We all know the old saying that time is money. But did you know that space is also money? It's true. If you have empty space in a warehouse, you have to pay rent and taxes for this warehouse. You might also have to pay for lights and heat. If nothing is in the space, this is wasted money. But, on the other hand, what if you have goods that you need to store temporarily? If you don't have warehouse space, where do you put it? Do you leave it outside in your parking lot? No. It might be stolen. It might be rained on. It might be blown away by a wind storm. Either way, you're losing money.
What's the solution? Rent contract warehouse space. When you rent space temporarily when you need it, you are just spending money on the space when you need it. Then, when there's no extra inventory, you're not paying for the space. This space can be either an entire warehouse or just a small portion of a large space.
A good contract warehouse offers more than just the empty space, however. If you choose wisely, this warehouse can offer many amenities and advantages. Here are some things you should look for when you choose your temporary space. The first thing you want to look for is a friendly, reliable staff. You can verify that the warehouse employees are friendly in your first visit to check out the warehouse space. Next, who is in charge of moving your material to the temporary warehouse? Does this staff provide door-to-door service, or must you provide your own transportation? If they pick up your materials from your location, do they also provide order fulfillment services? Do they make deliveries to your customers? If this transportation in both directions, into and out of the warehouse, is provided by the warehouse personnel, this saves your company the headaches of having to set up your own logistics department.
The next consideration is your inventory. In what ways are your goods protected? If it can be stored outdoors, is there an available stabilized outdoor storage area? If the goods must be stored indoors, is the warehouse insulated and/or climate controlled? This is particularly important if your goods are affected by the weather. If your goods consist of food and drug materials, is the warehouse FDA approved? Does the warehouse provide reliable generator service in case of an extended power outage?
If you are in Houston, your goods may have to travel by ship. Look for a warehouse that focuses on receiving ocean containers, one that will unload and store contents and then reload for further shipping.
If you find a fulfillment warehouse with these characteristics, you should be able to safely entrust them with your valuable goods.
If you need space for temporary inventory quantities, you may want to rent space in a contract warehouse. The main characteristics to be considered are in the areas of the people who run the warehouse and the characteristics of the space itself.
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Starting a franchise business can be a great way for you to own and operate a successful company. Many people find that when you start a business it is always best to do your homework before investing your money. It is a good idea that you visit the trade show so you can see all the franchise opportunities that are available to you. It is expensive to start your own company so you want to make sure you have a business that can be successful from the beginning. With a franchise business you are purchasing a brand name that people know and this will help you to make money when you open.
Most franchises charge a fee but once you get in exchange can be worth every penny. When starting a business it will take you time to build a reputation so that people will feel comfortable coming into your store. When you start a franchise business one of the things you're paying for is the brand recognition. Another thing that can help you be successful is that most of these businesses have a great support system so when an issue arises you have somebody to turn to. making a large investment in your own business does not guarantee that you will be successful. Buying into a franchise opportunity well at least you a chance to make money as soon as you open your doors.
Remember that if you're starting your own business you need to consider purchasing a franchise. With this type of business you get a turnkey operation that has great brand recognition so that you can be successful as soon as you open for business.
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I'm just back from the salon equipment trade show and saw some fabulous facial machines and hair steamers. If we invest a couple of thousand dollars and some elbow grease, we can change this dated beauty salon into a chic beauty spa. The most promising machines I saw were the facial steamers and the hair steamers.
First we need to strip off the tacky wallpaper that screams 1970s, rip out the carpeting, and have someone build a new receptionist's desk. The mirrors are still good. We should be able to take them down, redo the walls, and put them back up. Of course, we need new lighting, but that shouldn't cost too much. We need nice, bright lighting so that we can see our work, but it needs to be soft, not harsh, to set the tone of a relaxing place for our clients to renew their looks. We should replace the chairs, but that can wait. They'll do for the moment until the machines pay for themselves. I'd recommend a color scheme of Tuscan Red and Mustard. Those colors are all over the magazines and furniture stores. Maybe a touch of olive green or butter yellow here and there. And let's replace the old boom box with a more updated sound system so that we can play soothing music to create the relaxing spa atmosphere.
Hair steamers are the new rage in hair care. At the show I saw wall-mounted ones and free-standing ones. These hair steamers can be used for just about any hair treatment. They speed up the process and are much more gentle to the hair than other heat sources. We can use it for perms, dyes, hair straightening, and much more. The ones that caught my eye were from Taiwan and seemed to be of better quality than the Chinese ones. Near the steamers I saw a computerized hair dryer. It provides extra heat for hair that needs it for a good set. It also has an easy-to-read digital read-out that I could read from salon distances.
But what really got me excited about turning our beauty salon into a beauty spa were the facial machines. I saw a lot of different types of skincare machines at the show. They had facial steamers that were free standing or with lamps, magnifiers, and timers. I also saw a line of machines that have spray/vacuum, a galvanic unit, and a brush unit. These machines were very affordable. If we want to really become a full-service facial spa, we could really use the facial machine with eight functions. It costs more, but it would pay for itself when we bring in high-end clients.
I'm so excited about the possibilities! I brought back a bunch of brochures about all types of salon equipment. I'll study these and go online and do more research to figure out how we can redecorate our salon and refit it with the best set of equipment so that we can attract more upscale clients with a full-service beauty spa.
Many people dream of having their own small business but are often afraid of the risks involved or are unsure of how to go about starting this kind of endeavor. There are many unknown variables that go with starting your own small business and if you do not know what steps to take or where to look for advice it can be very overwhelming.
The best way to find out how to start your own small business is to look it up on the Internet. The Internet is a great source of information on how to set up your business, what you need to do, how to get started setting up a website and even what you need to know about taxes.
There are no guarantees when you start this type of thing that it will succeed but it has been shown that careful planning has helped to make many small businesses very successful.
Having a clear objective will also increase your chances at being successful. One of the most important items every small business should have is a business plan. This will be a road map to how your will run your business and how you will handle different situations that may come up. It also goes without saying that having adequate financial backing will help make or break your your plan. Every small business owner who is starting out should understand they may not make enough money in the first 5 years.
If you do not have enough financing to help carry you through the start up and cover your expenses you may find you will not last very long.
Many small businesses also fail to realize how important it is to use marketing properly so that you can get maximum exposure at the least amount of cost. Your plan should also have a section about your marketing strategy. Many new owners fail to market their new business because they are caught up in the mechanics of starting it and all the other details. But if you do not market your business then no one will know you are around and they will not know to go to you. There are many different ways to use marketing to your advantage, especially on the Internet. The Internet is a great way to pass the word around about your small business thru blogs and forums.
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If you have been in business for any length of time, you know how difficult it can be to find ways to increase your business. It seems like you have spent an eternity of thinking about how you can accomplish that and implement those ideas. But, you have to keep trying because your very business is at stake. And, in a difficult economic climate it takes all you have and more to keep going.
Here are five ways to grow your business along with a tried and true method.
Think different about your business. You probably have a myopic view of your business. If that offends you, you need to get over it. Sure, no one knows your business and customers better than you do, but there is also a danger in categorizing your business in a certain way, because you can miss out on opportunities to re-brand what you do and increase sales.
Look for ways to stretch your view of what you do and to whom you market your business. Think about the ways that your customers and clients use your product or services and think about what could be different and unique about that which could be used as a marketing strategy.
Use new technologies. The explosion of the Internet has created an incredible marketing vehicle that has allowed local businesses to branch out and capture customers from around the world. This has saved many a business and has created others that are alive and thriving right now.
Be sure that you investigate more than just a website. The applications in what is called Web 2.0 are just as important in reaching out to potential clients and finding sales where you never thought possible. Using entities such as Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Linkedin, and others are but just the beginning of where you can find customers.
Try the untried. Some business successes arise from owners who are not afraid to take a dream and try something unheard of which starts a run of incredible successes. You can realize this same success by trying things that are not 'normal' or accepted ways of doing business or marketing your business.
Try what works. It could be that you are avoiding the path of success that has been blazed by businesses before you which has propelled them to great financial heights. There is something to be said about following the tried and true. And, if nothing else, you can prove or disprove its relevancy for your business.
One thing that you can and should add to your business is an easy, reliable way for customers and prospects to reach you. That can be accomplished with a toll-free 800 number and an associated PBX system behind it.
As your business grows, so too, will a system that is designed to help facilitate communications whether your organization is small and just getting started, or large with many employees.
