Remember we're producing two editions of Dream Leader Direct:  Executive / Professional Development and Business Development.  Make sure you get the editions you want. Subscribe here.

 Leadership without Limits will hit the bookstands in November.     Click here to pre-order and save!!

• closes more easily
• closes faster and
• is more profitable!

You've probably found the same thing.  But how good are you at generating  referrals on an on-going basis?

I find a lot of people are afraid to ask. Heck, I used to be that way too until I learned the secrets to how to ask in a way that felt good to me and safe for the people I was asking to help me.  It's easy to to once you know how. 

This program is not ready just yet so stay tuned for future announcements later this week.

Why don't people plan?

• They think they're too busy (putting out fires usually)
• They don't think it really matters
• They like to keep their options open
• They are afraid they won't accomplish their goals
• They are afraid they will accomplish their goals and might somehow jeopardize a relationship they value

Just last Friday, I spent the entire day reviewing my last year and my financial results (my best year ever!).  I used my Strategic Planning Toolkit to help me through that process.  I've done this every year for at least 4 years and always feel clear, focused and refreshed when I'm done.

• I revisited & celebrated all that I accomplished (Whew! It was a lot)
• I assessed what I had learned during the year
• I started dreaming about what I wanted to create for next year. 
• I confirmed my target markets (business owners, sales professionals, HR executives and other corporate executives.)
• I asked myself what I'd been hearing from each of them in terms of issues they had been struggling with that I could help with.  (Some issues were amazingly similar; others, quite different). 

Then I...

• Set (and wrote down) goals for 2009
• Mapped out projects that would lead to the accomplishment of those goals
• Assessed what I already had in place that would support reaching my goals
• Wrote down what was missing that was needed in order to progress
• Prioritized, scheduled and 'calendar-ized' the projects
• Started working on (and actually completed a couple) this week.

I've put my plans in a tiny notebook that fits in my purse.  I'll be able to jot down (and find!) great ideas whenever they come to me.  I will review and update my goals and progress to them constantly.

And I'm looking forward to another banner year.  So, don't plan to fail by default because you didn't make the time to plan.  Put planning in your important basket and create a brighter future for yourself.

4.

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed."  

It's that time of year.  Time to harvest the lessons from 2008 and create a plan for 2009.  This is the tool I used last week to set my sights on bigger dreams and higher revenue.  

SET YOUR SIGHTS HIGHER

Leadership that Transforms People & Delivers Profits and Harvesting and Valuing the Wisdom of Diversity, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, Annual Conference, Pre-conference workshops. November 15- 19, San Antonio TX WWW.IFEBP.ORG.

I Want More Clients, Mujeres Latinas De Exito (MLDE),  Thursday, November 20, 11:30 am.  E-mail Ana or visit www.mlde.org for more information.

Leadership without Limits: Inspiring the Best in Yourself, Your People and Your Organization, The Awakening Conference: A Voice for Change, May 15- 17, 2009.  Call 602.347.7799 or visit: TheAwakeningConference.com to register.