Some people have been asking me to post some of my quotes in one place.  Here you go:

“The worst things in life are not those things that happen to you, but rather the things you never do. Excuse is the monster in Opportunity’s closet.”

“You get what you focus on, so focus on what you want.” (Not my quote, but everyone asks for this one)

“At the end of the day… guess what? You’re short one more day. Better get off your butt and do something that counts while you’ve got the chance!”

“Your obstacles to happiness, success and prosperity are simply projections of the limits you believe yourself to have. Powerfully shift your beliefs and the doorways of success will open for you, no key needed.”

“The only limits you have are those you’ve decided to believe. Learn to control your beliefs, or they will control you.”

“Intention + potential x action = change”

“(Intention + potential x action) x repetition = success”

“Now is not the time to worry about details, to fret about what-ifs or to learn that ‘just one more thing.’ Now is the time for action.”

“Nothing is more important right now than gaining total control over your emotions, your decisions, and your beliefs. Life after that will never be the same again.”

I’m sure there are more than that.  When I think of more, I’ll update the blog. 

People are so naturally drawn to music.

Think of a song that brings up deep feelings and ask yourself, why does it do that?

Is it the individual notes played one after another in sequence? Probably not.

Is it the rhythm or the baseline? That can get you grooving, but that’s probably not it.

Is it the words themselves? Maybe, but I think it goes beyond that.

It’s something about the words that makes them so special.

They’re so hypnotic.

I found a few of these lyrics from popular songs that come right out of the Erickson handbook for ambiguity, presuppositions and Milton Model patterns.

If you’re not familiar with what these patterns are, be sure to join my free webinar, “EXPOSED: Conversational Covert Hypnosis,” Wednesday, October 16th at 6:00 PM Pacific time. Click here to register for free to be in the webinar. Did I mention it’s FREE?

Hypnotic Language in Music

“Baby Come Back.  Any kind of fool could see. There was something, in everything about you.” (by Player: Ambiguity, universal quantifiers)

“Every breath you take. Every move you make. Every bond you break, every step you take, I’ll be watching you.” (by The Police: Universal quantifiers)

“I’ve got to admit it’s getting better (Better).  A little better all the time.” (by The Beatles: Modal operator, comparative deletion, universal quantifier)

“Always something there to remind me.  I was born to love her, and I will never be free. She’ll always be a part of me.”  (by Naked Eyes: Universal quantifiers, unspecified verb)

“Jeremiah was a bullfrog.  Was a good friend of mine.  I never understood a single word he said, but I helped him drink his wine. And he always had some mighty fine wine.” (by Three Dog Night: Selectional restriction violation, lost performative, universal quantifier, nominalization)

“There is nothing to see here people keep moving on. Slowly their necks turn and then they’re gone. No one cares when the show is done” (by She Wants Revenge: Universal quantifier, lack of referential index, presuppositional adverb)

“I’ve done everything as you say. I’ve followed your rules without question. I thought it would help me see things clearly.” (by Hoobistank: Universal quantifier, nominalization, unspecified noun, presuppositional adjective)

These are just a few examples.

As you listen to your favorite songs and drop down into that nice, light, music trance, maybe your unconscious mind will allow you to hear these patterns that seem occur in all music.

-Michael

When the topic of social networking comes up, I sometimes see people turn up their nose and say things like, “I would never use social networking sites, because I only like real connections.”

Part of me wants to ask, “Oh? So you don’t use telephones either? Or email? Or even hand-written letters??” None of those are “real” connections. But, they do have a point.

Too often, I see people confuse the “ends” and the “means” with social networking sites. Many people have, in some ways, become more disconnected the more connected they become.

Some people have asked me why I’m not “maxed out” on my friends after five years on facebook. Considering that I’ve spoken in front of thousands of people, and over 50,000 people have read my books, it should have hit 5,000 years ago, according to them.

The answer is, I’m selective. I currently have 55 friend recommendations and eight pending friend requests just from today. I will not accept any of them until I screen them to be sure I want to develop a relationship with them.

Connections on facebook are not relationships, just as an entry in your phone list is not a relationship. They are a tool. One possible mean to an end.

Many marketers tell me they don’t “waste their time” on social networks, because, “you can’t make money there.” That’s true for them because they put all their energy into selling, and not into cultivating relationships.

I have been slowly abandoning all other forms of advertising and marketing in favor of social media because, slowly but surely, it is becoming one of the most reliable and flexible means of creating relationships. And these days, people buy most from those they have a real relationship with.

Your number of connections, number of posts, edgerank and other silly metrics are not a definition of your true social relationships, and never will be.

Leverage the tool, but don’t rely on it to do the work for you. Spend some time developing real relationships — both online and off — by being interested in others, helping those who need it, and connecting and interacting with heart and you’ll find social networking helps to crete deep, meaningful relationships that can last a lifetime.

Please comment below on how you’re leveraging social networking in your life or business, and please share this with your friends using the buttons below.

