.
Facebook has become an increasingly important marketing platform, but to use it effectively you need to get visitors interacting with your page. Here are some tips that will help.
• Post on your page regularly. It doesn't have to be daily, but at the very minimum it needs to be fortnightly.
• Post quality content that’s relevant to your page’s purpose.
• Put a Facebook ‘Like’ box on your website - not just on the contact us page, but also on the home page and indeed every page on your site.
• Add a link to your Facebook page to your email signature.
• If you have a physical location for your business, put a poster up asking people to like you on Facebook, and include your page’s URL.
• Add the page details to any promotional materials you have, and again, include your page’s URL. (Don’t expect people to find it for themselves).
• Add the page details to your business cards.
• Actively ask your current likers to share your page with their friends.
• Have a landing tab on your page explaining what people get if they like your page. Pages with landing tabs are liked twice as often as pages without them.
• If you have a store on your Facebook page, offer a special price to people who like the page. You can do this if you use the free VendorShop application.
• There is a link on the right side of your page that says “Use Facebook as Page”. Switch to this to post on other page walls, making sure you aren't adding spammy comments.
• When you mention other pages in your posts make sure you tag them so that the post appears on their page as well as yours. To tag another page in your posts you need to first like the page (if you are posting from your account as the admin you need to like it, but if you are using Facebook as your page, then your page needs to like it), then type in @[the page name]. (You’ll know it’s worked if the text turns blue). Just be aware that not all pages let you tag, so if it doesn’t work this may be the case.
• Try using Facebook advertising to promote your page. Make sure you use it to drive people to your Facebook page, not your website – it works far more effectively that way.
• Invite your personal Facebook friends to like your business page.
• Offer an incentive to those who like the page, such as a free download, voucher or PDF.
• Write comments on relevant blogs and include the link to your Facebook page instead of your website.
• Add your Facebook page as a website to your LinkedIn profile.
• Make other relevant pages Favourites of your Facebook page, and ask those pages to Favourite you back.
• Run a competition on your page (making sure that it’s within Facebook's promotions guidelines) and ask your likers to share it with their friends.
• If you have a blog, mention your Facebook page and hyperlink the text back to it.
• Include a link to your page in your e-newsletter – not just once, but every time.
• Respond to all the comments people write on your wall; it will encourage them to write more. Every post they write on the wall appears in the newsfeed of all their friends, thus promoting your page.
• Encourage people to share your page posts with friends by suggesting they click on the share button – people don’t always know how to do this.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Seven Qualities of Master Achievers
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by Brian Tracy
If you think the way successful people think and adopt their success habits, you too can be successful. Here are seven qualities of the top 1% of successful people.
They Are Ambitious
They see themselves capable of being the best. They see themselves with the capacity of being really good at what they do. This was a really big thought for me. It held me back for many years. When I saw people who were doing better than I was, I naturally assumed they were better than I was. And if they were better than I was, then I must be worse than them, so that would mean they were superior and I was inferior. That is a big problem in our society.
We have feelings of inferiority, and these feelings of inferiority are often translated into feelings of undeservedness. We don’t feel we deserve to be a big success. The word “deserve” comes from two Latin words meaning “from service.” You deserve 100% of everything you make and enjoy as long as you get it from serving other people. Your rewards are in direct proportion to your service. If you serve better and serve more and serve at a higher level and serve more enthusiastically and serve a higher quality, then you’ll have a wonderful income and you’ll deserve every penny of it. You must see yourself capable of being the best.
They Are Courageous
They work to confront the fears that hold most people back. The two biggest enemies to your and my success are fear and doubt. Eliminating fear and doubt is the key. The key to eliminating fear: If you want to develop courage, then simply act courageously when it’s called for. When you do something repeatedly, you develop a habit. Make a habit throughout your life of doing the things you fear. If you do the thing you fear, the death of fear is certain. To overcome fear of rejection in prospecting, you must realize that rejection in selling is not personal. Top salespeople do not fear prospecting. Face your fear. Do the things you fear. The ability to confront your fear is the mark of the superior person. If you have high ambition and you decide to be in the top 10%, and you can confront your fears and do the things that are holding you back, those two things alone will make you a great success.
They Are Committed
The top people in every field, especially the top salespeople, are completely committed. They believe in themselves; they believe in their companies; they believe in their products and services; they believe in their customers; they have an intense belief. We know that there is a one-to-one relationship between the depth of your belief and what happens in your reality. And if you absolutely believe in the rightness and the goodness of what you’re doing, you become like a catalyst. You create what is called a transfer, like an electrical transfer of enthusiasm. People like to buy from people who truly believe in what they are doing. People who are not committed to what they do lead very empty lives. The second part is that caring is the critical element in modern selling. Caring is a critical element in life, as well. All men and women who enjoy great lives care about what they do! They have passion about what they do. They love what they do.
They Are Professional
Top salespeople see themselves as consultants rather than as salespeople. When you think of the word “consultant,” what words come to mind? When do you call a consultant? A consultant is a problem-solver. What word does not appear when you think of a consultant—the word “salesperson.” We don’t think of consultants as salespeople. The most successful consultants in America are the very best salespeople of their services. When a person is positioned as a consultant in the mind and heart of the customer, he is not seen as a salesperson. Do people like to be sold? Do people like to be helped to improve their lives and work? So they look upon a salesperson as someone who sells them. Selling is something you do “to” someone, and people don’t like to be done to.
So when you think of being a consultant, here is the key. How do you position yourself as a consultant with your customers? Of course, you act like a consultant, but even before you get the chance to act like a consultant, you build a rapport. And the most simple answer of all, and this is the most profound principle: People accept you at your own evaluation of yourself. Consultants come in and have a cup of coffee. Salespeople wait in the waiting room and have a glass of water. If you say you’re a consultant, your customer will accept you as a consultant. From now on, position yourself as a consultant. Think of yourself as a consultant. Remember, 80% of what you accomplish on the outside is determined by who you are on the inside. How you see yourself determines how the customer responds to you. The customer’s perception of you determines how much they buy and how much they recommend you to other customers.
