5% More

Making Small Changes to Achieve

ExtraordinaryResults
Michael Alden
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2016
208 pages
[@] getab.li/27987
Book:

Rating Take-Aways

8
8 Applicability To succeed, put just 5% more effort into any aspect of your life you want to change.
8 Innovation Many people fail to achieve their goals because theyre dreamers instead of doers.
7 Style
Instead of attempting to make huge strides, embrace small, incremental steps
toward change.
Students who give 5% more effort at school can improve their college entry test scores.
Focus Wealthy people make their money work for them instead of working for money.
Leadership & Management Become stronger and faster by increasing your physical fitness routine by 5%.
Strategy
Sales & Marketing
Be happier by enjoying the little things and trying to see life through a childs eyes.
Finance Give 5% more to others, including your boss, co-workers, spouse and children.
Human Resources
IT, Production & Logistics Break bad habits or addictions by decreasing your consumption by 5% a day.
Career & Self-Development
To get 5% more results, hold yourself accountable.
Small Business
Economics & Politics
Industries
Global Business
Concepts & Trends

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getabstract

getabstract
Relevance
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What You Will Learn
In this summary, you will learn:r1) How giving 5% more effort can help you succeed; and 2) What that extra 5% can
do for you in building a business, relieving stress, getting fit, making money, raising children and beating bad habits.
getabstract
Review
Most people want to be wealthier, smarter, stronger, faster, healthier and happier. To that end, marketer and
entrepreneur Michael Alden discusses how putting forth only 5% more effort in every area can create lasting change
toward achieving your goals. He warns that, often, people either dont act, or they try to grow by leaps and bounds
instead of taking smaller, incremental steps. But, Alden assures you, putting in a little more effort can lead to big
results. He constantly refers to himself and his associates as examples of how to succeed in various areas, so the self-
promotion can become a little tiresome, but getAbstract believes it shouldnt detract from his overall, helpful and
optimistic message: putting in a little effort can lead to big results.
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Summary
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Becoming 5% More Motivated
Many people want a better life, but they fail to improve their lot due to a variety of reasons,
such as unrealistic expectations or lack of action. They dream, but they dont act. Successful
people are doers. Perhaps you are a 200-pound man who wants to lose 5% of your overall
body weight. If your usual workout routine is 30 minutes a day, three times a week, just
getabstract
Almost everybody add 5% more minutes to your workout and increase your intensity by 5%. If youre in a
wants more. More spinning class, go 5% harder for 5% more of the time. You might not actually lose 5%
happiness, better
health, more financial of your body weight, but youll be actively working toward your goal. Reduce your caloric
stability, more intake by 5%, and you will lose weight.
discipline and just a
better life.
getabstract To get 5% more results, hold yourself accountable. Start with your daily activities. Be honest
with yourself about what you want to accomplish. Write down your daily and weekly goals.
If you lead a team, write down daily and weekly goals for your team. Show your team
members the numbers so they understand their accomplishments and can make incremental
adjustments. Be realistic. Some managers set lofty goals and get upset when employees
dont achieve them. Ideally, individuals should set their own sales goals.

Making 5% More Money

When author Michael Alden sold cars before he went to law school, he worked with Brian,
getabstract who was a great salesman. Brian loved selling cars. Brian sold five cars during the course
You have to start
somewhere. There is
of one summer day, yet he greeted a late customer enthusiastically. Alden reminded Brian
value in momentum and hed already sold five cars. Brian replied that he always told himself he just wanted to sell
consistency. one car. And when he sold that one, he wanted to sell one more.
getabstract

That customer came back and bought a car from Brian the next day. Brian pushed Alden to
succeed. Alden sold 15 cars in a month, but Brian was ahead of him at 17. Brian kept asking
Alden if he could work a little harder. Alden greeted more customers, which netted more
sales. He sold 22 cars that month, his best ever (top salespeople usually sell at least 20 cars a
month). From that point on, Alden put forth a little more effort and became a top salesman.

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 Aldens mother made about $19,000 a year at a full-time job while raising him and his
brother. To make ends meet, she delivered newspapers on the weekends, starting early in
the morning. It was hard, but that extra work increased her income by 30%.

getabstract In 2014, the US Census Bureau determined that a family of four making $24,091 is living
No matter how big
a task you have in front in poverty. The US Department of Agriculture reports that such a familys weekly food
of you, the best way to costs would run from $150 to $298, so food alone would take half their weekly income
approach it is one small
step at a time. before taxes. What if that same family could make 5% more? How much help would another
getabstract $1,200 represent? What if they could save that extra money to position themselves better
for the future?