Transformation begins not by waiting for the right circumstances, but by making commitments that create the right circumstances, right now.

We rarely have the money until we create a commitment to use it.

We never have the time, until we truly commit to doing that which we want.

Life does not reward the uncommitted. Until you commit, everything will stand in your way.

Having been a business owner and marketer for seventeen years, and training people to start their own businesses for over six years now, I’m often asked how to turn a business around fast to make money.

Entrepreneurs today think they’re are facing a difficult economy. “Nobody’s buying,” is a phrase I hear a lot these days.

My usually reply is, “Really? I hadn’t noticed.”

The fact is, if…

• You’re selling something of value
• and, your prospective clients have a need for it
• and, your price point is strategically positioned
• AND, you’re really speaking to your prospects

… then you’re more than likely to do well, regardless of the state of the economy.

The problem is simple.  If you’re not making money today, it’s likely that…

Your Marketing is Impotent.

It’s limp.  It doesn’t stand out.  It’s underwhelming.  (And no, it’s not because the water’s cold.)

If you want your marketing to work, it needs to really speak to people.

The problem is, most business owners who are masquerading as marketers today think their audience is “everyone.”  This is, in my opinion, one of the top five marketing mistakes that will bankrupt them quickly.

If your market is “everyone,” your chances of crafting a message that touches them all, speaks to them all, and moves them all to action is virtually nil.  Even people who would have a legitimate need for your product or service won’t be interested, because the copy won’t be compelling, even to them!

Niche marketing is not about being a big fish in a small pond, as some “marketing trainers” like to teach you.  It’s about targeting a group so well that you know them inside and out.  You know what they value, what they believe, what their interests are, where they congregate, what they read, and you know how to speak to them in ways that compel them.

It’s far more profitable to have 20% of a niche because you knew what to say to them, than 0% of everyone.

The fact is, unless you’re willing to make a real statement and stick by it – even if others complain – you’re not likely to connect with anyone.

“The risk of insult is the price of clarity.” -Roy H. Williams

One of my NLP graduates made a brilliant business card that said he specialized in helping you, “Have better sex, quit smoking, lose weight, blah, blah, blah.”  Everybody talked about it and it really stood out.

The problem is, a few people complained and said that it might be offensive.  So he changed it to “More intimacy, blah, blah, blah.”  Now, it’s just a business card.  It goes where they all do – to the big circular business card heaven under the desk - without even a second glance.

Did the title of this article or the statement of impotence offend you, disturb you, shock or intrigue you?  GOOD.  That’s because I’m talking to you.  If I had just churned out another blog article on “Niche Marketing for Everyone,” you would have hit the back button in three seconds.

Your task after reading this article (should you choose to accept it) is to find a market you resonate with, craft a message that is undeniably you, and then deliver it congruently.  Grab people by the ears and make them listen.

Then, stand by it.  Defend it rigorously.  Even if some people complain.  It’s the only way you’ll be noticed among all the other impotent noise.

Please share and comment below and let me know what your little blue marketing pill is.

Your sales results depend largely on your ability to build personal and emotional value for your soon-to-be prospects.

I have bought countless products on the emotional, and very few of my purchases in life have been based wholly on logic.  I think if you’re being honest, you’ll probably say the same.

The following are questions that will build that value, IF you allow the client to fully associate and answer. These will build strong motivation, both toward what they want and away from what they don’t want (both types of motivation are needed in sales!), compelling the client to want, desire and ultimately purchase your offering.

All of these questions should be asked from a place of rapport. Without rapport, the sales process is mechanical and unemotional.

I’m using a weight-loss program as the example, but these questions can be applied to any product or service.  This is not  a “script,” but rather a collection of questions to have in your tool-belt.  Practice them until they become second nature.

• What made you think about finally getting a handle on your weight issue?
• How long have you had a problem with your weight?
• How have you suffered because of it?
• What have you lost or never had because of this?
• If you had the opportunity to wave a magic wand and have things be exactly the way you want them, what would it be like? Describe that to me.
• Who is that person who thinks you have no hope of accomplishing this? What will it feel like when you prove them wrong?
• What will people be saying about you when you’ve accomplished this? What will they be thinking?  How will that make you feel?
• So, it’s fair to say that this is important for you to lose this weight, isn’t it?  Why?
• What will you FINALLY be able to do once the weight is gone?  How will that change your life?
• What are the top five reasons you know that you’re worth this and you deserve it?
• What will it mean about you to finally have this taken care of?

These are all just examples, but I know you can see the theme.  These are open-ended questions that associate the client to their OWN personal motivations and values.  Most sales-people  mind read that the client has the same vales as they do, and talk, talk, talk.  The key to sales is to SHUT UP.  Let the client sell themself.

Do not allow the client to respond with surface answers.  If they’re not digging deep, help them dig:

• Tell me more about that…
• Why’s that?
• What does that mean to you?
• What will that do for you?

