Well, unfortunately the Duchess of Earle had to be away from her phone booth for part of Jeffery Combs‘ call on Tuesday evening when it was live, so today, she went back to listen to the archived edition online, so as not to miss any pearls of wisdom.
She shares with her readers herein some of those little goodies she heard - in hopes that they will also find them beneficial.
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It is interesting that, just as the Duchess began to type this post, there was reason to assist the Duke on a little project he was working on. It led her to read a passage from Eugene Peterson’s The Message, where in Mr. Peterson was commenting on learning.
His remarks were specifically about happiness not being the result of book-learning, and this same notion seems equally as fitting to the notion of learning how to approach business. He says (on p. 2135), “Something more like apprenticeship is required, being around someone who out of years of devoted discipline shows us, by his or her entire behavior, what it is. Moments of verbal instruction will certainly occur, but mostly an apprentice acquires skill by daily and intimate association with a “master,” picking up subtle but absolutely essential things, such as timing and rhythm and “touch.” “ Timing… rhythm… touch… All qualities of thought gleaned by observation, put into practice by modeling the examplar. It seemed to the Duchess that this is just what she’d been hearing about on the archived call…
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So now back to Mr. Combs: After a series of what the Duchess will call “speedbumps” in the road of life,” Mr. Combs has spent many years learning to discipline himself, learning how to prospect and be successful in business; therefore he has much to offer those that are willing to listen to - and act upon - his counsel. He has been in life situations that have been more than challenging, but has come through them, not only to survive, but to thrive - and now is easily a six-figure income earner from the comfort of his home in Stockton, California.
Mr. Combs’ subject for the evening had to do with closing a sale - a subject anyone in relationship or internet marketing should be studying and practicing continually. So here they come, friends, some of the ‘goodies’ the Duchess most appreciated:
In order to close a sale, one must be able to ask questions and they must come “early and often” in the conversation with the potential business partner/customer.
There is a “rock-solid science” to asking questions… It’s a science, but also an art.
Your questions should create a connection with the individual. To use questions successfully, you must have a genuine interest in the person and make them feel that in your voice and action. If your approach and execution are well done, it won’t feel like an interrogation by the local constabulary.
As you chat with people:
You’re looking for people who qualify for your time - please note, friends, that not everyone does!
You’re seeking those that can afford your product and/or service.
You’re watching for teachability - people who are willing to be coached, willing to learn.
You’re also looking for independence - those that are dependent upon you will never make it on their own.
Learn to spot resourcefulness - people who don’t focus on the ‘how’ of things, but on the ‘why’ of things and then go ahead and take action.
You require more leads than you have time to get to. If you don’t have enough leads, you tend to get attached to your potential customers/partners. If you don’t have enough leads now, get some more - buy them if necessary.
The science of closing comes down to two issues: hurting and rescuing. Your potential client/partner is hurting in some way (the number one biggest hurt is money). Find out where their pain is and then throw them a lifeline: offer them your product/service/opportunity.
Now, dear readers, assuming you’re here on account of one of life’s hurts and assuming that it’s likely financial, would it give you an assist if the Duchess threw you a lifeline? If you’re that person that is coachable, that desires to learn and is willing to take action, go ahead! Grab this lifeline by clicking below to check out Jeffery Combs’ excellent set of CDs on the subject of mastering the science and the art of asking questions. You’ll learn to build your business and close those deals!
Also, before the Duchess signs off this evening, she’ll mention to you all that there is a More Heart Than Talent event coming up right after the first of the new year and she invites you to seriously consider attending - you can even bring your entire team, as there is a group rate available. Click here for more information.
Well, today the Duchess of Earle came across a poem, a kind of “Thought for the Day” kind of thing. In a roundabout way she happened upon it in a sermon printed online. It seemed to her to be exactly the kind of reminder she required at the moment - this in regard to what she’s been doing these last number of months as she strives to build her business. She offers it to you, her readers, in the hope that it will encourage you, embolden you to “keep on keeping on” when the going gets tough, knowing all the while that what you’re working on may be something like the asparagus plant, in that one doesn’t see the results of their labors right away.
So here it is, friends - a poem by the poetess Ann North (about whom the Duchess can find no further information or she would have given her readers a link to Ms North’s site). Be that as it may - enjoy, friends - and dare to hope and do!
P.S. That’s Paul Cezanne’s painting, ”The Gardener” right above the poem.
Well, dear readers, the Duchess of Earle spent the latter part of her evening on Jeffery Combs’ Tuesday evening conference call. She must say that these calls are really hitting the nail on the head, at least in her view.
Last week, Mr. Combs had a stellar guest on his call, a woman named Susan Sly and she was no less than terrific.
