Gary Loper

I have spent a lot of energy over the past 30+ years entrenched in personal development with many great coaches and mentors, and shared what has
worked for them and how it impacted my life to emulate their patterns.

I have taken it all in and have been overwhelmed at times, hearing something delivered with so much power. After observing many impressive speakers, at one moment in time I was ready to cut my hair, shave my beard and purchase a sport coat, thinking that was the missing piece. I was led to believe by some, that people
are threatened by appearances that are different than their own. The message was
to conform.

At one point after watching a video of a well-known speaker driving his message in
a suit and tie, I received another video. The other side of the coin you might say.
In this video, I saw a guy, who looked like me — after a day at the beach, promoting
a high price package sitting behind a table with a box of ‘stuff’ in front of him, many times covering his mouth with his hands or the product. The over casual approach and body language raised my buttons, and I turned it off without ever seeing the entire clip.

This alarmed me that I was put off by someone who looked closer to me than the suit and tie guy. Was I secretly afraid of his look and did not want to trust him? Did I need to move closer to the “other side” to gain acceptance? More confusion arose when I learned that he reportedly sold millions of dollars of product in just a couple of days with this clip.

You can never say the wrong thing to the right person, or the right thing to the wrong person.

What I learned was “to thy known self be true”. Trying to fit in to another view of what is easier for them to handle will lead to inner turmoil, always chasing for someone’s approval.

No manner what we are promoting, the real product is you. People will be drawn to you, and your personality and values. There are a huge number of things people are looking for in any relationship, personal or business. There is more than enough for all without trying to clone one another as the only way. Systems and duplication are important, but need to be tweaked depending on the audience.

What has worked for you? I am interested in learning from your experiences in being true to yourself, and creating a public image that people are drawn to.

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A while back I shared some of the stories Twitizens shared with me on
how Twitter had impacted their life in a positive way. Take a look at the blog: 
The Unforeseen Power of a Single Tweet.

This week another great story arrived by email from Sekaye Knutsen @SekayeKnutson 

Hey Gary,

Just some context as to who the storyteller is: I’m a 20yr-old business student who’s working on getting a smart-home startup going! (after
a very unsuccessful first attempt at a fashion tech startup).

A couple months ago, when I decided to take on this new business,
I went on a little Twitter following spree looking for influential people in the business/marketing space (actually when I followed you!).
One of the accounts I stumbled across was Leonard Kim! Up until last week, I had been pretty passively following his content, giving things the occasional like or RT. One morning I got up and noticed that he
had tweeted about a BBQ he was having in a few days and invited
his Twitter followers to come! I thought the whole thing was a bit ridiculous— nobody invites hundreds of thousands of random people
to their house for a BBQ… Right? Nevertheless, I DM’d his wife on
my way to work asking if I could come… Within a few minutes we were texting about what food I was going to bring! I live in San Diego, about a 2.5 hour drive from their BBQ in LA, so I had to ask myself:
do I really want to try to take work off to drive to LA to meet a bunch
of random people much older and more experienced than me?

Obviously it was a simple decision, so I pulled some strings to get a last minute cover at work, whipped up some food, and headed up to LA on
a Saturday morning. Hours later I was chowing down with Leonard,
his wife, and his friends as though I was a long lost friend! Thanks to Leonard’s spontaneous tweet that I responded to, not only did I make
a wonderful friend, I now have the opportunity to attend a ~very exclusive~ marketing conference in the summer (as a guest to one of Leonard’s friends). AND this same friend also offered his assistance in bringing my startup to fruition! Random Twitter friends for the win!  

Here is a link to Sekaye’s tweet as social proof.  

• Respect Everyone

With the diversity of Twitter communities it is important to give respect to everyone, and think before you tweet to make sure that nobody will be hurt by your message.
Tweet Positively.

• Be Helpful

Look for ways to help others just joining the chat, especially those who this is their first Twitter chat.  Greet people, share tips, respond to their questions.

• RT Generously

ReTweeting (RT) is a huge compliment to the person who created the tweet. RTing is an effective way
to make a favorable impression to the author, and everyone else at the chat. Everyone will be watching everything.

