by Dale Shumaker
4spirit@gmail.com
In Book Yourself Solid, Michael Port exposes his learned lessons on how to be a notorious networker and build unending relationships of business contacts. He guarantees success with the Book Yourself Solid System for building a never-ending string of clients and potential clients.
The System is simple so anyone can do it, and applicable in a diverse range of businesses. Port leads you through 3 modules...
creating a solid foundation so people really know what you are about,
building trust and credibility,
and 7 core promotion strategies.
He resonates both very practical methods and spiritual principles that combined creates super glue strength in bonding people with you.
The first step in building your foundation is deciding who your best clients really are. Who makes you feel energized? It is like you enjoy working with them so much and you can hardly believe you are also getting paid for it. He suggests you need to weed out the undesirable clients and replace them with clients that invigorate you and who express they get great benefit from your services.
Next get a clear grasp of why people buy from you, that creates a relentless demand for your services. To do this
1. Identify your market
2. Understand urgent needs and compelling drives of your market
3. Offer investable opportunities
4. Uncover and demonstrate the benefits of your investable opportunities.
"Your passions, natural talents, and knowledge are key."
Then he leads you through how to brand yourself. What is distinctively unique about you. Create
1. Your "who and do what" statement.
2. Your "why you do it" statement."
Let others know exactly whom you help and what you can help them do. Your "why you do it" statement is a connecting statement that adds personal value for yourself and others for why you do what you do. They sense your passion for what you do and why it’s important.
Next you develop your skill in how you talk to others about what you do and how important it is. It goes beyond just identifying your professional title. You tell people your unique contribution you make and how it is so valuable in helping others.
In telling people about what you do for others, Port has a 5-part process and takes you through exercises for a short, medium and longer version...whether on the elevator ( the infamous "elevator speech") or waiting in the customer lounge while your car is getting serviced. Port's format is also a great format for any conversation where the topic of your business (What do you do?) comes up. It is much more insightful, interesting, personal and creates intrigue for the listener. Your passion can shine, so they automatically want to know more. In essence it makes you an interesting person to listen to and be around. Someone is more apt to say after meeting you, "I met the most interesting person today."
His 5-part process is
Part 1. Summarize your target market in one sentence.
Part 2. Identify and summarize the three biggest and most critical problems that your target market faces.
Part 3. List how you solve these problems and present clients with unique solutions.
Part 4. Include the most dramatic (Wow!) results that you or your clients have achieved.
Part 5. List the results and deepest benefits your clients receive.
Once you have built this foundation in how to "buzz" your business, Port takes you through a sales process(for those who dread or feel inadequate selling). Then he spends the rest of his book on the 7 core promotional strategies you can use to continually bring business to you and more waiting for you. The 7 strategies include networking, direct outreach, referrals, the web, speaking, writing, and keeping in touch.
Our success in gaining more contacts in business is how well we do this. Both the business owner and corporate leader would benefit in how to tell others more dynamically, intriguingly what they do and how it benefits others.
The whole secret is doing it well. The exercises are quite valuable in this aspect so you develop this skill of a higher level than you have now. So collaborating with a friend and colleague would be of great merit in helping you complete and practice putting yourself interestingly forward.
Also, Michael Port's website has a free workbook download for those who purchase the book and his website has numerous resources too.
http://bookyourselfsolid.com/
Jesus told His disciples to throw the nets into the deep.The catch was amazing. What does this mean for us?
Are we fishing but we are not listening to Jesus voice in us that tells us to fish where it seems too big for us... into deeper areas? Is He asking us to go deeper into Him and watch the size of the catch.
Like in our businesses, the key is listening to Jesus. To follow His voice and rely on Him for the results. And the results will be incredible, so big we are amazed! The thing to look at is Jesus said to go into the deep. If you aren’t catching a lot of fish where you are now, why should we go to an unusual spot where it is deeper. Is God wanting you to take your business into the deep, where a catch waits for you beyond your believability.
Go into the deep in your life and business and go where God tells you to go. Go deeper into His Presence. The catch will be outstanding, and you will be equipped Supernaturally to handle it.
When Jesus had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Now go out where it is deeper and let down your nets, and you will catch many fish." "Master," Simon replied, "we worked hard all last night and didn't catch a thing. But if you say so, we'll try again."
And this time their nets were so full they began to tear! A shout for help brought their partners in the other boat, and soon both boats were filled with fish and on the verge of sinking. When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, "Oh, Lord, please leave me--I'm too much of a sinner to be around you." For he was awestruck by the size of their catch, as were the others with him. His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. (Luke 5: 4-10, NLT)
Try again!
Go into the deep. Go into the depth of His Voice speaking to you and listen very carefully to His instructions. There is a great catch waiting there for you. If you have drifted from Him, again listen to His voice. Get close to His voice. Bring your heart close to His. He will lead you to a big catch of men... who too will be so amazed they will serve Him along with you.
The results may be big. But don’t fear!
He will help you handle it.
Don’t worry about what you may lose or gain. Things on earth are meaningless, unrewarding, have no satisfaction without the presence of Jesus Spirit with us. Earthly gain is all lost at death anyway. The only thing that remains is the Spirit of Jesus with us... that's eternal. We take that with us. And He will never leave us or depart from us.
So go into the depth of His Spirit, His Presence. The only thing transferred from life is the Presence of Spirit. Relationship in Spirit is our gain... and never lost... it is never too deep for us.
So go deep into His eternal bliss...
we can't define it or rhyme it in thought or poem or music.
It's our anticipation,
the mystery for why we live Jesus' Way while on earth.
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