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There are many types of "discount" sources for salon equipment, and they are all considered discount for different reasons. Some on the one hand can be a great bargain and should be pursued for a salon making price cuts or just starting out. But others might be a source of concern. So as always, buyers of business equipment should become consumers that educate themselves on the advantages and disadvantages of buying any kinds of discounted items.
"Discount" salon equipment can refer to many things ranging from new to used items. And in truth, many suppliers only USE the word "discount" to attract buyers to their business when their prices are the same as everyone else's. That will certainly be one of the things that business people should be aware of, because if they know what reasonable prices are for the various items they will need, they won't be taken in by a supplier merely using the term "discount" for little reason.
On the other hand, there are numerous suppliers that are actually reputable and do use the word "discount" with fair reason. They have good products and are reputable companies, and to build a customer base, these suppliers do actually offer somewhat better prices than their consumers, but often their prices might only be slightly better than other companies.
The suppliers with the best reputations for discounters are those that offer the lowest prices on equally quality equipment as their competitors. These are of course the ones that all businesses wanting to save money would want to look for; however, businesses like thee always involve a certain amount of risk. After all, it is important to determine WHY a product is discounted. If a store offers good products and good selection, and are often able to offer discounts because they make bulk purchases wholesale from the factory, this is an excellent option for a place to collect your basic items. Often such places specialize in beauty equipment supplies, so they are able to offer you a good selection, sometimes with item pictures and descriptions offered on the internet.
Sometimes another way for businesses that are just starting out to stay afloat is to obtain good financing or leasing of their equipment if they qualify. After all, even if equipment IS in FACT "discount" it can still be rather pricey, and since a salon to be fully functioning must furnish itself with all of it, it can be very expensive.
Again, to tempt business owners wishing to save money there may be risks in this area as well. It is important to know whether the supplier is reputable and that they deal with reputable financing or you could be in serious trouble. It will be important for you to ask as many questions as you may have during the financing process, including their return and exchange policies. If the policy is difficult to understand, or even worse, if it is fraudulent, you know not to make your purchase at that store. One place to check on things like that would be your local Better Business Bureau which can be a resource to let you know if a company has had problems with customers like you before.
There are ways to avoid risks and find the good equipment and financing that you might need to get started. You may know other salon owners and you may be able to network with them to find out where they found good deals on their equipment or whether they have heard of any other places they might try. The option to break up a large block payment into smaller payments or monthly "lease" payments might be something that would work for you. As with many parts of starting up your business, the best you do will involve how much homework you do ahead of time so that you feel fully informed before making any of those important decisions that will affect you and your salon.
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With the economy being in a slump, you may have noticed that several businesses around you have closed their doors. There are a variety of reasons for this, the economy being the straw that broke the camels back. With so many businesses going under, you may wonder if this is the best time to write a booklet. Will you be able to sell it and get your business off the ground?
The Economy Isn't What Determines Success Or Failure
The businesses that have failed didn't fail because of a bad economy. They failed because of many other factors, such as pricing goods or services too high or too low, poor customer service, poor quality products, etc. The economy has simply required that consumers make better choices, and that is what they are doing. In the past, these failed businesses may have been able to get away with making their customers a number, but not now. Now is the time when customer service counts more than ever. Now is the time when price matters most to the bottom line. Now is the time when products and services need to be top notch and provide the most value to the customer. Many businesses have failed to get this right, and they are gone.
You Can Succeed In Spite Of The Economy
The information you have to offer consumers in your booklet is important. Now, more than ever, people are looking for information. If your booklet is a non-fiction work, it stands a very good chance of succeeding. No matter what the economy does, people will always be looking for jobs, getting sick, moving to a new city or state, having babies, getting married, dying, and going on vacation. These things and more happen for someone, somewhere every day.
For example, imagine you want to write a booklet about choosing the perfect puppy. You might think now is a bad time to write that booklet because a puppy is an expense, and people are watching their pennies right now. But, the fact is there are people who are buying puppies in spite of the economy. Perhaps they will give the puppy as a gift for a birthday or holiday. Or they might be buying the puppy to train as a helper for the blind or disabled. Maybe the puppy will be going to hospitals to visit the sick, or to nursing homes to visit the elderly. Or, a family may decide to buy a puppy for Christmas instead of buying alot of gifts. So, yes, people are still buying puppies for a variety of reasons, and if they're buying puppies, they're buying other things as well, including booklets and other printed materials.
Give Your Customers Value And They'll Keep You In Business
People will buy your booklet because it gives them a good value for their money. This means that the information you provide to them is worth more to them than the money they are paying you for it. As long as you give your customers a good value, they'll be happy to buy from you.
But, good value includes more than the quality of information in your booklet. While that is a large part of it, customer service also has a part in the customers perception of value they receive from you. Customers expect to receive the products quickly, and to have issues resolved in a timely manner. But, to provide real value you shouldn't stop there. You should add some personalization to your customer service so that your customers don't feel like a number. Everyone likes to be treated like a living, breathing human being. Everyone appreciates being treated respectfully and courteously. It will add riches to your bottom line and keep you in business if you remember this.
If you're on the fence about writing a booklet in this economy, get off the fence and do it. If you have already created your booklet, remember to add value to it by providing the best customer care that you can. Without your customers, you have no riches.
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The 21st century consumer is spoilt for choice when it comes to shopping for goods and services; and there is certainly a wide range of products to choose from, whatever the occasion.
But it's probably fair to say that very few people ever stop to consider how the goods actually end up in their current form in the first place; from an idea in someone's head to the factory floor, then transported on the back of a truck and taken to their local department store. Indeed, from a customer's point of view, there is probably very little reason to ever consider the journey a product has taken to get to their front room.
However, from a business point of view, managing and monitoring a product's journey is integral to the company's long-term success. What's more, streamlining the process to minimise costs and delays will help to ensure the supply chain is optimised to their own benefit.
Indeed, the main underlying objective of supply chain management (SCM) is to meet the demands of the consumer through efficient use of all resources involved in moving the product or service, from the supplier to the customer. There are, however, many mechanisms in place to ensure that the SCM process runs smoothly from start to finish. This includes clear communication between suppliers to eliminate bottlenecks, and also strategic sourcing to ensure the right balance is struck between material costs and the quality of goods on offer.
But whilst supply chain management requires businesses at every level of the process to cooperate fully with each other, the ultimate goal of individual companies is to fulfil their immediate obligations in moving the product on to the next stage in its journey. As such, any tool of the trade will do if it helps them manage the often complex procedures involved in SCM, thereby increasing their profitability, competitiveness and subsequently, their growth.
And this is why many companies are turning to supply chain management software. Indeed, such software has specialised functionality to help companies effectively manage and coordinate the processes involved in collaborating between manufacturers, retailers and transportation/logistics service providers. SCM software also often includes useful features that help to facilitate purchase order processing, inventory management and supplier management/sourcing.
However, at the more sophisticated end of the SCM software spectrum, some have forecasting functionality built in, which can be a very valuable feature. Given that it can often be difficult to predict future consumer trends, there can often be a significant gap between supply and demand; through using algorithms and performing consumption analysis, forecasting tools can help businesses plan more efficiently for their future requirements.
So, whilst the customer may not be overly-concerned with the processes involved in moving a product concept to the shop floor, businesses stand to gain a lot from understanding and managing the supply chain effectively.
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The 21st century consumer is spoilt for choice when it comes to shopping for goods and services; and there is certainly a wide range of products to choose from, whatever the occasion.
But it's probably fair to say that very few people ever stop to consider how the goods actually end up in their current form in the first place; from an idea in someone's head to the factory floor, then transported on the back of a truck and taken to their local department store. Indeed, from a customer's point of view, there is probably very little reason to ever consider the journey a product has taken to get to their front room.
However, from a business point of view, managing and monitoring a product's journey is integral to the company's long-term success. What's more, streamlining the process to minimise costs and delays will help to ensure the supply chain is optimised to their own benefit.
Indeed, the main underlying objective of supply chain management (SCM) is to meet the demands of the consumer through efficient use of all resources involved in moving the product or service, from the supplier to the customer. There are, however, many mechanisms in place to ensure that the SCM process runs smoothly from start to finish. This includes clear communication between suppliers to eliminate bottlenecks, and also strategic sourcing to ensure the right balance is struck between material costs and the quality of goods on offer.
But whilst supply chain management requires businesses at every level of the process to cooperate fully with each other, the ultimate goal of individual companies is to fulfil their immediate obligations in moving the product on to the next stage in its journey. As such, any tool of the trade will do if it helps them manage the often complex procedures involved in SCM, thereby increasing their profitability, competitiveness and subsequently, their growth.
