This evening I was sent into nostalgia most from a conversation I was having this afternoon. Like many people in business I made my way through University working in the restaurant industry. It was often not only a source of revenue but it was also a staple of my diet for many years. Today got me thinking however and pondering one of the lessons I am always telling people and that is to do what you have done in the past when success was prevalent.
As I was re-living my days in the restaurant I was thinking about how successful some of our add on sales campaigns were and how simple the steps we took to implement them were. I wanted to share some of the lessons I learned and how useful they are.
One of the first things is to always speak to a customer on their level. All to often we find ourselves standing over the customer in an intimidating fashion. The best thing to do is kneel down so you are looking at them eye to eye and they will liken you to a friend rather than someone of authority.
Secondly when aproaching add on items such as deserts, talk about how great it tastes. Create an experience when you are talking about it rather than just talking about what it is. Using words like delicious, scrumptious or delectable will create a mouth watering experience. Always use open ended questions such as which desert can I get you? As apposed to closed questions like "would you like desert". This technique called assuming the sale is one of the most powerful approaches you can use. The power of suggestion is very strong and will have a profound effect on your business.
Finally never under estimate the power of a smile and a kind word. We all know that life is stressful, but telling everyone around you about your bad day will do you no justice. Let your smile be infectious and who knows, maybe you will win that jersey.
Cheers,
CB
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Bitron: Excellence- It is your choice
Bitron: Excellence- It is your choice
A number of years ago I was attending a business conference in St. Louis where I heard a speak by the name of Mark Gorman. I was so inspired by his speach that I bought his tape for my car (yes it was a tape at the time, I did not yet have a CD player). He really emphasised the importants of personal choice and not allowing ourselves to be anything but the best we can be.
"Don't ever let it be said that someone else expected more of you than you expected of yourself. If anyone finds fault in a job which you have done that is less than excellent, don't make excuses. Admit that it was not your best. Don't stand up and try to defend yourself. Why settle for average, when excellence is an option? I'm weary of people saying that it's not in their nature to demand more of themselves."
It is something that has stuck with me to this day and I just love the way he puts it. If you do not demand excellence of yourself how can you possibly expect to achieve your goals in life. Ask yourself, is what I am doing right now getting me closer or farther from where I want to be?
If the answer is farther perhaps it is time to take another look at your actions or priorities.....
Cheers,
CB
A number of years ago I was attending a business conference in St. Louis where I heard a speak by the name of Mark Gorman. I was so inspired by his speach that I bought his tape for my car (yes it was a tape at the time, I did not yet have a CD player). He really emphasised the importants of personal choice and not allowing ourselves to be anything but the best we can be.
"Don't ever let it be said that someone else expected more of you than you expected of yourself. If anyone finds fault in a job which you have done that is less than excellent, don't make excuses. Admit that it was not your best. Don't stand up and try to defend yourself. Why settle for average, when excellence is an option? I'm weary of people saying that it's not in their nature to demand more of themselves."
It is something that has stuck with me to this day and I just love the way he puts it. If you do not demand excellence of yourself how can you possibly expect to achieve your goals in life. Ask yourself, is what I am doing right now getting me closer or farther from where I want to be?
If the answer is farther perhaps it is time to take another look at your actions or priorities.....
Cheers,
CB
Getting a message to Garcia
In the late 1800s following the Spanish American war, one of the greatest articles in history was written by a fellow by the name of Elbert Hubbard. Even though it was written over 100 years ago the points made are still as poignant today. I particularly like one section where he states,
"when all the world has gone a-slumming I wish to speak a word of sympathy for the man who succeeds- the man who, against great odds has directed the efforts of others, and having succeeded, finds there’s nothing in it: nothing but bare board and clothes
My heart goes out to the man who does his work when the "boss" is away, as well as when he is at home. And the man who, when given a letter for Garcia, quietly take the missive, without asking any idiotic questions, and with no lurking intention of chucking it into the nearest sewer, or of doing aught else but deliver it, never gets "laid off," nor has to go on a strike for higher wages.
Civilization is one long anxious search for just such individuals. Anything such a man asks shall be granted; his kind is so rare that no employer can afford to let him go. He is wanted in every city, town and village- in every office, shop, store and factory. The world cries out for such: he is needed, & needed badly- the man who can carry a message to Garcia."
In the world today, I think we are far to quick to pass successful people off as lucky. Instead of doing the wise thing and learning from their success and finding ways to make it our own.
These are my two cents on the day,
CB
"when all the world has gone a-slumming I wish to speak a word of sympathy for the man who succeeds- the man who, against great odds has directed the efforts of others, and having succeeded, finds there’s nothing in it: nothing but bare board and clothes
My heart goes out to the man who does his work when the "boss" is away, as well as when he is at home. And the man who, when given a letter for Garcia, quietly take the missive, without asking any idiotic questions, and with no lurking intention of chucking it into the nearest sewer, or of doing aught else but deliver it, never gets "laid off," nor has to go on a strike for higher wages.
Civilization is one long anxious search for just such individuals. Anything such a man asks shall be granted; his kind is so rare that no employer can afford to let him go. He is wanted in every city, town and village- in every office, shop, store and factory. The world cries out for such: he is needed, & needed badly- the man who can carry a message to Garcia."
In the world today, I think we are far to quick to pass successful people off as lucky. Instead of doing the wise thing and learning from their success and finding ways to make it our own.
These are my two cents on the day,
CB
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Christmas Season-A time to sell
With the holiday season upon us many people use this as an excuse to pack in the productivity and relax. I see it as just the opposite. Think of it as all of your competition has packed it in so you have the whole market to yourself.
The second thing I really like about the holidays is that it is a great time to re-connect with old aquaintances. If you have old clients you have not spoken to in a while why not give them a jingle and spread some christmas cheer. Everyone right now is in a talkative mood, so use it to build on your existing relationships and strengthen them to move forward.
A final piece of food for thought is that many companies have left over money in their budget that they can spend. If you are out there trying to sell you maybe able to get someone who has money to blow and you can shorten your sales cycle dramatically. You dont need to use the hard sell, just be your effervescent self and good things will happen.
Happy Holidays,
CB
The second thing I really like about the holidays is that it is a great time to re-connect with old aquaintances. If you have old clients you have not spoken to in a while why not give them a jingle and spread some christmas cheer. Everyone right now is in a talkative mood, so use it to build on your existing relationships and strengthen them to move forward.
A final piece of food for thought is that many companies have left over money in their budget that they can spend. If you are out there trying to sell you maybe able to get someone who has money to blow and you can shorten your sales cycle dramatically. You dont need to use the hard sell, just be your effervescent self and good things will happen.
Happy Holidays,
CB
Monday, December 19, 2005
Selling contagious emotion
You know when we are trying to sell ourselves or our products, I always say look back to the times you have had the most success. I think what you will find is that success always comes in waves, for the simple reason that your Emotions Are Contagious.
The fact is that emotions are contagious. The more passion you have for your life and your activities, the more charisma you will possess, and the more cooperation you will gain from others. If you are truely excited about something and doing it with zest that will grab attention of others and make them want to be a part of it.
People always want to feel good and will be drawn to things that make them feel good. I want to use the example of personal training. I don't think there is anyone who could not make good use of a personal trainer but so few of us do. If you are in this business and want to be more successful, just raise the level of excitment in your gym. If the atmosphere is warm and welcoming it becomes a destination people want to go to.
We all have our favorite restaurants or bars, it is usually more the atmosphere in them than the food that draws us in. Use the possitive emotion to your advantage and people will be drawn to you.
