Retail Marketing

Create a Personal Development Plan

Author: Andrew Brown

The good news is if you are reading this you have already taken the first step towards improving your life - recognizing a need for change. All too many people go through their lives not seeing the opportunities just within reach with only a few changes in how they see and interact with the world. The other step you've taken is looking for help. A few people are blessed with enough talent that they cam be almost entirely self-sufficient, but most of us will need the help, support, and advice of people with more experience or resources than ourselves, and it would be foolish not to take advantage of these things.

A development plan is the next best step you can take towards improving your life. It doesn't have to be a difficult process, but it will help to give blueprint on how to go forward and cement your goal of where you want to be in the future.

First Questions

When you start to create your plan you need to begin with the most basic questions.

Where am I now?

Make a quick inventory of your life at this moment. What are you doing? What is it that is motivating you to want to change? You need to be honest here, and this can be a little frightening at times so feel free to jot down a few quick notes and come back to this.

Where do I want to be?

Write a clear statement of where you want to be after making your change. Focus on the results. You want more money? Try to write down instead what that money will bring you i.e. a feeling of security, more time with your family, the ability to help others.

How do I get there?

Outline a list of what you need to do in order to reach your goal. Is there a specific skill you need to learn? Something you need to clear off your plate first?

Filling in the Details

Now your the development plan is well underway. In broad strokes, your goal and how to get there has been outlined, but before committing this down to a final development plan it is worthwhile to work out some of the specifics.

What can help me? What will get in the way?

Look at things both in yourself, and in the world around you. List down the strengths and skills you have, as well as some of your weaker areas. Then think about the people and resources that are available. Who and what is there to help you if you need it, and who is going to get in the way. A common way to organize this information is in a S.W.O.T. chart.

What is the first step?

You may not know every step along the path, but you can almost always see the first step you need to take. Get this written down so you can get this done. Be realistic though, willpower and discipline are not infinite. Make sure each step you decide to take is an achievable one.

How will I know when I get there?

This is very important. Write a very clear description of what your life will be like after you achieve your goal. How will your life be different from how it is now? What will you have? What will you be able to do?Really take the time to think this through and be as specific as possible.

Putting it Together

After answering the questions above then next step it easy. Create the actual plan by looking back through what you've written down so far and organizing it into a coherent and logical process that you can follow on the way to your goal.

Why bother?

This is just one of many ways that you can use to help you reach your goals by taking firm steps to change your life. Writing down your goals, and the steps to reach them is a way of clearly defining what it is you want. The more clearly the final destination is in sight, the easier it will be to stay motivated.

Having a plan in writing is also a great way to see and celebrate your progress as you move forward. Goals such as 'make more money' or 'be a better person' usually fail because they are too general. There is no way to objective assess when the goal has been reached. Is more money $100 more, or $10,000? Is being a better person just spending more time with your family, or creating more memorable and meaningful experience with your loved ones? Without knowing where you are going you will never know when you get there.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/goal-setting-articles/create-a-personal-development-plan-6533559.html

About the Author

With years and coaching and management experience, Andrew Brown built up an interest in personal development and growth after struggling to get better results both for his clients and himself.

Signage for your Store

Author: Timothy Fuller

There are all kinds of signage you can deploy to attract the attention of consumers and draw them into your store. The range of window graphics, self adhesive stickers and poster holders is large and can help your business stand out from the crowd, find a display systems company that offer graphics printed in-house and use the latest cutting and printing equipment. Their ability to have full control over the whole process means they save money as there's no need for a middle man, and these savings will ultimately be passed on to you, the customer.

If you're looking for window graphics there are printed self adhesive stickers available ideal for one off and short run features. Colours are vibrant as they have been digitally printed and they can be used on either side of the window. Choose the shape you want from a regular square, rectangle or circle, or go for something totally unique that gets the attention you desire.

Self cling window stickers are another option and can be removed and repositioned as many times as needed without losing their 'stickiness'. Quick and easy to fit they are popular with store owners as they don't leave any marks on the window and can be pre-cut or custom shaped.

A little more expensive is computer cut window lettering, also able to be stuck inside or outside they are resistant against fading or peeling and guaranteed to last for years. With hundreds of styles available they're supplied ready to fit. Etched glass vinyl looks just like the real thing but is actually reverse cut vinyl that fits the inside of your window - you can even scan your logo in and have it added to the design.

There are many economical options on the market for promotional posters, particularly durable they can be printed using large format digital printing that produces vivid bright colours of a high quality and sure to stop people in their tracks to find out what it's all about. Choose from paper or card and hang them with double sided tape, window suckers or hanging bars.