And this is why many companies are turning to supply chain management software. Indeed, such software has specialised functionality to help companies effectively manage and coordinate the processes involved in collaborating between manufacturers, retailers and transportation/logistics service providers. SCM software also often includes useful features that help to facilitate purchase order processing, inventory management and supplier management/sourcing.
However, at the more sophisticated end of the SCM software spectrum, some have forecasting functionality built in, which can be a very valuable feature. Given that it can often be difficult to predict future consumer trends, there can often be a significant gap between supply and demand; through using algorithms and performing consumption analysis, forecasting tools can help businesses plan more efficiently for their future requirements.
So, whilst the customer may not be overly-concerned with the processes involved in moving a product concept to the shop floor, businesses stand to gain a lot from understanding and managing the supply chain effectively.
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With the economy being in a slump, you may have noticed that several businesses around you have closed their doors. There are a variety of reasons for this, the economy being the straw that broke the camels back. With so many businesses going under, you may wonder if this is the best time to write a booklet. Will you be able to sell it and get your business off the ground?
The Economy Isn't What Determines Success Or Failure
The businesses that have failed didn't fail because of a bad economy. They failed because of many other factors, such as pricing goods or services too high or too low, poor customer service, poor quality products, etc. The economy has simply required that consumers make better choices, and that is what they are doing. In the past, these failed businesses may have been able to get away with making their customers a number, but not now. Now is the time when customer service counts more than ever. Now is the time when price matters most to the bottom line. Now is the time when products and services need to be top notch and provide the most value to the customer. Many businesses have failed to get this right, and they are gone.
You Can Succeed In Spite Of The Economy
The information you have to offer consumers in your booklet is important. Now, more than ever, people are looking for information. If your booklet is a non-fiction work, it stands a very good chance of succeeding. No matter what the economy does, people will always be looking for jobs, getting sick, moving to a new city or state, having babies, getting married, dying, and going on vacation. These things and more happen for someone, somewhere every day.
For example, imagine you want to write a booklet about choosing the perfect puppy. You might think now is a bad time to write that booklet because a puppy is an expense, and people are watching their pennies right now. But, the fact is there are people who are buying puppies in spite of the economy. Perhaps they will give the puppy as a gift for a birthday or holiday. Or they might be buying the puppy to train as a helper for the blind or disabled. Maybe the puppy will be going to hospitals to visit the sick, or to nursing homes to visit the elderly. Or, a family may decide to buy a puppy for Christmas instead of buying alot of gifts. So, yes, people are still buying puppies for a variety of reasons, and if they're buying puppies, they're buying other things as well, including booklets and other printed materials.
Give Your Customers Value And They'll Keep You In Business
People will buy your booklet because it gives them a good value for their money. This means that the information you provide to them is worth more to them than the money they are paying you for it. As long as you give your customers a good value, they'll be happy to buy from you.
But, good value includes more than the quality of information in your booklet. While that is a large part of it, customer service also has a part in the customers perception of value they receive from you. Customers expect to receive the products quickly, and to have issues resolved in a timely manner. But, to provide real value you shouldn't stop there. You should add some personalization to your customer service so that your customers don't feel like a number. Everyone likes to be treated like a living, breathing human being. Everyone appreciates being treated respectfully and courteously. It will add riches to your bottom line and keep you in business if you remember this.
If you're on the fence about writing a booklet in this economy, get off the fence and do it. If you have already created your booklet, remember to add value to it by providing the best customer care that you can. Without your customers, you have no riches.
From fostering relationships with clients to staying ahead of the competition, the benefits of face-to-face meetings are undeniable. But with organizations enforcing tighter budgets and stricter oversight, can you really plan successful events nowadays? The answer is yes -- if you follow the right advice. In fact, industry experts agree that there's never been a better time to host meetings. With the following tips, you can take advantage of today's market and get the most out of all your events.
Do your research. Even seasoned meeting planners fall into a routine of calling on the same suppliers time and time again. Your events need evolve along with your budget, so don't limit yourself to the same venue -- and the same rates. Make the most of online sourcing tools that provide a wide range of suppliers, from convention hotels to museums to restaurants. With more options on your RFPs, you'll have a better chance of finding a venue that can best suit your needs and your price point.
Show your value. You may think that suppliers are so desperate for business that they'll take any price you name. Not so. In fact, low demand requires them to be more discriminating in who they offer reduced rates to, since each deal needs to be a profitable one. To get the deal, make sure to track your meetings history, from rooms booked to attendee numbers. If you can show that your meeting has value for a venue, they'll be more willing to give you the rates you want.
Ask for extras. For some venues, drastically lowering rates is not always an option. Value-added packages are. Complimentary parking, breakfast, Internet service and more are all up for grabs, but only if you ask. Customize your RFPs to reflect your meeting requirements and desired amenities. When suppliers see what you're trying to accomplish with your event, it's easier for them to respond with the extras that best suit your needs.
Compare multiple bids. Nothing drives prices down like competition. When suppliers know they aren't the only ones in the running for your meeting, they're more likely to come up with an aggressive offer. It makes sense to send your RFPs to multiple suppliers. Suppliers will work for your business, and all you'll have to do is compare rates.
Don't cancel. This may be one of the most important tips to keep in mind when thinking about your meetings long term. Suppliers need your business right now, and they won't forget who stuck with them during hard times. Down the road, they'll reward those who booked their guest rooms, used their catering services, and met in their function spaces. Establishing a business relationship with suppliers at this point doesn't just mean getting a deal now, but in the future as well.
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Most people are unaware regarding how to get grants to start their own business. Finding a grant is difficult because schemes have limited amount of funding distribution and the government target specific areas and change over time to reflect different objectives.
All government grants for small business are a great way to get the money to fund the start up process for your new project. You can use grants to start a new business or expand an existing one. The government has designed a grant by which you can succeed and will locate the prefect grants for you.If you are looking to start a new business but do not have enough money to start it, then you should go with government grants which will surely benefit you in a short span of time.
Here are some tips to get government grants to start a small business:
1. Customers are required to be aware of all the programs that are offered by governments. The first thing is to choose a well known grant program which can improve your chance of getting government grants. There are many grants and programs for business that are specific to particular industry. So, look for the industry who will offer a best program for you.
2. Then, set up a goal according to the requirement. You need to work on that goal and decide that which grant can set up your new firm and provide all this information to the government which will make easier for them to qualify for your grant easily.
3. Make sure whenever you will choose a grant, provide it with some written material as it will bring out the attention of the lender towards your application. You need to be thorough with all the procedure otherwise you cannot avail for the grants.
4. Meet the requirements of the government which will really benefit for a small business. Prepare a document that includes every information to obtain that grant.
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Are you a professional who has a strong desire to work through your career and advance through the ranks of your unique organization? Do you have a strong desire to become a leader in your company and have a ton of responsibility? If you answered yes then you may consider the position of CEO. In this article, we will discuss the role of a CEO and the things you should keep in mind if you want to become a CEO. Are you ready? Let's begin.
First of all, you must have lofty goals. Most people plan a level or two above their current level and choose tasks they feel will get them there. If you hold the lofty goals of becoming Chief Executive Officer though you need to take a much more holistic approach to your job selection. Understanding the Role of the CEO is absolutely critical to those who hold that lofty ambition. Even if you fall short of ever becoming CEO though thinking about your career in terms of what you need to do to become CEO will most certainly help prepare you for a Vice President Role.
Second, you must understand that as a CEO, the buck stops with you. In most of your other roles throughout your career you will have a domain of influence and a domain of control. For higher-level decisions though you will always refer to someone above you. As CEO there is no one above you. The board will be there for consultation but at the end of the day the difficult decisions are yours to make. You can consult both the board and others in your organization but the responsibility of the decisions are yours and yours alone. Given this your preparation for sitting in that position of power is by necessity quite extensive.
Third, in preparing for a role as CEO you have a few different areas you need to focus on including depth of knowledge, breadth of knowledge, leadership, and the ability to market or sell your unique product or service offering. If anyone of these pieces is missing then you face a serious uphill battle in the leadership role. As CEO you bear ultimate responsibility for all aspects of your company and so you should spend some time in roles that expose you to research and development, marketing, sales, customer service, and operations. Having this broad expertise will allow you to have credibility and will ensure others respect and follow your lead. Keep in mind that you only gain this breadth and depth by holding management level positions in several different areas of your organization before progressing to the top job. To gain this knowledge and expertise, always make sure that you embrace roles that may be a stretch for you so that you get used to operating outside your normal area of expertise. Finally and most importantly you should spend a good part of your career as a people manager and focus on honing the skills of people management.
