Small Business Marketing

Small business marketing: persistence pays!

2011-12-28T07:42:00.000-05:00

Persistent people begin their success where others end in failure.
-- Edward Eggleston

I'm trying as hard as I can, and sometimes things don't go your way, and that's the way things go.
-- Tiger Woods

Be persistent and work hard.

Will this guarantee success?

Of course not. But it certainly will increase your chances!

Success is a marathon, not a sprint. Never give up. Tom Peters believes that "success in business comes from surviving long enough to get lucky."

Small business marketing: learning into action

2011-12-21T08:25:00.000-05:00

Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.
-- John F. Kennedy

He who learns but does not think is lost.
-- Confucius

Never stop learning. Go back to school or read books. Get
training and acquire skills.

But never think of learning as learning for its own sake.
Take what you've learned and apply it, modify it, expand
it, develop it, share it, teach others, and boil it down to
its essence in real, concrete business terms that you can
use in your immediate environment.

In any learning situation, focus like a laser beam on
application, application, application! Learn from every
source, think, and then translate that learning into
appropriate, useful, meaningful action.

Small business marketing: How to be a better writer - FAST

2011-12-13T10:12:00.000-05:00

Writing compelling and results-producing copy requires two skills: You must learn how to break complex items into smaller (more digestible) parts and you must be able to convince your readers to take action.

Here are guidelines that have served me (and my clients) well. I hope they're equally helpful to you.

1) The first few paragraphs of any marketing document must tell your reader what's in it for him. We don't want our reader looking up after 30 seconds and wondering, "Why am I reading this?"

2) Each marketing document (sales letter, web page, brochure) should focus on a single purpose-it should be written to stimulate a specific response. This response could be an action (take the next step in the sales process) or it could be emotional (I want them to feel worried about a particular problem).

3) Density (not length) is important. Marketing materials that stimulate interest and curiosity have lots of new and good ideas. Ideally you should introduce a new fact, figure or idea every couple of paragraphs. This stimulates interest, builds credibility and goes a long way towards ensuring that your entire piece gets read.

4) Write only about what you know.

Keep these points in mind the next time you're developing a marketing document of any type.

Small business marketing: dreaming for 2011

2011-12-07T16:18:00.000-05:00

Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the actions stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.
-- Anais Nin

Decide upon your true dreams and goals.

Write down your specific goals and develop a plan to reach them. Then look at this list frequently, update it, and keep on course.

Jesse Owens said, "We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort."

Dreaming, and making dreams come true, is the hardest and highest form of business.

10 Commandments of Small Business Marketing Success

2011-10-13T16:54:00.000-04:00

Friends:

Here is a link to my radio interview last week with Elizabeth Potts Weinstein on VoiceAmerica Business:

http://thewealthspa.com/marketing/ep-61-the-ten-commandments-of-small-business-marketing-success

Listen in through the web or download it for your iPod, and check out the special offer at the 30-minute mark for a free no-strings "Get Going" Marketing consultation!

-- Small business marketing speaker David Newman

Small business marketing: Passion + Patience

2011-10-07T16:39:00.000-04:00

This just in from my new friend Suzanne Gerety of http://www.dancestudioowner.com
===
Wine Library TV's Gary Vaynerchuck...

AWESOME

*Mature language - fyi if watching near kids or in an office.

===

So if you're a marketer... a professional speaker... an independent professional... or anyone who takes work seriously - you gotta watch this simply because Gary is talking to... YOU!!!

With Marketing Expert's New Walking Consultations, Business Dilemmas Take a Hike

2011-07-26T08:50:00.000-04:00

With Marketing Expert's New Walking Consultations, Business Dilemmas Take a Hike

Creating subject lines that pack punch

2011-06-15T15:52:00.000-04:00

Guest column by Karen J. Bannan

How long was the subject line in your most recent e-mail marketing campaign?

You may not realize it, but the number of characters you use can positively or negatively impact the success of your campaign, according to a new white paper released by direct marketing agency Epsilon.

The white paper, "Rethinking the Relationship Between Subject Line Length and Email Performance: A New Perspective on Subject Line Design," details some of the more important considerations that marketers should be thinking about, said Kevin Mabley, the company's senior VP-strategic services.

Here are four tips you can use to boost your subject line prowess.

1) Front-load your subject lines with the most important information.

It would seem like this tip is a given, but take a look at the messages in your inbox. As you'll soon see, it's a strategy that few marketers embrace. The biggest problem is with ordering information. If you've only got 38 to 47 characters—the average number of characters that show up in the subject line of 57% of all U.S. e-mail recipients' e-mail programs—you need to put the most important information all the way to the left.

Use urgency and relevance as your guide. Is your offer or newsletter timely? Put that right up front. Also, make sure your brand is in the first few words. However, if your company has multiple brands or categories underneath its umbrella, lead with what's most recognizable and important to your customer.

2) Keep the subject line as short as possible to convey the message.

Epsilon's research shows that shorter subject lines have higher click-through and open rates. Still, you don't want to go short for short's sake, Mabley said. Instead, you're looking to pack the most information you can into the smallest number of words.

And avoid words that have a sensationalist slant, such as "free" or "discount." "Don't just say '20% off your next purchase.' Your messages need to be rooted in your customers' expectations," Mabley said.

3) Don't forget to test.

This is another common suggestion, but one that still isn't heeded as it should be, Mabley said. "At the minimum, you should be performing an A/B test on every message that goes out," he said. "The general rule is you can test 10% of your list in order to figure out which option is a better one."

This is how you're going to figure out if your front-loaded data should be the brand name or the actual benefit to the recipient, and it's something that may change on a day-to-day and message-to-message basis, he said.

Your messages should also go through a spam filter so you know, on a scale of 1 to 100, how likely it is that an ISP will consider your message to be spam, Mabley said.

4) Dynamically personalize the subject line.

This is something that's simple to do, and shows that you know who you are e-mailing and what they are looking for. "Whether you use their first or last name or their company's name, it makes it more personal and provides better reception," Mabley said.

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Small business marketing: do you have a fixed point of view?

2011-05-09T11:28:00.000-04:00

The most fatal illusion is the settled point of view. Life is growth and motion; a fixed point of view kills anybody who has one.

-- Brooks Atkinson

Small business marketing: Battling the Email Bulge

2011-04-15T06:30:00.000-04:00

A slimmer email can lead to healthier results in 2009...

Many people enter into the new year with a personal goal of living a healthier lifestyle and shedding the unwanted pounds brought on by another season of holiday excess. The same commitment should also be applied to the messages being sent to your subscribers-messages that may have slowly packed on the pounds right under your nose without being noticed.

How It Happened

Emails tend to start off with very streamlined designs, making them easy to use and less likely to run into display errors in different email clients. However, as marketers reach a level of comfort with email marketing, and quality content continues to be developed, more and more of that content begins to find its way into their email communications.

It can start with something as simple as a sidebar, or additional space for images. As the months go on, additional content accumulates on your email template, and soon it hardly resembles the streamlined communication vehicle it once was.

Think this might be the case with your own email? Ask yourself a few questions:

What am I trying to communicate?
Trying to communicate more than two or three main ideas in an email is difficult in light of how quickly most email recipients sift through their inboxes. Identify the one idea, if you could only choose one, that you would want recipients to take away from your email-is it the first thing you notice on your test message? If not, consider moving or eliminating excess content.

Am I overloading?
Giving visitors to your website a variety of options is fine, but an excessive number of links and linked images on an email can make it difficult and frustrating to engage with. Many marketers rely on emails to drive traffic to their sites, but the amount of clicks an email receives has much less to do with the number of available links than the relevance of those links. Also, too many links on an email increases the chances of frustrating site visitors who wait for a page to load only to realize they clicked on the wrong link in your message-an easy mistake to make with several links in close proximity.

Where can I make changes?
Some content on your emails will be non-negotiable, but be mindful of including any non-essential elements. For example, a large graphic about an event could have a negative impact if it's the first thing a recipient sees. In this case, the recipient may believe the event is the focus of the message-even if that is not the case-and could abandon the message due to lack of interest in the event. Scaling the graphic down, or simply using stylized text to promote it, would slim down the message and make sure the recipients' focus is on your products, editorial, or whatever else you consider to be the key takeaway (see #1 above).

One common email element not likely to be eliminated by any marketer is advertising space, but there is no greater contributor to a bloated-looking email than a slew of rotating banner ads. At the very least make sure clearly defined borders separate advertising from your own content, and avoid using any unnecessary images of your own, which can contribute to the cramped appearance.

Less is more

The tendency of emails to become inflated stems from marketers' desire to communicate as much information as possible with their subscribers. While this desire is perfectly understandable, it does not always take into account the user-experience of those who will be receiving the messages.

It's a good thing to have more ideas than can fit onto one email-for your subscribers' sake, try not to overload your messages. One idea on an email can still get great results, but only if your recipients can find it.

20 Tips for a positive new year for small business marketers

2011-04-05T13:52:00.000-04:00

From positivity expert Jon Gordon...

1. Stay Positive. You can listen to the cynics and doubters and believe that success is impossible or you can know that with faith and an optimistic attitude all things are possible.

2. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement: My purpose is_______________________.

3. Take a morning walk of gratitude. It will create a fertile mind ready for success.

4. Instead of being disappointed about where you are think optimistically about where you are going.

5. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

6. Transform adversity into success by deciding that change is not your enemy but your friend. In the challenge discover the opportunity.

7. Make a difference in the lives of others.

8. Believe that everything happens for a reason and expect good things to come out of challenging experiences.

9. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

10. Mentor someone and be mentored by someone.

11. Live with the 3 E's. Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.

12. Remember there's no substitute for hard work.

13. Zoom Focus. Each day when you wake up in the morning ask: "What are the three most important things I need to do today that will help me create the success I desire?" Then tune out all the distractions and focus on these actions.

14. Instead of complaining focus on solutions. It's the key to innovation.

15. Read more books than you did in 2008.

16. Learn from mistakes and let them teach you to make positive changes.

17. Focus on "Get to" vs "Have to." Each day focus on what you get to do, not what you have to do. Life is a gift not an obligation.

18. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:

I am thankful for __________.
Today I accomplished____________.

19. Smile and laugh more. They are natural anti-depressants.

20. Enjoy the ride. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy it.

Optimist Creed

2011-03-03T21:33:00.000-05:00

Promise Yourself -
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only of the best, to work only for the best and expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

Brand vs. bland: The most cost-effective ways to market your company

2011-02-19T10:40:00.000-05:00

Guest column by Tom Marin, Orlando Business Journal

Brand marketing is facing a power-shift in today's marketplace.

Customers want to be part of a brand's direction and development. Listening to their expectations can determine your firm's level of success.

To take full advantage of today's market share, companies will need to "lose" control of their marketing strategy to ultimately gain it, by embracing this powerful dynamic of customer expectations.

Fifty years ago, there weren't the number of brands or media choices there are today. The market is filled with brands, sub-brands, cross-brands, and strategic-brand partnerships. Add to that list the ever-increasing media choices, including Internet marketing, and it's difficult to make a minor change to a brand that will affect top-line sales significantly.

Investing in cutting-edge, no-cost and low-cost promotional tools for branding ideas will allow you to market your company profitably. Consider these suggestions for energizing your brand in today's marketplace:

• Create uniqueness.

Uniqueness is a brand's No. 1 asset. The greater the brand uniqueness, the higher its score in market share. And those brands that create a unique brand category usually become the leaders.

What comes to mind when you consider: theme park, soft drink or overnight delivery? Most likely it is Disney, Coke and FedEx. They are the recognized leaders, though there are other brands in their categories.

Your brand's uniqueness can be determined by completing this sentence: Our (brand name) is the only (product category) that (does what).

• Replace repetition with interactive promotions.

A common branding strategy is repetition of the brand message to build awareness. This strategy is not as effective as interactive promotions.

For example, a 30-day trial use, a sample pack, an on-premise presentation or a portion of the service you offer are all effective interactive strategies. They allow customers to discover the benefits of your brand and move closer to making a purchase decision than the repetitious sales pitch provides.

• Replace outbound marketing with inbound branding.

Traditional methods of outbound marketing include telemarketing, voicemail campaigns, e-mails and direct marketing. These standard marketing strategies have become less effective because people use spam-ware, caller ID, firewall devices and the "circular file" to eliminate them.

Internet searches have become a primary source for obtaining product information. Popular Web sites such as Google and Yahoo are tapping the exploding volume of today's online buyer. To increase your potential customer base, consider using these methods:

1. Publish articles on Web sites that are relevant to your target audience.

2. Write book reviews on related topics for Web sites such as Amazon.com.

3. Publicize your brand on Web sites like prnewswire.com and prweb.com.

4. Increase your online identity with listings on LinkedIn, ZoomInfo, Ziggs, Naymz and others.

• Replace monolithic marketing with customer-centric branding.

Don't be a follower. If you're trying to overtake a brand leader, don't emulate their strategies. Create your own. And let your strategy strike at the heart of what your key customers want. Of course, knowing what they want will be paramount to your success, so ask them.

• Don't plan for overnight success.

If someone offered me $10 million to help them launch a successful brand tomorrow, I'd tell them instead to give me $1 million and five years to make their brand successful. Understanding this dynamic of time, I'll bring home the bacon based on what prospective customers want.

Accepting and using this branding power-shift between you and your customer will allow you to involve their needs in your strategy and, in time, will establish your brand successfully. Their involvement offers them new reasons for becoming a loyal customer.

Cold Calling Works: You Just Do It Wrong

2011-02-03T17:51:00.000-05:00

Guest column by Mike Schultz, RainToday.com

Brrrr... I've just been cold calling and boy could I use some hot chicken soup!

Just those two words together — cold-calling — put many people far away from warm and happy. Given that it's so much fun for so many people, and that I have heard a number of times recently that the last nail has been banged into the cold calling coffin, why is cold calling still even on our radar screens?

Because it works.

"It doesn't work," you say? Well, in one sense I agree with you: there are a million ways to do it wrong and fail. Fail at something enough, and it's easy to dismiss the whole tactic. (No matter how many times I try, I just can't hit a Jonathan Papelbon fastball. Swinging a bat at a baseball must not work!)

Before we get into how to make cold calling work, let's first establish that it does work. Of 30 possible marketing tactics for services firms, one rose to the top as the most effective in the research report Increasing Marketing Effectiveness at Professional Firms conducted by Expertise Marketing and LawMarketing.com in 2006.

The top most effective tactic--the tactic above all other tactics--was "arranging business development appointments with clients and prospects." When I last checked, the best way to arrange a business development appointment was neither telegram nor skywriting.

Meanwhile, case study after case study confirms that cold calling can work. For example, I've seen cold calling work as a major part of a lead generation approach, yielding 6 clients in 6 months (a major acceleration of client additions), and increasing the pipeline by fivefold, for Deep Customer Connections, a management consulting firm in the insurance industry.

Making Ten Million Dollars

Many anti-cold-calling folks say, "There are so many powerful ways to build your client base, why even bother trying cold calling? You can give speeches. Publish articles and books. Work your network: it's more extensive than you probably think."

To paraphrase a famous business person (Comedian Steve Martin):

Question: What's the secret to making ten million dollars?
Answer: First, start with nine million dollars.

Well, some people don't write very well, they don't have extensive networks, and speaking isn't their bag. Some people can't wait a year for a lead to materialize out of their writing or their network! If you can employ these tactics, great. It's like starting with nine million. But regardless of whether you start with nine million or no million, cold calling still works.

What's In It For Me (WIIFM)

Let's assume you're a Chief Strategy Officer at an $800 million dollar manufacturing firm in Ohio. Someone calls you and says, "My name is John Smith and I'm a change management consultant. Do you need change? Let's meet." Even if you're headed to the vending machine, your immediate change needs probably won't include John Smith.

But let's say John calls and says, "My name is John Smith. The reason I'm calling is because my firm, the ABC Consulting Group, has just recently conducted a major benchmark study on how manufacturing businesses-including Competitor 1 and Competitor 2 of yours-in the Midwest are succeeding with their labor unions in the face of global outsourcing. There are 3 practices that are working across the board and a few that fail most everyplace. If you're interested, we'd be happy to come by and take you through the results."

If this topic is on your mind, you might risk a 1/2 hour to hear the results. Or you might have some questions right then and there. Either way, if I'm John, I've presented my cold "introduction" of myself and my firm to your company in a way that delivers value to you.

Will everyone take me up on this meeting? Of course not. But if my target list is well segmented and clean, a number of prospects will. When I get in front of them, the topic of conversation will be my recent research, work, and expertise-not a "get to know you and sell you" meeting.

A conversation about recent research is just one of many potential value propositions for the meeting. (For more about value propositions for meetings, read Making Lead Generation Work for Professional Services: Secret #2.) You might not want to present research because it might not be the best entry for you. But if you're worth your salt as a professional services provider, a conversation with you should be able to offer something of strong value. (If you can't figure out how you can deliver value in a conversation, find a new line of work.)

Regardless of the meeting premise, I have to handle the conversation well to get the best result from this meeting, but the ball is definitely in my court as to what happens from here on out.

How The Numbers Work

Answer the following question: If you get 10 meetings with 10 company leaders who have the right title, are in the right organization, and have the right criteria for being a good prospect for you, and you stay in touch with them fairly regularly in a meaningful way after the meeting, how many would become clients of yours in some capacity over the next year or two?

The most common answers I get for this question are "two or three" or "eight or nine". Let's assume you're more modest, and the answer is two.

Next question: What does a bread-and-butter client represent to you in terms of revenue over the course of a year? It could be $7k, $70k, $170k, $700k, or anything. Let's assume it's $70k.

So, for the cost of setting up 10 meetings with prospects, whatever that cost is, the immediate return on your investment is $140k. This, of course, doesn't take into account long term ROI factors such as repeat business and increased referrals.

The fallacy, in many cases, is that most service providers aren't as good at closing as they think they are, and they don't continue to stay in touch with the prospect regularly and meaningfully after they meet with them. But these factors don't have anything to do with cold calling. They have to do with your ongoing marketing, and the resources you devote to follow up. The cold calling part works fine for what it's supposed to do: make an introduction with a prospective client that can lead to a good relationship. How you choose to develop that relationship is a different matter.

Have Someone Else Call For You

Maybe your practice is busy and you just don't have time to call. Or maybe your practice isn't busy, and you need to invest in generating leads. Either way, you can have someone else make the calls for you.

Even the busiest of professionals have time to meet with a CEO of a company who could be a great client for them. So you go on the meetings. What you don't have to do is make the actual calls.

Reread the WIIFM section of this article above. In the beginning, you must work to craft the lead generation process. You must be involved in targeting the right prospects, providing the strongest value proposition, and working with your telephone business developers to represent you clearly, strongly, and fairly. Then, let them go to work. Cold calling itself is not something that you, personally, need to get good at.

I could make more points that demonstrate how cold calling can work for professional service businesses, and on how to make cold calling itself work better. But for some of you who doubt the process, it still wouldn't be enough, and that's fine.

It's been said that people make decisions with their hearts and justify them with their heads. People don't want to make cold calls, and some don't want to be associated with the method. So they figure out how to justify not employing cold calling, or why other things work better.

If you don't want to make cold calls, don't. But cold calling does work. Most people just do it wrong.

For more information on cold calling and lead generation, check out:

RainToday's guide How To Set Appointments Through Cold Calling
Wellesley Hills Group's white paper Making Lead Generation Work For Professional Services
Contributing Editor John Doerr's article From Cold To Gold: Getting The Most From Cold Call Set Meetings

Mike Schultz is the Publisher of RainToday.com and an advisor to service businesses worldwide as President of the Wellesley Hills Group. He also writes the Services Insider Blog and can be reached at mschultz@raintoday.com.

Small business marketing plans: You might not want one...

2011-01-20T12:38:00.000-05:00

Guest column by Jimmy Vee and Travis Miller

If you are a small business owner or independent sales
professional and you are working on, thinking about or
reading about creating a marketing plan - STOP!!

So many so called "marketing experts" say you need a
marketing plan and puke out all this
"direct-from-the-textbook-junk" about how to create one
and what it contains.

Traditional marketing text books and philosophies weren't
written for small businesses. They were written for big
corporations, so the irrelevant stuff between their covers
doesn't mean anything to you but wasted time, energy and
cash.

