It’s cold and blustery here in Perth this morning and the world is mourning the passing of Michael Jackson..

We went out to dinner last night with friends and came back home here for a coffee.

The tribute to Michael was playing on TV…

His song “Heal the World” still moves me powerfully even after all these years since I first heard it and sang it in the Money and You programme back in 1992…

But, like the weather, we have to adapt, we have to deal with it…

Or, like my good friend Geoff Fisher (who was featured on the front page of this weeks West Australian newspaper) reminded me this week, ‘you have to turn what happens to a positive.’

Geoff suffered a massive heart attack at the pool on the Long Weekend.

His heart stopped for 45 minutes and was revived by one of our other good mates who was swimming in the squad with him, Dr. Rob Larbalestier, who is Head of Cardiac Surgery at Royal Perth Hospital.

Geoff is now recovering and will need plenty of support to get back to 100%.. but as he said to me from his hospital bed when I visited him this week, “I will turn this to a positive… this is giving me a second chance..”

Which brings me to lessons and thoughts from the week..

EVERYTHING CHANGES

We’ve all heard the saying ‘nothing is permanent except change’ and this weeks events highlight how true this is..

‘We cannot change the wind, but we can change the set of our sails..’ is an axiom that rings so true for me.

Whether it be me, you, Geoff Fisher, Michael Jacksons family, our businesses, it’s how resilient we are; how we bounce back, recover, take what has happened, then give it an empowering meaning, turn it to our advantage, to help us keep moving forward that’s an essential mental process we all have to keep exercising every day.

I have readers who are devout Christians, and I know right now they are using their spirituality, their belief in God or something bigger than themselves to help them deal with, and bounce back from whatever is setting them back.

Perspective… the bigger picture… your place in the Universe, helps with that resilience.

Here is Heal the World.. just to help you put things in perspective..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W61Q-EZ8R7M&feature=fvst

500% BETTER

I was meeting with one of our past clients this week and she told me how the financial crisis and the impact on her industry meant her sales people had to increase their activity not 100%..not 200%.. but 500 and 600% to stay anywhere near their sales budgets..

That was a shock…

But they rallied, and they adjusted… and are now back on track..

The wind changed… and they adjusted to it..

As we move forward into the new financial year Blue Rocket will be launching 5 new products to help clients deal with these challenges..

These new Blue Rocket products are not for everyone. They are only for Sales Teams who are serious about maximising leads, maximising conversion and seriously want to make a difference.

One new product will be the Blue Rocket Lead Generation System… a unique online and offline strategy to help increase lead generation by 200 to 600%…

I was with another client last week showing her the 37 different strategies she could be using to increase Lead Generation. She had only been using 2… Their game is about to change dramatically…

If you want more info on our New Product Range and see if they will work for your sales team hit Reply and write ‘New Products’ in the subject line.

BUSINESS IQ

We are about to start a major project with an international company helping their leaders and teams improve sales and business decision making using a leading edge Training tool called Zodiak – The Game of Business Finance and Strategy..

Check the Zodiak introductory/background video at 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30UbZypxLy4

SO YOU WANT TO BE A COACH, CONSULTANT or YOU SELL B2B? ONLY 3 PLACES LEFT

“Learn the Secrets to Selling Consulting Services

and Business to Business – Rare 2 Day Training…

Only3 Places Left”

This really is going to be a brilliant workshop for people who are serious about taking their selling game to the next level.

Even experienced Coaches, Consultants and B2B Sales professionals who attended our last workshop were absolutely blown away..

If you haven’t got strategies to increase your income by 30% by lunchtime on the first day you won’t have been breathing.. I promise you..

Be there, Sydney, July 6 and 7th, Menzies Hotel…

Bring a friend or colleague and they get in for HALF PRICE..

When we set the price we must have been medicated or something…

$197 for 2 days is pure lunacy..

I know our accountants will not let us offer it at this price ever again..

Register now at 
www.consultingmastermind.com

Anyway.. time to go..

Have a good week..

Leigh Farnell

www.bluerocket.com.au

It’s Monday… lunchtime…in Perth..

I’ve just had my toasted cheese and tomato sandwich, and I’m now back at the desk..

Blakey is on his way over East and tells me the baggage handlers at Perth Airport are either resting, 
on strike or somehow incapacitated and the queues of people are lining up down the road..
Another friend who is having chemo just emailed to say she also was stuck in the queue.. and coming out of chemo in Perth to fly to Melbourne as part of her treatment then having to face a queue is not what you need anytime, but especially today…
We had a giggle about it over the email…

LIFE GOES ON

But life goes on doesn’t it?

The economy is on the pickup it seems…if you listen to gurus..
Either way… we have to make it happen don’t we?

It all starts with attitude..

As Dr Maltz was saying on a CD I was listening to…
Its like Charles Dickens Tale of Two Cities

“It was the best of times.. and it was the worst of times..”

These times we are in right now will bring out the best in us..or the worst in us, depending on how we deal with them..

If we ask the right questions.. and hang out with the right people with the right attitudes..these times can bring out the very best in us.

THE BEST OF QUESTIONS

In these times we need to be getting with optimistic, can-do people who are willing to question us and challenge us on our own BS (Belief Systems).. ask questions like..

1. What are we doing right now that we need to change as we move into the future?
2. Where are the opportunities to grow revenue?
3. Where are the opportunities to cut costs, minimise waste, be more efficient and effective?
4. Is everyone in our organisation selling as much as they can?
5. Where could we add more value and increase the revenue from our existing clients and data base?
6. What are the top 3 goals and priorities for the next 12 months?
7. On a day by day basis, what should we be doing hour by hour to maximise results and performance?

We need to affirm to ourselves that we are incredibly capable, resourceful, ingenious and powerful people who will adapt and evolve into even stronger, effective businesses – ‘turning adversity to advantage’ as Napoleon Hill wrote.

FOCUS, PLAN, IMPLEMENT, PROFIT

If you’re about to get your team together to focus, to plan, to mobilise brainpower and energy at a Strategic Planning Retreat or Seminar, hit reply and write ‘Strat Plan’ in the subject line and we will send you our F^EE Report to help you make it a success.

Talking of planning, our new book will be out in May.. check out the cover at our blog at www.bluerocket.com.au

THE 5 I’s TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN THE RECESSION

INSPIRE – get your people together and inspire them, lift their spirits with hope and optimism
INVOLVE – involve them in the goals, plans, dreams you have for the future
IDEAS – ask for their input and ideas for how to make those goals and dreams a reality
INNOVATE – set priorities and make plans, step by step plans to innovate, put into action, the top 3 ideas
IMPLEMENT - have an implementation plan – who will do what by when? who will be accountable? who will they report to? How will we go about implementing so the idea becomes a commercial success..

If you’d like us to talk to you about using the 5 I’s in your business.. coming to speak to your team or take them through the 5 I’s Breakthrough Process… hit reply and write ’5I’s’ in the subject line..

These are the best of times and the worst of times..
Working together we can use new thinking to make them sure fire, guaranteed ‘best of times..’

See you soon..
regards
Leigh

Check out what Managing Director of MG Kailis Alex Kailis says about Blue Rocket Breakthrough Strategic Planning..

Another P.E.P.P – Proven, Easy, Practical and Profitable…