Arnel's Blog

"How are you wired?" Part 4

2010-03-26T07:42:09-04:00

How are you wired?: Part 4 focuses on knowing your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energy and how it affects your performance in business. In the series, "The 90 Day Challenge", I have all my clients take the Full Engagement Self Test from the Human Performance Institute.

The test costs about $49. It prints out a 16 page report on the 4 areas of energy: physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental. The report indicates where you are at, where you need to go and what areas you need to improve overall.

The website for the Human Performance Institute is http://hpinstitute.com/index.html.

To take the Full Engagement Self Test log on to http://hpinstitute.com/assessment_diagnostic.html .

According to the book, "The Power of Full Engagement" by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, managing energy is the key to high performance in business-- not time nor sales.

Please do not misunderstand me, sales are important, but if you do not have the energy to generate, follow up, and close the sales, it does not matter. The key to high performance is skillful management of energy and being fully engaged in your business and your life.

For example, let me share my Full Engagement Self Profile Test results:

My overall engagement in my life and in business is 66%.

My spiritual energy is 87%.

My mental energy is 70%.

My emotional energy is 84%.

My physical energy is 22%

What does that mean when my score is 66% of overall engagement. The results tell me that I am disengaged from my business and life; I feel challenged and somewhat drained.

Significant obstacles stand in my way of fully igniting my talents and skills. I must pay special attention to development priorities in the physical and spiritual realm, as both are excellent leverage points for greater overall engagement.

From my scores above, you can see my physical energy is real low. Does it mean that my life and my business are suffering right now? No. What it does mean is that I need to address this NOW in order to prevent future problems. In order for me to be fully engaged, I need to increase my physical energy.

In order for me to improve my scores in physical energy, here are some suggestions:

1) I need to have water around me all the time and consume at least 10 to 12 glasses a day

2) I need to have at least 2 to 3 times a week of aerobic exercise for at least 30 minutes

3) I need to do strength training exercises 2 to 3 times a week for 30 minutes to a hour.

4) I need to have adequate breaks during the day for recovery purposes.

There were many more suggestions for me to improve my scores for physical energy. What I have learned is that I can NOT deny it. If I want my business to grow, I need to accept the facts and implement these suggestions in order to improve my physical energy. Sometimes it is difficult to get motivated to exercise, or even to find the time, but I know that it must be done. My wife and I have discovered that if we sign up for one of the local races, we are more determined to train and maintain our weekly workouts. Recently, we signed up for the Virginia is for Lover's race that was held in mid February. I trained for at least 2 months prior; however, after the race was done,I became inconsistent with my runs. When I was training, my physical energy increased tremendously.

Although exercising routinely is a challenge for me, I believe that it is necessary if I want to be fully engaged in my life and business. Being fully engaged is the only way that I will truly reach my goals personally and professionally.

My next post will be "Knowing how you are wired = more clients". I will conduct a video blog and sum up all the recent four posts on "How are you wired" and how it leads to clients.

If you have any questions or comments about this post do not hesitate to contact me or drop me a comment.

"How are you wired?" Part 3

2010-03-17T10:29:40-04:00

"How are you wired?": Part 3 focuses on knowing your Business Owner Profile. This profile shows how you work, run your business, and gives insight as to the type of business owner you are.

To know your Business Owner Profile, you can go to a resource created by a fellow colleague and friend, Chuck Blakeman. It is called "The Apex Profile" and it it can be found on the following link: http://apexprofile.com/.

There are three basic profiles: 1) Market Driven, 2) Process Driven, and Product Driven. These profiles are not tied to your personality. Once you determine your Apex Profile, you can learn how to use your strengths and cover your weaknesses in order to become a business owner who actually owns a business that produces results.

When I work with clients in the series, "The 90 Day Challenge", I have all of them take the Apex Profile test in order to determine what are their primary and secondary business owner profiles. This allows me to help my clients make better decisions in running their business utilizing accurate information about themselves.

Let me share my results with you. I am S/M Profile (Systems/Market). My market focus was 29%, my system focus was 45%, and my product focus was 26%.