Most marketing experts only know what's in those college
text books - and I got to tell you for a small business
that's poison. I've read all the text books I have the
advertising degree hanging on the wall. I've got the
master's degree too. And you wanna know what? All that
standard education information is garbage.

See, academics aren't interested in the same things as
entrepreneurs. They don't think the same as us and they
definitely don't know anything about small business. They
know theory and principles that work for the masses. That's
why this is standard education stuff. But standard education
principles yield standard results and often times less when
applied to small businesses.

I don't know about you but I'm not looking for standard
success. Standard success is $30,000 a year and a broken
home for your kids. I think we are all aiming a bit higher,
that's why you're reading this right now and seeking
something more.

In that standard marketing education they talk about the
"Four P's of Marketing" (some say five P's now). The
Five P's are product, price, placement, package, promotion.

For a small business the Five P's are procrastination,
procrastination, procrastination, procrastination,
procrastination.

You need rapid but smart growth - and that's not covered in
a marketing plan or in the "Five P's."

What you need to create is a "Rapid And Smart Growth Plan
Of Attack."

This is a living and breathing one page document that
evolves as you take action and test results.

And it's not just a plan. A plan gets filed away in your
drawer because it's too long and too complicated to do
anything else with.

What I'm talking about is a plan of attack. If you want to
find success you need to ATTACK IT!

I like to use a large easel and a big post it flip chart
pad. I write in red marker so it's ultra obvious and always
carries a sense of urgency.

In this plan of attack you want to make a list of no more
than two or three narrowly defined targets to go after. You
need to solidify your Gravitational Proposition - a unique
offering statement that is irresistible to your target and
pulls them to you with a natural, powerful force.

Your Gravitational Proposition should answer these
questions.
1. What is it you are trying to sell?
2. What HUGE benefit does your customer get from the purchase?
3. How much does it cost?
4. Why proof do you offer/why should I believe you?

Your proposition doesn't have to contain all of these
things but a combination of the ones that puts your offering
in the best light possible.

The next thing on your action plan should be the steps you
will take to attack your prospects and the individual
actions you will take to accomplish those steps.

Cross each one off the list as you finish it and add new
ideas as you come up with them. Only add ideas when you can
add actionable steps to take to implement those ideas.

Create time deadlines for each set of steps to incentivize
yourself to get them done. Even create rewards for
accomplishing the projects. You must block out at least one
day per week where you do nothing but plan and act -
otherwise you are doomed to have slow growth and mediocre
results.

You must change your mindset. You must realize your main job
is marketer not doer or seller or manager. Marketing is the
most important job you can master if you desire success in
large scale.

So forget the marketing plan, the four or five P's and
start creating rapid and smart growth by taking aggressive
action. Remember that you must test and measure all of your
efforts for effectiveness and act accordingly.

Small business marketing:Put Up or Shut Down

2011-01-08T17:28:00.000-05:00

Five things every small business must do to survive this recession
Guest column by Bryan Jennewein

Many small businesses fall into the trap of spending little or nothing during challenging economic times. But there are proven strategies for not only surviving, but also growing during recession. Here are five easy ways to make sure your business comes out ahead.

Understand who your customers truly are
Understanding your customers is easy – just talk to them. Don't have the time? Then use a tool like infoUSA.com's Advanced Customer Cloner. Simply upload a list of your best customers, and it kicks out a list of people just like them – even if your customers are businesses. You can even order a report that describes these best customers for a small fee. It's smart investments like this that help prevent the kinds of costly mistakes of less successful businesses.

You have to spend money to make money
We've all heard the age-old mantra, "you've got to spend money to make money," and yet we continually resist doing it. If you're in business, then people need to know you're in business, which means you have to communicate with not only your current customers, but also potential customers. This communication costs money. Many call it "marketing dollars," while I call it common sense. Committing to spending money is difficult – especially when you don't see consistent returns. When you stop spending money on marketing, you only compound the problem. This vicious cycle will only help your business close its doors for good.

Use your money wisely
Now that you've committed to spending money, do so with a plan and a way to measure success. Do everything you can to understand how many dollars you're making for every dollar you're spending. Try a smart direct mail campaign, with a professionally designed mail piece that will get it the attention it deserves instead of a trip to the garbage can. Make sure you include a unique 800# or offer, so you can record these new customers when they buy. Understanding success is easy - just add up all the sales you made from your campaign, factor in future sales from new customers, and subtract the cost of the campaign itself. Or, for even more cost control, try email marketing. It's a very inexpensive way to reach a lot of people. Typically, your response rate is lower, but because you can reach more people, a lot of times these campaigns see more success than their direct mail counterparts – and you don't even have to pay for the stamp!

Craft your message carefully
Think about these three things when planning your campaign:
Hook them with a great offer or special deal.
Reinforce the value of your product or service.
Issue a call-to-action.

Get their attention, tell them why they need you, and tell them directly and specifically what to do. Your message might be something like "Seasonal Discount – 50% OFF of the best baked goods in town, baked fresh every morning by Mama Louisa herself! Bring this coupon when you stop by our store in the Old Market. Visit us today!" And keep some extra coupons on hand in the store. When a customer uses a coupon, just jot down the amount of the order. At the end of the first month, see how well your campaign did by totaling up all of your new business.
Create customer loyalty
Keep giving your customers what they want, learn from what they don't, and look to them for ideas on what else you might be able to provide. This is the key to marketing smarter: a lifelong customer. It's the customer that you've built an emotional connection to in addition to being merely useful. This customer will come to you first every time. This is perhaps the best investment of your marketing dollars, because you've spent money to acquire them once, and they keep buying time and time again.

Small business marketing: Quickest way to the poor house is...

2011-01-07T16:17:00.000-05:00

This smart marketing tidbit came across my desk from Joan Stewart, aka the Publicity Hound:

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One of the most valuable tips I learned is that the onslaught of emails I'm receiving from business people offering cut-rate prices on their products and services is, for them, the quickest way to the poor house. In fact, raising prices, even in a meltdown economy, is one of the fastest ways to success.

===

Why is this so smart? Well, because Joan agree with me on this point. I'm not ashamed to share with you that for 2009, I've just raised my speaking fee. And not by a little - by a lot. Specifically, it's up by 33%. And it wasn't low to start with.

What are YOU doing to raise yourself above the competition - both literally with pricing and in other more customer-centric ways?

Small business marketing: lessons from Home Depot

2011-01-06T12:27:00.000-05:00

A while back there was a Home Depot television commercial that brilliantly demonstrated their understanding of why their customers purchase several of their products.

It went something like this… A man is standing in the tool department holding a drill while his wife looks on dubiously. He obviously wants to buy it, but apparently expects some resistance from his wife so in an effort to convince her says, "Don't think of this as a drill, think of this as your new book shelves."

Well, obviously his ploy worked because in the next scene the same couple is standing in front of the table saws. He smiles at his wife, points to one and says, "And think of this as your new deck!" The final scene shows the same couple getting ready to purchase a shop vac. Only this time the woman speaks up and says, "And I can think of this as my clean garage!" Not only do they do a stellar job of articulating their products' benefits but they do so without mentioning one feature!

So, the next time you're tempted to itemize your products' or services' nifty features take a deep breath and stop. Instead, articulate how those features translate into customer benefits.

Small business marketing: Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T08:45:00.000-05:00

Youth is when you're allowed to stay up late on New Year's Eve. Middle age is when you're forced to.
~Bill Vaughan

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves.
~Bill Vaughan

Many people look forward to the new year for a new start on old habits.
~Author Unknown

A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other.
~Author Unknown

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.
~Benjamin Franklin

Eight Steps to Attracting New Business in a Lagging Economy

2008-10-06T17:29:00.000-04:00

How to get more referrals, attract new clients and decrease costs during a recession

Guest column by Joanne Black

The economy is lagging and dragging. We've felt the effects in the United States. Now we're seeing global implications. So, how do you tackle economic uncertainty?

Cut advertising, travel, training, marketing and discretionary expense line items? Cut purchasing? Ouch! Then the pipeline starts to dry up and the anxiety level goes through the roof. Many people think that since there's nothing they can do, they should just do nothing. But "nothing" is futile thinking.

What If You Could Reach Your Market Without Incurring Any Hard Costs?

The only budget you need to worry about is your simply your time—your time to ask for referrals. You know about referrals. When a qualified prospect is referred to you, you get a new client typically 70-90% of the time. Additionally, you are pre-sold, and your selling time decreases while your credibility increases.

There is no other business-development process that can claim these results. And, in this economy, results are the only thing that matters. Achieve the results you need simply by implementing the following eight "killer" strategies.

Eight "Killer Steps" to Attracting New Business in a Lagging Economy

1. Broaden Your Perspective.
What business are you in? Redefine and reinvent yourself. Determine how you can create a leap in demand for your products and services. Build new alliances and consider alternate distribution channels. Don't go solo. It's important to assemble a group of advisors and get their input and creative ideas, and include people who have differing points of view from you.

2. Be Nimble and Innovative.
You'll never have all the facts. Go ahead; make quick decisions. Be fearless and make those tough choices. Create new uses for your products. Why not a new business model?

3. Dazzle Your Current Customers.
Your current customers need care and feeding. Don't ignore them at the expense of new business because they are your best source for new business.

4. Prioritize Wisely.
The most important activity for any salesperson is to do what's "closest to cash" the first thing every single day—whether it's following up with a prospect, writing a proposal or closing a deal.

5. Become an Expert.
Companies hire experts because they can't afford to make mistakes. Position your company as the expert with a specific product or in a specific market niche. Become an expert and people will be more likely to refer you.

6. Stay Connected.
If you want to get more referrals you have to network like crazy. Attend a minimum of one event a week. You never know who you will meet and what you will learn. Never let your network go down. Networking is an essential referral marketing activity. So go make connections and build your business. Talk to people and find out how you can help them. How is their business doing? Are they impacted by the lagging economy? How? Don't e-mail—call. You make connections by talking to people and by spending the time having a robust conversation.

7. Don't Cut Prices. Increase Value.
There's a lot of chatter about cutting prices in a lagging economy. Many small business owners think businesses are cutting back, so prospects don't have money for their projects. But, by cutting prices, you're cutting your profits even further. Instead, consider how to "get in and get started." Divide your offering into smaller chunks, get results and create traction. Or, give more value. When you offer high-value products and services, people will refer you and you will get more sales, even in a recession economy.

8. Commit to Building Your Referral Business.
Referrals are always terrific, but they mean even more in a lagging economy. Don't let the lagging economy trickle down on you. Take charge and make your phone ring again! Let your prospects know how much you care about them. Tell and show just how much you appreciate their business. Inform them that you'd like to help people just like them. And, don't forget to thank your prospects and clients for their referral.

Follow these tips and you will get more referrals. You will attract new business. You will get more clients. You will accelerate your sales. And, you will achieve higher results without increasing your cost of sales.

-----
America's leading authority on referral selling and founder of No More Cold Calling, Joanne Black helps salespeople, sales teams, and business owners get more referrals and attract more business fast without increasing costs.

Small business marketing: Thoughts on happiness and joy in business...

2008-10-03T08:20:00.001-04:00

Some thoughts on happiness and joy in business...

There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.
-- Henry Ford

Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort.
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Things won are done, joy's soul lies in the doing.
-- William Shakespeare

Enjoy your Friday.

David Newman

Small business marketing speaker

Small business marketing - the power of trust

2008-09-28T06:47:00.001-04:00

As contagion of sickness makes sickness, contagion of trust can make trust.
-- Marianne Moore

Trust is one of the most important issues in business today. It's also one of the most critical hard dollar issues: it's now been proven that high trust among people in an organization directly correlates to high profitability.

How do you enhance trust in your client relationships?

Bad news: It's easier said than done.

The following 4 things can have a dramatic impact upon your bottom line as an independent professional and small business owner:

1. Openness - a willingness to listen to others about issues, and encouraging others to speak up; differences of opinion are sought and valued.

2. Straightforwardness - saying what needs to be said in a non-threatening and non- judgmental manner; conflicts are faced, not avoided.

3. Acceptance - appreciating others who are different in behavioral styles, approaches, and appearances. This is the one element that sets the stage for the success of all other elements of trust.

4. Reliability - will follow through on or do what was said or promised would be done.

Question: What's your trust quotient? What have you done recently to increase it? What are you willing to commit to doing, both for yourself and your clients, to make sure the
trust factor is addressed in your work?

Marketing strategy #2 for consultants, speakers, coaches...

2008-09-05T06:33:00.001-04:00

This morning, I'm delivering my program called "Live Ammo Marketing Lab" for the Consultant's Forum, a group run by my friend and super consultant, Steve Horner.

Quite coincidentally, this morning's IMC (Institute of Management Consultants) Tip of the Day was this...
===

Q: Some clients seem to value subject matter expertise over organizational development or other consulting process skills. Is this always the case?

A: Not to oversimplify your issue, but you could divide consultants into subject matter or process experts. Subject matter experts know about an industry, its products, history, technology, structure, etc. Process consultants rely on the subject matter expertise of client staff but deliver process improvement in marketing, leadership, human resources, financial analysis, or other disciplines related to the operation of internal processes.

Clients are lucky (and so are you) if they get someone (like you) who knows both subject matter and process. However, most of the time, they are looking for one or the other. You may be better served to decide which kind of consultant you are and go with that strength. Find good partners who can complement your preferred focus.
===

Another good example of "Do It!" Marketing Strategy #2 that I share with independent professionals, consultants, speakers, coaches, and service business owners - DECIDE who you are!

-- D.

_____________________________
David Newman :: Tel. 610.716.5984
http://www.unconsulting.com
Could TOO MUCH marketing be killing your small business?

Want to do LESS marketing and get MORE results? Then visit...
http://www.MarketingDetox.com

Small business marketing: the power of doubt

2008-08-29T06:42:00.001-04:00

I respect faith, but doubt is what gets you an education.
-- Wilson Mizner

The faculty of doubting and questioning is the essential preliminary of all improvement and discovery.
-- Albert Pike

Doubt is nothing more than the fertile ground in which brilliant questions can grow. (My definition of a brilliant question: Any question, no matter how basic, from which a brilliant insight can be derived.)

With that definition, even the simplest of questions could be categorized as brilliant.

Here is a starter set, to fuel your brilliance:

1. What are you doing well?

2. What can you do better?

3. What is the value of your current attitude?

4. What are three of your greatest strengths?

5. What are you most excited about now?

6. What are you looking forward to?

7. What would be your ideal career - if you could do anything?

8. How could you bring some aspects of that ideal job into your current work?

9. What's one thing that you could do to give yourself more peace financially?

10. What is your life really about?

11. If you had to guess your life purpose (from looking at your life to date), what would it

be?

12. What do you want MORE of in your work? (Make a list)

13. What do you want LESS of in your work? (Make a list)

14. What are three things you are doing regularly that don't serve or support you?

15. What would you like most to be acknow-ledged for so far in your life?

16. If you were your own coach or mentor, what advice would you give yourself right now?

Small business marketing: the power of a bargain

2008-08-15T06:25:00.001-04:00

Necessity never made a good bargain.
-- Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin's method of persuading others to his point of view took patience and endurance. Here are some of Franklin's bargaining tips:

1. Be clear about exactly what you're after.
2. Do your homework so that you are fully prepared to discuss every aspect and respond to every question and comment.
3. Be persistent. Don't expect to "win" the first time. Your primary job is just to start the other person thinking.
4. Make friends with the person you are bargaining with. Put your bargain in terms of his or her needs, advan-tages, benefits, and outcomes.
5. Keep your sense of humor.

============================

Could TOO MUCH marketing be killing your small business?

Want to do LESS marketing and get MORE results? Then visit...
http://www.MarketingDetox.com

Small Business Marketing 10 commandments of success

2008-08-08T09:49:00.001-04:00

Small business marketing 10 Commandments of Success

I. Take Responsibility
II. Raise the Bar
III. Dream Big
IV. Develop the Action Habit
V. Visualize your Success
VI. Associate with Winners
VII. Give Something Back
VIII. Embrace and be Flexible to Change
IX. Learn to Love the Process
X. Have Faith and be Patient

Small business marketing 7 online strategies

2008-07-28T07:30:00.001-04:00

Here are 7 inexpensive strategies you can use to jumpstart your Internet marketing even when business is slow and you've got more time than money:

1. Comment on blogs. Use Google Blog Search or Technorati to locate higher traffic blogs that your target market might read. Use a blog feed reader, like Bloglines, to receive regular updates on these blogs. Make it a part of your daily habit to read the updates each day and post thoughtful, relevant comments on those posts (not just "Hey, great post") where you have something to add. Adding your email signature file and your call to action is a no-no when commenting on blogs, so instead, use the name field of the blog comment form to your advantage. Instead of just entering your name, enter a quick nickname for yourself as well, such as Jane Smith Sales Diva or Holly Johns Marketing Maven. Compel those readers who have learned from your posts to check out your website.

2. Submit articles. If you're not busy working with clients, get busy creating content. Writing and submitting articles to major article directories will drive traffic to your site, establish you as an expert in your target market's eyes, and give you content to repurpose into information products. Tips-based articles, like this one, are the easiest to create, the easiest to repurpose, and are the easiest for the Internet surfer to digest.

3. Host teleseminars. With the vast availability of free bridgeline services, it's quite easy to hold a teleseminar. You can use one of your tips articles as your starting point, put together a description, list the teleseminar in various places online, and record your class. You've engaged your audience by delivering valuable content to them (part of the like, know and trust process), have added subscribers to your list, and have a complete info product that you can sell or make available to your website visitors.

4. Embrace social networking. No longer do you have to get dressed in your business suit, jockey for a parking spot, and pay a fee to attend networking events. Online social networking, like on Facebook and LinkedIn, can now be done from the comfort of your home office, with comparable results to attending a face-to-face networking event. Determine where your target market hangs out in the social networking arena, and create accounts with those services. Complete your profile and start making friends and connections. Ask, questions, provide answers, be helpful, and build your business.

5. Speak before groups. Have you created your signature speech or teleseminar that you can present whenever you're asked to speak to a group? If not, there's no time like the present to create one. Research groups that contain your target market both in your geographic area and online. Contact the meeting hosts and offer to speak to that group and provide the host with your signature speech descriptions. Make it as simple as possible for them to invite you to be the speaker. Once you've landed the gig, strategize your best call to action for the group -- do you want participants to sign up for your email list, purchase a product, or book a consultation?

6. Seek out strategic alliances. Brainstorm a list of business colleagues with whom you'd like to create some type of alliance. Make a phone call or send an email to set up a get acquainted (or reacquainted) meeting and explore the options of what each of you can offer to the other's business. Perhaps you can offer to interview your colleague and invite your list, or maybe you'll think of a project you can work on together. In slow times, who you know becomes more important than what you know, so make the most of your down time and create some strategic alliances.

7. Start a podcast or create a video. With the download of free recording software, like Audacity, or purchasing an inexpensive video camera like the Sony Flip, you can create an audio podcast or a video quickly an inexpensively from your home office, and list it in various podcast directories, like iTunes, or in video hosting sites like YouTube. If you're not sure what to talk about in your video or podcast, take a look at your articles and read one of those for your audience. Don't forgot to include your call to action for your listeners/viewers.

A recession doesn't have to mean gloom and doom for the savvy business owner. Take advantage of this slower time and ramp up your Internet marketing efforts by using strategies that won't break the bank. You'll become better known, have content ready for information products, and become the "top of mind" expert in your industry.

10 Proven Ways to Accelerate Your Profits

2008-07-26T11:07:00.001-04:00

1. Make copies of your web site in many different languages. This'll allow foreign speaking people to read your web site and advertisements.

2. Give your customers a surprise bonus for buying. When you give customers more than they expect, there is a good chance they will buy from you again.

3. Send greeting cards offline or online to customers on holidays. You'll get the chance to increase your orders by including your ad inside the card.

4. Market your products or services to your target audience. For example, don't try to sell a football in a cooking magazine.

5. Give people the option of buying other products or add on products when they decide to buy your main product or service at the point of sale.

6. Think of new ways to attract people to buy your products or services. You could add on extra free bonuses, delivery options, payments options, etc.