• Create Conversations

Watch the responses of others, and make a comment to create a conversation. 
There are always side conversations going on in addition to the current topic. 
Enjoy, Engage & Entertain.

• Follow Up

The tweet stream will be flowing fast. To help you keep track of the conversations and connections you will want to follow up with, try some of these tips:  * Keep a note pad to record the name and topic of the person you want to know more about & connect with.
* Favorite the tweet as a reminder and then go back to your Favs, and send a follow-up message * or email the tweet to yourself as a reminder.

• Follow the Suggested Tweet Limits

It is very easy to get excited and get involved in great conversations, and RT so often that you do not realize that you are unable to tweet anymore. If you exceed Twitter API limits, you’ll be in Twitter Jail . . . Twitter’s time out.  It will take an hour to reset, and allow you to tweet again with your account.  I suggest you watch your tweets, and limit to 50 to 75 tweets per hour.  This should keep you out of Twitter Jail, so you will be able to stay engaged with the conversations.  Should you not be able to control yourself, set up a second twitter account with the same photo and similar name – this will help others to recognize you and your second account.

Enjoy, Engage, Entertain, Enhance & Happy Tweeting!

I invite you for a free Twitter review.

Also, please be sure to download my free eBook: “Master of the Twitterverse – Guide to Get More Followers’’

What Twitter Is . . .

Twitter Is Relationship Marketing And A Social Opportunity.

Twitter is a virtual town square, an opportunity to connect socially with others and invest time. Just as you would with any significant relationship, you develop the trust and rapport, or that ‘know, like and trust’ relationship that is more valuable to you than a simple one-time sale.

So within your community network, when you do have your products and services, you have people that are invested in you.

It may be an overused term, but when done right, social networking is the ultimate relationship marketing tool.

When you develop relationships by providing value in the ways of education, entertainment, enhancing their life without digging into their wallets, people will naturally share your messages with their audiences.

For the long run, you will have a long-term clientele. Social Media is first a SOCIAL opportunity.

What Twitter Is Not . . .

Ditch the Pitch.

Twitter is not robot marketing. It is not a quick fix, they get stuff and then they are gone. Sales pitches repel people.

How do you feel when you go to an event and someone pushes their business card, or goes into a presentation the moment you meet them?

How Is It Different From The Past?

In days gone by, a business only had to place an Ad in the yellow pages or Sunday newspaper, and they would see immediate results.

Today we are bombarded with 1000’s of messages daily on the internet, social networking sites, TV, radio and newspapers, all vying to get our attention and our money.

Twitter and all Social Media is a relationship building opportunity. It use to take just a handful of exposures before a prospect would make a buying decision. Now we are subjected to 1000s of messages a day all trying to sell something. It now takes about 20 impressions for that buying decision.

How Should You Think Of Social Media?

Think of social media as your opportunity to cultivate followers into fans, clients or referring partners.

I love that with social networking the playing field has been leveled. It has attracted even more people with a dream to create their own business to hopefully serve a need, or perhaps for many to get a buck or two.

A powerful quote from Bob Burg, “All things being equal, people will do business with and refer business to people they know, like and trust”. As Bob states in the
Go-Giver and Endless Referrals system, it is the golden rule of business.

I hope that you can see that in investing time, in creating relationships and providing that exceptional value that you will create an unequal advantage in your favor that people will choose to work with you over the countless others providing the same service.

I have been asked many times how tweets can be more effective in creating conversations and attracting an audience of followers.

The best way to create an effective tweet can be expressed by envisioning each of your tweets to contain at least one of the following elements.

~ ENTERTAIN

Think about the sensational headlines in magazines in the checkout line. They are designed to grab your attention, and create a question in your mind on how they can do that. We are pulled into a title or phrase that will make us laugh or think. Remember that entertainment is subjective. In general, people’s behavior, it is predictable. Keep in mind that attempting to entertain your twitter community with humor can land on deaf ears,
if not completely fall flat on one’s face, should your tweet need to be explained. Otherwise, that joke or message will be lost to all but a few, who are on the exact same page as you are. Think bigger audience – share: music videos, comedy from professionals, emotional stories that touch people’s hearts, and messages that make us think. Kids and pets are always huge hits and you’re encouraged to share them, if they are in alignment with your twitter strategy.

