Life Is Like a Box Of Chocolates...

May your firelight burn bright
And your holidays be sweet.
May your soul be well fed
And your romance have heat.

May your coffers be filled
And your burdens be few.
May happiness arrive
With morning's first dew.

May sleep come with ease
And last all night long.
May health rule your world
With laughter and song.

This and much more
Do I wish for you
And may it continue
The whole next year too.

-Kelle Sparta

My friend, Lisa Campion, recently wrote a blog post (which you should TOTALLY READ AND SHARE WITH EVERYONE YOU KNOW) about recovering her Christmas spirit in challenging financial times that got me to thinking.

There was a time back when I worked at RE/MAX Realty Group in Gales Ferry, CT when the office would adopt a family from the local battered women's shelter.  Each agent would pick a family member and get the items that they requested.  These ranged from clothes for the kids to something as simple as a bottle of Oil of Olay for the mom.  And it made me remember that there are people out there right now for whom Christmas isn't about finding the right gift or dreading/looking forward to seeing family for the holidays.  For some, it's about scraping enough money together to put food on the table once a day (twice is too much to hope for) and keep the heat on just warm enough to not freeze the pipes.  For me, who is sitting in a toasty warm house looking out at a bunch of snow right now, the thought of not being able to turn up the thermostat is really sad. 

And so I wanted to offer you this thought for the day.  Before you go ou on that spending spree, consider having the conversation with your kids that Lisa had with hers.  Consider offering up some of your abundance from the year with those who didn't have such an abundant year.  Consider doing something as simple as making a big meal and bringing some of it out to serve the homeless on the street who have no place to cook and no table to eat at. 

It is when we visit with those in very different circumstances than ours that we get the perspective we need to really appreciate the holiday season.

And, if you are feeling for Lisa and her family and you enjoy such things, I can tell you that Lisa is an amazing psychic.  She's well worth your time.

It's Up Now - I Promise!
I got a slow start this morning and missed getting the sale prices up on the web page by the 9am timeframe I had promised in my One-Day Sale post.  They are up now and will be until 9:20am (ET) tomorrow morning (since I was late, they can stay up the extra time in the morning too). 

Hope everyone else is having a faster start to their day than I am.  (Where's my coffee?....)

Have you heard about BlitzTime?

If you haven't, then you're missing out on some fantastic networking.  Blitztime is a networking platform designed to bring people together on the phone for targeted conversations.  Here's how it works:

Sign Up For Free Trial
You'll get your first two events for free, so that's plenty of time to get the hang of things. 

Set-up
You sign up and fill out your profile (you will definitely want to fill out a profile because the other callers see it when they are on the phone with you). In it, you should include anything that would be a good thing to talk to people about. 

Register for an Event
Once you're all set up, it's time to register for an event.  Don't wait to do this because you'll forget you signed up and it will roll off your consciousness and you'll miss out on a great opportunity. In fact, while you're there, sign up for two events.  It doesn't matter which two, just pick something.  These first two events are about getting the hang of it.

Put Your Events in Your Calendar
Treat this like an appointment like anything else.  Once you sign up, it's not optional - you go.  You can't make new contacts if you don't attend. 

Pick Who You Want To Talk To
This is an important piece that a lot of people miss.  There are going to be people on the call you don't want to talk to.  (I'm thinking of the people trying to sell you Acai juice and whatnot here.)  There will also be people in a position to be good referral sources for you (financial planners, insurance agents, attorneys, CPAs), you will want to preferentially talk to them.  If you go into the back end of your system into the event that you're attending, you can mark people as "Prefer to Speak" to this person or "Don't Connect Me With" that person or "No Preference" which is the default if you do nothing.  The system will do its best to connect you with the right people in the time allotted.

Sign into the Call
Then you have to actually attend.  I know, this seems obvious, but you'd be surprised how often it happens, people sign up and then don't go.  Look at it this way - you could cold call some prospects, or you can get online and talk to people who want to talk to you.  Got it?  Good!

Here's the Best Part!
When you get on the call, the system will hook you up with the people you've requested who didn't say that they don't want to talk to you.  Then, you get 5-8 minutes (depending on how the person hosting the call set it up) to network with that person.  There is a timer in the corner of the screen that counts down letting you know how much time you have left.  Talk about being efficient!  No more getting stuck in long unproductive conversations!  You get to the heart of the matter quickly because there isn't time for anything else!

