Your story!

   Over the weekend I watched a few movie flicks with my kids.    

   Although the stories were different they shared a common theme. 

   Embracing your story! 

   “Your story may not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn’t make you who you are, it is the rest of your story, who you choose to be… So, who are you?” -Kung Fu Panda 2 

    What makes you…well, you? 

    You’re story may not be interesting to you, because you live it. It’s interesting to others because they didn’t. 

    Don’t like how the story is written, rewrite it. 

    Yep, you can change your story at anytime. 

    Yet… 

    “No man can walk out on his own story!”- Rango    

     The chapters of your life can get better or worse as you go on…it’s your choice. 

     If you made choices in the past that were sketchy, there is always time to write a new chapter. That’s life. That’s your story. 

     I’ve known people whose story is so sad, yet they aren’t afraid to share it with someone in hopes the other person can benefit in some small way. 

     Your stories help you be authentic to your clients. 

     They can connect with you and share your pains and joys. 

      Last year I interviewed David Kekich for my Passions to Profits Interview Series…a brilliant storyteller and CEO of Maximum Life Foundation. David’s story goes like this…a successful businessman who while weight lifting felt a pinch in his back, that pinch was his story being rewritten. The very next day he was paralyzed from the waist down. Over the next few months, his fiance left him, and he was forced to sell his house and sports cars to pay for his medical expenses. 

      David didn’t like this chapter in his life and vowed to make it better. In doing so, he changed his future and became successful again. 

      So maybe you’re struggling in your business right now, and you don’t seem to think there is a future. Just remember, the final chapter isn’t written yet…and there is still time to write it.           

      Until Next Time,                  

   

  “Live with Passion!”

   Rob Anspach    

  P.S.  To help make your story successful, I’m relaunching my “Be A Better Entrepreneur” coaching and seminar series. I’m in the process of planning several 1 day seminar events (on the East & West coast of the USA) and scheduling multiple on-location consulting sessions. If you would like more information on the seminar events or the coaching services, feel free to drop a line and I’d be honor to help you make your story better. 

It’s hard to be one, so this will help guide you!

      In 1998 I joined my local chapter of the Optimist Club.

      Oh, believe me, it wasn’t because I wanted to belong to a service group, that was the furthest thing in my mind. To be honest, I was really looking to plug my business and pick up some extra accounts.

      Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know purely selfish reasons, right?

      Okay, I’ll admit the food at the luncheons was really good too!

       Somehow, I impressed upon enough people in the group that I began President of the chapter the next year. 

       At the time I was 30 years old and most of the members were double my age and set in their ways. I felt like I was king of the pessimists not optimists.

       It was discouraging to say the least. I had to remind these people everyday why their creed was as important then as it was when it was written.

       I was told by many of the old-timers, that my new fangled approach to fundraising, new member acquisitions and publicity wasn’t going to work. They had been doing things the same way for a million years and my ideas weren’t going to fly.

       Time after time, I would prove them wrong, and that year we had the highest collected amount from fundraisers ever in the chapters history.

       Sure, being a pessimist is okay sometimes, but don’t be one all the time.

       So here to help you be a stronger person and live a more fulfilling life is the Optimist Creed. Read it!

       Even if don’t ever intend to join the Optimist Club, you can still follow the creed. 

        The Optimist Creed Promise Yourself …
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

  Until Next Time,   

     “Live with Passion!”

   Rob Anspach   

 P.S.  My 2nd oldest child graduated from Lancaster Catholic High School last night – so I’m taking a long weekend off to celebrate her accomplishment. If you need help in any way, email me or wait until Tuesday. Oh, and have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend.

Is that really the angle you’re going with?