They Are Prepared
They review every detail in advance. To be in the top 10% requires additional efforts. It requires doing things that the average person is not willing to do. It requires making sacrifices the average person is not willing to make. It requires reviewing every detail of every call or situation before every business meeting. But the difference it makes is extraordinary. Before you go into a meeting, do your homework. Successful people are more concerned about pleasing results than they are about pleasing methods. When you sit down with a client, there is nothing more complimentary to a client than the feeling that you have prepared for the meeting.
They Are Continuous Learners
They recognize that if they’re not continually getting better, they’re getting worse. They read, they listen to CDs and they take additional training. The professional never stops learning. So read, listen to CDs, take continuous training.
They Are Responsible
They see themselves as president of their own personal services corporation. The top people in our society have an attitude of self-employment. We are presidents of our own personal services corporation. You work for yourself. The biggest mistake we can ever make is to think we work for anyone else. We work for ourselves. The person who signs our paycheck may change; our jobs may change, but we are always the same. We are the one constant—we are always self-employed. The fact of the matter is—this is not optional, it is mandatory—you are the president of your own company, you’re the president of your own career, your own life, your own finances, your own body, your own family, your own health. You are totally responsible. We are responsible. No one will ever do it for us. It’s the most liberating and exhilarating thought of all, to think that you’re the president of your own life.
How do you Measure?
by Brian Tracy
If you think the way successful people think and adopt their success habits, you too can be successful. Here are seven qualities of the top 1% of successful people.
They Are Ambitious
They see themselves capable of being the best. They see themselves with the capacity of being really good at what they do. This was a really big thought for me. It held me back for many years. When I saw people who were doing better than I was, I naturally assumed they were better than I was. And if they were better than I was, then I must be worse than them, so that would mean they were superior and I was inferior. That is a big problem in our society.
We have feelings of inferiority, and these feelings of inferiority are often translated into feelings of undeservedness. We don’t feel we deserve to be a big success. The word “deserve” comes from two Latin words meaning “from service.” You deserve 100% of everything you make and enjoy as long as you get it from serving other people. Your rewards are in direct proportion to your service. If you serve better and serve more and serve at a higher level and serve more enthusiastically and serve a higher quality, then you’ll have a wonderful income and you’ll deserve every penny of it. You must see yourself capable of being the best.
They Are Courageous
They work to confront the fears that hold most people back. The two biggest enemies to your and my success are fear and doubt. Eliminating fear and doubt is the key. The key to eliminating fear: If you want to develop courage, then simply act courageously when it’s called for. When you do something repeatedly, you develop a habit. Make a habit throughout your life of doing the things you fear. If you do the thing you fear, the death of fear is certain. To overcome fear of rejection in prospecting, you must realize that rejection in selling is not personal. Top salespeople do not fear prospecting. Face your fear. Do the things you fear. The ability to confront your fear is the mark of the superior person. If you have high ambition and you decide to be in the top 10%, and you can confront your fears and do the things that are holding you back, those two things alone will make you a great success.
They Are Committed
The top people in every field, especially the top salespeople, are completely committed. They believe in themselves; they believe in their companies; they believe in their products and services; they believe in their customers; they have an intense belief. We know that there is a one-to-one relationship between the depth of your belief and what happens in your reality. And if you absolutely believe in the rightness and the goodness of what you’re doing, you become like a catalyst. You create what is called a transfer, like an electrical transfer of enthusiasm. People like to buy from people who truly believe in what they are doing. People who are not committed to what they do lead very empty lives. The second part is that caring is the critical element in modern selling. Caring is a critical element in life, as well. All men and women who enjoy great lives care about what they do! They have passion about what they do. They love what they do.
They Are Professional
Top salespeople see themselves as consultants rather than as salespeople. When you think of the word “consultant,” what words come to mind? When do you call a consultant? A consultant is a problem-solver. What word does not appear when you think of a consultant—the word “salesperson.” We don’t think of consultants as salespeople. The most successful consultants in America are the very best salespeople of their services. When a person is positioned as a consultant in the mind and heart of the customer, he is not seen as a salesperson. Do people like to be sold? Do people like to be helped to improve their lives and work? So they look upon a salesperson as someone who sells them. Selling is something you do “to” someone, and people don’t like to be done to.
So when you think of being a consultant, here is the key. How do you position yourself as a consultant with your customers? Of course, you act like a consultant, but even before you get the chance to act like a consultant, you build a rapport. And the most simple answer of all, and this is the most profound principle: People accept you at your own evaluation of yourself. Consultants come in and have a cup of coffee. Salespeople wait in the waiting room and have a glass of water. If you say you’re a consultant, your customer will accept you as a consultant. From now on, position yourself as a consultant. Think of yourself as a consultant. Remember, 80% of what you accomplish on the outside is determined by who you are on the inside. How you see yourself determines how the customer responds to you. The customer’s perception of you determines how much they buy and how much they recommend you to other customers.
They Are Prepared
They review every detail in advance. To be in the top 10% requires additional efforts. It requires doing things that the average person is not willing to do. It requires making sacrifices the average person is not willing to make. It requires reviewing every detail of every call or situation before every business meeting. But the difference it makes is extraordinary. Before you go into a meeting, do your homework. Successful people are more concerned about pleasing results than they are about pleasing methods. When you sit down with a client, there is nothing more complimentary to a client than the feeling that you have prepared for the meeting.
They Are Continuous Learners
They recognize that if they’re not continually getting better, they’re getting worse. They read, they listen to CDs and they take additional training. The professional never stops learning. So read, listen to CDs, take continuous training.
