Selling Is About Giving, NOT Taking.
90% of the Time…
…When someone tries to sell you something, you feel that they are there to try to “take” your money away from you. May it be the mall and someone runs after you giving you a flyer for a P2M condominium investment or a text message offering you a loan for 1.5% per month or a telemarketer offering you some ridiculous product or service. You feel like you are constantly under attack from these aggressive sales agents.
What if…
Instead of feeling on the defensive and paranoid about people selling to you, you start feeling less irritated? Can that be done?
People Hate Being Sold To.
In my “Proactive Sales and Marketing Seminar”, I always state the fact that “People in general, HATE being sold to…” Think about it, whenever someone tries to sell you something, you start to cringe. Your defense mechanism leaps into action and you are thinking “Oh brother, here we go again”. And so I continue…”BUT, people love to BUY stuff.” Another fact. Think about it again, how many buy 1 take 1 offers have you went nuts over? Whenever Megamall has a sale, are you the first ones in line?
You see, the paradox of selling and buying cannot be farther apart. People hate being sold to, but they absolutely love buying stuff. So, knowing this fact, I want to explain a very important lesson that “would be sellers” have to know as soon as possible.
Selling Is NOT about Taking
The reason why people are naturally alarmed and defensive about sales people is because 90% of sales people out there have the notion that selling is about taking the customer’s money. Believe me when I say that customers are people too and they can sense the threat of an overly aggressive sales person much as they sense a thief trying to steal your valuables. And the big problem is, sales people are trained to think and to act that way by “would be” sales experts. In fact, some of the most atrocious so called sales experts would proudly say: “Selling begins when the customer says NO”. You see, that kind of attitude is what makes your customers shun you. People are allergic to that kind of attitude, and so if you have that attitude, don’t be surprised if you are having a difficult time closing a sale.
Selling Is About GIVING
And yet, there are sales professionals in this world that are loved and make selling seem so easy. People flock to them. Take note, they do not chase after customers, but instead customers chase after them. Have you ever seen such a person? You actually have. Think about your daily life, who do you regularly buy stuff from, think of your “Suki” tindero / tindera. Or your favorite restaurant or your favorite branch of gadgets. Why do you buy from them and not the other store just down the street? Is it because they sell you stuff cheap? No, not necessarily. Think. It really boils down to because you like them more than the others. And why do you like them more? Because they are, to a certain degree more generous to you than the others are. They are different in that sense, and that is why you buy from them.
People Respond To Generosity
Because we are so bombarded with people trying to “sell” (aka “Take Something”) from us. People will naturally feel relief from people who “Give” something back to us. Now a very obvious and literal example of “giving” is when you get a huge discount or a freebie product when you get something” Well, while that is good and easy to see, I’m actually talking about something deeper and longer lasting. I’m talking about the generosity associated with making your life and your well-being better. Sounds deep, but hear me out, for example, when you go to a doctor, naturally you go to have your sickness cured, a normal doctor would prescribe you meds, wish you well and that’s it. But then there are doctors that go the extra mile, they prescribe meds, wish you well, and then would text you after a few days to sincerely check up on you. Then when you text back and / or call him back saying you are still not feeling well, he will give you a diagnosis over the phone free of charge. When you get better and need another consult, which doctor will you most probably go back to?
Givers Are Sellers Of The Highest Level
As a sales and marketing trainer and practitioner for more than a decade, I have seen how selling has evolved through the years, I’ve come across a lot of would be “sales experts” and I have learned from the folly of their arrogance, and one thing will remain clear for as long as I can see — People who give, will always outsell people who take. So if you are in the profession of sales, know that selling is about giving. Not taking. So if nothing else, remember that when you learn to sincerely give to your customers and your customers come back to you and start buying from you without you having to force them with your sales talk. You are actually selling at the highest, noblest level there is.
Until the next article, good luck, and God bless.
Author Box:
Mark So is a fervent businessman, Investor and educator. He is the Chairman and CEO of Businessmaker Academy—a business, finance and corporate training center. He is the founder and Chief Forex Trainer of Forex Club Asia, A Trading club of Forex Traders across Asia. He is also the Co-Founder of HR Club Philippines, a network of professional HR practitioners in the Philippines. Mark, together with his loving wife also created wealthflowproject.com a website dedicated to teaching people how to make money run after you. A sought after speaker for business, marketing, currency trading and investing, You may email your comments and questions to: markso@wealthflowproject.com or call the office at 6874445 / 6873416 / 6874645 for a schedule of his seminars
Being A Leader
Imagine You Are With Your Friends…
…In a restaurant and the waiter comes with the bill, looks over the table and out of all of your 6 friends, picks you to give the bill to. And it doesn’t matter which set of friends you are with, waiters always look at you…Well that’s a sign that you have the look of a leader…(Or rich haha). Seriously, if that is you, then you have something in you that attracts people to you and that is a good starting point for leadership. If that isn’t you, don’t worry, it will be soon enough.
Leadership is Instinctual but Must Be Developed
There are people who take the role of “Leader” instinctually and naturally, while others need a little more effort, however regardless of how you are designed, true leadership must be developed and practiced if that is what you really want to be.
Why Do You Want To Be A Leader?
Why do you want to become a leader you ask? A half meant joke that I always say is: “I want to be a leader, because I do not like following”. For a lot of people, this may seem funny, and yet it is painfully true (I did say it was half meant) and they play the role of a leader as a “power hungry” bully. No, that is not why I want to become a leader, for me, why I want to become a leader is for “control”. Specifically, to gain control of my life.
When you are content on just following someone else, you give up control to that person and if something wrong happens to you, it is very convenient to just say, well, it’s because I trusted him that’s why I got into this mess.
Control Goes Hand In Hand with Accountability
When things go wrong in my life, I know exactly who was responsible, I know exactly who to blame, and that person is no one else but “myself”. That is accountability, because if I am the leader of my life, I am in control of my life, and if I am in control of my life, I am accountable for everything that happens in my life.