If you put these value building questions into action in your sales encounters,  my opinion is that you’ll see immediate results that will grow, the better you get at building value.

If this has been useful for you, I want you to know that this only 1% of sales.  It’s an important 1%, but still just a piece of the puzzle.

If you want more than I can share in this short note, my online NLP sales course, Ice Cubes to Eskimos: Mastering the NLP Sales Process is your next destination.  In that NLP home study sales course, I teach you how to dig deep into your clients’ values to dramatically increase your sales ability, how to obliterate objections, how to overcome obstacles,  and how to close like a pro.  One seasoned sales pro recently told me it’s the most important sales training he has ever taken.

If you think you’ll just “feel your way through it,” and, “figure it out along the way,” I want you to know that it has taken me 19 years to get as good as I am at sales.  If you knew you can compress that 19 years of losses, struggles, lessons, wins, and successes into just five hours, you’d be [CENSORED] crazy to pass that up.  This is the solution you’ve been looking for.

Visit Ice Cubes to Eskimos: Mastering the NLP Sales Process to learn more, listen to the sample, and enroll for INSTANT access.

Jessica Alba, actress of the Fantastic 4, has some advice for mothers-to-be.

The actress, now 30 and in her second pregnancy, recommends that expectant mothers turn to hypnosis to help them have a smooth, enjoyable pregnancy.

Hypnobirthing has been done for the last 150+ years, in one form or another.  And these days, you can easily find hypnobirthing practitioners an hypnobirthing classes in your area.

However, why only learn tiny tidbits that only apply to pregnancy?  Hypnosis is a powerful tool that allows your conscious (thinking) mind and your subconscious (feeling) mind to be aligned.

Hypnosis can be used for everything from hypnosis for weight loss, to improving memory, and from sales mastery to learning how to influence and persuade people with conversational hypnosis.

Perhaps the best way to start is to get my best-selling book, Learn Hypnosis… Now!.  It is by far the easiest way to learn to do hypnosis for yourself and for others, and you can get it at www.learnhypnosisnow.com.  Or, check 0ut my video home study course, Learn Hypnosis… At Home!.

Facebook has grounded me again. I’m locked in my profile room and not allowed to play with friends for four days. Because they are increasingly becoming hostile as my friend list grows, I’ve decided it’s time to play by the rules.

I’ve started my Michael Stevenson, Speaker and Coach page on facebook. This is where all of my inspirational posts, advice, tips, tricks, announcements and videos will be. My old Michael Stevenson personal profile will no longer have those things.

I want to stay connected with you and continue to provide you immense value, which I will do on my new fan page.

For the next week, I’m giving two fans each day a pair of tickets to my upcoming event, The Power to Create Your Life… Now! in Long Beach, London or Melbourne (or any other city we bring it to).

All you have to do to qualify is visit www.facebook.com/MichaelStevensonNLP and click the Like button.

Want to get in on the transformation? Visit Transform Destiny.

One day, a man decides that he wants to be wealthy, important, successful.

So he goes down to the river and decides he’s going to dig for treasure. He’s looking for buried cash.

He digs and digs for hours on end, but finds nothing but rocks.

He digs through the morning and beyond lunch, completely forgetting to eat. He digs through the afternoon and into the evening, frustrated that all he keeps finding are rocks, and tossing them aside.

He finally retires for the night, dejected and worn out and feeling like a failure.

The next day, he’s out making holes again.

He keeps at it for days. No treasure chests, no mason jars, no cash.

One day, a guy drives up in a brand new Porche and parks just a few yards away.

With a sidelong glance, the digging man thinks he’s obviously privileged, driving a car like that.

While the man digs, the rich man waits and watches.

The digging man works through lunch, while the rich man snoozes.

With each push of the shovel, the digging man’s disdain grows. He wonders why he’s working all day, with nothing to show for it, while the rich man relaxes in his air-conditioned Porche. It doesn’t seem fair.

He finally storms over to the man’s car and yells, “How come you’ve got so much money?! I deserve to have a nice home, and a great family, and a nice car. I deserve to have opportunities like you! I deserve a Porche, DAMNIT! It’s not fair!!!”

To which the rich man replies, “It’s easy brother. Those rocks you’ve been shoveling are gold and you’re re leaving PILES of it on the river bank, each and every day. All you’ve got to do is take it!”

How many opportunities are you missing in life?

How many great ideas or passions have you passed up thinking, “That’s not for me,” or, “Now’s not the right time,” while someone else comes and snatches it up, effortlessly?

How many times have you looked at others and thought, “Why is it so easy for them? Why don’t I have those kinds of opportunities?”

Your whole life you’ve been digging up piles of gold. Everything you have done, heard, seen and learned are the experiences that have made YOU the treasure you are, right now.

YOU are the gold.

It’s time to cash in on you.

Visit my fan page and press the like button to get a “pile of gold” each day that will help you find the wealth that is buried within you.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Michael-Stevenson/218538871489664