoexpecteveryonetocomply

with the rules. These guys crave order and process. They can seem almostinflexible. This is the person that tells you, ‘It’smore important to do it rightthan todo it fast.’”Rick laughed, thinkingofhisold friendsat theaccountingfirm.Hethoughtherememberedaconsultantdoingsomethingwithbehavioralstylesthere.“Prettyinterestingstuff,Coach,”Ricksaidthoughtfully.“IguessweD’srule

theworld?”“Well,we’dliketo,”Coachsaid.Rickdetectedthehintofasmile.“Butthat’s

not how itworks. There’s no right orwrongway to be. It’s recognizing yourstrengthsandweaknesses.Remember tobealert toyourclients’behaviorsandthefactthatthebuyingprocesstendstobringouteveryone’sinnerC.”“InnerC?”Rickasked.“Thebigger thepurchase, themoreattention to thedetails. In life, thereare

three things that you should never mess with a person about: his family, hishomeandhismoney.Theinterestingthingaboutyourprofessionisthatyougetto mess with all three at the same time. People are going to want details,specificsandfacts,”Coachexplained.“Yeah,thatmakessense.Somanytimesasanagent,it’seasytowonderwhat

people get soworked up about.But it’s the largest amount ofmoneymost ofthemwilleverspend,”Rickthoughtoutloud.“Now you’re getting it,” Coach affirmed. “Listen, have you heard of the

PlatinumRule?”Well, Don told me the golden rule means that the one with the most gold

makestherules.“IremembertheGoldenRuleistotreatothersasyou’dwanttobe treated. I do remember Jay said something about the PlatinumRule, but Ican’trememberwhatitwas,”Rickadmitted.“Cockamamie!Rick,thisisimportant!”Coachreprimanded.“Itmeansyou’re

supposedtotreatpeoplethewayTHEYwanttobetreated,evenifit’snotwhatyouwouldwantyourself.”[11]“Sellthewaythebuyerbuys?”“Exactly,” said Coach. “Here’s a short poem to remind you how to treat

everybody:TheDiSCovery

CarelikeEveryone’sanS,

SmilelikeEveryone’sani,

PreparelikeEveryone’saC,

&SelllikeEveryone’saD.

“Iwantyoutotypethisupandputitinyouroffice.”“Cool,”Rickcomplimented.“Nowthisisjustaquickintroduction.Youneedtomakesurethatyouknow

thesecategoriesinsideandout.Let’sseehowwellyouknowthemwithalittletest.”“Okay,”Rickagreed,tryingnottobetrayhismildanxiety.“I’m your client, James. You’ve figured out that I’m a D. Leave me a

voicemailtellingmeyoufoundmyhouse.”Afterafewmomentsofthought,Rickreplied,“Hi,thisisRickMasters.Ijust

wantedtoletyouknowthatIfoundahomeforyouthatmatchesthecriteriayougaveme.Ithasfourbedrooms,threeandahalfbathrooms,anditevenhasthatthree-cargarageyouwerelookingfor.Pleasecallmeassoonasyoucan.Thankyou.”“That’snotbad,Rick.Notbad forbeingputon thespot.But itneeds tobe

shorter.ADdoesn’twanttohearallthat.”He’sright.RickthoughtofDonmockinghisvoicemailandrealizedthatsome

clientswerethetypewhodidn’twanttolistentomorethantheyhadto.Hetriedagain. “Hi James, this is Rick. I found it. Giveme a call as soon as you getthis.’”“Muchbetter,”Coachsaid.“Howaboutforani?”Rickdidn’thesitate.“HiJames!ThisisRick.Heybuddy,I’vegotthathome

you’vebeenlookingfor.It’sgotahugekitchenandbackdeckforyourfamousparties.It’sjustdowntheroadfromyourfavoriteprofessionalbaseballplayeraswell.Ringmewhenyougetaminute.”“Good,”Coachsaidapprovingly.“Ithinkyou’regettingthis.Howaboutthe

S?RemembertoslowyourdeliverydownfortheS’s.”

Rick paused briefly. “Hi James. Rick here. Hope your day is going well.WantedtoletyouknowI’vebeenworkingforyou.Ifoundahomeforyou.It’sonacul-de-sac.Safeandsoundforthefamily.Alsowantedtoletyouknowthatthefamilywhoissellingitisveryniceandhavebeengreattoworkwithsofar.Canyouroundupthetroopsforashowingtomorrowafternoon?Scheduleitfor2:00onthefamilycalendarandlet’sgettogether.”RickthoughthemighthavebeenoverdoingandwaitedtoseewhatCoachwouldsay.“VerygoodRick,”Coachsaid.“Thatwasyourbestyet.Appealingtofamily,

safety,andshowingsensitivitytothecalendarwaswelldone.Nowlet’sgofortheC.”Rickshuddered,imagininglifebackat theaccountingfirm,andsaidcrisply,

“HiJames,RickMastershere.It’s12:35andIlocatedahouseat123AnywhereStreet.Ithasfourbedrooms,threebathrooms,andathree-cargarage.It’s3551squarefeetandprice-wisefitsinthelowerhalfoftheneighborhood.Icanshowyoutomorrowat2:00p.m.butwe’llhavetobedoneby3:30p.m.Pleasecallmebetween1:00and4:00todaytoletmeknowyouhavereceivedthisandwanttoseethehome.Thankyou.”“Great!”Coachsaid,despitehimself.“ForaD,youreallygetthis.You’vegot

somemore reading on the topic, but I thinkwe canmove on toOne-on-OneMeetings.” Rick was pleased. This was the first unqualified praise herememberedhearingfromCoach.

One-on-OneMeetings“Now, you’ll remember that One-on-One Meetings are at the top of the

CommunicationPyramid.Thesearethemostimportanthoursofyourweek,soyouneedtoprepareforthem.”Coach continued his instruction, explaining how Rick would create a

SpectrumofSolutions[12]likeMichelle’s,abrochurethatwouldhelphimshowhisclientswhathehadtoofferratherthangivingthemalongspeech.Hewouldbe able to focus on learning about them and their businesses rather thanexplainingwhathehadtooffer.“StartbydoingInternetresearchonthepeopleyou’remeetingandtakingthe

Spectrum of Solutions. Once you’re there, remember these four things. First,remember FROG. This is about them, not you. Ask about their family,recreation,occupationandgoals.“Second, and this goes along with goals, ask them what their biggest

challengesarerightnow.You’re there tohelp,soyouneedtoknowwhat theyneed.Third,matchtheirnaturalpaceofconversation.Thefasttalkerswillbeaneasyfitforyou.Justmakesureyoutakecuesfromtheoneswho’realittlemore

deliberate,andslowitdownabit.”“Andfourth?”Rickasked.“EndyourOne-on-OneMeetingswithoneorbothofthesequestions:howcan

IhelpyouandwhatcanIdoforyou?”Coachsaidseriously.“YouractionitemforeveryOne-on-Oneistoleavewithanassignmentthatyouwillgetdonebytheendofthatday.”“AndaPOWERNotetofollow-up,right?”Rickaskedeagerly.“APOWERNote,ofcourse,”Coachsaidmatter-of-factly.“ButnowweneedtotalkabouttheF-Bomb,”Coachsaidseriously.“What?”Rickasked.Whatishetalkingabout?“InSevenLevels,thef-wordisfollow-up,”Coachexplained.“TheF-Bombis

asystemforfollow-upthatyou’llcreateforyourOne-on-OneMeetings:asevenweek seriesofPOWERnotes, directmail pieces, e-mails, andphone calls.Atleastfourofyourfollow-uptouchesneedtobephonecalls.UseyourCRMorcalendartoschedulethesetaskstotakeplace.”“Should I use my Success Stories for the direct mail pieces and e-mails?”

Rickasked.“Also,shouldItakeagifttothesemeetings?”“Affirmativeonboth,”Coachansweredquickly.“Arelevantbookcanmakea

greatgift.Butmoreimportant ispreparingforOne-on-OnesbywatchinggreatinterviewerssuchasBarbaraWaltersandRoyFirestone.You’llalsoreadDanielGoleman’sSocialIntelligenceandlistentoDaleCarnegie’sclassic,HowtoWinFriends and Influence People, which will help you get themost out of thesemeetings.”“Gotit,”Ricksaid,jottingdowntheresources.“NowIwant towrapupby talkingabout thepowerofwords. In theSeven

Levels,weneveraskdirectlyforreferrals.”“What?Ithoughtthat’swhatthiswasallabout?”Rickasked,takenaback.“You’vealreadyseen thatyou’regoing togetplentyof referrals,butyou’re

never going to say to someone ‘please referme to your friends and family,’”Coachclarified.“Insteadyou’regoing toaskpeople toeither introduceyou tothosetheyloveandtrust—neighbors,friends,familymembersandco-workers—ortobeconnectedtoinfluencersandotherconnectors.”“Okay,”Ricksaid,unsureofthedifference.“Listen,” Coach explained. “A referral is like an emotionally-charged

endorsement; someoneputshis reputationon the line foryou. It’s easier for apersonto introduceyoutoafriendthanreferyou.Aconnectionis justwhat itsoundslike:someoneputtingyouintouchwithanindividualyoushouldmeet.Nowit’sokaytoexplainyourbusinessphilosophyusingtheword‘referral.’Butasking for a referral canmake people unnecessarily uncomfortable. Does that

makesense?”“Nowitdoes,”Rickreplied.Withthat,Rickrealizedtheirtimewasalmostup.

LessonLearned“Sowe’vegotacoupleofminutes,”Coachsaid.“Youwant to tellmewhat

hadyousobotheredatthebeginningofthiscall?”Rickbristled.“Well,it’sreallystupid,”hefaltered,wonderinghowobviousit

hadbeenthathewasupset.“Allthemorereasontogetoverit,”Coachpointedout.“Yeah, Iguessyou’re right,”Rickagreed,andhe recountedbrieflyhis little

interactionwithDon.Tohisdismay,Coachburstoutlaughing.“That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in a while, Rick,” Coach laughed a

hearty,deeplaugh.Hewasbarelyabletocontainhimself.“Gladtoentertainyou,”Ricksaid,slippingbackintohisoldsarcasm.“No,”Coachlaughed.“Don’tyousee?Donisthreatenedbyyou.That’swhy

he’srunningyoudown!”“What?”Rickwastrulyshocked.Thepossibilityhadneveroccurredtohim.“Sure.Whenyouwereinthedoldrums,didDoneverspeaktoyou?”“Well,notmuch,”Rickadmitted.“Imean,he’dsayhionceinawhile,andhe

toldmehethoughtI’dbeoutofbusinessinayearwhenIaskedifhewouldhelpme…”Rick rememberedwithembarrassmenthisdesperate request toDon forleads,ideas,oranythingtogethisbusinessoutofthegutter.“Ofcoursehedidn’t.Youweren’tonhisradar.Nowdidn’tyousay that the

receptionisthintedyoumighthavebeenclosetohisnumbersthismonth?”“Well,yeah,Iguess.ButIdon’tseehowthatcanberight…”Ricktrailedoff.“Well, ifhe’sdoinghighprofiledealsforcutrateslikesheseemedtothink,

youprobablyarenippingathisheels.That’swhyhecalledyoutocometohisopenhousesandthat’swhyhetooktimeoutofhisbusydaytocomeandinsultyouinthebreakroom.Rick,thinkaboutit.”Rickthoughtaboutit.Asangryashehadfelt,Coach’stakeonthissituation

madealotmoresense.“Now,what aboutyourhousewarmingparties?You setup that appointment

with Michelle like we’d discussed by e-mail?” Rick’s heart sank again. Heswallowedhard.“Thetruthis,I’mafraidMichelle’smadatme.”“What’dyoudotomakeMichellemad?”Coachsoundedlikeaprotectivedad

again.“Well, I double booked an appointment with a client at the time I was

supposedtomeetherforlunch.Ireallywouldhaverathermetwithher,butIhad

togowiththeclient,youknow?Ipromiseyou,sinceI’vebeentimeblocking,Ihaven’tdoublebookedonce.”“Gotcha.Well,myguess is thatMichelle’snot asmuchmadas she ishurt.

Sheletyouintohercircle,triedtohelpyououtandyou’rekindofsayingthatyoudon’treallyvaluewhatshe’sofferingyou.”Butthat’sexactlytheoppositeofhowIfeel!Rickthoughtinfrustration.“There’snotmuchyoucandobutcomeclean.Haveyoutriedcallingher?”

Coachasked.“Yeah, I left a voicemail and she returned itwith another.Shedidn’t sound

madbutshedidn’tsoundhappyeither,”Rickexplained.“Well,callheragainandthistime,leaveheravoicemailforanSwithareal

apology.Weallmakemistakes,Rick.It’sboundtohappensoonerorlater.Theonlythingyoucandoisownuptoitandaskforforgiveness.”CoachassignedRickhisactionitemsandtheysaidtheirgoodbyes.

TheApologyRickfoundhimselfstaringat thewall foraminuteorso.Heknewwhathe

hadtodo,buthecouldn’tthinkofhowtodoit.HowcouldheexpresshowsorryhewastoMichellewithoutmakingitsoundcornyorfake?WhatwouldCoachdo?Rickjumpedupfromthetableandrantohisofficetoretrievealegalpad.Of

course!Padandpeninhand,hedraftedvariouswordingsuntilhewassurehehadit justright.Finallyhewasreadytocall. Ifsheanswered,great.Ifnot,hewasprepared.Hetappedthebandonhiswristanddialed.“Michelle,thisisRick.IwantyoutoknowthatIamtrulysorryforhavingto

cancel our appointment the other day. I want you to know that I appreciateeverything you’ve done forme sincewemet. You’ve gone out of yourway tointroduceme to peoplewho have somuch to offerme, especiallyCoach. Youwereright,hehasgrownonme.Anyway,Ihopewecanmeetsometimesoon.Letmeknowwhenyourscheduleisfree.Nodouble-bookingthistime,Ipromise!”

6PhoneCalls

“Toooftenweunderestimatethepowerofatouch,asmile,akindword,alisteningear,anhonestcompliment,orthesmallestactofcaring,allofwhichhavethepotentialtoturnalifearound.”LeoBuscaglia

Rickopenedhiseyesandtriedtofocusontheclock.Itwas4:30a.m.andhehadbeentossingandturningforanhour.Herubbedhiseyes;hisskinfeltmoistandhot.Theflu?Itwasthattimeofyear.Hereachedforthebottleofwaterbyhisbedsideandtookadrink.Histhroatfeltraw.Notnow!Ihavetoomuchtodotomorrow.Rick’s head pounded as he dragged himself to the bathroom to look in his

medicine cabinet. This is so weird…I’ve been eating healthy, working out,feelinggreat.I’vegotsomanyappointmentstoday…Rick’sthoughtscontinuedinablurashefoundsomecoldmedicine.Heclosedthecabinetdoor,lookedathimself inthemirror,andshookhishead.Thenithithim:SuccessSuicide!Ofcourse! This was the breakdown before the breakthrough Coach was talkingaboutit!Hehadachievedalmost everythinghewantedandhisbodyhadpicked this

momenttosuccumbtoavirus.Well,itdidn’tmatter.HewoulddoexactlywhatCoach said to do: hewouldpersevere.Rick took themedicine, chased itwithsomewater,checkedtomakesurehisalarmwassetandwentbacktobed.

GetUp,GetGoing,GetaReferralRickhungup the phone and checkedhiswatch.Right on time: he had just

spentanhourfollowinguponself-appointedactionitemsandheneededtoleaveinthenexttenminutestogettoEVTRestaurant.Hepulledintotheparkinglotand waited for the CD in his car to finish. Of course this wasHow to WinFriendsandInfluencePeople,whichCoachhadassignedtohim.Rickfoundhedidn’tmisshisothereducationalmaterialsthatmuch.

“Hi Rick!” Katherine said, smiling at him from behind the hostess stand,“Goodtoseeyouagain!Sametable?”“Absolutely,”Ricksmiledback.Itwashardtobelievehehadneverbeento

thisplaceacoupleofmonthsago.Katherineusheredhimtohistableandjustashewassittingdown,hecaughtaglimpseofafamiliarfaceinthelobby.“Michelle!”KatherineandMichellesharedtheircustomaryembraceandRick

stoodtointerceptthemastheyheadedtoMichelle’sregularbooth.Bothwomen smiledandMichelle extendedherhandwarmlyand said, “Hi,

Rick! I got your voicemail. Thanks so much.” Katherine left the menus onMichelle’stableandexcusedherselftogobacktoherpost.“I promise that will never happen again.Will you ever forgive me?” Rick

asked,surprisedtohearhissheepishtone.“Ofcourse!”Michellesaidwarmly.“Soyou’reenjoyingCoach?”“Yes, I’m learning to,” Rick laughed, glad to be inMichelle’s good graces

again.“He’stoughlikeyouwarnedme,butI’mstartingtothinkhe’sjustwhatthedoctorordered.”“I’msoglad,”Michellesaid,givinghisarmanaffectionatesqueeze.“Well,I

knowyou’rehereforappointmentsandsoamI,soI’llcallyouandwe’llsetupthattimetotalkaboutthehousewarmingparties,okay?”“Sounds great!” Rick smiled. Katherine was escorting the builder he was

meeting,butoverhisshoulderhecouldseeAlaninthelobby.Thatmustbeherlunchdate.“Hithere!”Ricksmiled,risingtoshakeJerry’shand.“Hey,Rick.Nicespot!Listen,Igottaruntotherestroomrealquick.Remind

metotellyouaboutJim.He’sabuyer.Ordermeacoffee,okay?”JerrydepartedandRick foundhimself straining to see if he couldhear anythinggoingon atMichelle’stable.Hecouldn’t,buthenoticedthattheyhadthesamewaitressashedidtoday.“Hi,Theresa,”Ricksaidas shemadeherway tohis tableafter takingAlan

andMichelle’sdrinkorder.“Hi,Rick,”shesmiled.“WhatcanIgetyouguystodrink?”“Hot teawith lemonandhoney formeandcoffee formy friend.”Rick felt

better,buthisthroatwasstillalittlesore.“How’sBailey’sfoot?”“Oh, the vet fixed it right up!Thanks for asking.You seeAlan come in to

meetMichelle?”sheasked.Rickdetectedanoteofdisapproval.Helookedupather.“Ohdidhe?”Rickaskedcasually.DidTheresajustsmirkatme?“Yeah,Ijustdon’tknowabouthimforher,youknow?”“Whatdoyoumean?”Rickasked,tryingnottosoundtoointerested.