They Are Responsible
They see themselves as president of their own personal services corporation. The top people in our society have an attitude of self-employment. We are presidents of our own personal services corporation. You work for yourself. The biggest mistake we can ever make is to think we work for anyone else. We work for ourselves. The person who signs our paycheck may change; our jobs may change, but we are always the same. We are the one constant—we are always self-employed. The fact of the matter is—this is not optional, it is mandatory—you are the president of your own company, you’re the president of your own career, your own life, your own finances, your own body, your own family, your own health. You are totally responsible. We are responsible. No one will ever do it for us. It’s the most liberating and exhilarating thought of all, to think that you’re the president of your own life.
How do you Measure?
Monday, July 4, 2011
Why Measure Business Performance? And How?
.
If you want to improve the outcome of something you need to measure it. Apart from anything else, unless you measure, you won't be able to tell if it has improved.
In other areas of life this is taken for granted. Think of the way sportspeople obsess over the times they run, the heights they jump, and the goals they score. If you want to lose weight the first thing you do is get on the scales – you need to measure your current position and set a target, then measure your progress compared to that target.
So if everyone agrees that measuring is critical, why do so few small businesses do it? And of those that do, why do they do it so poorly?
Even if you think you're an exception to this, take a couple of minutes right now to think about and answer the questions below.
1. Do you keep your accounts up to date?
Many smaller businesses only enter data to their accounts at the end of the quarter, so any reports they run can be up to three months out of date. Only by having your accounts constantly up to date can you run reports that are current and which you can use to make decisions about the one thing you can change – the future.
2. Do you measure your results?
If you do keep your accounts up to date, do you run reports from your accounting system? For example, do you run a monthly profit and loss statement, and if so how soon after the end of the month do you run it?
3. Do you know what to measure?
Running a profit and loss statement is a good starting point, but what else do you measure? Do you also run a monthly balance sheet? Or a cashflow report? Do you run more detailed reports from your accounts, and then drill down into key data?
4. Do you measure inputs as well as outputs?
Not everything you need to measure is in your accounts. You should also be reporting on (and therefore measuring) the other drivers of your business. These will vary from business to business, but may include website hits, forward orders, the percentage of enquiries converted to sales, dollar per sale or a measure of repeat business.
5. Do you compare the reports you run against a benchmark?
Interpreting any of your reports can be quite difficult without some basis for comparison, and that's where benchmarking comes in. The three most common yardsticks are a previous period (such as this year against last), a budget (or forecast) or a comparison with what is the normal performance for other businesses like yours.
6. Do you prepare any ratios?
Not everyone knows what this means, and those that do often switch off, thinking that ratios are too boring! But creating just a handful of really simple ratios can tell you so much about what is going well in your business.
For example, rather than just reviewing gross profit as a dollar figure, track your gross profit percentage (divide your gross profit by your sales and multiply by 100). Using a ratio makes it much easier to spot trends (good or bad), or to compare (either to a budget or a benchmark).
Similarly, get into the habit of tracking some balance sheet ratios, such as debtors days (how long it takes your customers to pay you) or current ratio (a measure of your ability to pay your debts on time).
7. Do you know how to interpret the results?
All of the tools above should help to interpret the results, but you might also want to seek help with this. Whatever you do, make sure the information you're obtaining about your business means more to you than just "numbers on a piece of paper".
8. Do you take action on the results of any reports you do run?
And now the most important point of all. Just because you've prepared and interpreted some information, the future will not change unless your actions change. Once you understand the causes of the results in your business – both the good and the bad – you can decide what you want to do differently to change your results in the future.
So how did you score? If you got 8 out of 8 and you should be enjoying the business results you desire. A lower score means there's room for improvement. Once you've used this checklist to identify any areas of reporting weakness in your business, implementing the solutions really isn't that difficult.
Sam Z.
If you want to improve the outcome of something you need to measure it. Apart from anything else, unless you measure, you won't be able to tell if it has improved.
In other areas of life this is taken for granted. Think of the way sportspeople obsess over the times they run, the heights they jump, and the goals they score. If you want to lose weight the first thing you do is get on the scales – you need to measure your current position and set a target, then measure your progress compared to that target.
So if everyone agrees that measuring is critical, why do so few small businesses do it? And of those that do, why do they do it so poorly?
Even if you think you're an exception to this, take a couple of minutes right now to think about and answer the questions below.
1. Do you keep your accounts up to date?
Many smaller businesses only enter data to their accounts at the end of the quarter, so any reports they run can be up to three months out of date. Only by having your accounts constantly up to date can you run reports that are current and which you can use to make decisions about the one thing you can change – the future.
2. Do you measure your results?
If you do keep your accounts up to date, do you run reports from your accounting system? For example, do you run a monthly profit and loss statement, and if so how soon after the end of the month do you run it?
3. Do you know what to measure?
Running a profit and loss statement is a good starting point, but what else do you measure? Do you also run a monthly balance sheet? Or a cashflow report? Do you run more detailed reports from your accounts, and then drill down into key data?
4. Do you measure inputs as well as outputs?
Not everything you need to measure is in your accounts. You should also be reporting on (and therefore measuring) the other drivers of your business. These will vary from business to business, but may include website hits, forward orders, the percentage of enquiries converted to sales, dollar per sale or a measure of repeat business.
5. Do you compare the reports you run against a benchmark?
Interpreting any of your reports can be quite difficult without some basis for comparison, and that's where benchmarking comes in. The three most common yardsticks are a previous period (such as this year against last), a budget (or forecast) or a comparison with what is the normal performance for other businesses like yours.
6. Do you prepare any ratios?
Not everyone knows what this means, and those that do often switch off, thinking that ratios are too boring! But creating just a handful of really simple ratios can tell you so much about what is going well in your business.
For example, rather than just reviewing gross profit as a dollar figure, track your gross profit percentage (divide your gross profit by your sales and multiply by 100). Using a ratio makes it much easier to spot trends (good or bad), or to compare (either to a budget or a benchmark).