What does that mean in regards to my business? From the Apex Profile, here are the recommendations:

1) I am a mix of a marketer and systematizer. This mix can grow a very successful mature business that makes money if the owner can get a product focused into the business very early on at the outset if possible.

2) One of my weaknesses as a S/M Profile is that I am not good in starting a business. I can be distracted by sitting around and thinking about the best processes for production or what the future looks like before the present has been taken care of.

3) Here are some of my Identifiers: a) Detail oriented, tendency to be structured, but like new ideas and market ideas, 2) Good thinker/researcher with understanding of their market and customer, and 3) Creating Consistent Operations and Productions, a business manager who knows customer service.

I agree totally with these results, so I am working to systematize the process of the workshop and the series of "The 90 Day Challenge".

If you are interested in taking the test and learning your business owner profile, click this link, Apex Profile . Click the tab, "Get Started". Type your e-mail address and click next. Apply this promo code, "DT201025"and you will receive a 25% discount for the test (Apex Profile Affiliate). It will only take 20minutes to complete the test.

My next post will be "How are you wired?": Part 4. This will focus on knowing your physical, mental, spiritual, and emotional energy and how it affects your performance in business.

If you have any questions or comments about this post do not hesitate to contact me or drop me a comment.

"How are you wired?" Part 2

2010-03-10T05:42:15-05:00

"How are you wired?: Part 2" is about knowing your strengths and utilizing them to its maximum potential in your business. As a result, you will obviously be running your business more effectively.

Before any of my clients start "The 90 Day Challenge", it is imperative that we determine each person's individual strength. I have them take the Strength Based Leadership Test from the following website: http://www.strengthstest.com/strengths-tests.html. (There is a small fee if you are interested in taking the test)

In the book, "Strengths Based Leadership" by Tom Rath and Barrie Conchie, they divide leadership into four domains: 1) Executing, 2) Influencing, 3) Relationship, and 4) Strategic Thinking.

"Executing" means "Striving and Working harder".

"Influencing" means "Impacting and Influencing others"

"Relationship" means "Relating with others"

"Strategic" means "Thinking working Smarter."

So what does this all mean? Let me share with you my results based on the Strengths Based Leadership Test.

In the Executing Domain, I have the strength: Arranger. With this strength, I like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.

In the Influencing Domain, I have the strength: Maximizer. With this strength, I focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. I seek to transform something strong into something superb.

In the Relationship Domain, I have the following strengths: Relator and Individualization. As a Relator, I enjoy close relationships with others. I find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal. With the strength of Individualization, I am intrigued with the unique qualities of each person and I posses a gift in figuring out how different people can work together productively.

In the Strategic Thinking Domain, I have the strength: Strategic. With this strength, I create alternative ways to proceed. Faced with any given scenario, I can quickly spot the relevant patterns and issues and come up with a strategy immediately.

Knowing these five strengths based on leadership, I have been able to run my business more effectively. I have been able to utilize my strengths and delegate work to people whose strengths are my weaknesses. With all that said, my business has been doing well in revenue over the last 60 days and it has definitely been more enjoyable.

If you do not know your strengths based on leadership, I highly encourage you to take the test and read the book. It will be life changing for you and your business. I have included a link below to purchase the book (Amazon Affiliate).

After reading this post, please leave me a comment on what you think about knowing your strengths based on leadership and how it can change your business. I would love to hear your insight.

If you need someone to help you interpret the results and implement the information into your business do not hesitate to contact me. I am willing to help.

The next post will be "How are you wired?: Part 3". This will focus on knowing your business owner profile in order to run a successful business.

"How are you wired?" Part I

2010-03-05T23:57:01-05:00

"How are you wired?" Part 1 is knowing about your personality type and how it affects your decision making process. I have all my clients who I work with in the series, "The 90 Day Challenge", go to the website: http://www.mypersonality.info.

Once you log on to the website, look at the upper left side quadrant. You should see "Personality Types" and "Take the Test". Click "Take the Test". You will then come up to a screen: Personality Type - Discover Your Type.

Toward your right, you will see "Personality Types: Take the Test". Click this tab and it will ask you to create an account. Go ahead and create an account and you will have the option to access your account for further reference.