Too many times, I see people in a position of leadership quick to pass blame on to someone else or to “circumstances beyond their control”. To me that is not leadership because accountability in those instances were never there.
Do you want to Be A Leader and Take Back Control of Your Life?
If yes, then there are just 3 simple steps:
- Stop blaming everyone else for the difficulties of your life.
- Understand that you are ultimately accountable for everything that happens in your life
- Start fixing it.
Being A Leader Is Not Easy, But It Is Worth It.
Ultimately, we only have one life to live, I want to be in the driver’s seat of my life which means I have to be a leader of me. But when you are the leader of yourself, and over time become more and more comfortable in being accountable with your actions regardless of outcome, you will naturally attract “challenges” in your life. That is life “leveling you up”. And the more challenges you face and solve, the bigger a leader you become. Needless to say, being a leader is not easy, because the bigger the leader you become, the bigger the problems you will have to face and be accountable / responsible for. Sounds intimidating, but, if I do say so myself, it is worth it.
Being A Leader Becomes Intrinsic and Natural
And so, when the time comes when you go out casually with your friends, or play an online game where you interact with total strangers, don’t be surprised if people naturally look to you to make the decisions for them. It is a sign that you ARE a leader. And when that time comes, take the time to acknowledge it, take the time to be proud of it, and take the time to make the most of your life with it.
Until the next article, good luck, and God bless.
Author Box:
Mark So is a fervent businessman, Investor and educator. He is the Chairman and CEO of Businessmaker Academy—a business, finance and corporate training center. He is the founder and Chief Forex Trainer of Forex Club Asia, A Trading club of Forex Traders across Asia. He is also the Co-Founder of HR Club Philippines, a network of professional HR practitioners in the Philippines. Mark, together with his loving wife also created wealthflowproject.com a website dedicated to teaching people how to make money run after you. A sought after speaker for business, marketing, currency trading and investing, You may email your comments and questions to: markso@wealthflowproject.com or call the office at 6874445 / 6873416 / 6874645 for a schedule of his seminars
“Goodness Is Better Than Greatness!”
Ever hear the phrase “From Good to Great?”
The context of the phrase of course is to be better than just good. To be greater than just okay. While that is of course what I believe and strive for in this life as an achiever, I wanted to also take a step back and give you a bit of insight on the transformation that comes with trying to be “Great”
Ever hear the phrase “Power corrupts…
…And absolute power, corrupts absolutely”. Well that is the point I am trying to make. When you set on the path of being “better” than where you were before, it changes you in the sense that it gives you a bigger sense of entitlement. When you start achieving more in your life, you start to feel more confident, and more powerful as an individual.
So, naturally, you keep going and going and going until you reach a level not of greatness but of arrogance. And that is what I want to point out. In the journey you are on, whatever it is, be aware that getting better most of the time is accompanied with getting an inflated sense of entitlement.
Goodness is better than Greatness
I’ve caught myself a lot of times falling into this trap. I start treating everyone around me with less respect. I become arrogant and start believing I am better than them. In the end, I do not feel great at all. I sink back down to a level not even human, and I start feeling awful.
In the recent movie “Oz” there was a line there that helped me realize what it was that I was missing in my journey. “Goodness is better than Greatness”. While this line is not at all to say you should not strive to be “great”, the line pointed out to me that it is better to be good and kind rather than great but arrogant.
Greatness is Kindness
The line, “Goodness is better than Greatness” is a constant reminder for me that the road to greatness is not just about leveling up your skills, or your wealth, or your power. It is simply to remember to be kind and to be grateful. And the best way to be grateful is to treat people all around you with genuine, sincere kindness and letting the “goodness” in you shine more than your self-esteem. Humility is strength, and kindness and goodness follow that strength.
Kindness is Strength
The road to “greatness” is paved with situations where you will be tested time and again not necessarily about how skilled you are, but how strong you are. The problem is, most of the time, we associate strength with “being a jerk” or being rude, nasty and cruel.
For me, that is the exact opposite of what real strength is. Thanks to my wife, who I regard as my best friend and mentor in life, she has shown me that strength is being kind in the face of adversity and tough situations. When I see (or think) of her, I am reminded that Kindness is strength, my actions on the other hand, of rudeness is simply weakness covered up with nasty words and loud voices and cruel actions.
Find a Role Model of Kindness in Your Journey To Being “Great”
I am lucky to have my wife as my role model. She is strong in her kindness. But make no mistake, she is not weak at all. She can be demanding with our staff, but she is loved because she is “good” inside and it shows in everything she does. I sometimes catch her taking an hour to compose a simple text message to someone, not even her close friend, just because she cares deeply about how the other person would feel about what she says. She cares because she is good and she is good because she is kind, and my wife is my role model on my journey to being “Great”.
It All Comes Back To How You Became “Great”
In the end, we are only visitors in this life. We are part of this world for only a short while and the game we play is to be the best we can be. To be “great” in our own way, whatever way that is.
I used to believe that the “End justifies any means” but as you get older, you begin to think about your mortality and the kind of legacy you want to leave behind. I now know that when I am in the last days of my life, I want to be surrounded by the people that I love, by the people I was good to, even if they were not good to me. I now know that I want to do right by people in general through how sincerely kind and good I was to them in my journey to “greatness”. And when I finally leave this life, I want to be remembered not by how “Great” I am, but really and in all honesty, by how “Good” I was.
Until the next article, good luck, and God bless.
Author Box:
Mark So is a fervent businessman, Investor and educator. He is the Chairman and CEO of Businessmaker Academy—a business, finance and corporate training center. He is the founder and Chief Forex Trainer of Forex Club Asia, A Trading club of Forex Traders across Asia. He is also the Co-Founder of HR Club Philippines, a network of professional HR practitioners in the Philippines. Mark, together with his loving wife also created wealthflowproject.com a website dedicated to teaching people how to make money run after you. A sought after speaker for business, marketing, currency trading and investing, You may email your comments and questions to: markso@wealthflowproject.com or call the office at 6874445 / 6873416 / 6874645 for a schedule of his seminars
Don’t Marry Your Equal. Marry Someone “More” Than You!