Similarly, get into the habit of tracking some balance sheet ratios, such as debtors days (how long it takes your customers to pay you) or current ratio (a measure of your ability to pay your debts on time).
7. Do you know how to interpret the results?
All of the tools above should help to interpret the results, but you might also want to seek help with this. Whatever you do, make sure the information you're obtaining about your business means more to you than just "numbers on a piece of paper".
8. Do you take action on the results of any reports you do run?
And now the most important point of all. Just because you've prepared and interpreted some information, the future will not change unless your actions change. Once you understand the causes of the results in your business – both the good and the bad – you can decide what you want to do differently to change your results in the future.
So how did you score? If you got 8 out of 8 and you should be enjoying the business results you desire. A lower score means there's room for improvement. Once you've used this checklist to identify any areas of reporting weakness in your business, implementing the solutions really isn't that difficult.
Sam Z.
Winning: Defining It! Achieving It!
.
What do you really enjoy doing in your life? Why are you in Business? What defines you? Who is your Role Model- Personal & Business? Putting Money & time to the side, What would your DREAM be? These are just a few questions worth considering in order to have clearer worthwhile goals.
If you ask most people whether they would like to be considered a winner or a loser in life, they would most assuredly reply that they would like to be a winner. But this begs the question: “What does it mean to win at life?” In some things it’s easy to define a clear winner. In a basketball game, whoever has the most points at the end of the game is the winner. In a game of hearts, my favorite card game, whoever has the least amount of points when one of the players reaches 100 points is the winner.
But it isn’t quite as easy to decide what it means to win in the game of life, is it? And that is because people define winning in different ways. For many, winning is through the accumulation of money or material possessions. “He’s a success, a real winner,” they say. Others think winning means living the longest. Still others say that it is to have their body in tip-top shape. Some say it is to have a happy family. Some say it is to regularly enjoy their hobbies.
All of these are fine, in and of themselves. But I would like to encourage us to think about winning or success in a different way. Generally, people think of winning as the overachievement in a particular, chosen area. I like to believe, however, that to truly win at life is not to overachieve in one area but to succeed in maintaining balanced achievement in numerous areas.
Let me repeat that: To truly win, to be a success, is not to overachieve in one area, but to maintain balanced achievement in all areas of our lives.
For instance, is a person a success if they earn millions of dollars but lose their family? Is a person a success if they garner national fame but have no friends? Of course not. In fact, they may live the most pitiful of all lives.
First, Define
So the first thing we must do is define what we will consider “winning in life.” As you ponder this for yourself, I would like to recommend that you focus in on three overarching areas: Body, Soul and Spirit.
The body has actual connection with the physical world and would encompass physical health, financial health, family, work and relationships.
How is your health? How are your finances? Are your relationships, both with your family and others, all that they could be? Is work fulfilling? How would you define winning in these areas?
The next area, the soul, deals with the emotions, will and intellect. It is our thoughts, ideas and attitudes.
How are you emotionally? Are you able to exercise your will? Are you growing intellectually? Have you done an attitude check lately? How would you define winning in these areas?
And the spirit is the part of us that transcends this life, the part of us which communes with God. Zig Ziglar said, “Money will buy me a house, but not a home, a bed, but not a good night’s sleep.” So true. Inner peace comes from something much deeper.
Have you thought about going back to your spiritual roots? Are you able to spend time in quiet solitude and prayer from time to time? This is an extremely important area and all too often neglected. What would you like to achieve in this area? How would you define winning in these areas?
As we experience balance in these areas, we will find ourselves much more at peace with ourselves than if we were to experience tremendous success in one area but loss or failure in the other areas. We were designed to work as congruent, balanced people. This is how we get to the end of our lives and say, “I won.”
Second, Prioritize
Once you have defined what it is that you would like to achieve in each of these areas, you have to prioritize them, and let other, nonimportant areas drop off the chart. Commit to developing a plan to succeed in a balance of areas. Exercise your will. Choose. Dwight D. Eisenhower said: “The history of free men is written not by chance, but by choice—their choice.”
When we manage our time and schedule, we are simply making choices in regard to our priorities. For most, their priority is to take action on whatever is screaming the loudest at the moment. For those who become winners, they reflect on what they desire to achieve, make a plan and decide to eliminate the rest.
Last, Do It
Okay, you have defined winning. You have prioritized your life. Now, the hard part: Doing it. This is where we are all alone. We all make this step on our own, but having a written plan is as good a preparation as you can get. Rather than saying that you are going to do this for the rest of your life, take the next week to implement your new balance of winning. If a week sounds too long, just focus on today. Spend some time, be it ever so small, enhancing your life in these areas. Exercise a little. Read for a while to challenge your mind. Deal with your emotions. Spend time in silent contemplation to renew your spirit. Give some time to your spouse and children. Will Rogers said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you won’t get anywhere if you’re standing still.” There has got to be action.
As we do this over time, and balance our lives out, we will begin to finally feel like we are winning at life. That will be exciting, as will the process!
In Part by Chris Widener
What do you really enjoy doing in your life? Why are you in Business? What defines you? Who is your Role Model- Personal & Business? Putting Money & time to the side, What would your DREAM be? These are just a few questions worth considering in order to have clearer worthwhile goals.
If you ask most people whether they would like to be considered a winner or a loser in life, they would most assuredly reply that they would like to be a winner. But this begs the question: “What does it mean to win at life?” In some things it’s easy to define a clear winner. In a basketball game, whoever has the most points at the end of the game is the winner. In a game of hearts, my favorite card game, whoever has the least amount of points when one of the players reaches 100 points is the winner.
But it isn’t quite as easy to decide what it means to win in the game of life, is it? And that is because people define winning in different ways. For many, winning is through the accumulation of money or material possessions. “He’s a success, a real winner,” they say. Others think winning means living the longest. Still others say that it is to have their body in tip-top shape. Some say it is to have a happy family. Some say it is to regularly enjoy their hobbies.
