Blog Suggestion Box

I recently created a 'Suggestions Blog' for employees to submit ideas by posting comments in various categories. This is a great idea to grow your company beyond your own ideas by leveraging the power of your own internal knowledge share network. In a true 'Think Tank' environment no idea is a bad idea. Once an idea is submitted the discussions that follow may lead to your next multi-million dollar idea. I remember learning in a Marketing class years ago about 3M and the development of the yellow Post-it notes. 3M also had a Think Tank that discussed at the time the complete failure of a super glue. A great deal of time and money was spent to create this super glue that ended up being so weak that it appeared to be good for nothing, a complete failure. After much brainstorming with many crazy ideas thrown out for consideration, one idea led to another idea and eventually the Post-it note was invented. The glue was too weak to be a super glue or any kind of multi-purpose glue but it was of the ideal strength for the Post-it note. Today there isn't an office I know of that doesn't use Post-it notes.

What are you doing to solicit ideas from your staff? How easy is it for you to collect those ideas? Have you thought of the Suggestions Blog?

YouTube

I've added 'YouTube' to my Blog and I'm not entirely sure that this is what my readers want to see so I will be excited to read the comments on this post over the next few weeks. Let me know what you like and don't like so I can make this the greatest resource for you, my readers; Entrepreneurs and Business Owners.

Golf Closes The Great Sales Divide

I was speaking with an Internet Business Consultant located in the UK today who told me about the Golfing Association he founded back in 1999 with a few others as a way to create charitable funds. Since 1999 with only a few members who loved the game of golf and played in different local clubs they have grown to over 50 members who all love the game of golf and play different courses now in different parts of the world. The monies they generate through various drives that are conceived on those golfing trips has certainly benefited their chosen charities. They have also benefited from each other.

Besides the good feeling of giving back to their community, they have made many new friends who all enjoy the game of golf. But the benefit to their respective businesses is even more evident as they all share referrals and conduct business with each other where it is deemed necessary. As their charitable golfing association grows so will their business networking group who all share a love for the game of golf.

Now imagine speaking to a new prospect who also loves the game of golf and when the topic of golf comes up you speak about this association, perhaps you get them excited about being a part of the association or as a minimum they want to listen to what you have to say because you know Mr. Big Wig of ABC company and they would like to get to know him for their business. Anyway you look at it, this Golfing Charitable Organization is a Win/Win/Win that 'Closes the Great Divide' between seller and buyer.

Who Do You Buy From?

As a professionally trained and Certified Purchasing Agent and Sales Trainer I enjoy watching the sales techniques used on me in a variety of situations. I have listened to the sales approach ranging from the car salesman (I say sales'man' because even though woman make up at least 50% of the car buyers, the industry is still predominantly made up of men), to the furniture sales person, to the sales person who has met me in my office, and they all approach sales in very unique ways.

For example; I have experienced everything from the nervous edgy person who never gets to the point and who only succeeds in making me nervous and edgy and anxious to get rid of him to the person who wants to socialize more than sell. The person who does sell me is the person in the middle. The sales person who gets me to relax with natural charm and then doesn't waste my time by getting to the point with impactful questions to determine what my needs might be. If you just try to sell me I don't buy. If you find out how you can help me and then explain the value as it relates to my needs then I am generally hard pressed not to buy.

Understand who you buy from and this could help you understand not only how to sell but also who to sell to. People generally like to do business with people they like and that is in most cases people like them self.

NIKE - Too Big For Their Shoes

I heard about Stephon Marbury 5th highest paid player in the NBA offering shoes for $14.95 and this is in direct competition to the BIG BRAND names like NIKE who have been marketing their product by paying out to NBA players multi-million dollar endorsement contracts. This has driven the cost of the shoe out of reach for the majority of kids and families who have to have these shoes because their sports hero's suggest you can be like them; a better player. In my community I know of cases where young children were mugged, beaten up and robbed for their shoes by older children. How crazy is that?

I watched a recent news report on TV where I saw them take Marbury's shoe and a $250.00 NIKE shoe and did a cross section cut finding that the only difference was that NIKE had a leather exterior which has no bearing on the performance of the shoe. Congratulations to Stephon Marbury for having the sense to bring the cost back down to reality for shoes and with his name on the product he has already seen the kids lining up around the block.

What I find most interesting about this story is that Stephon found a 'Unique Selling Proposition' for his shoe, PRICE. When shoes were inexpensive back in the 1950's and 1960's then this differentiation would not work, But today, with NIKE, Addidas, and others playing the endorsement game and driving the cost of shoes into the hundreds, this differentiation is perfectly timed. Is it possible that the NIKE bubble is about to burst?

I don't believe NIKE is going to go out of business because of the $14.95 shoe but, I do believe they are sitting up and taking notice. If they don't, this segment of their business will suffer. The public is already excited about this shoe and more importantly, the children who want the shoes are also saying it's about time someone created the $14.95 shoe. If NIKE misses this message and don't react then perhaps they have grown 'too big for their shoes'.

What are you doing to differentiate your business from your perceived competition? In addition, is your USP as significant as Marbury's $14.95 NBA Player endorsed shoe? In other words, will you change the face of marketing today?

Donald Trump University - Branding at it's Best

'Donald Trump', say the name in most parts of the world and people will know the name and know the hair. They will probably also know that he is wealthy. With wealth they believe he is successful. How did this New York Real Estate Entrepreneur grow into such a household name or rather, should I say, household brand?