7. Give other businesses the option of selling your product. It could be a simple joint venture deal or an affiliate/associate program.

8. Follow-up regularly with all your prospects and current customers. When people see your ad more than once they are more likely to buy.

9. Learn sales ideas from reading and studying other business' advertising and marketing material. It could be ads, brochures, tv ads, sales letters, etc.

10. Educate yourself with new strategies to increase your sales. You could take classes, subscribe to e-zines and magazines, read books or ebooks, etc.

Marketing expert David Newman brews the perfect pot of coffee...

2008-07-24T18:07:00.003-04:00

Small Business Marketing 10 Power-Packed Ways To Spark Your Sales

2008-07-22T10:32:00.002-04:00

1. Spend money on targeted advertising instead of mass media advertising. You don't want to waste your ad dollars on people who aren't interested.

2. Increase your profits by concentrating on small details. Improving small things like text size, color, or graphics can really make a positive difference.

3. Keep your offers flexible. If you offer a set price for your product, you could offer the people that can't afford it an optional payment plan.

4. Offer your knowledge or consulting as a bonus product. You could offer a free 15 or 30 minute consultation. This will add value to your product.

5. Personalize all your e-mail messages so they get read. Include the recipient's name in the subject line. This will grab people's attention quickly.

6. Keep your web site consistent. You don't want to keep things on your web site that are unrelated to the theme of your web site.

7. Attract more subscribers to your free e-zine by giving them free bonuses like e-books, software, online services and other incentives.

8. Sell advertising space in your e-zine and on your web site. This will create an extra income stream for your business.

9. Make your web site ready for the public. Have an "About Us" page and clear descriptions of what actions you want your visitors to take.

10. Don't just start advertising everywhere, plan out your marketing. Locate places and publications that your target audience would congregate around.

Bob Parsons' 16 Rules for Business and Life

2008-07-09T17:27:00.002-04:00

Just came across GoDaddy.com CEO Bob Parson's list of 16 Rules for Business and Life and found these incredibly relevant to small business marketing and entrepreneurship.

See if you agree with me (and mainly Bob) on these words of wisdom...

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone.
I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up.
Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.

3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think.
There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be.
Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen.
Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time.
No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward.
Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide.
Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance.
I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.
If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing.
When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around.
In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair.
Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems.
You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don't take yourself too seriously.
Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There's always a reason to smile.
Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time!"

Small Business Marketing 5 Great Ways to Get Referrals

2008-06-27T16:03:00.004-04:00

1. Rewards programs. Give prizes/discounts/points for every referral. Points are nice since you can encourage multiple references and allow people to redeem points for free or discounted services with you, building repeat customers.

2. Useful info. Provide a newsletter filled with fun, funny, useful information (NOT corporate bumpf or sales pitches) and encourage customers to share it with friends and colleagues. Of course, you will have a single, effective sales/discount/introductory pitch in the newsletter.

3. Discount coupons. Give each customer three coupons, with their name/ID# on them (so they can't redeem the coupons themselves). The coupons will give new customers a discount on your services, so the existing customer is doing a nice favour for their colleagues or clients by giving these out.

4. Ask. You'd be amazed how willing happy clients are to refer you to other people. It should be part of your standard closing with happy clients to request that they let others know about their good experience.

5. Make it easy. Give clients the URL of that discussion board about your industry where people post about their experiences. Provide postage-paid postcards they can sign and drop in the mail to friends. Send them a well-designed e-mail outlining their savings/value that they can simply forward to people they think might be interested.

There. That's five. Do I get a cookie? How about a referral? <Grin>.

-- David

Rescue your small business from the failing economy...

2008-06-27T09:06:00.003-04:00

REMINDER: Business Rescue - 5-part Teleseminar Series begins July 1:

http://www.orangetree123.com/Business_Rescue.htm

Listen in on two detailed interviews I did with my friends Kirstin and Tom Carey about rescuing your...

1. FINANCES So You Can Sleep at Night

2. MARKETING with a Plan that Works for You

3. INCOME by Generating Business Quickly

4. SALES through Easy Sales Techniques

5. BUSINESS & LIFE by Balancing it All Out

(Right-click these links and use "Save As..."):
Part 1: http://davidnewman.typepad.com/busrescue1_interview.mp3

Part 2: http://davidnewman.typepad.com/bus-rescue2.mp3

Business Owners: Do you want "more"?

2008-06-27T08:54:00.001-04:00

When an archer is shooting for nothing, he has all his skills. If he shoots for a brass buckle, he is already nervous... He thinks more of winning than of shooting. And the need to win drains him of power.
-- Marsha Sinetar

If you do what you love, you will do it more often, you will improve your skills, and you will grow into the person you want to be. Being is more important than having.

Before worrying about having more, you must first be more and do more. Having more will naturally follow.

Small business marketing: the power of ego

2008-06-26T08:30:00.001-04:00

Anyone doing deals must have the basic prerequisites of intelligence, instinct and savvy, but in my case, I willingly add ego.
-- Donald Trump

To have ego means to believe in your own strength. So, yes, my ego is big. My ego is responsible for my doing what I do.
-- Barbra Streisand

Often, people complain of someone else having a big ego. The real complaint, I think, is that the person in question has a bad ego, not a big one.

The dictionary tells us that ego is "the division of the psyche that is conscious, most immediately controls thought and behavior, and is most in touch with external reality."

By this definition, perhaps people in business need more ego, not less!

Other aspects to the definition include "appropriate pride in oneself" and also consciousness of your own identity."

These factors are critical to success in business - and in life! Dr. Michael Ray from Stanford Business School believes that the two central questions that businesspeople should answer to unlock their highest potential are "Who is my Self?" and "What is my Work?"

Looking at the definitions above, it would seem that a healthy (and big) ego is a critical tool in uncovering the answers to those two questions.

Feeling vs. Thinking: The great debate...

2008-06-13T05:58:00.001-04:00

All great discoveries are made by men whose feelings run ahead of their thinking.
-- C. H. Parkhurst

Feeling vs. Thinking. The great debate. Well, did you know that in recent years, researchers have found that feeling often wins?

In other words, decision-making, in both personal and business contexts, relies more and more on intuition and emotion than on intellectual analysis and looking at hard data. And we're talking about GOOD decisions that led to the RIGHT outcomes, sometimes even in the face of great uncertainty and risk.

Not sure if all this talk about intuition is worth taking seriously? A Harvard Business Review article, "Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?" (September-October, 2000) maintains
that besides vision and energy, inspirational leaders share four other qualities:

* They selectively show their weaknesses. By exposing some vulnerability, they reveal their approachability and humanity.

* They rely heavily on intuition to gauge the appropriate timing and course of their actions. Their intuitive ability helps them know just when and how to act.

* They manage employees with something we call tough empathy. Inspirational leaders empathize passionately - and realistically - with people, and they care intensely about the work employees do.

* They reveal their differences. They capitalize on what's unique about themselves.

Small Business Marketing How to Revive Your Small Business Now...

2008-06-09T17:26:00.003-04:00

Experts predict that the crashing economy will continue to get worse and may not bounce back for 3 years or more!

Want a heads-up on what you can do NOW to jumpstart your small business?

Here is a 43-minute audio program you can listen to right now to find out what you can do to turn things around FAST... it's 40MB+ so give it a little time to download - you'll be glad you did...

http://davidnewman.typepad.com/busrescue1_interview.mp3

If you're already feeling the effects of the economic downturn and found that your businesses has slowed (or even stopped!), there's no reason to shut your doors, give up, or...
(gulp!) get a J-O-B...

GET RESCUED...

This five-part teleseminar series will help you breathe life back into your business. Business Growth Expert Kirstin Carey and Financial Expert, Tom Carey have joined forces to create this amazing program just for business owners like you...

These veteran business owners know exactly what you go through every day as the owner of a small business - they own five different businesses themselves! So you get the real-life stuff you need from marketing and sales to finances and life balance – from people who understand...

Join this program series and RESCUE YOUR...
1. FINANCES So You Can Sleep at Night
2. MARKETING with a Plan that Works for You
3. INCOME by Generating Business Quickly
4. SALES through Easy Sales Techniques
5. BUSINESS & LIFE by Balancing it All Out

Listen in to this meaty interview I did with Tom and Kirstin last week to get some great tips right NOW...

http://davidnewman.typepad.com/busrescue1_interview.mp3

Rediscover the joy of business

2008-06-09T05:36:00.002-04:00

No man, who continues to add something to the material, intellectual and moral well-being of the place in which helives, is left long without proper reward.
-- Booker T. Washington

One who does not add, subtracts.
-- Rabbi Hillel

In today's business environment, we have organizational structures that not only permit, but rely on the individual seeking ways to contribute to the success of their enterprise.

One of your top priorities should be finding the intersection of that which you are highly capable of contributing and that which you are committed and passionate about contributing.

There have been many books written in the last 10 years about the "soul" of business or the "heart" of business. In reality, businesses have no soul. Businesses have no heart. It's the people - people like YOU - who have hearts and souls.

And the bottom line success of most business endeavors is in direct proportion to the extent that people's hearts and souls are in alignment with their work.

That's the key to rediscovering the joy of business.

Have a great day!
Marketing expert speaker David Newman
Tel: 610.716.5984

Small Business Marketing Expand your targets for free

2008-06-05T05:56:00.002-04:00

From the excellent IMC Consultants Tips newsletter that just came in this morning:
=====
Q: With the skills and experience I have, there are probably several other industries I could target for my consulting practice. What's a relatively easy way to scope out these industries?

A: There are the usual suspects: team with another consultant, go to seminars, attend industry trade shows or conferences, etc. These are one-shot opportunities and have some value. However, they do not provide insight into the full range of culture, operations, and trends of an industry.

Consider immersing yourself in several candidate industries by reading journals of that industry or technical specialization. At this point, you are thinking, "I barely have time to read my Daily Tips, much less subscribe to a bunch of journals."

I am not suggesting you devote a lot of time to each industry. However, consider this a marketing investment - there are more difficult and expensive ways to familiarize yourself with an industry than reading about key players, technology, finance, vendors, trends, customers, best practices and opportunities for improvements.

Tip: Subscribe - for free - to several industry journals at www.tradepub.com and www.freebizmag.com. You can receive weekly or monthly journals in IT, education, supply chain, healthcare, strategy, procurement and others. The selection of available magazines depends on your stated profile (industry, position) so describe yourself carefully.

Have a great day!
Marketing expert speaker David Newman

Tel: 610.716.5984

Philadelphia motivational speaker David Newman

2008-06-01T17:08:00.002-04:00

Personal marketing strategy: Charm

2008-06-01T05:26:00.002-04:00

"You know what charm is: a way of getting the answer 'Yes' without having asked any clear question. "
-- Albert Camus

A lot of people bristle at the notion that charm is a key business tool.

I think a lot of that bristling comes from the misconception that some people are simply born with charm, while others are not, and there's not a whole lot you can do if you're in that second group.

This is simply not true.

Another misconception is that for the charm-challenged to make any effort to be more charming or more personable would require them to be phony or at best, not be their
genuine selves. False again.

There are several books, the best of which I've found to be How to Make People Like You in 90 Seconds or Less by Nicholas Boothman, that provide some great tools with which to make genuine connections with people, and to build your own personal set of charm-skills to apply to almost any business or social situation.

Let's face it: people are buying YOU before they buy anything you have to sell, say, or do.

Question: Given the choice of boosting either your charm or your intellect by 50%, which would you choose?

Why?

Does the business world need more smart people or more charming people?

Haven't we gotten in trouble from people being (or thinking they were) too smart at companies like Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, and the like?

Tip: Charm, like intelligence or any other personality strength, can be used for good or for evil. It's totally up to you.

Manifesto for Children

2008-05-30T06:47:00.001-04:00

Manifesto for Children
By E. Paul Torrance

* Do what you love and can do well.
* Learn the skills of interdependence and gladly share your infinite creativity.
* Don't be afraid to fall in love with something and pursue it with intensity.
* Learn to free yourself from the expectations of others and to walk away from the games they impose on you. Free yourself to play your own game.
* Find a great teacher or mentor who will help you.
* Know. Understand. Take pride in.
* Practice. Practice. Practice.
* Develop. Exploit. Enjoy your greatest.

Tip: This advice ain't just for kids!

Business Cards: Small Business Marketing Podcast 17

2008-05-28T13:08:00.003-04:00

Small Business Marketing Podcast 17: Business Cards

10 Commandments of Business Cards for smart marketers... listen in now!

http://davidnewman.typepad.com/business-cards-52708.mp3

Tips for Logo Design

2008-05-26T15:51:00.001-04:00

A logo serves as an organization’s personality and opening statement to the public. Logos can be seen on business cards, billboards, in print, online and everywhere in between. Many well-known organizations have memorable logos -- think of Target’s bull’s-eye, the Nike swoosh and Apple Computer’s apple. All are memorable symbols of the companies they represent. With just a symbol and without ever seeing a written description or company name we can recall a company and a brand promise.

It is important to realize the power of a unique and effective logo and what it can accomplish for an organization’s identity. No matter the size of the business, a logo is its symbol, and an effective logo is a visual icon that reinforces a company’s mission and identity. The following tips will explain how to design a logo that will remain constant on the minds of its viewers.

Express Your Organization’s Personality
Your logo cannot sing and dance, but it can express the personality, purpose and promise of your organization. In fact, it is vital for a potential customer to learn something about your organization just by looking at your logo. It can also provide a clear and consistent image of the company. Believe it or not, the colors that make up your logo are an important component in helping to accomplish this goal. Consider implementing blue into your color scheme, as blue communicates trust. Black communicates authority. Red communicates passion and excitement. And, of course, green is the color of money.

Pop Goes the Logo!
The most effective logos are ones that come alive and jump off the pages or wherever they are displayed. Make sure your logo is bold, and memorable and that it pops. Ensure that your logo design makes sense for your business, and don’t be afraid to test it with existing and/or potential customers for feedback. What you think works might not resonate with your customers.

Keep it Simple
Don’t over-think your logo design; keep it simple and clean. Attempting to do too much with your logo will only confuse your target audience and blur your message. A confusing logo is forgettable and useless. Sometimes, less is more.

Make Sure Your Logo is Flexible
A logo must work well across all media so you can use it in numerous places online and in print. Legibility is imperative, and your logo should be able to work in both black-and-white and color, as it may be on documents that will be faxed or photocopied. A logo that cannot be viewed clearly is not effective. Keep in mind that your logo may be viewed on a small object like a business card or on a larger item such as a promotional flier.

Make a Statement
Many logos also include a tagline, which is a statement of the products or services you provide and separates your organization from your competitors. Some well-known tag lines include Subway’s "Eat Fresh" or Nike’s "Just Do It." As in the design of the logo, a tagline should be short, to-the-point and memorable. Incorporating a tagline can be an effective marketing tool, and it is one best developed in conjunction with logo development.

Research Your Logo
While your logo might symbolize something positive in the United States, it might stand for something entirely different in other cultures. Research the meaning behind your logo before you finalize it so it does not convey a negative message to those people from other cultures. And, of course, make sure another organization is not using the same or a similar logo design especially if they are a competitor.

Use it!
Now that you have a logo, it is time to use it everywhere you use your business name. Put it on all of your marketing materials including business cards, letterhead and envelopes. Include it in your e-mail signature, on your Web site and in all correspondence to reinforce your company image and encourage repeat customers and referrals. Once you have a solid logo that makes an impact, it should be synonymous with your company name.

Protect Your Logo
Give clear, specific guidelines to anyone who will be working with your logo including printers and ad designers. Let them know not to distort the mark and ensure they use enough clear space. If it is used incorrectly, fix it immediately. Your logo is the symbol of your company, and it needs to be consistent.

Be Consistent
A logo is not something that should change regularly. It takes a lot of work to come up with a logo, and it takes an even greater amount of time for customers and prospects to remember it and associate it with your brand. Changing an outdated logo that does not reflect your company’s attitude and identity anymore is wise; regularly changing your logo will confuse your target market and cause more harm than good. Spend the time to develop a stellar logo and tagline now to reap the benefits in the future.

No matter your budget, design resources or the size of your business, the above tips will enable you to create a logo that will represent your organization proudly and effectively and help grow your business.

Forget what you THINK you know!

2008-05-22T16:21:00.001-04:00

Once you think you're at the point that it's time to write it down, build the manual, and document the formula, you're no longer exploring, questioning the status quo.
-- Lou Gerstner, former Chairman of IBM

This kind of thinking is what brought IBM back from the brink of extinction. In fact, Gerstner wrote a book in 2003 titled, Who Says Elephants Can't Dance?

At the same time that people in business are dealing with the most rapidly changing corporate environments, the most demanding customers, and the toughest economic climate in 15 years, it's totally the wrong time to stop and try to create any kind of formula or fall back on "best practices."

In fact, I'd venture to say that best practices are dead.

What works for others will not work for you.

And certainly not in the same way - how could it?

Different company, different people, different everything. The fact is that successful companies blaze a trail using their unique circumstances, people, leaders, and landscape
- and that trail rolls up right behind them! You can't follow. And you shouldn't try.

That's about as crazy as thinking that watching the Dallas Cowboys play football is going to increase your talents and performance in your weekend warrior football game. It won't
work. You don't have their training, resources, skills, strengths, and competitive environment, do you?

And the point is, your job is to make YOUR elephant dance. You can't do that by watching someone else.

Free consulting under your nose

2008-05-14T21:34:00.002-04:00

In the real world of business, managers are faced with complex people issues, leading from the gut, hard deadlines and quotas, and making tough practical decisions every day with no theoretical framework or academic research to support them. There is no formal education in these areas.

Managers simply have to get on the bike!

Quite often, the organization of today is being run with staff structures and communication processes left over from years or decades past. Periodically, it's essential to revisit the hierarchy, job descriptions, titles, turf, and processes. Are you having the right kind of meetings? Are
the right people in attendance? Should you be having meetings at all? Unless your company is exactly the same as it was in 1985, your staff structure had better evolve.

One critical element missing in a lot of companies is a clear system of cultural leadership. Simply put, "this is the way we lead around here."

Training, coaching, critiquing and teaching are important leadership duties. Have you designated this as part of the value description of the leader's role? Do managers have the authority, and the time, to do this effectively? If not, explicitly designate a percentage of their work weekto perform these tasks. And hold them to it, encourage it, ask about it, and reward it.

Otherwise, managers are just plugging holes and bailing water to keep the place afloat. Just as you'd have a sales manager review the work of the sales staff, ask leaders to review the leadership work of their next level of leaders - and not in a drive-by, or just once a year for a
"performance review." Make leadership effectiveness an overt priority.

So, where do you start? How do you get better if any of the above describes your company?

Begin with a frank conversation of priorities, and review your staff to see if you have the right players and resources in place.

Is morale low on the sales team? If so, maybe you need to designate a mentor/coach/champion.

Is your company's competitive position slipping in the evolving marketplace? If so, maybe you need to allocate some marketing and innovation expertise in that area.

And no, this doesn't always mean bringing in a consultant or guru from the outside. Sometimes, the best "consultants" are already on staff, waiting to be discovered.

Look around.

Listen hard.

You'll find them.

Brain power isn't enough

2008-05-11T08:09:00.001-04:00

"I start with the presumption that you wouldn't be here unless you had some brain power and competency. The thing that will separate you from everyone else is a combination of innovativeness, creativity, and self-motivation."
-- Walter Shipley, former CEO of Chase Manhattan

Shipley's point applies to companies as well as to the individual employee.

Your organization is expected to be competent and expert at something.

What will separate your organization from the competition is innovation and creativity in all aspects of the business - marketing, sales, product development, employee development, finance, and every other major internal and customer-facing process.

Exercise: What are you doing to make this a reality in your organization every day?

Use this space to make a list and/or jot some notes:

Get your people to do "incredible things"

2008-05-05T20:58:00.003-04:00

The question for me is how do we convert business into a form of fun and sharing and stretching and fulfillment that is as touchable as graduating summa cum laude? That's when you get the buy in. That's when people say 'I'm going to do incredible things.
-- David Johnson, former CEO of Campbell Soup

David Johnson was a relentless competitor. He pushed, pulled, and stretched his people towards very challenging goals. At the same time, if an employee reached those goals, he would literally hire a brass band to serenade them.

