Trust is something that needs to be earned – be careful not to assume it is automatically present. Here are some ways to help build trust and credibility with current clients, as well as potential prospects. Build carefully.

Don’t exaggerate the benefits of your product or service. If your clients are hearing words that seem too good to be true, chances are they’re right. Let your products and services speak for themselves, and allow the client to make judgments based on what they see – and how they believe the product or service could help them succeed.

When appropriate, be honest and upfront about any disadvantages or weaknesses in your product or service. This goes back to the open and honest communication that is fundamental to good relationships. Don’t try to pull the wool over your clients’ eyes. Eventually the truth will come out, and you may lose their business.

Don’t be afraid to promote and display your qualifications. If you are an expert or possess vast knowledge in a certain area, let people know it. If you or your company have received an award, be proud and place it where people can see it. While it isn’t appropriate to toot your own horn for no apparent reason, letting a client know that you have an expertise in an area that will prove beneficial to them is a good thing.

Develop a portfolio of reputable testimonials and endorsements from satisfied customers, and use their words to encourage a prospect to work with your company. People find comfort in knowing that others trust your company to take care of their needs.

Follow up with each client. You work hard to earn a credible reputation with your clients. Be sure you are doing what it takes to maintain that positive relationship.

1)      Get rid of your “yes-but” attitude. Instead of focusing on what won’t work, look past the initial negatives and take an idea to the next step. A “yes-yes” attitude is sure to provide greater opportunities.

2)      Pretend you’re a beginning. This will help you look at old problems in a new way. Invite people who know little about the problem to offer their insight.

3)      Let go of being right. Keep your mind open to new ideas – especially other people’s new ideas. Letting someone else be right will boost their confidence and strengthen the team.

4)      Be willing to suspend judgment. Be as encourager of ideas instead of a squelcher. Wtihold your judgment as long as possible.

5)      Do away with assumptions. First you must recognize your own assumptions, and then you can let them go. Keep asking why instead of relying on what you assume to be true.

I have individuals do different activities that challenge them and then I help them explore the process while making sense of the experience. I coach my clients. I do not teach. Experiential learning requires no teacher and relates solely to the meaning making process of the individual’s direct experience. I have had numerous clients come through my workshops that were not golfers, yet they learned about themselves and went on to become more successful in life. However, there needs to be certain elements that exist before a learning experience can occur.

·        The learner must be willing to be actively involved in the experience;

·        The learner must be able to reflect on the experience;

·        The learner must possess and use analytical skills to conceptualize the experience; and

·        The learner must possess decision making and problem solving skills in order to use the new ideas gained from the experience.

People never realize how the power of motion and coaching can benefit their lives greatly. It amazes me to see clients who have set and accomplished goals because of the experiences they had in our workshops. Check out the numerous stories on our success story page to see the different individuals who have benefitted from our program. Also, please feel free to share any stories you’ve had in our program or within your life that has changed you for the better.

Achieving a goal is like opening a combination lock. You need the correct numbers in the correct right, left, right sequence. There are thousands of possible combinations; and if you are aware of the settings but not the sequence, your efforts will prove futile.

Not all goals are equal, but all goals contain the same foundational elements. When it comes to setting goals, we often don’t know what we don’t know. And, what you don’t know can - and most likely will - hurt you by limiting or compromising your success. Each rule calls for and requires know-how of multiple disciplines. No one is born with all the talents to achieve a goal - you learn as you go on the fly.

Success, of course, is individual. Your definition of “the good life” may be very different from mine. Yet the underlying steps toward that end are the same. That similarity helps you to understand what success really is.

Success is the ability, first, to recognize opportunity; second, to form plans and strategies that leverage opportunity; and, third, to develop the necessary skills needed to execute those strategies.

Success is beautiful because of how it looks to you, how it works, how it feels and how it represents the fulfillment of goals pursued.

You might be asking yourself where to begin, first, check out Gary Ryan Blair’s new book Goals to learn more about strategies to becoming successful. My book, which covers similar material and will be released this fall called Performance In Motion could also help you find a focus and target to guide you toward success.

After answering those questions, you should be able to answer what you intend to do.

