Moving On Up...With a Different Approach - Part 2: The Most Challenging Part of Being a Consultant.

In business we don’t often get the chance to know at a deeper level the people we’re doing business with. So, we have to use our intellect, our experience and maybe our intuition to see if someone is right for us. If we feel that an idea they have is good – what about them? How do we know if they’re the kind of people we would like to be involved with?

With my business and self-help experience, some people might assume a few things about me, such as…I must have my act together. Or, because I seem to have a lot of good ideas or ways to deal with certain situations, then I must be…Better off than most, somehow.

While the part about having some good ideas is true, on the inside (where I am) I’m the same as everyone else. What do I mean? With all of my experience and knowledge about how to improve situations at work or at home, I must be immune to the negative situations or emotions that most of us face, right?

Believe it or not, this is sometimes how people involved in the “helping fields" are viewed from the outside. So, as an unknown consultant with a very big idea, I’d like to take a moment to clear up a few of those myths. Not only will this make others feel a little more relaxed, but in the process, you’ll get to know me much better, as well.

There are only two reasons why I got into the self-help or consulting field. First, because I wanted to know what to do to become as happy and successful as possible in life. Why? Because I didn’t know much about how to accomplish those goals. So, my long search for answers that would help were personally driven. At the age of 18, I felt depressed and I didn’t have a direction. Eventually, I found myself at a local bookstore looking for answers on why I felt this way, and what to do about it. And, I’ve been learning more about it ever since. That was 32 years ago. When you find relief with something that makes you feel good, it’s hard to say no to what that does for how you feel. And, that’s why I’m still at it. To increase my enjoyment of life even more and to help others do the same. Since then, I’ve branched out into how some of these principles can be applied to business to produce the same lasting results.

The second reason is to help others achieve a happier place. Why? Because in my experience, there are still many people who sadly, aren’t looking for answers on how to be happier or more successful. And, since I know how that “feels,” I wanted to do something about it to help others turn those negative feelings or situations around. When you understand how you feel from a first person perspective – either happy or sad, that’s exactly how others feel, too. It doesn’t matter what the situation is. The feelings we’re left with either way are still the same for everyone. Something that hurts – hurts, and something that’s helpful – feels good!

So, as a consultant, my most difficult challenges are not coming up with positive ideas that lead to growth. In my experience, those things come a little easier for me. Not because of how "smart" I am, but simply because I understand how others feel, and because I’ve been at it for so long! And, it’s the same in business, too.

Some people who don’t have experience with consultants are hesitant to be involved with them. Not because we’re actually better or because we might know something, but because of judgement. A person who’s never sat down with a consultant might be worried about what the consultant thinks – about them, or their approach. Coming directly from the healthcare field, I’ve seen this happen to many people going to the doctors for help. It’s not that they don’t need the help, it's just that they’re worried about what they might say – or think.

For me, my consulting approach is quite different. My approach says that no matter how successful we are, there are still areas we would all like to reach. To understand the scope of what we might discover, my ideas are cross-referenced to see if they work outside of the workplace. Meaning, my ideas have to be put through the rigors of seeing how they work – emotionally, physically, mentally, socially and financially. If an idea holds up in all of these areas long-term, I keep developing them. If an idea I have has a weakness in a certain area, I either fine-tune it or start over. So, inspiration or the excitement about an idea that works is only the beginning...

Why do I take such a wide approach?

In working for over 60 companies, I have a lot of different scenarios to cross-reference. And, because my ideas – are literally – all I have to work with. If an idea doesn’t last long-term, doesn’t produce a growth in numbers, or if it’s too hard to understand or implement…It’s game over.

So, my approach isn’t about trying to be the smartest person in the room, or someone who knows exactly what to do at every turn. In fact, I won’t try to “sell” you my idea, at all. I’ve already seen that my idea touches every person and major part of your business long-term, and it continues to produce a growth in numbers for the businesses who meet the very simple criteria. So, I'm just giving you the facts of what's here so far. As of 2011, my sales formula idea went from one particular business, with an increase of only 5-12 million dollars per year (if implemented) to a 15-20 billion dollar idea in ten years’ time. How? In that time period, I've discovered that just about a 1/3 of all businesses in the US alone, could use this very simple formula to grow profits, improve logistics and to strengthen their customer and employee relationships; which we know, works to grow sales even more.

Hopefully, by the end of this article, you’ve learned a few important things about me. That I’m just like you...I have my ups and downs and my share of wins and losses everyday, but I still feel the same as everyone else. What’s helpful for us – simply feels good to me. And, what hurts us – ends up feeling the opposite way. In the end, I know what moves us between these two places both emotionally and financially.