In conclusion, at the end of the day in understanding the role of the CEO the most important thing to remember is that you are the ultimate manager in the organization and your ability to delegate and motivate others will be the source of your success or failure. Good luck!
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Every successful manager knows just how important it is to effectively delegate. They understand and recognise that no matter how good they are at doing their job, they cannot do it all alone. So what 5 questions do you need to ask yourself when it comes to delegating effectively?
What is the task to be delegated?
At the outset, you need to be crystal clear on what it is that you are delegating. Taking the time to clearly define the task to be delegated greatly increases the likelihood of a successful outcome, not least because misunderstandings are avoided.
What skills are required?
Different tasks require different skills. As a manager it is all too easy to allocate a task to someone without thinking about the skills that are needed to do the task. Take time to list the key skills required for tasks to be delegated. For example, some tasks might require lots of technical skills like using spreadsheets or databases. Some might rely on high levels of people skills, while others might need a blend of technical and people skills.
Who should I delegate to?
There are probably a number of different people that you could delegate a task to. The temptation sometimes is to delegate to the most senior person or someone who has done good work in the past. On the other hand you might miss out on the opportunity to develop new skills or set a new challenge for someone in your team.
What am I going to delegate?
Are you delegating a whole task or part of a task? What part of a task am I going to delegate? Am I going to delegate responsibility as well as the task? These are all key questions that you need to be asking yourself when it comes to delegating. Remember, if you are part delegating, you want to make sure that each individual will be doing the part they will do best.
What's the timescale?
It is often easier to delegate a task with a longer lead time. If you are faced with a tight timescale, it might not be possible to find sufficient time for briefing and completion. The key is to use your judgement and remember that lack of planning on your part is not a good reason for not delegating.
Bottom Line - If you want to be a successful manager, delegation is no longer an optional extra. It is a key skill that you need to master.
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One important business consideration for someone doing MLM recruiting is that they must find a way to attract a large number of highly-interested prospects to them and their opportunity. So today we will have a look at some important things taught at Success University to begin getting the magic of attracting prospects accomplished.
First of all one must define a target market and realize that this is very important when trying to attract business prospects. Networkers need to get really clear about who wants to get involved with you and why. One needs to understand the wants, needs, things prospects read, think about, and talk about. With this knowledge a networker can fulfill their needs, solve their problems, and also provide value that draws in very large numbers of the best prospects. It is also very important to know what you are marketing. It may sound silly to say this, but there are some who really don’t get this right. You can't figure out your target market without knowing what you're really selling. This is where lots of network marketers completely fail. They're working their rears off, investing all kinds of money and time, trying to promote the wrong things to the wrong people.
The first realization you should have come to is that most importantly you are marketing you. Most prospects recognize that building a business is a process and they’ll have to be taught some things. This requires a certain level of trust when they are considering making the purchase. Purchasing your product or joining your team means that they are trusting that you will lead them in a successful direction. If you don't market yourself first you'll seldom enroll anyone or continue signing up the wrong prospects that never go anywhere, which is an absolute waste of your time.
Until lately, all that networkers knew to do to help them work on marketing themselves was to work on leadership, and communication or listening skills, or create a dream board, and then just keep plugging away talking to more people. While leadership coaching in the network marketing industry has been a good thing, it hasn't been easy to figure out what one was supposed to do or if any progress was being made.
However, enter the internet and Success University. There is on-line training available now via the Internet to develop confidence and leadership while following a step-by-step process that teaches the magic of attracting prospects to a networker instead of trying to chase prospects down. In the past, networkers may have been coached on what to say, but no matter how well the material is memorized nothing's going to change unless network marketers get the knowledge on how to represent themselves as an asset to prospects.
While the things listed on a company brochure and web site play a modest role in a prospect's decision, when prospects are offered a network marketing opportunity how they feel about the networker is the main factor for the prospect.
If you've had a challenge sponsoring people on a regular basis the major reason why could be that you are not marketing yourself correctly. It’s important for MLM business success that a networker engages in the recourses available such as Success University to learn how to do this.
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Around the world people and their governments are concerned about climate change and global warming. During 2009 there is a series of international meetings preparing for the next climate change agreement to be hammered out in Copenhagen in 2010. This will be a very critical meeting because the planet is fast approaching a "tipping point" when it will be too late to pull back from very serious climate change.
So what does this mean to business and particularly small business? Small business is the backbone of economies around the world and cumulatively is responsible for an enormous amount of carbon emissions even when they are small and "just office or home based". In fact office based business is responsible for 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. This is far more than transport which is the most obvious target for concern.
When a small business systematically addresses all its activities and looks at the carbon and other environmental impacts of each, the business can remove a large amount of waste and preventing waste is what also saves money. If you can reduce your electrical waste by 20% you will reduce both your greenhouse emissions and your power bill by that same 20%. And electrical consumption is just area that can be looked at.
If this is to work effectively the business will need to work with all employees to change the culture and raise awareness of green issues. Commencing some green training for all personnel helps them to understand and accept the reasons for the changes and know what is expected of them.
Many people feel that they want to go beyond carbon emissions because they realise that there is more to the environment than just emissions. In this case the business may want to take their planning a step further and implement and environmental management system. This works even better when an effective feedback loop is included so that when mistakes of any kind are made, the business looks at the root cause or real reason that they were able to happen then remove that cause.
Many businesses take their environmental management system a step further and have it independently audited to ISO 14001 which is the international standard for environmental management. It is important to keep the system simple and low in paper because otherwise it is unlikely to work effectively in the long term.
A simple and effective environmental management system can save a small business for more than the cost of implementing and maintaining it and it also saves time and money. Reducing your carbon footprint saves money but a full management system saves even more and achieves an internationally recognised green certification, ISO 14001.
Jean Cannon is one of the world's most experienced consultants working with small to medium business helping them to reduce their carbon footprint, assist their bottom line by reducing waste of all types and gaining recognized green certification
Her mantra is that you you can go green and make money but you must keep it simple because if it is not simple it won't work
Jean is originally a marine biologist and she has been hands on involved with both her own and clients small to medium businesses for over twenty years. She is the author of three books on green business and contributing author to a fourth.
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Money making schemes are everywhere. They are on the Internet. They can be found in mailings and on flyers left on your car. They have even started to spread to the world of text messaging. Sometimes you cannot avoid coming across one. You probably have seen many if you have spent any time on the Internet. The good news is that many of the money making schemes can be avoided if you know what to look for. They all basically have the same concept. The trick is finding figuring out what are legitimate websites versus phony websites.
Everyone has come across an ad while searching on the Internet that catches our eyes. It promises untold amounts of wealth that is just a click away. You click on it and get brought to a very professional looking website. It has testimonials from past users and images showing you how to make huge amounts of money in a relatively short amount of time from the comfort of your home for just a few hours of work a day. Or you have seen the infomercials on Saturday morning prompting you to call now and buy the exclusive membership where only members will have access to special information. Either scenario is very typical of money making schemes just in different formats.
Everyone has heard never to give out personal information to someone you do not know or trust. In today?s world of instant messaging and emails, sometimes it can be very hard to distinguish a trusted message from a scam. Many of these scams are really money making schemes waiting for you to click on the link and unknowingly be brought to a different website that you do not know and are not familiar with. Some times they trick you into entering your personal information. Others will try to sell you something now that they have you looking at their website. It is very important to be careful when you are on a website you are not familiar with.
There are many different kinds of money making schemes out there on the Internet. You do not have to fall victim to any of them. There are many places that can help you figure out if what you are being offered is legitimate. You can do research on everything now thanks to the Internet and finding out more about these kinds of schemes is just a click away. Finding out more about any website you visit is always a good way to avoid being the victim of these scams.
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One business in a deeply recession hit Mid-Western Town has expanded, whilst others are closing. It's a simple second hand laptop store that offers inexpensive reconditioned laptops with one years guarantee.Located in medium scale Malls, and Trade Centers, this business has expanded from one small kiosk to a franchise of five stores in only three months, and business is brisk. In fact the simple store, now has interests in franchises outside the area, shows that astute entrepreneurship can beat the current recession.
This simple idea could very easily be implemented by other businesses that are currently beating the recession. None of them are big, in fact most of these businesses are family run concerns, that would have been overlooked by conspicuous consumers in the old pre-crisis economy.
