The 10 P's of Business: PERCEPTION

"Perception: We judge ourselves by our intentions. Others judge us by our actions."

Perception is my FAVORITE P of all the P's of Business. Here lies the truth in life, whether you like it or not. Please read the following three true stories that have happened in my young life. They are all perfect examples of PERCEPTION...

Story #1

My very first job was when I was 14. I worked at a small Mexican Restaurant. One night while I was closing I was supposed to be cleaning the restaurant. I told the owner, Mario, that I was finished. He looked around and said - "what about this??? and look - you forgot that!" I said "Mario, but I did this, I did that, I did that, I did this!!!"

Mario then looked at me and told me something that I will never forget. "Hannah, it's not what you do, it's what you DON'T do."

Story #2

When I was 15 years old I wanted to work at BROADWAY (which is now Macys). At the time they only hired people who were 18 years or older. I knew this, but I thought I would take the chance anyway. I walked in with a green blazer, black skirt, black nylons, high heals, and my hair in a French bun (very Jay Jacobs circa 1992). When they asked what school I went to I told them "Ventura." They thought I meant Ventura College.

I walked in like I was supposed to work there and spoke like I was supposed to work there. The PERCEPTION was that I was 18 - the manager didn't pay attention to the job application. Two days later I got the job. Six months after that someone actually asked me about school and I told them that I went to Ventura HIGH school. But by that time I had already proved myself so no one worried about it.

Story #3

When I was 19 years old I moved to Phoenix for a very short time to help a friend start up a business. I made an appointment with a very successful building company in town and had spoken to them on the phone several times. Now it was time to meet the two owners for dinner. Oh crap! Here I was 19 years old and about to try to close a business deal, for hundreds of THOUSANDS of dollars, with two hard core real estate/construction owners.

I was scared out of my mind that I would not be taken seriously because I was so young. I remembered my experience with Story #2 and pulled the same kind of outfit together. Then I went over to the restaurant the night before and tipped the door man $20 and told him my name, where I was from, and what kind of business I was in. I did the same for the hostess. Then I rented a car and driver.

The next night I made sure my driver pulled up right after the two gentlemen who I was meeting. The door man greeted me "Hello Miss Murray. Wonderful to see you again." The Hostess greeted us "Hello Miss Murray. How is your family in California doing?" And so it went. This was one of the most expensive restaurants in Phoenix at the time so the business partners were impressed. They quickly got over my young appearance and we moved forward with the deal - which was closed the next week.

(You may call this deceptive - I call it Marketing).

The moral of the stories are ....

In story #1 - Mario taught me that it doesn't matter how good I do anything. People SEE what I am doing wrong FIRST and judge me first on that - PERCEPTION.

Story #2 and #3 - It is not about what I KNEW how to do - it's about what people THOUGHT I WAS CAPABLE OF. PERCEPTION.

I know so many people who are amazing at their jobs. They are the first to go in and the last to leave. They are the first to raise their hands to volunteer and they are the only ones who don't complain. Yet, they are at the bottom of the totem pole. I believe that these people, in particular, do not understand the GAME of Perception.

• You must carry yourself a certain way.


• You must demand respect silently.


• "Facts" are actually based on OPINIONS.


• You MUST be your own PR Agent (because no one else will)


• and you must throw all fears out the window

Some people get very angry with me when I talk about perception. "That isn't how people should do business. And if they do judge me this way they are not worth doing business WITH!" Yes, that's nice. However, I don't live in the "Should" world.

As long as you follow the rules listed above people will notice you. And as long as you have the STUFF to back up the perception that you are building for yourself - you will be very successful in business and in life.

**Perception Pyramid referenced from darmano.typepad.com

The 10 P's of Business: PERSISTENCE

I was watching my daughter play soccer today and I admired all the little 7 year olds on the field. No matter how many times they missed the ball or accidentally kicked it into the other team's goalie - they kept on it. They didn't give up. I am so envious of how much they DIDN'T care about doing it wrong. They tried and tried, over and over again, until they made their goal.

If only we as adults can take a lesson from these kids - who cares if we make mistakes? It doesn't matter if we lose. It doesn't matter if we are told "no." They we try again. We do it better. We learn our lesson. We find a way to get a "yes."