Window graphics are printed using intensely colourful inks and are eco-friendly, they're suitable as weather resistant outdoor posters such as billboards, hoardings and pavement signs. Available in any size the large format printing is ideal for short run or medium quantities and can be used for that special one-off event, to introduce a new product or promote a campaign.

Signage artwork should give maximum impact and this can be accomplished by using effective colour schemes to achieve the affect you are after. Consider contrasting colours, or a light colour on a dark background and vise versa as these can make for striking combinations. When choosing the image for your sign don't be tempted to have lots of small images as this will just overload the senses and create a cluttered look, it's far more preferable to incorporate just one large image - keep the design simple and clean and it will get a lot more attention.

The key to a successful sign or display is to get your message across with as little fuss as possible, people out shopping don't stop and read every sign they see, their eyes generally skim the text so the simpler you keep it the more likely it is your message or promotion or whatever you want to tell them is seen and taken notice of. If you're talking about a product make short points and use images when possible, don't be tempted to waffle on about your product or service - leave the details for any promotional material you give away.

In your design you should think carefully about the layout. Generally your eye is drawn to the top of a sign and then travels downwards, so it's adviced to put the important information as high up as possible. Use digital large format printing to benefit from the impact of full colour graphics even for one off's and short runs as it looks great on anything from posters and banners to floor graphics, window displays, vinyl banners and exhibition graphics.

If you decide to opt for a poster then make the extra investment and have it inserted into an attractive poster frame – the extra money is well worth spending as it makes a huge difference to the effect it has on the overall look and shoppers awareness of it.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/graphic-design-articles/signage-for-your-store-4529835.html

About the Author

Monty Fuller writes articles for Discount Displays Printing, a large format printing company. Discount Displays Printing has been in the large format printing business since 1987, and in that time they have grown not only with their product range, but also with their studio, equipment and expertise. The company prints posters fast, offering the best, high quality and affordable signage, poster frames and custom posters as well as poster print services in the UK.

A Handshake is Not Enough, You Need a Partnership Agreement

Author: Marissa Smith

If you set up in business with one or more other people but do not wish to set up a limited company, a partnership arrangement will be deemed to exist at law without the need for a formal contract. However, whilst a written partnership agreement is not required to form a partnership, if you wish to avoid uncertainty and the automatic application of potentially unsuitable statutory law, a formal agreement is a wise investment.

What happens if we donít sign a Partnership Agreement?

In the absence of a written agreement, the provisions of the 1890 Partnership Act will apply. In essence, these state that all the partners are equal and share profits, losses, start-up and running costs as well as the workload equally. Whilst the provisions are intended to provide an equitable framework for running your business, in reality, there are significant implications. For example;

- all partners will be entitled to share the profits equally regardless of how much capital, effort or skill they bring into the business

- any partner can bring the partnership to an end just by giving notice to all the other partners and the partnership will automatically dissolve if a partner dies

- all partners will be jointly and severally liable for the liabilities incurred by the company. This means that if one partner takes on a commitment and fails to deliver on it, you will be equally liable to remedy the situation. And if a debt cannot be paid, then the creditor may pursue each of you individually, meaning that one of you may be forced into the position of paying the whole debt by yourself

- should a partner get into financial difficulties then his or her creditors can take assets from the partnership to settle them

- all partners will be considered "agents" of the business and so can act on behalf of the other partners. This means an individual may enter into contractual and financial arrangements which are not good for the business, but these will be binding

- all partners have an equal say in the business, which means that it can take time to reach decisions. Unresolved disputes may result in the break down of the business.

What benefits will a Partnership Agreement offer?

A partnership agreement will provide a written structure for your business clearly setting out each partner's responsibilities, rights, profit/liability sharing, rules relating to business entry and exit, and also the terms on which disputes are resolved and the partnership can be terminated. Carefully drafted, it will ensure that you have a common vision for the business with mutually agreed goals. Critically, it will help avoid costly misunderstandings and conflict.

Key areas to cover in your partnership agreement include:

a) ownership interests, taking into account any cash, assets, loans or investments made by individual partners

b} salaries and compensation: how will profits or losses be allocated?

c} how the partnership will be managed

d) each partnerís specific responsibilities within the business, and what level of performance is expected from them

e) whether partners expected to make a full-time commitment to the venture, or are permitted involvement in other business activities

f) what processes should be followed if one partner wants to leave the partnership or a new partner is admitted

g) whether partners will be allowed to sell their interests in the business to outsiders and, if so, how will their share be valued

h) on what grounds a partner can be expelled from the partnership (e.g. misconduct, non-performance of duties)

How do I put a Partnership Agreement in place?