“Idon’tknow.Michelle’ssuchasweetie…”ButbeforeTheresacouldfinish,Jerrywasbackatthetable,andshelefttoretrievetheirdrinks.

IsitGoodtoHearfromYou?“Hello.Coachspeaking,”Coachansweredinhisgruffvoice.“HiCoach!”Ricksaidcheerfully.“Well,someone’sbeendoinghisaffirmations,”Coachlaughed.“Yeah,Ihavetoadmitthey’renotawasteoftimelikeIfirstthought,”Rick

confessed.“Well it allworks together.Noonewants tobearoundagrump,asmydad

usedtosay.Peoplewanttofeelgoodaboutthemselvesandthebetteryoufeel,thebetteryoucanmakethemfeel.Themoreyouactuallycare,theeasieritistoactuallyhelpandthenthemorethey’llwanttohelpyou.”“Makessense,”Rickagreed.“Okay, as you know, we’re going to cover Phone Calls today. Nowwhere

doesthisfitintheCommunicationPyramid?”Coachasked.“It’sLevelThreeoverall,butit’sthefirstleveloftheInfluentialZone,”Rick

answeredconfidently.“Good,”Coachsaid.“NowwhatdoyoualreadyknowaboutPhoneCallsfrom

oursessionssofar?”“Well,IknowIneedtoconsistentlyblockofftimetogivethemmyundivided

attention.I’vealreadystarteddoingthatandit’smadeahugedifference.”“Good,let’sconquerwhattheycall‘call-reluctance.’Everfeelanyhesitance

aboutyourcalls?”Coachasked.“Sure,especiallycallingclientswhoclosedalongtimeago,”Rickanswered.“Rick,ifyouarereluctanttocall,it’sreallybecauseyou’rebeingselfish.”“Howso?”Rickwasgenuinelycurious.“If you’re hesitating to call, it’s because you’re thinking about yourself. If

you’re thinking about helping the people you’re calling and focusing on theirneeds,it’seasytopickupthephone.”Rickthoughtaboutthisinsilence.“NowaftereachcallIwantyoutorankyourself.”“Rankmyself?”Rickasked.“Ona0to10scale:howhappywasthepersontohearfromyou?Zeromeans

they hung up on you and ten means it was like reconnecting with your bestfriend.YouwantpeopletolookattheCaller-ID,seethatit’syouandbeexcitedtoanswerthephone,”Coachexplained.“The way to get people to look forward to your call is to help them,” he

continued.“Callwithaheart tohelp.Theymayneedcontractors’ information,thelocationforavendor,ajobrecommendation,orwhatever.Youcantakethe

time after the call to get them whatever they need. In the meantime, you’reconnectingthemtoyourreferralpartners,strategicalliesandotherpeoplewhocanhelpthem.TheirnetworkgrowsbiggerandyourCommunitygrowsstrongerbyhelpingothers.”“Makes sense,”Rick noted. “But howdo you get people to see that you’re

reallyheretohelp?HowdoIshowthemI’mdifferentfromtheotherguys?”

AMorePowerfulHourofPower“Rick, that’s a great question. That’s the heart of what we’re getting at.”

Coachseemedpleased.“Getawayfromthinkingabouthowthispersoncanhelpgrowyourbusiness.Ifhetakestheconversationthere,that’sgreat,butyouwanttogettoknowhimandfigureouthowyoucanhelp.Yourobjectiveistoassignyourself at least one action item when it’s over, just like your One-on-Ones.Focusyourattentiononfindingsomethingthatyoucandoforthatpersonbytheendofthatcall.”“Got it!”Rickwasexcited.Hehadalwaysstruggledwithwhat tosaywhen

theconversationwasn’theadedinaparticulardirection:nowhehadatangiblegoalhecouldworktowards.“Now remember,” Coach continued. “The person who talks the most

dominates theconversation,but thepersonwhoasksthequestionscontrols theconversation.Mostpeoplewilllovethefactthatyouareinterestedenoughtoaskformoreinformation.”“Sowhatkindofquestionswouldyouask?”“Anothergoodquestion,”Coachsaidapprovingly.“BesidesFROG,thereare

two phrases that will come in handy for you; ‘tell me more about that,’ and‘what’simportantaboutthattoyou?’Thesetwophrasesallowyoutogotothenextlevelofdepthintheconversation.Howdoyouthinkyouwouldusethesephrasesinyourbusiness?”“Well,”Rickstarted.“Itcouldrelatealottoaclient’sreasonsforbuying.”“Exactly,”Coachagreed.“The1st&10hasbeengettingyourdaystartedoff

on the right footand theHourofPower isgettingyouaheadof thegame,butnowwe’regoingtolookatawaytoenhancebothofthose.”“Okay,”Rickagreed.Coachsaidinaserioustone,“Thisisthelessonthatwillmakeorbreakyour

careerinthelongrun.Forsomeonetobuyfromyou,hehastotrustyou.Thattrustcomes fromcommunication.TheSevenLevels isaboutmaximizingyourcommunication to increase trust. Themore people trust you, themore peoplewillbuyfromyou.Thefastertheytrustyou,thesoonerthey’llbuy.”“Iseethat,”Ricksaidthoughtfully.

“Nowonceyou’veestablishedarelationshiptowhereyou’rerankingyourselfat an 8 or above on that call, you’re moving into the referral zone. You’veprobablyhad a coupleof conversations, andyou’ve takenaction tohelp themout in a couple of ways. You’ve built their trust and now it’s time to have areferralconversation.”

ReferralConversations“Okay,”Ricksaid.Hewasgettingalittleconcernedthattheinformationwas

comingtoofast.“Nowdon’tworry,”Coachassuredhim,“Ihaveseveralscriptswe’regoingto

gothrough,andwe’llkeepgoingthroughthemuntilyougetit,okay?”“Great,”Rickanswered.“We all know birds of a feather flock together so it onlymakes sense that

folkswhoarebuying their first homesor sellingwithin aneighborhoodknowothers who would be interested in doing the same thing. Name a client youhelpedrecently,”Coachsaid.“DavidandDeAnna,”Rickrespondedafteramoment’sthought.“Theywere

referredbysomeonewhohadreceivedoneofmyPOWERNotes.They’refirsttimehomebuyerswhoarenowundercontracttobuy.Theylookedatquiteafewandwefinallyfoundagreatfit.”“Whatweretheirlivingarrangementsbefore?”Coachasked.“Theywererentingatownhome,”Rickquicklyanswered.“Okay,sohowareyougoingtoaskthemforareferralwithoutusingtheword

‘referral’,”Coachchallengedhim.Rickpaused and tookadeepbreath, “David, it’s been terrificworkingwith

you and DeAnna; do you know anyone looking to buy a home soon?” Rickcringed,waitingforthecockamamie.“Rick, not great, but youwould probably get a referral out of that,”Coach

saidapprovingly,“Justafewsmallchangeswill increaseyourodds.Startwith‘who’not‘do’andwork‘isanotherrenterorfirsttimebuyerlikeyou’intoyourquestion.”Ricktookasecond.“David,it’sbeengreatworkingwithyou.Whoisanother

renteror first timehomebuyer likeyouwho is looking tobuyahomesoon?”Thatsoundedprettygood.“Yes,”Coach said, satisfied. “More specific is better.Whatever category or

niche theyfit in,askfor thatand itgreatly increasesyourodds.This isaveryimportantconcepttoremember.Asmyfatherwouldsay,youdon’thuntfordeerintheocean.”Ricklaughed.Theypracticed the“who…likeyou”dialogueuntilRickhad itdown inhis

ownwords.“Okay, so let’sworkon another effectiveway to get referrals,”Coach said.

“Hi,Rick.Iknowhowimportantyourtimeis thesedays.I’mlookingtogrowmy business and I want to grow my business with great people like you.Something I’ve found is that great people tend to knowgreat people.Sowiththatinmind,outofallthepeopleyouknow;whoisthenextpersonyouknowwhowillbebuying,selling,orinvestinginrealestate?”Rick took notes and took his turn practicing the script for severalminutes.

Coachkepthavinghimrepeat ituntilheknewitperfectly.Theyexperimentedwithrelaxinghislanguagetomakeitmoreconversational.Rickfounditquicklybecamenatural.“After you ask, give them time to answer.Don’t be afraid of silence in the

conversation,” Coach advised. “Let silence help you. So many people getuncomfortableandfeelcompelledtosaysomething.Don’tdoit!“Now we’re getting into the heart of referral country. There is actually a

specific part of your clients’ brains you’re going to activate to help get youreferrals,” Coach said with more animation in his voice than Rick everrememberedhearing.“Seriously?” Rick asked. “Is this like affirmations—sending them

subconsciousmessagestofindmereferrals?”“It’s a little different,” Coach chuckled. “Let me ask you this. When you

boughtyourBMW,didyoustarttonoticeotherBMWsontheroad?”“Yeah,”Ricklaughed.“Idid.Iwouldseethemeverywhere.NowIjustseethe

newones!”“Okay, well that’s an example of a particular part of your brain—your

Reticular Activating System or RAS—at work. The RAS controls what youfocuson;it’swhatenablesyoutopickoutyourson’svoicecallingforyouinacrowd…orpickoutaBMWwhen therearedozensofothercarson the road.Thisisthepartofyourclients’brainsyouwanttoputtoworkforyou.”“How?”Rickasked.SomethinginthewayCoachsaid“son”tuggedatRick’s

heart.“Pretty simple.You say something along the linesof, ‘Mr. andMrs.Client,

now that you are buying a house you have Supersonic Hearing and X-RayVisionforrealestate.You’regoingtonoticethatdozensofpeoplearoundyouarebuying, selling,or investing. I askyou thatwhenyou see, hear, ormeet apersonwhomentionsrealestate;thatyougivethemmycardandgivemeacall.Mypromise toyou is that Iwill respondquickly todeterminehow Icanhelpthem.Wouldyoudothatformeplease?’”“Wow,”Ricksaid,thinkingitover.“Sothen,assumingtheysayyes,Iwould

givethemsomecards?”“Exactly,”Coachsaid.RickthoughtCoachmightbesmilingontheotherend

ofthephone.“Canwegooveritafewmoretimes?”Rickasked.TheypracticedtheRAS

dialogueuntilRickwascompletelycomfortable.

TheTriangleofTrust“Now Iwant to come back to a question you asked earlier about how you

convince someone that you’re different than the other guy. Have you evernoticed that when somebody else speaks highly about you, it’s far moreconvincingthanwhenyouspeakhighlyaboutyourself?”“Sure.”RicksmiledrememberinghowbackinhighschoolBrianhadtoldone

of the cheerleaders that Rick had saved his life so Rick could ask her toHomecoming.“Well, getting a third-party endorsement of your services can be very

powerful,butinmyexperiencemostsalesmendon’tdowhatit takestosecurethem.Anytimeyoucanorchestrateathird-partyendorsement,doso.Lookforopportunitiestohavesomebodyelsesingyourpraises,introduceyoutosomeonetheyknow,orconnectyoutoaconnector.WecallittheTriangleofTrust.”“LikeatthenetworkingeventswhereIgetingoodwiththeorganizerandask

himtointroduceme?”“That’sexactlyright,”Coachanswered,“butitalsoworkswithstackingyour

appointments.Ifyou’rehavinglunchwithanAmbassadorandapotentialclient,have the Ambassador speak on your behalf to the client. That makes amorepowerfulsalespitchthananythingyou’lllearninalibraryofbooksonsalesandmarketing. The more influential your Ambassador, the more powerful yourintroductionwillbe.Andyouknowwhattheysayaboutfirstimpressions.”“Yeah,you’reright,”Rickagreed.

TheSpokestoHubStrategyCoach continued, “Now for the big fish, you can employwhatwe call the

SpokestoHubStrategy.It’sliketheTriangleofTrustonsteroids.That’swhereyougetseveralpeopletospeaktoaparticularConnectoronyourbehalf.”“Wow!”Rickexclaimed.“I’mgladyoubroughtthisupbecausethere’salocal

human resources director I’ve been trying to run into.Her company relocatesdozensofpeopleyearlyanddoesn’tusearelocationfirm.”“Well,”Coachstarted.“Whodoyouknowwhoknowsher?”“Well,severalemployeesareclientsofmine.”“It’ssimple,”Coachassuredhim.“Callthreeorfourofthemduringyour1st

&10time.Askthemiftheywouldcallherore-mailherthatdaytoletherknowthat youwill be calling at 4:00 p.m.Ask them to say a couple of kindwordsabout you and let her know that she should at least take your call.Mostwillagree.”“Ifnothingelse,that’sagreattimetoreconnectwiththoseclients,”Ricksaid,

thinkingofacouplehehadn’tspokentoinawhile.“Now,whatdoIsaywhenIcallher?”“Whatdoyouthinkwouldbeappropriate?”“I need to start with the idea of helping her,” Rick said slowly, thinking it

through.“Icanaskhertodescribeherbiggestchallengetome.”“You’veearnedastripetoday,private,”Coachansweredwithalaugh.

TheTriangleofTrustatWork“Nowbeforewefinish,Iwanttoshowyouhowallthisworks,”Coachsaid.

“Rick,doyouhaveaCPA?”“Yes,”Rickanswered.“HowwouldyourateyourCPAonascaleof1to10with1being‘poor’and

10being‘excellent’?”“10,easily,”Rickanswered.“Iworkedwithhimat theoldfirm.He’ssaved

methousandsovertheyears.”“Willyougivemehiscontactinformation?”“Ofcourse.Areyougoingtocallhim?”Coach ignored the question. “Rick, would you dome a favor? As soon as

we’re done with today’s call and since you have his info out, will youimmediately call your CPA to let him know that I will be calling him todaybetween4:00and5:00?Lethimknowhowweknoweachother.Will youdothatformeplease?”“Sure,”Ricksaid.Hewasn’tsurewherethiswasleading.Coach ignored the confusion in Rick’s answer and continued, “Just so you

know,IamlookingforafewCPAstoreferbusinessto.I’mlookingfor10s.IamgoingtomeetwiththreeorfourandyourCPAwillbeoneofthoseImeet,notjustformypersonalbusiness,butfortheopportunitytomeetpeopleinmyCommunity.AnythingIneedtoknowbeforeImeethim?”“He loves sports,” Rick answered. “Especially baseball. He’s a baseball

historybuffandknowseverystatimaginableforeveryplayer.He’smarriedandhas two daughters. He’s not like most CPAs in that he has an outgoingpersonalityanddoesquiteabitofnetworking.Isoldtheiroldhome.”“Great,”Coachsaid.“Thankyou.Iappreciatetheintroduction.I’mgoingto

letyougonow.Iknowyou’rebusy,butcouldyoudomeafavorandcallhim

now?”“Sure—”Ricklookedattheclock.Theystillhadtimeleftontheircall.“Okay,Rick,don’thangup,”Coachsaidgently.“Whatwejustwentthrough

iswhatIwantyoutodowiththepeopleyourespectmostuntilyou’vetalkedtoatleasttenpeople.”“Oh,” Rick said, mildly embarrassed. “So that’s how you increase your

Communitywithtopqualitypeople?”“Not only that, but you’re also getting warm introductions to these top

performers,”Coach added. “Plus, the client is referringyou so theyget awinwiththeirCPA,financialplanner,attorney,orwhomevertheyintroducetoyou.”Rickthoughtaboutitforasecond.“Wow,noteverybodyisgoingtoratetheir

CPAa10.I’dguessatleasthalfofthecallswouldbewithpeoplewhoneededCPAs.You’recallingandthenmeetingwiththese10-gradedCPAswithatleastfivereferralsinyourpocket.Youcouldgiveonereferraltoeachorgivefivetothebestone.”“Andwhy is it important to showupat eachmeetingwith referrals inyour

pocket?”Coachprodded.“Well, aside from confidence,” Rick started, “you’d be going into a

relationshipgivingreferrals.Thathelpsyougetreferralstoo…”Rick andCoach practiced the Triangle of Trust scripting a fewmore times

using different professions in place of CPAs.A lightwent on in Rick’s head.Michellehadusedthistomeethim!

ContrastthiswithMichellegoingdirectlytoRick.WithouttheestablishedwarmthandtrustofJosh’sintroduction,MichelleisfarlesslikelytoestablishastrongrelationshipwithRick.Thisisalsoagreat“warm-up”referralforJosh.MichellecanfollowupwithJoshlikehereferredRick(whichhedid,butitisasoftreferral).ThisstrategyiscriticaltogrowingyourCommunitywithstrongreferralpartners.ItiscommunicatingwithyourCommunityversusmarketingtostrangers.

“Verygood,”Coachsaid.“NowIwanttoclosewithonelastscript.Youaregoing to get into conversations with people who may or may not have arelationshipwitharealestateagent.You’regoingtoneedtobeabletofindoutwithoutaskingdirectly.ThisistheAreYoutheChosenOnescript.

AreYoutheChosenOne?“Okay,I’mready,”Ricksaid.“Ifyouhada friendorneighborwhowas looking tosell theirhome,whom

would you recommend they call?” Coach asked. “That’s it. Instead of askingthemtodirectlyreferyou,youareaskingwhotheywouldrecommend.Thekeyishowyoureactaftertheytellyou.”“Aftertheytellme?”Rickasked.“Nomatterwhat they say,”Coach explained, “you need to react positively.

