This week’s Entrepreneur University comes thanks to Mark Tewart. Mark started in the automotive industry as a salesperson in the early 1980s. Mark has been a Salesperson, Leasing Manager, F&I Manager, General Sales Manager and General Manager for two of the largest automotive chains in the country.

Today Mark shares his advice for how to “fake it until you make it”:

“You are who you decide to be at any given moment. It does not take money, a degree, a certain age, a certain appearance, tons of experience, knowing the right people, past success or any other qualifying factor that you may be currently using as a subconscious roadblock to your desired success. Your belief system creates your results both past and present. If your current belief system is not what it should be to support your success, you must fake it, till you make it.

If you currently don’t appear to be on the path that will create the level of success in the form you desire, you must begin to identify the mental programming that is limiting your success before you can change your resulting limiting actions.

You must pay close attention to your inner-dialogue when you write goals or have thoughts about anything you desire. When thinking of your goals, if you repeatedly think of the specific reasons of how and why your goal may be hard to obtain, you are creating the “When-Then Syndrome.” Your subconscious identifies your current programming that tells you that for X to occur you must first have Y. If that is the case, your current mental programming is limited and will not allow you to break through your current barriers to further success.

Write down the first twenty mental images or messages you heard or were taught about money. When closely examined, most of the images and messages remembered will be limited, negative, and fear based. Those negative messages and images have taken a life of their own and have been accepted in your subconscious as absolute truths. To increase money, you must identify your current limiting messages and rewrite the messages to create accepted new truths.

Every person you come into contact with tries to define you based upon his/her own thoughts and beliefs. Your workplace is full of people with their own limiting mental programming that want to define you in a way that makes them feel better about themselves. People will create images such as “you are just lucky” or “the favorite of the boss” or “a weak sales person”. So often you act in your work environment in a role based upon the images and messages accepted by your subconscious. Unfortunately, your subconscious accepts all images and messages without filtering.

However, you can overwhelm the negative messages with your own positive messages. Your conscious mind will choose and react to the strongest messages being given to it. Don’t allow others to create your destiny based upon their own limited beliefs.

Your subconscious can act as an automatic responder in a positive form just as it can negatively. You must bombard your mind with positive and repetitive images for your conscious mind to react with positive messages. Read and listen to the material that will support you in creating the images you desire, while reducing and eliminating the negative influences you encounter from relatives, co-workers, and the news. You create your own reality. It’s your responsibility to choose the right sources of information to saturate your brain with.

To start manifesting your desires, you must become clear on your goals. Write what you want in present tense using vivid details of your emotions and thoughts at the time of obtaining those goals. The repetitive conditioning of your subconscious with the imagery you have created will begin to grow just as your muscles grow by the repetitive action of lifting weights.

Soon your positive imagery will be so strong that your belief system will accept this as reality before it has ever transpired as reality. There will no difference between your chosen reality and your current state. Your belief system will accept each step and each day as a part of your path to success. Dare today to choose what you desire and the actions that support those desires.”

What have you done to fake it until you make it? Do you have any stories to share?

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

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Our 23rd Review our Blog entry comes thanks to Rachel Gordon from Cornell University’s eClips. You can read what she had to say about us in his blog post: YoungEntrepreneur Blog.

eClips is the premiere video clip collection on Entrepreneurship, Business, and Leadership. eClips provides wisdom from the journeys of entrepreneurs and other business leaders and experts. The e-Clips collection was crafted by Dr. Deborah Streeter and contains thousands of video clips that were created from in-depth video interviews or presentations by entrepreneurs and other experts involved with supporting entrepreneurship and small businesses. Interviewees include startup and experienced entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, bankers, angel investors, and employees of startup companies.

Thanks for the review Rachel!

If you are interested in doing a review, check out our Review Our Blog initiative for instructions.

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

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Who is going to BlogWorld 2008?

The 2008 BlogWorld & New Media Expo will take place September 20-21 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, with the exclusive “Executive & Entrepreneur” conference beginning September 19th. The first and only industry-wide tradeshow, conference, and media event dedicated to promoting the dynamic industry of blogging and new media.

In addition to the only industry-wide exhibition, BlogWorld features the largest blogging conference in the world including more than 50 seminars, panel discussions and keynotes from iconic personalities on the leading-edge of online technology and internet-savvy business.

