Cinch your success with 8-second leaders! Step into the saddle and ride to the buzzer but first, get outfitted for success. Some things are necessary to have on hand in order to be prepared for coming out of the chute. No cowboy worth his chaps would step onto a horse without the right attire. Nor should you step into the marketing arena without the right stuff.

1. Confidence.

Never enter the Marketing Zone without your confidence. Open up your mind and visualize success. See yourself as you achieve your goal, confident, assured, and powerful. Once you see yourself as successful, your eye is set on the goal, and you are half way there, you cant miss. Keep your goal in sight and your mind on the outcome.

2. Attitude

An I can do anything attitude has taken many a cowboy past the eight-second buzzer to a successful ride. If you believe you can do it, you can. Put on your thinking cap, and repeat after me I can do anything, I can do anything, I can do anything. You can be the marketer at the top of the heap, you just have to keep that winning attitude in place.

3. Poise.

The position you choose to take on any given subject, can give you a needed edge on success. Stand up straight, face your adoring audience, and look your challenge in the face. Eyeball to eyeball, you can face the challenge down and succeed. Be fearless, step up to success with a smile and a winning gaze. Market yourself first, the product will be sold on your word.

4. Power

When a cowboy steps into the chute hes fully aware of who is in control. He must stay in control to stay on top of the horse. If he looses control, he will be trampled beneath heavy sharp hooves (and just between you and me, that dont feel so good). There is no alternative, he must keep the power and remain the leader. You have the same need to stay on top, keep your power, and lead in the market place. Lead your client into a position to buy.

5. Enthusiasm

It takes more than a little shuzbott to make your dreams come true. You have to have enthusiasm to get through the door and onto the show room floor. Once you are there, enthusiasm will keep you in front of your audience and moving toward your goal. Be enthusiastic, stretch and cheer to reach your goal.

Eight seconds Rule. Your audience buys within the first eight seconds. If you have the confidence, the attitude, poise, power, and enthusiasm to present yourself well, your product will sell.

The chute is waiting Go kick some butt

Copyright 2005 Jan Verhoeff

Jan Verhoeff

Somewhere between college and life, Jan began to focus on other people. Her intense need to feel accomplishment in her life drove her to finding a deeper contentment than just existing in the hoot 'n holler of southeastern Colorado. While the beauty of the prairie never escaped her eye for color and beauty, the intensity of her desire kept her moving ever onward.

Summers in Michigan and Tennessee brought her closer to something, but it wasn't until much later, as an adult, mother of four that she began to understand that her need for accomplishment included sharing what she had learned along the way. It also meant that her talent for painting the dream and writing her thoughts had a lot to do with her accomplishments.

She began to focus on actually writing down her thoughts and ideas in journals, revealing her prayer thoughts and life events. Bits of paper became treasures of memory, and a notebook became an outlet of hope and a step of faith. Jan put her thoughts on paper, and began to publish them, where she found opportunity, including various magazines, trade journals, and local publications. Her interests in business and new enterprise became a resounding outlet for her talent, and wisdom for those who sought it. Jan's interest in business development became her trademark, resulting in her first book publication in !992, "Building a Business: From Scratch". This 22 page booklet was published by a local printer in a vertical brochure format, selling more than a thousand copies nation wide. It has resurfaced in college classes as the basis for college term papers, graduate thesis, and research documents for small business courses over the past 13 years.

Seeking more diverse outlets for her talents, Jan most recently has written several short stories published in various books, including: "Stories for the Trail" with the Lamar Writer's Group, "Prickly Points of Life" a combination poetry/short story collection of Jan's work, and "Coffee Clatter" a bound collection of written works originally published in a newsletter published by her daughter, Brenna, as a Sophomore Year Project when she was homeschooling at Buchanan Academy.

More recently her work is available in a newsletter she publishes weekly via email, and various blogs listed on the right side of this page.

You may contact Jan at: janverhoeff@yahoo.com