The 4 Ps of Success
When I was in undergraduate school studying Marketing, I was introduced to the 4 Ps of the Marketing Mix, namely: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion. I still have my textbook, circa 1980, from Dr. Phillip Kotler, “Marketing Management, Analysis, Planning and Control” in which the esteemed Dr. Kotler outline the 4 Ps of the Marketing Mix. This is the foundation of everything we do today in the marketing of a product or service.
So what does this have to do with success?
Not much except number four. However, I wanted to give credit where credit is due.
The other inspiration for this post came from my 20-year-old who over this past Labor Day weekend went to a music festival and he lost his car keys amongst thousands of cars, tents, and screaming fans. I spent the weekend trying to figure out how I could avoid the eight hour round trip drive.
After confirming that UPS, Federal Express, and all other overnight delivery services did not deliver over the holiday weekend and finding out that my AAA roadside assistance was of little use in the middle of nowhere, I reluctantly made the drive on Labor Day when most Americans were relaxing, going to the lake, golfing or enjoying one of the last barbeques of the Summer.
Now for the 4 Ps of success!
Over the past eight years, I have read and/or listened to an unabridged CD set of Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” over 20 times. I decided since I would have a long drive by myself that I would listen to the CDs again. Somewhere along the New York State Throughway, the key principles of the book crystallized into the 4 Ps of success. Hopefully, there are no New York State Troopers reading this because I was so inspired that I grabbed my iPhone, pulled up the notes application, and jotted down these four principles:
- Purpose
- Plan
- Positive Attitude
- Persistence
Purpose – Napoleon Hill spent the initial part of the book driving home the need for what he called the definiteness of purpose. All great ideas and businesses stem from a strong purpose and a burning desire to see that purpose come into being. What is your purpose? You need to figure that out and then burn that purpose into your subconscious. You see, your subconscious is your conduit to infinite intelligence. By focusing on your burning desire, you will signal to the world that you are ready to take on anything to achieve your goal.
Plan – Next, you must plan exactly how you intend to achieve your purpose in great detail including the financial outcome of your purpose. If your purpose is to give charitably, you must first have the financial wellbeing to give back to charity. Let’s say your purpose is to help others by helping companies build and grow thus adding new jobs to your community. In doing so, you want to give $25,000 per year to your favorite church or charity. Therefore, you need to have enough net income to pay for your family, retirement, and general living expenses, say $125,000 plus $25,000 per year for charity. You then need to develop a plan in which your business will generate at least $150,000 in profit, draw or salary to you. Once you have the plan developed, visualize yourself receive $12,500 each month so that you can realize your purpose.
Positive Attitude – In his book, Napoleon Hill explains that we are all made up of positive and negative ions. It is this scientific fact, according to Mr. Hill, that allows us to communicate with infinite intelligence. We have a choice; either we can emit positive or negative messages. Just remember, whatever you send out will come back to you in a similar form as it was sent out. If you want positive results, then you must emit positive messages.
Persistence – The final element for success is persistence. Even if you do all of the previous three steps, you may not experience immediate results. You may even fall upon hard times, especially in today’s economy. However, if you have a clear focus on your purpose, develop and modify your plans, and stay positive you will eventually realize your plan. Many of the world’s great millionaires and billionaires experienced major setbacks along their way to success. Some ever went bankrupt on multiple occasions. The difference between these truly successful giants and most people is that they knew they were destined for greatness and would not let anything stand in their way.
I encourage you to read or listen to “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. If you have read it, read it again. Then, look for the 4 Ps to success, start living these principles, and enjoy the fruits of your labors.
In the meantime, download my free eBook, “The Business Growth Engine”! Click on the cover of the book below or fill in the order form to the right and start learning how to double your revenue and triple your profits.
