Dear Persuaders,

I don't have too much to write about today as I'm in deep preparation with a ton of new and exciting materials for you.

Be sure check our blog and read our newsletters as we have a mouthwatering series of things coming for you soon.

We will be having our initial kickoff of these events next week when we will be promoting a must-read book that I personally thought was so good that I recorded a special bonus just for it's launch.  So stay tuned on Monday/Tuesday for more information.

Now... on to some great content...

Every now and then I come across a little something in my files and I think, "Wow... I can't believe I haven't shared this with everyone!"

I just unearthed an interview that I did in July of 2008 with Mike Dolpies and after re-listening to it, I thought you all might enjoy it.

Listen to my interview with Mike

Be sure to leave me your thoughts and comments on the blog.  And as always, if you would like to find out more about our coaching program or about which program might be right for you then contact my assistant, Kim at Kim@MAXpersuasion.com.

Enjoy,

Kenrick E. Cleveland

PS... If the full recording is not playing for you then it is incompatible with your web browser.  You can right click and choose "save link as" to download the file and listen to it in full.

Dear Persuader,

Ever since I can remember, starting from when I was a young boy, I’ve struggled with my weight. I was stuck in a body that didn’t represent my mind’s view of myself, but did represent a weakness I had in relation to food.

It always brought to mind the Andrew Carnegie quote, “People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents.” I knew that this struggle was holding me back from total mastery and it frustrated me to no end.

Those of you who have seen my physical transformation in the couple of years know that I have finally found my motivation.  And I’ll tell you this: not only have I succeeded in making my body healthier, my entire life is exploding with new passion and new ventures and I no longer have that stuck energy holding me back.

I’m by no means all the way there. However, I’m so much closer than ever before. I probably still have 60 more pounds to go but having lost 127 so far, that’s a very significant step in the right direction.

What was my big, swift kick in the butt? Well, the doctors had sentenced me to death. They told me that I had become diabetic. In fact, I had almost died from a diabetic coma. They told me that I was going to be on insulin for the rest of my life and that was that. I was having to inject myself many times a day with insulin as well as taking prescription medicine orally in order to combat this. Now, 127 pounds later, I’m off the insulin, no more prescriptions, the doctor says I’m the poster child in their office for how to deal with this issue successfully.

I had several triggers. First: the doctor told me I would never get off of it and that made me mad. I told him that nobody sentences me to death. He said, ‘can’t’ and ‘die’ and that enraged me.  Secondly: I wanted to see my children grow up, spend a long life with my family, continue to do my work in the world. For a long time that hadn’t been enough to shock me out of my really destructive behavior, but with that first trigger—the anger—the second became an extraordinarily important factor. I realized my mortality and that I was putting myself into an early grave one French fry, one slice of pizza, one pint of ice cream, one candy bar at a time.

Another thing that really resonated with me is the weight loss coach said to me, “If I ate as many carbs a day as you did I would quickly need insulin too. I’d be as big as you. The body cannot process that much. It simply can’t do it. So either you’re going to figure this out and make a change or you’re going to die from it. The choice is yours. You’re going to think that it’s normal to be on insulin and/or you’re going to die, OR you’re going to change. What are you going to do here?”

That was it.  I said, ‘What do I need to do? How do I solve this issue?” And I realized that I had to start eating protein. Even though I had been pretty much a vegetarian my whole life I made a commitment to eat protein and decrease carbs. I stopped eating prepared foods, fast food and started eating right.

I’m by no means perfect and I have other issues that I struggle with all the time. But I’m determined to continue on to overcome all of my challenges. I hope I make it but I’ll tell you what, even if I stay where I’m at, that’s a hell of a success story.

Is a desire and willingness to do something enough? Nope. An intense desire to live, and live without discomfort or disease, was important. But for me I needed to get angry.

What is your trigger for change? What are your stuck points? Where do you need to push the energy through to open up channels?  Are you on the cusp of greatness in persuasion, the precipice of incredible wealth or path to optimal health? What do you need to finally realize you have wings that will enable you to soar to greatness?

This was a big swift kick in my butt and with any luck I can serve in that same capacity for those reading this message. Where do you need a big, fat kick in the butt? Or is it more that you need a big, swift kick in your fat butt? If that’s the case, get off of it, that’s step number one. Step number two, change.

Let’s work together to clear those stuck points.