Johnson was known for saying things like "the competition is always plotting to kill you." So this guy takes business seriously.

But also look at the words he uses: fun, sharing, stretching, fulfillment.

Do you value those things in the heat of the battle?

Exercise: Write down some challenging goals you're working toward right now:

Write down some fun, sharing, stretching, or fulfilling ways to approach them:

12 Rules for Bringing Out the Best in People

2008-05-02T16:53:00.003-04:00

1. Expect the best from people you lead.

2. Become fully aware of others' needs.

3. Establish high standards of excellence; communicate them clearly and often.

4. Create an environment where failure is not fatal.

5. Climb on other people's bandwagons if they're going anywhere near the neighborhood you want to go.

6. Employ stories, examples, analogies, and models to encourage success.

7. Use a balanced mix of positive and negative feedback in a constructive spirit and with specific substance.

8. Appeal sparingly (or not at all) to competitive or aggressive impulses.

9. Encourage and reward collaboration.

10. Build into the group an allowance for healthy conflict and "fights" around issues, not around personalities.

11. Recognize and celebrate achievement.

12. Take steps to keep your own level of motivation genuine and high.

Professional keynote speaker David Newman in Philadelphia

2008-05-01T17:12:00.000-04:00

I do a little brain surgery on the side...

2008-04-29T11:09:00.001-04:00

From the excellent IMC newsletter that came across my desk this morning...

Management consulting is an unlicensed occupation, thus has low barriers to entry. However, it is still a profession requiring specific standards, a body of knowledge, competencies, skills, behaviors, and ethics. Too many organizations find out the hard way that hiring someone who "does a little consulting" is vastly different than hiring a professional consultant.

Much of consulting's bad reputation comes from individuals who portray themselves as professionals but lack the skills, behaviors or discipline required. Experience is not the same as skill.

Having experience in an area has little to do with one's ability to advise management in that area. It is like saying, "I raised three children over the past twenty years - I think I'll do a little pediatrics." Such a statement is laughable, and you wouldn't trust your child to someone who made that claim. So why would you trust your company to someone who isn't certified?

To assure expertise and skills, we recommend using only those professionals who are certified or licensed by a national or international body. Examples include Professional Engineers (PE), medical doctors (MD), Certified Public Accountants (CPA), and Certified Management Consultants (CMC). All of these professionals prove a long term commitment to the profession and meet or exceed rigorous professional standards. This should give clients the assurance that they are "in good hands."

With ISO 17024 standards for management consultants on the horizon, it is becoming apparent to more managers that professional standards are a preferred way to select consultants. As the international standard for management consultants, recognized in 46 countries, the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designation is becoming the global standard for managers to find trusted, proven and ethical professional consultants.

P.S.The next time someone says that they "do a little engineering (or medicine or consulting)," make sure they are certified or licensed. Learn more about the CMC or forward this to colleagues interested in becoming certified consultants.

Execution means DO SOMETHING!!

2008-04-25T05:42:00.001-04:00

No great deed is done by falterers who ask for certainty.
-- George Eliot

One must verify or expel his doubts, and convert them into the certainty of Yes or No.
-- Thomas Carlyle

The importance of "execution" is a concept that has gained a lot of currency in today's business environment.

Execution is simply a big word for DO SOMETHING!!

In the old business world, the normal process for getting something done could be described as "Ready, Aim, Fire!"

With the quality movement and the other management fads that came and went during the 1980's and 1990's, the process became a little more involved. Perhaps "Aim, Ready, Aim, Fire!" could describe the resulting corporate mindset:

Document everything you Do, and Do everything that you've Documented. That
meant a lot of extra work and not much improvement in actual quality (but that's another book).

Then Tom Peters encouraged managers to adopt a new philosophy which he presented as "Ready, Fire, Aim" -- execute on your ideas, and then refocus/refine later.

Today, successful leaders need to be innovative, brave, smart, and fast. Perhaps the new motto is "Fire, Fire, Fire, Fire!"

That means that "Ready" has to be built in - to every department, every manager, every employee. Ready is the new status quo. And aiming is no longer a separate step. Aiming is about creativity, scoping out the possibilities, and finding the next opportunity before the competition does.

Part of being Ready is, in fact, to always be aiming! This is the only way that "Fire, Fire, Fire, Fire!" is ever going to work without descending into havoc.

Yes or No? Fire!

Individual commitment to a group effort

2008-04-18T09:25:00.001-04:00

Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.
-- Vince Lombardi

Teams win trophies. But, more importantly, each player gets to wear the championship ring.
-- David Newman

Remember the old saw about "There's no I in TEAM?" Well, that's baloney. The team is made up of 100% I's, and that's the reality that eludes many managers and leaders today.

Division goals, department goals, and company goals are all great. They're the overall report card of "how we're doing." Reach the goals, and every member of the team deserves a reward. No doubt about it.

However, it's also important to balance team rewards (the trophy) with individual recognition and rewards (the rings).

Many, many management and sales executives have left their organizations due to stupidly structured compensation schemes that forget this very basic notion.

Other organizations suffer from a poorly designed reward system that can actually penalize the very behavior that the organization says it wants to encourage. (In a milder scenario, the reward system has unforeseen effects on people's behavior and level of intrinsic motivation.)

"This is only a test"

2008-04-13T07:34:00.001-04:00

This is a test. It is only a test. Had it been an actual job, you would have received raises, promotions, and other signs of appreciation.
-- Anonymous

If you have a job without aggravations, you don't have a job.
-- Malcolm Forbes

A lot of times, leaders feel aggravated, unappreciated, and feel they're working with people who desperately need a clue. Guess what?

You're the clue.

And it IS hard - you know what hard means, right?

You will feel depressed, worried, aggravated, uncertain, and sometimes downright sad.

And it's OK.

You're there to do the work. And do it professionally and with positive energy.

If you can do that day after day, you pass the test!

Question: Which of the following concepts is the biggest JOKE at your company:

* Quality
* Continuous improvement
* Teamwork
* Learning organization
* Servant leadership
* Creativity and Innovation

Why is that? How could you turn that around? What's stopping you?

Today is Sunday - have a great week and make it COUNT!!!

-- David | www.unconsulting.com

10 Steps to Success

2008-04-11T09:16:00.001-04:00

Step 0.5 Look in unexpected places for the answers you need.

The following list was stolen, verbatim, from a poster hanging in my daughter's 6th grade classroom. Hey, I'm not ashamed. I think these are awesome - and they apply far beyond 6th grade, too!

Step 1. Try.

Step 2. Try Again.

Step 3. Try One More Time.

Step 4. Try it a Little Differently.

Step 5. Try and Ask for Help.

Step 6. Try it Again Tomorrow.

Step 7. Try to Find Someone Who Did it.

Step 8. Try to See What is Not Working.

Step 9. Try to See What is Working.

Step 10. Just Keep Trying.

Two more ideas for you courtesy of famous people:

How long should you try? Until.
-- Jim Rohn

Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

When a Marketer Breaks All the Rules

2008-04-08T11:17:00.002-04:00

Here's a great piece by direct marketing copywriter Denny Hatch - courtesy of the boyz at www.GravitationalMarketing.com

When a Marketer Breaks All the Rules

Where, oh where, is the USP? Thirty years ago I attended a luncheon of the Direct Mail Writers Guild in New York. The speaker was Dorothy Kerr, circulation direct of U.S. News & World Report.

Her talk changed our lives, Peggy's and mine. Dottie said: The way to be successful in direct mail is to look at watch your mail and see who's mailing what. Look for those pieces that keep coming in over and over. These are the controls -- the mailings that are working and making big profits for the mailer. Then steal smart.

"To make mailings without studying other people's mail," said the great direct marketing guru, Axel Andersson, "is like expecting a brain surgeon to operate without ever having studied brains."

On Monday I received a self-mailer from Vermillion, a firm I had never heard of.

In 40 years of studying direct mail--literally tens of thousands of envelope efforts, postcards, catalogs and self-mailers--I have never seen a piece that breaks so many rules.

Whoever created it is not a student of direct mail or marketing psychology. After reading this, you may want to take a look at what your organization is sending out.

Takeaway Points to Consider:

* Turn features into benefits.
Inexperienced copywriters--and often product managers who should know better--do not understand the difference between a feature and a benefit. A feature is a fact about the product or service you are selling. A benefit is what that feature will do for YOU--make you rich or desirable or happy or enable you to sleep at night.

* One marketing technique is to make a list of all the features of the product or service being sold. Then turn those features into benefits.

* People buy for three reasons and three reasons only: Price and/or Service and/or Exclusivity. If all things are equal and your price is lowest, you will get the order. If your service is terrific, your sales people warm and knowledgeable, your guarantee of satisfaction ironclad, then people will buy. Or if you are the only game in town (e.g., Rolls-Royce, Segway, Picasso), you will make the sale.

* The key to direct marketing success is the Unique Selling Proposition (USP)--the one thing that makes a product or service stand out and be different from the competition. It might be price. It might be service. It might be exclusivity. It might be something else. One way to determine the USP is to list all the benefits of the product or service and then rank them in importance. The top benefit becomes your USP.

* Cleverness and humor have no place in direct marketing. If the reader says "My, isn't this clever" or "Oh, how funny!," the thread of the argument is lost and so is the sale.

Any intelligent fool...

2008-04-07T16:14:00.001-04:00

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius - and a lot of courage - to move in the opposite direction.
-- Albert Einstein

What kind of leader would you be if you specialized in the small, the simple, and the gentle solutions?

Or does your style lean more towards the thicker report, the more complicated answer, the more expensive technology, and the more complex project plan?

Winston Churchill was asked how much time he would need to prepare a talk.

He replied that his preparation time depended on the talk's duration.

When asked about a 2-hour speech, he said he could deliver that immediately.

When asked about a 2-minute speech, he said "I should need a fortnight to prepare."

The short, simple, direct answers are often the most valuable - and take the longest time and the hardest work to prepare!

Question: What could you simplify right now that would make a difference to you and/or the people you work with?

FIVE WAYS AUTHORS CAN PROFIT FROM LINKEDIN

2008-04-07T16:12:00.001-04:00

Guest column by Mahesh Grossman

LinkedIn, the social network for professionals, just changed my life.

To be honest, until a few weeks ago, I never took it seriously. From time to time a friend or an acquaintance would ask me to "link" with them, and I would, but I didn't understand what to do with my network. In fact, I'm not sure I ever invited anyone to link with me.

Now I understand some of the power of this tool--and it's especially useful for authors. So here are five ways you can use LinkedIn to help you write, publish, and promote your book:

1) Ask for help with your content, including websites and people to interview.

LinkedIn has a feature where you get to ask questions, either of your network or of people in a particular industry. I am working on an e-book that will be a list of a particular group of sites. I asked the network where to find more of these sites and I got an amazing response that made this e-book my top priority. But you could also ask a question like "Do you know how I could find people to interview for my book who have a successful arranged marriage?". Not only would you get suggestions on where to find people to interview, anyone with a
successful arranged marriage would be likely to offer to be interviewed.

It's also possible that people have already asked questions on your topic, so if you search the Answers section using appropriate keywords, you are likely to find some usable information as well.

2) Get introduced to famous authors and ask for testimonials.

I am shocked at how many famous authors are on LinkedIn. I have a few bestelling authors as direct links myself--and I am only one introduction away, meaning someone in my network can introduce me--from several authors who have sold more than ten million books--and there aren't that many authors who have done that. So if you were to join LinkedIn and link to me, you would be one level away from the bestselling authors I know, and two people away from these authors who have sold massive quantities of books. That's pretty amazing. So if you have high quality work that has been vetted by a professional coach (one that has been published by traditional publishers!), you could approach a very big name author through LinkedIn.

3) Have a particular agent you want to be introduced to? There are 326 agents on LinkedIn.

I did a search on the term "literary agent" and found 326. I wouldn't try to get introduced to all of them, but you do your homework and find a particular agent that is the most likely to be interested in your work, it could be a good way to make a connection. Once again, you have to really have studied the publishing business and know what you are doing to make this work. But it is an interesting strategy. (And I know of a number of editors from major publishing houses who are also on LinkedIn.)

4) Want publicity? There are lots of periodical editors and TV producers you can network with.

I know several publicists on LinkedIn, and some are connected to top editors and producers. Want to get in Time magazine or Sports Illustrated? There are writers and editors from those publications. Want to get on national television? Once again, you can reach out and try to connect with these folks, who are also on LinkedIn.

5) Want to connect to people who might help market your book? Ask the right question.

Once again, LinkedIn Answers gives you the opportunity to ask how to do something, and let people volunteer to help you. Ask a question like "I'm the author of a book about living a balanced life. I would like to be interviewed on 50 teleseminars this year. How do I find people who might want to host me on a teleseminar?" Whatever your goal is, ask how you can do it, or find people to help you. Some good Samaritans will come forward and say, "I'd be happy to have you on a teleseminar."

So those are five ways to work with LinkedIn.com. The bigger your network, easier it is to get help.
-----
You may post or send this article to anyone you want as long as you credit Mahesh Grossman as the author AND it includes the following information at the end of the article:

Mahesh Grossman is the author of Write a Book Without Lifting a Finger (www.writeabooktoday.com) and President of The Authors Team (www.AuthorsTeam.com), a company that helps credible business experts become Incredible Business Authors, through ghostwriting, editing, coaching, publishing, publicity and marketing. For a fr/ee list of more than 400 agents as well as a newsletter with tips on
planning, writing, publishing and marketing your book, go to www.getanagentnow.com.)

Treat employees like partners

2008-04-04T08:03:00.000-04:00

Treat employees like partners, and they act like partners.
-- Fred Allen

The employer generally gets the employees he deserves.
-- J. Paul Getty

Some of the best companies today have turned themselves upside down. They've found that the old top-down pyramid style management chart doesn't work. So they've flipped the pyramid over and given employees more say in what goes on and how to get the job done better.

Want to turn things upside down in your organization? Here are some things to try:

1. Challenge employees to come up with their own better ways to do their jobs. You may be surprised at how valuable some suggestions are.

2. Seek out ideas from everyone, not just those who have a direct involvement with the job. Good ideas can come from unlikely sources.

3. Spread authority around. If the largest part of the pyramid is to be at the top, the top people should have authority.

4. Treat employees with honesty and respect. Don't dictate to them if they are not going to have their ideas enacted. Explain the reasons that underlie a decision or policy. Be
dependable and accountable for your words and actions. Otherwise, numbers 1-3 won't matter.

By giving employees more control over their work environment and more involvement in running their jobs, you tap into a valuable source of ideas and productivity - and that pays off for everyone.

10 Career Skills to Keep You Employable in the 21st Century

2008-04-02T05:40:00.002-04:00

Guest column by By Karla Brandau, CSP

Most people drive through life looking in their rear-view mirror and judging the future by the past. Why? Because people often mistakenly think the lessons learned from their previous experiences will help them choose the right way to go. But, even though past experiences can give you a base for the future, having a backward outlook won't keep you employable in 2010 and beyond.

The business world is going global. And it's no shot in the dark to say that the future work world will be even moreso. If your job is not one that requires you to physically be in one place such as serving food, washing windows and stocking grocery shelves you will soon be competing with bright and hungry workers in India, China, Korea and other developing nations around the globe.

Competing in this new environment will require higher levels of competence and necessitate looking straight ahead, not constantly glancing in the rear-view mirror to reminisce on your past accomplishments.

Here are 10 skills you'll need to acquire and refine if you're going to increase your professional confidence level and stay employable in the 21st Century:

1. Constantly adapt to technology. As expected, dependency on technology in the future will increase, not decrease. Dedicate time to learning new computer programs but, more importantly, make software applications a part of your daily routine. Strive to use technology as an enabler of productivity, not just as a neat new toy with tons of cute features you don't use. To decide if the new gadget is worth the time, ask yourself, "Does this make time or waste time?"

2. Embrace diversity. Get comfortable with other ethnic cultures, religions and customs. Be curious about what makes people from other cultures tick. Learn a little about the customs and attitudes that belong to workers from other countries. The time will be well spent as you begin to relate human to human, not human to inhabitant of another country.

3. Be a life-long learner. When you finished your last college course did you utter a sigh of relief and mumble something like, "Whew, glad I'm finished with my education!" Surprise: The new century will require you to be a continuous learner. Be prepared to reinvent yourself, the pool of information in your brain and your work-related skills at least every 4 to 5 years.

4. Practice impeccable integrity. Employers need to feel your spirit and have the quiet assurance that you are honest. Even one person in an organization who takes advantage of company assets for personal gain can cause untold rules and regulations. And remember, integrity beyond just simple honesty. That means be fully committed to producing results when you commit to a deadline no excuses.

5. Be a self-starter. Fire yourself up or look forward to being the first to go when bottom lines dip into the red, a recession lurks around the corner or the next merger takes place. Those who learn to work on the optimistic side of life are more valuable to the organization as they create a positive work environment that produces higher productivity.

6. Demonstrate personal discipline. Employers want to hire people who have disciplined work habits and disciplined thinking. The more disciplined the worker, the less time managers must spend retraining, retracing and reworking to assure themselves that you're reliable. When you demonstrate personal discipline, you and your manager can spend more time on solving problems and moving the company forward.

7. Prioritize and evaluate daily. Two of the biggest time wasters in the world are not knowing where to start each day and working on low-priority items. To compete in the global work environment takes meticulous prioritization of tasks and the ability to identify the highest priority item that you tackle first every morning.

8. Be adaptable. To stave off obsolescence, organizations must constantly change and regularly introduce change initiatives. Often employee resistance derails plans for updating processes and procedures and stalls company progress. To increase employability in 2010, learn to be part of the solution as opposed to part of the problem. Ask tough questions that define the future and actively look for ways to support the new change initiatives.

9. Think creatively and innovatively. Contributing to your organization in 2010 demands thinking outside of the box and looking for creative ways to solve nagging problems, increase productivity or produce a new product or service. When a challenge presents itself, be the first to offer a new viewpoint, discover an alternative or recommend another course of action. Your ideas combined with the creative ideas from other employees will help your organization renew itself and stay competitive.

10. Have a "Can Do" attitude. Negative messages are thrown at you the entire day from the news, next door neighbors and the annoying co-worker in the next cubicle. Teams face hurdles to productivity which causes dissention among members. Management faces stockholder dissatisfaction and product deadlines. To compound the problem, your mind naturally generates negative thoughts before positive thoughts. You have to train your mind to see the positive, to find the positive and to see the opportunity lurking in the obstacle. Immerse yourself in all the available positive mental attitude material you can find. If you can master a positive can-do attitude, you will add value to every thing you touch and be more employable in an increasingly negative world.

Some of these skills will be relatively simple and others may be difficult for you to implement. However, as you improve in each area mentioned above, you will increase your confidence and competence the two keys to creating an environment where you add value to your organization and have greater job stability.
-----
Karla Brandau, CSP, is an expert in change, leadership and team building in the flat world. She offers keynotes and workshops to improve personal and organizational competence.

April 1 Sales Fact

2008-04-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

On this day in 1778 the dollar sign ($) was created by Irish-American merchant and financier Oliver Pollock, according to the New York Times archives.

Today also marks the beginning of the second quarter.

Now get out there and make some $.

Get the Right People on The Bus

2008-03-31T12:14:00.001-04:00

This just came across my inbox from Jon Gordon, author of The Energy Bus:

-----

In the classic book Good to Great Jim Collins says, "...to build a successful organization and team you must get the right people on the bus." His research shows that great companies and organizations do this. They get the right people and put them in the right seats.

But a question I've been wondering lately that is not in his book is "Who are the right people?" After all, in order to get the right people on the bus you must identify who the right people are, right?

While speaking to the Cornell University lacrosse team in December I had the chance to spend time with the Head Coach, Jeff Tambroni, who has built Cornell into one of the top lacrosse programs in the country. As a former Cornell lacrosse player and given the work I do now I was very curious how Jeff was able to build a winning team and attract great players year after year.

Without hesitating he said, "We know who our type of player is. We have identified what we are looking for in a Cornell lacrosse player. We tell them that we will work and train harder than any other team in the country. So if they don't have a strong work ethic they are not our type of player. We also find the right athletes who we can develop and mold into our system. This has made it a lot easier on our recruiting. Instead of recruiting 30 players we go after the top 10 that are right for us."