Cheers,
CB
The fact is that emotions are contagious. The more passion you have for your life and your activities, the more charisma you will possess, and the more cooperation you will gain from others. If you are truely excited about something and doing it with zest that will grab attention of others and make them want to be a part of it.
People always want to feel good and will be drawn to things that make them feel good. I want to use the example of personal training. I don't think there is anyone who could not make good use of a personal trainer but so few of us do. If you are in this business and want to be more successful, just raise the level of excitment in your gym. If the atmosphere is warm and welcoming it becomes a destination people want to go to.
We all have our favorite restaurants or bars, it is usually more the atmosphere in them than the food that draws us in. Use the possitive emotion to your advantage and people will be drawn to you.
Cheers,
CB
Sales-Its not about talking
You know one thing that always makes me laugh is people who say they could never do sales, or those who say they don't like sales people because they do not like the feeling of being sold. We can all think of the sterotypical salesman in the cheap suit talking out of his @#$. If you ask me, these are not sales people.
I think the first lesson a true salesperson learns is that you are not trying to sell. Our job is to listen, uncover problems and then find a solution to those problems. The most common misconception about selling, is that sales means talking. A good sales person is first and foremost a good listener and a caring friend. If you can make this switch in your head you will immediately notice better results.
I do beleive the reason no one talks about "good salespeople" is because whenever a good sales person is found, they don't fit the mold of what a salesperson should look like so we mistake them for our friends.
Cheers,
CB
I think the first lesson a true salesperson learns is that you are not trying to sell. Our job is to listen, uncover problems and then find a solution to those problems. The most common misconception about selling, is that sales means talking. A good sales person is first and foremost a good listener and a caring friend. If you can make this switch in your head you will immediately notice better results.
I do beleive the reason no one talks about "good salespeople" is because whenever a good sales person is found, they don't fit the mold of what a salesperson should look like so we mistake them for our friends.
Cheers,
CB
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Personality types- Sumary
Well there you have it, the four types have been defined in the simplest terms. However knowing the basic characteristics of the four is just the beggining of being able to understand them.
The thing that complicates understanding the most is the fact that no person is only one personality type. We all change from style to style depending on the situation we are confronted with. We will often reacte completely differently to a situation at work than we would if the same situation involved our friends or family.
The best advice I can give is to understand that everyone is going to be a little bit different and the best thing to do is get to know them and LISTEN. Listen to the things they say and how they are said and people will become much easier to understand.
These are my two cents on the evening,
Chuck
The thing that complicates understanding the most is the fact that no person is only one personality type. We all change from style to style depending on the situation we are confronted with. We will often reacte completely differently to a situation at work than we would if the same situation involved our friends or family.
The best advice I can give is to understand that everyone is going to be a little bit different and the best thing to do is get to know them and LISTEN. Listen to the things they say and how they are said and people will become much easier to understand.
These are my two cents on the evening,
Chuck
Personality types- Perfect Melancholy
The final of the 4 personality styles is that which I like to refer to as the Perfect Melancholy. This is the person who is the analytical, the deep thinker or the planner. These are the people who seem to slow down the rest but take the time needed to create a masterpiece.
We see perfect melancholy people in all sorts of prominant roles such as artist, singers and accountants. They are often the back bone of the work place, making sure that the details are taken care of to keep things running smoothly. They take the time to ensure things are done right the first time and dont give up until the job is done.
The down side of the perfect melancholy is that they are very slow and deliberate in their actions and do not adapt well to sudden change. They are skeptical by nature and like to learn things for themselves as they don't trust the judgment of anyone very easily.
When we need it done right, or a long term plan put in place we always look to the perfect melancholy and we know the job will be in good hands.
Cheers,
CB
We see perfect melancholy people in all sorts of prominant roles such as artist, singers and accountants. They are often the back bone of the work place, making sure that the details are taken care of to keep things running smoothly. They take the time to ensure things are done right the first time and dont give up until the job is done.
The down side of the perfect melancholy is that they are very slow and deliberate in their actions and do not adapt well to sudden change. They are skeptical by nature and like to learn things for themselves as they don't trust the judgment of anyone very easily.
When we need it done right, or a long term plan put in place we always look to the perfect melancholy and we know the job will be in good hands.
Cheers,
CB
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Personality types- Peaceful Phlegmatic
The peaceful phlegmatic are often the least noticeable of the personality types. They are quite content to fly under the radar and not draw attention to themselves. Peaceful phlegmatic people are very calm cool and collected and quite happy to work their 9-5 shift and not bother anyone. Although they are pecimistic by nature they are not bothered by it.
Peaceful phlegmatic people make great long term employees, as they really have no desire for change and can work consistantly at mundane jobs that would drive the other personalities nuts. They are also very agreeable in that they have no desire to cause trouble.
The downside of peaceful phlegmatic is that they lack motivation and drive. They will rarely take any new initiative themselves and are not self motivated. They also are not likely to take a leadership role.
As a whole the peaceful phlegmatic types are a great addition to the work force as they are dependable long term and you always know what to expect.
Bon Appetite,
CB
Peaceful phlegmatic people make great long term employees, as they really have no desire for change and can work consistantly at mundane jobs that would drive the other personalities nuts. They are also very agreeable in that they have no desire to cause trouble.
The downside of peaceful phlegmatic is that they lack motivation and drive. They will rarely take any new initiative themselves and are not self motivated. They also are not likely to take a leadership role.
As a whole the peaceful phlegmatic types are a great addition to the work force as they are dependable long term and you always know what to expect.
Bon Appetite,
CB
Personality Types- Popular Sanguine
The popular sanguine is the life of the party. If you know someone who is popular and dynamic odds are that person is a Popular Sanguine. These people are always willing to help and want to make sure everyone is happy. The end result is not nearly as important as the fact that everyone has a good time.
The downside to the popular sanguine is that they can sometimes inhibit productivity. They can sometimes get wrapped up in office gosip rather than getting important work done. Their currious nature can be both a possitive or a negative depending on how it is taken.
To me the single biggest strength a popular sanguine has is their ability to lighten the mood and help out someone who is feeling blue. The most important thing to remember when dealing with a popular sanguine is that relationships count for a lot, and they always find time for the fluff. Their bubbly outgoing nature is always welcome on a drab day.
Look to the popular sanguine, to keep up the spirits of people. These people make great additions to office life and are a welcome addition to any customer service or phone team.
Cheers,
CB
The downside to the popular sanguine is that they can sometimes inhibit productivity. They can sometimes get wrapped up in office gosip rather than getting important work done. Their currious nature can be both a possitive or a negative depending on how it is taken.
To me the single biggest strength a popular sanguine has is their ability to lighten the mood and help out someone who is feeling blue. The most important thing to remember when dealing with a popular sanguine is that relationships count for a lot, and they always find time for the fluff. Their bubbly outgoing nature is always welcome on a drab day.
Look to the popular sanguine, to keep up the spirits of people. These people make great additions to office life and are a welcome addition to any customer service or phone team.
Cheers,
CB
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
Personality Types-Powerful Choleric
In dealing with personality types it is always easiest to understand the one you epitomize so I want to begin with Powerful Choleric. The three ways to describe this person are The extrovert, the Doer, the Optimist.
Powerful Cholerics are born leaders and very goal oriented in life. They always move quickly to action and adapt well to change. On the down side they can sometimes find it difficult to slow down or relax. They will often quickly get to the top of their field... but can sometimes find themselves alone at the top.
When dealing with a powerful choleric personality the best approach to take is to quickly get to the point. They do not care much about the story behind things or the fluff that goes along with it. If you want things done, or someone who can deal well in a stressful situation then a powerful choleric comes in handy.