The test should take no longer than 20 minutes. When you finish you will get your results you need to help you determine your personality type.

Let me share what I have found out about me. I am INTP - The "Engineer".INTPs are logical, individualistic, reserved, and very curious individuals. They focus on ideas, theories, and explanations of how things work. They are especially adept at discussions and debate. They have the ability to focus intently on a subject. They appreciate and respect intelligence in others. You can describe an INTP as a thinker. They have a system building approach to their work.

Below you will see my test results. You can see that I am 100% Introverted, 89% Intuition, 74% Thinker, and 89% Perceiver. If you want an explanation of my results, go to my earlier post,
"Want More Sales, Know your Personality Type!" Click this link: http://bit.ly/5h6Fbd+.

Knowing your personality type specifically lets you know you not only how you are wired, but lets you know how your personality affects your decisions of the past and how you can make better decisions in the future.

Going forward with this information allows the business owner to know which part of his personality is helping in his business and which parts of his personality is not helping him.

The next post will be "How are you wired?" Part II. Part 2 is knowing your strengths and how to use it effectively all the time in business.

INTP - The "Engineer"

Temperament: NT (Intellectual)

Primary Function: Introverted Thinking

Population: 2.5% (4% male, 1% female)

Full INTP Profile
(info, people, careers...)

Extraverted

Introverted

100%

Sensing

Intuition

11%

89%

Thinking

Feeling

74%

26%

Judging

Perceiving

11%

89%

Want more clients, you need to know "How are you wired?"

2010-02-22T09:31:23-05:00

Do you want more clients? Well, I believe you need to know "How you are wired".

Knowing "How you are wired" is broken down to four parts:

1. Part one is knowing what is your personality type and how it affects your decision making process.

2. Part two is knowing your strengths and how to use your strengths effectively all the time in business

3. Part three is knowing your business owner profile and how your profile affects how you approach running your business.

4. Part four is knowing how you manage your physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental energy which leads to performance in your business.

From my experience, when a person knows how he or she is wired, they can empower themselves to know what needs to done to obtain more clients. The person is better aware and more effective in their business because a lot of the guesswork has been removed.

Let me share a story about how one my clients took his business to another level because he discovered how he was wired. This gentleman was struggling because his business had plateaued and he could not figure out the cause and how to be motivated.

I had him take a couple of assessment tests and I found out that he scored high on being "system focused". I asked him, "Do you have a strategic plan on growing your business in 2010 and over?" He replied, "No".

He explained to me that when he started the business 5 years ago, his CPA sat him down with 3 other advisors to help him come up with a business plan along with financial projections. He achieved those financial projections 2 years ago!

This client is highly committed especially if he has a plan. He is an avid runner and of course, he runs better when he is training for a race. When he trains for a race, he follows the plan exactly and gets phenomenal results.

I asked him,"Would you be excited if we came up with a Life Plan in alignment with your Strategic Plan for your business with new SMART Goals?" He told me, "If I could get a new plan, I know I can accomplish it!"

With the information he shared with me on how he was wired in regards to competitive running and the results of the assessment tests, I was able to show my client that once he has a strategic plan for his business with SMART Goals, he will not plateau. His primary motivation-- accomplishing the plan.

Over the last couple of months, my client has been excited about his business. He is bringing in more business then he did over the last year. I truly believe that knowing how he is wired was the key component to his success.

Once my client knew how he was wired, he had a choice to go for the next level. He became empowered to go for it. Moments such as this is the most exciting part of my business.

On my next five posts, I will be sharing the breakdown of the four parts of "How are you wired?" and give you links to take the assessment tests for your benefit. The series is: "4 Parts of Knowing How You are Wired = More Clients".

My first video book review

2010-02-15T19:18:40-05:00

This is my first video book review.It is Gary Vannerchuk's Crush It!

My 1st Book review from Arnel Tanyag on Vimeo.

If you are interested in purchasing the book now, click the link below right now (amazon affiliate).

I was part of Polar Plunge 2010!

2010-02-14T01:31:12-05:00

One of the most exciting parts of my business is when you are able to share in their personal life of a client. One of my clients, Tracy Boswell who owns Sea Shore Realty asked me to be part of Polar Plunge 2010.