There are different kinds of intentions. The easiest to define are “good” intentions and “bad.” Whatever your intentions are, they form the basis for your actions, the foundation for the achievement of your goals, the manifestation of your desires, and ultimately the fulfillment of your dreams.

Maybe you need to write down your intentions before you write your goals. Start each sentence with, “I intend to…”or even bolder, “By the end of the week I intend to..” Timing your intentions makes them much more real.

Simply put, what you intend to do is what you actually do. Goals notwithstanding, it’s all about your intentions.

An easy way to make your intentions clear is to categorize them. Organize the categories – then write the words to define them. Use single words for categories, and sentences to define your intentions. Then write what you intend to do, and by when. “I intend by this date…”

Understanding your intention is essential to goal setting. If you fall short of intention, you will not likely achieve the goal you set. What a simple, powerful concept.

The game of golf is interpreted by the average golfer assuming that they must improve in small increments to gain success. This is the traditional game that most will play. Logically, we think that we must break 90 before we break 80. This is true but these numbers are barriers to success. The difference between 90 and 72 is intimidating. But in reality it can be thought of as just one less shot per hole.

The intention must be unlimited, logically for one to shoot as low as possible. Trying to explain how to play greater golf is usually based on limited ideas such as fundamentals. Fundamentals should be observed, but not thrived upon.

Really, all that you need to play intentional golf is the mind set of trying to play the game of golf to the best of your abilities. This is done by staying true to the intention of shooting as low as possible. The reason that most people don’t hit the ball 300 yards is not because they lack physical capability. It is essentially because they don’t believe that it is possible.

Having confidence is when you know that you will complete your goal at all cost and ability is something obtained through practice; however it is put to use through proper mind set. By making the commitment to completing your goal, your life will be full of many more accomplishments.

I helped Ken find a focus. He came into the program in the early 2000’s. He signed up for a six week program, but lasted a year because of his travels. Clearly Ken had witnessed a breakthrough as an individual, but also with the company. Their stocks rose in 2002-2003 because what Ken had said is that the program helped him listen to himself and board better. Toro found ways to excel even through economic down periods.  Between 1998 and 2006, Toro’s stock more than tripled.

Ken had an interesting background with golf. He traveled around the world for over thirty years at many top resorts and golf courses and chose not to play very much golf. As a CEO, there was very little reward if he was to get beat by his clients and/or staff and there was no realization that he could learn more about himself through the game. Ken was a committed lifelong leader and learner. He had made many great changes at his company, which in fact in the 80s, I’m sure he saved them from going bankrupt.

When he showed up at my doorstep it was just an opportunity to help him recognize how he could see things differently through himself in a sport that was part of his business. Ken was able to let go of the perfection in his golf game that would often be the same correlation for him in his business and life. 

Encouragement, accountability and asking the right questions can help someone realize what they want to achieve and give them the extra drive to seek out the possibilities.

If you have a similar story that shows the power of encouragement, please feel free to share and comment on our blog.

It’s not a bad thing for the public to gain inspiration from a great athlete like Tiger. Yet if Woods’ now public transgressions teach us one thing, it’s that we must be careful about the extent to which we idolize athletes. It’s easy to assume that just because an athlete like Tiger approaches perfection in sports that he is flawless in life.

Surely television has played some role in this unfounded assumption about Tiger. Take for instance the former Accenture slogan “Be a Tiger” or the commercials about the Tiger Woods Foundation making a difference in the lives of children. Indeed, the foundation has broadened the horizons of thousands of youngsters but this does not mean Tiger is a saint.

Those who have followed Tiger closely on TV or in live events know that he has a bit of an anger management issue. Network television has had to censor Tiger’s language many times and the PGA tour has fined him for slamming clubs, and once having raked a green with his putter at the 2005 U.S. Open. There are many other accounts of Tiger swearing at cameramen for taking a shot while he was swinging—for example the “jackass comment” caught on tape at Doral.

Clearly this sort of behavior is absurd, but both the media and public have written it off as tenacity that Tiger leaves on the golf course. The line of reasoning has been if Tiger is a devoted family man, who works hard to achieve his goals and gives back to the community, this behavior on the course is tolerable. But what will people make of Tiger’s antics now that they “know” about his other imperfections?