Donald built a brand with Ivana's help that was all about the image of class, expertise and profits. Even when he was suffering in business and got the creditors to work with him he always managed to fly around in a private jet. Even the creditors knew Donald's real value is in his brand. What are you doing to build your brand?

If you are just starting in business you need to write down what personal image and what business image you want to portray to the world. Write a 'Mission Statement' that mirrors the image you want to portray and then print it on the back of your business cards, on your letterhead and on your signage.

I remember being in a situation where a customers kitchen designs were becoming cost prohibitive. In other words, the law of gravity made her requirements near impossible to deliver. On the job site, with no customer around, I had my site foreman complaining that it could not be done, that we were wasting too much time and costing the company money. After debating it for a few minutes and discussing the options I realized that it could be done but, at a cost. I ended the debate by simply reminding the foreman that the cost of lost time discussing why we can't do it is best spent just doing it and making it happen. He was having trouble with this concept so then I asked him to pull out our business card and turn it over to the back. He then read aloud our mission statement that simply stated; "...the 'Key' to our success is building on our Customer's Dreams."

He stopped, thought about what he just read and then turned from me and began to get the job done. The end result was an outstanding and unique kitchen design that had the overhead cabinets appearing to float away from the wall. The client and our cabinet suppliers were so amazed that we had many suppliers coming to take pictures for future standard design considerations. In addition, the word got out and we had a local Home and Garden Magazine do a 6 page article on the renovation and our company. I also became a contributing "expert" writer to the magazine which eventually got me in the Who's Who Registry filed in Washington, DC.

Our Brand was established. Is yours?

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Abraham Maslow developed and then published in 1954 his Hierarchy of Needs and they are as relevant today as they were illuminating when first published. Maslow revised his pyramid in 1970 adding at the top of the pyramid; the cognitive needs (first the need to acquire knowledge, then the need to understand that knowledge) above the need for self-actualization, and the aesthetic needs (the needs to create and/or experience beauty, balance, structure, etc.). Most pyramids today don't show these newer top two steps. I believe that the Entrepreneur needs to understand these two newer and higher levels.

When you reach success by your definition, e.g., financial freedom, business at the level you envisioned and planned for, family and friends are strong and close, etc., then what motivates you to continue? If you don't know the answer to this question then your plans may fall short. I believe that life must be a complete balance of family, friends, business, spirituality, community involvement and special interest/hobbies. Hobbies tend to be the area we sacrifice while managing our business and trying to balance the demands of business with the demands of our family.

If you ignore hobbies and special interests then you may actually be creating a boring individual who only talks about business which could harm your personal business sales as well as lose you friends. But think of the future when you need to back away from the business more and more each year to make room for the youth and your children, what will motivate you to continue to succeed and accept the passing of the torch? Once an Entrepreneur always an Entrepreneur.

You should always be in pursuit of knowledge but in Maslow's higher levels of the pyramid you are now pursuing understanding of the knowledge. An example would be Richard Gere and other celebrities who after achieving financial freedom and success started a journey of spiritual knowledge and understanding. As they travelled the world in pursuit of understanding their appreciation of beauty in all things increased including people, art, music and in many ways were driven to help with our collective awareness of the beauty they discovered. They had created and given themself a reason to live without the 100% pursuit of business. We can leave the business we created to the youth and I believe the truly successful are the ones who have reached the top of Maslow's 1970 Pyramid.

When creating your personal plan, keep asking yourself; Where are you on Maslow's Pyramid today and in what year do you plan to be reaching the the top newer steps of the pyramid?

Law Blogs

I came across a very professional and clean looking Legal Profession blog and I had to share this with my readers. What intrigued me is how they have created a sharing, 'Think Tank', community of lawyers speaking on many topics that has grown from Canada to include lawyers in the United States. Lawyers know better than most that information is power. The knowledge share network created is powerful and it is an example of where I would like to see my blog grow. I want more Entrepreneurs sharing their Best Practices, Mentoring Advice and Sales Techniques for all Entrepreneurs to benefit from which will help the economy in the end. After all, without the Entrepreneur, we would not have employment opportunities created for every one else.

The Law Blog can be found under this post title and originates from Vancouver Canada.

Women Entrepreneurs

"In the past 15 years, there has been a 50 per cent increase in the number of self-employed women in Canada. By 2010, CIBC (Canadian Imperial Bank of Canada) predicts that one million Canadian women will own a small business." [CIBC Report]

As a Sales Trainer and Entrepreneur for over 20 years I have seen first hand the growth of women entering into self-employment. More women have learned that yes you can run a business successfully and raise a family. More men are learning to support women in their dreams and passions. The CIBC report validates what I have seen and I personally think that this is great news.

I'm a supporter of all Entrepreneurs and we need more women. Come on women join the growing ranks of self-employed entrepreneurial business owners! We need your creativity, drive, passion and energy.

Not Every Sale Is A Good Sale

As you enter into business ownership you now become aware that you need to perform sales. Yes you can hire sales people but, if you don't understand sales then how can you properly recruit, hire, and retain good sales people. Anyway you look at it, you need to perform sales. However, when you first start selling your attitude might be that you need to close every sale. Be careful! Not every sale is a good sale.

Be careful not to under sell or you will lose money from the sale and, if you are a service type business, while you are delivering on your service you are not out selling. This lack of selling will not allow you to make up the loss and your attitude will spiral down into a pit of despair.