I did not plunge with them. My role was to give the team moral support and bring food for the after party. I brought my flip camera with me with the sole purpose of creating a video.

I brought my two kids, Kyle and Zoe. My daughter, Zoe stayed at the office of Sea Shore Realty with the other young kids. While my son, Kyle and I headed off to the Polar Plunge.

It was fun and very cold. I was inspired by all the people willing to plunge for a worthy cause. I am seriously interested in participating in 2011. I was moved!

I have included a video of the event. This video is a brief glance of Polar Plunge 2010 with Sea Shore Realty.

Polar Plunge 2010 from Arnel Tanyag on Vimeo.

I was part of Polar Plunge 2010! I look forward to next year Polar Plunge 2011.

International Networking Week 2010

2010-02-11T08:07:20-05:00

On Thursday, February 4, 2010, I attended the International Networking Event 2010 at Robertson's Hall: Regent University. It was hosted by the two Executive Directors, Lisa Renz and Allan Fetter of BNI - SEVA. There were also three guest speakers at the event. They were all professors from Regent University's School of Global Leadership and Entrepreneurship. I was expecting to hear boring, irrelevant lectures on theories and concepts regarding small businesses. I was wrong.

Each of these three professors gave a talk to an audience of BNI members. (BNI members are sales people, independent contractors, sole proprietors, and business owners.) These three professors not only had their doctorate degrees in their areas of expertise but they understood and knew the workings of a small business. They talked from their vast experience of life and knowledge. Their recommendations were simple yet profound.

Each of them own their own small business and have lived the life of a business owner. The three professors were: Dr. Bruce Winston, PH.D, A. Gregory Stone PH.D, and Gary W. Oyster DSL.

From the lectures I learned:

1) Innovate yourself and your business

2) Look at your business making $5,000,000 in revenue not $500,000: What would your business look like? In other words, THINK BIG

3) Business is always about relationships and trust-- even if you are doing business globally.

This event is held annually and I highly recommend that you attend next year. Carraba's Restaurant catered the event and the food was outstanding. There were several vendors that graciously contributed door prizes (some valuing over $50) at the end of the night. But the highlight of the night was the guest speakers and the knowledge and wisdom that they had to share.

You lost my business!

2010-02-10T08:55:18-05:00

My client and her entire office was participating in the Polar Plunge this past Saturday. She had requested that I help with the after party and of course, to bring some filipino food. Since I don't cook filipino food and neither does my wife, I decided to ORDER.

I go to the filipino restaurant and asked the gentleman behind the counter for my order. He asked, "What is the name?" I responded, "I am Arnel Tanyag". He looked at me dazed and confused. Again he asked, "What is your name?" Again I replied, "I am Arnel Tanyag".

He left the counter and walked in the kitchen. He proceeded to walk around the store as if looking for my order. Of course, he did not find my order so he asked, "What did you order?"

I told him I ordered 50 lumpia and a regular pan of pancit. He left the counter once again and went to the kitchen. He came back out and told me that he did not have my order. He asked if I could wait 30 minutes so that he could prepare the pancit and lumpia.

I needed the food by 1:45 PM and it was already 1:15 PM so obviously I could not wait. He was apologetic but as I was walking away, I realized the root issue. At 11 AM, I called this restaurant to order the food. Unfortunately, the lady who answered the phone did not speak English very well and was in a hurry. She asked me at least twice to repeat my order. I didn't pay any attention to it. Hey! I am a Filipino American and rarely do I not receive my order because of the language barrier. Unfortunately, it happened that day.

I ended up ordering some fried chicken for the "after party". I was embarrassed walking into my client's office knowing full well that they were all expecting me to have lumpia and pancit. With all that said, I will not be returning to that restaurant for any of my catering orders. It is a shame that by just fixing one issue, the restaurant can receive a substantial amount of business. The issue being that the person who answers the phone should be well versed in not only Tagalog but English as well. Lesson learned: Know the gifts and talents of an individual and place them in that role. If you know that your employee has poor phone etiquette, please do not place him or her behind the desk to answer all your calls!

Does a business owner need prayer for their business?