Cheers,
CB
Powerful Cholerics are born leaders and very goal oriented in life. They always move quickly to action and adapt well to change. On the down side they can sometimes find it difficult to slow down or relax. They will often quickly get to the top of their field... but can sometimes find themselves alone at the top.
When dealing with a powerful choleric personality the best approach to take is to quickly get to the point. They do not care much about the story behind things or the fluff that goes along with it. If you want things done, or someone who can deal well in a stressful situation then a powerful choleric comes in handy.
Cheers,
CB
Personality types
One of my favorite topics to study is that of personality types and personality profiling. I have found it to be invaluable in allowing me to get a read on the people I am speaking with as well as gaining introspection to myself. I am one of the unusual types who has one very overwhelming personality style. Most people are a close blend of a couple but I am firmly in one quadrant.
As entire books have been written on the subject of personality profiling, I am going to break this down into a series of articles so you will have to keep coming back :)... what a shame I know. One of the first lessons that I learned was that if you are not able to put yourself in the shoes of a person you are speaking with you are really only able to communicate with about 25% of the population. Or the group of people who share your personality style.
There are many names given to the personality styles, some prefer to give them colours. I use the names in which I first learned them from a book called Personality Plus by Florence Littauer. She calls them 1. Powerful Choleric 2. Perfect Melancholy 3. Peaceful Phlegmatic 4. Popular Sanguine.
Stay tuned and I will talk about the 4 types and how to best deal with each one.
Cheers,
CB
As entire books have been written on the subject of personality profiling, I am going to break this down into a series of articles so you will have to keep coming back :)... what a shame I know. One of the first lessons that I learned was that if you are not able to put yourself in the shoes of a person you are speaking with you are really only able to communicate with about 25% of the population. Or the group of people who share your personality style.
There are many names given to the personality styles, some prefer to give them colours. I use the names in which I first learned them from a book called Personality Plus by Florence Littauer. She calls them 1. Powerful Choleric 2. Perfect Melancholy 3. Peaceful Phlegmatic 4. Popular Sanguine.
Stay tuned and I will talk about the 4 types and how to best deal with each one.
Cheers,
CB
People- The forgotten part of Business
Today I was reminded once again why it is that so many businesses have trouble. I was in a planning meeting at the Burnaby Board of Trade and we were discussing possible topics for our upcoming small business seminars. The meeting, as often happens, was draw away from new progressive ideas and taken in the direction of tired old business concepts that should have died with the 80s.
As our economy enters into a recession I feel so many companies are missing the point of building long term solid relationships. I beleive the companies who are too busy now to worry about relationships are the ones who are going to be "busy" in bankruptcy proceedings in the coming years.
I always find myself trying to convince people that it is not good ideas, not good marketing or good products that make or break companies. The key ingrediant in all successful companies is good people and good people skills. I want to steal a few lines from one of my favorite articles called "Getting a message to Garcia". When talking about this type of person Elbert Hubbard states
"Civilization is one long anxious search for just such individuals. Anything such a man asks shall be granted; his kind is so rare that no employer can afford to let him go. He is wanted in every city, town and village- in every office, shop, store and factory. The world cries out for such: he is needed, & needed badly"
These are my thoughts on the subject.....
CB
As our economy enters into a recession I feel so many companies are missing the point of building long term solid relationships. I beleive the companies who are too busy now to worry about relationships are the ones who are going to be "busy" in bankruptcy proceedings in the coming years.
I always find myself trying to convince people that it is not good ideas, not good marketing or good products that make or break companies. The key ingrediant in all successful companies is good people and good people skills. I want to steal a few lines from one of my favorite articles called "Getting a message to Garcia". When talking about this type of person Elbert Hubbard states
"Civilization is one long anxious search for just such individuals. Anything such a man asks shall be granted; his kind is so rare that no employer can afford to let him go. He is wanted in every city, town and village- in every office, shop, store and factory. The world cries out for such: he is needed, & needed badly"
These are my thoughts on the subject.....
CB
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Networking-You are not there to sell!!!
With all of the networking functions that go on in a city like Vancouver, most business people will find themselves attending meetings from time to time. I would always recommend people attend them regularily, but that is not the topic of today. I think one of the challenges we face is that too often a networking event is seen as a group of potential customers we should be trying to sell to. This is far from the case and will get you nowhere in the fast lane.
A networking function is an opportunity to get to know someone a little bit and discover what he and his company does and has to offer. If you feel there is synergy with your new found friend by all means set an appointment at which you can begin the sales proccess. Do not, I repeat DO NOT, try and make a deal then and there. It is neither the time nor the place.
One of the biggest problems trying to "sell" at a networking event creates is that you miss the opportunity to get to know someone who is not part of your "target market". What is often overlooked is just because I may not be in your target market, it does not mean I don't know anyone who is. Some of the most well connected people I know don't show it. So take the time to establish rapport with everyone, you just never know who they might know. A solid long term relationship is worth way more than on one time deal.
These are just my two cents,
Cheers,
CB
A networking function is an opportunity to get to know someone a little bit and discover what he and his company does and has to offer. If you feel there is synergy with your new found friend by all means set an appointment at which you can begin the sales proccess. Do not, I repeat DO NOT, try and make a deal then and there. It is neither the time nor the place.
One of the biggest problems trying to "sell" at a networking event creates is that you miss the opportunity to get to know someone who is not part of your "target market". What is often overlooked is just because I may not be in your target market, it does not mean I don't know anyone who is. Some of the most well connected people I know don't show it. So take the time to establish rapport with everyone, you just never know who they might know. A solid long term relationship is worth way more than on one time deal.
These are just my two cents,
Cheers,
CB
New Role-Duocom
In my ever expanding world of strategic partners and key connections I have taken on a new role with Duocom. I was approached by them to come on in an account managment/ relationship building role which I accepted. I am please to work with them and add more complimentary services to my network.
Having spent many years working in the world of Audio Video, Duocom is a natural fit for me and my endeavors. The world of office technology is changing quickly and there are so many great ways to communicate your message to both customers and co-workers, I am excited about the opportunity.
Cheers,
Chuck
Having spent many years working in the world of Audio Video, Duocom is a natural fit for me and my endeavors. The world of office technology is changing quickly and there are so many great ways to communicate your message to both customers and co-workers, I am excited about the opportunity.
Cheers,
Chuck
Friday, December 02, 2005
'Embrace blogging' Harvard tells businesses
But do it properly... or not at all
Businesses need to embrace the benefits that blogging can deliver, according to Harvard Business School. Though in some circles blogging has gotten a bad rap the US business school says companies should get online and start spreading the word.
In a Harvard Management Communication Letter, the school said blogs enable the brave few "to connect with customers online and advance corporate communications and marketing goals" and added that a well-written blog can boost a company's credibility. If you don't want to hear from your customers and critics in a public environment, don't blog.
In the case of crisis – far from being a PR disaster – a blog can enable companies "to shape the conversation about it",
Among those already embracing the trend are Boeing, General Motors, Google, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Sun and Yahoo!.
However, the business school suggests companies bear in mind a number of key points such as ensuring readers can comment so the blog remains open and interactive and doesn't appear a mouthpiece for the company. "Permit both positive and negative posts on your blog and reply to comments made on other blogs pertinent to your area of focus. Respond in a professional and businesslike way. If you don't want to hear from your customers and critics in a public environment, don't blog."