Is Your Wife Your Equal?
In one of the lighter moments of one of my seminars, a student asked me if my wife was my “Equal”. To which I quickly replied: “No. She is more than me” Of course, the whole classroom erupted with people gushing with corny delight.
The seminar that I was conducting believe it or not was about finance. Naturally, in finance I talk about my ultimate love for my wife. Sure, it makes sense right. Ha ha ha, well, let me rewind a bit and connect the dots for you.
“Who you marry is one of the most important decisions you will ever make if you want to be a success.”
This is not just my belief, but also the belief of one of the wealthiest persons on earth, Mr. John Gokongwei.
Quoting from an article by Wilson Lee Flores, Gokongwei says to him: “Marry a good wife…having a good wife is not only good support for life and career, it’s great to come home daily to good rest. He revealed that ever since he got married, he has stopped going out to parties and stayed at home every night with his wife.”
For the women reading this, it goes both ways, you also have to pick “Mr. Right”. I know, not as easy as it sounds right? Especially since I’m already taken (ha ha ha). Seriously, your “husband to be” or your “husband forever” (and you) hold the key to unbelievable wealth.
Happiness is part of Wealth.
One of the reasons why I am Wealthy is because I am happy, and I am happy because of my marriage. Let me share my secret to why that is: It is because I’ve always believed that I married not just the right person, but a person that is MORE than me. If I am smart, she is smarter. If I am kind, she is kinder, if I am lucky, she is luckier. And it goes both ways. My wife believes that I am MORE than her as well. And because we think that way, we treat each other with more respect, love and gratitude. We have known each other now for 15 years, married for 11 and up to now we never fail to say thank you, I appreciate you, and I love you every chance we get.
It Only Takes One Person To Make All The Wrong Things In Your Life Right.
Believe it or not, finding the best career was my second priority, my first priority was finding that one person that I was destined to spend the rest of my life with. Okay, I know it sounds very corny and cheesy, don’t worry, there’s more. I always felt that I looked like “Aga Mulach” (but a little more handsome) in the sense that I had the “looks” but could never get the relationship right (This was before Aga met Charlene Gonzales of course) because women always took advantage of me, treated me awful or was simply not the right fit. So when I met my wife, I instantly knew that she would be the one. She was “home” to me and she made all the wrong things in my life right.
If it is not yet obvious by now, I am absolutely in love with my wife. She is the person who saved me from myself, multiple times from the day we met to this day. She molded me to who I am, and like the Jack Nicholson movie “As Good As It Gets” She makes me want to be a better man.
Love Requires Work, Sacrifice…and well…Love
But of course, like everything great and worthy in our lives, it will never come easy. Finding and maintaining your love for each other requires work, sacrifice…and well…love. While I believe that there is one person for you in this lifetime, I also believe that it is not just about fate or destiny, it is also about quarrels, heartaches, disagreements, tantrums, misunderstandings and all the bad stuff that comes along with caring for someone. Love is not just about comfort, it is about discomfort and the ability of both of you to overcome your differences. My wife and I fight every now and then simply because we care for each other deeply and passionately. It is a healthy thing to have but one thing that we don’t do is to NOT resolve it by the time we sleep.
Happy Valentines To You and I Wish You A Love As Legendary As Ours.
As you might still be wondering why I chose to write about “Love”, it is partly because we just celebrated Valentines day, but mostly because I am happy where I am in my life, because I married my wife, someone who is more than me in every possible way, and my wish for you is you find and work to make your relationship with your partner as legendary as what I have worked hard to have.
Until the next article, good luck, and God bless.
Author Box:
Mark So is a fervent businessman, Investor and educator. He is the Chairman and CEO of Businessmaker Academy—a business, finance and corporate training center. He is the founder and Chief Forex Trainer of Forex Club Asia, A Trading club of Forex Traders across Asia. He is also the Co-Founder of HR Club Philippines, a network of professional HR practitioners in the Philippines. Mark, together with his loving wife also created wealthflowproject.com a website dedicated to teaching people how to make money run after you. A sought after speaker for business, marketing, currency trading and investing, You may email your comments and questions to: markso@wealthflowproject.com or call the office at 6874445 / 6873416 / 6874645 for a schedule of his seminars
Decide, Seek, Commit, Do – Why and How I Lost 100lbs in 10 months!
Happy New Year! 2015 is here and we say hello to another year full of surprises, challenges, failures, blessings, successes but more importantly, a great opportunity to be better than you were a year ago.
This article is dedicated to all those who want to make a fresh start for the year, for those who want to succeed and achieve something amazing this year, this is for you.
I’d like to start off by sharing my story last year. This is the story of how I lost 100 lbs in 10 months. I’m sharing this story as a visual representation of what it is that I want you to learn and do.
Prior to my physical transformation, my health was at an all-time low. I was 330 lbs and I was managing several medical conditions at the same time, specifically G.E.R.D. (Gastroesophageal reflux disease), Ulcers, and Hiatal Hernia. It was September 2013 and for the whole month all my medications were not helping and I could feel the acidity from my stomach go up to my throat several times a day, for those who know what heartburn feels like, it was about 10x more painful than that. Anything I ate would be rejected (I would throw up constantly) and I could no longer sleep well unless I was sitting down and my body totally upright. I felt like my body was shutting down.
I thought that it would just pass like all the other times. But week after week, it just kept getting worse and worse, and so finally, and with much reluctance, I grudgingly had an endoscopy done. This is where they stick a tube with a small camera down your throat to examine your esophagus and your stomach.
I was sedated and when I woke up, the doctor told me that she had found cysts in my esophagus on top of my current conditions which she had sent to the lab for a biopsy, basically to check and see if I had already developed cancer.