This principle of identifying the right people was echoed by the Director of Learning at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. He told me how the Ritz has saved millions of dollars by identifying the key characteristics, strengths and traits of each job/position at the hotel and then creating a benchmark that every potential employee is measured against. Utilizing a company called Talent Plus they interview each potential employee and then identify how they measure up to the benchmark of the position they are applying for. As a result they are better able identify who the right people are for each job at the hotel.

As managers, team leaders and engaged employees it's not enough to say that we need to get the right people on the bus. We must identify who the right people are and create a process that gets them on the right bus and in the right seat.

Here's a simple process to get started.

1. Identify who the right people are. Each organization and team will have different needs so your right people may be different than other organizations and teams.

2. One exercise you can do is to sit down with your leadership and human resources team and identify several people in your organization who you wish you could clone. Write down their characteristics and traits and create your own benchmark of the right person for each position.

3. Identify the type of person that fits your organization and team culture. For example, if you want to create a positive culture make sure you hire positive people. If you want to create a culture that is creative then hire creative people.

4. Make sure you take your time during the hiring/recruiting process. If you invest your time, resources and energy to get the right people on the bus you'll have less headaches, expenses and flat tires later on.

5. Remember, the people you surround yourself with will often determine the kind of ride it's going to be.

Tell us what you think! How does your organization get the right people on the bus?

The power of results

2008-03-30T11:38:00.002-04:00

People love chopping wood. In this activity, one immediately sees results.
-- Albert Einstein

However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.
-- Winston Churchill

You're doing everything right at work. But are the right things getting done?

There is a big difference between doing things right and making sure the right things get done.

One is about procedures, and the other is about outcomes, results, and the quality of the wood that you're chopping!

Keep your mind on the hole you're playing.

2008-03-28T07:24:00.000-04:00

Keep your mind on the hole you're playing.
-- Tom Kite

I am not a golfer, but the following bits of wisdom from former US Open champion Tom Kite have value far beyond the links.

You can only play one hole at a time. That's the first step toward how to think like a pro. An important key to a successful game is staying in the present.

Resist the urge to add it up. If you anticipate your score, you'll be distracted from the task at hand.

Focus. Concentrate on hitting great shots rather than worrying about bad ones or what others will think. Visualize the ball going to your target. If your mind wanders, refocus and start over again.

Don't worry about the shot you just missed, or how you're going to play the 18th. Taking care of the present lets the future take care of itself.

Get the Most From Consulting

2008-03-26T14:39:00.002-04:00

This piece just came across my desk from Cathy Stucker - it's an OUTSTANDING fast-read resource for getting the most from your consultant.

As the author of The Manager's Pocket Guide to Consultants (HRD Press, 2007) I can tell you that Cathy hit the nail on the head with this great advice for small business owners and entrepreneurs. For larger consulting clients, you'll want to read my book . Seriously... it's whole different ball game with consultants and consulting in the larger world of business.

-- David Newman

Get the Most From Consulting
Guest column by Cathy Stucker, The Idea Lady

When you pay someone to advise you, you want to get the greatest possible benefit. Not only are you investing money in the advice, you are spending your time with the expert
and implementing the advice they give. Here is how to make the most of your investment.

Choose the right expert. Do they know about what you need to do? Do an online search for them and see what comes up. That is especially useful if they are going to teach you how to
do something online. If someone claims they can give you a great online presence, but you can't find them online, there is a disconnect there.

Let the expert know what your needs are. What issues do you need to discuss? What do you need to walk away with in order to consider your consultation a success? Be as specific as
possible about your goals.

Focus on goals, not process. Although you should be specific about your goals, you might leave it open about how you will get there. For example, instead of saying, "I need to know how to implement a Pay-per-click advertising campaign," maybe what you really need to know is how to get more people to your web site. Pay-per-click is one option, and if that is the only one you know, you limit what the expert may be able to share with you.

Give background. I always ask if there is something I should review to have a better idea of where the client is now. That might mean looking at their web site, or information about
their products or services.

Record your conversations. You will not remember everything that is discussed, so make a recording that you can review later. You do not want to spend a lot of time taking notes,
you want to be focused on the conversation. Let the consultant know that you will be recording. If they object, maybe they are not the right expert for you.

Do not be intimidated. If the consultant says something you do not understand, ask her to explain. That is her job.

Use what you learn. Now that you know what to do, do it. Put the ideas your gained to work for you.

******************************

*Free PR Resource*

Would getting publicity be easier if you knew which reporters were looking for people like you to interview?

You can find out when you subscribe to Steve Shankman's emails. Reporters tell him what they need, and he tells you. A great resource and you do not have to pay a cent.

Not only that, the emails are entertaining. Peter is an interesting guy. Sign up at http://www.HelpAReporter.com

More later -

Cathy

Cathy Stucker, The Idea Lady(tm)
Attract Customers and Make Yourself Famous
Make growing your business easy and fun!
www.idealady.com

6 Celebrity Secrets for Making Your Customers Feel Like Stars!

2008-03-26T07:16:00.003-04:00

Guest column by Donna Cutting

If Johnny Depp walked into your workplace today, how would you behave? If you're like most people, you'd drop whatever you were doing and approach him, smiling, ready and eager to serve him. If Halle Berry walked into your restaurant, you'd immediately escort her to the best seat in the house. If Tom Hanks was on the phone asking questions, you'd do whatever you could to get him his answers... cheerfully... right?

What about the rest of your customers?

Perhaps you're thinking, "Of course, we'd treat them exactly the same way!" Maybe. In general, though, customer service has become a "buzz phrase" that is rarely lived up to.

A study done by Connell and Associates (2004) found that 45% of all respondents felt that most companies simply do not provide good customer service. In a Harris Interactive Study 80% of respondents stated they had made the decision to never do business with a company again because of bad customer service.

How can you -- the business owner or service professional -- turn this trend around? By treating your customers like stars!

As Garrett Richter, president and CEO of the First National Bank of Florida, tells his employees, "If we roll out the red carpet for billionaires, they won't even notice it. If we roll out the red carpet for millionaires, they expect it. If we roll out the red carpet for thousandaires, they appreciate it. And if we roll out the red carpet for hundredaires, they tell everybody they know."
To his point, the same Harris Interactive Study found that 60% of respondents said the main reason they would recommend a company is outstanding customer service. Here are six secrets from the world of celebrity that will get your customers buzzing about you.

1. Give Them a Red Carpet Arrival. When a celebrity arrives for a movie premiere or a charity function, it's a big deal! There's a red carpet. There are photographers. There are hundreds of fans lined up, shouting their name and begging for a chance to spend even two seconds with the star. When the rest of us arrive at a place of business, we're lucky if we can even get someone to acknowledge us. Treat your customers like stars by showing them you're glad they came. Look up, smile, walk out from behind the counter and greet them. Most people don't need a fancy carpet or paparazzi -- just eye contact is enough!

2. Call Them By Name. Motivational guru and author Dale Carnegie said that when remember someone's name you "make them feel important." Remember your customer's name and use it each time you see them. Make it a top priority, and you'll find remembering names easier than you think. You can also find unique ways of using someone's name. For instance, High Point University welcomes all expected guests with their own parking space designated by a sign bearing....you guessed it...their name. Some restaurants name dishes after famous people. What if you named some of your products after your best customers? Now that's the star treatment!

3. Remember and Refer. Aside from their name, remember other details about your customer as well and refer to them. When one grocery store manager recalled that the "grumpy lady who comes in on Wednesdays" had been to Chicago to visit her daughter, he asked her about the trip....and made her day! Now, that once grumpy customer seeks the man out with a smile on her face whenever she comes into the store. It doesn't take much to make ordinary people feel special. Just pay attention.

4. Cater to their Personal Preferences. While your customer may not be as picky as the celebrity who wants all the brown M&M's taken out of his candy dish, everyone has their likes and dislikes. Surprise your customer in little ways and let them know you are paying attention. In his former career as a banker, Author and Speaker Dave Timmons earned the business of a prospect after he tossed him two baseballs signed by the members of his grandsons' favorite sports team. One hotel dining room supervisor heard a guest say that she enjoyed blood oranges, so he secretly had a few brought up to her room. Delight people in this way and you and your business become unforgettable.

5. Give Them SWAG! At every awards show celebrities walk away with gift bags filled with products and paraphernalia worth thousands. There is a reason why people line up -- and even pay good money -- to give their goods away to celebrities via the swag bag. When the superstar wears or uses their product, it creates buzz. When Katrina Campins, star of the first season of The Apprentice wore a watch on the show that was given to her by Jacob the Jeweler, she was swamped with calls from men wanting to buy one for their wives. While your customers may not have the platform that Katrina had to show off your product, when you give them something for free they will talk about it. Just watch how much press Ben & Jerry's gets next time they hold a "Free Cone Day." What kind of swag can you give your customers to get them talking about you?
6. Be Extraordinary...And Then Some. Make a commitment to be remarkable in every way that you serve your customer. Be the first one to respond. Have the widest smile in the room. Call everyone by name. Constantly be on the lookout for little ways that you can make your customer feel like the most important person in the world. When you do, you will find yourself not only with a customer for life, but with a raving fan that will go out and spread the word about their incredible celebrity experience.

About Donna Cutting: Donna Cutting is the author of The Celebrity Experience: Insider Secrets to Delivering Red Carpet Customer Service (Wiley; 2008). She speaks nationally on the topics of employee engagement and customer service. www.donna@donnacutting.com

Telling a Good Story

2008-03-25T07:45:00.001-04:00

Guest column by Michele Miller, Inc. magazine

You may have the greatest company in the world. But if you don't know how to convey that to customers, you may as well not exist.

Every entrepreneur believes his or her business is remarkable. As I work with clients to uncover and determine brand strategies, they're always very eager to tell me about how special their business is. Most of the time, I reply by saying, "You're right. You definitely have something unique to offer, and have a good operations system in place to deliver what you promise to customers."

"Then why," they ask, "are we struggling just to stay even, let alone grow?"

"Perhaps," I respond, "you're not telling a good enough story."

When it comes to marketing your business in a powerful and meaningful way, you need to give serious thought to that which makes you stand out in a way no one else can -- your brand story. Consider some of the most successful marketers in the small-business landscape today, and check out the stories they're telling:

The J. Peterman Company. Yes, there really is a J. Peterman, and the reason behind the clothing company's success can be found in a quote from J. Peterman himself. "People want things that are hard to find. Things that have romance, but a factual romance, about them." You're not buying an ordinary polka-dot skirt -- you're strutting down the Boulevard St-Germain in Paris. The man's Estancia shirt tells a tale of wealth and polo ponies in Argentina. J. Peterman weaves a tale around each and every piece of clothing that is very compelling. Customers aren't purchasing outerwear; they're buying into a dream of adventure.

Columbia Sportswear. In the mid-1970s, Columbia CEO Gert Boyle knew it was time for a change in marketing. "I always thought our advertising was kind of weird, with the 'engineered' and all that. Because the average person doesn't care anything about having something engineered. People care about having it fit well." That was the beginning of Columbia's "Tough Mother" campaign. Customers are convinced of the sturdiness of Columbia clothing, not only because of engineering, but Gert's stories about what she herself puts a piece of clothing through before selling it to the public. And what better guinea pig that her son, Tim? Their most famous ad showed Tim (now the company's CEO) submitting to a run through the car wash to test a Columbia parka, at his mother's behest. Today, Columbia Sportwear is a $1.2 billion company.

One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning. What is the biggest complaint about repair people? You have to wait around for hours and they're always late (that is, if they even show up). One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning took that bad rap and turned it on its ear. They don't market themselves as having "timely service." They actually guarantee "Always On Time or You Don't Pay a Dime." And they mean it. If the repairperson is not there within an hour of your appointed time, you pay nothing. Quite a powerful story, and One Hour can do it, because they have the operations system in place to back up their guarantee. It is now one of the fastest-growing franchises in the United States today.

If you had to tell you story, what would it be? Would it have the right balance of fantasy, whimsy and fact? When creating your story, remember to:

Be authentic. The examples above are success stories because they draw from the "heart" of the company -- J. Peterman's love for storytelling, Gert Boyle's tough nature, and One Hour's commitment to saving the customer time. Anyone can make up a story, but the customer's innate sense of authenticity is what transforms a story into a brand message. Spend a good deal of time looking back at your history and personal values in determining why you're even in the business you're in. What's your passion, and how can you tell customers about it?

Be consistent. It's not enough just to tell a story; you must live it everyday through everything you do. I've written about the fact that every touch point of your business is a marketing opportunity. Columbia Sportswear wouldn't be the success it is today if the company talked about toughness, and then the zippers on their parkas disintegrated after a week. One Hour knew it had to have its operations structure in place to deliver on its promise of timeliness. From message to delivery to customer service, every element of your company has to align with your story.

The companies we call "super brands" use their unique (and sometimes personal) story to connect with customers in a way that makes them feel special; customers feel that they're in-the-know about who the brand is and what it offers. Do your customers really know you? And does the message get reinforced in everything you do? You can tell, and deliver on, a good story, even on the smallest of marketing budgets. It's a remarkable marketing strategy for a remarkable business -- yours.

10 Business Card Blunders That Hurt Business

2008-03-18T13:22:00.001-04:00

You don't have to be a Fortune 500 company to have an effective business card that
captures attention and inspires someone to want to know more about you and what you
offer.

By being aware of these ten common blunders and making sure you avoid them, you'll
have a business card that gets noticed and increases your number of referrals and
customers.

1. Miniscule print. Have you ever received a card that has a huge graphic taking up half the card and print so small you can't read the phone number? Well, I have. Too many in fact. And after straining my eyes and holding the cards under bright lights, trying to "crack the code," I eventually pitched them into the trash.

Make your name, phone number, web site and address easy to read. Business people
are busy and won't spend more than a few seconds trying to decipher your information.
Most don't carry magnifying glasses in their back pocket either.

2. No physical address. Perhaps you don't want to give your physical address because
you work from home.

Unfortunately, holding back on contact information is harmful and hints that your
business is not well established or reputable. Consider getting a post office box or
asking a colleague if you may use her business address for your mail. Create a suite
number to create an image of professionalism and longstanding.

3. Slick texture. It is often recommended to have a business card that "feels" different from everyone else's so it stands out. The problem that arises with this practice is some of these cards cannot be written on.

Last week at an event, a gentleman gave me his card and struggled to write some
additional information onto it because it was made of slippery plastic. He did his best, but by the time I got home, the information was gone.

4. Blank back. The back of your business card is prime real estate. Something that very few people use. Use this valuable space to print a coupon, offer a special report or complementary consult.

Create an offer that inspires action such as, "Present this card for a 25% discount on your first visit." or "Bring this in with you and get a free oil change."
This gives people an added reason to hold onto it.

5. No photo. Placing your picture on your card makes you more memorable and instills
a stronger sense of connection. As people look at your card time and again, they begin to feel like they know you and are more apt to get in touch with you.

Imagine collecting 50 to 100 cards at an event then trying to remember who's who.
Your picture creates instant recall while others may be quickly forgotten.

6. Incongruence. If you offer a web design service and don't have a web site of your own listed, your card will raise red flags in people's minds. I recall meeting a gentleman who introduced himself as a web designer and gave me his card.
When I asked him why he didn't have his web site listed, he said he didn't have one.
If you want to sell a Ford, drive a Ford. If you want to sell cell phones, have one and make your number available. If you want to sell toll-free service, make sure you have your toll-free number on your card.

You have to walk your talk and demonstrate that you live, eat, breathe and firmly
believe that what you offer is of tremendous value to others, starting with yourself.

7. No benefits. A graphic, your name and contact details don't do a whole lot to create a memorable impression, and by the time new contacts get home with your card, they may have forgotten what it is you do.

Create a tagline or something memorable that expresses a benefit and states exactly
what business you're in.

For example, a local delivery rep may have "Your important business packages
delivered same day or get twice your money back!" That's grabs a person by the eyeballs and makes it very clear what the business does.

8. Not unique. Ninety percent of the cards you collect look the same. After all, how
creative can you really get? Well, you'd be surprised ...
- crop a corner or have a stencil cut out
- attach a magnet to the back so it's displayed on a fridge or file cabinet
- include contact details in Braille
- make the back a scratch ticket for a discount
- place a mini map to your location on the back
- make it 3D
- make it look like the product you're selling, ie. a cell phone
- place it in a protective sleeve
- have a picture of a satisfied client on the front with a testimonial
- if you're a lawn care company, make your card a packet with a few seeds inside

The creative possibilities are endless.

9. Challenging sizes. Although creatively shaped cards and over-sized cards do stand
out, they can pose challenges for those who use scanning software to import the cards
into electronic storage devices.

And, oversize cards don't make it into the standard business card albums or card
holders.

Your card may stand out and stand alone, but it might also become lost or overlooked
because it's not stored with others.

10. Home jobs. No matter how hard you try, a home-made business card simply can't compete with professionally printed cards. Perforated and light-weight cards scream "cheap" and "amateur" and will lessen your ability to make an impact.

Professional business cards can be printed inexpensively and go a long way to create an image of professionalism and quality for both you and your business.

Simple, inexpensive changes to your card can make the difference between boom or
bust in the number of referrals and new prospects you attract.

Invest in creating an effective, professional card and you will be rewarded many times over.

2007 © Laurie Hayes - The HBB Source

Laurie Hayes, founder of The HBB Source, and creator of The Complete 12-Step Guide To Starting A Home-Based Business and The HBB Survival Guide, helps freedom seekers fast track their journey from employee to home-based entrepreneur. Get her free ezine packed with helpful resources at http://www.thehbbsource.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Laurie_Hayes

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Do Your Clients Trust You?

2008-03-17T08:43:00.003-04:00

Do Your Clients Trust You?
Guest column by Jennifer Wessman

Successful salespeople are adept at gaining their clients' trust, though they might be hard-pressed to explain precisely how trust influences people's buying decisions. Research has shown that in product sales, clients often trust the reputation of the product itself as much as they trust the salesperson. But when you're dealing with a service sale involving intangible elements, trust becomes the buyer's primary motivator.

Because of this, many professional, trustworthy people don't always come across as such. This concept intrigued Neil Rackham, founder of Huthwaite. As a result, Huthwaite conducted a study of professional services clients to define their perception of trust. After interviewing almost 1,000 people, Huthwaite found that trust has three essential components:

1. Candor
Clients value honesty when dealing with a service company. They want a salesperson to be straight about what will work and what won't. And most importantly, they value a salesperson's willingness to say "I may not have the right answer right now, but I'll find it for you."

2. Competence
Clients want to be sure you know exactly what you are doing. They need to feel a low level of risk when working with you. Because they can't see and touch the product, your ability to solve their problem becomes the focal point. In a real sense, your competence is the product.

3. Concern
Clients want to know that you feel their pain and that you are concerned about them and their business issues beyond the lip service it takes to land a sale.

The three C's of trust -- candor, competence and concern -- are all essential. The absence of any one can cost you a major sale. But are salespeople equally good at demonstrating each of these three C's? The answer is a resounding no.

In both the professional services study and in parallel studies Huthwaite conducted with product sales forces, the most frequently missing element of trust was concern. Put simply, clients felt that while most salespeople were competent and candid, when it came to concern they were sorely lacking. As a result, clients didn't trust them.

So why is it that clients see salespeople as unconcerned? There are a few reasons:

• We listen for the things we can solve rather than the things that are important to our clients.
• We're often too anxious to get to solutions, so we don't listen to the problem.
• We don't get on the client's side of the table.

As a result, while clients may see us as candid and competent, they don't feel that we show concern for them or their issues. Is this really important? The answer is yes. Unfortunately, concern is the one dimension of trust where you'd want to score an "A." Not only is concern most important to clients, it is the one area where they can make a valid judgment that minimizes the perceived risk involved in buying from you.

Rackham recounted a story told by John Wilson, his former colleague. Wilson had taken his child with a high fever to a new doctor. Like most parents in an emergency, he was apprehensive about the child's well-being. Unfortunately, the doctor showed no concern for either child or parent. He performed a clinical examination and wrote out a prescription. "I just didn't trust him," Wilson said after the incident, "and I thought he was incompetent. I later found he was a top professional in his field, but that's not what came across. His lack of concern had me suspicious of his competence.