It also urges companies not to allow their PR department anywhere near their blog and put the marketing-speak thesaurus back on the shelf. A blog which is "genuine, conversational and engaging" and which "eschews corporate-speak" is far more effective, it states.
And most importantly, the article tells companies to make a commitment to update the blog regularly once they have told the world they are doing a blog.
This is excellent food for thought when trying to consider whether or not you should be blogging,
My two cents,
CB
Businesses need to embrace the benefits that blogging can deliver, according to Harvard Business School. Though in some circles blogging has gotten a bad rap the US business school says companies should get online and start spreading the word.
In a Harvard Management Communication Letter, the school said blogs enable the brave few "to connect with customers online and advance corporate communications and marketing goals" and added that a well-written blog can boost a company's credibility. If you don't want to hear from your customers and critics in a public environment, don't blog.
In the case of crisis – far from being a PR disaster – a blog can enable companies "to shape the conversation about it",
Among those already embracing the trend are Boeing, General Motors, Google, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Sun and Yahoo!.
However, the business school suggests companies bear in mind a number of key points such as ensuring readers can comment so the blog remains open and interactive and doesn't appear a mouthpiece for the company. "Permit both positive and negative posts on your blog and reply to comments made on other blogs pertinent to your area of focus. Respond in a professional and businesslike way. If you don't want to hear from your customers and critics in a public environment, don't blog."
It also urges companies not to allow their PR department anywhere near their blog and put the marketing-speak thesaurus back on the shelf. A blog which is "genuine, conversational and engaging" and which "eschews corporate-speak" is far more effective, it states.
And most importantly, the article tells companies to make a commitment to update the blog regularly once they have told the world they are doing a blog.
This is excellent food for thought when trying to consider whether or not you should be blogging,
My two cents,
CB
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Emulation-Who do I want to be like?
You know one thing I am always surprised by is how willing people are to take bad advice from people they know. How many people do you know who missed an opportunity because they talked to their brother in law's uncle who thought it was a bad idea? When I look at someone who is offering me advice, I ask myself one simple question. Is the person I am speaking with credible on this subject? If I need advice on money, I am not going to talk to a middle age relative who is broke. A much better strategy is to talk to someone who has money and has been successful in getting it.
I think this is a very important lesson we all need to learn. Everyone needs to have role models in life, just make sure you choose them wisely. I am a firm beleiver in the psychological theory that you become who you associate with most of the time. If you want to be good at golf then hang around with people who are good golfers. If you want to have money, hang around with people who you want to emulate with money.
Everything we do and everyone we associate with is a choice, dont have that choice made for you. It is your life, make darn sure you choose wisely!
Cheers,
CB
I think this is a very important lesson we all need to learn. Everyone needs to have role models in life, just make sure you choose them wisely. I am a firm beleiver in the psychological theory that you become who you associate with most of the time. If you want to be good at golf then hang around with people who are good golfers. If you want to have money, hang around with people who you want to emulate with money.
Everything we do and everyone we associate with is a choice, dont have that choice made for you. It is your life, make darn sure you choose wisely!
Cheers,
CB
BNI Vancouver: Elevator Speach
One of the things many people have heard me talk about is the importance of knowing your audience. All to often we get so wrapped up in our thoughts, feelings and desires that we start asking the world "why arent you more like me"? What is often overlooked in my opinion is the fact that first of all there are 4 major personality types. ( I am not going to get into a discussion of what they are right now, I will leave that for a later post)
So what we need to realize is that even if every person of our personality type were like us (they are not, however) we would still only be getting our message to 25% of the population who share our thought patterns.
Instead of trying to get people to think more like you, try thinking more like the person you are speaking with. I know you will love the results you get once you begin to do this. For more on this topic take a look at my article on creating an elevator speach for an introduction.
BNI Vancouver: Elevator Speach
Cheers,
CB
So what we need to realize is that even if every person of our personality type were like us (they are not, however) we would still only be getting our message to 25% of the population who share our thought patterns.
Instead of trying to get people to think more like you, try thinking more like the person you are speaking with. I know you will love the results you get once you begin to do this. For more on this topic take a look at my article on creating an elevator speach for an introduction.
BNI Vancouver: Elevator Speach
Cheers,
CB
RSS-Your own personal detective
One of the thing that continues to amaze me the most is the search capacity of RSS feeds. I can be notified for instance everytime anything is written on the net using the words "Chuck Brady". I can have a constant search being run and the results delivered directly to my inbox with no work on my part and most importantly NO SPAM.
The ramifications of this are huge from an information standpoint. It allows you to always be updated on the topics of your choice. You can always be aware of what your competition is doing, stop any bad press while it is in its infancy or just track the results of your favorite sports team.
Just one of the many reasons why I love this new technology,
Cheers,
CB
The ramifications of this are huge from an information standpoint. It allows you to always be updated on the topics of your choice. You can always be aware of what your competition is doing, stop any bad press while it is in its infancy or just track the results of your favorite sports team.
Just one of the many reasons why I love this new technology,
Cheers,
CB
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Firefox-Updated Web Browser
The new version of Firefox browser is now here. For those of you who are not amoung the converted Firefox is a great way to serf the internet and avoid a large number of bugs and viruses that are prevelant in IE. I have been using it for years and find it to be great.
There is a link to download the new version completly free on my side bar.
Bon Appetite,
CB
There is a link to download the new version completly free on my side bar.
Bon Appetite,
CB
RSS for Outlook
Are you an outlook user who wants to integrate your RSS feeds into it seemlessly? I have a solution for you that is both simple and free, it is a software program called Attensa. One of the coolest things is that not only can you subscribe to a particular blog such as this, but you can also subscribe to a key word search.
For instance if I wanted to see everytime someone created a blog that used the name Chuck Brady, well Attensa would tell me. This is great for anyone who wants to keep up with their competition. This is just another way this great new technology is allowing information to move quickly and effectively.
Happy blogging,
CB
For instance if I wanted to see everytime someone created a blog that used the name Chuck Brady, well Attensa would tell me. This is great for anyone who wants to keep up with their competition. This is just another way this great new technology is allowing information to move quickly and effectively.
Happy blogging,
CB
Blogging-Accept the change
You know I always find it funny that the same people who talk about how they should have taken advatage of past trends early, are the same ones who say "well I am going to wait and see what happens with this". Blogging is no different, with currently only about 5% of companies using blogs, now is the time to be jumping on board. I don't think that there is any secret that the companies who embrace blogs now are the ones who are going to receive the most long term benefit from using them.
The time really is now to buck up and accept that blogs are becoming the business norm. It will not be long before every business card has a blog URL on it and every email signature has the same. Learn how to use them to your advantage and you will be happy you did.
Remember, you heard it here first,
Cheers,
CB
The time really is now to buck up and accept that blogs are becoming the business norm. It will not be long before every business card has a blog URL on it and every email signature has the same. Learn how to use them to your advantage and you will be happy you did.
Remember, you heard it here first,
Cheers,
CB
You do have the time
I am always amazed at the number of people who say to me Chuck, I don't have time for this. Or I dont have any time, I always respond the same way. It is not that you dont have time, each one of us has the same 24 hours in a day, it is what we choose to do with that time that matters.
I find though that these are the same people who find the time to spent 3 hours a night watching TV or waste time left right and center. I don't think it is a matter of lack of time, I see it as a matter of lack of clear goals or objectives. I think that once we know clearly what we want to do and achieve we always find time to do the important things that take us there.
Time and time it has been written about the importance of goals and I for one am a firm beleiver in this. How can you say you do not have time when you don't even know what you are trying to achieve?