All of these are fine, in and of themselves. But I would like to encourage us to think about winning or success in a different way. Generally, people think of winning as the overachievement in a particular, chosen area. I like to believe, however, that to truly win at life is not to overachieve in one area but to succeed in maintaining balanced achievement in numerous areas.
Let me repeat that: To truly win, to be a success, is not to overachieve in one area, but to maintain balanced achievement in all areas of our lives.
For instance, is a person a success if they earn millions of dollars but lose their family? Is a person a success if they garner national fame but have no friends? Of course not. In fact, they may live the most pitiful of all lives.
First, Define
So the first thing we must do is define what we will consider “winning in life.” As you ponder this for yourself, I would like to recommend that you focus in on three overarching areas: Body, Soul and Spirit.
The body has actual connection with the physical world and would encompass physical health, financial health, family, work and relationships.
How is your health? How are your finances? Are your relationships, both with your family and others, all that they could be? Is work fulfilling? How would you define winning in these areas?
The next area, the soul, deals with the emotions, will and intellect. It is our thoughts, ideas and attitudes.
How are you emotionally? Are you able to exercise your will? Are you growing intellectually? Have you done an attitude check lately? How would you define winning in these areas?
And the spirit is the part of us that transcends this life, the part of us which communes with God. Zig Ziglar said, “Money will buy me a house, but not a home, a bed, but not a good night’s sleep.” So true. Inner peace comes from something much deeper.
Have you thought about going back to your spiritual roots? Are you able to spend time in quiet solitude and prayer from time to time? This is an extremely important area and all too often neglected. What would you like to achieve in this area? How would you define winning in these areas?
As we experience balance in these areas, we will find ourselves much more at peace with ourselves than if we were to experience tremendous success in one area but loss or failure in the other areas. We were designed to work as congruent, balanced people. This is how we get to the end of our lives and say, “I won.”
Second, Prioritize
Once you have defined what it is that you would like to achieve in each of these areas, you have to prioritize them, and let other, nonimportant areas drop off the chart. Commit to developing a plan to succeed in a balance of areas. Exercise your will. Choose. Dwight D. Eisenhower said: “The history of free men is written not by chance, but by choice—their choice.”
When we manage our time and schedule, we are simply making choices in regard to our priorities. For most, their priority is to take action on whatever is screaming the loudest at the moment. For those who become winners, they reflect on what they desire to achieve, make a plan and decide to eliminate the rest.
Last, Do It
Okay, you have defined winning. You have prioritized your life. Now, the hard part: Doing it. This is where we are all alone. We all make this step on our own, but having a written plan is as good a preparation as you can get. Rather than saying that you are going to do this for the rest of your life, take the next week to implement your new balance of winning. If a week sounds too long, just focus on today. Spend some time, be it ever so small, enhancing your life in these areas. Exercise a little. Read for a while to challenge your mind. Deal with your emotions. Spend time in silent contemplation to renew your spirit. Give some time to your spouse and children. Will Rogers said, “Even if you’re on the right track, you won’t get anywhere if you’re standing still.” There has got to be action.
As we do this over time, and balance our lives out, we will begin to finally feel like we are winning at life. That will be exciting, as will the process!
In Part by Chris Widener
Success Is Easy, But So Is Neglect
by Jim Rohn
People often ask me how I became successful in that six-year period of time while many of the people I knew did not. The answer is simple: The things I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. I found it easy to set the goals that could change my life. They found it easy not to do. I found it easy to read the books that could affect my thinking and my ideas. They found that easy not to do. I found it easy to attend the classes and the seminars, and to get around other successful people. They said it probably really wouldn’t matter. If I had to sum it up, I would say what I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. Six years later, I’m a millionaire and they are all still blaming the economy, the government, and company policies, yet they neglected to do the basic, easy things.
In fact, the primary reason most people are not doing as well as they could and should, can be summed up in a single word: neglect.
It is not the lack of money—banks are full of money. It is not the lack of opportunity—America, and much of the Free World, continues to offer the most unprecedented and abundant opportunities in the last six thousand years of recorded history. It is not the lack of books—libraries are full of books and they are free! It is not the schools—the classrooms are full of good teachers. We have plenty of ministers, leaders, counselors and advisors.
Everything we would ever need to become rich and powerful and sophisticated is within our reach. The major reason that so few take advantage of all that we have is simply neglect.
Neglect is like an infection. Left unchecked it will spread throughout our entire system of disciplines and eventually lead to a complete breakdown of a potentially joy-filled and prosperous human life.
Not doing the things we know we should do causes us to feel guilty and guilt leads to an erosion of self-confidence. As our self-confidence diminishes, so does the level of our activity. And as our activity diminishes, our results inevitably decline. And as our results suffer, our attitude begins to weaken. And as our attitude begins the slow shift from positive to negative, our self-confidence diminishes even more... and on and on it goes.
So my suggestion is that when giving the choice of “easy to” and “easy not to” that you do not neglect to do the simple, basic, “easy,” but potentially life-changing activities and disciplines.
Consider these few points:
Some things you have to do every day. Eating seven apples on Saturday night instead of one a day just isn't going to get the job done.
Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. It is the cumulative weight of our disciplines and our judgments that leads us to either fortune or failure.
Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.
People often ask me how I became successful in that six-year period of time while many of the people I knew did not. The answer is simple: The things I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. I found it easy to set the goals that could change my life. They found it easy not to do. I found it easy to read the books that could affect my thinking and my ideas. They found that easy not to do. I found it easy to attend the classes and the seminars, and to get around other successful people. They said it probably really wouldn’t matter. If I had to sum it up, I would say what I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do. Six years later, I’m a millionaire and they are all still blaming the economy, the government, and company policies, yet they neglected to do the basic, easy things.
In fact, the primary reason most people are not doing as well as they could and should, can be summed up in a single word: neglect.