While there are many internet sites offering seemingly cheap pro forma partnership agreements, this can be a false economy for several reasons:

1) there are three different kinds of partnership: general partnerships, limited liability partnerships and limited partnerships ñ you need to be sure that you set up the appropriate vehicle for your needs;

2) no two partnerships will be alike in terms of specific requirements;

3. you are unlikely to reach amicable consensus on an agreement without involving an impartial third party advisor;

4) without using a solicitor, you canít be sure that the agreement complies with partnership laws.

A better way to save money is to do some preparation before instructing your solicitor: get together with your partners and compile a list of provisions that you wish to include in your partnership agreement. Your solicitor will then have a good starting point from which to clarify your requirements and draft a suitable agreement. However, since one lawyer cannot represent the interests of all partners, each partner will need to instruct their own solicitor to review the final document on their behalf.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/entrepreneurship-articles/a-handshake-is-not-enough-you-need-a-partnership-agreement-1073398.html

About the Author

Get free articles and content at ArticlesFly.com. Also, visit UKArticles.com the UK article directory or the LinksCiti.com web directory.

Importance of E-Mail Signatures

Author: Michelle Howe

Do you have the correct e-mail signature on all of your outgoing e-mail?

For many entrepreneurs the answer is no. In fact, I see a tremendous number of e-mails from small business owners that do not even have a signature line, let alone a correct one.

Are you guilty of just signing your name at the end of an e-mail and then hitting the Send button?

Every e-mail you send out is a representation of your company. Every word you write says something about your company. Therefore, every message you send needs to be professional and complete.

How to Set Up a Signature Box in Outlook

I remember talking to a friend and advising her to have an e-mail signature. She said she wanted to, but couldn't remember how to set it up with Outlook. So, for those of you who need instructions, here's how you do it:

Tools Options Mail Format Signature

But before you get started on writing, here are some guidelines to follow when creating a professional e-mail signature:

(1) Include all your contact information in the signature box: name, complete address, phone, fax, e-mail address, website address.

Many people print out their e-mails and then go back to them for reference. You want all of your contact information available to them, including your e-mail address. Although your e-mail address is in the heading of the e-mail, it's a good idea to repeat it in the signature box so that it is easy to find.

Even if people don't print out the e-mail, they are probably saving it in a folder. Again, you want to make it easy for them to find your contact information.

I've had situations where I've talked to potential clients, exchanged a few e-mails and then things stall. When I go back a few weeks later to follow-up I am sometimes stuck because all I have is an e-mail address. If I hadn't specifically gotten their phone number I can only hope to reach them by e-mail.

(2) Include your company's tagline.

Consider your e-mail signature as another way to brand your company. Your company's tagline is part of its branding and needs to be included in the signature box. It not only sounds good, but gives a very professional look to the e-mail.

(3) Include your company's logo.

This is again using the e-mail signature to brand your company online. Be memorable. Make it easy for people to identify who you are and what you do.

(4) Advertise or promote your services/product.

It's a simple technique, but it works amazingly well. Use the last few lines of your signature box as an advertising tool for your company. For instance, when I am giving a seminar or teleclass, I usually list it in the signature box. Every e-mail that goes out will advertise my event.

However, the one thing you need to remember is to make sure the information about the event is current. Once the date is over, take it down or replace it with another future event. Otherwise you risk looking sloppy.

Make a decision today to create a professional looking e-mail signature.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/email-articles/importance-of-email-signatures-15518.html

About the Author
Michelle Howe, MBA, is an expert in online copywriting. Visit her Web site at http://www.InternetWordMagic.com for a FREE audio download of "Pay-Per-Click Success: Attract More Customers in 30 Days or Less" and FREE report, "The Five-Step Plan to Article Success."

The Power of Negative Thinking

By Craig Price

They say that, with a positive attitude, you can do anything. Is that true? I mean, is it really true? I know that, no matter how hard I work and no matter how positive I am, I can never be Miss America. It’s a fact. Never going to happen. Why? Well, for one there is an age limit: You need to be between 17 and 24 years old, and those days have long passed me by. For another, I’m married (sorry, ladies, I know how disappointed you must be). So I can’t be Miss America. Maybe I can be Mrs. America instead. That would be great. If only I was a woman. So Mrs. America is out too. Maybe Mr. America will work. Then again, maybe not. I know what you’re thinking: “Craig, you delicious piece of man candy. Of course you can be Mr. America.” Well, I appreciate that, but let’s be honest and realistic. For me to enter a nationwide beauty contest … well, things would not end well. Let me put it this way: I don’t scare small children and I don’t need meat around my neck to play with dogs, but I am under no illusion that I have beauty pageant looks.