My thoughts on the subject,
CB
I find though that these are the same people who find the time to spent 3 hours a night watching TV or waste time left right and center. I don't think it is a matter of lack of time, I see it as a matter of lack of clear goals or objectives. I think that once we know clearly what we want to do and achieve we always find time to do the important things that take us there.
Time and time it has been written about the importance of goals and I for one am a firm beleiver in this. How can you say you do not have time when you don't even know what you are trying to achieve?
My thoughts on the subject,
CB
Monday, November 28, 2005
RSS-What is it?
I am being asked more and more what is RSS? There are currently two accepted interpretations of the intitials, they are Rich Site Summary or Real Simple Syndication. No matter which you use the purpose is for your information or blog entries to be distributed through the world wide web.
Every time a post is created on a blog a new feed is created. RSS programs search the web looking for these new feeds and send them to interested parties. For instance, if I was interested in the topic of RRSPs, I could program my RSS reader to find me every new post on the subject. After I have done this whenever someone writes a blog post containing the word RRSP, it will be instantly sent to me via my RSS reader without me having to search for it.
In business this is a very powerful tool, as it allows you to track whenever something is being said about your company or product. Wouldnt it be valuable to know immediatly anytime someone is spreading bad press about you? RSS allows you to do this and much much more.
Cheers,
CB
Every time a post is created on a blog a new feed is created. RSS programs search the web looking for these new feeds and send them to interested parties. For instance, if I was interested in the topic of RRSPs, I could program my RSS reader to find me every new post on the subject. After I have done this whenever someone writes a blog post containing the word RRSP, it will be instantly sent to me via my RSS reader without me having to search for it.
In business this is a very powerful tool, as it allows you to track whenever something is being said about your company or product. Wouldnt it be valuable to know immediatly anytime someone is spreading bad press about you? RSS allows you to do this and much much more.
Cheers,
CB
Blog Culture
The business of blogging is creating a new culture for business owners and professionals. We are entering a realm where customers want to get to know the intimate details of the people they are doing business with befor making that all important decision to buy a product or service.
When you are creating your business blog by all means appear human. Humans will make typos, have the occational bad gramatical error or use the wrong word. I am not saying you should lay caution to the wind and write the entire thing in slang. What I am saying is that you do not need to have an editor scrutinize every post for hours or weeks at a time before it gets posted. We are never going to be 100% perfect, but we should be 100% honest in our approach.
Our blogs are nothing more than an extention of our personalities, use this to your advantage. If you are funny, make your blog funny. We have created a paradigm shift in the market today so be aware of it.
Happy Blogging,
CB
When you are creating your business blog by all means appear human. Humans will make typos, have the occational bad gramatical error or use the wrong word. I am not saying you should lay caution to the wind and write the entire thing in slang. What I am saying is that you do not need to have an editor scrutinize every post for hours or weeks at a time before it gets posted. We are never going to be 100% perfect, but we should be 100% honest in our approach.
Our blogs are nothing more than an extention of our personalities, use this to your advantage. If you are funny, make your blog funny. We have created a paradigm shift in the market today so be aware of it.
Happy Blogging,
CB
Bridging the gap
I am pleased to say that I have been able to put together the inaugural event, in an attempt to bridge the gap between east and west. This coming Friday in Vancouver, I am looking forward to an event with aproximately 100 business people from both Vancouver and China. We are trying to find ways in which our two business communities can work together more closely as we move towards a more global economy.
Working very closely with the Burnaby Board of Trade www.burnabyboardoftrade.com and Van Club www.vanclub.org, we have been able to get the event organized. It will be taking place on Friday December the 2nd 6:30 PM at ie Design, 180 W. 3rd Ave, Vancouver.
I am really looking forward to this event as I think it can be a springboard into future events and a closer working relationship with our friends from the east. I think I need to start learning to speak Mandarin and Cantonese, I think they are quickly becoming the languages of the world trade. But I digress, Friday should be great, everyone is welcome to attend.
Cheers,
CB
Working very closely with the Burnaby Board of Trade www.burnabyboardoftrade.com and Van Club www.vanclub.org, we have been able to get the event organized. It will be taking place on Friday December the 2nd 6:30 PM at ie Design, 180 W. 3rd Ave, Vancouver.
I am really looking forward to this event as I think it can be a springboard into future events and a closer working relationship with our friends from the east. I think I need to start learning to speak Mandarin and Cantonese, I think they are quickly becoming the languages of the world trade. But I digress, Friday should be great, everyone is welcome to attend.
Cheers,
CB
Access Strategy-What is it?
I often get asked the question, "what is an Access Strategist"? Well the short answer is I provide business owners and sales people ACCESS to the people, resources and ideas that are required to take your business to the next level.
Access Strategy is the new wave of consulting, using things like blogs to help companies gain insites into the mind's of their customers. Though to me the most important part of Access Strategy is you, my loyal customers and friends. Every person that I work with is so very uniqe and needs access to something a little bit different. Together we gain access to the new ideas, new thoughts and create the paradigm shifts future generations will read about.
So really for me being an Access Strategist is nothing more than living and sharing dreams with people as we build lasting relationships for the future, so to each and every one of you who help make Access Strategy fun, I thank you.
Cheers,
Chuck
Access Strategy is the new wave of consulting, using things like blogs to help companies gain insites into the mind's of their customers. Though to me the most important part of Access Strategy is you, my loyal customers and friends. Every person that I work with is so very uniqe and needs access to something a little bit different. Together we gain access to the new ideas, new thoughts and create the paradigm shifts future generations will read about.
So really for me being an Access Strategist is nothing more than living and sharing dreams with people as we build lasting relationships for the future, so to each and every one of you who help make Access Strategy fun, I thank you.
Cheers,
Chuck
Blogs-The new corporate face
In this world of big faceless corporations and company politics, I see companies struggling with the paradigm shift that is taking place in the blogosphere. Companies are so used to having press releases and web site content scrutinized by the accountants and lawyers before it is allowed to be viewed by Joe public. The blogging world has changed the rules and customs and the companies who are able to adapt to this the quickest will be the ones who see the most success.
I am a firm beleiver in the old adage when refering to customers, "they don't care how much you know untill they know how much you care". Blogs are the ideal way for companies to get rid of the faceless facade they like to hide behind and show the human side of business. I see time and time again in Vancouver how it is the businesses and business people who have the skills to relate to their customers who are having success.
We are very much living in a world where distrust is at an all time high. People want to buy products and do business with people they can trust. Companies that can get out from behind the desk and smile pretty or take constructive critism without resorting to company rhetoric are the ones who will be the market leaders moving forward. The best advice I can offer is blog as a person, not a company and talk like you are talking to a friend. I feel a little softer touch will go a long way to earning you that soft spot in the customer's heart.
These are my two cents,
Cheers,
CB
I am a firm beleiver in the old adage when refering to customers, "they don't care how much you know untill they know how much you care". Blogs are the ideal way for companies to get rid of the faceless facade they like to hide behind and show the human side of business. I see time and time again in Vancouver how it is the businesses and business people who have the skills to relate to their customers who are having success.
We are very much living in a world where distrust is at an all time high. People want to buy products and do business with people they can trust. Companies that can get out from behind the desk and smile pretty or take constructive critism without resorting to company rhetoric are the ones who will be the market leaders moving forward. The best advice I can offer is blog as a person, not a company and talk like you are talking to a friend. I feel a little softer touch will go a long way to earning you that soft spot in the customer's heart.