Chances are when Tiger comes back to the PGA tour after his hiatus, some people will boo him. Others may still cheer him on. But one thing is certain: everyone will realize that he is not perfect.

If we are to idolize Tiger now, it will be for his great golf ability and rightfully so. Tiger is still the greatest golfer of the last decade. But he is far from perfect.

What we can take away from this is that our idols are not always as they seem. It’s important to realize athletes are people too, and they make mistakes. As such we must be careful not to live through them vicariously, and develop an identity based on who they are.  It’s much better to develop happiness within and play your own game. We should also ask ourselves if we and our role models have balance in life.

Recall the biblical story where David beats Goliath. Although this story is ancient, it demonstrates a valid point about the power of strategy when one is faced with seemingly unbeatable odds. David’s strategy was to carry but five stones so he could be quick and agile. This strategy ensued from seeing many others fall as they wore heavy armor in battle. Meanwhile, Y.E. Yang recalled that “throughout Tiger’s career… a lot of players have folded … when playing with him.” In a post tournament interview, Yang thus explained , “I’d usually try to visualize and try to bring up a mock strategy how to win, if I ever played against Tiger.” Clearly, both Yang and David had a strategy that they had planned out, demonstrating an important lesson if you want to win as an underdog. But what was it specifically about David’s strategy or Yang’s approach?

Historically speaking, a victorious underdog’s strategy  breaks away from convention. Political scientist Ivan Arreguin-Toft researched every battle in the last two hundred years fought between stronger and weaker opponents. When the “David’s” chose not to play by “Goliath’s” rules, their win percentage went up from 29 to 64. Arreguin-Toft explained that many of these underdogs employed blatantly unconventional techniques to win. Reflecting back on David and Goliath, the convention would have been to wear heavy armor, but David chose otherwise.

Another great story about breaking away from convention is that of Lawrence of Arabia, made famous in an Oscar winning movie. The British who were aiding Lawrence, against the Ottoman Turks, suggested that he attack the Ottomans in Medina before they move to conquer other Arabian territory. Yet Lawrence knew that the Turks would be too strong to take on at this stationary location. He reasoned that they would be much weaker while on the move, along their railway which supported their food, fuel and water supply. Thus he went against British recommendations and waited to attack the Ottomans while they journeyed across the railway. This strategy worked.

Both Lawrence of Arabia and David were unconventional and they ended up winning their respective battles. Yet it’s not simply about going against the norm in difficult odds, it’s about employing an effective strategy. This requires shrewd planning and visualization, much like Yang did.

Here at Performance In Motion, we work with clients to plan out their strategy to succeed in their own market. We help clients see the possibilities and look beyond convention when necessary.

Dan DeMuth on the importance of coaching awareness:
At Performance in Motion, we integrate the principles of awareness education to enable individuals to achieve extraordinary results in their games, and their business and life endeavors. I see my job as a PGA Professional as helping my clients build a strategic plan for the whole game that can tie into their business and life. We still teach technique, but much of the focus is on a philosophy of play, with the students focusing on their thoughts and actions to become more aware of themselves and what they’re doing. We always base the sessions on the client’s needs/wants and pull the answers from the students rather than simply give them advice; people usually know what’s hindering them, and we work together to understand the interference. It’s not just about teaching how to overcome the obstacles in the student’s game; we work to remove interfering perceptions, as well as old beliefs. The goal is always the big picture: to learn how to deal with letdowns, accept them as part of the game and move forward. Too often, we see our clients only focused on the ball instead of the target. We work with them to remain clear on their intentions and focused on the target.

Dan DeMuth on the business impact of coaching awareness:
Perhaps the most obvious benefit of coaching awareness is a coaching relationship can last months or years, while instructional relationships are often a short-term relationship. Furthermore, I see my students fit more golf into their schedules when they realize how the sport can have positive effects on their entire way of looking at things. Many of my clients are business professionals, and they take the skills of analyzing themselves and building solid goals to enhance their careers. Whether improving people’s golf games or focus in business and life, golf can become a great teacher.