I was afraid.
The results would not be out for a few more days and all I could think about all that time was that I would not be able to see my children grow up, I would not be able to grow old with my wife and that I would have failed them as a father, as a best friend and as a loving husband.
I was worried.
Then the biopsy came back. The Cysts I had were benign, I did not have Cancer. I was relieved, but not for long, I knew that if I continued down this path, I would indeed be dead in a few years. The doctor advised me to take a stronger set of medicines for 6 months straight in order for my body to heal. And so I did, but I knew it was not enough. It was a temporary solution.
Decide
I took this as my opportunity. I was given a second chance, and this time, I would not waste it.
It was then that I decided to get healthier physically as my morbid obesity was one of the major factors for my body to have developed these medical conditions. I looked at my family, and I decided to live to see my kids grow up, to grow old with my wife and to be healthier not just for them but also for me.
Seek
My wife of course, was also relieved and she, like everything good in my life, proactively helped me look for solutions to improve my health. Prior to my episode with the doctor, we had already gone to a “well known” nutritionist in a prominent hospital for help. We spent a fortune for a better way to eat and lose weight only to be sorely disappointed in that it never worked. I blamed the nutritionist for no results but really, the bigger person to blame was me.
I thought that just giving money to someone would make me healthier, I realized this time around that I needed to really do the hard work associated with getting healthier. This time I really needed to commit to achieving it.
However, my wife and I decided to find help from someone else, as the nutritionist was never really as committed to me from the beginning. And so we decided to go for a better program. A program that was really serious in achieving results as much as I was. And so we chose to enroll in the Cohen Lifestyle program.
Commit
I am not here to sell you Cohen, but I do have to give credit where it is due. My wife and I attended one of their info sessions and it was one line that really got me to say that this is the program that I am willing to commit to.
That line was: “Obesity is not your fault, it is a disease that can be cured through the food you eat”.
The main thing that I liked about the program was that it was simply going back to eating healthier, non-processed, natural foods but in a very measured and controlled way.
And so after hearing that one line, I looked at my wife, and told her, that I will commit to this program. That night, I thanked my wife and I promised her that I would not let her down.
Do
I started the program on February 19, 2014 and with my commitment and my promise to my wife, I lost 27.72 lbs in the first 4 weeks of the program. That result proved to me that I could do it and that the program was authentic. Immediately, I felt better, I was no longer as acidic as I was just a few months prior. I got inspired. And so I continued, by December of 2014, I had lost a total of 100 lbs. And this is what I look like now:
And although I’m scheduled to have another Endoscopy soon, I no longer need my medications, I can sleep like a baby, I have more energy, I am a lot happier, and I have achieved something totally amazing. I have successfully given myself and my family a second chance at a happier, wealthier, more rewarding life.
And so, now it is your turn. Decide you want to achieve, Seek proper help from people who are as committed to your success as you are, Commit to the program and Do what needs to be done.
Good luck and here’s to your success in life. See you at the top.
Until the next article, good luck, and God bless.
Author Box:
Mark So is a fervent businessman, Investor and educator. He is the Chairman and CEO of Businessmaker Academy—a business, finance and corporate training center. He is the founder and Chief Forex Trainer of Forex Club Asia, A Trading club of Forex Traders across Asia. He is also the Co-Founder of HR Club Philippines, a network of professional HR practitioners in the Philippines. Mark, together with his loving wife also created wealthflowproject.com a website dedicated to teaching people how to make money run after you. A sought after speaker for business, marketing, currency trading and investing, You may email your comments and questions to: markso@wealthflowproject.com or call the office at 6874445 / 6873416 / 6874645 for a schedule of his seminars
“The 3 Rings Of Power – How To Climb Up The Corporate Ladder With Style and Substance”
This article is dedicated to all the hard working readers out there who want to climb the corporate ladder faster, be more successful, and stay successful. This is another true story of mine which has immeasurable value that I hope will help you in your corporate journey.
At the time that I was still employed and enjoying my stints in the corporate world, I did not really know that much about life yet, but I did know one thing — I wanted to become “somebody” in the company (any company ) that I worked for fast.
Taking that desire to heart, I tried different strategies, experimented with this and that. All in all, I have had three corporate jobs in my entire life, and got promoted, or given an award, or became the “model” employee in every single one of them. So I guess, I must have done something right. So I back tracked and tried to understand what it was that I was doing and how could I do it over and over again. The result is what I now call my “Three Rings of Power”.
Until today, I have not taught these valuable lessons to anyone except my wife and one other close friend both of whom applied what I taught and got instant results so I know that this lesson is not just applicable to me but for everyone who wants to get somewhere in their careers. So if you want to get promoted faster or want to get somewhere sooner when you land that job, read on.
Let me first take you back to a conversation I had with my former manager at Islacom (now known as Touch Mobile or TM), she had noticed all my hard work, she knew I was driven and hungry to get to the next level of my career so one day, she asked me: “Mark, you seem like you are in a hurry to get promoted, you work until midnight almost every night, but what I don’t understand is what’s the rush? And why do you work so hard? you are still very young” To which I said, “I want to get to where I am fast because I want to have the time later on to enjoy my life. I believe that if I work hard, I will learn faster. And if I know what I’m doing faster, the easier it will get later on….”
Which brings me to my first lesson and the first “Ring of power”, I call it “Technical Power” or the power you will possess once you understand exactly what your job requires you to do, and how you can do it expertly. In other words, master your job so that no one will doubt you when you have to make a tough choice or a tough recommendation. Your Technical Power gives you the “substance” that you need to get people to start listening to you.