These are my two cents,
Cheers,
CB
TOMA-Top of the Mind Awareness
The goal of any marketing program is to achieve TOMA. This happens when consumers link your product or service with a particular key word. For instance when we think of a tissue we immediately think of the name Kleenex, and we often forget that Kleenex is not a generic product name, it is actually a brand of tissue. Kleenex has just done such a good job of creating TOMA with their product.
When creating a corporate blog one should always have TOMA in mind. It is a good idea to have a series of posts using a few keys words in which you would like to own in the minds of your customers. You will have much greater success with your blog if you focus on a few key areas and maximize your exposure. A corporate blog is an extention of a marketing campaign and should be treated as such.
Since the world of business blogging is still relatively new a company has the opportunity to be first in owning key words in the blogosphere and thus gaining a great competitive advatage. Know what you want to achieve TOMA with and you will be one step closer to success.
Cheers,
CB
When creating a corporate blog one should always have TOMA in mind. It is a good idea to have a series of posts using a few keys words in which you would like to own in the minds of your customers. You will have much greater success with your blog if you focus on a few key areas and maximize your exposure. A corporate blog is an extention of a marketing campaign and should be treated as such.
Since the world of business blogging is still relatively new a company has the opportunity to be first in owning key words in the blogosphere and thus gaining a great competitive advatage. Know what you want to achieve TOMA with and you will be one step closer to success.
Cheers,
CB
Thursday, November 24, 2005
RSS-The new email
As blogs continue to explode onto the internet the importance of RSS or Atom feeds is becoming more and more refined. I could see these one day replacing a good portion of the emails we receive on a daily basis. The best feature of them is that you are receiving only content you want WITH NO SPAM, I mean how cool is this.
The most user friendly one I have found so far is RSS Reader www.rssreader.com. It allows you to subscribe to any number of blogs and have the great content delivered right to your desktop without having to go through the hassel of serfing for it. The readers will just ask you for a feed of each site you would like it to keep you abreast of. Mine is http://chuckbrady.blogspot.com/atom.xml .
As blogs continue to increase in popularity those who use RSS to their advantage will be the ones who are able to best reap the rewards. Now is the time to be one of those people who will be looked at 5 years from now when people say "boy were you lucky to get in when you did".
These are my two cents,
CB
The most user friendly one I have found so far is RSS Reader www.rssreader.com. It allows you to subscribe to any number of blogs and have the great content delivered right to your desktop without having to go through the hassel of serfing for it. The readers will just ask you for a feed of each site you would like it to keep you abreast of. Mine is http://chuckbrady.blogspot.com/atom.xml .
As blogs continue to increase in popularity those who use RSS to their advantage will be the ones who are able to best reap the rewards. Now is the time to be one of those people who will be looked at 5 years from now when people say "boy were you lucky to get in when you did".
These are my two cents,
CB
Blogging: Bubble Or Big Deal?
Here is another great article I came across, I think it provides some great insite to review.
"Although Weblogs (blogs) are currently used by only a small number of online consumers, they've garnered a great deal of corporate attention because their readers and writers are highly influential. Forrester believes that blogging will grow in importance, and at a minimum, companies should monitor blogs to learn what is being said about their products and services. Companies that plan to create their own public blogs should already feel comfortable having a close, two-way relationship with users. In this document we recommend best practices, including a blogging code of ethics, and metrics that will show the impact of blogs on business goals........"
For the entire article click here:
www.forrester.com/Research/Document/Excerpt/0,7211,35000,00.html
Bon Appetite,
CB
"Although Weblogs (blogs) are currently used by only a small number of online consumers, they've garnered a great deal of corporate attention because their readers and writers are highly influential. Forrester believes that blogging will grow in importance, and at a minimum, companies should monitor blogs to learn what is being said about their products and services. Companies that plan to create their own public blogs should already feel comfortable having a close, two-way relationship with users. In this document we recommend best practices, including a blogging code of ethics, and metrics that will show the impact of blogs on business goals........"
For the entire article click here:
www.forrester.com/Research/Document/Excerpt/0,7211,35000,00.html
Bon Appetite,
CB
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Corporate Blogs- Measure their value
I found this great article about blogging from a business standpoint. It puts blogging into context and shows how you can include it into your budgeting.
Bon Appetite,
CB
www.clickz.com/experts/crm/actionable_analysis/article.php/3517546
Bon Appetite,
CB
www.clickz.com/experts/crm/actionable_analysis/article.php/3517546
BNI Vancouver
I am please to announce that our BNI Terminal city club was officialy sanctioned today. It is my great pleasure to take on the role as president of the club. I have long thought BNI to be a great organization. With our proactive group of business people in our group we are excited about the future of our new chapter.
Vancouver's business community has always been close knit and I think that BNI is still grossly under-represented in our fair city. I like to consider myself as someone who is well networked and would welcome anyone looking to network in Vancouver to come as my guest to our chapter or to any of the other many events that I am associated with in the city.
Cheers,
CB
Vancouver's business community has always been close knit and I think that BNI is still grossly under-represented in our fair city. I like to consider myself as someone who is well networked and would welcome anyone looking to network in Vancouver to come as my guest to our chapter or to any of the other many events that I am associated with in the city.
Cheers,
CB
Blogging in Vancouver
While looking around my fair city of Vancouver, one known for its high tech community I was surprised to see that not many of the companies here have adopted the idea of blogging for business. I think Vancovuer is a great city that has the ability to lead the world as far as getting its business community to come together and market the heck out of something. With the upcoming winter Olympics in 2010 Vancouver has all sorts of revenue potential for companies.
I really look forward to playing a strong role in helping the local companies understand and utilize the effect blogging can have for businesses. I would welcome any local people or companies to stand up and be heard on this subject, after all Vancouver is the best city in the world to live in.
Cheers,
CB
I really look forward to playing a strong role in helping the local companies understand and utilize the effect blogging can have for businesses. I would welcome any local people or companies to stand up and be heard on this subject, after all Vancouver is the best city in the world to live in.
Cheers,
CB
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Never miss another article!!
Make sure you never miss another post with a free service offered by Bloglines http://www.bloglines.com/. This is a great service that allows you to track what is being posted on all of your favorite blogs; without having to visit a whole wack of sites. I have found it to be an incredibly useful tool for keeping track of what is going on.
Happy reading,
CB
Happy reading,
CB
Blogging for Business
With the popularity of blogs on the up swing many business owners are asking the question as to how they can best take advantage of this emerging trend. One of the questions that come along with this trend is asking how can business owners keep from being a victim of the blog wars which have caused many companies headaches beyond belief.
A few things a company should be aware of are that bloggers are going to speak their mind regardless. You can not stop news from spreading through the blogsphere so just make sure there is positive news spreading with your company attached to it. Be proactive and be ahead of the growth curve.
It is also a good idea to monitor the content that is spreading through the blogsphere on a regular basis. There are many monitoring systems out there; you can find a great list of them at http://www.atomenabled.org/ . Finally make sure you are adding good content on a regular basis and blogs will become your new best friend.
These are just my two cents on the subject
Cheers,
CB
A few things a company should be aware of are that bloggers are going to speak their mind regardless. You can not stop news from spreading through the blogsphere so just make sure there is positive news spreading with your company attached to it. Be proactive and be ahead of the growth curve.
It is also a good idea to monitor the content that is spreading through the blogsphere on a regular basis. There are many monitoring systems out there; you can find a great list of them at http://www.atomenabled.org/ . Finally make sure you are adding good content on a regular basis and blogs will become your new best friend.