It is not the lack of money—banks are full of money. It is not the lack of opportunity—America, and much of the Free World, continues to offer the most unprecedented and abundant opportunities in the last six thousand years of recorded history. It is not the lack of books—libraries are full of books and they are free! It is not the schools—the classrooms are full of good teachers. We have plenty of ministers, leaders, counselors and advisors.
Everything we would ever need to become rich and powerful and sophisticated is within our reach. The major reason that so few take advantage of all that we have is simply neglect.
Neglect is like an infection. Left unchecked it will spread throughout our entire system of disciplines and eventually lead to a complete breakdown of a potentially joy-filled and prosperous human life.
Not doing the things we know we should do causes us to feel guilty and guilt leads to an erosion of self-confidence. As our self-confidence diminishes, so does the level of our activity. And as our activity diminishes, our results inevitably decline. And as our results suffer, our attitude begins to weaken. And as our attitude begins the slow shift from positive to negative, our self-confidence diminishes even more... and on and on it goes.
So my suggestion is that when giving the choice of “easy to” and “easy not to” that you do not neglect to do the simple, basic, “easy,” but potentially life-changing activities and disciplines.
Consider these few points:
Some things you have to do every day. Eating seven apples on Saturday night instead of one a day just isn't going to get the job done.
Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day. It is the cumulative weight of our disciplines and our judgments that leads us to either fortune or failure.
Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
“Top 7 Reasons Why Small Businesses Fail”
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1. You start your business for the wrong reasons.
Would the sole reason you would be starting your own business be that you would want to make a lot of money? Do you think that if you had your own business that you'd have more time with your family? Or maybe that you wouldn't have to answer to anyone else? If so, you'd better think again.
On the other hand, if you start your business for these reasons, you'll have a better chance at entrepreneurial success:
You have a passion and love for what you'll be doing, and strongly believe -- based on educated study and investigation -- that your product or service would fulfill a real need in the marketplace.
You are physically fit and possess the needed mental stamina to withstand potential challenges. Often overlooked, less-than-robust health has been responsible for more than a few bankruptcies.
You have drive, determination, patience and a positive attitude. When others throw in the towel, you are more determined than ever.
Failures don't defeat you. You learn from your mistakes, and use these lessons to succeed the next time around. Head, SBA economist, noted that studies of successful business owners showed they attributed much of their success to "building on earlier failures;" on using failures as a "learning process."
You thrive on independence, and are skilled at taking charge when a creative or intelligent solution is needed. This is especially important when under strict time constraints.
You like -- if not love -- your fellow man, and show this in your honesty, integrity, and interactions with others. You get along with and can deal with all different types of individuals.
2. Poor Management
Many a report on business failures cites poor management as the number one reason for failure. New business owners frequently lack relevant business and management expertise in areas such as finance, purchasing, selling, production, and hiring and managing employees. Unless they recognize what they don't do well, and seek help, business owners may soon face disaster. They must also be educated and alert to fraud, and put into place measures to avoid it.
Neglect of a business can also be its downfall. Care must be taken to regularly study, organize, plan and control all activities of its operations. This includes the continuing study of market research and customer data, an area which may be more prone to disregard once a business has been established.
A successful manager is also a good leader who creates a work climate that encourages productivity. He or she has a skill at hiring competent people, training them and is able to delegate. A good leader is also skilled at strategic thinking, able to make a vision a reality, and able to confront change, make transitions, and envision new possibilities for the future.
3. Insufficient Capital
A common fatal mistake for many failed businesses is having insufficient operating funds. Business owners underestimate how much money is needed and they are forced to close before they even have had a fair chance to succeed. They also may have an unrealistic expectation of incoming revenues from sales.
It is imperative to ascertain how much money your business will require; not only the costs of starting, but the costs of staying in business. It is important to take into consideration that many businesses take a year or two to get going. This means you will need enough funds to cover all costs until sales can eventually pay for these costs. This business startup calculator will help you predict how much money you'll need to launch your business.
4. Location, Location, Location
Your college professor was right -- location is critical to the success of your business. Whereas a good location may enable a struggling business to ultimately survive and thrive, a bad location could spell disaster to even the best-managed enterprise.
Some factors to consider:
• Where your customers are
• Traffic, accessibility, parking and lighting
• Location of competitors
• Condition and safety of building
• Local incentive programs for business start-ups in specific targeted areas
• The history, community flavor and receptiveness to a new business at a prospective site
5. Lack of Planning
Anyone who has ever been in charge of a successful major event knows that were it not for their careful, methodical, strategic planning -- and hard work -- success would not have followed. The same could be said of most business successes.
It is critical for all businesses to have a business plan. Many small businesses fail because of fundamental shortcomings in their business planning. It must be realistic and based on accurate, current information and educated projections for the future.
Components may include:
• Description of the business, vision, goals, and keys to success
• Work force needs
• Potential problems and solutions
• Financial: capital equipment and supply list, balance sheet, income statement and cash flow analysis, sales and expense forecast
• Analysis of competition
• Marketing, advertising and promotional activities
• Budgeting and managing company growth
In addition, most bankers request a business plan if you are seeking to secure addition capital for your company.
6. Overexpansion
A leading cause of business failure, overexpansion often happens when business owners confuse success with how fast they can expand their business. A focus on slow and steady growth is optimum. Many a bankruptcy has been caused by rapidly expanding companies.
At the same time, you do not want to repress growth. Once you have an established solid customer base and a good cash flow, let your success help you set the right measured pace. Some indications that an expansion may be warranted include the inability to fill customer needs in a timely basis, and employees having difficulty keeping up with production demands.
If expansion is warranted after careful review, research and analysis, identify what and who you need to add in order for your business to grow. Then with the right systems and people in place, you can focus on the growth of your business, not on doing everything in it yourself.
7. No Website
Simply put, if you have a business today, you need a website. Period.
In the U.S. alone, the number of internet users (approximately 77 percent of the population) and e-commerce sales ($165.4 billion in 2010, according to the US Department of Commerce) continue to rise and are expected to increase with each passing year.