In the United Sates, statistically, poor people are likely to stay poor. Few poor people know
how to lift themselves out of poverty. Saving in small increments would allow them to meet
modest goals, and earning even 5% more could eventually put them on a more secure path.

Being 5% Smarter
getabstract College graduates make more money over their lifetimes than high school graduates. A
We have small wins small difference in a high school students GPA or SAT scores often makes a big difference
and small losses every
day. Recognize them for in his or her life. A higher score can lead to college admission and possible scholarships
what they are micro to pay for tuition.
moments for the macro
moments of your life.
getabstract For example, a student with a 1240 SAT score (verbal and math) and a 3.85 GPA hits the
basic requirements to qualify for a Presidential Scholarship at the University of Oregon. If
a student with a pre-SAT score of 1200 and a GPA of 3.7 could increase his or her scores
by 5%, that would result in a 1260 SAT score and 3.89 GPA enough to qualify for the
scholarship. These increases can occur only over time not in the last semester of the
students senior year.

In How Children Succeed, Paul Tough discusses what makes children successful beyond
getabstract academics. He reports that small gains and small advances help children make progress.
You can increase your
productivity in virtually Teaching a child about character traits such as integrity, grit, discipline and empathy
every aspect of your life spurs the childs development. You can improve your childs life by putting 5% more time
by just 5%, and it will
have long-term and life-
into parenting.
changing benefits.
getabstract
Stronger, Faster, Healthier and Happier
Expend a little more effort on your physical fitness routine to become stronger and faster.
Five percent can mean the difference between good and great results, even for Olympic
athletes. Usain Bolt is the world record holder in the 100-meter dash. His time in 2009 was
9.58, but if you compare this time with his worst time of 10.03 in 2007, the difference is
just under 5%.
getabstract
Many times, you Asking Bolt, a gifted athlete, to get faster and to decrease his time by 10% sets an impossible
will fall short of your goal. Changing his time by 5% proved doable, and may become the record he strives to beat.
goals. You will suffer
temporary defeats.
Olympians and other elite athletes train all day; their sport is their job. But even though
These are, essentially, average people cant spend all day at the gym, they can still become 5% stronger or faster.
lost battles during the
war, but you never lose
the war unless you Mike, a member of Aldens gym, is about five-foot-seven. He weighed about 230 pounds
surrender. until he lost a dramatic amount of weight. Alden asked for his secret. Mike said he stopped
getabstract
drinking soda and eating ice cream, and he cut back on bread. These small changes in his
routine eventually led to a 50-pound weight loss.

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 Relieve Your Stress by 5%
You can use stress relief tactics, such as massage or meditation, to improve your health
and wellness. Meditation lowers the bodys level of cortisol, the stress hormone. Spending
getabstract 20 minutes of your day meditating or staying quiet reduces your risk of heart disease, cancer,
Changing your habits stress, addiction, and more.
can be extremely
challenging, especially
if they are deep-rooted, A 2010 study in the journal Consciousness and Cognition found that using a mindfulness
longstanding habits.
But start by making technique for 20 minutes a day reaped positive results after only four days of practice. In
small changes. this study, 49 volunteers split into two groups to take tests on their cognitive functions.
getabstract
One group meditated while the other group listened to someone read aloud. In one test, the
meditation group outperformed the group that didnt meditate by a factor of 10.

Many people think theyd be happier if they had more money or possessions, but they dont
know when to quit pushing. Some use drugs or alcohol to cope with their unhappiness. But
your brain actually doesnt separate or care where the pleasure comes from. You can gain
a sense of gladness from simple things like completing a project at work or cleaning the
getabstract house. Appreciate daily smaller joys in life, the 5% moments.
By doing a little more
than what is expected
you are making your The vice president of a large software company had to choose between two staff software
company more money,
and then, ultimately, engineers who applied for the same management position. They had similar qualifications.
you will be pocketing Both graduated from prestigious colleges, held masters degrees and had a strong work
more money yourself.
getabstract ethic. They both often arrived early and stayed late at work. But only one took advantage of
the companys free management training course, which ran two hours a night for six weeks.
The engineer who put in that extra 5% got the job.