Be careful not to over sell the features of your products and/or service because most customers care only about the benefits. All they are thinking about is; "What's in it for me?"

Be careful not to be the lowest price. If you are competing on price then you have to always be the cheapest. Being the cheapest, (unless you are like a Walmart who has their costs well managed), means you are or will be continually losing money and continually selling. In other words, these customers are not loyal. If you are not the cheapest the next time around then you will not get the business.

Be smart and build a selling strategy that provides value at the right price and then speak to prospects about the relationship and value you provide. And always remember that 'Not Every Sale Is A Good Sale'.

Feel My Pain

People are 10 times more likely to take an action to eliminate a pain. If we know that to be true then why are we not as sales people helping our clients identify their pains in our first meeting(s)? If we don't know their top 5 pains then how can you provide the correct solution to their pain? The answer is; we can't.

Well here is a clue to getting your clients pains identified. This clue may seem so simple but the reality is that it will take practice to be properly executed. You need to ask powerful questions. When you're meeting with a prospect you need to ask questions that are designed to dig and probe exposing the prospects pain. As you keep probing you will find something that when they answer their body language actually changes. They may begin to tense up, sit up, lean forward and/or start complaining about some one or some thing. When you hit this pain point like the dentist who probes your sensitive toothache you need to keep asking questions about that pain to dig deeper so much so that not only do you learn all you can to find a solution but also so the prospect now feels the pain.

When you leave your prospect at the end of your meeting feeling the pain, their sense of urgency is increased like the throbbing tooth ache that needs to be extracted. When you meet with them again to present your proposal you will help them relive their pain points and show how you are the solution to the pains. If done properly, your prospect can not afford to delay taking action on your proposal and solutions.

What are you doing in your sales meetings to help your prospect feel their pains?

Business Owner or Employee - Which Best Describes You?

I found this article on EzineArticles.com and it fits well with the theme of my blog. I trust that my readers will find value in Kimberly's checklist:

Business Owner or Employee - Which Best Describes You?
By Kimberly Gingras

I have often heard business owners say that they could never imagine working for someone else, because they love the freedom that business ownership offers. On the other hand, I have heard employees say that they would never want to have their own businesses. They believe that there are a lot of hassles associated with being a business owner.

I have been both an employee and a business owner, and have noticed that business owners and employees have two different ways of thinking. Some of these key differences are explained below, and may help you determine where you fit in.

BUSINESS-OWNER MENTALITY

1. Solve a problem for someone else and create business for yourself – For example, the person who created the automatic car starter that starts your vehicle without having to step outdoors, solved a problem for many people. It has allowed residents of cold climates to start up their vehicles from inside a building, thus allowing the interior of the vehicle to warm up before even getting into the vehicle.

2. Enjoy flexible hours – If you need to, you can adjust your work hours to attend your child's soccer game or school field trip. You may also be able to decide what time of day you work. My girlfriend's husband has his own business from home, and chooses to work in the evenings. This allows him to be home with their children when she is at her job during the day.

3. Realize that retirement is not based on age – In his book entitled "Rich Dad Poor Dad," Robert T. Kiyosaki explains that ability to retire is actually based on your financial situation. And if you have a business that brings in a lot of income, retirement at any age is a real option. So instead of waiting to win the lottery, there are other ways to bring you wealth.

4. View operating expenses as an investment in your future – It is important to remember that "you have to put wood in the stove to get heat." So if you pay to take a course that will bring you more business, then you really cannot look at it as an expense.

5. Accept that income can vary from month to month – You realize that it is the total income at the end of the year that is most important.

EMPLOYEE MENTALITY

1. Less flexible work hours – You trade hours for dollars. You are also happy working from 8:00 until 4:00. Once 4:00 comes, you are on your own time. What did not get done today at work can wait until tomorrow or may be able to be passed on to the next shift.

2. Accept that you are paid what the employer has decided the job is worth – If the top of the pay scale is $30 000/year, that is all that you can make with that job.

3. Accept that raises in your salary are not under your control – Therefore, you look forward to the next raise, even if you only get it once per year.

4. Only people ages 50-60 can retire – Some employers have Retirement Plans in place, but you can only get a full pension cheque when your age and years of service at that job equal a predetermined number.

5. You like to know what your cheque is every month – You are not comfortable with cheques that change.

In summary, there are differences in how business owners and employees think. Based on what I have just explained, it can help you decide which category you fall into – business owner or employee.

Kimberly Gingras has two young children, and has two successful businesses that she operates out of her home. She is passionate about helping other people fulfill their desires to work out of their homes too. Visit her website at http://research.ownanewbusiness.com to get your FREE E-book on how to have a successful business from home.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kimberly_Gingras
http://EzineArticles.com/?Business-Owner-or-Employee---Which-Best-Describes-You?&id=487870

Blondie Rebels

I was given a Blondie cartoon strip recently by a friend who was probably teasing me more about my age than anything else but it was a very poignant strip. [I've included the cartoon strip in this post under 'Blondie'.] Essentially Dagwood was motivated to buy a video recorder from a retailer because the young clerk suggested he was too old for this technology. What intrigued me most about this strip was that the naive young clerk failed to recognize the demographic target market Dagwood represents, average age of 39, male and known as the 'Unwired Baby Boomer' which comprise 16% of the population with an Internet use of 45% and 69% have cell phones. They tend to be married with children and do not have a lot of free time to devote to technology which means a more aware clerk should have provided a discussion on the benefits of the video camera. In this scenario Dagwood is now left thinking he bought something for the wrong reason and may have buyers remorse and return the camera.