We wonder how often clients draw the same conclusions.

3 methods of learning for professional services firms

2008-03-07T06:51:00.000-05:00

By three methods may we learn wisdom: First by reflection,
which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest;
and third, by experience, which is bitterest.

-- Confucius

Let's examine these three methods a little more closely.

Learn by reflection: My friend and consulting colleague,
Michael Ray, believes that the question, "What should I
do?" is not really a question of action - it's a question
of information.

There's something else you need to find out: it could be
about yourself, your capabilities, your desires, your
goals, your resources, or your intention, but there's some
piece of information that is missing.

When you have all the information, you will know exactly
what to do.

The best way to access this information might be to take 10
steps back from the problem - zoom way, way out - and spend
some time on a mental "retreat." The retreat could be as
short as an hour, or as long as a week, or even more if you
have the time.

Take the time you need to really reexamine the situation
and your relationship to it. Look inward and explore your
intuition and your feelings. If you need more external
information, go find it - talk to people, do some research,
get out and about.

But always bring that information back and examine it
introspectively and holistically to put all the pieces of
the puzzle on the table.

Then, allow what you see and feel to help you decide what
to do.

Learn by imitation: Best practices are dead. So that's not
what I mean by imitation.

But if you see something that works in one company or
industry, see how that might apply in a cross-pollinating
way to your organization - and specifically to the business
challenge you're trying to acquire wisdom about solving.

For example, what can you learn from:

Southwest Airlines flies to a limited number of cities that
are profitable for them. They choose where they want to
compete.

AOL sends out countless millions of subscription CD's for
people to try their service firsthand.

Sony prides itself on the speed with which they can take a
new idea and prototype it in order to get feedback from
internal groups. Their average time to prototype: 5 days.

As composer Igor Stravinsky put it, "A good composer does
not imitate; he steals."

Learn by experience: People sometimes make the mistake of
assuming that learning by experience is the same as
learning from your mistakes. That's only part of it.

Perhaps more important is learning from your successes.
Look for what went right in the past; what successes were
easy, effortless, and enjoyable? What did you put into
motion that "just clicked" and turned out even better than
you expected?

It is these successes that are some of your most powerful
teachers in business.

I'm not suggesting that you try to replicate past successes
- you can't.

But you can replicate the conditions under which those
successes came to be. You can look back and recall the
tools, the skills, and the resources that you mobilized.
You can start to inventory your strengths, personal
preferences, and your own best ways of working.

And those things, if used intentionally and with clarity,
are much more likely to serve you well in the future.

Weird ideas for professional services firms

2008-02-29T07:48:00.002-05:00

"A weird idea works because it trips discomfort. The idea is
to flip from autopilot to mindful creation. "
-- Robert Sutton

"I'm not happy unless I'm uncomfortable. "
-- Jay Chiat

The one thing that you can safely say about innovation, change, and new ideas in business is that they make people uncomfortable. They're threatening. They seem weird. They don't belong "here."

People who are in touch with their creative resources understand - and even welcome - this discomfort, as Jay Chiat does.

In Robert Sutton's book, Weird Ideas That Work, he explores the connections between "weird" ideas, innovation, and business success.

Here are some of his weird ideas on getting the right people on board to make innovation happen in order to move your business forward:

Weird Idea #1: Hire people with a special kind of stupidity or stubbornness - who avoid, ignore, or reject how things are "supposed to be done around here."

Weird Idea #1½: Hire people who make you uncomfortable - even those whom you dislike. Then take extra care to listen to their ideas.

Weird Idea #2: Hire people whom you (probably) don't need. Interview and occasionally hire interesting or strange people with skills you don't need at the moment - and might
never need.

Ask them how they can help you. You might be surprised.

Weird Idea #3: Use job interviews to get new ideas, not just to screen candidates.

Give job candidates problems that you can't solve.

Listen as much as you can. Talk as little as you can.

Weird Idea #4: Encourage people to ignore superiors and peers. Hire defiant outsiders.

Rather than teaching newcomers about company history or procedure, have the newcomers teach the old-timers how to think and act.

Encourage people to drive you crazy by doing what they think is right rather than what they are told.

Weird Idea #5: Find happy people, and let them fight. If you want innovation, you need upbeat people who know the right way to battle.

Avoid conflict during the earliest stages of the creative process, but encourage people to productively "fight" over ideas in the intermediate stages.

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro. "
-- Hunter S. Thompson

Branding for professional services firms

2008-02-28T16:52:00.003-05:00

Branding is everything - and I mean everything.
-- Scott Bedbury

Branding is overrated.
-- Regis McKenna

I'm going to go with Regis McKenna on this one.

There is so much hot air being blown around about brands and branding, by everyone from Tom Peters ("Brand You!") to hundreds of smalltime business coaches who have glommed onto branding as a buzzword - and refuse to let go.

I'm going to define brand very clearly and plainly. A brand is a promise of an experience.

Period.

You walk into a McDonald's for lunch versus a Ritz-Carlton Hotel because that's the kind of lunch you want that day. You would probably be confused and more than a little upset if you found waiters and linen tablecloths in that McDonald's or if your bill came to $110.

So in order to punch through a lot of the mystique around building a brand, let's call it a promise.

* Who can make a promise? Anyone.
* How much does it cost to make a promise? Usually nothing.
* Can you make a promise to someone across the hall? Sure.
* Across the country? You bet.
* Can you make promises to people in just your local area? Of course.
* Do you need to be crystal clear on what that promise means, before you try to communicate it to others? Yes, that would be smart.
* If asked, could your top level executives say what your promise is or means? Would the answers be consistent?

Hmmmm...

Brand is communication. Brand is consistency. Brand is integrity. Brand is simply recognition for a job well done.

Boiling all these timeless business ideas into a 5-letter buzzword (B-R-A-N-D) doesn't change them.

Titles on Business Cards

2008-02-22T05:53:00.001-05:00

As business owners, consultants and entrepreneurs think about revamping their business for 2008, some are redoing their materials. One of the top questions people often ask me is "What title should be on my business card?

Here are my guidelines for soloprenuers, consultants, and independent professionals:

1. You're not a "CEO." Sorry. That title is just sad unless you have a company of at least 20 people. My brother-in-law founded Jobnet.com and for the 10+ years that he was the head honcho, including office space and up to 10 employees at one point, he called himself the "Executive Director." Humility pays.

2. "President" is also lame, although it's excusable, since legally, your corporate entity might need a President on the books. But wouldn't you need something to PRESIDE over? It's tough to make the case for being a "President of 1." And it seems like you're striving, frankly. Get over it.

3. "Principal" is about as informative as "The Guy." Although, if your card said "The Guy," I'd like you a lot more right out of the gate! It's different, and it's self-deprecating, and it's honest.

4. "Owner" reads like "small potatoes." If you own a hardware store, that's fine. The rest of us can do a lot better than this.

Titles I like:

Founder - that's always gonna be true, whether you're a company of 1 or 100... or 100,000. Fred Smith is still the Founder of FedEx. I'm the Founder of my company. At least that title tells it like it is.

Managing Partner - I like this too. Sounds snappy and has the right combination of sense of ownership/management/service delivery. Of course, this works better if you DO actually have another partner. But for professional services firms, this works no matter what. In the consulting world, managing partners often have CEO-like responsibilities for an office, a region, or a practice area.

Managing Director - This is good, and probably a better alternative to the above if you're in your business alone. You DO direct the activities of your firm, don't you? Plus it's a well-known title in global professional services firms, where a managing director is often the CEO of a country-based business unit, such as the Managing Director for Switzerland.

Now, creative titles I love. No matter what business you're in, a creative title will get attention, and will make people smile. Those are the first two smart steps to attracting clients!

Sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer recently wrote about his idea for creative titles on business cards:
===
How about "Customer Helper"? How about "Nice Guy"? How about "One Jason Among Millions"? How about "Sales Dude Extraordinaire"? How about a title that includes your hobby-like "World-Class Kite Flyer" or "I Bike 100 Miles a Week"? When I was in your position and used business cards from the company I worked for, I always put the title KING underneath my name and used it as an auxiliary card. Everyone who ever received the card, kept it-and they expected me to live up to my title. Since I dubbed myself KING, it created a sense of having to be the best. And when people asked me why I chose this title, I'd say because it's currently vacant. But it forced me to be my best at all times and act regally. Maybe you want to start out as the "DUKE OF SALES."
===

Another company, in the creative consulting field, uses this idea to the extreme. They have titles like "In Charge of What's Next" for the CEO, and "Check, Please" for the Accounts Payable person and "Forward" for their public relations person.

The bottom line is it's no good to claim to be different if you don't look or sound different.

You want to hear what different sounds like? Call my voice mail at 610.716.5984 and listen to my outgoing message. How does it stack up to yours on the different-o-meter? I'm a no-BS cut-to-the-chase guy - does my message reflect that? You tell me.

Consultants communicate with integrity

2008-02-18T14:42:00.002-05:00

As consultants, we need to have difficult conversations with clients perhaps more often than we'd like. Our diplomacy and integrity are sometimes tested to their limits. Stress can run high.

Consider these two quotations:

Most of the stress that people feel doesn't come from having too much to do - it comes from not keeping agreements they've made with themselves.
-- David Allen

If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters.
-- Alan K. Simpson

Now, what does all this mean to you as a professional services provider?...

A good definition of integrity starts with the notion of Self. If you can (and do) keep promises and agreements with yourself, you will be in a much stronger position to do the same with others.

Integrity is vital to consulting, leadership, sales, and success in every form of person-to-person interaction, in both public and private life.

One of the main sources of stress comes from self-deception, concocting (and then relying on) unrealistic expectations, broken promises, and abandoned self-discipline. Why not give all that up and instead focus more on increasing your level of commitment and integrity - first to your Self and then to your word and then to others.

Tell the truth. Do the right thing. Stay the course. These are clichés only because they have been repeated so often out of sheer necessity.

Another plus - as Mark Twain said, "If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."
What are your biggest professional services communication challenges? What have been your most difficult consulting conversations? Leave a comment and let me know.

-- David 610.716.5984
www.DavidNewman.com

Consultants: Cease the complaining!

2008-02-14T14:49:00.000-05:00

Cease to complain.

The weather.
The traffic.
My boss.
My client.
My prospect.
My colleagues.
My organization.
My industry.
The economy.

I don’t have enough… But I really need…

I can’t… If only [he, she, they] would…

It’s been a tough [day, week, month]…

It’s [Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday]...

Cease to complain and watch your sales, your creativity, your clarity, your productivity, your profitability, your happiness multiply exponentially. Cease to complain and start to focus on what's working.

Cease to complain and concentrate on...
Solutions, not problems
Suggestions, not complaints
Recommendations, not alternatives
Answers, not questions
Facts, not assumptions
Reasons, not excuses
Specifics, not generalities

Have a happy consulting day!

-- David 610.716.5984
http://www.davidnewman.com/

Close more sales

2008-01-20T14:55:00.001-05:00

Just submitted this to Sales & Marketing Management - I'm on fire!!

Closing effectively is all about answering this question: "What can you do to minimize the risk to the prospect of buying your product or service?" Look at all the products out on the market that offer risk-free, money back guarantees. Do you offer guarantees, warrantees, refunds, free trials or make-ups?

In today’s “do more with less” business environment, many economic decision-makers have a new top priority – and it’s not “making the very best choice.” It’s “not making a mistake that will cost me my job.”

If you can reassure someone with this mindset that buying from you is smart and safe and risk-free, you will automatically close more sales.

Ask yourself the following questions:
* How can I provide a free version of my product or service?
* What can I learn from the auto industry’s new trend of “the 24-hour test drive”?
* What does the buyer have to lose if they buy from me?
* What do they have to gain?
* How can I ensure the buyer’s success – not just their satisfaction?
* How can I employ the concept of risk-reversal – meaning that the risk is all on my side if they don’t achieve success?

When most sales training programs talk about overcoming objections, they usually don’t discuss the real objections that are in most buyers’ minds. These are things like:
* I don’t trust you
* I don’t believe this will get the results you say it will
* This sounds too good to be true
* If this works, I would have heard of this solution already
* Who says so besides you?

You should understand (and expect) that people probably will not trust you in the beginning of the sales process. They have been sold stuff all their lives “against their will.” They bought the steak knives, the insurance, the Girl Scout cookies, the raffle ticket, or the car and regretted it later. (OK maybe not the cookies.) Trust has to be earned over time.

To address these aspects of buyer resistance, you can use a battery of smart sales tools. You may be using some of these already, but the more you pile on, the more effective they will be.

Start to collect, use, and document:
* Client testimonials (letters are good; audio and video are even better)
* Awards and industry recognition of your product/service
* Press clippings and articles mentioning you or your clients using your product/service
* Objective, fact-based side-by-side comparisons with competing products/services
* Cost analyses and comparisons between using your product/service, using the competition, doing it themselves, and doing nothing

All of these items will help reduce risk, build credibility, and pave the way for closing more sales - even to your toughest clients!

-- David 610.716.5984
www.DavidNewman.com

Sales lead management for consultants

2008-01-03T14:51:00.001-05:00

I wrote the following for Sales & Marketing Management and wanted to share it with you here as well:

If you want to start increasing your percentage of closed sales, one simple way to start would be to increase your awareness of sales lead management - the tightly-linked sequence of steps that your own particular sales process involves.

Here is an example of what a well-linked sales lead management process might look like:

1. Research industry, company, decision-makers, and current business situation.
2. Send relevant article /tip sheet/ newsletter.
3. Send introductory letter and 2nd info item of value. Mention intention to call.
4. Call to set appointment.
5. First appointment - listen, share, verify and apply research from Step 1.
6. Mention follow-up and next step (another appointment, a free trial, assessment, phone call, etc) and set specific date.
7. Send follow-up item addressing specific issues from appointment learnings/ discoveries or needs assessment. Set meeting to discuss and customize.
8. Compile and send needs assessment findings.
9. Second appointment. Address questions, issues and ask for go/no-go decision.
10. Submit proposal with three options.
11. Third appointment to discuss proposal details, options, pricing, timing
12. Implementation decisions: payment terms, delivery schedule, etc.

The overall idea is to never move off the current step in your process without agreement on the next specific step. Make sure YOU remain in charge of the process; this is proactive selling.

Get agreement and follow up with a reminder of the agreed-upon steps, meetings, dates, etc. The linkage of “agreement to agreement” also gets the prospect in the mindset of saying YES to you, which during the final agreement [closing] will be important.

Use broad (and thus comfortable, non-confrontational) checkpoint questions such as “Does this make sense?” or “Would this make a difference to your situation?” or simply “What would you like me to do next?”

Set up a clearly defined, well-linked sales process, and then use lead management systems to automate, track, distribute, and report on the results. But using sales systems without an underlying consistent sales process is just sloppy selling.

-- David 610.716.5984
www.DavidNewman.com

Vanessa Christman Campaign 2008

2007-08-11T17:24:00.001-04:00

Motivational Speaker Branding in 4 Steps

2007-06-15T06:59:00.000-04:00

You have a name for your business and have even determined your focus or niche. Great!

Now, how do you let others know about you? How do you market your products and services to your chosen audience in a way that they will understand and relate to?

It all comes down to something called branding. Here is a simple 4-step process for defining your brand.

So, what exactly is a brand? A brand can be thought of as a set of perceptions a prospective (or existing) client gets when they hear the name of your coaching practice or see the logo you will be designing to represent it.

The important thing to remember here is that it's not the same as the actual products or services you sell. Instead, it's a feeling a person has.

STEP #1: Solidifying Your Target Market
As you did when you launched your business, start by identifying your target market. Who are they specifically? What demographics can you identify about them? What's their age? Gender? Race? Marital status? Income level? Where do they live? Work?

Then try and go one step further to see if you can identify some lifestyle characteristics for them as well. Where do these people hang out? What do they like to read? What movies do they enjoy? What restaurants do they eat at? What associations do they belong to?

All of these factors can tell you even more about your target audience such as what's important enough to them that they will spend both time and money on it.

Can you use this information to sell your products and services in a unique or interesting way? Take some time to think about it.

If you are struggling with this exercise and just can't seem to come up with anything, try focusing on the individuals you have coached in the past or are coaching now. Are they your ideal client? If so, why? What characteristics are you drawn to that make them an ideal client for you? If they aren't your ideal client, that's OK too. Thinking about why they might not be ideal can lead to some insights too.

STEP #2: What?
Once you have your target market defined as specifically as possible, consider the key message(s) you'd like them to remember when they hear the name of your business or see your logo. What word or words do you want them to instantly recall? When thinking about a company such as Harley-Davidson, it's pretty easy to identify a couple of words that represent this brand, such as freedom or independence.

STEP #3: How?
Descriptive words (like the ones you may have come up with in step #2) typically have a feeling or emotion associated with them and these feelings or emotions can be captured through the use of symbols, images or even the colors you select.

Again, thinking back to Harley-Davidson, the colors they chose are black and orange. Black conveys a sense of power, strength and independence, and the orange is a unique color orange (some say the specific mix is a trade secret). Color is just one way that Harley-Davidson stirs up what they want its riders to feel when they are cruising down the highway on a motorcycle made by the company.

How do you want your prospective clients to feel when they see the name or logo associated with your business? Think about how symbols, images and colors can convey those emotions and feelings for you.

STEP #4: Put it all together
Now comes the fun part! Working with a graphic designer (try someplace like elance.com), pull everything together - the key message(s), symbols, images, colors, feelings and emotions - into a logo for your business.

Once you have some ideas drawn up, test them out on your clients, friends, or R & D Team. What impressions do they get when they see your logo? How does it make them feel? Would they hire you based on what they see?

Depending on feedback you receive, make any necessary changes and keep testing until you are satisfied with the results.

Using this basic 4-step process, you can create a powerful brand that will be easy to recognize and remember, excites you when you are talking about it to prospective clients and will virtually sell itself as it conveys the feelings and emotions you want it to.

Tip: If it excites you, and excites your potential clients, you have a winner!

Good luck and I am looking forward to seeing your unique brand on the Internet soon!

How to become a motivational speaker

2007-06-10T20:31:00.000-04:00

Quite simply, the only way to become a motivational speaker is to train with someone. To begin with you have to decide what market you want to target. You must choose from a field that includes but is not limited to finance, real estate, investing, religion, teen speakers, sales techniques and many more subjects of interest to companies and groups of people around the globe.

Pick your area of expertise or at least the subject you would like to speak to others about. Then seek out and pursue the best motivational speakers in that arena. Go and hear what they have to say and how they go about getting their message across. Are they keynote speakers or just the warm up guys beforehand? You won’t start out as a keynote speaker until you have some sort of following, some type of record behind you. But if you are gifted and you study and work heard, learn the basics, you have a chance to go to the top as quickly as anybody else does.

Leading motivational speakers often offer classes as well as books and other teaching aides to create new motivational speakers. This may sound strange. Why would a person at the top of his profession offer instruction on how to be a competitor? For the simple reason that the more people who are out there in the world, speaking about his teaching methods and using his motivational speaker training techniques, the more you work the more in demand he will become as a keynote speaker. You have to start somewhere and taking your training as a student of the guys at the top is the quickest way to get yourself hired to speak at someone’s convention.

When a simple seminar or evening of lectures is not enough to achieve desired results, some companies hire extreme motivational speakers to come in and deliver a heavier blow. These people concentrate on one thing and one thing only – making businesses more profitable from the minute the speaker is done speaking. Like all motivational speakers, the extreme speakers also offer extreme motivational speaker training designed to make you one of the foot soldiers who can go out and espouse his methods of generating more sales, or collecting those receivables, or capturing a bigger market share or whatever his particular slant is, to a number of businesses. The market is almost limitless for extreme motivational speakers, the more the merrier, and a good student always help to make a teacher look even better.

One tip - grab my Professional Speaking Bootcamp-in-a-Box and you'll shave years off your learning curve!!

Stupid Staples Form

2007-05-29T09:06:00.000-04:00

Don't get me wrong - I love Staples.

But are they kidding with this form? It's MADE to be confusing, disorienting, and irritating.