Maybe I told this story to you before, if I did, forgive me!  I believe it’s an important story that needs to be repeated as often as possible! Back in 1995, when I started my service business, my pricing was, well, very low! I figured I could win over mass amounts of accounts by being the “cheap” guy on the block. During my first year in business I must’ve gained 200 clients. I thought I was onto something. I ended up joining one of those local networking chapters and one of the members aked me about my business and how I was able to grow as fast as I was. I told him, it was my honest to goodness affordable pricing. So you’re using the cheap angle, huh? I being a bit cocky and a some what know-it-all, I shrugged my shoulders and said yep, that’s my angle. It wasn’t until I listened to an interview with Lawrence Steinmetz, Ph.D, did I realize I was all wrong. Everything Larry said, hit me like a ton of bricks. By being a “cheap” service I was actually putting my business in peril. Whenever the need arose to capture an account and I was up against a competitor my angle was the price card, which I pulled out frequently. Then they would counter attack with a lower price and a price war would ensue. I was being killed by my own ambitions of being cheap. Something had to give! And Larry’s words were the answers I needed. In his book, “How to sell at prices higher than your competitors”, Lawrence Steinmetz reveals why price is virtually never the primary reason someone buys something. “Price makes a statement; a credible statement. Just as people will believe you when you tell them you are cheaper (and they will believe that in every sense of the word — in your price, your quality and your value), they will also believe you when you say you are higher priced (again in every way — price, quality and value). Sales people who sell at high price know that you use a high price to make a credibility statement about your product being better – example, if it costs more, it probably is worth more. And they know that by acknowledging that your price is higher than your competitor’s prices, you trigger a “the hell you say” response in your customers which creates the most receptive, responsive atmosphere in which to sell your product.” That statement was my wake up call! The day I read that… I raised my prices 30%! Sure, I lost a few customers, but the one’s who stuck with me, valued my service, not my price. Was I upset that I lost a few customers? Well, to be honest, yes I was! But I soon realized those customers that didn’t stick with me, only accounted for about 20% of my revenue. And since I was raising my prices, it wasn’t going to negatively affect me. In fact, those that left were the biggest time wasting, cheapest of the cheap, pains in the butt, non-loyal customers ever. What happened next, astonished me! The higher I priced my services, the busier I got! People equated high prices to awesome work. And, I was the “go-to” guy! When my prices were low, all I attracted was low paying clients. But now that my prices were high, I was a magnet to a higher caliber clientele. I found my new angle and I was sticking with it! Until Next Time, “Live with Passion!” Rob Anspach P.S. If your business isn’t moving in the direction you would like it to be, let’s talk! Just send me an email and tell me a little bit about yourself and your company. Tell me why you think your sales aren’t where they should be, tell me what you’ve tried and why you think it didn’t work. The more I know about your situation, the better equipped I can be to help you improve and make money.

Contact Information  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Email: rob@robanspach.com Phone: (717)330-7947 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Follow me on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter! Rob Anspach is a “brilliantly savvy” entrepreneur who helps frustrated business owners regain the passion they once had by showing them how to be more effective in the marketplace, how to dramatically improve their business so they enjoy coming to work again and how to win over customers regardless of price. Discover how easy it is to make money in your online or offline marketing, to attract and retain clientele and profit from your passions… visit http://www.robanspach.com today! Rob is also the creator & dynamic force behind Success Secrets TV, the new online show dedicated to helping entrepreneurs stay successful… check it out by going to… http://www.SuccessSecrets.TV

No assembly required!

Yesterday I shared with you why it’s important to always ask for the little extras when selling to your clients.

I mentioned how Burger King has trained their employees so well to ask customers if they want “bacon with that” and how those little extra’s can add big dollars to your bottom line.

If you missed it, here’s the article… http://bit.ly/hASnPM

Now, let me share with you another story…involving my other son.

This is an example of how asking the wrong question can have a negative impact on your sales.

My wife and I went to Toy’s R Us to buy our son a new mountain bike for his birthday. All the bicycles were on display, fully assembled and nicely displayed.

We took the tag to the front counter so we could pay for our selection. The clerk asks if we want it assembled, and that there’s a $10 fee for assembly.

My wife and I looked at each a bit bewildered. I turned to the clerk and said they were already assembled. I don’t want a bicycle I have to put together.

No assembly required! Pay and go! That’s what I like!

So the clerk snaps back, “$10 it is!”

What, wait a minute. I felt bamboozled!