Give 5% More to Your Kids

Give 5% more to your children by encouraging them to stay curious and excited and by
reading to them. A childs brain is most malleable up until age five. Reading aloud to your
getabstract
Close your e-mail kids helps them develop strong neural pathways quickly. Its one of the best things you can
while working at your do with your children. Start early and read to them often.
desk, and check it once
an hour. This may not
work for all office In 1989, Brian Gallagher and Dr. Jean Ciborowski Fahey founded Reach Out and Read,
environments, but for
most it shouldyou will
which distributes thousands of books and encourages pediatricians to stress the importance
actually become more of reading. Educators often suggest having children read 20 minutes daily. Thats barely
efficient, less stressed 1.5% of the total minutes in a day. Give that advantage to your kids by reading to them. It
and definitely happier.
getabstract will help them in reading comprehension, testing, social skills, communication skills and,
ultimately, life skills.

Parents who are illiterate or who dont have time to read aloud can still help their children
by talking to them, spending time with them and encouraging them to ask questions. The
more words children hear, the more words they absorb.

getabstract Try to notice childrens attitudes. When children see snow, they think about sledding and
The guys on the
team who got the most
building snowmen. When adults see snow, theyre more concerned about shoveling it or
attention were the ones having to drive in it. Kids think about how great watermelon tastes while parents worry
who, at the end of the about how much it costs. Children stay positive and quickly move past stress. To boost your
day, worked harder.
getabstract happiness, try sometimes to look at the world through a childs eyes.

Give 5% More to Your Business

Alden used to frequent a coffee shop and diner where hed buy gourmet coffee and breakfast
sandwiches. He was surprised to learn that the owner worked a second job and would soon

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 have to close the shop. He suggested she raise her prices 5% and told her that customers
who loved her coffee wouldnt mind paying a little more.

Ultimately, she didnt take his advice, and she closed her place. Several months later, he
learned that shed relocated to a more prosperous area. Shed added more options to the
menu, and her prices were about 20% higher. She was happy in her new, bigger shop and
getabstract was making more money. Promote your wares without emphasizing price. If people like
Appreciate everything
you have just a little bit you and what you sell, they will happily pay a little more.
more, from your family
all the way down to the
ground you walk on. A successful business must keep its loyal customers. Just putting in 5% more effort toward
getabstract making your customers happy will earn increased loyalty. In the same way, you can increase
your efficiency with small steps that save time, such as checking your email only a few
times a day and not leaving it open all the time.

Aldens company cut costs by decreasing its sales commission by 5% on its larger package
and increasing the commission on its smaller package by 5%. The sales agents werent
happy because they thought they were losing money. The large package was worth $300;
with this change, they got $15 less commission on each one. The smaller package was worth
getabstract
$150; theyd made $7.50 on each smaller one. The unhappy salespeople didnt account
He said to me, Every for volume: The $150 package sold faster and more easily. Customers returned fewer of
artist is a dreamer. the smaller packages, which often better served their needs.
I said all of them are
broke. The successful
ones have vision. They Compound 5%
dont dream. They have
a vision and set goals The 5% strategy applies to making more money, which means changing your mind-set.
and objectives. Think like wealthy people and make your money work for you instead of working for your
getabstract
money. Many people bite off more than they can chew instead of working gradually toward
a goal. You can burn out if you take on too much too soon. Growing by 5% increments
makes a difference.

The 5% approach can also help you break bad habits. You can use it to fight addiction.
Imagine if you could break an unhealthy habit such as smoking, drinking or doing drugs by
reducing your consumption gradually, by 5% each day. Say that you smoke 20 cigarettes
daily a full pack. If you reduced your cigarette consumption by 5% each day, one less
cigarette each day, within a month you will have quit. You save money by quitting smoking.
getabstract If yours is a lifelong habit, quitting smoking will increase your net worth by close to
A dream without a $2 million.
plan is just a dream.
getabstract
Research supports the 5% less strategy for those addicted to the highly addictive drug
benzodiazepine. The British Journal of Psychiatry published the results of a three-month
randomized study of 180 patients with benzodiazepine addictions. They accepted doses of
25% less weekly with the choice of spreading out the last two weeks to a 12.5% reduction
each week. Those who tapered off were more successful: 62% quit compared to 21% of
the control group.

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About the Author
getabstract
Michael Alden is the founder and CEO of Blue Vase Marketing, a direct-response firm that helps companies
with marketing.

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