If you are currently blogging, vlogging, podcasting, producing other forms of new media content, entering the new media industry, or just want to know what the blogosphere is all about, then you need to be at the most comprehensive blogging convention–BlogWorld & New Media Expo. Located in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at: 3150 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109.

I personally am not able to make it but Adam Toren, one of the YoungEntrepreneur.com founders will be there and he wants to meet you! Here is an open invitation from him:

“Hi everyone!

We would like to invite all of our fellow members and site visitors to attend the much anticipated 2008 Blog World Expo in Las Vegas. The founders of YoungEntrepreneur.com will be there along with other Media Mavericks and Leaders in the Entrepreneurial world! If you want to attend this once a year event, just click the link below and sign up with the discount link (if you sign up now you will save some money for your admission).

Reply to this post if you sign up as we would love to meet the YE members and visitors in person in Las Vegas! This Expo is great for networking and meeting like-minded individuals plus the guest speakers will be superb!”

This is the link Adam is referring to.

Have you been to a BlogWorld before? Are you planning on attending this year?

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

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It’s time for another SEO Advice post! Two weeks, I offered free SEO advice to SkinB5. I’m going to continue my SEO Advice series today by helping out another YoungEntrepreneur.com blog reader Krupesh, from Home Warranty Reviews.

Home Warranty Reviews - www.homewarrantyreviews.com

Hi

My website is http://www.homewarrantyreviews.com

I could use your advise. I have this site online for about an year, but haven’t been successful in in improving page ranking yet, although I have good content and useful rating info not available anywhere else on the web. This site is about home warranty - blogging and user generated reviews.

Thanks

–
Krupesh

My Recommendations

1) Write More Content

You rank #1 in Google for Home Warranty Reviews but considering your domain name is HomeWarrantyReviews.com, this isn’t much of a stretch. According to the article category listing, you only have 21 articles posted on your site. You should really focus in on writing more frequently. The more quality content you have, the more chances you have of ranking in Google for your pages. Also remember to make your pages have at least 300 words of content. Even if you only write two new articles per week, if you do that for the next year you’ll have over 100 pages of new content for your site that will get picked up by Google.

2) Get More Links

You’re in a very difficult industry to rank for and, judging from the number of Google Ads on the site, you’re trying to capitalize on this by selling ad space. If you want to compete for keywords other than “Home Warranty Reviews” you’re going to have to get more links and a higher Page Rank. Right now your home page is a PR 3 but many of your articles carry a PR of 0. It’s going to be hard to rank in such a competitive field if you don’t have any Page Rank. Get involved in forums, write press releases, submit to article directories and engage in other link building activities to get your individual pages ranked higher.

3) SpyFu Recommendations

According to SpyFu, you only rank on the first page in Google for three other important keywords: ge home warranty, home warranty policies, and fidelity home warranty. It’s time to kick up your content into high gear and get more incoming links so you can get a few more pages up in Google’s index!

Good luck Krupesh!

Readers, what do you think about Home Warranty Reviews?

To learn more about how to get SEO tips for your website please read my post: Need SEO Advice? Submit Your Site!

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

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Do you have dreams of being a millionaire?

How about making that first billion?

To make it easier, try picking up some dollars from Zimbabwe.

The central bank of Zimbabwe recently introduced the $100 billion bill - now that is something to show off!

Unfortunately, due to rocketing inflation, the $100 billion bill can’t even buy you a loaf of bread.

You would be lucky to get four oranges for it.

The country’s official inflation rate is 2.2 million percent, an amount that is difficult to even contemplate.

When I heard about the announcement it reminded me of a family friend’s visit to my home from Alabama a number of years ago.

He was a wealthy, successful entrepreneur who told me that the hardest million to make is the first million.

He then handed me a 1,000,000 Turkish Lira bill ($US value less than $1 at the time) and told me that I had my first million and to now go after my second.

If you want to impress your friends and show them how you made your first hundred billion, why not pick up some Zimbabwe currency?

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

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Jared might have joked about her but J.K. Rowling has been an inspiration for many entrepreneurs.

Rowling was a single mother living on welfare. Working as a secretary was not how she had envisioned her life. She had admittedly reached her own personal rock bottom. Without even enough money to pay the electricity bill, Rowling knew she had to do something to provide a better life for her baby daughter.