There are so many adages about PERSISTENCE: "If at first you don't succeed - try, try again." Eventually you will get it right.

Persistence is a mindset:

• You must first get over the worry of being blamed. Because you will be.


• You must be brave enough to make mistakes - because there will be lots of them.


• You must understand that there are those who will be jealous of your strength and persistence - because they are not strong, and they are not persistent. (and by the way - they are the ones who are blaming you).


• You will fall on your face many times - but in the end you will be the one who others look up to

Do it over and over again - always finding a way to be better - and success will come knocking.

It is people like this that attract employers and big salaries. True - an employer does not want someone who will be constantly making mistakes. But much worse than this is someone with no drive, no ambition, or who never takes initiative because he doesn't want to be blamed.

By the way - a little hint: Ask LOTS of questions. Find someone who is very good in your field of work and pick their brain. Everyone likes to teach others what they know. Find your mentor and get as much information and advice that you can. It will help you avoid some of the mistakes.

Good Luck!

The 10 P's of Business - PASSION

It's Sunday night. For some it's the last chance to squeeze the last drops of fun out of the weekend. For others, the feeling of dread is overcoming them. The dread of getting up another day to go to a job that they dislike or find boring. But for a select few - it is just another evening that they're spending with their family. They are not plagued with worry, loathing, dread, or anything else. Some might even be making a list of what they're going to work on come morning.

These select few people love their work. They love what they do. They do not have a "JOB" but instead, have a pursuit. A goal. A mission. They're on to something and they're excited about what they are "building." Whatever that goal is they are passionate about it.

The most successful people are passionate about life. They cannot wait to get to the next level. Whether it's in their personal life or career - those who have passion work harder, more often, and are the most successful people I know. But to them it's not work - it is FUN! Yes, I have been accused of "losing my mind" because I could not wait to get back to work. But I love my work because it's exciting, and fun, and I cannot wait to see what I can do next!

If you too think that I'm crazy then you are in the wrong business. It's time for you to start figuring out what drives that passion in you. You've heard it before: Find something you are passionate about and find a way to get into a career that encompasses that thing.

Think about it - if you hate your job then you go to work everyday and clock in and clock out. You do what is required of you and you leave. But.... if you are PASSIONATE about what you do then you are finding ways to improve, do better, and be better. That is the key to success in business and your personal life.

PASSION equals happiness. Happiness equals SUCCESS.

The 10 P's of Business

There are certain rules that you have to live by to succeed in the business world. These rules are what I call the 10 P's of Business. They are (in no particular order):

1. Passion
2. Persistence
3. Performance
4. Perception
5. Presence
6. Presentation
7. Planning
8. Preperation
9. Politics
10. Positive

Over the next few weeks I will explain what these mean, how they affect the way you do business, and how the P's of business affect you.

Subscribe to this blog to ensure that you get the full explanation....

Mistakes Happen

When someone new comes to work for me I will go over with them my three simple rules:
1. Do not be late (this is my pet peeve!)
2. Try to figure it out before you ask me
3. If you make a mistake try to fix it - if you can't then tell me

Here are my philosophies about my rules:

1. Do not be late: I will not even go into this because I have no patience for it.

2. Try to figure it out before you ask me: I hate it when people just wait for me to give them the answer. If I have to give you a list of things to do before you do anything I will lose patience fast. If you don't know how to do something and you come to me and ask me how to do it and you haven't even tried - I lose patience fast. Just TRY to figure it out and then come to me and tell me you tried and I will appreciate the fact that you TRIED.

3. If you make a mistake then try to fix it. If you find a solution don't even tell me. What's the point? You fixed it. But if you can't find a way to fix it you better come to me for help. Trying to hide it just makes it worse.

Everyone makes mistakes - everyone. I truly believe that if you don't make mistakes you will never learn. But if you try to ignore that mistake or cover that mistake things only get worse for you.

I cannot tell you how many HUGE mistakes I have made. But I am not afraid to make them. I am cautious. But I am not afraid of mistakes. If I was then I would have never succeeded.

Take this to heart in business and your personal life. Put yourself out there. Try your best. Take initiative. Learn from your mistakes. And for gods sakes..... if you make a mistake own it - do not try to blame someone else. It will just make you look bad. Mistakes happen.