How Do You Measure Success?

I had an interesting “a-ha” moment this week. In order to achieve a specific goal, a crucial beginning step is to have clarity on your outcome, right?  For me, I have been working on a program that I plan to offer in January.  I have a specific goal in mind as to how many people I want to “show up” for my next program.  It’s an aggressive goal, but if we don’t aim high, we will never grow.

In all honesty, there’s a piece of me that’s terrified. Of what, you might ask?  I am terrified that:

• No one will show up
• For those that do show up, what they will think of me
• What I have to teach will not be of good value and they will criticize it
• I will omit important material
• The organization of my program will be messy and people will complain

We all have these kind of fears when we are about to step up to the plate. My “a-ha” came to me as I finished my run.  I heard a whisper in my head saying “Don’t measure your success by the number, but rather what you give.” In that moment, I actually got it.  I have been so focused on getting a certain number of people to register for my program in January, that I have lost focus on what I will be giving them, and how it will help them grow…in their business and in their lives.

The thing is, in every personal growth book I have read, or CD to which I have listened, they teach you to pick a number and focus on it, because when you do, you have clarity…and clarity is power. But the realization I had yesterday was that YES, I need to pick a number and focus on it.  However, I should NOT measure my success against this number.  It’s like you have to pick a number and focus on it to give the universe clarity around what you want…but then, you have to let go of it a little and instead focus your energy on what you will give and measure your success by how much you did give.

The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. When you measure your success by a results based number, you give your power away.  In all reality, I have no control over what people will or will not do…including signing up for my program.  But when I measure my success by the number of people that sign up, I am giving my power to something external, outside of me and my control.  No wonder why that feels so scary!  What I CAN control is what I give to them, and that’s how I should be measuring my success.  And to back up a little, I can also measure my value by what I have to give.  How do I know what I have to give?  A whole lot of personal growth and discovery.

It made me think of the Law of Circulation. We are all aware of the Law of Gravity – that if I jump out of a 2nd story window, I will fall down, not up, nor will I float.  Well, there are lots of other laws that govern our life on this earth and one of them is the Law of Circulation, which is simply that you get what you give.  You may have heard of karma.  Karma is just another way of stating the Law of Circulation.  In fact, you get way more than you give.  But the circuit starts with giving.  So, if you want to get (like I want to get my number), I have to start with the giving side.

Your assignment today is to identify one or two things that you have to give and then give it to people all day long. It could be something as simple as a smile or a sense of humor.  Or it could be a little more intellectual like a great tip on a secret restaurant for a client traveling to Italy.  Change your focus on what you have to give, not what you can get, and go give it.  Do this on a daily basis and you will see significant changes in your life.

Tired of Price Shoppers?

How frustrating is it when a prospective traveler phones, asking you to quote on a cruise, and you spend half your day researching their request, get back to him with great options, and he goes and books his cruise online?

If this happens to you, I have one very simple reply.  You are fishing with the wrong bait. In other words, your marketing message is attracting the wrong type of client.  My advice to you is enhance your marketing message so that you are promoting YOU, not just the products you sell.

Your ideal clients don’t buy products, they buy solutions – and that’s the huge value you provide. There are lots of tire kickers, bargain hunters, and “do-it-yourself” vacation planners out there.  They happily take all the free information they can get.  When you only market the vacation product, which is what you do when you promote cruises, tours or vacation specials, you attract price shoppers.  In fishing terms, the bait is wrong, because it’s appealing to the wrong types of fish.  These are NOT your ideal clients, because they will never value your services.  Stop trying to convert them.

All you have to do is change your bait. Create a marketing message that appeals to travelers that already value the services of a professional and willingly pay for them.  Get clear on the solutions you provide, not just the products you sell.  Everybody is tuned into WIIFM – What’s In It For Me?  Show your prospective clients what’s in it for them when they work with you.

A great place to start is by focusing on common motivators. According to Jim Edwards and David Garfinkel in their book “Ebook Secrets Exposed” www.ebooksecrets.com, the most powerful motivators are (in order):

1. Make Money
2. Save Money
3. Save Time
4. Avoid Effort
5. Get More Comfort
6. Achieve Greater Cleanliness
7. Attain Fuller Health
8. Escape Physical Pain
9. Gain Praise
10. Be Popular

Not every one of these motivators fits your travel business, but I am certain you can choose at least 4 that do. Decide which motivators fit your business – then craft specific examples of how this has already happened with past clients.  Weave these messages throughout your marketing.  When you market yourself, the solutions you provide and the experiences you create, you will attract your ideal client.  People silently want to be lead.  When you show them the way to the memorable, life changing vacation that you can create, your ideal client will seek you out and willingly pay for your services.

Now this does not mean you should stop promoting vacation products, by any means! In fact, I urge you to use all the fantastic marketing materials provided by travel vendors.  All it means is that your marketing message is missing a very important piece – YOU.