I asked the manager how many people complained about the assembly fee! Here’s what she said, “All of them!”
If you are selling an item that needs assembled to be able to sell it, then include that time in you final price. So, in this case you are not asking your customer if they want it assembled, you are selling it to them fully assembled ready to go.

$199 fully assembled ready to go sounds better than $189 plus assembly fee.
You are now in a greater position to ask the customer for additional items that would increase the overall order.

Charging for something that most would consider part of the fee is a fast way to lose the client and the sale.

In the end, the manager waived our assembly fee and knocked an additional 10% off the price and apologized for the misunderstanding.

If you were the store manager, how would you have handled the situation?

Until Next Time,

“Live With Passion!”

Rob Anspach

P.S. I’m giving away over $350 in products that are guaranteed to help boost your business. To claim these valuable gifts visit my website today. www.robanspach.com

P.S. A great way to keep clients coming back month after month is with a print newsletter. Not just any newsletter, one designed to trigger sales, enhance referrals and keep clients focused on you. To see how my Ultimate Newsletter can help you…go to http://robanspach.com/clientnews.html

Asking for help!

I just got off the phone with a buddy of mine and I wanted to share with you a story he relayed to me. He said this story was a defining moment in his life and changed his view on…well, wait, I’ll spoil it if I tell too much… so just read on and find out.

You see, Tony was a bit arrogant and thought he could everything.

Then the day occurred…

He had taken his wife and 1 year old son out on the lake to fish.

It was a gorgeous day, the sun was bright and the fish were plentiful.

After some time had past, Tony decided to crank up the motor and fish on the other side of the lake. The motor wasn’t cooperating.

A passing boater asked Tony if he needed help…

“No thank you”, he said.

Tony’s wife gave him a look! Tony said, “Don’t worry I got it!”

Two hours had past and Tony was still trying to get the motor to crank over, sadly still also refusing to let others help him. His wife a very patient women hadn’t said a word to Tony in over a hour and was hoping Tony would come to his senses soon.

Then it happened…

Two old-timers (Tony’s words to describe guys past 60 years old) glided up to Tony’s boat, asked if they could offer assistance and tow them to the dock.

Tony looked at the motor, then his wife, then the 2 guys in the other boat and without hesitation said… “Yes please!”

Tony explained to me that this was that moment in time that sticks with him always…and reminds him that it’s okay to ask for help, it’s okay to seek out assistance from others and to allow others to openly help us.

There are plenty of people who act like Tony. Then there are those who realize they need help and instead of waiting hours (days, months, years, decades), they immediately take action and call for help.

Just last night another friend of mine (Scott) called me and asked if I would review his contract that he was proposing for his client. He wanted another persons opinion and he said he was too emotionally attached to the project to think straight. He wanted help.

It’s okay to ask for help!

It’s okay to accept help when offered!

You can drift around like Tony trying desperately to prove you know what you are doing in life or accept that you need help and be like Scott and ask for it.

It’s your call.

I find that when I ask for and receive help, what I’m working on usually gets done quicker, and better than if I tried to do it myself.

Until next time,

“Live with passion”

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com

P.S. It’s really difficult to be a one man army… you need a team! You need people you can go to for help.

Be Interesting!

The subject line says it all… “Be Interesting!”

Regardless of whether you are speaking, writing brilliant copy, posting on social media or making instructional videos… be interesting! Yep, be interesting!

When you keep it interesting…people will want to know more!

And here is where passion plays a key role!

When you are passionate about a subject… you throw your heart, mind and soul into that subject.

You become the “go-to” expert!

It’s that passion that drives you… and it’s that passion that helps you explain to people, who want to know, all about how interesting your subject is.

I’m not a sports fan! Never really had an interest in it. When people talk to me about sports it’s like listening to a foreign language… I just don’t get it.

Then I met a kid who made it interesting for me.

Actually, he goes to school with my son.

He’s only 12 years old, but this kid is a dynamo when it comes to sports. Not only does he play all kinds, he also knows everything about sports. You can see the fire in his eyes. You ask him anything sports related and he’s got a story to tell.