At the very least, every business should have a professional looking and well-designed website that enables users to easily find out about their business and how to avail themselves of their products and services. Later, additional ways to generate revenue on the website can be added; i.e., selling ad space, drop-shipping products, or recommending affiliate products.
Remember, if you don't have a website, you'll most likely be losing business to those that do. And make sure that website makes your business look good, not bad -- you want to increase revenues, not decrease them.
When it comes to the success of any new business, you -- the business owner -- are ultimately the "secret" to your success. For many successful business owners, failure was never an option. Armed with drive, determination, and a positive mindset, these individuals view any setback as only an opportunity to learn and grow. Most self-made millionaires possess average intelligence. What sets them apart is their openness to new knowledge and their willingness to learn whatever it takes to succeed.
Sam the Coach
1. You start your business for the wrong reasons.
Would the sole reason you would be starting your own business be that you would want to make a lot of money? Do you think that if you had your own business that you'd have more time with your family? Or maybe that you wouldn't have to answer to anyone else? If so, you'd better think again.
On the other hand, if you start your business for these reasons, you'll have a better chance at entrepreneurial success:
You have a passion and love for what you'll be doing, and strongly believe -- based on educated study and investigation -- that your product or service would fulfill a real need in the marketplace.
You are physically fit and possess the needed mental stamina to withstand potential challenges. Often overlooked, less-than-robust health has been responsible for more than a few bankruptcies.
You have drive, determination, patience and a positive attitude. When others throw in the towel, you are more determined than ever.
Failures don't defeat you. You learn from your mistakes, and use these lessons to succeed the next time around. Head, SBA economist, noted that studies of successful business owners showed they attributed much of their success to "building on earlier failures;" on using failures as a "learning process."
You thrive on independence, and are skilled at taking charge when a creative or intelligent solution is needed. This is especially important when under strict time constraints.
You like -- if not love -- your fellow man, and show this in your honesty, integrity, and interactions with others. You get along with and can deal with all different types of individuals.
2. Poor Management
Many a report on business failures cites poor management as the number one reason for failure. New business owners frequently lack relevant business and management expertise in areas such as finance, purchasing, selling, production, and hiring and managing employees. Unless they recognize what they don't do well, and seek help, business owners may soon face disaster. They must also be educated and alert to fraud, and put into place measures to avoid it.
Neglect of a business can also be its downfall. Care must be taken to regularly study, organize, plan and control all activities of its operations. This includes the continuing study of market research and customer data, an area which may be more prone to disregard once a business has been established.
A successful manager is also a good leader who creates a work climate that encourages productivity. He or she has a skill at hiring competent people, training them and is able to delegate. A good leader is also skilled at strategic thinking, able to make a vision a reality, and able to confront change, make transitions, and envision new possibilities for the future.
3. Insufficient Capital
A common fatal mistake for many failed businesses is having insufficient operating funds. Business owners underestimate how much money is needed and they are forced to close before they even have had a fair chance to succeed. They also may have an unrealistic expectation of incoming revenues from sales.
It is imperative to ascertain how much money your business will require; not only the costs of starting, but the costs of staying in business. It is important to take into consideration that many businesses take a year or two to get going. This means you will need enough funds to cover all costs until sales can eventually pay for these costs. This business startup calculator will help you predict how much money you'll need to launch your business.
4. Location, Location, Location
Your college professor was right -- location is critical to the success of your business. Whereas a good location may enable a struggling business to ultimately survive and thrive, a bad location could spell disaster to even the best-managed enterprise.
Some factors to consider:
• Where your customers are
• Traffic, accessibility, parking and lighting
• Location of competitors
• Condition and safety of building
• Local incentive programs for business start-ups in specific targeted areas
• The history, community flavor and receptiveness to a new business at a prospective site
5. Lack of Planning
Anyone who has ever been in charge of a successful major event knows that were it not for their careful, methodical, strategic planning -- and hard work -- success would not have followed. The same could be said of most business successes.
It is critical for all businesses to have a business plan. Many small businesses fail because of fundamental shortcomings in their business planning. It must be realistic and based on accurate, current information and educated projections for the future.
Components may include:
• Description of the business, vision, goals, and keys to success
• Work force needs
• Potential problems and solutions
• Financial: capital equipment and supply list, balance sheet, income statement and cash flow analysis, sales and expense forecast
• Analysis of competition
• Marketing, advertising and promotional activities
• Budgeting and managing company growth
In addition, most bankers request a business plan if you are seeking to secure addition capital for your company.
6. Overexpansion
A leading cause of business failure, overexpansion often happens when business owners confuse success with how fast they can expand their business. A focus on slow and steady growth is optimum. Many a bankruptcy has been caused by rapidly expanding companies.
At the same time, you do not want to repress growth. Once you have an established solid customer base and a good cash flow, let your success help you set the right measured pace. Some indications that an expansion may be warranted include the inability to fill customer needs in a timely basis, and employees having difficulty keeping up with production demands.
If expansion is warranted after careful review, research and analysis, identify what and who you need to add in order for your business to grow. Then with the right systems and people in place, you can focus on the growth of your business, not on doing everything in it yourself.
7. No Website
Simply put, if you have a business today, you need a website. Period.
In the U.S. alone, the number of internet users (approximately 77 percent of the population) and e-commerce sales ($165.4 billion in 2010, according to the US Department of Commerce) continue to rise and are expected to increase with each passing year.
At the very least, every business should have a professional looking and well-designed website that enables users to easily find out about their business and how to avail themselves of their products and services. Later, additional ways to generate revenue on the website can be added; i.e., selling ad space, drop-shipping products, or recommending affiliate products.
Remember, if you don't have a website, you'll most likely be losing business to those that do. And make sure that website makes your business look good, not bad -- you want to increase revenues, not decrease them.