The key to this businesses success is simple, buy from financially stressed consumers their laptop, a team of technicians recondition the laptops, and sell them on to more recession minded consumers, with a guarantee, even offering a free branded laptop bag, with every purchase, advertising the franchise.
Second hand stores and even workshops could easily change, and incorporate the ideas behind this successful franchise. Shoe repair stores especially are busy at the moment, with the right name, a down scale shoe repair store could reinvent itself, as a more upscale but affordable member of a group of franchises.
It takes innovation, imagination and risk to profit in an age of huge financial losses, but as the economy changes, recession beaters like the second hand computer franchise could become a business of the future, as we enter the next phase of our changing economy.
The Asian European University awards you International recognition for your previous academic, and life experience in the form of a degree
The Asian European University assesses your experience using the internationally recognized APEL method. Accepted Graduates also are awarded 15 complimentary ebooks on the subject they specialize in.
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Are you struggling to contain costs in this recessionary economy? If you're having a hard time withdrawing perks from hard-working employees, because you're afraid of the effect on morale, this executive's strategy may work for you.
James could see that the generosity his 200-member accounting firm had shown their partners and managers - when times were good - simply had to change.
The firm could no longer support the expensive valet parking the partners blithely added to their expense reports or the extra charges for breakfast that showed up on their hotel bills. Especially when James knew personally that the hotel in question included a fine breakfast buffet with the cost of the room.
James, a founding partner of the firm and a habitually conservative spender, always allowed time to park in the same airport shuttle lot, whether he was taking his family on vacation or going on a necessary business trip. He fumed to himself as he reviewed expense reports from the firm's tax meeting. The nine-dollar charges for breakfast were especially irritating, because he had noticed that those managers were not in the dining room while he was there himself enjoying the complementary buffet.
In good times, while struggling to retain employees who are constantly being lured away by other opportunities, it seemed picky to disallow those expenses. Now, with the decreased workload, the firm was overstaffed and he was struggling to avoid layoffs. Yet he suspected that his people would grumble at the now necessary restrictions.
Knowing how he had once struggled to overcome a reputation for insensitivity, he decided on a creative solution. He sent out a memo to all managers and partners explaining the need to cut expenses and asked them to each submit at least one idea that would save the company money.
In came suggestions to eliminate valet parking, to eat their meals provided by the hotel, to limit extra baggage charges (for golf clubs) when meeting at resort locations, to limit charges for laundry at hotels, etc. He compiled the suggestions and recirculated them with thanks. There was no resistance when those suggestions were instituted as the new company policy.
When I asked James how he was viewed in the firm, he said he thinks he is seen as a practical pragmatist and appropriate person. He did add wryly that a few people in the firm probably wished there was not a practical, pragmatic, appropriate person around to rain on their parade.
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One of my favorite things to any time I visit a place is check out the local shops. They always have so much character, and usually great buys! A small business run from home can be a very successful career choice if managed effectively. It requires a good understanding of Business strategy and business planning, but other than that all you need is an inventive idea! Once you muster an idea, what's left is the dirty work of finance and real-estate. After you have the nitty-gritty settled, you're ready to open up shop.
Location is an imperative to a successful store. If you pick an outlet in a bad part of town or an area where no one visits, it will affect your business. Small businesses have no means of large advertising, since it is so expensive. So, no one will know that such a jewel is hidden in a bad location. Picking a lucrative spot can be the difference between money spent and money earned. My favorite stores are the ones located in cute towns. Anything near a waterfront or the city is a jackpot. Giving your customers a reason to stick around your store is great. If you're located next to an ice-cream shack, tourists enjoying ice cream will wander into your store. What more could you want!
Also, the store must be inviting. You have to entrance customers into your store. This should be done is a subtle way. People are often offended by flashy signs and in-your-face advertisement. Little touches of homeliness and cheer will do the trick. Adding bright colored window curtains will attract viewers from across the way, or even those driving by. Another nice touch would be chairs and tasteful decorations outside. This will make your business appear welcoming and friendly. Being tasteful is very important however, you don't want to exclude anyone of any belief from your store. Failing to do this will loose you customers and credibility. You never want to burn bridges with what could be an advantageous client. Always keep an open door.
Another important thing to remember when opening a store is your product. After all, the sole purpose of a store is to sell a product. You want your store to have a purpose. Avoid being the "junk drawer" of retail. A good way to decide what types of things to sell in your business is by looking at your audience. If you're located near water, a kayak store would be a smart investment. If you're near the city, maybe clothing and accessories would be more appropriate. Targeting your product to the area your in will also bring in visitors. When people travel they like to experience the culture, so stores that mirror the culture of their area will be very popular among tourists!
Home run businesses are often some of the best stores. Being run by individuals makes them have character, appeal, and they are usually very nicely operated. Opening a small business can be a great money maker if you have the right stuff. It doesn't have any set pre-requisite other than, maybe, people skills. Some things to keep in mind while thinking of opening a small business are location, appeal, and product. The location of your store is directly related to success. Also, your store has to be inviting or else you will loose customers. Lastly, your product is key. You have to sell something people want and need.
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A new manager went to work in a department of a retail store that seemed to have lost its way. Sales were down and so were energy levels. Displays were stale, and several areas needed cleaning. Worse, several employees seemed to spend most of their time on cell phones - and the conversations were not about work.
The manager immediately recognized the problem. She had seen it before. About a third of her employees were new, and they were the only ones who accomplished anything. Their expectations were high, and so were their sales. They stayed busy doing worthwhile tasks even when they did not have customers. More than half of her employees stood around looking bored and tried to appear busy when the boss was nearby.
Finally, another group of employees came in late, left early, took long lunches, avoided helping customers and, as near as the manager could tell, did not make any sales or even try to do so. She wondered what had happened to make them so disenchanted.
Through research, she found that the most disengaged group of employees included the ones who had been there the longest. Studies bear this out. Look at your own workers and see who is productive and who is not. Likely you will see employees who have been on the job several years, see no change coming and no room to grow. They are not interested in the work, their customers or their colleagues.
"Engaged employees are not clock-watchers," says Jim Sirbasku, CEO of Profiles International. "They are productive, creative and will be the first to volunteer for your most difficult assignments. When you learn how to keep your employees engaged, you will have less turnover and more productivity."
Here are 10 strategies you can implement today to re-engage your employees and increase productivity:
1. Ask employees for suggestions. Let them comment anonymously through a suggestion box. Read employee suggestions regularly, and implement any ideas the company can afford and that actually might work.
2. Cross-train. This develops the skills of all employees. Disengaged workers may become excited about work again, or they may take their new skills to a job that fits them better.
3. Find ways to reward employees through recognition. Make this meaningful by adding an extra day off, a gift certificate or another inexpensive gift.
4. Listen to employees. Have regular feedback meetings if possible, in addition to the suggestion box. Again, use as many ideas as are possible, especially when they are easy and free.
5. Seek out workers who will motivate others via their job knowledge, enthusiasm or both.
6. Give workers the freedom of making their own decisions, especially when dealing with customers.
7. Present company challenges publicly when possible. Let employees help solve them.
8. Give employees the resources they need to do their jobs.
9. Make sure your managers are engaged. If they are not, they will not engage others.
10. Provide all employees regular feedback about their job performance.
Rick Weaver is an accomplished business executive with a wealth of experience in retail, market analysis, supply chain enhancement, project management, team building, and process improvement. Time and time again Rick was amazed at the untapped talent he found at all levels of each company. He decided to focus on developing programs that would draw out the hidden abilities within each person
In 2002, he left Kmart to concentrate fully on developing people skills and organizational strategy. He founded MaxImpact to use his vast experience to connect individuals to their dreams and teams connect to a shared vision
His experiences taught him the importance of cultural recognition as the conduit through which change and progress is made possible. In 2005 he spun-off MBC Global as the cultural arm of Max Impact. Today MBC Global addresses more than 22 cultural distinctions to provide the foundation of all their leadership and organizational development programs
Rick's career began in retailing as a stock clerk, eventually becoming the Director of Vendor Development at Kmart Corporation during its heyday. In this position he worked with hundreds of Kmart's suppliers to improve mutual processes, procedures, and profits
Rick has written several published articles that take a positive approach at maximizing individual and organizational results
His first book, Life's Leadership Lessons, is a blend of real-life stories where people, events, and things have provided insight into outstanding leadership
As a speaker Rick's style of blending humor, real life examples, and easy to implement ideas has made him a popular at seminars, workshops, and conferences in 43 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
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As businesses grow and develop over time, inevitable change reduces the ranks of proven leaders; they leave, retire, are struck randomly by lightning.One way or another, a certainty of business is that you will find yourself replacing leaders. What is your plan for replacing them and insuring replacements are good enough to allow your enterprise to continue to grow and prosper and to weather bad times?