This week Jeffery soloed, as is most often the case. But that doesn’t mean the call was any less content-loaded. He opens the call with people signing on from all parts of the country, and then offers announcements about his schedule - when and where he’ll be speaking in the coming weeks and months, when he’ll be offering ones of his break-through weekends. Then he launches into the subject matter he has chosen, which, tonight, was all about the importance of writing - and telling - your own story.
The Duchess was impressed with several things that stood out to her and she’ll share them with you, in the hope that you will be arrested by these thoughts as well:
- Realize that your past does not have to dictate your present.
- People desire to hear your story, which makes them believe in you. This, in turn, allows them to believe in themselves.
- You need to complete the task at hand - and see the outcome in your thought before it is completed. This requires inner vision.
- Your story is significant. You can be proud of all you’ve come through to get where you are.
He encouraged every one on the call to write out their story - whether in only a paragraph or a full page.
You, dear readers, are invited to join the Duchess in this project. You, too, can begin to write your story today. You can envision your desired outcomes and write the story of how you accomplished your self-assignments and dreams, how you weathered the stormy challenges you encountered along the way, how you found the intestinal fortitude to keep on going when things got tough, how you found a way to mentally “stay in the game” and “get ‘er done” in spite of the brick walls, sand traps and quagmires daily life handed you - how you’ve braved your way through the winds of life.
So, please join the Duchess as she takes her pen in hand to write her story - write yours! It’ll be interesting to see how it turns out!
When you’re done writing, check out this offer of Jeffery’s (see the link below) - it’s all about asking the right questions, an important skill in relationship marketing! Working with those ideas will get your story on the road to fulfillment!
The Duchess wishes she had a trumpet on hand and that, if she did, she knew how to play a little brass fanfare (actually, she just found one!)…
…to accompany the announcement that she has affiliated herself with Mister Jeffery Combs. (You may have noticed that the Duchess posted his 4th of July offer in the previous blog entry.) If you haven’t seen that yet, you will find Mr. Combs’ photo below, just so you know who he is.
Jeffery Combs, President & Founder, Golden Mastermind Serminars, Inc.
(The Duchess has discovered in the process of writing this post that there is another Jeff Combs out there - one with LOTS of Hollywood credentials - a guy that sometimes has looked like this:
However, the Duchess, with a smile of good-natured relief and a wipe of her brow, is happy to inform you that this is not at all the same chap!)
A little background: You may - or may not - know, dear reader, that Jeffery Combs is the President and Founder of Golden Mastermind Seminars, Inc., a Stockton, California-base company that specializes in coaching and assisting people, such as you and the Duchess, in learning the skills it takes to run a profitable business. The Duchess has been aware of Mr. Combs now for several years and has listened on and off to his weekly calls; she has also attended a half-day event and heard him speak live. In the last year or so she has become more faithful about listening in on his conference calls and has found herself more and more impressed with what Mr. Combs has to say. Looks as though it’s been a matter of the old saying, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” Well, this student didn’t think she was particularly ready at the beginning, but she finds herself much moreso now! - and that’s a happy thing!
It’s a particularly happy thing because the Duchess now has a team of folks in her business and she is leading them to listen to and heed Mr. Combs’ training, so that they are learning to improve their own methods of approach in their respective businesses. Sharing with her team is what led the Duchess to contemplate, and then act upon, associating herself with Golden Mastermind. It’s because of the benefit she sees in the growth of herself and her business associates - and because she hopes that you too, her frequent readers, will find similar benefits in Mr. Combs’ offerings.
Here’s a little bit of additional info for you, dear website friends: Golden Mastermind offers quite a number of products for the entrepreneur, whether experienced or novice. Of late, the Duchess’ team has been meeting weekly to listen to and discuss Mr. Combs’ information on the subject of prospecting. It has been both enlightening and encouraging to the entire team; therefore the Duchess invites you, her blog-reading entrepreneurial friends, to consider the benefits of this program to your own enterprises. Prospecting is something that anyone in business must find a way to do - and anyone who has been in business longer than about 5 minutes already knows that it can be challenging, albeit rewarding. Take a click on the following link and check it out! It’s well worth the investment in yourself and your business, because, dear friend, youdeserve to succeed! And when you write to or speak with Mr. Combs about your situation, please tell him the Duchess sent you! - and happy prospecting to all the Duchess’ entrepreneurial friends!
Good evening to all friends of the Duchess of Earle! Hope this finds you happily heading into your Fourth of July weekend and that your celebration weekend is packed with activities both fun and fruitful.