2010-02-09T08:42:31-05:00

Does a business owner need prayer for their business?

I have observed that many business owners seek counsel from their spouse, employees, business cohorts, and different avenues before they seek the Lord. I have also noticed that many of the same business owners struggle with running their business.

Personally, I find myself guilty of doing the very same thing. When I do approach the Lord in prayer, I find myself praying privately as opposed to openly and corporately.

Last year I was very fortunate to come across a successful business and life coach who highly recommended the book, "God@Work: Discovering the Anointing for Business" by Rich Marshall.

The book was very inspiring and moved me to begin seeking the Lord for my business. Rich Marshall is a pioneer among church leaders and he writes about the importance of prayer in business.

He teaches how a business owner can pray openly with their staff for the success of not only their business but also their employees. The testimony of Jeremiah Lanphier, who started the Business Man's Revival, was truly impressive.

In 1857, Lanphier organized "Marketplace Lighthouse of Prayer" in New York. It started off as a weekly prayer meeting from noon to 1pm, and within one month, business owners decided to meet daily.

Suddenly, prayer meetings were being held across the nation. A revival had begun in the marketplace. The following was the handbill that was passed out by Lanphier:

HOW OFTEN SHALL I PRAY?

As often as the language of prayer is in my heart; as often as I see my need of help; as often as I feel the power of temptation; as often as I am made sensible of any spiritual declension or feel the aggression of a worldly spirit.

In prayer we leave the business of time for that of eternity, and intercourse with men for intercourse with God.

A day Prayer Meeting is held every Wednesday, from 12 to 1 o'clock, in the Consistory building in the rear of the North Dutch Church, corner of Fulton and William Streets (entrance from Fulton and Ann Streets).

This meeting is intended to give merchants, mechanics, clerks, strangers, and business men generally an opportunity to stop and call upon God amid the perplexities incident to their respective avocations. It will continue for one hour; but it is also designed for those who may find it inconvenient to remain more than five or ten minutes, as well as for those who can spare the whole hour.

Accordingly at twelve noon, 23rd September, 1857 the door was opened and the faithful Lanphier took his seat to await the response to his invitation …. Five minutes went by. No one appeared.

The missionary paced the room in a conflict of fear and faith. Ten minutes elapsed. Still no one came. Fifteen minutes passed. Lanphier was yet alone.

Twenty minutes; twenty-five; thirty; and then at 12.30 p.m., a step was heard on the stairs, and the first person appeared, then another, and another, and another, until six people were present and the prayer meeting began.

On the following Wednesday, October 7th, there were forty intercessors.Thus in the first week of October 1857, it was decided to hold a meeting daily instead of weekly ….

Within six months, ten thousand business menwere gathering daily for prayer in New York, and within two years, a million converts were added to the American churches ….

Undoubtedly the greatest revival in New York's colourful history was sweeping the city, and it was of such an order to make the whole nation curious. There was no fanaticism, no hysteria, simply an incredible movement of the people to pray.

(From J. Edwin Orr, The Light of the Nations pp. 103-105)

I have seen prayer work in my life and in my business. If I pray and ask in Jesus' name AND if it is a part of God's will, my prayers are answered. I have witnessed prayer work in other business owners' lives and their businesses over the last year.

After reading the book, "God@Work, Discovering the Anointing for Business", I have decided to start a prayer meeting at my office every Friday from 12 to 1 PM. We have been meeting for about 3 weeks now.

The purpose of the meeting is to come together and pray for what we need in our business and our lives. Our agenda is simple: Fellowship time, worship song, opening prayer, prayer needs, and closing prayer. We are waiting to see how God answers our prayers.

To answer the question, "Does a business owner need prayer for their business?" I definitely say, "ABSOLUTELY!"

Private prayer is important, but there is something different when other business people come together and pray and intercede for you. It is very powerful!

If you are a business owner or a business person and you have Fridays from 12 to 1 PM open, come to my office and pray with us. Let's come together and pray for one of another.

If you are interested in attending our prayer meeting, please comment on this post and leave your contact information. I will contact you and personally invite you to our prayer meeting.

If you are interested in purchasing the book, click the link below (amazon affiliate).