There are two problems here; the clerk was not properly trained on the benefits of the video camera and Dagwood made an impulse buy. If you own a retail business ask yourself how much business you have lost because of poorly trained and young staff and, if you are a consumer, ask yourself how much information you have about your purchase before you buy?

The most popular method for product information research is the internet. Before you buy, search the internet and remember that the website that answers all your questions is probably the best place to buy.

Our Children Will Follow

I watched a movie recently about a horse that won the Breeders Cup after healing from a broken leg and then getting into the race on a long shot willed to happen by the sheer love and passion the young daughter had for the horse and her father played by Kurt Russell. The movie was 'Dreamer: Inspired By A True Story' and also starred Dakota Fanning as the young daughter. The horse was named Sonador and the story is very inspirational on many counts but what I want to write about today is how the father, Ben Crane, let his daughter Cale Crane make her own decisions after giving her majority ownership in the horse. It was her business. Right or wrong, the decisions were hers and she pursued a dream that even her own father admitted in private to his wife was a "pike dream", which was to run in the 22nd Breeders Cup in Kentucky.

Proverb: "Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you will feed him for a lifetime".

Cale Crane learned much about the business of breeding and racing horses by doing. More than she would have learned just sitting on the knee of her father listening to stories. Albeit the stories are important but when we allow our children to be part of our business, even at a young age, they learn much more. Now that my children are entering their twenties I am excited to hear them talking about and planning on starting their own businesses. We may not be aware of it but, our children do watch us and then become us sooner than we realize. Why not let them learn through experience making right and wrong decisions and act as their mentor along the way? There are many great jobs/professions in the world to be proud of but why not help them understand that having a job is not their only option. Entrepreneurship and Business Ownership are also options if they choose.

What are you doing to lead the way for them? Because 'Our Children Will Follow'.

Nothin' But A Dreamer

In the words of the band Supertramp; "Nothin' but a dreamer" could best describe me and most entrepreneurs. Without dreamers would we have had Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Alva Edison and Henry Ford? The answer is no. The dream is the beginning. Once we dream it then we must believe it will happen. It is our passion to see our dream become reality that allows us to persevere through diversity and make our dream a reality. But how often are our dreams selfish?

If we look back at the worlds most successful dreamers like the three listed above, how much of an impact have their dreams had on society and our way of life? With the inventions of electric light, the telephone, the affordable automobile the lives of everyday people were improved creating employment, better living conditions and longer healthier lives. Now I know you may be saying yes Ray but these people were inventors. Yes they were but so were the people who came before them who spurred their inventions with failure after failure. It is said that the Wright brothers didn't invent the first flight, they were just the first to properly market flight and it is their names that live on in infamy.

All or most of the greatest inventors were great marketeers and business people. This is their legacy to the entrepreneurs. To be great isn't always about being the first inventor but rather first to market with a better reinvention of an old idea.

Let's Play Golf

How often can you play golf? As often as you want. If you are self employed then golf should be a sport you learn to play. I admit that I'm not a great golfer. As a matter of fact, I am a 'hacker'. I will hack at as much turf as I hit the ball. Never the less, I don't slow the game down, I do make some good shots now and then and even have made my odd birdie holes. Yet I love the game. I love walking or driving in a cart through the links of a course thinking about what club to use and sharing in the "great shot and great putt" moments with friends, family and business associates. Sharing moments with business associates, now there is an interesting concept.

Many times I have secured business as a result of these shared moments on the golf course. If I was having difficulty getting an appointment with a Senior Decision Maker or Approver and I knew they played golf then I would invite them to a game at a course I knew they would have a difficult time saying no to because of it's prestige, ranking, price, or tee off time availability.

I would invite them with a compliment of recognition e.g, "Mr. Senior Decision Maker, you are probably the busiest man (or woman) I have ever tried to speak with, listen, if you're interested, I have a tee off time this Thursday [never a Friday or Monday because that is family, friends or work time. Thursday seems to be the best day I found because they can get through Wednesday 'hump day' and are now starting to think about the weekend] and my partner cancelled on me today. It's a nice course, 'Elitist Springs Golf and Country Club' and I was looking forward to playing the course. Why don't you join me Thursday and reward yourself for all the hard work you've been putting in, it's on me?"

Very rarely, and I mean rarely, have I been turned down by anyone who likes to play golf to play a round of 18 holes at one of the best golf courses in town. And it is worth every penny I spend. How often do you get to connect with a future client with all their guards down. By the 19th hole we are buddies and talking about doing it again. Now here is the secret; never during the entire time do I sell or speak about my company. Remember, this is his reward for working hard. However, by the 19th hole he will bring up questions about my business which I do answer but in snippets and then eventually say, "Listen 'Bob' today is about golf. Why don't I come into your office tomorrow afternoon and we can talk business then?" He agrees and now I have earned his respect. Not to mentioned that I also love playing golf, and 'shooting the breeze' about golf over a beer is also a well earned reward for my hard work.

Follow up to this post: check out Golf Now for discounts at many Golf Courses around the USA as proffered by one of my readers.