When it comes to the success of any new business, you -- the business owner -- are ultimately the "secret" to your success. For many successful business owners, failure was never an option. Armed with drive, determination, and a positive mindset, these individuals view any setback as only an opportunity to learn and grow. Most self-made millionaires possess average intelligence. What sets them apart is their openness to new knowledge and their willingness to learn whatever it takes to succeed.
Sam the Coach
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Procrastination Doesn't Make Perfect : “Procrastination is the thief of time.”
Perfectionists are often great procrastinators. Having stalled until the last minute, they tear into a project with dust flying and complaints about insufficient time. Perfectionist-procrastinators are masters of the excuse that short notice kept them from doing the quality job they could have done.
But that’s hardly the only variety of procrastination—which is one of my own favorite hiding places when I try to blame external conditions instead of myself for some difficulty. Mine comes with a gnawing feeling of being fatigued, always behind. I try to tell myself that I’m taking it easy and gathering my energies for a big new push, but procrastination differs markedly from genuine relaxation—which is truly needed. And it saves me no time or energy. On the contrary, it drains both, leaving me with self-doubt on top of self-delusion.
We’re all very busy. Every day we seem to have a giant to-do list of people to see, projects to complete, e-mails to read, e-mails to write. We have calls to answer and calls to make, then more calls to people with whom we keep playing voice-mail tag.
Henri Nouwen’s classic book Making All Things New likens our lives to “overstuffed suitcases that are bursting at the seams.”
Feeling there is forever far too much to do, we say we’re really under the gun this week. But working hard or even heroically to solve a problem is little to our credit if we created the problem in the first place. When most people refer to themselves as being under the gun, they want to believe, or do believe, that the pressures and problems are not of their own making. In most cases, however, the gun appeared after failure to attend to business in good time. Instead of being proactive early, they procrastinated until the due date became a crisis deadline.
By the Inch Life’s a Cinch, by the Yard It’s Hard
One of the best escapes from the prison of procrastination is to take even the smallest steps toward your goals. People usually procrastinate because of fear and lack of self-confidence and, ironically, become even more afraid when under the gun. There are many ways to experiment and test new ground without risking the whole ball game on one play.
Experience has shown that when people go after one big goal at once, they invariably fail. If you had to swallow a 12-ounce steak all at once, you’d choke. You have to cut the steak into small pieces, eating one bite at a time. So it is with prioritizing. Proactive goal achievement means taking every project and cutting it up into bite-sized pieces. Each small task or requirement on the way to the ultimate goal becomes a mini-goal in itself. Using this method, the goal becomes manageable. When mini-mistakes are made, they are easy to correct. And with the achievement of each mini-goal, you receive reinforcement and motivation in the form of positive feedback. As basic as this sounds, much frustration and failure is caused when people try to “bite off more than they can chew” by taking on assignments with limited resources and impossible timeline expectations.
Two major fears that sire procrastination are fear of the unknown and fear of rejection or looking foolish. A third fear—of success—is often overlooked. Many people, even many executives, fear success because it carries added responsibility that can seem too heavy to bear, such as setting an example of excellence that calls for additional effort and willingness to take risks. Success without adequate self-esteem or the belief that it is deserved also can create feelings of guilt and the result is only temporary or fleeting high achievement. Playing it safe can seem more tempting than a need to step forward with determination to do it now and do it right.
But that’s hardly the only variety of procrastination—which is one of my own favorite hiding places when I try to blame external conditions instead of myself for some difficulty. Mine comes with a gnawing feeling of being fatigued, always behind. I try to tell myself that I’m taking it easy and gathering my energies for a big new push, but procrastination differs markedly from genuine relaxation—which is truly needed. And it saves me no time or energy. On the contrary, it drains both, leaving me with self-doubt on top of self-delusion.
We’re all very busy. Every day we seem to have a giant to-do list of people to see, projects to complete, e-mails to read, e-mails to write. We have calls to answer and calls to make, then more calls to people with whom we keep playing voice-mail tag.
Henri Nouwen’s classic book Making All Things New likens our lives to “overstuffed suitcases that are bursting at the seams.”
Feeling there is forever far too much to do, we say we’re really under the gun this week. But working hard or even heroically to solve a problem is little to our credit if we created the problem in the first place. When most people refer to themselves as being under the gun, they want to believe, or do believe, that the pressures and problems are not of their own making. In most cases, however, the gun appeared after failure to attend to business in good time. Instead of being proactive early, they procrastinated until the due date became a crisis deadline.
By the Inch Life’s a Cinch, by the Yard It’s Hard
One of the best escapes from the prison of procrastination is to take even the smallest steps toward your goals. People usually procrastinate because of fear and lack of self-confidence and, ironically, become even more afraid when under the gun. There are many ways to experiment and test new ground without risking the whole ball game on one play.
Experience has shown that when people go after one big goal at once, they invariably fail. If you had to swallow a 12-ounce steak all at once, you’d choke. You have to cut the steak into small pieces, eating one bite at a time. So it is with prioritizing. Proactive goal achievement means taking every project and cutting it up into bite-sized pieces. Each small task or requirement on the way to the ultimate goal becomes a mini-goal in itself. Using this method, the goal becomes manageable. When mini-mistakes are made, they are easy to correct. And with the achievement of each mini-goal, you receive reinforcement and motivation in the form of positive feedback. As basic as this sounds, much frustration and failure is caused when people try to “bite off more than they can chew” by taking on assignments with limited resources and impossible timeline expectations.
Two major fears that sire procrastination are fear of the unknown and fear of rejection or looking foolish. A third fear—of success—is often overlooked. Many people, even many executives, fear success because it carries added responsibility that can seem too heavy to bear, such as setting an example of excellence that calls for additional effort and willingness to take risks. Success without adequate self-esteem or the belief that it is deserved also can create feelings of guilt and the result is only temporary or fleeting high achievement. Playing it safe can seem more tempting than a need to step forward with determination to do it now and do it right.
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