A few days after talking to my manager, I was invited to talk to the new Head of the Mobile Division of Islacom (there was a re-organization at that time) Like my manager, he had also noticed how hard and diligently I’ve been working, but it wasn’t just diligence that he saw, he saw someone who had something to prove. We talked for a while and asked me if I would like to take on the role of Business Development officer instead of just being a marketing analyst. It was a “lateral” move meaning I was not getting promoted, just reassigned, with a slightly higher pay. I agreed. My assignment in this new role would be to develop the “International Roaming Sevice” of Islacom which at that time had not been functional yet. So within a month after taking it on, we had 2 functioning international roaming partners – Deutche Telecoms and Shinawatra of Thailand and within 6 months, I had opened up a little over 18 new roaming partners.
For those who don’t know what International Roaming means, it meant that any Islacom subscriber back then would now be able to “roam” or use their cell phones in 18 different countires without having to change their phones. This was an accomplishment that was recognized by everyone at Islacom, and I am personally still very proud of until today. But more importantly, this was my “Technical Power” at work.
But it was not just my “Technical power” that allowed me to launch these new countries. Yes, I knew how International Roaming worked, and I was the “expert” in my role as Business Development Officer to be able to launch it, but I would not have been able to do it if I had no help and cooperation of the other department heads within Islacom. In the process of launching these new roaming partners, I had developed the second Ring of Power – “Personal Power”
“Personal Power” is the power that you develop when you are able to get your peers to move and act because you simply asked them to. For me my personal power manifested itself because I first had “technical power”, the department heads, specifically the billing department, the legal department, the engineering department, the customer service department, and the marketing department all had to listen to me because I was the person who knew how all the little parts fit together, I was the “technician” for the launching of the service. Although, it started out that they were required to listen to me, through time, it developed into something else, something better, I had become very good friends with all of them. And here is the secret to becoming friends or at least in good terms with anyone you work with – give them respect, listen to their advice, and let them know that you do not just care for the job, but you care for them as well and really be sincere about it. So when we met, and I asked them to do this for the launch of the succeeding countries, they would gladly oblige. Hence, the huge and “smooth” success of every new roaming partner country that we launched.
But, like a lot of success, there were also a few challenges along the way, but before I get into that, let’s recap the first 2 rings:
I succeeded in my corporate career because I had: 1.) Technical Power – I mastered how to do my job; 2.) Personal Power – I was able to get people to do what I asked because they wanted to, not because they had to. (to read part 1 of this 2 part article, visit my blog at http://www.wealthflowproject.com)
Which now brings me to the third ring of power, I call it Political Power – To get somewhere in your career, it is not enough to be great at your job, it is not enough to have people to want to do things for you, you must also have support from influential people, in other words, you must gain political power as well.
In my previous article, I mentioned that I also had some tough (exciting) times during the launching of Islacom’s Roaming service back then. My personal power and my technical power helped me a lot during these tough times but more importantly, it is because of these incidents that I had gained “political power” within Islacom. This is my story which I hope will benefit you and your career.
I still remember the day like it was yesterday, I was working hard on launching the 12th country for Islacom. It was 10AM and the Islacom Executive Managers Meeting had convened in the boardroom. The head of the mobile division was discussing progress with Deutche Telecom headed by Mr. Ike Haase, the senior man handling all operational decisions for the German Delegation, and he had a reputation of being blunt and scary but very effective and efficient.
As the meeting progressed, I was invited to come in to talk about what was happening to International Roaming. When I came in, I was introduced by Mr. Garcia, the mobile division head and I began to brief the executives of the progress. Then it began, Mr. Haase started to interrupt me and question why we only had 11 roaming partners when it should already be more than that. The room was silent waiting for my answer. Calmly, I answered by explaining the technical processes that needed to be done (I had discussed this thoroughly with the engineering department many times so I really knew what I was talking about). To which he almost snarled at me and said “that is not technically correct” in an intimidating tone. Unfortunately for him, I do not scare easily, especially if I know that I am right. So I said in a very matter of fact way, “Sorry Mr. Haase, but what I am saying is correct, and this is the reality of the situation.” The tension in the air was so thick that you could hardly breathe and while my eyes were fixed squarely on Mr. Haase, I could feel, Mr. Garcia, the head of the mobile group staring at me in disbelief and even a bit scared for me and what was to become of this stand off. Then after a couple of seconds of silence, which seemed like an eternity, Mr. Haase’s Colleague Mr. Curry chimed in and said: “Mark is right, this is indeed the procedure that must be carried out.” With that, Mr. Haase took another pause and looked at Mr. Curry, then to Mr. Garcia, then back to me and said. “That will be all Mark.”
I excused myself properly, and before leaving looked again at Mr. Garcia, this time he was smiling like a proud parent and gave me the slightest of nods. It was him after all that assigned me to International Roaming in the first place. As I closed the door behind me, I felt my legs turn to jello and I paused for a moment to catch my breath, I didn’t realize that I wasn’t breathing the entire time.
The meeting ended around 12:30PM. I was at my desk at the time working, when I looked up from my cubicle, I saw Mr. Haase with his ever serious demeanor standing in front of me then he started to speak, this time in a warmer and friendlier way. He said: “Mark I apologize if I was a bit stern with you in the meeting a while ago. I am here right now because you have proven to me that you are on top of things and not a lot of people have shown that to me. From now on, if you have any problem whatsoever, you can call me at this number.” After which he gave me his personal calling card. Shook my hand and left for another meeting.
I couldn’t help but smile, because I had gained the respect of one of the most influential people in Islacom. I did not realize it back then, but at that point, I had gained political power.
A few days later, I was called to Mr. Garcia’s office where he sat me down, smiled and said that he was right about me, he didn’t just see a hardworking and diligent employee, he saw someone who wanted to get somewhere and to prove himself. He then asked me if my manager had talked to me yet, I said no, not yet. He said, “Well Mark, that’s okay, I wanted to give you the news personally anyway. Starting the first of May, you will be officially promoted as Islacom’s Business Development Head for International Roaming, congratulations and keep up the great work.
In summary, The 3 rings of power are all inter connected to one another. Technical Power gets you respect, Personal Power gets you results, and Political power gets you recognition and influence. Once you gain all three rings of power, I guarantee, you will get to where you want to go faster.