Getoutofjudgmentandintocuriosity[13].Iftheysaysomeoneelse’sname,youneed to say something positive about that agent and ask how they know eachother.Findoutwhattheylikeabouttheotheragent.Iftheydon’tknow,askthemwhat it would take for you to be their guy. Lastly if they say you, you’reobviously in great shape and should show appreciation.” Rick had anotherflashbacktohislunchwithMichelle.Theywere now over time, so to end the call Coach clarified Rick’s action

itemsandassigned twobooks,TheFredFactorbyMarkSanborn andRavingFans byKenBlanchard, to go alongwith an audio book ofTheGo-GiverbyBobBurgandJohnDavidMann.Rick lookedoverhisnotes,and thenat theneatstacksofpaperworkhehad

fortwodealsthatweresupposedtoclosenextweek.Itfeltgoodtobebusy,butnot just because he was out of his financial panic. Something else wasdifferent…no,alotofthingsweredifferent.Rick’s ponderingwas interrupted by his phone buzzing to let him knowhe

had a voicemail. The log showed amissed call fromMichelle.As tired as hewas,hefeltasmallburstofenergy.Hepickeditupandlistened.“Rick,it’sMichelle.I justwantedtoletyouknowthatI’llhavetoleaveour

meetingonFridayrightat3:00.AlanandIaregoingawayfortheweekendandweneedtocatcha6:00flight.There’saseminarinNewYorkwheremyparentsliveandmydadactually knowsabunchof theguysAlanwants tomeetwith.Anyway,Ithinkweshouldstillbeabletogothrougheverything,butifyouwanttogettogetheralittleearlier,letmeknow.”

7CommunicationPlans

“Youcanhaveeverythinginlifeyouwantifyouwilljusthelpenoughotherpeoplegetwhattheywant.”ZigZiglar

Ricktookanotherdrinkofhiswaterandenteredsomemoreinformationinhisdatabase.Onemorename togo inhis1st&10, andhewasmovingaheadofschedule.Rickwas looking forward to this last call.He had beenmeaning toreconnectwithhiscollegefriendsJasonandTammyforalongtime.Theyhadbeen one of his first sales when he initially switched careers. Although theymightgoayearwithoutseeingoneanother,italwaysseemedliketheypickeduprightwheretheyleftoff.“Tammy!ThisisRickMasters,howareyou?”hesaidwarmly.“Ohmygosh,Ican’tbelieveit’syou!JasonandIwerejusttalkingaboutyou

lastnight,”thecheerfulvoiceontheotherendreplied.“Really?”Rickasked.“Well,youwon’tbelievewhatwejustdid!Jasongotpromotedlastyearand

youknowhowyouwerealwaystellinguswewouldoutgrowthishousewhentheboysgotbigger?Wellwejustboughtanewplaceacrosstown—hugeyardforthekidsandagreatfinishedbasement.We’removingnextweek!”“Wow…”Rickwas speechless ashe felt theblood rushoutofhis face.He

knewhehadtostaypositiveatallcosts.“Oh,andourhouseisonthemarket,soifyouhaveabuyeroranything,you

knowwe’dlovetoworkwithyouagain,”Tammyadded,completelyoblivioustoRick’smisery.“Thatwouldbegreat,Tammy,”Ricksaid, forcinghisdisappointment to the

backofhismind.“I’llbesuretobringsomepeopleby.AndI’dlovetocheckoutthenewplacetoo.”“Oh,you’llloveit!”Tammysaid.“Theboysaresoexcitedandyoucanallgo

out back and toss the football around.”They chatted for another fewminutes,beforeTammyexcusedherselftogotoheraerobicsclass.Rickhungupandsatsilentlyforaminute.Ouch!Rick quickly completed the action items from his earlier calls, locating a

coupleofphonenumbersforclientswhohadrequestedthemande-mailinghissister so she could secure some basketball tickets for one of his contacts. Helooked at his clock and decided to take his customary coffee break before his11:30lunchappointment.Onceagain,anunwelcomevoicegreetedhimfrombehind.“Hey,Rick,how’sitgoing,buddy?”Don’stonesurprisedhim.Itwasalmost

pleasant.“Hey,Don,”Rickrepliedashestirredinthecream.Herewegoagain…“YouheardIunloadedtheBancroftplace,right?”“Ihadn’t,butcongratulations,”Rickoffered.“Yeah,man.Acoupleofcelebrities—well,actorsanyway—fromLAwanted

someplacetotaketheirkidswherenoreporterscouldpesterthem.Guesstheysawmybusads…Anyway,Itoldthemthiswasperfect.Thatplaceissooffthebeatentrail,”Donlaughedandflashedhismillion-dollarsmile.“Right,”Rickagreed,forcingasmallchuckle.Thiswasreallythelastthinghe

neededrightnow.“Well,anyway,myfriend,ifyouhaveanybigclientsthatcanaffordanything

decent;you’rewelcometobringthembyanopenhouseofmine.I’vegotatonofpropertieslistedinthosenewdevelopmentsonthewestside…”Donsaidashewalkedout.Ugh,that’swhereJasonandTammybought.Hereturnedtohisdeskanddid

his best to regain some confidence. He reopened his database, noted a fewupdates and then, unable to concentrate, he tapped the band on his wrist andlookedupJasonandTammy’shouseinMLS.Hefoundit,sawthelistingagentandsuppressedagroan.Hisstomachfeltawful.Hewentoutsidetotakeawalkandcatchsomefreshair.

AFailuretoCommunicate“WellthefirstthingIwanttosayis,‘Goodjob,’”Coachsaid.Rickhadjust

finishedpouringouthistaleofwoefromthedaybefore.“What?”Rickhadbeenpreparinghimselfforatleastacockamamieortwo.“First,youweredoingyour1st&10,andthat’sgood.Listen,Rickyou’rejust

gettingstarted.IknowI’vebeenhardonyou,but the truth is that these thingscanhappentoanyone.I’llbetyouDon’shadmorethanhisshareofclientsbuywithsomeoneelse.”

“Yeah,Idoubtthat,”Ricksaid,shakinghishead.“Well, youdidwell,”Coach said. “Youkept your cool.Youdidn’t let your

feelingsoverpoweryouandmakeTammyfeelbad.Afewmonthsago,myguessisyoumightnothavehadthatmuchself-control.She’sprobablylikemostfolkswhohavenoideahowallthisstuffworks.”“Yeah,Ithinkyou’reright.IjustkeptthinkingthatifI’donlystartedmy1st

&10andHourofPowercallsayearago,thisneverwouldhavehappened.”“Well,you’rerightaboutthat,”Coachagreed.“Thegoodnewsiswe’reabout

totakeallthattothenextlevelbycreatingyourCommunicationPlans.”“Well,notamomenttoosoon,”Ricklaughed.Hefeltbetter.Hehadkepthis

cool.Coachwas right: a fewmonths ago, hewouldhaveprobablybeen shortwithTammyandpotentiallyruinedafifteen-yearfriendship.

FromMarketertoCommunicator“So here’s the deal,” Coach continued. “We’re working on your

Communication Plan, not yourMarketing Plan. Youmarket TO someone butyoucommunicateWITHyourclients.You’regoingtoinvestinyourCommunitythe way Don invests in billboards and bus ads. Now, your goal is to build aCommunityandyoubuildaCommunitybycommunicating.Nowwhat’syourCommunityofInfluence?”“Idon’tknow,”Rickansweredtruthfully.“Cockamamie,Rick!”Coachexclaimedwithsurpriseanddismay.Ah,thereit

is,Rick thought.“We’veonly talkedabout itabouta thousand times. It’syourdatabase, your network. They all mean the same thing. But calling it aCommunity of Influence reminds you of what you’re trying to do. Build aCommunitybystayingintheInfluentialZone.”“Okay,gotit.”“Neverforgetthatit’speoplewhobuy.Nothinghappensuntilapersonsays,

‘Yes’andnoonesays‘Yes’tosomeonehedoesn’ttrust,”Coachexplained.“Andcommunicationishowwebuildthattrust,”Rickagreed.“Exactly.Nowwe startwith Jay’s tool called theUltimateMemory Jogger.

[14]Thistoolwillmakesurethateveryonewhoshouldbeinyourdatabasegetsinthere.Doctor,dentist,lawyer,allofthem.Gotit?”Coachasked.Itwascleartheyhadalottocover.“Gotit,”Ricksaid.“Thenextthingyou’regoingtodoisgradeyourdatabase.Thissoundslikea

bigtask,butyou’llbesurprisedhowfastitgoes.”“Okay,”Ricksaid.Yeah,right.“Nowweuse fivegrades:A+,A,B,CandD.A+’sareyourAmbassadors:

thesearepeoplewhoreferyoumultipletimesayear.They’relikeyourunpaidsalesstaff.AnyonelikethatinyourCommunityrightnow?”“Well,Josh,Randy…andmysister,”Ricksaid,thinking.“Doesshecount?”“Absolutely. Familymembers can be some of the best Ambassadors you’ll

everhave.NowyourA’sareyourChampions.Theyreferyouanaverageofonceayear,”Coachexplained,whileRicktooknotes.“Somygoal is tomakemyChampions intoAmbassadors?”Rickasked.He

thought of the referral his downstairs neighbor had given him severalmonthsago.“Well,notsofast.Thatwillhappenoccasionally,but it’snotaseasyasyou

think,”Coachcautioned.“Why’sthat?”“Well, typically,Ambassadors andChampionsaredifferentkindsofpeople.

Ambassadorshavealargenetworkthemselvesandhaveanoutgoingpersonalitythathelpsthemspeakupaboutyourservicesnaturally.IfaChampionisaquietperson with a small network, you’re not really going to get more than onereferralayearoutofhim,nomatterwhatyoudo.”“I see,” Rick mused. It was true that Josh was very involved in the local

Chamber of Commerce and other networking organizations, whereas hisneighboronlywentouttoherbridgeclubasfarashecouldtell.“Your B’s are your Potential Champions,” Coach continued. “Your C’s are

Friends&Family.Theylikeyouandyouwanttostayintouchwiththem,butthey’re not necessarily sending you business. Your D’s have never sent youbusiness,noraretheygoingto,andthey’reprobablypeopleyouwouldn’twantreferringyouanyway.Rememberthe‘birdsofafeatherflocktogether’thing.”“Okay,sowhatdowedoaboutthem?”Rickasked.“It’srealsimple,”Coachlaughed.“DmeansDelete.Ifthey’reD’s,theydon’t

belong in yourCommunity. In fact, by the next session, I not onlywant yourdatabasegraded,IwanttheD’sgone.”

ProactiveCommunication“Nowthebiggestmistakepeoplemakeistothinkthatcommunicationisonly

somethingthathappensspontaneously.Theythinkyoujustbumpintopeopleatfunctions and catch up, or call when someone comes to your mind,” Coachexplained.“Okay,”saidRick.Hewasn’tsurewhatwassobadaboutbeingspontaneous

butheresistedthetemptationtoask.“If you’re going to build a successful referral based business, you have to

communicate intentionally, not whenever you feel like it. You’re going to

developaplanforcommunicatingwitheachgradeinyourdatabase.Howoftenwillyoubecallingthem?Onwhatdays?Whatwillbeyourobjectivewhenyoucall?Bythetimewe’redone,you’llhaveallthatmappedoutsothatyou’llneverhavetogothroughaJasonandTammysituationagain.”“Soundsgreat,”Ricklaughed.Itfeltgoodtolaughatamistake…andknow

businesswasstillcoming.“Okay, we’ll start at the top: your Ambassadors deserve the most

communicationbecausethey’remorelikelytoreferyoubusiness.HowoftendoyouthinkyoushouldcontactyourAmbassadors?”Rick thought about it.He already spoke to Josh on a regular basis because

they worked out at the same gym. He played golf with Josh and Randy andtalked to his sister every week. “Well what exactly am I going to be talkingabout?”“Don’tworryaboutthatrightnow.Let’sthinkaboutasystemratherthanthe

individuals. Now, how often do you think you should contact yourAmbassadors?”Coachaskedagain.“Prettyoften,”Rickreplied.“Atleastoncepermonth.”“Okay,let’sscheduleyourAmbassadorsforonecallpermonth.Whenareyou

doingyourHourofPower?”Coachasked.“WednesdaysandThursdays from1:00 to3:00,”Rick replied.Quickly they

figured out how he could schedule his Ambassador calls for the availablesegmentsofhisHourofPowercalls,aswellasschedulingthemquarterlyintohis Networking Stack at EVT Restaurant. They talked through the details ofdoingaBoardofAdvisorsmeetingonceRickhadmoreAmbassadors.Hewouldget themall together in the same roomandask themhowhecan improvehisserviceandhisbusiness.[15]“The most important set of people you want to touch and inspire is your

Community of Influence – your database contacts. You need to becommunicating your solutions to your Community on a daily basis. You’vedecidedyourAmbassadorsgetonecallpermonthtosetupaOne-on-Onesoonafter.Nextyou’llneedtodeterminehowoftenyou’llbecallingtheChampionsandFriends&Familygroups.”“WhataboutthePotentialChampions,theB’s?”Rickasked.“We’llsavethosefornextsession.Wehavealittlesomethingspecialinstore

forthatgroup,”Coachsaidsomewhatcryptically.“Okay,soI’mactuallygoingtoplanallthesecallsintomycalendar?”“Yes,andyoucanusearecurringeventsfeatureoractionplansinyourCRM

tomakesureyoucommunicatewitheachpersonthroughouttheyear.”“SoifMaryParkerisaChampion,andI’mgoingtocallherfourtimesayear,

thenImakesuremycalendarisremindingmetocallhereverythreemonths?”“Exactly.You’regoing towant tomakesureyouhaveherphonenumber in

there, or you can block all your Champion calls and Friends & Family callstogether if you want. That part is up to you, as long as it’s happeningconsistently.”“So this is actually pretty simple,” Rick thought out loud. “I mean, I’m

literallyplanningoutallmyphonecallsfortheentireyear!”“Itissimple,”Coachagreed.“Butthatdoesn’tmeaneveryonedoesit.Ittakes

determinationand tenacity tomake ithappen. I can’t tellyouhowmanyguysI’veexplainedthisto,butonlyasmallpercentagehasactuallydoneit.”“Well, I’mgoing tobeoneof them,”Ricksaid, surprisedat thedetermined

toneofhisownvoice.[16]“Remember,”Coach added, “you can create aCommunicationPlan for any

demographic or geographic Community. That’s what Janice did with thatapartmentcomplexthatshesharedaboutattheconference.”“Yeah,” Rick agreed. “She didn’t know anyone’s phone number or e-mail

address,sosheusedthehighestleveloftheCommunicationPyramidavailabletoherbyusingHandwrittenNotes.”“You’reexactlyright,”Coachagreed,soundingsatisfied.“But,remember,the

biggest bang for your buck is PhoneCalls. That’swhere you canmake a bigimpactonadiversesetofpeopleinashortamountoftimewiththeleastamountofpreparation.”“Iseethat,”Rickagreed.I’dbettergettheunlimitedplanformyphone.

TheSuccessSeries“One last thing,”Coach saidwarmly, “You remember thoseSuccessStories

you’vebeenworkingonsohard?”“Sure,”Ricksaid, tryingnot torollhiseyes.Hehadbeene-mailingvarious

editsbackandforthwithCoachforweeks.“Now you’re going to use all twelve. You’re going to send Story 1 to

everyone by e-mail thismonth andStory 12 to everyone by directmail.Nextmonth you’ll e-mail Story 2 and send Story 11 on a postcard, and so onthroughouttheyear.WecallittheSuccessSeries.Doyouseehowitworks?”“Yeah,”Ricksaid,jottingitdown.“That’showyoucontinuallycommunicateyoursolutionstoyourCommunity

without being overbearing or annoying. Remember, success attracts success,”Coachsaid.“Well,we’reaboutdone.Anythingelseyouneedtoaskmebeforeweendit?”

Knowing“Coach,howdidyouknowyourwifewastheone?”Rickblurtedout.Ican’t

believe I just said that…Rick hadn’t thought about marriage since Brian’sweddingeightyearsago.StandingtherewatchingBriantakehisvowshadonlyconvincedRickhewasn’tready.“Well…”Coach laughed. “I’d say that’soff topic,but I’m theone that said

these calls would get personal. I’ll give you three answers. The first thing Inoticed was her smile. It’s impossible to be happy with someone who’s nothappy,Rick.Behappy.Marryhappy.AndwhetherornotIknewthatwhenwewereboth21,Iknowitnow.Thefirsttimeshecookedforme,IknewIwasinlove.Shehadputcareandloveintoeveryaspectofthatmeal,andI’manold-fashionedguy:heart,stomachandallthat.”“What’sthethirdthing?”Rickasked.“I’veheardothermensaythis,butthatdoesn’tmakeitlesstrueforme.She

makesmewanttobeabetterman.Shealwayshas.ThedayIrealizedthatwasthedayItookmylifesavingsoutofmymattressandwenttothejeweler.Youshould’veseenhisfacewhenIwalkedinwithawadofcash…”Coachlaughed.Rick laughed too.Hehadno ideawhatCoach looked likenow, let alone as ayoungman,buthepicturedawelltannedGIincombatfatigues.“Thanks,Coach.Iappreciateyousharingthat,”Ricksaid.WhoamI?When

did I becomeanaffirmation saying, note-writing, salad eatingguywho thinksaboutmarriage?“Well,weallgottagrowupsoonerorlater.Youtakecare,Rick,”Coachsaid,

signingoff.Rickhungupthephoneandreviewedhisnotes,ponderingCoach’swords.It

was time togo to thegym,buthehad scheduled inanextrahalf-hourof freetimeforhimself just incase.Hepickeduphisphoneandstaredat itaminutebeforedialing.