These are just my two cents on the subject
Cheers,
CB
Defensiveness-Our inborn ability to waste time
By our nature we as humans have a defense mechanism built into us for survival. We have the inborn desire to survive and will do whatever we feel we need to do. However this is often driven by emotion and not logic. Once we know this we can then begin to break down the barriers and find softer ways to approach problems. Always be focused on the solutions and not the problems.
When I used to manage for pizza hut I was always amazed at the reaction of my cooks when a customer who complain. Pizza Hut always had a very liberal customer service policy, if a customer felt there was something wrong with his pizza then our attitude was there is something wrong with his pizza so we would make him another one. It always astounded sometimes when I would ask a cook to do a remake. Often time they would stand there and argue with me for 5 minutes that there was nothing wrong with the first one. My response was always the same, “it doesn’t matter what the first one looked like just make another one and get back to work”. These cooks were not punished or reprimanded for these customer complaints; it didn’t affect their wages or shift lengths. It really had no effect on their life whatsoever despite the fact that they now had one more pizza to make. They would just stand their arguing with me about the initial quality and waste time. The come the end of the shift I would always get the same excuse if some of the important tasks were not completed. “Chuck I didn’t have time to get that done”, as I have always said we all have the same number of hours in the day, it is what we choose to do with them that matters.
CB
When I used to manage for pizza hut I was always amazed at the reaction of my cooks when a customer who complain. Pizza Hut always had a very liberal customer service policy, if a customer felt there was something wrong with his pizza then our attitude was there is something wrong with his pizza so we would make him another one. It always astounded sometimes when I would ask a cook to do a remake. Often time they would stand there and argue with me for 5 minutes that there was nothing wrong with the first one. My response was always the same, “it doesn’t matter what the first one looked like just make another one and get back to work”. These cooks were not punished or reprimanded for these customer complaints; it didn’t affect their wages or shift lengths. It really had no effect on their life whatsoever despite the fact that they now had one more pizza to make. They would just stand their arguing with me about the initial quality and waste time. The come the end of the shift I would always get the same excuse if some of the important tasks were not completed. “Chuck I didn’t have time to get that done”, as I have always said we all have the same number of hours in the day, it is what we choose to do with them that matters.
CB
Busy vs. Productive Continued
“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing." Thomas Edison
In the years I have spent managing people it never ceased to amaze me the number of people who were keeping themselves busy at work and could never understand why their peers were surpassing them. I heard all sorts of complaints such as “I have been here longer than him”, “I work much harder than her” or “she is just lucky”. Many years ago I stopped wasting my breath trying to explain to these people that just because they were busy did not mean they were helping the company in any way shape or form.
Throughout my life I have often been called lucky or very successful for my age. This was because at a very young age I picked up on the idea that it wasn’t the people in the world that worked the hardest who were at the top, it was those who worked the smartest. If it were the hardest workers at the top of the financial food chain we would see countless millionaires from the manual labour pools. The truth of the matter though is that very few people who do labour for a lifetime will ever be near the top. They are usually the ones putting in 12 hour work days and living pay cheque to pay cheque. It is a sad but true reality of this crazy world we live in.
CB
In the years I have spent managing people it never ceased to amaze me the number of people who were keeping themselves busy at work and could never understand why their peers were surpassing them. I heard all sorts of complaints such as “I have been here longer than him”, “I work much harder than her” or “she is just lucky”. Many years ago I stopped wasting my breath trying to explain to these people that just because they were busy did not mean they were helping the company in any way shape or form.
Throughout my life I have often been called lucky or very successful for my age. This was because at a very young age I picked up on the idea that it wasn’t the people in the world that worked the hardest who were at the top, it was those who worked the smartest. If it were the hardest workers at the top of the financial food chain we would see countless millionaires from the manual labour pools. The truth of the matter though is that very few people who do labour for a lifetime will ever be near the top. They are usually the ones putting in 12 hour work days and living pay cheque to pay cheque. It is a sad but true reality of this crazy world we live in.
CB
Business Plans-My first experience
I wrote my first business plan with my good friend Tim at the ripe age of 19 years old. Tim and I decided that we wanted to enter into the business of selling computers through the retail channel. We needed to raise some capital to start our business so we went about writing a business plan. Along the way to writing the business plan we elicited the help of many seasoned business people as well as many small business associations. The process caused me to read dozens of books, gathers thousands of pages of census and market data as well as do market studies.
After 6 months of 10 hour days we finally finished our business plan and our company vision had changed more than I could have ever imagined. About the only the consistent with our initial vision was that we would use computers and that there were to be the two of us as partners. We went from wanting to sell retail to working on call and in an office rather than a store. We changed our approach from selling product to selling services and solutions. Most of all we went from a concept that was going to cost us upwards of $100,000 (which we did not have) to something we could begin with a mere $5000 which we were able to raise.
What a difference 6 months and many lates nights can make,
Cheers,
CB
After 6 months of 10 hour days we finally finished our business plan and our company vision had changed more than I could have ever imagined. About the only the consistent with our initial vision was that we would use computers and that there were to be the two of us as partners. We went from wanting to sell retail to working on call and in an office rather than a store. We changed our approach from selling product to selling services and solutions. Most of all we went from a concept that was going to cost us upwards of $100,000 (which we did not have) to something we could begin with a mere $5000 which we were able to raise.
What a difference 6 months and many lates nights can make,
Cheers,
CB
Business Plans-A guide to success
This is an area that I think can be both over used and underused, sometimes at the exact same time. No business should operate without a business plan; however, it is critical to remember that business plans are not written in stone. They should be fluid and will evolve each and every day as your market changes, you become more experienced and different economist and environmental effects come into play.
One of the first important lessons to learn about planning is that even with the best laid plans, events will rarely go completely as expected. Just relax and accept this as the way of life. Make sure you are not so rigid in your thinking that you have to follow the plan to a T. The business plan is designed to be a guide.
One of the first important lessons to learn about planning is that even with the best laid plans, events will rarely go completely as expected. Just relax and accept this as the way of life. Make sure you are not so rigid in your thinking that you have to follow the plan to a T. The business plan is designed to be a guide.
Listening-The forgotten Skill
I believe that listening is a skill that is very much under developed in our society. Often times what happens when someone is speaking to us even though we hear the words we are not actually listening. The human mind is capable of taking in over 500 words per minute but most of us use only a small fraction of that ability.
What often ends up happening is that when someone is speaking to us we immediately start to interpret what they are saying based on our ideas and the things we believe. When this happens we shape our opinions of that person based on our beliefs and the things we are thinking about and often miss what the other person is trying to tell us. This can be devastating if done in the sales process.
We as human beings have a deep down desire to be understood, when we feel that people do not understand us we shut down and become hostile or distant. Conversely, if we feel that someone cares about us and listens to what we have to say we become open with that person and begin to develop trust in them.
What often ends up happening is that when someone is speaking to us we immediately start to interpret what they are saying based on our ideas and the things we believe. When this happens we shape our opinions of that person based on our beliefs and the things we are thinking about and often miss what the other person is trying to tell us. This can be devastating if done in the sales process.
We as human beings have a deep down desire to be understood, when we feel that people do not understand us we shut down and become hostile or distant. Conversely, if we feel that someone cares about us and listens to what we have to say we become open with that person and begin to develop trust in them.
Know your Audience
I can’t count the number of hours I have wasted in my sales career on customers who were more hassle than good before I learned the importance of knowing my audience. I am sure you know the type of person I am referring to. We have all had the experience of someone who will nickel and dime us on our most inexpensive product only to get it home then return it 2 days later. This is a key illustration on how important it is to know who your target market is. As business people and salesmen we should know inside and out what kind of customer we are looking for. We should be able to repeat this information in our sleep and recite it within 5 seconds of someone asking. This simple yet important process is lost on so many people.