I’ve been lucky enough (or by choice) to have my eyes, heart and mind open to want to help. And, from that caring place – a simple idea, worth billions to others was born. And from there, many more ideas can also be produced in your business, as well.

Underneath of my ideas for growth, I desire to feel as good as possible about what I’m doing, and I know everyone else desires the same thing. I just happen to have a few ideas on how to do this easily in life and in business, for all those who are open to it.

So, there you have it. I’m a simple guy with quite a bit of experience who understands from 360 degrees why my sales formula idea works, and how it will help you. To show you briefly why the idea works, let's take a quick look at our business circle...

When we extend something positive to our employees – this is a very large part of what they are giving directly to our customers. This is the energy and enthusiasm they have to share, as well as a great product. When a customer is happy about how they feel and what they’ve received, they’ll want to come back for more – of that feeling. And, since here, our employees are seeing firsthand the positive results of what they’re doing – they’ll want to keep that up, too! Why? Because it feels extremely satisfying to know – that what you’re doing is working. That's why anyone wants to continue to do a great job, regardless of their role. Those feelings are underneath of everything else that's on the surface. The idea is built right into our own biology. Our feelings are nothing more than a feedback loop that let's us know – exactly how we’re doing. And, that internal loop, fits right into the wheel of any business model.

Our positive emotions, our financial success and the ease of both put together – builds a very strong current of momentum that keeps your business moving forward – without very much effort. From here, both you and your shareholders will benefit, which will naturally make you – want to keep it up, as well! So, that's how success happens – from everyone’s perspective. When we have what we need to do a job well done – our financial outcome isn’t really in question, at all. So, my formula helps to successfully move this entire process along, while growing more profits at the same time.

By passing onto your employees something that benefits them (in my case without cost), the positive results of that keep moving through every customer, and every major part of your operations – which produces a greater gain for you. That’s the complete circle of what’s present in any business that's working. My idea, like a swing, gives you a very much needed, positive push forward. It’s really that simple. And, the numbers back-up the philosophy. Like anything good, these two simple ingredients – our emotions and our finances are working together everywhere in our business – for growth. So, now that you understand more about why my formula works, let's take it back to where I am...

For me, as a consultant, if there is anything that I need to come to terms with, it’s this…

An idea – as good as it is, will only work its magic – if someone is open to hearing about it, and wants to put that into place. Anyone can learn how to write fancy sounding copy, and that’s actually what’s “in” right now. How to “sell” an idea. Not the quality of the idea, but just how well it’s presented. To me that’s only half the story; and not the most important part of it. How does the idea work for your business – without the tinsel, for everyone involved long-term and will it keep on working?

I’ve had ten years to explore any downsides to a single, simple idea I have, and I haven’t found any yet. So, that’s how I know it works. If the idea was just a fluke, it wouldn’t work anywhere else, and the numbers wouldn’t keep moving up. So, you can follow someone else’s “idea” of what a current trend is, or you can start a very simple one of your own that works…And, have others – follow you. These are the only two options we have to choose from for growth. And, sometimes we can even do both.

As a business consultant and a life / relationships coach, I can only bring a great idea to the table. In a world filled with people who would love to be happier and more successful, it's very natural to want to see others succeed in a way that makes them happy. I have many different ways of getting there, but people and businesses have to choose that option before the ideas can actually start going to work for them. And, knowing that's as far as it goes sometimes is the most challenging part of being a consultant.

So, I hope this article has helped to clear up any misconceptions about me, what it's like to be a consultant, or any ideas that will move your business up to even greater heights. If an idea works, it will only work – when it's put into place. Sometimes a different approach to looking at our ideas can be helpful, so that we can get started. And that's when we can start becoming happier about the positive choices we’ve made happen – together. In the end, that’s what any great ideas will do for you, and everyone involved with your business. So, if a great opportunity is there for you right now, regardless of who's idea it is, as long as it works for you – take it! That’s exactly why it’s there for you. You wanted to move up to an even better place, right? We can read all day long to try to convince ourselves about doing something positive, just like I did so many years ago. But we can save a lot of time and energy by putting stock in a very simple idea, instead. And it goes a little something like this...

If something is good and it works, there’s no time like the present to move into that, so we can start benefitting from it.

Believe it or not, it's taken 32 years of examining so many different angles and approaches to life and business to fully understand this very simple point. But, in the end, it's about the best anyone can do, as far as trying to convince you to make a move on up...What we do about any good ideas, once we know they work – is entirely up to us!