The Duchess has another tidbit for you about FrontPoint Security. Tonight’s information is about interactive monitoring of your household and property:
FrontPoint has video monitoring so that you can watch live streaming video either from your computer or your mobile device. These electronic wizards can also arm and disarm your household when you’re not even there and let you know when your children have arrived home from school - or even if they haven’t, because the system has the capability to let you know if the door hasn’t opened at a specific time. In addition, a photo can be sent to you of whomever it is that entered, whether friend or foe. This smart system even keeps a record of the times the doors open and close, so it’s easy to check on the activities of children or elderly folk.
The Duchess can tell you this would have been a mighty handy thing for her parents to have had when her Granny Gladys was staying with her folks. Granny Gladys was a busy soul and loved to spend time in the yard or walk in the neighborhood. But as she neared her upper nineties, Granny Gladys sometimes went out and then couldn’t get back in. A notification of this type would have been a huge and valuable assistance to the Duchess’ parents. So all these capabilities built into the FrontPoint system sound very good to her!
Here’s a little video with some additional information for you to peruse:
If all this sounds good to you, please accept the Duchess personal invitation to you to head to her website and click on the FrontPoint logo on the lower part of the page.
The Duchess of Earle wishes you and yours a safe and sparkling holiday weekend!
The Duchess finds herself this morning with a happy surprise on her hands. It comes in the form of an addition to the product line of a company she represents. The new product is a security system with a feature or two she’s never heard of, but which make this service stand out from others she has seen. Here’s a bit of information for you, dear reader, on why this security system looks so good to the Duchess:
The company is called FrontPoint and the very first thing the Duchess sees as advantageous about FrontPoint’s offering is that it still gives one protection even if lines are cut and the control panel smashed - it’s virtually undefeatable! This strikes the Duchess as impressive. If this strikes you as impressive as well, or if you’re presently seeking a security system solution for your home, you are welcome to go ahead and sign up on the spot by clicking on the link to the Duchess’ website and, when you arrive there, clicking on the FrontPoint logo on the menu at the lower part of the page.
Here’s a little more “nuts and bolts” information about the FrontPoint company:
FrontPoint is consistently rated as the Number One alarm company in nation-wide surveys taken by the Buyer Zone supplier network. In case you’re not familiar with their name, Buyer Zone is a leading online service that connects buyers with more than 8,500 suppliers - that seems a well-stocked stable to the Duchess. :) Here’s a short video explaining about the survey and its results:
FrontPoint does business in all 50 states of the USA, Puerto Rico and Canada. (This info comes from Security Dealer Magazine, 2009 SDM 100.) This is important information because it means that when you move to a new locale, you can take your security system services right with you, maintaining the same reliable system from your previous residence to your new digs. General Electric (GE), a brand everyone recognizes and trusts as a leader in the global security equipment industry, provides the hardware FrontPoint offers its customers, so it’s good quality stuff. Also, FrontPoint is the fastest-growing company that offers GE security systems. The Duchess invites you all to take a look at the short video below to learn how simple it is to install and activate:
As the Duchess has been looking around at information about FrontPoint, she realizes that there is more to share, so she invites you, her readers, to stay tuned for more information to come. But in the meantime, if this post has piqued your interest sufficiently, she’ll give you the link once again to the Duchess’ website, where you may click on the FrontPoint link, which is amongst the menu of products and services she offers. And while you’re at it, she invites you to check out the other goodies you’ll find there.
This evening the Duchess of Earle shares a favorite poem - she especially likes the last verse - with her readers, in hopes that it will inspire them the way it has her for many years. Enjoy!
A Psalm of Life
What the heart of the young man said to the psalmist
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream! --
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the world's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act, -- act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Well, dear readers, the Duchess of Earle got a call from a member of Loral Langemeier’s staff this afternoon, asking if she’d like to promote Loral’s new book. The Duchess said she’d love to put out the info. So watch this blog for more info in the coming days and weeks.
Until the new information comes, you can always click on the links to Loral’s sites that are on the left - go ahead! Check ‘em out!
The Duchess of Earle just crossed paths with a saying that impresses her today - one of those unattributed things that pops up in one’s life and arrests one’s attention. This idea is spurring the Duchess on this morning - and that’s a good thing. Actually, that’s a GREAT thing! :) Matter of fact, it’s so great that she thought she’d immediately post it here for sharing, in hopes that it will spur her readers on to plan their work and work their plan:
The Duchess also located the video of the day after the interview on the Today show. The group came back for an on-air bridal party processional for the cameras and the enthusiastic onlookers. This is such fun! It’s late as the Duchess writes, but rest assured that she’s dancing right with them down the aisle - at least in her heart! Come join us! Have you got the beat? Are you ready? …Here we go - step-ping o-u-t! :) Party hearty, Bridal Party!