Good luck with your career. See you at the top.
Until the next article, good luck, and God bless.
Author Box:
Mark So is a fervent businessman, Investor and educator. He is the Chairman and CEO of Businessmaker Academy—a business, finance and corporate training center. He is the founder and Chief Forex Trainer of Forex Club Asia, A Trading club of Forex Traders across Asia. He is also the Co-Founder of HR Club Philippines, a network of professional HR practitioners in the Philippines. Mark, together with his loving wife also created wealthflowproject.com a website
My Top 10 Life Advice For My Beautiful Children
To my beautiful Children, Kate and Ryan, live your life without regrets and happily fulfilled. If I could only give you 10 Life Advices, these are what I want you both to remember:
-
Learn Through Observation
Be observant of how the world truly works. Listen to what people are teaching you, but more importantly observe what they do. Most of the time they are very different. If you really want to learn from the people you admire, observe their actions, more than their words.
-
Be A Fan of Life
Life is your 3rd Parent.
From the moment you were born, your parents will protect you, shelter you, and love you, but you must also learn from Life itself. Life is your third parent, learn from life as do your parents.
Life will not shelter you, it will give you pain (from time to time), as your parents do when they scold you or disappoint you. But do not think for one second that it is to put you down. Life’s parenting style is all about “Tough love” because that is ultimately how you learn, and how you grow.
Embrace what life brings and you, solve the problems it provides with the end goal of being a better person for it. In time, you will be happier, more successful, and more content.
-
Be Good, and Goodness Will Surround You…
You are inherently good. You were created in God’s very own image.
While I believe that with all my heart I also believe that people have a choice to remain good or turn to evil.
Choose to remain good and you will be protected if not from the evils of this world, you will be protected from the evils of eternal life after death.
However while you are still alive, as long as you act for the betterment of others, goodness will always surround you. Remember, everything is a choice from how you deal with people and the situations that are given to you. No matter the circumstances, choose to be inherently good and goodness will always surround you.
-
…But Don’t Be A Fool!
Martyrdom is overrated. Never confuse “Goodness / Kindness” with “Weakness”. There will be people who will try to abuse you or think that you are a weakling. Protect yourself from these people.
Be kind, but be strong. Be good, but be assertive, not just for your own sake but for the sake of everyone else that you love. You have the power to stop the foolishness when it reaches your doorstep, and the ones you love.
-
Learn From Mentors
Your first mentors are and will always be your parents. You have to always respect and love them –NO MATTER WHAT.
Learn from them. Learn from their mistakes together with their successes. However, parents also know, even if they don’t say it to you, they cannot teach you everything.
When the time comes, be brave enough to continue learning by observing the actions of the people you admire most outside of your parents. As a parent, we will give you our permission, in fact, we require you to do so, but with one condition, you must remember the first 4 advices above with NO Exceptions.
-
Apply What You Have Learned / Observed Immediately
We all have a limited time in this world. Don’t waste it.
Time will never wait for anyone to succeed. While I am not expecting you to become a success overnight, I do expect you to apply what you have learned immediately, because if you keep putting it off, you will delay your learning, failing and succeeding.
I want you to avoid waking up one day and realizing that life has passed you by and have nothing to show for it. When that happens, it is over, and there is no more re-winding. There is no better time than the present. Just do it.
-
Give Back
You can only claim yourself to be successful if you can also help others to succeed. Give back not just in terms of money, but give back by using your talents to help others succeed.
You matter to the people who need you the most. Be generous with your talents and your success will grow as time marches on.
-
Always work with an End-Goal in Mind
Always work with an end goal in mind. If you want to be rich then be rich, if you want to be happy, then be happy, if you want to be something else then go for it.
There is no limit to what you can become. You are limitless.
If you don’t know what you really want in life yet, spend some time experimenting, and re-experimenting, until you figure it out. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, what matters is that you will not stop until you figure it out.
Once you are clear on that, spend the rest of your life trying to achieve it.
-
You Can Never Fail If You Never Quit
You were born with “Free Will”. The operative word here is “Will”. Everybody can make choices but only a select few have the conviction to stay with the choices they make. As long as you believe in what you are doing, endure the pain and stick to the plan.
You can do it. Remember, you can never fail, if you never quit.
-
Be Successful
I believe in you, and even if the world doesn’t, believe in yourself as that is where all good things start. You were born for greatness, but more importantly, you were born to spread “goodness” now go out and make me, your mom, and the whole world proud!
Until the next article, good luck, and God bless.
Author Box:
Mark So is a fervent businessman, Investor and educator. He is the Chairman and CEO of Businessmaker Academy—a business, finance and corporate training center. He is the founder and Chief Forex Trainer of Forex Club Asia, A Trading club of Forex Traders across Asia. He is also the Co-Founder of HR Club Philippines, a network of professional HR practitioners in the Philippines. Mark, together with his loving wife also created wealthflowproject.com a website dedicated to teaching people how to make money run after you. A sought after speaker for business, marketing, currency trading and investing, You may email your comments and questions to: markso@wealthflowproject.com or call the office at 6874445 / 6873416 / 6874645 for a schedule of his seminars
I Believe In You! Hang In There!
I Just Want You to Know, In Case You Haven’t Heard It In a While…
…That I believe in you. Your life is not a failure even though at times you feel like it, your life has a purpose, all you have to do is believe in yourself too and hang in there.
I believe that everyone has a purpose in this world and I’m one of the few who has been blessed with knowing what my purpose is. In my seminars I always tell my audience that there are only three things I love in this world. The first is my wife and kids and the extraordinary relationship I have with them, the second is generating Wealth, and the third is teaching people how to have better, wealthier lives. The first 2 are my collective inspiration for doing what I do, the third is my purpose in life – to inspire, teach, and help those who really want to help themselves.