~ EDUCATE

When we stop learning we begin to die.

Imagine Twitter as the town square of centuries long ago when people would gather and share their stories of success, survival, and lessons learned from mistakes, etc. Shift the focus to serving others, and bring them tweets that educate them in areas they are interested in to improve their lives. Keep in mind that ‘educating’ tweets about your products is not what we are talking about here. There will be plenty of opportunities to share your products after you’ve established trust and rapport with your Twitter community. Share third party articles that will educate, and at the same time establish you as an expert in your niche. When your tweople begin to see you as a valued source of information then bring them something new to consider. After creating these relationships, sharing your recommended products will be easier.

~ ENHANCE

Share tweets that enhance the lives of your community that have absolutely nothing to do with them ‘getting better’ by buying something from you. You’re probably by now seeing a theme of putting their needs first. Zig Ziglar’s great quote best explains this – “You can get anything you want in life by first helping others get what they want.”   The entertainment and education tweets mentioned above are great ways to enhance your community’s lives, but there is more you can do. Motivational and inspirational quotes are one of the most frequently retweeted tweets simply because so many people are looking for inspiration. Another Zig quote – “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing, that’s why we recommend it daily.” Share Affirmations, Quotes, and Keys for a Better (fill in the blank with your branding opportunity).

~ ENGAGE

Share tweets that create engagement.

Asking questions that tweople are willing to share responses is a great way to get conversations started on Twitter. Some of the best questions that get tons of replies are general questions that do not pry too deep into personal topics. Examples of what questions to ask: What was your favorite concert? What was your best vacation? How do you fix a problem? Practice by searching out and answering the questions of others. When others begin to see your contributions, as helpful and honest, they will be willing to follow you and begin engaging in your questions.

Effective tweeting is easy, but it is not always simple to shift your focus to looking for ways to think how your audience is thinking and what problems need to be solved in their lives. When you embrace these 4 E’s people will become attracted to you, and want to follow your account to see how you can continue to help them. After all, we all get by with a little help from our friends.

Be Helpful & Happy Tweeting! 

Interested in one-on-one Twitter coaching? I invite you to visit my Twitter consulting page. I will train you to make the best use of Twitter, so you can connect with people, and create value and care with the people you are engaging with. A balance of engagement and content will be your magnet to attract new customers and referrals. Learn the latest trends. Be an implementer and see what happens!

Years ago I experienced deep emotions, unaware of its impact and weight.
I was absolutely afraid of failure. Deep inside a voice was telling me that I would not be loved if I failed. Growing up I had a strong desire to receive endless
love and support. I never felt I received that support. Because I did not see it,
I continued to feel that I needed to be and do better the next time. Part of the family patterns that surrounded me was rarely displayed, anyone admitting a mistake, even years afterwards – in spite of the results. So, my programming was set, always strive to be the best, but never receiving the rewards. And, even when a mistake or undesired results happened, do not admit it to anyone. Years of trying to get everything lined up to be perfect handcuffed me, until I shifted my mindset.

The old saying of getting your ducks in a row seemed to fit. The trouble is . . . what is the probability of getting ducks in a row?  Even if you can, they probably will not stay there for long. So,the cycle continued and nothing was achieved.

Over the years I attended countless motivational, business, and spiritual events that left me charged up on one level, but I would be kicking myself on the inside. I felt that I could have done a better job presenting the material. But, I did not allow myself the opportunity to be visible, put myself out there, for fear that it would not be perfect.

There came a time when the caterpillar could no longer stay as is and struggled to become what it knew itself to be. Finally the butterfly is beautiful and free of the cocoon.

In recent years I have taken opportunities, starting out with small steps, in which I built up my self-confidence and let go of perfectionism.  I began to take on bigger challenges and stages.