Kenrick E. Cleveland

PS... Just a reminder that I'm currently accepting new coaching students!  It is currently more affordable than ever so be sure and contact my assistant Kim for details.  Kim@maxpersuasion.com

One of the bonuses of learning to persuade is that we have the ability to work our skills on ourselves.   When we apply self-persuasion, we can naturally accomplish anything we set our minds to.

However, we must set the stage for productivity and there are a number of things we can do to increase our capacity to achieve.  These are simple, practical, and sometimes elusive activities and mindsets that come easily for some and are more of a challenge for others.  With persistence, comes progress.  I promise.

One of the most passive and pleasurable (though sometimes hard to attain from a time management standpoint) is getting enough sleep.  Our brains recharge us as we sleep allowing our bodies to cleanse, repair, and rejuvenate on a deep cellular level.

In terms of maximizing your productivity, think about your own internal rhythms and when you get the most done.  Are you an ‘early to bed, early to rise’ full of energy in the mornings type of person?  If so, try adding ten or twenty minutes to your morning by going to sleep a little earlier.  Conversely, if you’re a night owl, determine when you are at your peak in terms of getting things done.

These next two ideas may seem time consuming, but the energy you will get from them will help you incredibly in all aspects of your life.  Proper nutrition and exercise. UGH!! I know, it’s hard to eat right, junk food tastes good, it’s too difficult to exercise, it takes way too much time. I know, I know.  I used to think exactly the same way, but the myriad benefits you will gain from incorporating these into your life will more than make up for the effort and time you invest.

As creatures of habit, we do the next step instinctually.  Creating a routine helps with both starting a new, healthy habit and eliminating an old, unhelpful habit.  Success comes about as a result of your intention.   We’ve all been in ruts and know that they have a negative frame attached to them.  I’m not suggesting we all get ourselves in ruts where we can’t see the forest through the tress.  I am suggesting that we learn to do certain things without thinking--like taking your vitamins or starting the day out with a light and sound session, or working on your universes or expressing gratitude for the good things that come to you.  These are all routines that have a positive impact on us.

And lastly, creating stress free situations and environments is crucial.  Even if your work requires a certain amount of stress, if you’re constantly under deadlines you have got to make sure there are places in your life when you can simply decompress.   Sleep is not enough when it comes to decompressing either, so there has to be a hobby or meditative state or prayer or quiet time or time in nature, playing golf, playing cards with the grandkids... whatever pleases you--in order to unwind.

Incorporating these five steps into your life will boost your productivity, not to mention your health, well being, and peace of mind.

Warmly,

Kenrick E. Cleveland

Dear Persuader,

“There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either in or out. There's no such thing as a life in-between.” -- Pat Riley

We’ve all been there. . . that perfect moment in the business life of a sales professional when we’ve made the sale and turned that prospect into a client.  It feels good.  We’ve done our job well.  But maybe something seems a little off.

This feeling is something to pay attention to.  Commitment is a tricky thing, a loaded word with connotations of “being stuck” and these days it seems many people are terrified of commitment in all arenas.

What should you be watching out for?  When a person gives you a commitment the biggest thing to look for is, are they congruent.  Is the person hemming and hawing?  Do they say things like, “I can probably swing that.”  The word ‘probably’ is a dead giveaway.  So is the word ‘try’.  If someone’s trying to buy or make a commitment, they’re not actually buying or making a commitment.

Were they really congruent when they gave you the ‘yes’ answer? Or were they less than specific?  “Yeah, I reckon so,” they might say.  Well, ‘reckon so’ doesn’t mean they fully agree to it necessarily.

You might be able to hear it tone of their voice (which is a hard one to describe in writing, but you know . . . they stop and start and um and uh).  Does their tone, when they agree, make you feel that they are really not committed?

You need to really evaluate if you’ve gotten a commitment from somebody, are they congruent?  Do they mean it?  If you spot any of the things like I just mentioned, the wisest thing to do is to stop and find out what the issue is.  It’s easier to fix an objection or a problem right then than it will be later on when you gloss over it (and letting the little nagging doubt grow into something larger) and just assuming or trying to convince yourself, well they must have been telling me the truth.  After all, all prospects tell the truth, right?  Just like all sales people do.

The thing is, we are truth tellers.  We tell the truth for all the obvious reasons, not the least of which is, that we want our unconscious mind to believe us.

It’s really important if you see any issues of congruency that you stop and say, “Listen, you know, you told me this answer but I’m just wondering if there’s anything else going on there that we need to explore.”   And then at that point, you’ll be able to deal with it and it won’t become a festering sore that will eventually erupt and lose you the deal.

Here's to staying committed!

Kenrick E. Cleveland