The following outline, adapted to your own needs and values, will allow you to design a plan to identify potential future leaders and to develop their potential into excellence.
1. Identify what's important. Most executives think they know leadership potential when they see it, but are hard-pressed to define its characteristics. Use a combination of assessments to bank information about your people, including your current leadership. Measure the characteristics important in the way they think, how they act and what their interests are. Those characteristics are not easily changed and you probably will not have the resources to develop someone who lacks a key characteristic. You need to know what you have to work with in your existing pool and whether you must look outside to find potential leaders for tomorrow. Measure their skills, too. Using a 360 degree assessment of leadership skills will tell you how much work you have to do, once you have a candidate for development.
2. Build your "pool of possibles." The time to bring future leaders on board is now, or sooner! When you are thirsty, it is terribly late to begin digging a well. Plan for long-term succession to leadership positions. Assume some of your possibles will not get there, or will leave before the process is complete.
3. Bring your potential leaders on board early. It may take years for an employee to thoroughly understand what makes your company and its culture tick. Provide opportunities for developing leaders to participate in high-level thinking and decision-making. Give them real chances to spread their wings and perhaps even fall and bump their heads. Learning to lead is not a linear process and a bit of pain is woven into the experience of most successful leaders.
4. Pick them up when they fall. To learn from a fall, most of us need help understanding what happened and realize that we need not fear falling! Offer an internal mentor or a professional coach, or both, to help your leaders develop more quickly and surely. A good coach can cut years off the time it takes to learn to fly and make sure falls are not fatal, just a little painful.
5. Reward them for developing. You are asking exceptional people to work exceptionally hard and to accomplish exceptional goals. While most high-potential leadership candidates will be internally motivated to excel, they will also expect to be rewarded for their efforts and their growth. Too many businesses have watched a potential star develop within, only to watch them depart for greener pastures, feeling unrewarded and unappreciated in their old home. Make sure they know where they are headed, but do not save all the goodies for when they get there.
6. It is a process, not a place. While the current crop of leadership candidates is pursuing their development, continue looking for the next ones you will never discover you have too many!
Rick Weaver is an accomplished business executive with a wealth of experience in retail, market analysis, supply chain enhancement, project management, team building, and process improvement. Time and time again Rick was amazed at the untapped talent he found at all levels of each company. He decided to focus on developing programs that would draw out the hidden abilities within each person
In 2002, he left Kmart to concentrate fully on developing people skills and organizational strategy. He founded MaxImpact to use his vast experience to connect individuals to their dreams and teams connect to a shared vision
His experiences taught him the importance of cultural recognition as the conduit through which change and progress is made possible. In 2005 he spun-off MBC Global as the cultural arm of Max Impact. Today MBC Global addresses more than 22 cultural distinctions to provide the foundation of all their leadership and organizational development programs
Rick's career began in retailing as a stock clerk, eventually becoming the Director of Vendor Development at Kmart Corporation during its heyday. In this position he worked with hundreds of Kmart's suppliers to improve mutual processes, procedures, and profits
Rick has written several published articles that take a positive approach at maximizing individual and organizational results
His first book, Life's Leadership Lessons, is a blend of real-life stories where people, events, and things have provided insight into outstanding leadership
As a speaker Rick's style of blending humor, real life examples, and easy to implement ideas has made him a popular at seminars, workshops, and conferences in 43 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico
He regularly presents professional development workshops at businesses, organizations, schools, and colleges
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Starting a bookkeeping company is a viable option for those who would like to enjoy flexible working hours and in the meantime able to generate a sustainable income. However, there are many factors that you have to take account before quitting your day job! Below are five important steps for your reference:
Step 1 - Choose your target market
First off, you have to decide what type of business entities that you prefer providing your bookkeeping services in order to become an "expert" in your bookkeeping niche. You may want to consider concentrating on providing bookkeeping services to sole proprietors who are running retailing businesses. Depending on your bookkeeping experience, you may want to specialize in providing services to corporations.
Step 2 - Scope of services
Determining the scope of services is as important as choosing your target market if you intend to set up a bookkeeping company. Some of the services are mandatory and some will be optional. Optional services include but not limited to processing of payroll and payroll remittances, cash flow analysis, accounting software training and installation and income tax return.
Step 3 - set up your office
Whether you are planning to set up your office at home or at some other places, having a proper office means having your own computers, bookkeeping software, fax line, internet connection, desk and so on. These things play an important role if you are serious of starting a bookkeeping company.
If you have the budget, you may even want to consider purchasing comfortable chair, scanner and copier in order to make your work easier.
Step 4 - Business registration and license
Once you have decided your business name, it is time that to check with your local council about the business license or permits required in order to start a bookkeeping company. Make sure that you get this business registration right at the beginning and ensure that you check with the local authority about the requirements if you were to start a bookkeeping company at home.
Step 5 Marketing your bookkeeping company and services
This part is always seemed to be the most difficult part of any business. In fact, a lot of people find that starting a bookkeeping company is easier but getting the clients for your bookkeeping services is more difficult.
There are various ways that you can find your first bookkeeping client. One way is to join your local chamber of business and trade organizations. Participating in the activities of these organizations would enable you to network with local merchants and hence the opportunity to introduce your services to them.
Starting a bookkeeping company is an attractive option for experienced bookkeepers because the reward is lucrative.
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I love my iPod.
It's funny because I didn't think I'd be an iPod person. I got an iPod a few years ago because I wanted to put all those educational audios on it rather than carting around a million CDs. I didn't think I'd be that interested in the music part.
Why? Because I never could get the hang of the whole music thing. I have such eclectic taste that radio never worked well for me -- I found myself picking stations not because they played more of what I liked but less of what I didn't like. I almost never bought records because for the most part I would like one song from a band and that's it.
But that all changed when I started to get ready for my first marathon. I decided maybe I better bring some tunes to keep me motivated. I started going through the CDs my husband had (my hubby has about 400 CDs, the complete opposite of me) and loading songs. And I started downloading those 1 or 2 songs from other bands from iTunes.
And now I finally get it. iTunes has allowed me to finally create the mix I want. I mean, I can't stand country (although I have 3 songs from Faith Hill) and I got a lot of 80s and hair bands (but there's a lot of bands I can't stand in those categories who will never be MPW iPod-worthy). My taste ranges from Boomtown Rats to Queen (lots and lots of Queen, they were an exception to the no-album-buying rule, but no "Another Bites the Dust" or "You're My Best Friend") to Def Leppard to The Guess Who to George Michaels (gotta love him) to even a Ted Nugent song. (My husband couldn't believe I put that Ted Nugent song on the iPod. I've often thought someone should have a contest, can you guess which Ted Nugent song I have on my iPod? In fact, I think I will have that contest. If you email me the correct answer I'll send you a digital download of one of my info products. But I digress.)
Anyway, so where am I going with all of this? Well, I read an article about how the music industry is having a heck of a time making money now -- for a variety of reasons, but one of the main ones is because they can no longer make money the way they used to.
You see, as I learned in this article, the music industry is financially based on selling albums, not individual songs. In other words, they make money by cramming albums down buyers' throats, even if those buyers only wanted 1 or 2 songs. Now with iTunes, buyers buy the songs they want, they're not forced to buy everything.
And the music industry is having some problems adjusting. So that means I'm actually in the majority of music buyers rather than the minority. And that's why iTunes is making money hand over fist (because they're allowing buyers to buy how they want, rather than forcing buyers to buy how they want to sell to them) and the record companies still haven't figure out what hit them.
So what does this have to do with you? Well a couple of things. First off, is your business based on a way of doing business that makes more sense for you (the business owner) or your customers? If you aren't selling your products or services in a way your customers want to buy, you ARE vulnerable. Even if this is the "way it's done" in your industry, you're a sitting duck for an Apple to burst on the scene and take it over. (Note, if this is you, there's a big opportunity here for YOU to be the Apple in your industry.)
Second, are there ways you can restructure your products or services to make it a no-brainer to do business with you? Is there an opportunity to sell to your customers the way they want to buy?
Remember, buyers always have the power. They can choose to do business with you or not. It's up to you to decide if you want to make it easy for them or not.