But knowing what your purpose is does not necessarily translate to achieving it and rarely does it provide you with money and victory at the beginning. This is because life will test your resolve. Life will throw you obstacles and problems that you never thought of. You will be discouraged by people that you love, even betrayed at times. You will feel frustrated and ignored by the people that you set out to help, you feel that life is hard and are inches away from giving in and giving up.
No Matter What Happens, Don’t give in, don’t give up.
Because when life seems to want you to turn around, it is actually a signal for you to keep going. When things get tough, it is the most critical sign that you are doing exactly what you are supposed to be doing.
Life’s purpose is not to make you fail, life’s purpose is to make you succeed. (Even though it does not seem that way). Life is a great teacher, the obstacles are how it teaches you to be better. In other words”The larger the obstacle you overcome, the larger the success you become”.
That is life’s purpose. So live your life and live it well.
You Can Never Fail If You Never Quit
There always comes a point in your life, many times in fact when your world seems to fall apart. Perhaps it is about money, perhaps something more personal. It becomes unbearable and physically hard to breathe. You don’t want to get out of bed anymore and if you could, just stay in bed for the rest of your life.
I know, I’ve experienced that many, many times myself.
Know That You Are Strong Enough and You Can Do It
The turning point of your life is when you decide that you are NOT going to quit the fight. That you will do what MUST be done and NEVER take the easy way out. I want to let you know right now that you are strong enough to do it, and you will be able to.
It was exactly like a dramatic movie scene where the room was dark and only the faint moonlight was peeking in, and in the corner of that room was me sitting, crying, and feeling the world falling apart. I couldn’t even think straight, I was close to a million pesos in debt at a time when that was a LOT of money. Why and how did I get into this mess in the first place?
It was very, very tempting to just give in, to just give up.
Now I rarely find myself wallowing in self-pity, it has never really been my style so after a full hour of drama, I made the most critical decision in my life.
I said to myself in a stern, scolding voice. “Get up, fix this and get it done. You have never been a loser,, don’t you dare start acting like one now” That night was the first turning point in my life which no one else could do for me, except me. So I got up, washed my face and started to feel better.
The first step is for you to first help yourself. Once you realize that, the rest will fall into place.
That was 14 years ago. And to this day I remember that night, perhaps for the rest of my life because although it didn’t feel like it (not even remotely) at the time, that was rock bottom for me. That was where I made my stand and now after all these years, I can confidently say with utmost certainty this phrase that I want you to remember for as long as you can: “You can never fail if you never quit”.
Believe In Yourself And You Will Prevail!
And so, my dear reader and at the risk of being repetitive, I just wanted you to know that I believe in you and whatever your struggles are, whatever your hardships are, no matter how much pain you are in. Believe in yourself and you will prevail. And you will!
Until the next article, good luck, and God bless.
Author Box:
Mark So is a fervent businessman, Investor and educator. He is the Chairman and CEO of Businessmaker Academy—a business, finance and corporate training center. He is the founder and Chief Forex Trainer of Forex Club Asia, A Trading club of Forex Traders across Asia. He is also the Co-Founder of HR Club Philippines, a network of professional HR practitioners in the Philippines. Mark, together with his loving wife also created wealthflowproject.com a website dedicated to teaching people how to make money run after you. A sought after speaker for business, marketing, currency trading and investing, You may email your comments and questions to: markso@wealthflowproject.com or call the office at 6874445 / 6873416 / 6874645 for a schedule of his seminars
Money Is Loyal Only To More Money but Wealth Is Loyal To People with Integrity
Do You Want Money Or Do You Want Wealth?
First of all, let’s define wealth. To me, wealth is not just about money or material riches. To me, being wealthy is having a wonderfully abundant life which means simultaneously having an abundant amount of money, health, solid relationships, and time.
Many people strive to just become rich but not wealthy. Many corporate executives have this as their life story: they have huge salaries, travel the world first class just to meet clients, wine and dine customers in 5 star restaurants and clubs, but have no time to spend with family, they eat or drink too much, lose their health, and end up miserably trapped in what they think is a “wealthy” lifestyle. I know because I used to be one of them. Also, many businessmen and successful investors have the same predicament. They get trapped with maintaining their money level and status in the hierarchy of the elite, sometimes losing sight of what making money and wealth is really about, a wonderfully abundant life.
Money Is Only Loyal To More Money
As a businessman, I deal with a lot of people. Customers, suppliers, partners, investors, etc. and through the years, you form alliances with the people you work with which you may start thinking of as “friends”, you share common goals, laughs, hurt, and believe that you are going in the same direction and can continue down this path forever.
Unfortunately, most alliances will only be temporary as common interests and goals are also only temporary. Sooner or later, the people you thought of as “friends” will have goals different than yours, sometimes it is you who will have a different goal than they. It is no one’s fault really as that is the nature of having “friends” born out of making money together.
What I have seen in my journey is that money will only be loyal to more money. What I mean is that in the pursuit of money, people will be willing to stab you in the back, be disloyal and betray you. Ambition and greed is what drives most people to succeed and if overdone, ruthlessness takes the place of kindness, loyalty and integrity.
Money without wealth is mean, and will not give a second thought to your feelings because that is the nature of all things material — destruction.
Wealth Is Loyal To People with Integrity
Wealth on the other hand is the substance to which money has meaning. It is what all people want but mistakenly identify as cash, and material things. That is farthest from what wealth truly is. To me, being wealthy is having a wonderfully abundant life which means simultaneously having an abundant amount of money, health, solid relationships, and time.
People who understand wealth are those who know the damage money alone can do to relationships and they know how to balance the pursuit of money or the sacrifice of it for the well-being of the other facets of wealth which are health, relationships and time.
People who are willing to sacrifice their relationships with you for the pursuit of money, are people who may have the capacity to make a lot of money, but that is all that they will have. At the end of the day, all the money that they make will not make up for the lack of health, lack of healthy relationships, and the lack of time.