TheNews“Hello?”afriendlyvoiceanswered.“Michelle?”Rickaskedhesitantly.“Rick!”Therewasajoyinhervoicethatmadehisheartleap.“Howareyou?”heaskedwarmly.“Oh,Rick, Ican’tbelieve it’syou.You’llneverbelievewhat justhappened.

Alan’sproposed!HiswholereasonfortakingmetoNewYorkwastomeetmyparents.I’mgettingmarried!”“That’sgreat!”Rickforcedhimself.“Congratulations.”“Iknow.Ican’tbelieveit!”Michellemarveled.

“Whynot?He’dbecrazytoletyougetaway,”Ricksaidtruthfully.“Rick, you are too sweet. But me? Rick, I was in the chess club in high

school, Ididn’t talk toanyone.BeforeAlan,I thinkI’dbeenoutonfourdatessincecollege.After Ihit30myparentsgaveuphope that they’deverhave tothrowmeawedding…”“Wellhe’sverylucky,”Ricksaid,tryingdesperatelytocoverhisdismay.Alan

doesn’tdeserveyou.“Honestly,Ijustcan’tbelievethisishappening…he’sanattorney,andhe’sso

successful.Youshouldseehislastgirlfriend,thisgirlKaren.She’sgorgeous…Ijustcan’tbelieveit…”“KarenWallace?”Rickasked,surprised.“Yeah,how’dyouknow?”askedMichelleequallysurprised.“Oh, she’s a friend,”Rick said.Karenwas a local attorney thatRick knew

well.Sure,theyhadbrokenupovertwoyearsagoandhadn’tspokeninnineortenmonths.Buthestillconsideredherafriend.“ButI’msorry,Rick.”Michellesaid.“Youcalled.IsthereanythingIcando

foryou?”“Well,I’dliketofollowuponourdiscussionofthosehousewarmingparties.

Myfirstonewentwell,butIthinktherearesomethingsIneedtotweakforthenextfew.Ihavesomemorepeopleclosingsoon,andIwanttomakesureIdon’tmisstheboat…withthem,”headded.“Ofcourse!HowaboutTuesdayat11:30atEVT?We’llbothbetheretherest

oftheafternoonanyway!”shelaughed.“Soundsgreat,”Ricksaidwarmly.“Listen,congratulationsagain.”Theysaid

theirgoodbyes.Rickrosetoputonhisworkoutclotheswhichwerelaidoutonhis bed. He paused for a moment, and then took a small notebook from thedrawerinhisnightstand.Quickly,heturnedtotheW’s…

8ElectronicCommunication

Iwanttosharewithyouthebestbusiness(Twitter)tweetofalltime:‘WhatcanIdoforyou?’You’llbeamazedattheresponseyouget.You’reinbusinesstoserveyourcommunity.Don’teverforgetit.”GaryVaynerchuk

“Rick finished up the action items from his 1st & 10 and fired up thecomputerforhismidmorninge-mailcheck.Severalimportantmessagesjammedhisinboxandhestartedcombingthroughthemonebyone.AsheaddeditemstohiscalendarhethoughtbacktohisconversationwithKaren.“Is she gorgeous?”Karen had asked.Rick had answered that shewas nice

looking,butnotinamodeloractressway.“Thenissherich?Orisherfamilyimportant? She must be ultra-successful because that’s what Alan would beinterested in.He’sworkedhiswayupandhe’s doing reallywell, but he’s stillobsessedwithhis image.Hewants torun forofficesomeday, trustme.That’swhyheneedstogetmarried.Gottahaveawifebyyoursidetolookthepart,youknow?”Rickfeltastrangecombinationofemotionsthatseemedtoomuddledtosort

through.On theonehand,hewasglad tohave someoneconfirmwhathehadsuspected aboutAlan from the first day theymet at EVTRestaurant.Hewasglad itwasn’t just his imaginationormasculine competitiveness.On theotherhand he was distressed. Whatever thoughts he might have entertained aboutbeingwithMichelle,shewashisfriendandthelastthinghewantedwasforhisfriendtoendupwithajerk.Lastly,hewasundeniablydisappointed.ThemorehethoughtaboutAlanandMichelletogether,themoreuneasyhefelt.FocusRick,he said to himself.You’ll figure outwhat to do aboutMichelle

later.Focusonwhatyou’redoingnow.He breathed a sigh of relief as he spotted an e-mail from a client thatwas

closingattheendoftheweek.Rickhade-mailedthepaperworkovertwodays

agoashetraveledbetweenshowingproperties.Hewasconcernedthathehadn’theardfromthemyet.Heopenedthee-mailandsippedwater.

Thanksforyoure-mail.Wereallyappreciateallthetimeyoutookwithus,butafterlookingovereverything,MarieandIaren’tsurethatthisisthewaywewanttogo,sowe’regoingtopassthistime.Letusknowwhatweneedtodotogetourearnestmoneyback.Thanksagainforeverything.

JakeRickwasstunned.Whatjusthappened?Hehadlostclientsbefore,intheold

days. But not since starting the Seven Levels, unless you counted Jason andTammy.Hereplayedevery interactionwithJakeandMarie inhisheadandhecouldn’t think of a single thing that had gonewrong. The housewas in theirprice range, itwas theperfectneighborhood,near Jake’s joband their church.RicksuppressedtheurgetocallJakeatworkthatveryminute.

YouShouldHaveCalled“Well,itsoundslikethissessionhasarrivedrightontime!”Coachsaidafter

listeningtoRick’sstory.“Whatdoyoumean?”Rickasked.“Well, we’re covering electronic communication and social media today,”

Coachsaid,asifitwasobvious.“Ofcourse, and I’mreally looking forward to it,but I’mnot surewhat that

hastodowithJakeandMarie,”Ricksaid.“Wellyouknowwhyyoulosttheclient,right?”Coachasked.“No.Why?”Rickasked,genuinelypuzzled.“Because you e-mailed the paperwork! You should always do paper work

face-to-face. If that’s impossible, do the next best thing and get them on thephone.Ithoughtwetalkedaboutthatafewtimes.”“We did, but Iwas showing six houses that day and Iwas running low on

time,”Ricksaid,faltering.“Ofcourseyouwere.Nowthiswouldhavebeentheirfirsthouse,right?”“Yes,”Rickanswered.“Well,youalreadyknowthisismoremoneythanthey’veeverspentintheir

lives.They’rescaredthatthey’remakingahugemistakeandthentheygetthirtypages of legal mumbo jumbo that make them think they’re signing away therights to their children.Theypanicked!Andyouweren’t there to explain it tothem.Youknowthisiscockamamie,Rick.OneofthebiggeststrengthsofTheInfluentialZoneisthatyoucanlistenandgetfeedback.Youcan’tdothatwithe-mail.Iwouldn’thavethoughtI’dhavetoexplainthattoyouatthispoint.”

“No,Iseewhatyoumean.”“Soyousavedlikewhat,45minutesbynotdroppingitoff?Maybeanhouror

twoiftheywererealconfused?Wellyounowknowwhatthosetwohoursjustcostyou…”Rickdetectedsomecompassionmixedwith thedisappointment inCoach’svoice.“So I guess I shouldnever e-mail attachments, huh?”Rick asked, ashamed,

butgratefulthathehadescapedwithasinglecockamamie.“Well,no.That’snot itatall.E-mail isagoodtool.You’venoticedbynow

that I use it. The key is knowing how to use it properly.A spade is good fordiggingupweedsbutyoudon’twanttouseittoscoopicecream!”Ricklaughedin spite of himself. He was finding himself less overwhelmed and moreencouragedbyhiscoachingcalls.“NowwheredoesElectronicCommunicationfitintheCommunicationPyramid?”Coachcontinued.“IntheInformationalZone,”Rickrespondedcomfortably.“Exactly.It’satthetopoftheInformationalZone,butit’snotintheInfluential

Zone.Sothat’syourfirstclueastowhatit’sgoodfor.”“Givingpeopleinformation,right?”Rickasked.“Yes, any time you want to inform, confirm, or attach information.

Remember,ane-mailisonlythepromiseofafuturephonecall,”Coachpointedout.“Yeah, I see that,”Rickagreed, “and IknowJay said thatyouneverusee-

mailtosell,butcan’te-mailalsoinfluencepeople?”“Wellofcourseitcan.Theproblemisthatitcaneasilyinfluencepeoplethe

wrongway.Everhadane-mailbackfire?”Rick didn’t have to think long. “Yeah, I sure have,” he laughed. “Besides

today, a few years back Iwrotemy girlfriend to cancel a date because Iwasworking late. IwasreallybriefbecauseIwasswampedandshe thoughtIwasditchingher…”“Andwhathappened?”Coachlaughed.“Wegotinahugefight,”Rickrecalled.“Ittookmethreedozenrosestofix

thatone!”“Sothereyouhaveit.It’seasiertotakearelationshipfroma5toa1thanitis

totakeitfroma5to6withe-mail.Onewrongwordcancostyoumanyphonecalls—orroses!AsD’s,wehavetobeevenmoreconscientiousaboutthis.“Onceyou’veestablishedarapportwithsomeonesothatthey’reaslikelyto

refer you as not, it takes a deliberate investment of time and energy tomovethem up that scale. Remember the Impact Arrow on the CommunicationPyramid.Allyouhavetodoissendonee-mailthatmakesthemuncomfortableorgetsmisinterpreted,andyou’rerightbackatthebottom.”

“Okay, I’m convinced,”Rick sighed. “Nowwhatwere you saying last timeabouttheplanfortheB’sinmydatabase?”

AMagicalE-mail“Goodmemory,”Coachsaidapprovingly.“ForeverypersonI’vecoachedthat

actuallydidwhat I said, thisone toolmade thephone ringoff thehook.NowwhatdidIjustsaythate-mailshouldbeusedfor?”“Toinform,confirm,orgetpeopleonthephone,”Rickreplied,lookingathis

notes.“Good.NowtoimplementourplanforyourB’s,wewillusewhatwecallthe

GuaranteedResponseE-mailorGRE.You’regoing tosendasimplee-mail toallyourB’swhichwillcausethemtogiveyouacall.Onthatcallyouaregoingtoaskthemhowtheyaredoingandwhat’snewintheirlives.ThenyouwillaskthemtheAmItheChosenOnescript.Doyourememberthat?”Coachasked.“Ohyeah,”Rickreplied.“Ifyouhadafriendorneighborwhowaslookingto

sellahome,whowouldyourecommendtheycall?”“Good,”saidCoach.“Afteryouhavethatconversation,whichwillonlytakea

fewminutes,you’llknowiftheyareanA,C,orevenaD.”“Really?”Rickwastryingtofigureoutwhatwassomagicalaboutthee-mail.“Really.Yourgoalbythenextcall is tohavenomoreB’s inyourdatabase.

YourPotentialChampionswilleitherbeChampionswhopromisetoreferyou,Friends&Familybecauseyouchoosetostayintouchwiththem;orthey’llbedeleted because they already have an established relationship with anotherprofessionalinyourindustry.”“Okay,”Rick said,wondering how tomake all that happen before the next

call.“Don’tworry.Thebiggestdangeristhatyou’llgohoarsefromtalkingonthe

phone so much,” Coach chuckled. “I’ll send you the text of the GuaranteedResponseE-mailassoonaswe’redonewiththecall.”“Idon’thaveall their e-mail addresses.What aboutgetting theones I can’t

findonGoogle?”Rickasked.Itseemedweirdtobeaskingaguyhisfather’sageforadvicelikethis.“Well,besidesall thosesocialmediasites,onegreatwayis todoamonthly

drawingthroughdirectmail.Callitthe‘12MonthsofChristmas’orthe‘ThankYouCampaign’.Maketheprizesomethingsignificantthatyourtargetgroupwilllike:aniPod,giftcertificates,oraflat-screenTV.Havetheme-mailtheirentriesandyou’vegot thee-mail address. It alsogivesyouachance tocommunicatewiththemwhentheyenter.Justreplytotheirentries.”“Great,”Ricksaid,satisfied.

“We’vetalkedabouthowtomovearelationshipfroma5toa1usinge-mail.Let’s talk aboutmoving them froma5 to a 6 ormore.Areyou familiarwithGoogleAlerts?”Coachasked.“Wayaheadofyouthere,Coach,”Rickansweredproudly.“Michelleshowed

methoseatalunchandIhaveover50alertsnow—Michelle,thatmembershipchair,mycompetition,DonDasick,mycompanyandeventhevariationsofmyname.I’vehadsomegreatresponsesfromtheonesIforward.”“That’s good that you implemented what Michelle taught you,” Coach

encouraged.“Nowthereareothergoodusesfore-mail,”Coachcontinued.“It’sagreatwaytointroducepeoplewhoneedtoconnectandrefersomeoneinyourCommunity. You can also use it to confirm appointments or pass on otherimportantinformation,whichyou’realreadydoing.”“Justdon’tuseittosell?”Rickasked.“Don’tuseittosell,persuade,influence,or,asyoulearned,totrytoclosea

deal.Andlikeallotherformsofcommunication,youneedtohaveaplan.”

BuildingYourOnlineCommunity“Sothatmeanstimeblockingandfocus,right?”“Absolutely,”Coachconfirmed.“ApproachyouronlineCommunitythesame

wayyouapproachyourofflineCommunity.Startwithaplan.Organizetheminawaythatallowsyoutocheckon themostvaluablepeople inyourCommunityfirst.IfyourclientsandAmbassadorsareonsocialmedia,checkonthemeveryday.Friends&Familymemberscanbelessoften.Makeitapointtotaketheseonline relationships and build them offline at your Networking Stack. Andrememberthateverythingispublic.E-mailcanbeforwarded.Stuffonthewebwillnevergoaway,even ifyoudelete it.Sokeep itprofessional;nobraggingaboutyourwildweekendwiththeboys.”“Yeah, I’ve had some friends make that mistake,” Rick laughed. “Clients

don’twanttotrusttheirfuturetosomeonewho’sjokingaboutgettinghammeredeveryweekend,huh?”“Yougotit.Nopoliticsorreligioneither.Onceyou’veorganizedyouronline

community into lists, you’ll want to Communicate your Solutions to yourCommunity just likeyoudooffline.PostyourSuccessStoriesonablog,yourstatus updates, or anywhere else they’ll get read. Share your outgoing andincomingreferralgoalsatleastonceamonth.”“Youmean I should post something like, ‘I want to give 100 referrals and

receive 50 referrals this year’?” Rick asked. For a moment he saw Don’sbillboardinhismind.MypostswillbelikebillboardsinmyonlineCommunity.Andthey’refree…

“Exactly,”Coachanswered.“Andthenask‘WhocanIrefertoyou,orwhodoyouknowthatneedsrealestateservices?’Therestofthemonthpostthingsthatarepositive,funnyorinteresting.Don’tbesarcastic,conceited,ornegative.Justbeyourself.”“Thenewme,right?”Ricklaughed.“You got that right,”Coach laughed. “Now Iwant to emphasize thatwhile

electroniccommunicationisimportant,it’snotnecessarytothesuccessofyourbusiness.”“Really?”Rickasked,incredulously.“Youthinksomeonecouldgetbytoday

withoutusinge-mailandallthosenetworkingsitesthatarepoppingup?”“Absolutely,”Coachsaid.“Igotoverfourhundredreferralsayearforthelast

20 years I was in sales, Rick. I didn’t start using e-mail until right before Iretired,andeventhenIonlycheckeditonceaday.Thatwaswaybackwhenittooktwentyminutestogetonlineanyway.Butthesearedifferenttimes,andofcourseIjusttoldyouhowusefulelectroniccommunicationcanbe.It’sjustthatwhatyoudoonlinewillonlybeaseffectiveaswhatyoudooffline.”“Iseethat,”Rickagreed.“Iguessit’saproblemifitdistractsyoufromyour

offlineactivitiesormakesyouthinkyou’regettingouttherewhenyoureallyjustneedtogetoutthereinreallife.”“Nowyou’re talking. I’m starting to thinkyoumightbe learninga thingor

two.”Coachchuckled.“Yeah,maybe,”Ricklaughed.

YourOnlineCommunityCoachcontinued,“Soyougrowyouronlinecommunityexactlythewayyou

grow your offline community. You come with the spirit of helpfulness andencouragement.Youhaveaplantouseittoincreaseyourphonecalls,tocross-sell,orconfirmyourone-on-oneappointments.”“Cross-sell?”Rickasked.“Yes, that’s when two people sell each other rather than themselves. For

instance, youwould e-mail a positivemessage aboutMichelle to your buyer-clientandMichellewouldsendapositivee-mailtothesameclient.Thecross-sellingistentimesmorepowerfulthanyoutellingyourclienthowgreatyouare.Remembertoblindcopythepersonyouarecross-sellinginthee-mail.Youcanalsodoitwithsocialmediasites,”Coachfinished.“Yeah,thatmakesalotofsense,”Ricksaidthoughtfully.“And if possible, use video on your social networking sites. That keeps it

morepersonal,”Coachsuggested.“IlikewhatthisguyGaryVaynerchuksaysinhisbookCRUSHIT!:‘Now,though,theInternetandsocialnetworks–andthe

instant access to online communities (and the millions of people who willeventuallyjointhem)theyprovide–havepumpedupwordofmouthlikeitwasonsteroids.’[17]Nowit’seasierandfasterforanyonetospreadthewordaboutyourservices tomorepeople thaneverbefore.This isanexciting timefor theGenerosityGeneration.”They continued to talk through the details of Rick’s use of video and his

overall online communication plan, and determined that he would send hisGuaranteedResponseE-mailtotwentyB’satatimetopreventhimfromgettingoverwhelmed.Theypracticedwhathewould say, focusingon theAreYou theChosen One script and went through various follow-up scenarios. Theydiscussedputtinghis referralgoalsand thephrase“I’mhere tohelp” inhise-mail signature. Coach then assignedThe New Rules ofMarketing and PR byDavid Meerman Scott, and two audio books: Permission Marketing by SethGodinandCRUSHIT!byVaynerchuk.FinallyCoachwasreadytowrapup.“Before I let you go, you askedme aboutmywife lastweek,” Coach said

gently.“AmIgettingaweddinginvitationanytimesoon?”“Probably,”Ricksaidevenly.“Butnotfromme.”“Ohreally?”Coachinquired.Hesoundedgenuinelyconcerned.“Yeah,turnsoutitwasn’tmeanttobe,”Ricksighed.“Well,I’msorrytohearthat,”Coachsaidsympathetically.“Butlisten,don’t

bediscouraged.She’soutthere,somewhere,Ipromise.”“Thanks,Coach.”Rick hung up the phone. Part of himwished he had told Coach thewhole

storyandaskedhimforadvice.Hesighedasheupdatedhis task listswithhisactionitemsandsawtheGuaranteedResponseE-mailinhisinbox.