But what, she wondered. The answer came to her while riding the train one day; that was when Harry Potter came to life. Today, with over 325 million book sales, the Potter series has not only spawned a worldwide reading revolution, but has taken Rowling off of welfare and turned her into a billionaire.

While she might not have expected her own success, Rowling has written herself – and her young wizard friend – into households across the world. Even people who have not read a single book in their life seem to now be finding themselves reading the Harry Potter series.

How did this one time unemployed single mother living on welfare find her way not only into the world of the writing elite, but also into mainstream pop culture?

“Ever since Rabbit and Miss Bee, I have wanted to be a writer, though I rarely told anyone so. I was afraid they’d tell me I didn’t have a hope. I had written two novels before I had the idea for Harry, though I’d never tried to get them published, and a good job too – I don’t think they were very good.

I was very low and I had to achieve something. Without the challenge, I would have gone stark raving mad. I knew how difficult it would be just to get a book published. I was a completely unknown writer. It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.

Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve. I was determined to try. I was determined to try because, frankly, my life was such a mess at this point, what – what was the worst that could happen? Everyone turn me down? Big deal.

Where the idea for Harry Potter actually came from, I really couldn’t tell you. I was traveling on a train between Manchester and London and it just popped into my head. I spent four hours thinking about what Hogwarts would be like – the most interesting train journey I’ve ever taken. By the time I got off at King’s Cross, many of the characters in the books had already been invented. Harry just strolled into my head fully formed.

The height of my ambition for these books was, well frankly, to get reviewed. A lot of children’s books don’t even get reviewed – forget good review, bad review.

I just wrote the sort of thing I liked reading when I was younger (and still enjoy now!). I didn’t expect lots of people to like them, in fact, I never really thought much past getting them published. I just write what I wanted to write. I write what amuses me. It’s totally for myself.“

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

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Last October we turned to business coach Leanne Hoagland-Smith who offered her advice on Avoiding The 7 Mistakes Most Entrepreneurs Make - Entrepreneur University. Leanne Hoagland-Smith works with individuals just like you who want improved results personally or organizationally. She works to improve human capital for sustainable transformational change by developing results driven leadership in people, teams and organizations.

Today we turn to Leanne again to get her advice on why potential customers so no in the sales process:

“Business people do not buy for many reasons. Usually the resistance also called stalls and objections to buying something begins with the simple word of No. However, behind this no are numerous reasons. These No’s are not in a ranking order as individuals are unique as our their reasons for not buying.

No time - Time is a precious commodity. Many people simply lack the time to go out and make good buying decisions. Just think how many times you had to call your prospect before you even schedule your first meeting?

No relationship - People buy from people they know. If the relationship has not been established, then the hope for a sales strategy takes over. And we all now that hope is not the best sales strategy.

No budget - People in business just as in their own personal lives want a lot of stuff from products to services. However a business runs on a budget and sometimes the dollars are not available at that moment in time.

No desire - The old age goes No one wants to be sold, but everyone loves to buy. If there is no desire, then why would I want to buy anything?

No reason - People buy for a reason or a need. If there is no reason to buy services, there is potentially no sale unless the salesperson can find a reason.

No faith - Even with an established relationship, faith must be present within that relationship. We know many people and like the, but would we do business with all of them? I think not.

No Knowledge - Knowledge is critical to understanding the value of the product or service specific to the buyer. Also, the seller’s knowledge must be credible to ensure his or her expertise to the buyer.

There are probably several more Nos that could be added to this list. However from my experience as a business coach helping struggling businesses to increase sales, these are the main ones that I have heard.

If you wish to increase sales, then make sure you can overcome most of these Nos if not all of them. Even if there is no budget, are you sure and if so, if the client has enough value, then stay in contact with him or her. Do not let the Nos keep you from business success.”

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

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Launching a business is like going all in with Texas Hold ‘Em – you do it only when you know for sure you’ll win the hand. If you’re not sure, if you’re worried you might lose, you can call to see what happens for a minimal risk, or fold and hang on to your chips. But you can’t go all in. And you can’t launch a business until you are absolutely certain it will succeed.

Uncertainty is the death of great ideas and big plans. If you’re even the slightest bit wary of staying in, chances are you’re going to lose. Call it instinct, call it inexperience, something in you knows you might not win. Whether it’s based in realty or insecurity, your feeling is right. Once you open up the possibility of a different, losing outcome, odds are you’ll end up a loser.