What lies within you that eats you up? Knowing that if your passion was left unfulfilled, how would it affect the rest of your life?

If you can’t make a mistake, you can’t make anything. ~ Marva Collins

There are some individuals who cannot say ‘yes’ to anything without repeatedly questioning their lives. Some have been doing it for so long that it feels unnatural not to issue a poll on even the smallest decision. As a result, what they see as slow, methodical, decision making is actually costing them opportunities and financial rewards. They will question everything before making a decision. They may eventually say ‘yes’, but at what cost. They may even lose the opportunity.

It is the exact opposite of Yes! Energy. It’s a limitation! We have all met someone like that, or we may even identify that quality in ourselves at one time or another. This constant polling results in one thing, regret. It’s the . . .  “I should have, could have, would have, if only” conversation that comes from a consistent pattern of saying ‘no’.

Do you want to live a life of regret?  Opportunities will pass you by, if you get suck in the cycle of ‘maybe’.

When you embrace your Yes! Energy, you will be surprised at how more livable life will become.  Instead of fighting the current, you start to go with the flow.  Life is an exciting journey, so start saying ‘yes!’

Start turning your life around.  Sign up for personal coaching at group coaching rates!

You can invest in yourself and your business now to reshape your financial landscape, and do something positive for your own economy.

Still think you can do it all by yourself?  How has that worked out for you, so far?

Looking for a 30-minute strategy session call? Receive exceptional value, only $25, $100 value. Sign up here.

In the bestselling book the ‘Four Agreements’, Don Miguel Ruiz talks about four life changing agreements that will dramatically change your life, if you choose to embrace and practice them every day.

In the 2nd agreement ‘Don’t Take It Personally’, it is a vital decree that each person needs to subscribe to. Whatever happens around you, don’t take it personally!

Here is a great story for entrepreneurs, one that gives clarity and offers understanding to Don Miguel Ruiz’s words, ‘Don’t Take It Personally’. In a restaurant, the waiter and waitress staff typically will walk around offering
new coffee. If you want a refill or topped off, you say ‘yes’. If not, they are not personally affected by your response and they go on.

With that analogy, if we realize that as entrepreneurs we are serving coffee, looking for people who want to drink the coffee and recognize that not everyone wants it
or they don’t want it right now. That doesn’t mean they will not want it later.
Have that same mentality as the waiter or waitress. They are not taking it personally. They are providing service. If you like it, here it is. If not, okay then we will move on to the next.

As an entrepreneur I have embraced that philosophy and outlook, which has allowed me to create a positive mindset instead of taking everything in life personally.

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” ~ Frances Hodgson Burnett

In recent years, my proudest entrepreneurial moment emerged while working with Eric Lofholm, renowned sales trainer who previously worked with Tony Robbins. Eric has a great philosophy, belief system and energy. While working through his program, I assisted and coached Eric on Twitter. One of the proudest moments I
had was when he publicly validated me to all of his protégés. During his podcasts
he would constantly ‘shout me out’ on how I helped him with Twitter.

Throughout my life I longed for that form of recognition. I had a strong desire that some ‘super star’ of a higher stature and business success would recognize and validate me, and share my gifts with thousands of people within their community. That was an absolutely incredible experience!

Yes, somebody else could see my gifts, my vision, somebody could see what I could
do for them, and they were willing to refer me and recommend me to their audience. That was the boost I needed for so long. That gave me such confidence to move forward, build programs and do even more then what I expected to do previously.

Keeping with the business trends, digital learning is best suited for entrepreneurs.
A lot of people do not want to show up for a 5-week course, so automation, learning on demand, to fit within their schedule was a must.

That was an incredible ‘aha’ moment, to complete a body of work, to make it publicly available and provide a great service for people. It was an unparalleled and outstanding experience.

It allowed me to move on and create more projects instead of teaching the same class over and over every month, and try to fill it up. I found that emotionally exhausting to market, and then only get a handful of people show up.

How can I change your life? 

Connect with me, and grab a spot on my calendar.

Read Aha Moments That Changed My life, Part 1.

Read Aha Moments That Changed My life, Part 2.