Subject:Hey,<<First_Name>>haveafewquickspecificquestionsforyou…

Hey,«First_Name»!

Hopealliswell.

Wantedtotouchbase.Ihaveacoupleofspecificquestionsforyou.Couldyoupleasecallmeatyourearliestfreemomentat<<Your_Phone_Number>>?It’snotanemergency,butwhenyouhaveasecond,pleasegivemeacall.Ipromisetoonlytakeaminuteortwoofyourtime.Thankyouinadvance.

Talktoyousoon!

<<Your_First_Name>>

P.S.Ifsomebodyelseanswers,pleaseletthemknowthatIneedtotalktoyou.Thankyou.

That’s<<Your_Phone_Number>>.Thenhesawanothere-mailpopupthathadjustbeensent.Heopeneditand

hisjawdropped:

HeyRick!

How’sitgoing?Sorryyouhaven’tmadeitbyanopenhouseyet.Anyway,letmeknowwhenyou’refreeforlunch.I’dliketochatwhenyouhavethetime.

Don.

9Transformation

“Wecannotholdatorchtolightanother’spathwithoutbrighteningourown.”BenSweetland

“Listen, that landscaperyoureferredtomehasmadeourfacility looklikeabilliondollars,”Haroldsaidenthusiasticallyintothephone.“Yousaidhewasthebestandyouweren’tkidding!”“I’m soglad,”Rick said, smiling.HeknewJeremywouldn’t let himdown.

Harold’sbusinessparkhadbeensufferingfromturnoverlikealotofplaces,andheknewheneededthebestlookforthebestpricetostaycompetitive.“Look,youknowIonlydocommercialdeals,”Haroldsaidinamoreserious

tone,“butI’vegotafewpeoplewhoneedaguyforresidentialtransactions.I’msendingthemyourway,okay?”“That would be great,” said Rick. “I’m really looking forward to serving

them.Also,listen,ifyouneedacommercialagenttohelpfillsomeofyourretailspots, please letme know. I’ve got a great guy inmind.And I’m really gladJeremydidagreatjobforyou.Iknewhewould.”

ItBoilsDowntoEducation&Communication“So I’m expecting a progress report, young man,” Coach said with mock

severity.“AnyB’sleftintheCommunity?”“Well,yes,”Ricksaidapologetically.“ButIwentfrom56toonly3.Added

27 new Champions too! The Guaranteed Response E-mail and Are You theChosenOnelanguageworkedjustlikeyousaiditwould!”“Rick,that’sfantastic,”Coachcongratulatedhim.“Really,Ican’ttellyouhow

manyguysdon’tmakeittothissessionatall,letaloneactuallydowhatIsaytodo.”“Oh,wellgreatthen,”Ricksaid,pleasantlysurprised.

“So what would you say your biggest challenge is these days?” Coachinquired.“Well, first, thank you for doing themorning session.My challenge is not

somethingIwouldhavethoughtpossibleafewmonthsago,”Ricklaughed.“Buthonestly,eventhoughI’mtimeblockingeverything,Ijustfeelliketherearen’tenoughhoursintheday.”“Soundslikeit’stimetohireanassistant,”Coachsaidthoughtfully.“Really?”Rickasked.“Well,canyouaffordit?”“Sure,Iguess.Ijusthadmybestmonthever.Totellyouthetruththough,I

hardlythinkaboutnumbersanymore,”Rickreplied.“That’showitiswhenyoubecomeafull-fledgedmemberoftheGenerosity

Generation,”Coachapproved.“Focusonthepeople.Whenyoutakecareofthepeople,thenumberswilltakecareofthemselves.”“Yeah,that’sreallytrue.Anditfeelsalotbettertofocusonthepeople.Still,

I’mworriedI’druinanassistant.I’veheardfromsomanypeoplethattheycanbemoretroublethanthey’reworth.Imeanyouspendhalfyourdaywritingouttheirlistofthingstodo,”Rickmused.“Yeah, lots of people do exactly that,” Coach agreed. “But before you hire

one,createa timeblock foryourassistantbasedon the thingsyouneeddone.Keepyour favorite tasks and themost dollar productive activities for yourselfandgivetheresttotheassistant.”“Dollar-productiveactivities?”“Yes, your work in Influential Zone work and with clients - offers and

counter-offers,currentcontractsandthenyourshowings.Thenyou’vegotyourlistingappointmentsandprospecting.That’showyoumaximizeyourefficiency.Thesearetheactivitiesthatmakeyouthemostmoneyperhour.Therestcanbesomebody else’s job.Andwhat do you think is the bestway is to get a goodassistant?”“Throughreferral?”Rickguessed.“Exactly right.Notonlydoweneed toCommunicateOurSolutions toOur

Community,butweneedtoCommunicateOurNeedstoOurCommunity.WritedownallthecharacteristicsoftheperfectassistantandletyourAmbassadorsandChampions know. Your first assistant will most likely come from yourCommunity.”“That’sagreatidea,”Ricksaid,writingitdown.

ASolutionforEverySolution“Nowthebiggestthingwe’regoingtocovertodayisyourinitialconsultation

that youoffer your clients,”Coach explained. “You’ll need to create these forbuyers,sellers,investorsandanyothercategoryofclientsthatyoudealwith.”“Okay,”saidRick,jottingnotes.“IhavealistingconsultationIalwaysgiveto

sellers.”“Verygood.Nowyoujustneedtomakesureyouhavepresentationsprepared

forallthesolutionsyouoffer,”Coachexplained.“Youtellthemtomeetyouattheoffice,andthatyou’llonlytakeupafewminutesoftheirtime.Itmightseemunnecessarybutitwillendupsavingyouandyourclienttimeinthelongrun.”“Howso?”Rickasked.“Imaginethatyou’reoutoftownandstayingatafriend’shouse.It’sstorming

outside,youguysgetinlate,andwhenheunlockshisdoor;hediscoversthatthepowerisout.”“Okay,”Ricksaid.Not surewhereCoachwasgoingwith thisbutRickhad

learnedbynowthatthelessonwascomingsoon.“Well,it’spitchblackinthere,andhewalksacrossthelivingroomandsays,

‘Comeonin.Watchthatvaseonyourleft:IboughtitinGreece.Hangon,I’vegot some candles in the kitchen.’How fast do youwalk through that room tofollowhim?”“Not too fast,” Rick answered. “I don’t want to knock over that vase or

anythingelse.”“Exactly.You’ve never been there before and the room is dark.Now if the

lights come back on, will you feel confident to go find your friend in thekitchen?”“Sure.”“Yourmost importantOne-on-OneMeetingscouldverywellbe theseclient

consultations. Giving a client an initial One-on-One Meeting that walks himthrougheverystepislikethrowingonthelightstotheprocessofbuying,sellingorinvesting,”Coachexplained.“Itshowsyourprofessionalismrightoffthebat,builds trust,andgives themtheconfidence tomove through theentireprocessmorequickly.“Now,Rick,we’reaboutattheendoftheroad,”Coachsaid,ahintofemotion

inhisvoice.“Yourlastassignmentisoneyoudon’thavetoturnin,becauseit’soneyou’llneverfinish.”“That doesn’t sound good,” Rick said, forcing a laugh. He felt a little

sentimentaltoo.

EachOneTeachOne“Well, I thinkyou’llendupenjoying it,”Coachassuredhim.“I’msureyou

realizebynowthatyou’renotdonewiththeGenerosityGenerationjustbecause

you’re done with the Seven Sessions of the Seven Levels. You’re really justgettingstarted.Butthenextstepisforyoutobeginteachingotherswhatyou’velearned.Towhommuchisgiven,muchisrequired.WecallitEachOne,TeachOne.”“Thatsoundsgreat,butIreallydon’tthinkI’mready,”Ricksaidhesitantly.“Ofcourseyouare!”Coach laughed.“You’re readybecauseyou’reactually

doingit.Ididn’tsayyouhadtoteachallofit,though.Notyetanyway.”“That’sarelief,”Rickanswered.Hethoughtbacktohisinitialmeetingwith

Michelle at EVT Restaurant. That’s what she was doing with me. She wasteaching me about The Seven Levels of Communication and the GenerosityGeneration.“Eventually, you’ll be able to explain all of the things we’ve discussed to

anyone.Butletmeaskyouthis:ofeverythingwe’vetalkedabout,whatwouldyoubemostexcitedtoteachsomeonerightnow?”“It’shardtosay,”Rickadmitted,reachingforhisnotes.“TheBlessingsBook

andaffirmations fromsessiononewerehuge forme,and the secondsession’s1st&10callswerereallyaturningpointformybusiness.”Heflippedthroughafew pages and continued, “TheMagicQuestion hasmade life somuch easiertoo, and I’ve already explained how itworks to someofmy referral partners.Actually,cometothinkofit,IexplainedtheTriangleofTrustfromsessionfourandgotintoareferralconversation.”“How’dyoudothat?”Coachasked.“Well, it was kind of an accident. I used myself and the gentleman I was

meetingwithastwocornersofthetriangle.WhenImentionedthataConnectorwouldbethethirdcorner,hesaid,‘Oh,youmeanlikemycousinwhorunsthelocalBNI[18]chapter?’BeforeIknewit,hehadagreedtointroduceme!”“Great job, Rick,” Coach encouraged. “I’ll have to file that away for later.

Whataboutsessionsfiveandsix?”“Definitely planning out the phone calls for the whole year and the

Guaranteed Response E-mail,” Rick answered. “But then there’s the SuccessStories…IwrotethatonesuccessstorywetalkedaboutwaybackinSession#2andI’veuseditonapostcard,onmyblog,bye-mail,andoverthephonewithclients.It’slikeaSwissArmyKnife:onetoolwithathousanduses.”“Goodone,Rick,”Coach laughed.“See,you’vealreadycomeupwithyour

ownmetaphor!”“Yeah,Iguessso,”Ricklaughed.“It’sinteresting.Iknewtowritenotes,but

now I have a strategy for it. I knew to make phone calls, but now I have astrategyfor it. Iknewtonetwork,butnowIhaveastrategythatworks.AndIguessifIhadtonameonemore,I’dsaytheGenerosityGeneration.Ithinkalot

ofpeoplerealizeinthebackoftheirheadsthatthere’ssomethingdifferentaboutdoingbusinessintoday’sworld,butthey’veneverthoughtitthroughsothey’restillusingthesameoldtacticsandinsomecasesusingnewtoolsthewrongway,youknow?”“I agree, Rick, I agree. And I think that’s very insightful. I think you’ve

becomealotmorethoughtful.”“Nowthatwe’retalkingaboutit,you’reright.I’vegrownalot.TheleastIcan

doistocontinuetosharewhatI’velearnedwithothers.”“And that’s what will take your own learning to the next level,” Coach

continued. “If you keep teaching, you’ll be hungrier to learn more. Takingresponsibility forexplaining it tosomeoneelsewillgiveyouownershipof thematerial.You’ll have a newbenefit – youprovide value to others through theteachingsofSevenLevels.Whenyouaskpeoplewhat theirbiggestchallengesare, you’ll have an arsenal of answers to help them.” Rick thought about thelunchwithMichelleagain,andthenquicklyturnedhisfocusbacktothecall.“Yeah,it’slikewhatyouweresayingaboutaffirmingothersandtryingtohelp

themaccomplishtheirgoals.NowIcanhelpalotofpeopleandknowthatasIdo,they’llhelpmetoo.”“Exactly,”Coachagreed.“Ihadmydoubtsaboutyouatthebeginning,Rick.I

was hopeful, but unsure. I want you to know I’m proud of what you’veaccomplished. And I’m excited to hear more about what you’re doing in thefuture.BeforeIletyougo,I’dliketoaskyouacoupleofquestions.”“Sure,”Rickreplied.“First,somethingIhavefoundinmycoachingisthatthosewhopersevere,the

reallyspecialones,suchasyourself,tendtoknowotherspecialprofessionals.Sowith that inmind, out of all the people you know,who is a real estate agent,mortgage professional, or other entrepreneur who is a candidate to invest inthemselvesbygettingcoached?”“Well,”Rickreplied,“thisappliestosomanyofmynetworkingconnections,

referralpartners,andcolleagues.Doyouworkwithattorneys?”“Suredo.Anybodyinsalesormarketingwhowantstogrowtheirbusinessby

wordofmouth,”Coachanswered.Rickhad a couple of names inmind and immediately gave them toCoach.

CoachgottheinformationandRickpromisedtocallthembefore4:00p.m.“Secondly, I’d like toaskyou to stay in touch,”Coachsaid.Ricknoted the

respectinhisvoice.“Sothisisn’tgoodbyeforever?”Ricklaughed.“No,”Coachansweredwarmly.“Nomore two-hourcalls,probably.ButI’m

always around, and Jay letsme knowwhat’s going on.We’ll definitely be in

touch.”

TheConfessionTheysaidtheirgoodbyesandRicktookamomenttoreflectonhowmuchhis

lifehadchanged.Heleftmessagesfor the twopeoplehehadrecommendedtoCoach and jotted a quick POWER Note. Then he looked at his watch andrealized therewere just twentyminutes before his appointmentwithDon.Hequickly grabbed his briefcase and headed out to EVTRestaurant.Coach wasright about the benefits of never getting lost,he thought as he pulled into theparkinglot,greetedKatherine,andgotseatedbyJoEllenathisusualbooth.Heknew it wasn’t Michelle’s day to come in, but he looked up, half hoping hewouldseeheranyway.“Hey,Buddy,”Donsaidwithhiscustomarysmoothnessashesatdownacross

the table.He turned to JoEllenwhohad just come to take their drinkorders.“J&Bstraightup,honey.”“Sure,” Jo Ellen replied, skillfully hiding her surprise. “Iced tea for you,

Rick?”“Yes,thanksJoEllen,”Rickreplied,smiling.Shelefttogettheirdrinks.“Firsttimehere?”Donaskedsarcastically.“Hey, I’m a sucker for hearing my name. They treat me good and I keep

comingback,”Rickanswerednonchalantly.The twocontinuedwithsmall talkaboutDon’s latest triumphswhile JoEllen returnedwith theirdrinksand tooktheirlunchorders.“SoIgottaaskyou,buddy,”Donsaid,shiftinginhisseatashedownedthe

lastofhisscotch,“didyousellyoursoultothedevilorwhat?”“I’msorry?”Rickasked,genuinelyconfused.“Your numbers,” Don replied, signaling to Jo Ellen that he was ready for

another.“Let’sbereal.YouandIhadnearlyidenticalnumberstwomonthsago,andIthoughtthatwasamiracle.Butamiracleasin,onetimeonly…afluke…youknow,temporarysuspensionofthelawsofphysics…”“Sure,”Rickchuckled.Whatishetalkingabout?“Butthen,”Donsaid,sippinghisseconddrink,“thenyouwentandbeatme

thelasttwomonthsstraight…bad.Yournumbersareinsaneandyou’remakingitlookeasy.Sothat’swhyI’masking…what’syoursecret?”“Nosecret,”Rick saidcalmly. “Just theSevenLevels stuff I learnedat that

seminarandinmycoachingsessions.Realsimplestuff,butpowerful.”“You’re kidding!” Don said, a little too loud. He looked around, leaned

forward, and lowered his voice as Jo Ellen set their salads down and quietlyrefilled Rick’s iced tea. “Are you really telling me you’re doing that many

transactions because some guy in a turtleneck told you that nice guys finishfirst?”“Well there’salittlemoretoit thanthat,butbasically,yes,”Rickanswered,

takingabiteofhissalad.“WellthenmaybeIneedtosignuptodrinktheKool-Aidtoo,”Donlaughed,

cuttingapieceofbreadandbutteringit.“Whatdoyoumean?”Rickasked. “You’redoinggreat. Iknowyoumoved

threeofthoseunitsdowntown…”“Yeah,well,Ican’tseemtomove‘emfastenough,youknow?”Donlooked

intohisglass.Whyarewehavingthismeeting?Rick thought. IsDonDasickreallyasking

meforhelp?TheycontinuedtalkingshopwhileJoEllenbroughttheirentrees.“Whatdidyoumeanaboutnotmovingproperties fastenough?”Rickasked

quietly as he took a bite of his crab cake. Rick realized how naturally thequestioncameout.He’sgoingtobitemyheadoff…“Oh,nothing,”Donsaidcasually.“Thisisdamngoodsteak,Rick.”“Yeah, they know how to do it here. Happy cows or something,” Rick

chuckled.Don drained his glass and lookedRick right in the eyes. “You’ve seenmy

billboardright?Theonerightoffthehighway?”“Sure,”Ricksaid,suppressingtheurgetorollhiseyes.“Everyonehas.”“Well,son,doyouknowwhatthosebillboardscost?”“No, not really,”Rick said.He realized how long it had been since he had

eventhoughtaboutadvertising.“Morethanmostpeoplemakeinayear,Rick.Sure,Icandodealsforthehot

shots,buttheyallexpectspecialtreatment.Mysaleswentdownwheneveryoneelse’sdid,butmyexpensesdidn’t.Iwon’tdragyouthroughthedetails,butthetruthis…”Donpausedasiftryingtodecidehowmuchmorehewantedtosay.Ricksaidnothing.HehadneverinhislifeimaginedthatthegreatDonDasickcouldsoundthisvulnerable,slouchedinachairacrossthetablefromhim.Rickpoked his crab cake and examined it as if he was trying to catalogue eachingredientforarestaurantreview.“Thetruthis,”Doncontinuedinavoicejustaboveawhisper,“I’mmeeting

withmyaccountantthismonthtodecidewhetherIneedtofileforbankruptcy.IsawyournumbersandIthoughtyoumusthavesomesecret.Prettyfunny,huh?DialDonisDeepinDebtDon!”helaughedbitterlyandcutanotherpieceofhissteak.Bothmenwincedastheknifesqueakedloudlyagainsttheplate.“Ofcoursenot,”Rick said,hisvoice filledwith sympathy. “Don,youdon’t

havetodeclarebankruptcy.Justgetridofthebillboardsandthebusads.You’re

stillmovingplentyofproperties;you’dbeabovewaterinnotime!”“Areyoucrazy?”Donasked,againalittletooloud.“That’slikeannouncing