Tax Shelters For Business Owners

"Jerry White, financial commentator, in The Costco Connection Magazine, Jan/Feb 2001, in an article titled, “Building Your Net Worth In 2001” and subtitled, “Invest In Life Insurance”, addressing small business owners said, “The best retirement, tax, investment, and estate vehicle for owner-managers is Universal Life Insurance. Abandon the RRSP myth and avoid the trap. Tax-free is always better, and Universal Life is the financial answer.”

When you venture out into small business ownership you will need to not only create a Marketing Plan but also a Tax/Investment Plan. After all, one of the reasons you got into business for yourself is to make more money than you can make in a job. Once you start making that money you need to have a tax and investment plan in place to protect as much of your money as possible. As Jerry White stated in 2001, "Tax-free is better".

A couple of years after I started my first business I signed up for a 'Universal Small Business Life Insurance' plan for me and my partners. For more information you can sign up at The Canadian Financial Security Program which provides a free membership to access e-books on various financial topics. Check out: 'Invest Safely For Your Future' and in regards to this post topic; Chapter 18 'Using Universal Life Insurance as an Investment'.

Not only is this form of Life Insurance one of the only remaining tax free or tax shelters available in Canada today, after a determined amount of time, in my case 2 years, the money invested in this plan is also protected against creditors in the event of bankruptcy. No one wants to think about failure but it should be planned for as a contingency to protect some of your money. Because it is not locked in or protected until after 2 years then this means you should start a Universal Life Plan ASAP.

I would appreciate any comments, especially from financial advisers, on this topic for my readers across Canada and the United States.

What If I Lose All My Money?

Buying an existing business or a franchise business is a big decision. In fact, the biggest decision that most people make in their life time is buying a car and buying a house. When I got into my own business for the first time I was inundated with the question; what if you lose all your money? For me, losing my money was not an option. Call it ego, call it courage, all I knew was that I spent years working long hours, sometimes 7 days a week and for what, a salary that only increased once a year and always lower than the cost of living. At the rate I was going I would be working my self into debt. No, my fear was not the loss of my money but rather the fear of not doing anything about my current situation.

I have always been a forward thinker, positive, and I also believed that if I can work this hard for someone else why wouldn't I work this hard for myself. The answer of course is, I would. I'm not suddenly going to become lazy because I'm self employed. So being self employed did not scare me. Not making a change in my life, now that scared me.

Succeed or fail, I did not want to be sitting in my rocking chair in my twilight years regretting the things I should have done and did not have the courage to pursue. That was my biggest fear; the fear of regrets.

Microsoft 'Streets & Trips with GPS Locator' 2007

It's June 14th, 2009, and I'm in my car after a sales call where my client indicates that she has a problem. She has a PowerPoint Presentation in 1 hour and the bulb is burnt out on the projector. I said, "Don't worry about it. I will get you the bulb." Now, I don't sell projector bulbs. I just want to solve her problem because this will get me a Champion within this company. I click on my MS Streets & Trips with GPS locator and make a vocal command for a list of the nearest projector bulb suppliers to my present location. The GPS kicks in and within seconds on my laptop computer a list of the top 10 internet websites who sell these bulbs is listed with the nearest on the top of the list. Another command activates a telephone call to the first on the list and after a brief conversation I confirm the order. The GPS now disengages the call and asks if I want directions to this business. I respond to the affirmative and vocal commands direct me through the streets right to the best parking spot. Within 20 minutes I return with the bulb and install it for my client.

Is this story too far fetched? Guess what! It was only 10 years ago that businesses scoffed at the idea of having a website or an email address on their business card. Today, quoting Bill Gates; "if you don't have a website then you will be out of business." With the launch of MS 2007 Streets & Trips with a GLS Locator and TI's (Texas Instruments) Davinci Chip the above scenario is not far away. The question for you is; what are you doing today, now, to ensure that you are not only on the internet but also being found? Because in the above scenario, you will have to be on the first pages of the search. And if you are not acting today, you will not be in business in 2009 anyway.

Fear of Change - Why?

I have been involved in many changes including sitting on the implementation project team of two different corporate ISO9000 certifications, involved in the project teams for the implementation of MRP (Material Requirement Planning) and DRP (Distribution Requirement Planning) systems as well as CRM (Client Resource Management) installations. In all cases the idea of change for staff from one system to another system was always met with a high level of resistance. Why was there so much resistance for systems that clearly would make their jobs so much more productive and easier? It is the fear of change.

Most people fear change while others embrace change, (Entrepreneurs generally embrace change). It would appear that their mode of resistance is high mostly because of what they don't know, 'the fear of the unknown'. As we held numerous meetings for staff discussing, describing and laying out all of the features and benefits, their resistance would lower and eventually they embraced the change. I saw the following quote by Veer Sharma (unknown author to me) which says it all:

"FEAR:--FALSE--EVIDENCE--APPEARING--REAL"

Before launching into a large corporate change the company needs to start with an informational meeting led by Senior Management (I mean the Owner(s), Board Members, President, etc.) that is designed to address any questions at the end. Don't let the Informal Communication Channel (Grape Vine) be your conduit to staff of new information. The Grape Vine can be your worst enemy in creating fear and resistance to change.

Marie Curie: "Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood."

Note: I've copied a great ezinearticle blog by Nick Arrizza, MD, which you will find under this post title which offers 10 'Belief Anchors' to assist you in embracing change.