In Your Pajamas - No Parking Costs - No Weather Issues
OK - so I lied - THIS is actually the best part.  You're talking to people in real time about actual business and you're doing it from the comfort of your own home (or office).  You could be in jeans, or your underwear or, yes, your pajamas.  You didn't have to get in your car, drive into the city, find and pay for parking, pay $40 for the event, and hope that you meet someone useful.  You know who's going to be there before you go.  You don't have to get dressed up - you don't even have to get dressed!  And the cost, even if you subscribe, is lower than the average networking event for a SINGLE event and that's not even counting gas and parking. What could be better?

Getting Business
I talk to people on the system all the time who get TONS of business from it (and, yes, I've gotten some great connections as well).  So it works.  And you can make it work for you too - but only if you show up.  And, yes, you might even run into me in one of your events.  Who knows?  It could happen.

Try it - it's free for the first couple of events.  There's no risk except in your time and that's true for any event. 

If your New Year's Resolution is to do more prospecting,
then this is a great way to get started!

www.BlitzWithMe.com

Have you desperately wanted our products but felt that you couldn't quite afford them?  Well, then listen up!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Thursday I'm having a ONE-DAY SALE!

Our most popular products will be on sale for $50 of the regular price.

Procedure Manual for Agents

With more than 150 pages of procedures, forms, sample letters, and more, this procedure manual is for experienced real estate agents who want to take their business to the next level by working smarter, not harder. It contains best practices for every aspect of your business - from the first meeting to the after-sale follow up. In just two minutes, you can start implementing the tools it took Kelle two years to perfect. (Note: this program was updated in October 2009 - you won't find anything newer on the market!)

Regular Price:  $209
Sale Price:  $159

First Time Home Buyer Seminar

Prospect to many buyers all at once and build a pipeline of business at the same time. This seminar makes you the expert in the eyes of first time buyers and the detailed instructions, pre-written postcards, ads, and press release make it a snap to put together and run your own seminar in no time flat! (Note: this program was updated in October 2009 - you won't find anything newer on the market!)

Regular Price:  $209
Sale Price:  $159

Home Seller Seminar

Get the jump on next year's listings with this Home Seller's Seminar Kit. Everything you need to run a successful seminar with hardly any effort on your part! Complete PowerPoint presentation, press release, sample ads, marketing materials and more! (Note: this program was updated in October 2009 - you won't find anything newer on the market!)

Regular Price:  $209
Sale Price:  $159

Want to be reminded about the sale?  Post a comment here or follow the comments.  I'll send out a reminder to everyone by updating this post!

Kindness as Currency
I just watched an Absolute Vodka commercial and while I don't normally forward these types of things, I thought it was an interesting concept to explore today.  The premise of the video is that the currency of the world becomes kindness.  So you see people paying for their bus ride with a kiss on the driver's forehead and getting credits at the bank for kisses on the cheeks of the tellers and checking out for their groceres by hugging the cashier.  Absurd?  A little.  But intriguing.

Presence
The thing that caught my attention most was the woman in the cab who put her hand up to the cab driver's hand and spent a moment staring into his eyes.  She was just being present with him.  It brings me back to my last post about the gift of presence. 

Imagine - I Wonder If You Can
While this commercial isn't practical for a lot of reasons (what happens, for instance, when we experience scarcity?), it does bring me to wonder out loud if the world wouldn't be an easier, happier place to live in if we took a moment to get outside of ourselves and be present with each person we interact with in our lives. 

A Brotherhood of Man
How would you act differently if you were fully present with each person in your world.  Would you speak differently to your children if you weren't in a hurry to get to work?  Would you take a moment to kiss your spouse and look into their eyes for a moment before heading out the door?  Would you notice a little physical cue that the person who just walked into your office may be having a bad day?  Would you smile more, offer more hugs, breathe more, and feel less stress?  I think so. 

Finding Peace
Especially during the holidays when we can be so frenetic, it's important to take a moment to notice your surroundings, pay attention to the people around you, and spend some time just being present.  When you are not hurrying to the next appointment or worrying about the last one, there is a space of peace right in the middle that is available to us anytime.  Just stop for a minute and breathe.  Even if it means you have to go hide in the bathroom or take a walk without (gasp!) your cell phone - do it. 

You and everyone around you will be happier for it.