I’mbroketotheworld.ThenIreallywillbeoutofbusiness.”“No,listentome,”Rickurged.“Yousawmynumbers.Wouldyoubelieveme

if I toldyou that Ihaven’t spentapennyonpersonaladvertising inover threemonths?AndI’llneverdopersonalpromotionagain.”“What?”Donwasspeechless.“It’s true.Youhaven’tseenmyfaceonanything,haveyou?That’swhatthe

Generosity Generation is all about. It’s referrals. It’s relationships. It’s aboutfocusingonpeopleandlettingthenumberstakecareofthemselves.”Donstaredathimacrossthetableasifhewasspeakingaforeignlanguage.“Listen,”Rickcontinued,“YouknowthatcondoIsolddowntown?Isoldthat

forawoman,Terri,thathadjustfinishedherdoctorateandismovingaway.ShewasreferredtomebyhercousinDavidandhiswifeDeanna,acouplethatIjusthelpedbuytheirfirsthome.SowhatdoyouthinkIdidwhenIhelpedTerrisellhercondo?”“Ihaveno idea,”Don said, forcingabemused smileashebutteredanother

pieceofbread.“I calledDavid andDeanna and let themknow that Terri’s condo sold and

howhappysheis.AsDeannaandIweretalking,sheremembersthatoneofthewomen at her gym is looking for a larger house. So she’s e-mailingme nextweektointroduceme.Notonlythat,butDavidandDeannawerereferredtomebymyfriendJosh.I’llcallhimtomorrowmorningandupdatehimonbothsales.JaycallsitRe-TracingtheReferralTree.Itreinforcestothemthattheydidtheright thing by referringme. I’ve only been doing this a fewmonths, and it’salreadybuildingonitself.”“YouknowwhatIfoundouttheotherday?”Donasked,shakinghishead.“What’sthat?”“ThoseHollywoodfolksIsoldto—theyknewmyex-wife.Shetaughtpiano

totheirkids.That’swhytheycalledme,”Donadmitted.“Soyousee?”Rickencouraged.“It’sreal,Don.Youcoulddoittoo,Iknow

youcould.”“Doyouknowhowold I am,Rick? I soldmy firstmillionwhenyouwere

going toyour juniorprom.Nowmywife is leaving,mykidshateme,andmyonlyfriendsarethebloodsuckingadrepswhowantapieceoftheaction.”Therewasalongsilencewhilethetwomencontinuedtoeat.Ricklookedat

Don across the table and remembered how he had felt before Seven Levels.Don’shairwasstilljetblack,coloredforsure,buttherewerewrinklessneakinguparound the eyes.Althoughhis suitwasof thehighestquality,Ricknoticed

just the slightest bit ofwear around his shirt collar.He tried to think ofwhatCoachwouldsayinthiskindofsituation.“Whatdoyouthinkyoushoulddo?”Rickfinallyasked.Donthoughtforaminute.“IthinkIneedtoflyouttoseemykids,”hefinally

said. “They live with my first wife in Southern California. The boy’s gettingreadytograduatefromhighschool…”“That’sgreat,”Rickofferedenthusiastically.“Yeah,everyonesaystheygrowupfast,butit’sevenworsewhentheyliveso

far away. I don’t know if they would even recognize me,” Don said sadly,lookingdownattheremainderofhismeal.“Theirmom,shewaswithmewhenallwecouldaffordwasalittleonebedroomapartment,youknow?IwasanidiottoleaveherforMindy…butanyway,youweretellingmeaboutyourlittlesecretsociety,”hefinishedwithalaugh.“Yeah,” Rick smiled. “I’m telling you, Don, you’re not too old. I saw a

womanatleasttenyearsolderthanyouthatwasworkingtheSevenLevelsandgettingitdone.Shewasaboutthistall, too.”Rickheldhishandslightlyabovetheheightofthetable.Donlaughed,“You’rekiddingme!”“No,I’mserious,”Ricksaid,laughingtoo.“Listen,Jay’sgoingtobebackin

town thisweekenddoinganother seminar. IknowIcangetyoua ticket.Whydon’tyoujustcomeandcheckitoutforyourself?”“IthinkI’malostcause,brother,”Donlaughed,polishingoffthelastbiteof

steak.“Well, no harm in having a look, right?What do you have to lose?” Rick

offered.“Youknowwhat?”Donsaid,lookingupfromhisplate.“Imightjustdoit.”Jo

Ellenclearedtheirdishesandbroughtsomecoffeewhilethetwowrappeduptheconversation. Rick learned that Don’s first wife was still working as a pianoteacher and thathisdaughterwas inher secondyearof college.HewonderedwhatitwaslikeforDontobesofarawayfromthem.Rickfelthisphonevibrateas thecalendaralertedhim thathisnextappointmentwas in15minutes.BothmenlookedattheirwatchesandDonrosetoshakehandsandsaygoodbye.“Youhangingaround,buddy?”Donaskedashegrabbedhisbriefcase.“Yeah,I’vegota1:00hereinafew.Listen,I’mgoingtosendyouane-mail

toremindyouaboutthisweekend,okay?”“Youbetcha,”Donsmiledandturnedtoleave.Did that just happen?Rick shook his head. He sipped his coffee and then

checked his phone. He started an e-mail to Don but stopped and opened hiscalendarinstead.Hecreatedanewappointmentfor4:00p.m.Hethumbed,“Dial

Don.”Healsohadseveral textswhichhescrolled through,respondingtoeachone

methodically.Thenhecametooneandpaused.Herereadittwice.Hecheckedthetimeitwassentandthenumberfromwhichitcame.Hewantedmorethananything tocancelhis appointmentdue to start fiveminutes fromnow,butheknewhecouldn’t.Quickly,he textedback:Karen, thx4 themessage! Inmtguntil4.Will call

you then. Keep Fri night open pls. I know you’re hdng out of twn, but it’simportant.IOU1.Thx.SeeyouFri!Rick.

10JayMichaelsSpeaksAgain

Forwhoeverexaltshimselfwillbehumbled,andwhoeverhumbleshimselfwillbeexalted.Matthew23:12(NIV)

Rick’s eyes opened two minutes before his alarm was due to go off. Hestretched,rolledover,andtookadrinkofwater.HeopenedhisBlessingsBooktowrite.Iamgratefulformyhealth.

Iamgratefulformyfamilyandtheircontinuedsupport.

Iamgratefulformyfriendsforbeingthereforme.

Iamgratefulfortheopportunitytodomeaningfulworkthatwillhelpothers.

Iamgratefulforhavingplentyandbeingabletogiveexcesstoothers.

Hethenjottedhisaffirmations.FinishedwithhisBlessingsBook,Ricksprangoutofbedandwenttobrushhisteeth,repeatinghisaffirmationsbyheartashelooked in themirror. In threeminutes,hewas inhisworkoutgearandheadedout for a five-mile run.Checking hiswatch on theway back up the stairs herealized he hadbeaten his best time for that route.His thoughts drifted to thehalf-marathoncomingupinacoupleofmonths.Hetookaquickshowerandbegantodress.Heflexedinthemirror.Wasthat

anabmuscle?Hisclotheswerewaitingforhim—slacks,sportcoat,shirtandtie,evenhissocks… Inever thought I’dbe thekindofguy thatwould layouthissocksfortheweek.Hetiedhistieandthoughtaboutthepeoplehewasgoingtocalltoday.Hecouldseetheirfacesandtheirkids’facesandpicturethekindofhousestheywouldlike.Hethoughtaboutthemanyhourstheywouldspendandmemoriestheywouldshareintheirnewhomesandhowgratifyingitwastobe

partofmakingthathappen.Hecarefullyreviewedtwocontractshehaddrawnuplastnightandplacedtheminhisbriefcasewhichwasinitsaccustomedspotbyhisdesk.Rickfinishedlisteningtohisaudiobookonthewaytotheofficeandgreeted

Lisawithawarmsmile.“Goodmorning!”“Goodmorning,Rick,”shesmiledback.“Michellecalled.I’msureshelefta

message.”“Great!”Ricksaid,tryingtotemperhisreaction.“Thanksfortellingme.How

didMarydoatStates?”“Thirdinlongjump,fourthinthe4x400relay,”Lisaansweredproudly.“Well,tellhercongratulationsforme,okay?”“Isurewill.Oh,andthankssomuchforhelpingoutmycousin!”Lisaadded.

“She’ssoexcitedaboutthecondo.”“I’mglad,”Rickansweredwarmly.“Iknewitwouldbeperfectforher.”Rick

enteredhisofficeandputonhisheadsetforhis1st&10.EverythinginsidehimwantedtocallMichellerightthen,butheknewthe1st&10hadtobedonenow.DoitNow!Rick tapped thebandonhiswrist.Another hourwouldn’tmake adifference.Hereviewedhislist,checkedthefirstnumber,anddialed.Forty-fiveminuteslaterhehadareferralandsixactionitems.Hegottowork

onhisnewlistandlookedathiswatch.ItwouldbeokaytocallMichellenow.Shewouldprobablybedonewithher1st&10too.“Hi,Rick!”shesaidwarmly.Theelationofherengagementmusthaveworn

offabit,butshewasstillthesamekind,friendlyperson.“Hi,Michelle,”Rickanswered. “Thanks for returningmycall.How’veyou

been?”“Well,busyofcourse,”Michellelaughed.“Butgood.Justtryingtocoordinate

weddingplansalongwithallthebusinessstuff,youknow?”“Sure,”Rick said sympathetically. “If anyone canmanage, you can.Listen,

you’regoingtonight,right?”“Ofcourse,”Michelleanswered.“You’llbeinthefront,right?”“Yeah,Coachhookedmeup,”Ricklaughed.“IsAlangoingtomakeit?”“Not this time,” Michelle said. “He had to go to San Diego to take a

deposition.”“Gotcha,”Ricksaid,feelinghischeeksflushabit.“Well,Ijustwantedtolet

youknowthatI’mbringingafewpeopleIwantyoutomeet.”“Great,”Michelleresponded.“YouknowIlovemeetingnewpeople.”“Mostofthemwillbegreatbusinesscontacts,oneisDon—theguyfromthe

billboards,”Rickcontinued.“DonDasickiscoming?”Michelleasked.“Wow,really?That’s…interesting.

How’dyoutalkhimintothat?”“Well,hecametome.LongstorythatI’lldefinitelyplantotellyousometime,

butthere’ssomeoneI’mgoingtointroduceyoutothatwantstotalktoyouaboutmorepersonalstuff.Ireallycan’tsaymorethanthat,butIwantedtogiveyouaheadsup.”“Okay,”Michellesaid.“That’sfine.I’dlovetomeetwhoeveritis,I’msure.”“Thanks,Michelle.I’mreallylookingforwardtotonight.”“Me,too!”Theysaidtheirgoodbyes,andRickquicklyupdatedhisdatabase

withafewmorenotes.Hehadnoideahowtonightwasgoingtogo,buthewasgratefulhehadabusydayaheadtodistracthimuntilitgotthere.

TheTestimonialTheauditoriumonceagainbuzzedwithsmiles,hugs,andhappygreetingsas

moreandmorepeopleseemedtopourinthroughthedoors.Rickfidgetedinhisseat. He turned and smiled as Michelle, who had been talking to one of thepeopleshe invited took theseat fivedownfromhim.He leanedover to shakeDon’shandashearrivedjustbeforethelightdimmedandthescreensdropped.Donshruggedhis shouldersas if to say“Heregoesnothing!”The lookonhisfaceremindedRickofhowhehadfeltatthelastconference.Hereflectedonhowdifferentthisexperiencewas.Lasttime,hehadfeltlike

suchafishoutofwater,andnowhefeltathome.Heknewwhattoexpect,buthewasstillexcited.Heglancedaroundtheroom.ItwasadifferentauditoriumandRickestimated therewereat least twiceasmany inattendance.Wordgetsaround,hesmiledtohimself.TheGenerosityGenerationwasgrowing.After the introductory video, Jay entered to twice the applause that had

greetedhimafewmonthsearlier.Wow,it’sloudinhere!Rickroseandclappedwiththerest.Heglancedoverhisshoulder.Whereisshe?Henervouslycheckedhiscellphone,nowonvibratebutnotturnedoff.Nomessage.Jay greeted the crowd warmly and launched into the affirmations. Rick

participatedwith enthusiasmand thenpulledouthisnotepadas Jaybegan thefirstpartofhispresentation.Rickmarveledathoweasilyhewasabletofollowhistalkthistime.Ofcoursetherewerenewinsightsandnewinformation,buthealreadyknewhowitconnectedtogether.HeglancedsidewaysatDontoseehowhewasreacting.Donwasshiftinginhisseat,butpayingattention.Ithinkthere’shopefortheoldguyyet.MinutesseemedtoflybyasRickfilledhispageswithnotes.“And that’s why everyone who is doing this is not just adding to their

business: they’re seeing exponential increase,” Jay explained as the crowdcheered.“Nowbeforewetakeourbreak,Iwantyouguys tohearfromoneof

our newest coaching graduates.He’s been applying these principles for just afew months and he’s already broken all his personal records and even somerecordsathisbrokerage.JoinmeinwelcomingRickMasters!”RicktookadeepbreathandrosetojoinJayonstage.HesawDonraisehis

eyebrows in surprise as he passed him.Rick turnedhis head in time to throwMichelleaquickwinkasshesmiledsupportively.“Thankyou,Jay.Great tobeheretonight,”Ricksaidtakingthemicrophone

confidently.“Hi,Rick.Nowyou just graduated fromour coaching program.Why don’t

youtellusabouthowyourbusinesswasgoingwhenyoustartedout?”“Sure,”Rick responded.He triednot to thinkabouthowmanypeoplewere

listening,but insteadfocusedon theremarkshehadprepared.“Totellyou thetruth, Iwas about to look for another job. I never thought I’d consider goingbacktoaccounting,butIwasalmostthere.Ihadn’thadasaleinseveralmonths,andIhadpropertiessittingonthemarketsolongtheywerebecomingprotectedhistoricalsites!”Thecrowdchuckledappreciatively.“Sowhatturneditaround,Rick?”Jayasked.“Tobehonest,itwasmethatgotturnedaroundfirst.Mybusinesswasdoing

terrible,butsowasI.Iwasoverweight,depressedandcynical.Ihadlostthewilltotry.Coachinggavememorethananewoutlookonmybusiness.Itgavemeanewoutlookonlife.”“Wow,that’spowerful,”saidJay.“Sohowarethingsgoingnow?”“Well,Ican’tevenbegintodescribeit.I’vedonemoretransactionsinthelast

sixweeks than I did in the previous two years. I’ve averaged four referrals aweeksinceIgotmydatabaseinorderandstartedwithmy1st&10calls.I’mtimeblockingmyschedulesoIalwaysknowwhat’ssupposedtobehappening.Obviously,thishasbeengreatformypersonalfinances,butthecrazythingis,Idon’tevencareaboutthatmuchanymore.Sixmonthsago,Iwasobsessedwithmoney.Now,I’mobsessedwithhelpingpeople.It’samuchbetterfeeling,letmetellyou.”RickglanceddownatthefrontrowandsawMichellebeamingupathim.HesawDonlookingdownathislap.“That’sgreat,Rick.What’syourfavoritestoryabouthelpingsomeone?”Jay

asked.“Therearesomany that it’shard topick,but Iwouldsayhelpingawoman

namedSandracloseonherfirsthomefiveweeksago.Shecalledmebecausehersisterworks inmydentist’soffice. Ihad toget a filling threemonthsagoandbeforeusing theUltimateMemoryJogger, Ihadn’teven thought tomakesurethat my dentist, doctor, and so many others were in my database. Anyway,Sandra is a singlemother of two. She’s beenworking and going to school at

night,gettinghernursingdegree.Isatdownwithherandfoundoutimmediatelywhatwasmostimportanttoher:schooldistricts,safeneighborhoodsandresalevalue. Imadesure thateveryhousewe lookedat fit thosespecificationsandIcan’ttellyouhowmanypeoplesheworkswithatthehospitalwhohavecalledmesince.”“That’sgreat,Rick,”Jaysaidproudly.“Butthat’snoteventhebestpart.Ofcourseitfeltwonderfultoseehersettle

intothathousewiththebackyardforherkidstoplayinandknowthatthey’regoing to one of the best elementary schools in the state. But I told Sandra’ssuccessstoryonapostcardandinane-mailtomyCommunity.Ishareditonmyblog.Atthispoint,Sandra’sstoryhasgeneratedatleast12referrals.It’sreallytrue,Jay.Successattractssuccess.”“Rick,that’swonderful.ServingpeopleiswhattheGenerosityGenerationis

allabout.Isthereanythingelseyouwanttosaytothefolksherebeforewetakethisbreak?”“I’d just like to add thatwhen I sat here a fewmonths ago, Iwas just like

someofyou:Ihadnoideawhatwasgoingon.Iheardsomegoodideas,somestuffIdidn’tunderstand,andsomeamazingtestimonialsthatseemedtoogoodtobe true. I was on the fence about coaching: it was a lot ofmoney and Iwasgettingbehindonalmostallmybills.IwentforitbecauseIdidn’tknowwhatelse to do. I didn’t want to leave the business, and I knew if I didn’t dosomething,Iwouldhaveto.I’mheretotellyouitwasthebestdecisionIevermade.”