Top 10 Riskiest Start Up Businesses

Evan Carmichael's Blog recently discussed the Top 10 Riskiest Businesses to start (see his link under this post title):

Trucking, Money Services, Auto Repair, Personal Services, Food Stores, Transportation, Apparel Stores, Restaurants & Bars, Communications and, Travel Agencies & Tour Operators

Evan provides convincing evidence on his reasons for consideration on why these 10 businesses make his Top 10 list. However, what they all share in common are the High Overhead Costs, Low Profit Margins and Online Competition eroding their respective market share. Let's face it, the Top 2 items of worry on a business owners mind everyday is; How to Increase the Money coming into their business and How to Decrease the amount of Money going out of their business. So why would you get into any business that is inherently suffering from these concerns.

You may or may not agree with Michael on any of the businesses on his list but, you should at least ask yourself before getting into a business; will this business have the opportunity to grow each year for the next 5 years? If the answer is yes then great. If the answer is no, because you will be fighting high overhead costs, low profit margins and growing competition (don't forget the online competition because the internet is the new economic vehicle for marketing and advertising) then you should think twice before investing your hard earned money. When you look at the higher failure rates in start ups versus franchises the answer might be because the entrepreneur didn't do their homework before starting the business.

Any business, start up or franchise, comes with an element of risk. But you can limit your risk by looking at the landscape, surveying the obstacles and planning accordingly or, decide on a different business.

Young Entrepreneurs Organization - YEO

I was reading about the new look of YEO (Young Entrepreneurs Organization) which is now EO (Entrepreneurs Organization). This Global Organization is made up of entrepreneurs who can be no older than 40 years of age and who all run companies that exceed $1M (US) in revenue. This organization now boasts the combined sales of more than $81 billion (US) with 6000+ members in 40 countries. They provide support from peers with guidance and education to each other and if you are a young entrepreneur, then this is an organization that you should strive to become a member of as soon as you reach their minimum requirements. (Click on this post title for the EO link)

I can remember my early years in business as a trial and error process of won and lost opportunities. In other words, I had no one I could bounce business direction ideas off of before investing my hard earned money. This can be a costly way to learn business, 'the school of hard knocks'.

When I first started looking at franchise businesses this is what appealed to me most; the best ones (as ranked by Entrepreneur.com), have been through the learning curve and with their proven system of success, you no longer have to spend money wastefully in the first years of your business learning what does not work. If you are considering a franchise business then all you need do is pursue the highest ranked franchise that you can afford and that fits your personality of a business you would enjoy.

If you decide to go the 'start up' route then you should strive to find mentors (a good place to find mentors is at your local Chamber of Commerce), who will provide you free advice and when you do meet the requirements of EO, then you should join.

American Idol and Poverty

"Idol Gives back" is a two-night special to benefit children and young people in need in America and Africa airing Tuesday, April 24 and Wednesday, April 25 on FOX. Gwen Stefani, Josh Groban, Pink, Michael Bublé, Annie Lennox, Il Divo and Borat Sagdiyev among many world-renowned artists are scheduled to appear and the Ford Motor Company leads corporate sponsors."

American idol is using the power of 37 million voters per episode and I'm sure this number will increase with these two special shows. Look at the star power they now attract as listed above from this opportunity to help with poverty. Yes, this is great, and they should be commended for taking action and using the power of their show. When I heard this it reminded me of what WSI is doing with their "Make Child Poverty History" campaign and how they are leveraging their impressive and high Page Ranking on the Search Engines as a result of 1/2 a billion hits to their websites per month.

For every child sponsored WSI will match this and sponsor another child and if you bring on corporate sponsorships these children will also be matched by WSI and the corporations will get to leverage the WSI High Page Rankings. This is brilliant and it is clear to see that American Idol, WSI and now MIT with their $100 Laptop Program are travelling in an elite circle of special organizations.

Bravo!

Create New Circles of Influence

When you start your new business you will start contacting everyone in your 'Circle of Influence'. These are the people you know or have known that resides in your database of contacts or rolodex if you're old school. This is a great start to building your new business but, to further grow your database, you may need to grow or create a new Circle of Influence. You need to be meeting new contacts who are the Approvers and/or Decision Makers in an organization.

Find out where they play golf (hobbies they enjoy), what clubs they are members of and what associations they belong to, what interests you share in common. Then get involved in one or more of these areas to create an opportunity to meet them and when you do meet you will share a conversation on a common point of interest. For example; how tough the greens were on the golf course today.

Now, this may sound like a whole lot of effort for only a possibility of getting my foot in the door. Please understand this; it's only an effort if you are pursuing this person rather than joining and getting involved in those areas that truly interest you from the beginning. Besides, no one likes to be pursued nor will you be respected if they feel like a meal ticket. So what this means is that you must sincerely want to be involved in these areas of common interests.

Creating new Circles of Influence is really furthering the topic of one of my ezine articles (click on this post title for the article); 'Get out of your home office and Run for Mayor'.

Anthony Parinello - Decision Makers

Anthony Parinello, (who I have wrote about before and you can click on this post title to go to his website), speaks of the 4 positions within an organization (The Influencer, The Recommender, The Decision Maker and The Approver) and how your approach to each role is different. I recently read some great tips from Anthony which provided me some further insights to the motivations of the Decision Maker which included:

"...the classic profile of a Decision Maker:
This person is upwardly MOBILE.
This person craves high VISIBILITY.
This person is politically ASTUTE.
This person is EXTREMELY LOYAL to people who make him or her look good.