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Consumers Determine Value
It doesn't matter how highly you value your product, your service or even your idea. If the person you're trying to convince doesn't see value in their terms, there'll be no sale. More importantly, the value you see is unlikely to be the value the prospect sees. And what counts is the prospects' idea of value.
Logic, Reason and "Common Sense"
Unless you're absolutely certain that you and the prospect value logic, reason and common sense equally highly, forget these three concepts. They may help you to convince yourself of the value of your product or service. They won't convince the prospect.
Money As Value
"Value for money" is an ancient catchphrase. But it doesn't mean that value is only, or even mostly, expressed in monetary terms. And what's good value for money for one man may be poor value for money for his brother.
What's Included In Value
Value includes an array of elements including, social status, convenience, ease of use, improved relationships, technical reflection of knowledge or technical understanding and being up to date to mention a few. Prospects may ask and discuss cost. But value includes much more.
Value As A Solution
Perhaps the least commonly perceived value of a product or service is its value as a solution to a problem. Even prospects may not include this idea of. problem solution when asked how they assess value. But it's always there. There's an underlying problem or concern beneath every buying decision even though prospects may be unable or even unwilling to articulate it.
The Key To Expressing Value
When you discover the problem that the prospect wants to solve, you're halfway home. When the prospects see what you're offering as a solution to their problems you're almost home. You may still fail to "make the sale". There may still be circumstances beyond your control. But you'll be far closer to successful completion than the person who doesn't offer a value based solution to the prospect.
An Exercise For Staff
Ask your people to describe, preferably in writing, a major purchase they've made recently. Then ask them to write down why they chose that particular product over others. Ensure they avoid phrases like "value for money", "technical reliability", "reputable brand" and similar clichés.
You want them to think about why satisfying the concepts behind these clichés is important to them.
Finally, ask them what problems their purchase solved. When they realize the solution value of their purchase, they'll have learned a lot.
Other Staff Development Ideas
* Discuss the contents of this article with your staff so that they realize the difference between value and cost or price.
* Ensure your staff are well trained in effective listening, paraphrasing and non-threatening questioning techniques. Prospects' values will only be successfully unearthed by careful and respectful questioning.
* Conduct exercises at which staff can consider your products and services from your customers' or prospects' perspectives. Compare these perspective with the "official" corporate position.
Conclusion
"Value for money" means different things to different people. It rarely includes only monetary value. When you and your people clearly understand this, they'll be well on the way to discovering and solving prospects' and customers' underlying problems. When that happens, you'll gain a great competitive edge.
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As with any other business, direct sales businesses require a lot a planning and forethought before jumping on the bandwagon. There are many direct sales business opportunities available and you should take into consideration the following when making your decision.
Initial Start Up Costs
* Do you have to purchase a starter pack? If so, is it worth the money, what all do these kits include? If you are spending a large amount of money to get your business up and running, you will want to definitely look at all the options available to you and compare them. Do you get any extras that will actually save you time or help you better run your business if you purchase the top kit? Tip: A good company will give you items you can use yourself or give to your first few customers.
Working with Your Team Leaders
* You don't want someone heading your team who does not motivate you, does not give direct sales booking ideas, does not hold meetings regularly or who is not available to team members. Do they possess good leadership qualities and will they be someone you can get along well with? You will also want to determine your own personality at this point. You will want to join a team you can feel comfortable with for a long time to come.
Products Selling Potential
* You will want to do some research about the product itself. Will it actually sell? Is it something people actually want or need. What kind of value does it offer for its price? You will also want to research any competition you may have should you choose to sell it. For instance, if there are 5 representatives for the same company in your town and you live in a small town, you may want to reconsider or choose a different area to market your business to for your direct sales success.
Your Hard Work Pays Off
* There are some companies who offer their top sales people and team leaders big incentives Think Mary Kay and the pink Cadillac. What do you have to do to reach that level? Can you receive other prizes along the way? How will you prove that you are a leader in your business to those you are trying to recruit? You will want to take this into consideration as it will make setting and reaching goals a lot more fun! Things like these smaller motivations are a great way to help you achieve your ultimate goals.
Always take into consideration the pros and cons of any direct sales business opportunity you are thinking of joining. Think about costs, value, the product itself, your market and the person recruiting you. Ask any and all questions you have before you sign up to avoid making the wrong decision and regretting it later. Your gut feeling about a company has a lot to say about it, too! If you find the company looks great on paper and everywhere else, but you just do not have a positive feeling about it, maybe you should look elsewhere for another direct sales opportunity or a different team with the same company.
Small things make a big difference when it comes to encouraging an eco-friendly workplace. Not all employers are able to rely on modern sustainable construction. Not all offices stock the latest in sustainable products in the supply closet. With a little attention to things as simple as exit signs and coffee cups, you can help bring environmentalism to your work-a-day environment.
Here are five ideas of how to start on the road to Green:
Talk Trash: Workplace waste can mound up fast. It clogs the landfills, flattens the forests, and leaches toxic chemicals into the dumping grounds. Strategically placing a paper recycling bin in each copy room or even in every office spares a lot of grief in the garbage. Sponsor a Go Green Day and give away company coffee mugs as a perk, ending the need for paper and polystyrene for the morning brew. It's amazing the change brought by a few extra bins and a ceramic cup of joe.
Get On the Outs: Everyone has seen, and heard, the humming, flickering buzz of damaged overhead lights or broken exit signs. Building Services orders a new bulb, fixes a short, and is guaranteed to return a couple weeks later when the stairwell exit signs fade to black once more. Encourage maintenance supervisors to make the switch to photoluminescent products and compact fluorescent bulbs when servicing ambient and emergency lighting. The company will save thousands in power bills and the environment wins too.
Ride the Super-Highway: Business travel can rack up tons of pounds of carbon waste as quickly as it accrues frequent flyer miles. Educate yourself and your co-workers on state-of-the-art teleconferencing systems. Lose next to none of the productivity and save a wad of cash, not to mention jet fuel. The number-crunchers will love the lack of ticket purchase and per diem expense, which easily offset any cost for acquiring equipment and software. Staff will appreciate the flexibility.
Shut it Down: Want to cut costs, improve security, and save the world all at once? Shutting down office computers is the key. Computers, monitors, and printers left in "stand-by" mode can use an additional 20% of unnecessary energy over the course of one workweek. Properly shutting down the individual workspace leads to company-wide savings and a boost in office desktop security. Encourage your co-workers and staff to shut it down at quitting time and reap the benefits.
Get Organized: A list is just a list until it's put into action. Few employees know how to access the masses better than the staff in Human Resources. Contact your H.R. department about creating an office "Green Group". Offer to lead the efforts in making work a cleaner, greener place to spend a third of your day. A group effort raises morale and builds team spirit in the office.
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For many small business owners and managers, a contraction in the economy seems a "black swan" event... a crisis so unusual and unexpected as to prove almost un-manageable. But, in fact, contractions (whether you want to call them recessions or depressions) occur regularly. And experienced managers and mature businesses know to apply a handful of common sense tactics for getting through the rough times.
Focus on Survival is Tactic #1
A first point. In a bad recession or a depression, your overriding objective may not be to grow your profitibility. Sure. Some firms even in a contraction do grow revenues or profits. But for many firms, surviving and staying healthy through the contraction represents the big objective.
That sounds obvious. But if your firm simply gets through this economic tunnel with its business model, balance sheet and brand intact, you'll have done a better job managing through the downturn than all of the investment and mortgage bankers, most home builders, and at least two of the American auto manufacturers.
And this is pretty significant. When the economy regains some health in, say, 2011, you'll be ready to restart growth and return to appropriate levels of profitability.
Tactic #2 is Stay Alert for Crisis-related Threats
A contraction comes with its own threats and problems. Competitors will flail and some will fail--very possibly screwing up your market in the process. Key customers and vendors may get into trouble. Probably, key employees and owners will, too. You want therefore to stay watchful for these risks and problems.
One helpful approach for starting to think about new threats to your firm is SWOT analysis. The acronym SWOT stands for "Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats." By brainstorming about new, crisis-related strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats all at one time, you'll typically find objectivity and thorough thinking easier.
SWOT analysis doesn't have to be fancy. Don't worry about the form of your SWOT planning--a sheet of paper, a notebook or a whiteboard all work just fine.
If you can't get yourself into the right frame of mind for performing this sort of analysis, consider reading a book like, "The Great Depression: America 1929-1941" by Robert Mcelvaine.