TheBreakRick placed the microphone back on the stand and returned to his seat to

applause.He sawMichelle radiantwithprideandcaughthisbreathashe sawKaren in theseatnext tohis.At last!Hehadbeenworriedshewouldn’tshowup.“Nicejob!”sheleanedoverandwhisperedinhisear.“You’rereallyintothis

stuff,huh?”“Yeah,”hereplied.Thelightswereonnowandpeopleweremovingaround

for thebreak.“ThanksforcomingKaren.Youcanletmeknowif itworksforlawyers!”“Yeah,I’llcheckitout.Listen,I’vegottogethomeandprepareforajurytrial

nextweek,”Karensaidapologetically.“Ofcourse,”Ricksaidquickly.Heglancedover tocheckonDon,whowas

shakinghandswithanAmbassadorandchattingitup.“Comewithme.”Heledherover toMichelle,whowasspeakingtoayoungerwoman.Theywaitedfor

hertofinishandthenRickintroducedhertoKaren.“Karen isanold friendofmine,Michelle.ShealsoknowsAlan,”Ricksaid

tentatively.“Of course,” Michelle said, offering Karen her hand and smiling. “I think

Alanmentionedyoutome.”“Hi,Michelle,”Karensaidkindly.“Listen,Iwanttocongratulateyouonyour

engagement,butIwonderifwecouldchatinprivateforaminute.”“Sure,”Michellesaid,alittletakenaback.“Wecanstepoutside,ifyoudon’t

mindthecold.”“That’sgreat,”Karenanswered.“Rick,I’mgoingtohavetotakeoffafterthis,

butthiswascool.Imightwanttocomebacksomeothertime,actually.”“Thatwouldbewonderful,Karen.Thanks,”Rickshookherhandandwaved

toMichelle.Heregoesnothing,hethoughttohimselfashesawthetwowomenheadingforanexitsign.Theroomwasstillabuzz.“Mr.Masters?”avoicesaidbehindhim.“CallmeRick,please,”hesaidinstinctivelyasheturnedtoshakethehandof

atwenty-somethingyoungmanintwillpantsandasweater.“Hi,I justwantedtosaythatIreallyenjoyedwhatyoushared.I’vehadmy

licensefortwomonthsnow,andI’dlovetoknowmoreaboutwhatyou’redoinginyourbusiness.Dependingonwhatareaoftownyouspecializein,Imayalsohaveareferralforyou.”“Sure,”Ricksaidagreeably.“Whatdoyouwanttoknow?”Hesawoverthe

youngman’s shoulder that a small linewas forming.All thesepeoplewant totalktome?Heansweredtheyoungman’squestions,theyexchangedcardsandRick shook hands with the next person in line, a woman about his age. Herepeated the process with everyone he could get to before the lights flashed,indicatingthattheyneededtotaketheirseatsagain.Ashereturnedtohisseat,heturnedhisheadanxiouslytoseeifMichellewas

sittingdownyet.Shewasn’tthere.Jayreturnedtothestagetoanotherstandingovation and shewas still nowhere to be found. Rick looked at hiswatch.Hereachedforhisnotepadandtriedtolookaroundtheroomwithoutbeingobvious.StillnoMichelle.Ricklookedathisphone.Nomessage.Well,hehaddoneallhecoulddo;the

restwasoutofhishands.Hetookouthispenandfocusedhisattentiononthestage.

11AnotherLunchofaLifetime

“Whatliesbehindusandwhatliesbeforeusaretinymatterscomparedtowhatlieswithinus.”RalphWaldoEmerson

“Ithinkit’sfinallystartingtosinkin,”Michellesaidsoftlyasshesippedhertea.Theresaplacedsomebreadonthetableandslippedawaysilently.“I’msosorry,”Ricksaid,reachingacross the table togiveherhandaquick

squeeze.“That’s just the thing,”Michelle said lookingathim,“I thought Iwouldbe

sorrytoo.ButIdon’tthinkIam.”“Really?”Rickasked,tryingnottosoundtooexcited.“Really. Imean, I’ma littleangry,”she laughed.“WhenKaren toldme that

Alanhadaskedher togoawayfor theweekend, ‘just likeold times,’ Iwas inshock.ImeanIcouldn’tevengetmad,becauseIcouldn’tprocesswhatshewassaying.”“I can’t tell you howmuch I agonized over what to do,” Rick interjected.

“WhenKaren textedmeand toldmewhatAlanhaddone, Ikeptaskingher ifshewassureshedidn’tmisunderstandhim…Icouldn’tbelieveiteither…”“Rick,”Michellesmiledwarmly.“Youdidtherightthing.Imean,howcould

Imarrysomeonelikethat?OfcourseIneededtoknow,evenif itwaspainful.I’mjustblessedthatyouandKarenkeptintouchandthatsheletyouknowwhatwasgoingon.Imean,whataretheoddsofthat?”“Well,aboutthat…”Ricksaidhesitantly.“Yes?”Michelleasked,raisinghereyebrows.“Well,itmightnothavebeenascoincidentalasyouthink.KarenandIdateda

longtimeago.Itendedfine,butIhadn’tspokentoherinyears.WhenyoutoldmethatAlanhaddatedKaren,Iactuallylookedherup.”“Oh,”Michellesaid,takinganothersipofhertea.

“Honestly,Iwantedtoknowwhatshethoughtofhim.Ihadnoideahewouldcontactheragain,ofcourse.ButIdidn’t trustAlanfromthefirstdaywemet,andwhenyousaidyouguysweregettingmarried…IpromiseIdidn’t thinkIwoulduncoveranythinglikethis.”“Rick,”Michellesaidgently,“itdoesn’tmatter.Itallworkedoutforthebest,

andnowIguessIcanjustsaythatI’mblessedtohaveafriendthatcaredaboutme enough to ask the questions I should have been asking all along.” Rickbreathedasighofrelief.“Thetruthis,aftertheconference,IrealizedthatIwasnever really in love with Alan. I was in love with what I thought Alanrepresented.”“Whatdoyoumean?”Rickasked.“Well, he’s a successful lawyer. He’s nice looking and ambitious. He’s the

right age. I never thought a guy like that would come along, let alone beinterestedinme.IguessI’mstillmoresuperficialthanIthought.”“No,”Ricksaidquickly.“No,you’renotsuperficial.Youjustseethegoodin

everyone. I’m sureAlan has some potential in there somewhere, and you justhonedinonthat.Andhonestly,Michelle,anyguywouldbeluckytohaveyou.”Hesqueezedherhandagain.“Thankyou,”shesmiled.Rickthoughthedetectedalittleflushinhercheeks.

Orwasthathermakeup?Didsheevenwearmakeup?Ifshediditlookedreallynatural.“Listen,”Rickcontinued.“Iknowyoujustgotoutofarelationship.Sothere’s

alotI’dliketosaythatI’mgoingtosaveforanothertime.Iwouldjustloveitif…if…”“Yes?”Michelleasked,smiling.“If I couldbeyour standing lunchdateonTuesdays for awhile.Howdoes

thatsound?”“Itsoundsgreat,”Michellelaughed.“ItsoundslikethebestwayIcanthinkof

tostartmyNetworkingStack.”TheresarefilledtheirdrinksandRickthoughthenoticedasmileonherface.

RickandMichellepassed thenexthalfhourcatchinguponeachother’s livesandmakingplansfor thesecondLunchandLearnatRick’sfirm.Oneo’clockcamequickly.“Well,IseeDonintheparkinglot,”Ricksaid,almostreluctantly.“AndKaren just textedme that she’sonherway,”Michelle said. “Whatan

unusualwaytobecomefriends!”“She’sgotthepotentialtobearainmaker.Shecanlearnalotfromyou,”Rick

smiled.“Well,Ican’tbelieveDonDasicksignedupforcoaching!”Michellelaughed.

“Yeah,we’llknowitforsurewhenthebillboardcomesdown!”RickrosetomeetDoninthefoyerandtakehisplaceathisregularbooth.HeandMichelleexchanged a brief hug. He held on for an extra second. “Call me anytime,okay?”hewhisperedinherear.Shesmellsnice.“I will,” she whispered back. The two parted and sat down with their

respective1:00appointments.“Rick,youwon’tbelievewhoIhaveforcoaching!”Donsaid,sittingdownin

the booth and ordering a coffee. “The guy’s older than I am!He’s like a drillsergeant!”“Really?”Rickasked,suppressingachuckle.“Tellmeabouthim.”Theresabroughtdrinkstoeveryone.“Michelle, you look amazing. I neverwould have believed you’d just been

through…”Karenpaused,notsureofhowtoendthesentence.“Thanks,”Michelle said, her trademark smile flashing. “I feel great. I can’t

thankyouenoughforbeinghonestwithme.That’soneofthequalitiesIvaluemost,andifyoudon’tmindmesayingit’srefreshingtofindinalawyer.”Thetwowomenlaughedandbegantoshareabouttheirlivesasiftheyhadgrownupnextdoortooneanother.“Coffee,black,”Donordered.“Istillcan’tdrinkicedtea.I’mcuttingbackon

thescotch,butI’vegotmylimits.”“Noworries,”Ricklaughed.“We’veallgottostartsomewhere.”

12Epilogue:TheGenerosityGeneration

“Whenyougivesomeoneabook,youdon’tgivehimjustpaper,ink,andglue.Yougivehimthepossibilityofawholenewlife.”ChristopherMorley

Rick gathered several papers off his desk and stacked them neatly beforeputtingtheminafilefolder.Theroomwasfullofboxes.Itwashardtobelievehewasgoingtosaygoodbyetohiscondoaftertwelveyears.“WhatshouldIdowiththese?”Michellecalledtohimfromacrosstheroom.

Shewasholdinganarmfulofcardsandletters.“Gosh, I don’t know,” Rick said, looking at them. “I can’t throw them

away…”“Iknowwhatyoumean,”Michelleagreed.“Whydon’tweputtheminabox

fornowanddecidelater.”“Goodidea,”Rickwalkedoverandtookthemfromher,andwenttoretrievea

shoeboxfromhiscloset.Asmuchas itwaseasier tosort throughallhisstuffwith Michelle’s help, he was relieved that he had gotten rid of most of hisuselessjunkduringhiscoachingsessions.He returned to his office with the box and started to place the pile of

correspondenceinside.Hepausedoverafew:

Rick,

Justwanted todropyouanote to thankyou foryourpresentation today.Yourideaoncalling10peopleassoonasIgettotheofficesoundsgreat.I’llletyouknowhowitgoes!

Smitty

Ricksmiledashereopenedthenextone,whichhadjustcomeafewdaysago.

Rick,

Can’t thank you enough for draggingme to the conference. Thiswasmy firstmonth in the black in what feels like forever. Coach is kickingmy you-know-what,soIdon’tevenneedtotellyouhowthat’sgoing.Youknowwhat’sfunny?Don’tevenmissseeingmyfaceallovertown,andI’msureyoudon’teither!

Don

P.S.You’lllovethis:DialDonisnowDialingDon!Givemeacallandlet’sgrablunch,mytreat.

Rickheardthedoorbellring.Itwasapackagewhichhesignedfor.“Whatisit?”calledMichellefromthelivingroom,whereshesatpackingup

the few pictures and decorations that Rick had accumulated in his years ofbachelorliving.“Idon’tknow,”heanswered,joiningheronthefloor.Heputhisarmaround

hershouldersandofferedit toher.“Whydon’tyouopenit?”Shetookitfromhimandpulledthetabtoopenthetopofthelargepaddedenvelope.Shepulledoutabrandnewvolumeandbothoftheireyesopenedwidewithdisbelief.“This isn’t supposed to be out for weeks!”Michelle said with excitement.

“Oh,andthere’sanote,too.”Theyopeneditandreadthefamiliarhandwritingtogether,

Rick,

Thiswon’tbeon thebookshelves foranother threeweeks,butgot twosignedcopies ahead of time. I’m givingmy second copy to you, trusting that you’llshareitwithMichelle.Iexpecttobegettingthatinvitationinthemailrealsoon.

Coach

P.S.Rick,you’llnoticethatwe’veforgottenoneveryimportantstrategyinhere.Youknowit,buttogetitortoshareit,pleasegotothewebsite.[19]

“But we haven’t told anyone,” Rick said, rereading the words and pulling

Michelleclosetohim.“Yeah, Coach just knows,” Michelle laughed. “He probably knew before

eitherofus.”“You’reright,”Rickagreed.“Besides,everyonewillknowsoonenough.”

GlossaryofTerms

1st&10: First thingupon arriving at theoffice,make tenphone calls.Theseshouldbewrittenorprintedthenightbeforewithname,phonenumber,andthereasonforyourcall(andperhapsopportunitiespresentedbyotherperson).

Affirmation:Positiveself-talk.

Ambassadors: Those who have referred you more than once in the last 12months.

Ambassador Development System (formerly New Contact System): Asystemforrapidlyestablishingconnectionswithanewcontact.Onceabusinesscard is received that person goes into the Ambassador Development Systemwhich would include connecting via all social media (Facebook, Twitter,LinkedIn, etc.), including information in database, perhaps sending out aVIPformifnotalreadycompleted,andaddingtoanyfollow-upprograms.

Are you the chosen one script: Script to determine whether you would berecommended when a need for your services arose. “If you had a friend orneighborwhowaslookingtosell,whomwouldyourecommendtheycall?”

BlessingsBook:A journal towrite your 5 “I amgrateful…” statements, youraffirmations, and any other notes you so choose. Examples can be found atwww.7LBook.com/BlessingsBook

BoardofAdvisors:Groupofcontactsbroughtintoadviseabusinessowneronaneventortopic.

Champions:Thosewhohavereferredyouonepersoninthelast12months.

CommunicationPlans:When,how,andhowoftenyouwillbecontacting themembersofyourCommunity.

Communication Pyramid: The illustration to show The Seven Levels ofCommunication.

Community: The people you know and have information on. Database,network, and community are similar in meaning, but a community connotescommunication.

Connector: Person with a lot of contacts and a willingness to grow theirnetworkandhelpothersgrowtheirnetwork.

The7StepstoConnectingwithConnectors

1.HelpfulSpirit–Gowithideaofhelpingwhoeveryoumeet2. Call. Call the Organizer orMembership Chair (person in charge) to ask

thema)howareintroductionsdone-formalorinformal?andb)whothetop3or4mostinfluentialnetworkersareatthemeeting.3. Google. Before the event, Google the three or four people the organizer

mentionedandtheorganizer.4.Punctual.Arrive30minutesearlyfortheeventwearingyournamebadge

ontherightsideofyouroutfit.5.Introductions.HavetheOrganizerintroduceyoutotheConnectors.6.FROG.UseFROG tobuild rapport.Family,Recreation,Occupation, and

Goals.7. Follow-up and Follow-through. Get them scheduled for One-on-One

MeetingsandsendaPOWERNote.Cross-Selling:AsubsetoftheTriangleofTrustwhereoneprofessionalspeakshighlyaboutanotherprofessionaltoaclientorconsumer.Thefavorisreturnedbytheotherprofessional.

CustomerRelationshipManagement (CRM): database of contacts. Tool forkeepingtrackofyourCommunity.

DemographicFarm:agroupofpeopletiedbysomethingotherthangeography.Gender,hobbies,interests,job,people,entertainment,etc.areafewofthewaysademographicgroupcanbeseparated.Delete:Thosewhodon’tbelonginyourCommunity. Delete their information from your database to focus on morevaluable,energizing,andpleasantrelationships.

DiSCOVERING: Vision exercise in which one chooses four people withdifferingDiSCbehavioralstylesandwritesabouthowtheyareconsistentwiththatbehavioralstylewhilealsoshowingsomecharacteristicsoftheotherstyles.

TheDiSCovery:PoembyMichaelJ.Maher.Smile likeEveryone’sanI,CarelikeEveryone’sanS,PreparelikeEveryone’saC,andSelllikeEveryone’saD.Thispoemisareminderofhowtobuildtrust.

TheEgoEra:Aperiodoftimewherepersonalpromotion,self-absorption,andimageadvertisingwererampant.Itwasallaboutthebusinessowner,realestateagent, or mortgage professional. It was about the I. “All about me” was theslogan of this era and “AllAboutMe.com” Web sites were the norm. Thesebusinessesfedtheego.

Epitaph:Shorttextinscribedonatombstone-“life’sslogan.”

F-Bomb:A seriesofPOWERNotes, electronic communication, informationalitems,phonecalls,andperhapsOne-on-OneMeetingsappointments.Thef-wordinbusinessisFollow-up.Youshouldhaveasystemoffollow-upforyournewnetworkingcontacts.

Family&Friends: Thosewho youwant to communicatewith professionallythoughtheremaynotbeanyexpectationsofreferrals.

Feel-felt-found script: Used to alleviate fears and overcome objections.Alsoshows credibility and experience. Example: “I understand how you feel, Mr.Client.I’vehadmanyclientswhohavefeltthesamewayandwhattheyfoundisthatbydoingthistheyweremorecomfortablewiththeentireprocess.”