FEAR- False Expecations Appearing Real
Fear can be defined as an acronym: False Expectations Appearing Real. This happens when we do not make our choices wisely. We can however change this at any time by taking responsibility for our choices, learning from them and becoming better at making them.
Often times we will have a bad day in life, but what we must realize is that 80% of our problems are within ourselves. Outside factors can only impact us if we allow them to do so. Until you make a conscious decision to not be influenced by outside sources you will be destined to be ruled by your environment. As soon as you make this determination your life will instantly change for the better. It will be like a load of bricks has been lifted off your shoulders. You will become free of your shackles and can begin moving towards your goals and objectives.
Often times we will have a bad day in life, but what we must realize is that 80% of our problems are within ourselves. Outside factors can only impact us if we allow them to do so. Until you make a conscious decision to not be influenced by outside sources you will be destined to be ruled by your environment. As soon as you make this determination your life will instantly change for the better. It will be like a load of bricks has been lifted off your shoulders. You will become free of your shackles and can begin moving towards your goals and objectives.
Choices-or Lack there of
Those in life who fear choices really are living what psychologist call a “self fulfilling prophecy.” The term "self fulfilling prophecy" was defined by the American sociologist William Isaac Thomas when he said “If men define situations as real, they are real in their consequences.” What happens is a fear is created in the mind and it becomes the focus of a person. Since it becomes the focus, all actions taken by a person are complimentary to that focus.
What ends up happening is people focus so much on bad things happening because of decisions, they fear to make decisions. In not making decisions they become creatures of circumstance and end up being the brunt of bad events.
What ends up happening is people focus so much on bad things happening because of decisions, they fear to make decisions. In not making decisions they become creatures of circumstance and end up being the brunt of bad events.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
"Build Your Own Business" by Brian Tracy
The high road to becoming a self-made millionaire in America is starting and building your own business. But this is not as easy as it sounds. Most businesses started by inexperienced people fail. Probably the primary reason why people don't start businesses is because they're afraid that they're going to lose their money and for good reason. 99 percent of businesses started by people lacking business experience fail within the first two or three years.
Why Business Fail And why is that?
It's because they don't know how. They haven't the slightest idea how to make a business successful. They may have an idea for a product or service, but they don't know all the things that they need to know to run a successful business.
Why Businesses Succeed However, surprisingly enough, 80 percent of businesses started by experienced businesspeople succeed.
Now why should this be so?
The reason is because experienced businesspeople know what to do. They know how to purchase their products and their services. They know how to negotiate with their suppliers. They know how to raise money. They know how to negotiate leases. They know how to sell and to market. They know how to manage their finances. In other words, experience is the key. In order to start your own business and succeed, you have to learn how.
Competence Makes The Difference Now according to Dunn and Bradstreet, 96 percent of businesses in America that fail, fail because of what is called "managerial incompetence". Managerial incompetence means that the people running the businesses don't know what they're doing. And here are the two critical areas of managerial incompetence that cause business failure. First is sales and marketing. 48 percent of businesses that fail in America fail because the business cannot sell enough of its products or services. Very few businesses fail when they have high levels of sales and revenues coming in.
Control Your Costs The second reason that businesses fail, 46 percent, is because of poor cost control. They may be selling enough on the front end, but they're losing so much on the back end that they go broke anyway. Sales and marketing, financing and cost control, both require experience. And if you're serious about becoming financially independent, you have to learn how to do both of these. Put Luck On Your Side You must learn the skills you need to be successful. Business success is not a matter of luck. Business success is a matter of application. It's a matter of ability. It's a matter of experience and skill and intelligence, and wonderfully enough, you can learn what you need to know to be successful. And you can start by learning through on-the-job training, which is called OJT.
Most successful businesspeople become successful because they get all their training by working for someone else.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to make sure that your business succeeds greatly:
First, take the time to get the knowledge and experience you need in business by working for someone else where you can learn a lot in a short period of time. Go to work in an area in which you are interested and learn everything you possibly can.
Second, read and study in business, especially entrepreneurial business, all the time. Read one or two business books per week and read every business magazine that is published on your subject. Never stop learning and growing.
Why Business Fail And why is that?
It's because they don't know how. They haven't the slightest idea how to make a business successful. They may have an idea for a product or service, but they don't know all the things that they need to know to run a successful business.
Why Businesses Succeed However, surprisingly enough, 80 percent of businesses started by experienced businesspeople succeed.
Now why should this be so?
The reason is because experienced businesspeople know what to do. They know how to purchase their products and their services. They know how to negotiate with their suppliers. They know how to raise money. They know how to negotiate leases. They know how to sell and to market. They know how to manage their finances. In other words, experience is the key. In order to start your own business and succeed, you have to learn how.
Competence Makes The Difference Now according to Dunn and Bradstreet, 96 percent of businesses in America that fail, fail because of what is called "managerial incompetence". Managerial incompetence means that the people running the businesses don't know what they're doing. And here are the two critical areas of managerial incompetence that cause business failure. First is sales and marketing. 48 percent of businesses that fail in America fail because the business cannot sell enough of its products or services. Very few businesses fail when they have high levels of sales and revenues coming in.
Control Your Costs The second reason that businesses fail, 46 percent, is because of poor cost control. They may be selling enough on the front end, but they're losing so much on the back end that they go broke anyway. Sales and marketing, financing and cost control, both require experience. And if you're serious about becoming financially independent, you have to learn how to do both of these. Put Luck On Your Side You must learn the skills you need to be successful. Business success is not a matter of luck. Business success is a matter of application. It's a matter of ability. It's a matter of experience and skill and intelligence, and wonderfully enough, you can learn what you need to know to be successful. And you can start by learning through on-the-job training, which is called OJT.
Most successful businesspeople become successful because they get all their training by working for someone else.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to make sure that your business succeeds greatly:
First, take the time to get the knowledge and experience you need in business by working for someone else where you can learn a lot in a short period of time. Go to work in an area in which you are interested and learn everything you possibly can.
Second, read and study in business, especially entrepreneurial business, all the time. Read one or two business books per week and read every business magazine that is published on your subject. Never stop learning and growing.
Busy vs. Productive
"Inevitably in life we all come to the crossroad where we find ourselves saying “I don’t have time for this”. It is not that we do not have the time, as each one of us has the same 24 hours in a day. It is what we choose to do with that time that makes all the differences in the world. Have you ever stopped to wonder how some people seem to find all the time in the world to do the things they love while most people are stuck in their dead end rut we like to call a job.
Well I am here to tell you it is nothing more than the choices these people differently than us that make them who they are. You can change your behavior to become one of them by simply making better decisions."
I am curious as to whether or not business people see this as an important issue facing them. I would welcome feedback on how you feel your time is managed and what areas you would be interested in receiving help on.
Cheers,
CB
Well I am here to tell you it is nothing more than the choices these people differently than us that make them who they are. You can change your behavior to become one of them by simply making better decisions."
I am curious as to whether or not business people see this as an important issue facing them. I would welcome feedback on how you feel your time is managed and what areas you would be interested in receiving help on.
Cheers,
CB
Eye opening
Often times we will have a bad day in life, but what we must realize is that 80% of our problems are within ourselves. Outside factors can only impact us if we allow them to do so. Until you make a conscious decision to not be influenced by outside sources you will be destined to be ruled by your environment. As soon as you make this determination your life will instantly change for the better. It will be like a load of bricks has been lifted off your shoulders. You will become free of your shackles and can begin moving towards your goals and objectives.
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