People with integrity, on the other hand, who do what they promise, who will sacrifice the pursuit of money, for either health, loyal relationships or time, know the value of the “long term play”, they understand that life with only money leaves you lonely and that is not the real end goal. They know that the real end goal is which is to have a wonderfully abundant life.
To learn more about how to make wealth run after you, please sign up for the wealth plan on the right side of this page so I can send you all my past articles from the very beginning.
Until the next article, good luck, and God bless.
Author Box:
Mark So is a fervent businessman, Investor and educator. He is the Chairman and CEO of Businessmaker Academy—a business, finance and corporate training center. He is the founder and Chief Forex Trainer of Forex Club Asia, A Trading club of Forex Traders across Asia. He is also the Co-Founder of HR Club Philippines, a network of professional HR practitioners in the Philippines. Mark, together with his loving wife also created wealthflowproject.com a website dedicated to teaching people how to make money run after you. A sought after speaker for business, marketing, currency trading and investing, You may email your comments and questions to: markso@wealthflowproject.com or call the office at 6874445 / 6873416 / 6874645 for a schedule of his seminars
How to make money run after you (Part 23)
“The Wealthy Are Masters Of Wealth Attraction”
In the previous article, I talked about how the Wealthy are valuable in the eyes, hearts and minds of as many people as possible. If you have not read that article yet, or even the first 22 articles, I strongly recommend signing up for the “Wealth Plan” so I can email you my previous articles from the very start.
In this article, I want to go deeper in my talk about how the wealthy create value for themselves and the people around them which inevitably make them “Masters” of attracting wealth.
Everyone Has The Power of Attraction, But Not Everybody Attracts The Right Thing.
In my life, I have dealt with many kinds of people, and what I have noticed is that all people, without exception have the power of attraction. The question is, what do they attract?
Most people attract the wrong things in their life. Most people will attract misery and distractions because they attract people who bring them down. The wealthy on the other hand, have a “special kind” of attraction, they attract wealth and prosperity, because they attract people who bring them up.
A Simple “Test” Of Who You Attract
Do you have this as your normal day to day scenario?
(1) When someone calls you over the phone, or emails you or “bumps” into you in the grocery store (or wherever you may be), they almost always bring cheer, calm, serenity, peace and more often than not, they bring opportunities for you (and them) to become wealthier?
Or
(2) When someone reaches out to you (phone, email, bumps into you) they almost always bring sorrow, stress, anxiety, worry, fear and more often than not, they bring you down from a state of happiness, to a state of misery?
If it is the first, then you are on the right path to wealth, if it is the second, then you are having a lot of trouble achieving wealth in your life right now, or at the very least, downright miserable.
The good news is if you want to truly change this and have scenario (1) every day, you can.
In this article, I will explain how the wealthy manage their network, and will outline what you need to start doing now to eventually have the right attraction powers. This will not be an overnight fix, it will take time, but with effort, you will transform your life for the better.
How The Wealthy Manage Their Network And Attract Wealth
In my previous article, I mentioned and I quote:
“…the Wealthy do not discriminate who they network with, they are personable, charming, and very helpful to everyone around them…”
While I truly believe that, I want to emphasize today that the wealthy value some people more than others. And those they value more are those who bring cheer, calm, serenity, peace and more importantly, those who bring opportunities for them to become wealthier.
The rest of the people who bring them down, are managed, compartmentalized, and sometimes avoided entirely.
How Do You Know Who To Value More?
Everyone starts without the right discernment of the people they should value more and who to avoid. For me, it is very simple. I value those who help me create more wealth, while avoid those who don’t. Of course, easier said than done because there are those who will act like they are there to help you, but in the end are there to hurt you, intentionally or not.
So before you can objectively filter and manage your network properly, you will first need help, a solid and positive support system to know who in your network you should avoid, and who you should really keep and value.
The Wealthy Have A Solid and Positive Support System
What is a positive support system? It is a person, or group of persons who help you keep your life focused on what you want to achieve, and more importantly, why you want to achieve it. More importantly, your support system is usually more successful than you, and more experienced than you. A solid support system will help you filter the people in your network properly.
Without a positive support system, you will find it difficult to stay focused on what is right and what is wrong, life becomes fuzzy and unclear if the people who reach out to you are there to help you, or to hurt you.
In my case, my positive support system would be my wife and my family. Now, and this will pain some of you when you read this, not all spouses and family make the best positive support system in the beginning. I say this because not all spouses and family have the necessary experience nor success to really help you achieve more, sometimes, they don’t even realize that they are pulling you down rather than up.
If this is the case for you, then find another support system first that will help you achieve true wealth while continuing to educate, love and transform your spouse and family to become your solid and positive support system. To know if you have the right support system, this should be your guide:
Your “Support system”, whatever or whoever it may be, will give you the strength and clarity of mind and heart to decide who to say “NO” to and avoid like the plague and who to say “YES” to and value more in your network. If your support system does not give you that, keep looking until you find it.
Rebuild Your Network To Attract Wealth, Not Distractions.
Once you have your support system in place, rebuild your network. With enough time, and patience, the next time someone calls you over the phone, or emails you or “bumps” into you in the grocery store (or wherever you may be), they will bring you cheer, calm, serenity, peace and more often than not, opportunities for you (and them) to become wealthier!
Until the next article, good luck and God bless.
Author Box:
Mark So is a fervent businessman, Investor and educator. He is the Chairman and CEO of Businessmaker Academy—a business, finance and corporate training center. He is the founder and Chief Forex Trainer of Forex Club Asia, A Trading club of Forex Traders across Asia. He is also the Co-Founder of HR Club Philippines, a network of professional HR practitioners in the Philippines. Mark, together with his loving wife also created wealthflowproject.com a website dedicated to teaching people how to make money run after you. A sought after speaker for business, marketing, currency trading and investing, You may email your comments and questions to: markso@wealthflowproject.com or call the office at 6874445 / 6873416 / 6874645 for a schedule of his seminars