Note that the labels are actually BELOW the appropriate boxes where they want the information! This would not be so bad if they also did not add a COLON after the text labels when they actually want you to fill in the information ABOVE the label.

Newsflash to Staples Department of Forms: a colon means 'here is what comes next.'

Customer Experience: F

What’s Stopping You?

2007-05-25T06:44:00.000-04:00

This is a test. It is only a test. Had it been an actual job, you would have received raises, promotions, and other signs of appreciation.
– Anonymous

If you have a job without aggravations, you don’t have a job.
– Malcolm Forbes

A lot of times, leaders feel aggravated, unappreciated, and feel they’re working with people who desperately need a clue. Guess what?

You’re the clue. And it IS hard - you know what hard means, right?

You will feel depressed, worried, aggravated, uncertain, and sometimes downright sad.

And it’s OK.

You’re there to do the work. And do it professionally and with positive energy. If you can do that day after day, you pass the test!

Question: Which of the following concepts is the biggest JOKE at your company:
* Quality
* Continuous improvement
* Teamwork
* Learning organization
* Servant leadership
* Creativity and Innovation

Why is that? How could you turn that around? What’s stopping you?

What I do best is really cooking

2007-05-17T08:59:00.000-04:00

"I think I am starting to realize I will never go away from what I love most. What I do best is really cooking." So says Georges Perrier on his return to active duty in one of the finest restaurants in the nation, Philadelphia's Le Bec-Fin.

I will never go away from what I love most. How fabulous is that? Whether you're an entrepreneur, or own a business, or work in a business, can YOU say that? I hope you can...

Manage a Toxic Employee

2007-05-15T12:08:00.000-04:00

by Matt Krumrie, Monster Contributing Writer

Today's workplace is full of horror stories about employees who work for toxic bosses, but what happens when a manager is in charge of a toxic employee? While termination seems like the simple solution, it's not always that easy. Learn what makes a toxic employee tick and how to take control of the situation.

What Toxic Workers Do and Why
In his 25 years as a senior administrative law judge for the state of California, Jim Tamm dealt exclusively with employment disputes. Now a senior consultant with Business Consultants Network and author of Radical Collaboration: Five Essential Skills to Overcome Defensiveness and Build Successful Relationships, Tamm says the bully is fearful about his own significance, competence, likeability or helplessness.

"They don't want to feel that way, so they behave in ways to let them avoid those feelings," says Tamm. "For example, a way of avoiding your own feelings of incompetence or insignificance is to become very critical of others, flood others with information to prove you are right, or jump to conclusions and personalize everything, hold a grudge, get hostile, think obsessively or any number of other inappropriate behaviors."

Bullies put out aggressive signals, often scaring the meeker party into submission, says Judith Glaser, CEO of Benchmark Communications and author of Creating We and The DNA of Leadership.

"If we want to mitigate against the bully, we need to teach leaders how to read the early signs of aggression and to counter them with a conscious request for 'respect,' thereby turning the bully into an equal partner," Glaser says.

Other workers are often afraid to tattle on the bully. A manager must remain in control and demonstrate leadership. If not, "the bully's boundaries and ego expand, and they impact more people than just the initial targets," says Glaser. "Speaking up is vital and sends a signal to the rest of the organization that they don't need to tolerate, accept or support bullying."

Tame Your Toxic Worker
Those who manage toxic but highly competent employees are in a tough spot, says Dr. Janet Scarborough, psychologist and career coach with Bridgeway Career Development. Managers need their employees to succeed in order to keep themselves looking good.

"The manager needs to find a way to motivate the bully to be different," says Scarborough. "There are two possibilities for how to do this -- either offer a reward of something valued by the bullying employee or create a negative consequence for the bully if he/she continues to be abusive. The manager just has to find out what would motivate the bully to change his or her ways, and since everyone is motivated by something, there is always a way."

To put the toxic employee in line, start with a tough talk. "Sit the employee down, and be crystal clear about the behaviors that must stop immediately and those that must start," says Sharon Jordan-Evans, president of the Jordan Evans Group and coauthor of Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay and Love It, Don't Leave It: 26 Ways to Get What You Want at Work. "Statements such as ‘you must stop spreading negative gossip about your coworkers' or ‘you must start helping your colleagues more in tight deadline situations' should be brought to their attention."

Jordan-Evans says you can ensure the employee is clear about expected behavior changes by asking him to paraphrase or repeat those changes. Provide a timeline within which you expect to see lasting change as well as consequences for noncompliance. She recommends saying: "We'll meet again in one month to discuss how you're doing on these changes. I'll expect by then that you're 90 percent on target. Six months from now, I'll expect 100 percent success regarding these changes. Your performance review will reflect this process, and your pay will be impacted accordingly."

This means no pay increase or bonus for failure to change, while success translates into a pay increase and/or bonus, Jordan-Evans adds.

Overall, the manager has an important role in taming a toxic worker. "The toxic person is making others' lives miserable," says Glaser, "The manager needs to take the high road -- bring the team together and reestablish a common goal the team can shoot for -- then to help each person see the role they can play in achieving it."

Small Business Marketing: The power of personal branding

2007-05-10T16:41:00.000-04:00

Small Business Marketing:
The power of personal branding

From the flyingsolo blog that just came across my desk:
====

What do Sir Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Anita Roddick and Madonna all have in common?

They all spent time, effort and energy creating their own unique personal brands.

And you can too. You don’t have to be a billionaire, golf champion or celebrity to reap the rewards of personal branding.

A personal brand creates a point of difference. It helps you stand out from the crowd. There are no two grains of sand alike and there are no two personal brands the same.

What are the benefits of having a strong personal brand?

For starters, well-branded soloists can charge more. They can do this because their unique personal brand will add value to their clients.

Imagine if you had the cachet of a brand like Donald Trump, the Dalai Lama or Bill Clinton working for your business.

Also and importantly for potential clients it reduces the perception of risk in hiring the soloist because a strong personal brand is built by having a good reputation.

Branding in today's competitive, crowded and noisy marketplace now needs to focus on three levels - the corporate brand for customers and external stakeholders, the internal brand to attract and retain the best employees and the personal brand of the individual. Clearly soloists need to be developing the latter.

Successful soloists with high levels of power, influence and charisma are able to align their personal brand with that of their clients to add value.

Brands help keep products or services fresh in the minds of client and the introduction of a new personal brand can bring new energy to an organisation.

This is my Integrity Marketing method, where an effective soloist will use their expertise, experience and insight to align the values of an organisation with those of its staff and customers.

Personal branding operates at three levels. The first and most inner and authentic is your core personal brand shaped by your upbringing, family, values, beliefs, personality and attitudes.

The second or middle level is your created personal brand – this is a planned process of self-development that builds your knowledge, specialisation and expert power to create and define who you are.

The third or outer level is your perceived personal brand. You can shape perceptions simply by managing how others see you and presenting yourself in a compelling, visible and persuasive manner.

The most effective way of doing this is through assuming a leadership role (such as President of a community group or industry organisation), networking, writing, speaking and being quoted in the media.

To be successful, a personal brand must be seen over and over again.

Visibility creates the presumption of quality. People assume because they see a person all the time, he or she must be superior to others offering the same product or service.

Successful people like Sir Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey, Tiger Woods, Anita Roddick and Madonna work at all three levels. Do this in a constant, consistent and congruent way, and you will create an effective – and lucrative – personal brand.

Remember, while strong personal brands take years to build up, they can also be destroyed in seconds.

If you're an aspiring or experienced soloist here are five reasons why you should implement a personal branding strategy:

1. It sets you apart from your competitors.

2. It reflects your core values, personality, talent and skill set.

3. It increases your credibility, especially if you can harness the power of the media.

4. It establishes your expertise, authority and value.

5. It creates a success spiral that can boost your health, wealth and career.

Are you doing enough to develop your personal brand?

Top Ten Ways to Make Money Public Speaking

2007-05-05T06:40:00.000-04:00

1. SELL YOUR KNOWLEDGE
This is my overriding principle that came from years of hard knocks trying to get people to hire me to speak. I get more speaking engagements than I ever had before when I quit trying to sell them and began selling my knowledge in as many different formats as possible. The idea is that infinitely more people can buy what you know through books, tapes, CDs, Ebooks and videos than could ever hire you to speak. Your name recognition because of your knowledge distribution makes speaking engagements much easier to come by because the people that could hire you have already heard you and your message on your knowledge based products. In the mean time, the money from the product sales keeps your business thriving.

2. GET SPONSORSHIP
You can get other companies to sponsor your speaking fee so they can be associated with your message when you speak. Stop and think of what kinds of groups would want to be associated with your message. Let’s say you speak to the banking industry. Maybe mortgage, or mutual fund companies would sponsor you. Maybe bank equipment companies would. Think of anyone who would want to have exposure to your target audience then simply make a proposal to their public relations department.

3. GET DIRECTLY PAID
This is pretty straight forward. As a motivational speaker, you speak to a corporation, association, civic group, or anyone who would hire you and they pay you directly. Most of the time you should try to get a deposit up front of about 50 percent and the balance either before the event, or the day of the event. You will use various methods to get hired. I have had the greatest success in my career getting hired to speak by promoting myself properly on the Internet.

4. SPEAKERS BUREAUS
A speakers bureau is a for profit organization that locates speakers for paying clients. The speakers bureau normally takes a percentage of your gross fee. The percentage is usually in the 15 to 30 percent range with the average fee being 25 percent. It is very difficult to start with speakers bureaus unless you are a bonafide celebrity and your fees are substantial. You must remember they get paid on straight commission and the higher your fee, the more they make. Also, unless you have a proven track record, a speakers bureau will be afraid to put you in front of one of their clients because if you bomb they could lose many more bookings from the same client. You must also supply the bureau with promotional materials that don’t have your contact information so anyone that sees the material will contact the bureau directly and not you.

5. PUBLIC SEMINARS
This is another fairly simple idea, but that doesn’t mean it’s simple to do. Basically you promote your seminar to the public and they buy tickets to attend. You could also promote it to corporate management and get them to buy tickets for their employees to attend. I avoided public seminars for years because of the risk and expense involved in printing and mailing brochures. Now I do lots of public seminars because I can promote them at no cost through my website and email magazine.

6. TELEPHONE SEMINARS
This can be a form of public seminar, or it can be done for private groups. You arrange for a telephone bridge line (very inexpensive), or a conference call (can be VERY expensive). You have participants call in and you deliver the seminar over the telephone. This saves a tremendous amount of money on travel expenses for you and the participants along with all kinds of savings for the participants (travel, time, etc.) For visuals you can have the participants sitting in front of their computer while on the phone. You tell them what web page to visit to see your visuals.

7. WEBCASTS
This is similar to telephone seminars except you are using the Internet instead of a telephone to hold the seminar.

8. TRAINING COMPANIES
In this case a company hires you to deliver their programs to public seminar participants, or to participants all from the same private company. Career Track, SkillPath Seminars and Fred Pryor Seminars are examples of companies who hire seminar leaders. In some cases you can develop programs for the seminar company and get a higher fee for delivering that program and a fee each time it is delivered by another seminar leader. You also get a percentage of all the back of room products you sell. These companies can keep you on the road quite a bit so you better be ready to travel and don’t think each event will be in the Bahamas . . .Your events are more likely to be in places like Toledo, Cleveland and Columbus. These are relatively low paying jobs when compared to the kind of money you can get promoting your own speeches and seminars.

9. MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS SPEAK FREE TO PROMOTE YOUR BUSINESS
Many professionals (including professional speakers) speak or give free public seminars to help get clients. Attorneys, doctors, dentists, accountants, real estate agents, lawyers, home builders and many other people from a wide variety of professions give seminars to promote their business and to gain clients directly from the seminars. To do this effectively you must not spend the entire seminar promoting yourself. You must give the participants good information with the idea of establishing yourself or your company as the expert. There is certainly nothing wrong with showing people how complicated things are and even though they can do it themselves, it might not be a wise thing to do. For instance, you could be a plumber giving a seminar on how to remodel your bathroom. You tell the participants every little detail of how to do it and also tell them the perils if they do it wrong. No one will complain that you were just giving a sales pitch, but many will think to themselves, “Maybe this is too much to tackle by myself. Maybe I should hire this person to either help me or do it for me.”

10. SPEAK AS PART OF YOUR JOB
Many companies have their own speakers bureau. Normally the only reason it exists is as a public relations tool to provide a good image of their company to the community. One of the ways you can speak for pay in your company is to volunteer to be in the speakers bureau. As long as you are on company time when you are speaking, you are indirectly getting paid to speak. If they always ask you to speak after hours on your own time, well that’s a different story. You still might want to do it to continue to become a better motivational speaker. Another way to get paid to speak in your job is to join the training staff of your company, or start one if one doesn’t exist. You can simply target a problem the company is having and work up a program to train others in the company on how to solve the problem. Suggest a few sessions to your boss to see how it goes. If you get results, chances are they will want you to do the same program for others in the company.

'Boom-boom-goodbye' communication

2007-05-04T15:44:00.000-04:00

The HR Cafe: "'Boom-boom-goodbye' communication

This post will take you less than 60 seconds to read. And you'll be reminded of what's arguably the most important thing about effective communication.

All thanks to my insurance agent. For years I’ve met with my insurance agent once a year for half an hour. In these meetings he’s revealed all sorts of things about his family, hobbies and travels – and asked me about mine. But what I remember most about him is that when he calls me on the phone he rarely spends more 15 seconds.
“Did you get the form I e-mailed you? Great. Send it along. See ya.”

I know this is calculated on his part. He’s a great salesman because he’s developed a relationship with me, but he never, ever abuses it. He respects my time. Every communication is fast and efficient. And guess what? No matter how busy I am I always take his calls.

In HR, communication is critical. But I think many employees feel HR bombards them with information. Next time you communicate with your people, try to adopt the 'boom, boom, goodbye' communication style of my insurance agent. I think your message might get through more effectively, and your employees might be more eager to listen to what you have to say next time you reach out to them.

Remember: 'Less is more.' Goodbye.

Stephen Meyer
B21 Publisher

Sales and Marketing - Fax it!

2007-04-30T06:04:00.000-04:00

From Sales and Marketing Management:

Think faxes are as antiquated as manual dial telephones? Think again. 'For many organizations plain old faxes are still the way much of their business is conducted,' says Steve Adams, vice president of marketing at Protus IP Solutions, an applications service provider in Ottawa, Canada. Adams suggests why below:

1. Faxes: A Greater Impact
A marketing message via e-mail might be one of 200 customers receive that day. Faxes can be more impactful as a marketing tool, Adams says, simply because faxes stand out in a world where most companies have decided to use the Internet as their marketing tool of choice. Experts say it's still a strong marketing tool for many businesses. And with color faxing and other features these days, such as 600 dpi faxing capability, faxes offer rich options for sending marketing materials and messages.

2. Faxing = Technical Flexibility
With the advancement of new technologies, many might think faxing has gone the way of the cave man. Think again. Many companies are finding that their current fax machines can, through a few technology upgrades, be used with the latest technology, such as VOiP, making them capable of transitioning with the latest communications systems.

3. Fax = Greater Versatility
Thanks to communication between various machines, e-mail programs can send documents to fax machines and vice versa. That means your marketing message can be spread across that many more outlets via fax. It also means you don't even need a fax machine to send faxes?since they can be electronically sent from your computer.

4. Reduced Costs with Faxes
With Internet fax services proliferating, the increased competition means better faxing capabilities for less money. "By eliminating fax machines or fax server hardware," Adams says. "Companies can save up to 34 percent on monthly faxing costs."

Business Leadership the Marine Corps Way

2007-04-29T09:15:00.000-04:00

Check this out about the book SEMPER FI: Business Leadership the Marine Corps Way by Rod Walsh and Dan Carrison...

Former Marines Dan Carrison and Rod Walsh suggest what the business world can learn from the United States Marine Corps. That is, 'Business Leadership the Marine Corps Way.' For example: How to attract a greater number of candidates to identify 'the few' to hire, use your own 'best and brightest' to conduct interviews, determine which candidates are most compatible with your organization's core values, and how to accelerate the orientation of 'recruits' ( e.g. use of a 'boot camp') as well as to measure performance of everyone accurately.

Carrison and Walsh correlate specific situations in the Marine Corps with those in the business world. At the end of each chapter, they provide a Leadership Strategies Checklist.'

Carrison and Walsh suggest that, 'If all employees in a company, from the CEO to the line assembler, believe that they work for the best company in the industry, that they are without peer, and that those who work for the competition do so because they are not qualified to work for the best in the business, then an applicant may be motivated to join for reasons other than money.' Executives who 'command from a forward position' get out from behind a desk and leave the office to walk the shop floor. They visit other facilities, meet with small groups of employees to brief them on company news, attend initial meetings with prospects, call on customers, attend trade shows, and in countless other ways 'fight side-by-side with the troops' there in the 'trenches'...whatever and wherever those trenches may be.

Carrison and Walsh conclude: "Imagine an organization in which the majority of its creative and intelligent people walked around all day with the thought 'XYZ Corp must not fail' in the back of their minds. Such an organization would be formidable indeed." It remains for each reader to determine what is most relevant to her or his own organization. Whenever groups of people are assembled with a common purpose, there will always be a need for leadership. With more than 200 years of experience developing leaders "throughout the ranks", the Marine Corps has suggestions especially worthy of consideration.

http://www.amazon.com/Semper-Fi-Business-Leadership-Marine/dp/0814472729

David's comment: This is exactly the kind of thinking and client input that caused my team to create the new professional development program, STARS from the Start(tm) coming in 2007... stay tuned. Pilot clients are already coming on board and we're very excited about sharing the early results and outcomes. Stay tuned!

The Myths of Management

2007-04-25T15:38:00.000-04:00

From Sales & Marketing Management's PERFORMANCE Newsletter:

Corporate ideology can be inspirational. It can be a company's guiding light. And it can also lead the way towards shaky, even harmful management practices. In their book "Hard Facts: Dangerous Half-Truths and Total Nonsense," Stanford professors Jeffrey Pfeffer and Rober I. Sutton uncover some of the mythologies of management.

"The catalogue of poor decision practices is immense, but we focus here on three of the most common and in our experience, most harmful to companies," they write.

They are:

* Casual Benchmarking: Too often, companies seek to copy the successful practices of another enterprise without fully understanding the complex underpinnings of the process. The result is often mindless imitation. For example, many companies look at the success of Southwest Airlines and seek to emulate its performance by copying some of the most obvious practices, such the casual attire of its gate agents and other employees. But the practice ignores the underlying element of Southwest's success, which is its culture and management philosophy.

* Doing what (seems to have) worked in the past: There's nothing wrong with learning from experience. But repeating a process that worked before is only useful if the new situation calls for the same kind of action. Blind repetition is not good management.

* Following deeply held, yet unexamined ideologies: Never let belief trump evidence. Require proof, not passion. Be willing to gather data that pertains to your choices as well as others.

10 Steps to Becoming a Motivational Speaker

2007-04-20T20:22:00.000-04:00

If you have ever made a class presentation, spoken up at a meeting, or given a toast at a wedding reception, you have spoken in public.

Since public speaking is many people’s greatest fear, if you enjoyed the experience, you might have what it takes to become a motivational speaker. From the storyteller around the campfire to great spiritual and political leaders, speakers have motivated people throughout history.

Today’s motivational speakers inspire students to stay in school, say no to drugs and gangs, and prepare for life after graduation. Adults are motivated by speakers to follow their dreams and achieve greater success in business and in life. Here are 10 steps to breaking into this fab job, based on the Guide to Become a Motivational Speaker:

1. Do an inventory of your life experience

The first place to look for what to speak about is your own life. Make a list of the goals you have achieved, such as: graduating from college, landing your first job, finding someone to love, overcoming a bad habit, starting a business, raising children, or achieving a lifelong dream.

Of course, it’s even better if you have achieved something extraordinary, such as winning an Olympic medal, publishing a bestselling book, or giving birth to septuplets! But even accomplishments that seem “ordinary” can provide material for speeches. People find it inspiring to hear about how others have overcome obstacles to achieve their dreams.

If you have ever had to deal with fear, rejection, financial hardship, or loss along the way to achieving your goals, chances are you have the basic material to give a motivational speech.