And, sometimes, this person is a GRADUATE of your existing customer base. And speaking of graduates ... Be sure to keep track of your "alumni" Decision Makers when they move on to other organizations! (And count on it - they will.) Call your alumni Decision Maker and say, "Congratulations! Remember, all the great work we accomplished together at your old company? How could we create similar or even greater results for you at your new company?"

The greatest TIP here is that when you work with a Decision Maker and they do move on to another company then you should follow them to that company to create a new opportunity for your business. Many of my new clients started when I would receive a call from this person in their new company asking me to come in and quote on a project. In other words, they had already sold me to their new employer (typically the Approver) before I even called them to see if there was an opportunity.

Why would they do this?

Well, as Anthony states, they are upwardly mobile and they want a 'feather in their cap'. They have already experienced my high level of service and quality of delivery and value pricing and they knew that they would be praised for bringing me into their company. I was all too willing to make sure my contact (The Decision Maker) was given all the credit.

They can get all the credit and I will get all the opportunities, the new business.

Think Big, Grow Big!

When I started my Construction Business I came right out of the Corporate world and understood the value of laying out a solid foundation for my business that would be ready when we were big. In other words, we acted like a big company even though we were small. From the outside looking in we were well established as was demonstrated with the professional organizations we were members of, the equipment and vehicles we used, the signage on our office and the documentation we provided to our customers.

• First thing first, we secured a professional accounting firm to ensure our taxes and book keeping was sound. Then we built a relationship with an investment accountant to ensure we were protecting as much of our revenue from the tax man as possible. Contrary to popular belief, not all accountants are the same.

• Secondly, we joined the local Chamber of Commerce and our Industry Associations and became working members sitting on various committees. This was important to garner current and relevant knowledge that my competition might not have that would be beneficial to my customer.

• Third, we put a great deal of money into new vehicles that saved us money over the years in maintenance and operating costs. We leased the vehicles to increase our expenses to lower our tax burden at the end of the year. When the lease was up we could have bought the vehicles out with a bank loan which would also be an expense to the business but we did not. We took out a new lease every 2 years so we continued to have new vehicles, demonstrating to our clients success.

• Fourth, all our tools were leading edge, for example; laser tools and cordless ergonomic designs. This created more efficiency on the work site, reducing time and creating more profit. Again the clients perception was that we were a big and successful company who can afford the best.

• Fifth, our office was promoted with professional signage and we had a website at a time when most businesses were debating if a fax machine was a useful tool or not for their business.

• Sixth, all our documentation, including proposals and invoices, promoted our logo and the logos of our memberships and provided a very professional look and feel.

In our first year of business we had more money going out than coming in. This certainly made for some very interesting late night partner meetings. But our persistence paid off and before long we started receiving very large clients with very large projects. As we hired more people to meet the demand, (we grew internally), our thinking big attitude had made the transition to a bank account with now millions much more manageable. This was planned growth. We thought we were big and therefore we were big.

The Best Form of Advertising is FREE

All very successful Entrepreneurs have talked about the early lessons on starting their business and many have talked about 'Word of Mouth Advertising'. It is FREE and it generally means a warm lead (someone who is agreeable to speak with you because they trust the reference). My Blog, Entrepreneurs Seek Advice, will eventually move up the search engine rankings as a result of the increased frequency of visitors reading and navigating through my blog. I wasted no time speaking to anyone who would listen to check out my blog. I tapped into my Circle of Influence (friends, family and business contacts) and reminded them to make sure they check out my blog and to let others know to do the same.

Jeff Besoz, founder of Amazon.com, started from a 2 bedroom house in Seattle and built his online business into a business that boasts in excess of $8 billion in annual revenue. He had a very limited budget of $300,000 which, in most part, was an investment made of his family and parents life savings. Free advertising is all he had available to him as discussed further in his interview to Evan Carmichael (see link under this post title):

'Amazon’s early growth was driven almost completely by word of mouth. This was not a strategy on Bezos’ part; he had no money to spend on advertising and thus had little other choice. But, from that early experience, Bezos would take away one of the most important lessons he has ever learned in his business career: provide excellent customer service and satisfaction and the results will speak for themselves. Your company will be rewarded with the fact that they keep coming back for more – and they bring their friends with them.

“If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that,” says Bezos. “Word of mouth is very powerful.” No one understood this power better than Bezos; in Amazon’s first month of operation, the company had already done business in almost 50 countries 'around the world. It was a lesson that Bezos would keep with him for the rest of his career.'

So learn from the best, the proven successful entrepreneurs, and focus on delivering the best product/service experience for your customer and ask for referrals and start your 'Word of Mouth' Marketing Campaign. After all, it is FREE.

Are Meetings Killing Your Business?

Too often in my many years toiling in the Corporate world I had to sit through poorly facilitated meetings that started late, ended late and had no clear stated purpose. Starting my career in the early 1980's, as a Professional Purchasing Agent, I was fortunate to have been trained in Kepnor-Tregoe methodologies at a time when the organization I was working for was investigating 'Consensus Decision Making'. I won't spend any time in this blog post speaking about consensus decision making except to say it does not work. Someone ultimately needs to make a decision or you will create an over budget camel when a cost efficient horse was the true objective. However, I was trained in problem solving and decision making systems as well as on being a meeting facilitator.