Tactic #3: Watch Out for the Big Bargains
Almost surely, you'll be presented with unusually attractive bargains during a contraction: wonderfully talented people needing employment, landlords willing to get creative about leases, vendors happy to offer great deals, and so forth.
Search out these sorts of bargains. Not too terribly far in the future, some businesses with hindsight will kick themselves for the great deals they passed on.
Gird for the Long Haul is Tactic #4
For many middle-aged and older business owners and managers, the systemic financial crisis that triggered this contraction means retirement savings have been halved. That sucks, obviously. And a period of denial, anger and grief is understandable.
Once one is prepared to accept the new financial realty, one should calculate what the decimated retirement savings means. Probably, for many business owners and managers, the decimation means one needs to work ten or twelve years longer than planned only a few short months ago. Be sure therefore to factor into your business planning the extra years you'll personally need to work.
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If you are considering starting a business then you may want to see what a franchise opportunity has to offer you. There are many costs involved in opening a new business, and it may be more beneficial to you to buy into a franchise. You should know that when you purchase a franchise you get a lot of support that you do not get when you open your own business. Many people like the fact that a franchise is a turnkey operation, which means that everything is ready for when you make a purchase. In some cases a franchise can be more expensive than opening your own business but having name recognition is worth the cost.
When you really think about it you see a franchise business such as a Subway or a Mac Donald's and you do not think twice about purchasing food there. With your own business, you have to factor in how long is it going to take for you to get established. The great benefit of a franchise with a brand name that people recognize is you will get customers instantly into your restaurant. Another great benefit is that you will not have to worry about a color scheme, equipment or any thing else that comes with opening a new business because it is all ready for you.
Remember that when you want to open a new business you need to consider a franchise, because it is a turnkey operation. He will be have instant recognition so when a customer sees your sign, they will not hesitate to come in and buy. Take advantage of all that a franchise has to offer so that you can make a lot of money and have a successful business.
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Who doesn't recognize the need to constantly innovate today? After all, just look around at all that is new in our world in the past few years. Are you twittering? 1 million+ others are. Do you have a product or service video up on YouTube? 25 million+ people do. And are you LinkedIn or participating in SecondLife? These are just a few of the new social media innovations that are dramatically changing how people connect and get work done. Now think about other areas that are changing just as rapidly: technology, diversity, competition, products, etc. It can be a bit mind boggling and certainly intimidating to ponder how to keep us these days.
What does innovation look like at work today and do you need to spend millions for a research and development department to come up with the next great product or service? How can you more actively incorporate new thinking, new products, and new options including getting more done with less into your day to day activities? Today innovation needs to be about
* Challenging the ways we do things even when it has always worked well
* Continually creating new products, services and ideas that have value for stakeholders
* Trying different and novel ways to deal with ongoing challenges
* Constantly seeking and implementing new and better ways to achieve results
Innovation is more than brainstorming or idea generation. To be truly innovative, you have to DO something different. And for businesses, whatever it is you do must have value for at least one of your stakeholder groups (employees, customers, suppliers, partners, etc.). Actions you can take to be more innovative include: Develop awareness & understanding of your own assumptions, beliefs and biases We all have a lot of them. They are the thoughts that pop up as soon as we see someone, hear something or even smell a particular scent. Making assumptions about possible solutions to a problem can limit creativity, causing difficulty. At the beginning of any project or when faced with a tough situation, pause for a moment and note your assumptions. What do you believe to be so and could it be different? Learn to recognize when the strongest thoughts appear in your head and stop for a moment. Ask yourself "What if...am wrong...There is something else...It could be interpreted another way...There is more I know/do not know about this"? Ask the right questions
Focus on where you want to go (versus where you are or what is in the way). Give yourself a clear target by describing, as clearly as possible, what it looks like when you achieve success. Think about which beliefs you need to move out of the way or suspend (i.e. "that's not the way we do things here...our customers will never accept X..."). Jot down the most interesting questions you can come up with to encourage thinking differently and make your questions open ended and future focused.
Consider different angles Pose questions to prompt your brain to look at the same data in a new way. "What would our competitor invest in if they were us? What one thing do our customers really want us to change? What do our employees think would provide the most fuel for our success?" Questions help you look at challenges from different perspectives. They help change our perception so that the same data has different meaning. Stage your field of vision Get the right things in front of you. Adult humans are very visually driven creatures, but today there are more distractions than ever competing for our time and attention. Make sure your targets are visible to you as much of the time as possible. Get them on the wall in your office; have them pop up on your task list on your computer and PDA. Make sure they are visible to everyone involved as well.
If it is not in front of you visually, you probably won't do it, so take the time to fill your working area with the visuals that help keep you focused on success. Connect the dots in new ways Figuring out patterns forms a large part of our intelligence. Your subconscious mind likes closure. When faced with an incomplete picture, it works to complete the mental image by inferring the missing information. Your mind works the same way on an unsolved problem or challenge; it loves to dive right in and get the job done by using what you already know or expect. So, look for successful approaches that can be applied to your situation. What products, services and/or companies are incredibly successful right now? What can you adapt from what they are doing? Original ideas can come from recognizing new connections between familiar things and transforming them into something new. In many ways, our own brain gets in our way the most and minimizes our innovation. We can learn to leverage the power of it by pausing every now and then to...
* define excellence up front (don't do it over, spend the time to do it right the first time)
* consider different perspectives and angles
* ask simple questions to trigger a new way of perceiving
* ponder the impossible
Those that don't continue to innovate likely won't be around long enough to worry about it. Pause to ponder and think - you'll be amazed at how much faster you can go if you slow down up front and use the power of your brain!
Consultant, Author, Speaker Holly Green is the CEO of THE HUMAN FACTOR, Inc. (http://www.thehumanfactor.biz) She has over 20 years of executive level and operations experience in FORTUNE 100, entrepreneurial, and management consulting organizations. Experiences include working for multinational corporations such as: The Coca-Cola Company, AT&T, Dell Computer, Bass Hotels & Resorts, Expedia, RealNetworks, Microsoft and Google. She was previously president of The Ken Blanchard Companies & LumMed, Inc.
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In these times of tight budgets, many of my clients are looking for low cost and no cost marketing strategies to promote their services and make more money. We still need to get the word out about our business and continue to be visible, and there are many ways to do this even on a limited budget. All they cost you is your time.
Here are four 'no cost' ideas to promote your services and increase your income:
1. Write and submit articles
Article publishing has been one of the most effective strategies I have used to get more visitors to my website and grow my business and income. Whether you like to write or not, you can either write or record your tips. You always have some good tips and ideas to share with your clients. You can speak an article into a voice recorder, and then have it transcribed. Or, use speech recognition software like I do to dictate your articles and have them automatically typed up. I use 'Dragon Naturally Speaking' by Nuance. Submit your articles to online article directories, print publications, and specific online sites that your target audience would go to. My favorite online article directory is EzineArticles.com.
2. Contact former clients
Previous clients can be one of your best sources of repeat business. It costs much less time and money to market to someone who already knows you well than it does to try to continually find new prospects. Yet, many business owners fail to pay attention to the potential gold mine of former clients. They continue to look for new prospects rather than keep in touch with previous satisfied clients. Designing a 'keep-in-touch' strategy is crucial to your business growth. Regularly sending out tips and resources to prospects and clients will keep your services top of mind. Survey your former clients using a free tool like SurveyMonkey.com and entice them back by making them an irresistible offer. Provide exceptional customer service to keep them satisfied and buying more. Get creative in thinking about what clients would really like from you and over-deliver on value.
3. Get more visible on blogs, forums and social networking sites
There are lots of places online where you can be more visible, express your opinion, and let others know who you are and what you do ... and how you can help them. Posting helpful comments to other people's blogs in your area of specialty with a link back to your website can be a very effective strategy for attracting new visitors to your site. Posting or answering questions in forums is also worth doing. And - social networking is one of the latest ways to get connected and visible online. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn can be very effective to develop relationships and joint ventures. Be strategic and limit your time on these sites so they don't consume all your time. Writing testimonials, comments and book reviews are also ways to get noticed for free.
4. Send out press releases
Press releases are often overlooked as a low cost marketing tool. There are paid services of course, but there are also many free press release sites - such as 24-7PressRelease.com or Free-Press-Release.com. You can send a press release about a new service offering, or a workshop or teleseminar or a new product. To make your release newsworthy, connect it to a current news item or a current event or holiday. Create a list of media contacts, and send the information directly to specific editors or contact people in your area.
Don't let not having a budget for marketing stop you from promoting yourself and increasing your visibility and income. All it takes is some time and a little creativity!
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