How To Make Progress Faster – In ANYTHING – Part 1

I’ve just completed an amazing four days in Atlanta, Georgia with (at a guess) about a thousand business people, all studying the marketing methods of Dan Kennedy and Bill Glazer. The head is full, the notepad is full, and I’m fizzing with excitement. (If you know me well you might be thinking ‘what’s new?’ Yeah, I know I’m an enthusiast – and I’m not apologizing for it!)

The whole experience reminded me all over again how much faster we can progress, in whatever area we’re interested in, when we get around people more successful than ourselves. Since my very first visit to the US in 2000 to attend a National Speakers Association convention, I’ve always found that my business jumps to another level when I can hang out with people who know more. It’s not just about the skills you learn. More importantly, I think it’s about the mindset. By association, our vision lifts.

In the daily round of life and business we’re head down, tail up just doing our normal shtick. So, if you want better results in some area of interest, don’t try and do it on your own. Find a gathering or community of people, either on or offline, who are experts in that area.

Just one example were the two guys who won Info-Marketer of the Year, coached by Aussie master coach Mal Emery. Australian engine reconditioners Mark Selbst and Carl Smith went from disaster to a 91% increase in sales in 2 years, after government enforced regulations decimated their industry and they were just about out the back door.

Some interesting angles about their win are:

1. they did it against many very experienced American marketers in an American-run competition
2. most of the others were marketers of some kind.

Mark and Carl, on the other hand, had a regular bricks and mortar business – they proved that

a) any kind of business will flourish with the right marketing techniques and

b) location is unimportant.

It doesn’t matter where we live, what we knew at the start or the dollars in our bank. Instead, it’s the gumption to give things a go, to think laterally, to get the right advice, be prepared to work very hard and – to hold to your vision of possibility. They inspired us all. If someone else with greater hardships than you can become successful, why not you?