A meeting facilitator works on the sidelines listening and aiding the participants in keeping focused on the agenda. They do not chair the meeting nor do they take minutes. They generally speak only when requested to do so and respond with guidance on how the meeting can be steered back on course. For example, to solicit an opinion from the "Sleeping Giant". This is the person listening and taking notes but not strong enough in the meeting room to interrupt the talkers who monopolize a meeting. Generally because they have listened to the back and forth banter, debates and discussions, that when asked by the Facilitator or Chair they give a perspective that can be a significant break through to a meeting deadlock.

I've attached a link under this post title that I found at Co-op Tools with a list of tips on creating a productive meeting. I also found on the internet a tip sheet on the 11 Habits to Creating a Successful Meeting. I will add another tip that I learned many years ago about the Queen of England, that when she meets with her Privy Council, which has been the tradition for centuries, does not sit down; they all stand.

This idea intrigued me so I began a test with my staff where we met in the board room with no chairs and table. Initially they griped but my persistence payed off. They later began to bring a one page report with bullet cues on their action items and spoke clearly on the task at hand. In other words, less idle chat and discussions that led nowhere. Our meetings went from 2 hours to 30 minutes and we produced much more output including staff who were now bragging about how much more time they have to execute on the action items. So their morale went up and they became more excited about our meetings.

If you feel that meetings are killing your business (when I speak of your business I'm talking also about the time taken away from each of your staff to conduct their job which is their business within your business) then you need to look at bringing in a trained facilitator and/or try thinking outside the box and stand up.

"In Pursuit of Happyness"

In the inspirational movie 'In Pursuit of Happyness' Will Smiths' character tells his son; "when you have a dream don't ever let anyone tell you that you can't, including me." In my mind no truer words were ever spoken. Every entrepreneur has a dream. What is your dream? Is it about lifestyle? Is it about being able to give back to the local and/or global community? Is it about power and control? Or is it about running away from pain? Did you start with nothing in life and therefore it is your dream to get away from that life in pursuit of a better life for you and your family? "Happyness" is not a typo. Will's character had a dream which was only to be happy. He wanted to be like the many people he saw each day on the streets outside their offices who all had smiles. He just wanted to smile. To be happy.

Tiger Woods had a dream to be the best golfer in the world. Wayne Gretzky had a dream to be the best hockey player in the world and Michael Jordan had a dream to be the best basketball player in the world. They achieved their dream not because they pursued being the best but rather because they had a passion for their chosen sport. Each of these three superstars invested hours of practice time with early morning rises while others slept, arriving before their team mates for each practice and game and when they were not practicing, they were studying the game.

This commitment to succeed is more than the average person is willing to dedicate even though many average people have had similar dreams. These exceptional athletes put the required hours into honing their skills because they enjoyed and loved the sport. Their sport was their passion and the dedication required to play at their level can only be achieved through their respective 'Pursuit of Happyness.'

Success can be measured and achieved in many ways. For example by the money in your bank account, the friends and family in your life, what others in business say about your business practices and ethics, but what the most successful will always say is that they started and were driven because they truly loved what they did. To them it was not a job, it was fun.

It is the strength of love and passion for what you do that will give you success. ''The Pursuit of Happyness" is the journey that can be good or bad but unique to each person. It is the power of our passion that keeps us focused on the future and allows our inner voice to say "I can" when all the external voices (influences) tell us repeatedly "you can't".

To all the dreamers out there, The Pursuit of Happyness is a worthy and admirable quality and let me be a positive influence on your life and say; "YOU CAN!"

Is your Website Dead?

"New York -- Your small business could be dying, and you don't even know it.
According to an expert in Web site design, small businesses' Web sites are failing to leverage the Internet. As a result, many of them won't be around for very long. But there are ways to counteract this trend, said Justin Kitch, CEO of Menlo Park, Calif.-based Homestead Technologies Inc. at Tuesday's Small Business Summit."

Kitch provides 10 Clues that your website is dead (see my link under this title or my list of white papers in the right margin of this blog). His 10th clue is as follows:

"10. You'll fail if you do what I say.

Kitch said small businesses should never rely solely on anyone's advice when building up their online strategy. Instead, they should challenge conventional approaches, learn and adapt. He said no two small businesses are alike."

He is almost right on this clue. You should not listen to a technocrat to build your website solution. They are great at delivery of leading edge technology but if they are not trained in Online Business Marketing then they will build you a website that is project based and not a solution that is based on your needs and is a life long online marketing plan.

Only a trained Online Business Consultant who can deliver Leading Edge Technology, Business Grade Hosting, and a well planned Pay Per Click and Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategy can protect your investment. If you don't know what Pay Per Click and SEO is then this is the 11th clue that your website is dead.

Are You Serious About Business?

Tom Peters, a well known Management Consultant, is quoted as saying; "If you are not serious about the internet then you are not serious about business." I happen to agree with him and I'm always surprised when I still hear of business owners in 2007 who don't have at a minimum a website and preferably a web solution that meets the needs of today's customers.

Today's customer no longer 'surfs' the internet. They in fact 'search' the internet. When someone is searching the internet they will tend to buy from the business that has the most professional looking website, a website that provides answers to their questions and a website that is always changing. If they go back to a site and the information is the same then they generally stop going back to that site.

Come on business owners, wake up and realize that today a marketing plan has to include the internet. If you don't, then you are not serious about your business. I can guarantee that your competition is serious about their business. If you don't believe me, look for them on the internet.