What’s your story?

I’d like to hear it!

And, I bet others would too!

Be interesting and people will seek you out!

Until next time,

“Live with passion”

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com

P.S. Everybody likes a good story…learn to tell yours!

Words of Wisdom!

Today I met an elderly oriental man! And he shared with me some very powerful words of wisdom, that I thought I would pass on to you.

But first…

Let me tell you a bit about this man I met.

In the few minutes I was talking to him, he told me that he came to the United States in 1969 with his wife and nine kids. (Yep, nine! The man was blessed with patiance.)

He told me that he was lawyer in his native country but because of the way the law is practiced in America he forced to take up a new career.

He worked 2 jobs and went to school at night just so he could give his kids what they needed in life. He completed a four year degree in computer technology in just two years.

He worked for the Army and Navy as computer consultant.

He then worked 23 years as a computer analyst for a major corporation. Thinking that the company he worked for would never fail, would always be there, and would continue to be a global powerhouse…he invested most of his life savings in the stock.

Two years after he retired, the company filed bankruptcy. His retirement nest egg gone!

His son stepped in to help his father out and bought him a new house to live in.

As I was listening I could picture in my mind how this man is like a typical business. Starting out in one field then over time switching into other fields of service that although look promising and may support the company ultimately end in disaster.

Unlike the elderly man whose son came to his rescue…most businesses don’t always have the luxury of a white knight to rescue us.

Back to those words of wisdom… “Don’t work hard…work smart!”

In life (and business) we have a misbelief that working hard will give us a nice reward… when all it does is teach us that everything we worked hard for can be taken away.

Start to work smart and you’ll see you are working half as hard as you used to, and most likely making twice as much money.

Until next time,

“Live with passion”

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com

P.S. His son, the one who bought him a house, never went to work for someone else. He created a dynamic internet based company and probably never has to work a day in his life if he doesn’t want to. He worked smart not hard!

P.P.S. A great book I would highly recommend you read, is called “Bank on Yourself” by Pamela Yellen. I had the opportunity to interview Pamela for my “Passions to Profits” series… and let me tell you, she is one smart women. If you like to learn about Pamela or about Bank on Yourself… go to www.bankonyourself.com

Storytelling!

I bet you love a great story, don’t you?

I know I do!

I remember as a kid, my parents would tell me stories of long lost relatives, and it intrigued me. I would would fantasize about life so long ago.

I can picture in my mind the motorcycle accident my grandfather was involved in, which claimed the sight of his right eye. I was never there, in fact I wasn’t even born when it occurred… but the stories I’ve been told… I can see it as it really happened.

Or, how my wife’s grandfather would tell the story of how he came to America in the early 1950′s from southern France to Pennsylvania with just fifty dollars in his pocket.

If you ever get to meet my friend Sal, he kind of looks like Emeril. He can hook you in with his stories, his life growing up in New York, and his experiences being a boxing coach…you just don’t want him to stop. It’s riveting.

I even get a “kick” out of my brother-in-law telling me about his karate adventures.

It’s all about storytelling!

I recently did an interview with Joe Sugarman for my “Passions to Profits” audio interview series. If you don’t know who Joe is…well, besides being one of the foremost experts on copywriting, the guy responsible for launching BluBlocker sun glasses and author of many awe inspiring books, he is also a master storyteller.

“Dramatize an offer to make it interesting!”

Joe would weave stories about his experiences into his sales letters, advertising pieces and even his infomercials. Those stories would build drama, curiosity, fear or excitement. They would make you laugh or cry. They would get you involved and make you part of the story. And in the end, they would ask you to do something… buy the product!

Yep, a great storyteller can capture peoples attention and get them to buy from them.

Do you have a story to tell?

I bet you do!

I bet your story, behind how you became an entrepreneur is fascinating.

You should tell it.

Until next time,

Live with passion

Rob Anspach

www.robanspach.com

P.S. When you listen to my interview with Joe Sugarman, you’ll discover a fascinating story about Batman and how 250,000 plastic cards almost spelled the end of our copywriting hero.