2. Identify what you have to offer
Unfortunately, unless you’re already famous, audiences won’t pay just to hear about your life. (Many people are happy to talk about themselves for free!) To be successful, you should identify how your speeches can help people solve their problems, achieve their goals, or otherwise improve their lives.

3. Choose a “niche”
People are unlikely to take you seriously if you promise that your speeches will solve all their problems and help them: get rich, lose weight, find the love of their life, become great leaders, get healthy, make more sales, be happy, etc., etc. Instead, pick one specialty or “niche” such as leadership. It’s important to have a niche because people like to hire experts. After all, if you needed surgery, wouldn’t you want your doctor to be “an expert”?

4. Know your target audience
It can be tempting to say “I want everyone to hear what I have to say!” The reality is that if you develop a speech bank executives love, chances are it won’t go over as well at the local elementary school. Depending on your niche, you could define your audience by characteristics such as: age, gender, geographic location, industry, interests, or any other traits that distinguish one group from another. Once you have identified your audience, you can target your efforts directly to that group.

5. Write your speech
If this is the part of becoming a speaker you fear most, the good news is there are people who can write a speech for you. You could check the Yellow Pages and hire a speechwriter, public relations firm, or speech coach. Prices can vary widely, so ask for a flat fee quote. If you want to write it yourself you can find numerous online resources to help you. There are numerous excellent speechwriting websites including sites offered by communication departments of several universities.

6. Polish your speaking skills
It’s fine to feel nervous when you first start speaking. But as a professional speaker, it’s your job not to let it show. Among the traits that can help you succeed as a speaker are confidence, credibility (a combination of likeability and expertise), and enthusiasm. Most colleges and universities offer evening classes in public speaking to help you develop these traits. Another idea is to join Toastmasters, an international non-profit organization that helps people to practice speaking skills at weekly meetings.

7. Prepare promotional materials
Once you have written your speech and are confident in your speaking skills, you’re ready to start marketing yourself to the people who can hire you. Your promotional materials include a “demo” tape and an information package.

While professional speakers spend thousands of dollars on a demo tape, as a beginner, your demo tape can be as simple as a video recording of one of your speeches. (Set the camera up on a tripod at the back of the room.) Your information package can be a two pocket folder available from any stationery store. It includes such items as: a letter of introduction, a business card, your resume, a color photograph, a page summarizing your experience and the benefits of your speech, and testimonial (reference) letters from people who have heard you speak. To make my package stand out, I also like to include a small gift related to my speech, such as a postcard with an inspiring message.

8. Approach potential employers
Potential employers of speakers include: seminar companies, conventions, conferences, trade shows, corporations, non-profit associations, government agencies, continuing education departments, schools, colleges, and cruise ships. One of the best ways to approach potential employers is by phoning, faxing, or emailing them an invitation to see you speak. If they can’t come to see you in person, the next best thing is to send them your materials so they can see you on tape.

9. Get employers to approach you
Imagine if employers approached you, instead of the other way around. You can make it happen by becoming well known in your community. The most effective ways to become well known as a motivational speaker include: get interviewed on radio and TV, write articles for publication in local newspapers and magazines, put up a website, attend networking events, give free speeches to community groups, and present your own seminars.

10. Get represented by speakers’ bureaus
Speakers bureaus are companies that can find work for you. Once you have some experience as a speaker, you can start approaching bureaus in your community to represent you.

How Can I Lead When I Am Not in Charge?

2007-04-15T13:00:00.000-04:00

I just came across this article, which reminds me that a LOT of advice and strategies and tactics that are supposedly geared towards women... apply equally (in some cases more so) to MEN!! Take a look below and you'll start to see what I mean.

Whether we're talking about self-management, leadership, building trust, attitudes, respect, assertiveness, or influence... these lessons apply whether aimed at one gender or the other.

Men MAY be from Mars; Women MAY be from Venus - but here's the news folks... planet Business works pretty much the same way for all of us.

-- David

How Can I Lead When I Am Not in Charge?
Four tips that will help you lead your boss

By: Angie Morgan and Courtney Lynch

Let’s face it – almost everyone has a boss. Our relationship with our immediate supervisorimpacts so many aspects of our lives. A solid rapport with that one person allows us tobalance work/life more effectively, work in a positive environment and feel more fulfilled inour careers.

On the other hand, a poor relationship with our boss gives us a bad attitude – one that spillsover into our personal lives after we’re off the clock. When the bond between us and ourboss is weak, we often feel helpless – like victims to our careers. These feelings cancontribute to career uncertainty, job dissatisfaction and, ultimately, they can make usquestion our professional ambitions.

Rather than suffer through the daily grind, there are things we can do to improve ourrelationship with our supervisors. First, and foremost, we can be better leaders.We don’t have to be in charge, or have a management position, to be a leader. A leadercan be anyone, despite rank, title or tenure. Leadership is not about power or prestige. Aleader is someone who takes control of their lives to influence outcomes, which includecreating a more gratifying relationship with our boss.

To work towards that ideal relationship, you can incorporate the following leadershiptechniques into your professional life:

1. Don’t take things personally. Your supervisor’s mood swings or snide commentsmay get under your skin, but they shouldn’t affect your disposition. As a leader,you’re confident about who you are and you’re able to shrug off negativity before itweighs you down. Your supervisor’s bad attitude has nothing to do with you – sowhy take it personally? The less emotion you give to someone else’s unpleasantnature, the more energy you have to spread some light on your day. You can alsouse your optimism to make your coworkers days a little brighter. If you have atough boss, chances are, they also need some cheering up.

2. Set the example. Your words and actions set the tone for how you want to betreated. If you want more responsibility, prove yourself dependable. If you wantloyalty, don’t disparage your boss to your coworkers. If you want more pay, justifyyour salary increase. Always hold yourself to a high professional standard, one thatmay even be higher than the one your boss holds for himself. When you set apositive example, you contribute to creating a more positive, professionalenvironment.

3. Earn respect, not praise. You may never be your boss’s best friend – and that’sokay. Stop looking for affirmation from your boss and start striving for respect,which can be earned by your hard work and integrity. You may never have theperfect relationship with your boss– but if you have her respect, then you’re in agreat position to influences outcomes.

4. Be an Effective Communicator. If you feel your boss’s attitude has become aroadblock, have the courage to voice your concerns. Confrontation can be difficult,but it’s easier than suffering through a bad situation. Approach your boss with tact –choose your words carefully to ensure your message is received clearly. Prepareyourself with suggestions and ideas. Always have proposed solutions ready whenyou plan to highlight a problem. Chances are that your boss is unaware that hisactions contribute to a poor work environment. You may be surprised how quicklyyour situation can improve.

Your strides towards leadership development will help you regain control of yourprofessional life and will allow you to develop and maintain a positive relationship with yourboss. While you cannot force another person to change, by being a leader you can influenceprofessional behavior through your solid example. Each step you take towards becoming astronger leader brings you closer to job satisfaction.As you develop your leadership abilities, you become a person your supervisors will want topromote. This professional progress will allow you to have an even greater influence overyour environment in the future.

Angie and Courtney are founders of Lead Star, a leadership consulting company thatchallenges women to be the best leaders they can be. The duo learned valuableleadership lessons while serving as Marine Corps Officers. For more information onLead Star, visit www.leadingfromthefront.com

Develop effective working relationships with direct reports

2007-04-10T17:05:00.000-04:00

ON-THE-JOB ACTIVITIES

As a new manager, you must rely on your people. The more you commit to developing and maintaining respectful, productive relationships with them, the larger the payoff in terms of motivation, commitment, and support.

You will enhance your relationships with your employees by showing:
· Sincere interest in them and what is important to them
· Respect for all, even for people with whom you disagree or do not understand
· Simple courtesy: saying “please” and “thank you”
· Respect for employees’ ideas and experience by asking for their advice and involvement
· Recognition of their contributions

You can improve your relationships with your employees by soliciting their feedback. Ask for the feedback in an informal, nonthreatening manner. Also, let employees know that your reason for requesting such information is to improve your working relationships with them. To solicit employees’ feedback:
1. Arrange an individual, informal meeting with each employee to discuss your working relationship. Provide as nonthreatening an environment as possible for this meeting. Hold it in “neutral territory” — conference room, cafeteria — not in your office.
2. Ask the employee for comments on things you do that help the working relationship and for suggestions on how you might improve it. Be careful not to dominate the conversation, and try to respond to the employee’s remarks in a nondefensive, honest way.
3. Don’t promise more than you can deliver; remember, your follow-through will be the key to improving the relationship.

You may wish to explore other ways of soliciting employees’ feedback on your relationships with them. Some employees may prefer to give anonymous feedback. Or, you may ask for feedback from a trusted peer who is in a position to observe your relationships with your employees.

Whatever plan or procedure you use to obtain feedback, your aim should be to generate goals for improving your working relationships with your employees. You may want to share your goals with them. After working toward your goals for awhile, go through this feedback solicitation process again to get their impressions of how your relationships with them have changed.

To build relationships with your people, show interest and concern for them as individuals, not just as "your employees."

Over the next few months, use the following guidelines to demonstrate a personal interest in your employees. Take a gradual approach to getting to know your employees; a sudden, intense expression of interest may look like you are prying into their personal lives.
· Take time for informal chats with employees in the hallways or during brief, unscheduled visits. Ask about their personal interests — family, hobbies, goals. Follow up by occasionally inquiring about their current concerns.
· Share some of your personal interests. Employees will feel more comfortable sharing their interests with you if they feel that you are willing to reveal information about yourself.
· Consider arranging occasional social events, such as lunches or department parties, where you can discuss mutual interests other than business.
· If employees wish to discuss personal problems, be willing to listen. Take care, however, not to take on roles for which you may not be professionally trained, such as that of financial or family counselor.

Finally, respect the confidentiality of employees’ personal concerns and avoid using shared personal information in a way that employees may see as traitorous. For example, if an employee is late to work, a comment such as, “I know you have small children you must take care of in the morning, but it’s essential that you get to work on time,” can make the employee regret that he or she opened up to you and reluctant to share personal information in the future.

Top Business Book Reviews

2007-04-05T10:10:00.000-04:00

Check out my latest review of The Seven Minute Difference on the business book site that I edit, Top Business Book Reviews.

Treat people with respect

2007-04-01T17:03:00.000-04:00

ON-THE-JOB ACTIVITIES
In their book, Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge, Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus suggest that before managers can treat others with dignity and respect, they must possess or develop positive self-regard. To achieve positive self-regard, they say:
· Recognize your strengths and compensate for your weaknesses.
· Continue to work and develop your skills and talents.
· Learn to discern the fit between your strengths and weaknesses and your organizational needs.

Bennis and Nanus observed that once managers develop positive self-regard, they demonstrate positive "other-regard". Here are some guidelines to consider:
· Accept people as they are, not as you would like them to be. Try to understand what other people are like on their terms.
· Treat those you are close to with the same courteous attention that you extend to strangers and acquaintances.
· Give people the benefit of the doubt.
· Apologize to people when you have hurt or ignored them.
· Be objective and nonevaluative in your day-to-day dealings with people.
· Confront issues, not people.
· Minimize sarcasm. Be aware of instances in which you might be perceived as insensitive.
· Allow people to save face.
· Foster an environment of openness and trust.
· Be honest, yet respectful.

Selling in the Zone

2007-03-31T05:30:00.000-04:00

Here's something that just came in from monster sales news:
===
Sell in the Zone
by Chris Lytle
Monster Contributing Writer

What is selling like when you are at your very best? How do you feel? How do you behave? How do your customers react? I asked a group of high tech salespeople and field service engineers those questions at an Orlando seminar. Here are some of their replies:

When I'm at my best, I:

Feel connected with the customer.

Feel valued.

Use more gestures.

Walk tall.

Sell without a lot of effort -- it flows.

Am energized.

Find the right words without a lot of thinking or effort.

Get the customer to participate and reveal real needs.

Am in the zone.

Have you ever been in the zone? You were so focused on the customer that you weren't worrying about whether or not you would make the sale?

Read full article here

Advice for New Managers

2007-03-30T12:06:00.000-04:00

by Matt Krumrie, Monster Contributing Writer

Getting your first management position can be exciting, but you may be in for some surprises once you're hired. That's what Jill Nelsen found out when she broke into fast-food restaurant management in California nearly 15 years ago. With a collegiate background in accounting and bookkeeping, Nelsen thought she'd be hiring people and crunching numbers. Instead, she spent most of her time dealing with teenagers working their first job, calling employees to cover missed shifts and mopping the floor late at night after working 12- to 16-hour shifts.

"Management is something you have to work into, not something that can necessarily be taught," says Nelsen.

Another problem, says Connie Sitterly, founder of Fort Worth, Texas-based Management Training Specialists, is that most companies reward employees by promoting them into management, whether they're ready for it or not.

"The biggest mistake of upper management is promoting the wrong people," says Sitterly. "A computer programmer may be great technically but might not have people skills."

Like it or not, you're going to have to develop those skills and change the way you do your work if you want to succeed as a manager. Here are some tips that seasoned pros say they wish they'd known from the start.

It's Not Just About You
"As a manager, the key difference is you no longer are evaluated as an individual contributor in the organization," says Florence Stone, a spokeswoman for the American Management Association (AMA), which offers a three-day seminar on management skills for new managers. "You now must work with your staff to achieve your department and your organizational goals. Your role is to work with others, to help them be productive and effective."

Stone offers these tips for first-time managers:
* Identify your department's goals and determine the resources needed to achieve them.
* Get to know each individual's needs, and find out what drives them.
* Observe each direct report's behavior to determine if there is sufficient knowledge, skill and motivation for the individual to complete the task.
* Delegate tasks and responsibilities to meet the department's objectives.
* Set clear expectations, understood by both you and your staff.
* Coach the individual for improved performance and his own professional development.
* Prepare for the unexpected.

Common Goals
Joni Wright has worked on both sides of the fence. She has been an employee trying to understand what her managers want from her, and is now a manager at a Twin Cities government agency trying to explain to her employees what she expects of them. First-time managers need to understand that, despite a difference in titles and responsibilities, the ultimate goal is the same.

"The two groups have more in common than they may realize," says Wright. "Though their job tasks are different, both want many of the same things. What is one of the biggest rewards for an employee? Being happy and successful in their work. What is probably the biggest reward for a supervisor? Seeing an employee happy and successful in their work."

But what it all comes down to, says Tom Cronin, New England-area manager for London-based Twinings and Company, is to remember that people are people, and even though they all have their little quirks and differences, the result is what matters.

"You have to understand everybody is different, and your job as a manager is to be able to cultivate ways for that person to succeed," says Cronin. "You're not always going to agree with them or the way they do things, but the end result is what matters. Treat people with respect, and provide the guidance and leadership they are looking for. People are people regardless of a title they hold. Remember that."

How Do We Overcome a Culture of Distrust?

2007-03-22T05:56:00.000-04:00

I just came back from the awards ceremony for The Philadelphia Business Journal's Best Places to Work Awards. It was a great night. And it turns out, we have a LOT of great companies in the area that are doing all kinds of cool and wonderful things to develop their employees, communicate with them, and make them valued, respected, and committed - along with engendering a healthy sense of balance and fun too.

Then this morning, I came across this great Q&A from Workforce magazine's online newsletter. This company is obviously NOT a great place to work. Certainly, this company is in trouble culture-wise, but even with a healthy culture, these are good habits for every company interested in spreading truth and trust... all the way to the bottom line!

How Do We Overcome a Culture of Distrust and Get Employees to Share Information?

Q: According to an internal survey we conducted, our employees are fearful of sharing information with one another. They cite a variety of reasons. They believe the sharing of info will decrease personal success. They don't have time to share. They fear negative consequences. They do not trust their colleagues.

Hence, our people prefer to work like robots. In fact, there's a big problem of communication. We have no formalized coaching or mentoring programs in place either. How do we reverse the slide and begin the long climb back to open and honest workplace communication?
—Miserable Mistrust, quality assurance coordinator, hospitality, Rose-Hill, Mauritius

A: Communication is a direct reflection of your organization's corporate culture. Employees refuse to share information, or communicate only in limited fashion, because they have been conditioned to do so. At some point, your management team has sent the message, by word or deed, that such behavior is either acceptable or desired. It may also be an indication that there is a "disconnect" between employees and management.

To change the behavior, senior management must first commit to changing the company culture. Such change will most likely be slow and take time to produce measurable results.

The management team must start by making a comprehensive assessment of the company's communications policies and practices. This includes meetings at various levels, how new information or policies get introduced, and in-house media such as newsletters and bulletin boards.

In addition, the team should assess the impact of less direct contributors to communications: things like teamwork, team effectiveness, the performance appraisal process, open-door policies and the availability of staff to employees.

Once issues are identified, your management should be encouraged to take a revolutionary step: take these issues to employees for resolution. Focus groups at various levels of the organization can be formed to answer such questions as: What's wrong with communications at the company level? The department level? Team level? Upward/downward? Peer to peer?

Use a systemic approach to develop solutions to the problems you identify.

Employees in all probability will recognize critical issues and suggest workable solutions to problems. In the end, it is the leadership and behavior of your management team, including a commitment to effective communication, that gets things done. Here are some suggestions:

Address the performance appraisal process. Employees should be evaluated on how effectively they communicate. This should include their effectiveness in working on teams and their contribution to teamwork.

Create a company report card. It should show the company's good, bad and ugly on a monthly or quarterly basis. Areas graded can include finance, productivity, leadership and communication effectiveness.

Develop a mentoring process. Use employees that possess the desirable qualities you have identified to mentor and reinforce company values to new employees. This serves to combat existing deep-rooted cultural issues that can lead to poor communication. Mentors should be charged with the responsibility of creating trust through effective communication.

Develop a "high potentials" group. This would be a group of your best and brightest employees with the potential for leadership. Provide them with accelerated training on subjects such as leadership, company values, business ethics and, of course, effective communication in various forms—the cornerstone of leadership and trust.

Make shared communications important. Clearly spell out the company's vision of quality communication. Evaluate employees' communication in a meaningful way. Weight the value of good communication as heavily as competencies such as productivity and safety.

Reward suggestions. Encourage employees to make suggestions for improvement at all levels of the organization. Recognize employees whose suggestions get implemented. The rewards do not have to be monetary or large to have a positive impact on your workforce.

SOURCE: Lonnie Harvey Jr., SPHR, president, the Jesclon Group, Rock Hill, South Carolina, September 27, 2006.

Translate business strategies into clear objectives and tactics

2007-03-20T17:01:00.000-04:00

Translate business strategies into clear objectives and tactics

ON-THE-JOB ACTIVITIES

Most managers acknowledge the importance of planning and goal setting. Sometimes, however, time pressures get in the way. Setting aside time to identify and develop your business goals and strategies is the first step in improving your ability to plan and manage effectively.

In order to develop successful plans, it is necessary for managers both to understand their organization's strategic vision and to incorporate that vision into their plans and day-to-day operations. To clarify and increase your understanding in this area, ask yourself questions such as:
* What is the organization's strategic vision?
* What does that mean for me and my unit?
* What are the future opportunities?
* What talents and resources will I need to accomplish my part?

Once you have developed business strategies, translate them into clear objectives and tactics. Consider the following suggestions:

* Once you and your people have developed your vision and mission, work with them to formulate strategies, specific objectives, and tactics to accomplish the objectives.
* Review your department’s strategies, objectives, and tactics for compatibility with the organization’s strategic plans.
* Identify colleagues who appear to have well-defined strategic plans. Ask what process they used to develop objectives and tactics.
* Ask your direct reports to submit an annual work plan for your review and then use their ideas to construct an operational plan for the department.
* Plan an off-site retreat with your direct reports to brainstorm and choose the most viable tactics for reaching objectives.
* Communicate your department’s business strategies and objectives to peers in other departments. Seek input on objectives and tactics that might affect them.

5 SIMPLE RULES

2007-02-25T10:13:00.000-05:00

1. NEVER give up - failure comes when you stop trying!
2. Be nice, but not a pushover - no one likes to work with an ego-maniac or a whiny child!
3. Think Positive - reach for solutions, don't dwell on problems!
4. Humor & Laughter = a smile. I have fixed more problems with a smile than I could shake a stick at!
5. Eat your vegetables!!!!

-- Keith Fiala
Professional Musician