In order to succeed in business – and in poker – you’ve got to be willing to bet the farm. When you go all in, you hold nothing back. No hedging. No waffling. No plan B. When you know you will win, there can be no retreat. So you better be sure you can pull it off.

Does this mean you need a fancy business plan and a room full of angel benefactors kissing your ass in order to launch with confidence? Nope. In fact, your chances of succeeding in business are much greater without them. Would you need an office, a staff, and a stack of embossed business cards in order to feel ready to go in to start-up mode? Heck, no. The trappings of “playing office” are distractions – expensive distractions – that have little to do with getting your business off the ground.

What you need, what you must have in order to win in poker, in business, and in life, is the unwavering belief that you will make it. Yes, you will also have to do some recon to make sure your idea is as innovative as you think it is, the timing is right, and your methodology is spot on. But none of that will make a bit of difference if you’re not totally convinced you will pull it off.

If you know for sure, go all in. The entrepreneurial world is high-stakes game and you’ve got to play to win.

Mike Michalowicz is the author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur.

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

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I had an interesting meeting last night with a few Toronto based entrepreneurs. Most of the people around the table were looking at how to grow their sales and one of the members commented that most entrepreneurs who make it big started by being the primary salesperson in the business.

You can create the greatest product in the world but if you’re not out there selling and promoting it, the chances of your company’s success are pretty slim.

It’s easy to get caught up in day to day activities and drown yourself in admin work which you convince yourself is important to the company but at the end of the day, nothing happens until somebody sells something. If your business is not bringing in enough sales the problem is likely looking back at you in the mirror. It’s time to step out of your comfort zone and get some new customers in the door.

“But I’m not a salesperson!”

You are always selling your company, whether its getting a loan from a banker, convincing an employee to come on board, satisfying a disgruntled customer, getting people to pay your invoice, etc. The ability to sell your ideas is one of the most important roles that you can have as a company founder.

Sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer recently outlined 7.5 reasons why business owners sell better than any employee ever can:

“1. The responsibility for success of the business is yours. You won’t let your business fail due to lack of sales - so it’s your job to sell until it’s successful.

2. The business is your child. You sell best because you know your product or service best. You are its most sincere and passionate representative. You are responsible for feeding and nurturing your business.

3. You can make deals no one else can make. People think when they buy from the owner they are getting a special deal, may not have to pay a commission and therefore are getting the best price, or at least the best offer.

4. People like to buy from the owner. Customers know they will get special attention and special appreciation.

5. Customers have a special confidence in you. You sell it because you believe in in your business. Your enthusiasm generates confidence that transforms into sales. Customers also know the owner will go the extra mile to deliver what’s promised.

6. The relationship with the customer is yours to build at first. You get to know the people who are helping you succeed. After your business matures, you choose whom you will continue to handle personally, and whom you can pass on to a salesperson.

7. You are in the best position for direct feedback about your product, service and business. Your customer has all the information you need to succeed. Get close to him or her and listen. Then take action as only the owner can do.

7.5 If you have other salespeople, you must be the leader of your own sales campaign. If you do not lead them, no one will. You must set the example, drive the belief system, and create the atmosphere of success. You must be the best at sales, because that is where the success is.”

Have you handled selling in your company?

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

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I thought it would be a useful experiment to see which days of the week have the highest click through rates.

I looked at the last 1.5 million ad impressions from my site (all from this year) to see if there were any noticeable differences between days of the week and click through rates.

The ad impressions calculated come from both my own ads as well as network ads like Google AdSense so I cannot share the exact numbers without violating their terms of service.

To my surprise, Saturday was the day with the highest click through rate, beating out last place Tuesday by 0.37%.

How to read this number: If click through rate was 1%, for example, on Tuesday, then Saturday would be 1.37%. It doesn’t look like a big a number but that .37% can be a big difference maker on your overall earnings per month.

From my data, the order of best click through rates to worst by day is as follows:

1. Saturday
2. Friday
3. Thursday
4. Wednesday
5. Tuesday
6. Monday
7. Sunday

What’s interesting to note is that if you start a week on a Sunday then the click through rates go up every day you get further into the week. Why do we click through more often on ads later on in the week? Are we bored? Are we less stressed out and more receptive to looking what advertisements are offering?

Evan Carmichael
YoungEntrepreneur.com Blog Manager

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