The Four Eulogies: A vision exercise in which one chooses four people tospeakat their funeralandonewriteswhat theywouldwant thatperson tosay.

Whatwillpeoplesayaboutyouatyourdeath?

TheFourRituals:TheMorningRitual,Pre-LeaveRitual,NightlyRitual, andSundayNightRitualareproactivehabitstohelponebecomemoreefficient.

FROG:Anacronymtorememberwhattoaskotherpeopleduringphonecallsandin-personmeetings.FisforFamily,RisforRecreation,OisforOccupation,andGisforGoals.

TheGenerosityGeneration: A new era of businesswhere generous acts arerewarded.Giversareunitingtomakeadifferenceintheworld.Itisallabouttheconsumer.Itisaboutthe“you”.“It’sallaboutrelationships”isthesloganoftheera.Thesebusinessesfeedthesoul.

GeographicFarm: a groupof people tiedby location.Thosewho live in thesameplace.

Google Alerts: Please go to alerts.google.com to learn more about GoogleAlerts.Forthe7EssentialGoogleAlertsgotowww.7LBook.com/GoogleAlerts.

GratitudeSymbol:Acharm,bracelet,orphysical itemthatremindsonetobegrateful.

TheGuaranteedResponsee-Mail:Ane-mailthatinvitespeopletocallyou.

HomeCourtAdvantage:Becomingaregularatalocalrestauranttocreatean“officeawayfromtheoffice”.

TheHourofPower:Anhourof focusedoutgoingphonecalls tomembersofyourCommunity.Thesearecalls toyourCommunitytoseehowyoucanhelpthem.

ImpactArrow:Anarrow thatdepicts the impact,power, andeffectivenessasyougouptheCommunicationPyramid.

The Influential Zone: The top three levels of communication on theCommunication Pyramid. Phone Calls, Events & Seminars, and One-on-OneMeetingsarethebestwaytoinfluence,convince,orsell.Thekeytotheselevelsistheelementoffeedback.Youcanlistenandlearnfromtheotherperson’stoneandactions.

Influencer:Personwhohasspecificoruniversalcredibility.Somepeoplemayhave credibilitywithin certain Communities –mayor of town orMembershipChair of city chamber. Some people may have nearly universal credibility –President of the United States, Mother Theresa, Billy Graham, some famouspeople.

The Informational Zone: The bottom three levels of communication on theCommunication Pyramid. Advertising, Direct Mail, and ElectronicCommunicationareterrificforinforming,updating,andconfirming.

KeyQuestions: The two key questions that exemplify the philosophy of theGenerosityGenerationare“howcanIhelpyou”and“whatcanIdoforyou”.

TheMagicQuestion:“SothatImaybetterserveyou,pleaseletmeaskyouaquestion.Outofthefollowingfouroptions–I’mgoingtogiveyoufourchoices– how would your best friend or spouse BEST describe you. Would theydescribe you as 1) Straight-to-the-point, 2) Social & Outgoing, 3) Steady &Dependable,or4)Cautious&PerfectlyAccurate?”ThisquestionhelpsidentifytheirDiSCbehavioralstyle.

Matching:Aligningyourmovementandpatternofspeechtotheotherperson.Author’sNote:AOne-on-OneMeetingisadance.Therearethewordsandthemusic.Youhavetolistentothemusicandmatchyour“rhythm”tothesongyourguestissinging.Ifyourguestis“80srock”,youneedtobe“80srock”.Youcanseeanexampleofthiswhenonepersontellstheotherofthelossofalovedoneoradivorce.Theonewhohearsthenewsinstantlychangesphysicallyandtheirvoicechangestomatchtheotherperson.

Mirroring:1)Repeatinganaffirmationbacktotheaffirmingpersonusingthesecond-person(You).Forexample,Person1says,“IampreparedandwhenIamprepared, I am unstoppable.” Person2 mirrors back, “You ARE prepared andwhen you are prepared, you ARE unstoppable.” 2) Mirroring the physicalactionsofanotherataOne-on-OneMeeting.

TheMorningRitual:Whatonedoesfromthemomenttheeyelidsopentothetime they arrive at work.With amorning ritual, one becomesmore efficient,morepositive,andmoreconfident.Morningritualcomponentscan include thefollowing: reading, affirmations, mirroring with a partner, getting ready,exercising,dressingappropriatelyfortheday,praying,listeningtomusic,vision

boardreview,andmore.

NetworkingStack:Schedulingyournetworkingappointmentsback-to-back tomaximizeyourtime.

The Nightly Ritual: Pre-sleep routine including meditation, yoga, walking,reading,writing, and/or visualizationof thenext day.Studieshave shown thatadultsandchildrenwhohavepre-sleeproutinessleepbetter.

PeelingtheOnionPhrases:“Tellmemoreaboutthat”and“whatisimportantabout that to you” are the phrases that will allow one to find the underlyingmotivationsforyourclient.

The Perfect Work Day: Vision Exercise in which one goes hour-by-hourthroughtheirscheduleimaginingwhatwouldbeperfect.

ThePerfectVoicemailGreeting*:(Smile,recorditlikeyouaretalkingtoyourbest friend!)“Thankyouforcalling theofficeof(yourname).Asalways,youmaypress (skipdigit) to skip thisgreetingat any time to leaveyourmessage.Again,youmaypress(skipdigit)toskipthisgreeting.BecauseIwanttoprovideyoua levelofservice thatmakes itveryeasyandverycomfortable foryou torefer(whoeveryourtargetis)tome,Iwillbereturningcalls11amtoNoonand4to5p.m.todaysoafterthetone,pleaseleaveyourname(1sec),yournumber(1 sec), all the details and information you can provide so that I can betterpreparemyselftoreturnyourcall(1sec)andALSOPLEASEleavethenameofthepersonwhoreferredmyservicestoyousothatIcangetapromptthankyouout to themfor thatendorsement.Thankyouforcalling,haveagreatday,andremember,with(companyname)(slogan).”*Firstheardaboutusinggreetingasmore than a greeting from Joe Stumpf of By Referral Only® and in furtherresearchonDiSC®BehavioralStyles,telemarketingtexts,andmarketingbookshavechangedittocurrentgreeting.Feelfreetoadoptandadapt.

POWERNote: Personal, Optimistic,Written, Effective, and Relational notesthatbuildtrustandgetresponses.

The7StepstoaPOWERNote:

1.Useunbranded,butrepresentativecards2.Useblueink3.Usetheword,Youasmuchaspossible&avoidwordsI,My,Me,andWe

(exceptintermsofyouandpersonyouarewriting)4.BeSpecificwithPraise5.ThePowerofPositiveProjection6.UpwardsandOnwards:WriteRightly.7.ThePlusoftheP.S.inhandwrittennotes.Call-to-action.

PotentialChampions:Thosewhowithmoreeducationand/orcommunicationwould refer you business.You just don’t know if you are the one theywouldchooseifsomeonehadaneedforyourservices.

ThePre-LeaveRitual:Atimetogetorganizedbeforeleavingtheoffice(evenahomeoffice).DuringthePre-LeaveRitual,youorganizetheitemsonyourdesk,file,clean-up,trash,etc.youroffice.Youwillalsowriteout/printoutyour1st&10calls.

Rainmaker: A businessperson who creates a large amount of unexpectedbusiness, consistently brings inmoney at critical times, or brings inmarkedlymore money than his or her co-workers, thereby “floating their salaries”. Anexecutive, lawyer, orbusinessownerwith exceptional ability to attract clients,usepoliticalconnections,orincreaseprofits,etc

Rainmaker’sAffirmation: Each and every day, someone, somewhere in mycityneedsmyservices.MyjobTODAYistofindthatperson.

Referralscript–basic:“Whoisthenextpersonwhowillbebuying,selling,orinvestinginrealestate?”or“Whodoyouknowwhowillbebuying,selling,orinvestinginrealestate?”

Referral script – “Great people”: “That’s great. You know, something I’vefound inmybusiness is thatgreatpeople tend toknowothergreatpeople.Sowith that inmind,outofall thepeopleyouknow,whois thenextpersonwhowillbebuying,selling,orinvestinginrealestate?”

Referral script –Who-like you: “Who is another first time home buyer likeyouwhowillbelookingforhomessoon?”

Reticular Activating System (RAS): Functions of the reticular activatingsystemaremanyandvaried.Amongotherfunctions,itcontributestothecontrolof sleep, walking, sex, eating, and elimination. Perhaps the most importantfunction of the RAS is its control of consciousness. It is believed to controlsleep,wakefulness,andtheabilitytoconsciouslyfocusattentiononsomething.

In addition, the RAS acts as a filter, dampening down the effect of repeatedstimulisuchasloudnoises,helpingtopreventthesensesfrombeingoverloaded.You can invoke other’s RAS by reminding them and letting them knowsituationswhenthismemorymayoccur.

Re-TracetheReferralTreeStrategy:Communicatingwitheverypersonofastrand of referral sources. For example, Joe refers Jeffwho introduced you toCindywhorecommendedyoutoJanet.YouwouldcallCindywithanupdateonJanet. Then youwould call Jeff to express appreciation for connecting you toCindy.Thenyouwouldcall Joe to lethimknowwhathashappened.There isenormous,subtlepowertothisstrategy.

Solutions:Thereasonpeoplecometoyouandpayforyourservices.

SpectrumofSolutions:Adocumentdepictingandlistingthesolutionsprovidedbyacompany,salesperson,orowner.

The Success Series: A series of informative communication pieces (SuccessStories)scheduledatregulartimestogotoone’sCommunity.

SuccessStory:Anarrativeaboutoneofyourclients.TheSwissArmyKnifeofcommunication.

The7StepstoaSuccessfulSuccessStory.

1.Whatwasthesituation?2.Whatwouldhavehappenedifyouweren’tinvolved?(Worstcase)3.Howdidyouhelpthemsolvetheproblem?4.Whatwastheresult?Bespecific.5.Whatdidtheclientsayordotoletyouknowyoudidwell?6.AskforSPECIFICandRELEVANTReferrals7.CalltoAction.

SuccessSuicide:Theactofself-sabotagethatoccurswhenanoldself-imageisbeing replaced with a new and better self-image. Also called the breakdownbeforethebreakthroughthisisaself-imposedbarrierthatblockspeoplefromthenextlevelofsuccess.

TheSundayNightRitual:Weeklyritualtoreviewthecomingdays.Thisritualincludessuchthingsaslayingout/hangingupoutfitsforeachdayoftheweektomatchweatherandeventsoftheday.Menuplanningfortheweekissuggested.

Thequestionsof“whatamIgoingtowear?”and“whatamIgoingtoeat?”areanswered proactively so that besides saving you valuable time and decreasingstress,youlookandfeellikeamillionbucks.

Thermometeror1to10script:Usedtodeterminemotivationordegree.Usedwith1beingthelowestleveland10beingthehighestlevel.Forexample,onascaleof1to10with1beingyouarejustcuriousand10beingyouneedtobuyahometoday,wheredoyoufindyourselfon thatscale?A.5.Great!A5.Whatwouldittaketomakethata10?A.Ineedtogetpre-approved.1to10scriptcanbeusedinamultitudeofsituations.

Time Blocking: Scheduling proactive, standard, and general appointmentswithinyourcalendar(someblockoffdownto15-minute,30-minute,and/or1-hourincrements)

TriangleofTrust:Simpleconcept thatdepicts the introductionof two trustedindividualstoeachother.Joshknows,likes,andtrustsRick.Joshknows,likes,andtrustsMichelle.MichelleasksJoshtointroducehertoRick.WhenMichelleandRickmeet,theybegintoformthethirdsideoftheTriangleofTrust.ThereisalreadyadottedlineformedbecauseRickandMichelleareborrowingonJosh’strust.Conceptisintegraltothestrategythatratherthanmarketingtostrangers,abusinesscangrowquicklyandprofitablybycommunicatingwith thosepeoplethey know (current clients, key contacts, and referral partners). There istremendouspowertothisconcept.

TheUltimate Client Experience: A vision exercise taking the A to Z clientsystemtothepointofvisualizationandmakinglargeimpactateverymomentoftruth–everypieceofcommunicationwiththeclient.

VIPForm:QuestionnairefornewmembersofyourCommunity.Helpsyougettoknowthepersonbetter,dropshintaboutreferrals,andhelpsyoubuildrapport.

HeartfeltAppreciation

Itwouldbeimpossibletoacknowledgeallthosewhohavehadanimpactonmeduringmylife.I am grateful toGod for His plan forme and Jesus for the rolemodel He

providesmepersonallyandprofessionally.It all starts with my wife, Sheri, and my son, Max. They support me and

inspire me on a daily basis. This book is dedicated to my father, Patrick J.Maher.Mymother,MaryAnnMaher, is one of the smartest people I’ve everknown and raised five great children while excelling at work. My siblings –Steve,Susan,Brian,andRob–meantheworldtomeandwereinstrumentalinhelpingmebecomewhoIam.Thereareteacherswhoappearedwhenthestudent–me–wasready.Howard

Brinton,LarryKendall, Joe Stumpf,BrianBuffini, FloydWickman andAllenHaingeareleadersoforganizationsthathavehadamajorimpactonmylife.I’d like to acknowledge the By Referral Only®, Star Power Star® and

CyberStar®families.Itisanhonorandprivilegetobeapartofthesefamilies.Authorsandotherinfluentialpeoplewhohavemadeamajorimpactonmeare

asfollows:BobBurg,Dr.IvanMisner,Dr.TonyAlessandra,BobCorcoran,ZigZiglar, Jim Rohn, John C. Maxwell, John David Mann, Tony Robbins, Jim

Collins, Marcus Buckingham, Seth Godin, Tim Templeton, Regis McKenna,Jeffrey Gitomer, Dr. Stephen R. Covey, Harvey Mackay, Gary Keller, DaveJenks, Jay Papasan, Tom Hopkins, Brian Tracy, Gary Vaynerchuk, KenBlanchard,SpencerJohnson,JackCanfield,MarkVictorHansen,MattheyKelly,Joe Pine, Jim Gilmore, Jon Gordon, Dr. Robert Cialdini, Kevin Hogan, JayConradLevinson,DanielleKennedy,TomFerryandLoralLangemeier.Otherswhodeservespecialmentionare the following:DaveRamsey,Barry

Habib, Todd Duncan, Dave Savage, Tim Braheem, Richard Robbins, DavidKnox, Rick DeLuca, Greg Frost, Tim Davis, Jay Kinder, Erik Janeczko,StephanieYork,CleveAdams,CanteyTullandGaryOgami.Ihavetoexpressmyutmostappreciationforthisbook’sBoardofAdvisors.In

alphabetical order, they areDanAuito,BrianCopeland,Seth&AlyceDailey,TammyEbright,StephanieEvelo,LarryGoodell,BradKorn,JonasKruckeberg,ChrisLundine,AaronMagruder,MauraNeill,JamesNellis,JacobNordby,MikeParker,C.SpencerReynolds,ChristianRussell,AmyStoehr,DavidVanNoy,Jr.,JasonW.WomackandMarkZervos.Lastly,Iappreciateyou.Thankyouforinvestingin(7L).I’vepouredmyheart

andsoul into thisbookwanting toprovideasmuchvalueaspossible foryourinvestment.Also,pleaseknowthataportionofeverybooksalegoestocharity.Thankyou.

EndNotes

[1]Forthe7EssentialGoogleAlertsyoushouldsetup,pleaseseewww.7LBook.com/GoogleAlerts[2]TogetacopyofMichelle’sHousewarmingPartySystem,gotowww.7LBook.com/HousewarmingParty[3]ForaBlessingsBookexample,pleaseseewww.7LBook.com/BlessingsBook[4]ThePerfectVoicemailGreetingatwww.7LBook.com/PerfectGreeting[5]FortheDoItNowExerciseSheet,downloaditatwww.7LBook.com/DoItNow[6]VimalaRodgers,YourHandwritingCanChangeYourLife(NewYork:FIRESIDE,2000)andtoseeacompletelistofresources,seewww.7LBook.com/Resources[7]ForacompleteResourceLibrary,seewww.7LBook.com/Resources[8]Forexamplesandablanktimeblockworksheet,gotowww.7LBook.com/TimeBlock[9]Forthe7StepstoConnectingwithConnectors,seeGlossary.[10]DiSC®isaregisteredtrademarkofInscapePublishing.Usedwithpermission.Allrightsreserved.Pleaseseewww.EverythingDiSC.comformoreinformation.[11]Dr.TonyAlessandraandDr.MichaelJ.O’ConnorwroteThePlatinumRulewhichcoversthisconceptandmuchmore.Pleaseseewww.ThePlatinumRule.comformoreinformation.[12]ForanexampleofaSpectrumofSolutions,pleasegotowww.7LBook.com/SoS[13]ThankyouHowardBrinton.[14]www.7LBook.com/UltimateMemoryJogger[15]www.7LBook.com/BoardofAdvisors[16]ToseeRick’sCommunicationPlangotowww.7LBook.com/Plan[17]GaryVaynerchuk,CRUSHIT!WhyNowistheTimetoCashinonYourPassion(NewYork:HarperCollins,2009),36andtoseealistofresources,pleaseseewww.7LBook.com/Resources[18]BusinessNetworkInternational(www.BNI.com)isanetworkingorganizationfoundedbyDr.IvanMisner[19]www.7LBook.com/ForgottenStrategy

TableofContentsDedicationIntroductionLunchofaLifetimeJayMichaelsSpeaksCommunicatingwithYourselfYouCan’tEvenSpellCommunicateWithoutTimeYou’reinthePeopleBusinessPhoneCallsCommunicationPlansElectronicCommunicationTransformationJayMichaelsSpeaksAgainAnotherLunchofaLifetimeEpilogue:TheGenerosityGenerationGlossaryofTermsHeartfeltAppreciationEndNotes[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]

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