So I have to look at the reasons for my goal. Understanding why we want a goal can allow us to find other ways of reaching it. This is where negative thinking comes in. Why would someone want to be Miss America? I can only think of three reasons (I’m sure there are many more):

1.  Scholarship money. The Miss America program is a great way for young women to get scholarships for college. But do you need to be Miss America to go to school? Not at all. There are a lot of more effective ways to earn money. There are other scholarships, grants and loans available. God forbid that you have to go get a job and then go back to school a few years down the road.

2.  A social agenda to promote. You have to have a platform to be Miss America—some sort of agenda you wish to enlighten people on—be it poverty, homelessness, illnesses, injustice … something of significance that could be your cause. But do you need to be Miss America to do that? Not at all. Sure being a minor celebrity and all might help as far as publicity goes. But in the long run, hard work and drive will be more helpful than publicity. You can donate your time, give your money, or start a foundation. But again, you don’t need to be Miss America.

3.  The only other reason I can think of to be Miss America is that you want people to think you’re pretty. You don’t need to be Miss America to do that. My solution: Hang out with ugly people; they’ll make you look a lot better. Like the old saying goes, “How can you look thin? Get fat friends.” So find some troglodyte friends so you’ll be the best-looking person in the bunch!

So we now know a positive attitude won’t get you everything you want. Keep in mind that I didn’t say it’s not helpful. But positivity isn’t the end-all/be-all to success that some would have you believe. In fact, we’re told to eliminate negativity entirely from our lives. But why would you eliminate a tool from your arsenal? It’s like saying, “Here. Build a house, but you can’t use a tape measure.” Can you build a house without a tape measure? Sure. Would you want to? Not unless you don’t mind living in a crazy, unstable, circus funhouse. Negativity is just another tool. Use all the tools you have.

Negative thinking allows you to plan. You can identify problems before they happen so you can avoid them. A football team has a backup quarterback. Why? Wouldn’t positive thinking tell us that our starting quarterback will be fine? That he’ll go all season without getting hurt, so why bother having a backup?

Computers are proof that negative thinking has a major part to play in our daily lives: You have antivirus software on your computer (at least I hope you do). Why? Positive thinking tells us everything will be fine. But common sense and negative thinking say that bad things happen to computers every day: viruses, crashes, power surges, hackers and identity thieves. We try to be as proactive as possible to protect ourselves from harm, so we get the firewalls, the hard drive backups and the surge protectors.

Why wear seatbelts? Positive thinking tells us that we’ll be fine if we just have a good attitude. Negative thinking allows us to look at the dangers of driving and to do something about it. Airbags, seatbelts and speed limits are all negative-based things that are good for us. Negativity can work for us if we:

Keep an open mind. Allow yourself to be open to both the positive and negative aspects of your life.  If you can see the value in positive thoughts, you can see the value in negative thoughts. We’re conditioned that negative thoughts are bad, so it may take some practice.

Look for the “why?” If you can see the reasons why you want the goal, you can often find other avenues to it. We see things that we don’t truly know through a warped perspective. We make assumptions on how things “should” go. If you want something, you must take steps A, B and then C. Sometimes, to get to step C, we can take a shortcut by jumping the fence at E and backtracking. We get caught up how we think a goal should be obtained when we don’t really know. If we knew, we’d have done it by now!

Maintain a balance. This is the most important part of negativity. It’s not an all or nothing approach. Use the proper dose of negativity with your positive attitude. The combination of the two can be a powerful 1-2 punch. “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst” is the balance we’re striving for. No one wants to help, work for, work with or be near a 100% negative person. But a person who avoids problems, thinks ahead and understands the world isn’t perfect…they’re the ones take control and succeed.

Negativity is part of our lives and we can either use it to our advantage or be victims of it. So look at your negative thoughts. Find the kernel of truth in them and use it to move forward. Being negative can be a positive if you’re willing to open yourself to the idea that it is another tool at your disposal.

 

Craig Price helps people learn how to find the value in negative thoughts and emotions. He gets them to understand how to use negativity as a tool for change and productivity. As he says, “It’s better to take a moment to think an idea through than rush a flawed idea into a major mistake.”

As a keynote speaker, advisor, and entertainer, Craig has worked with multibillion-dollar manufacturers to top universities. He has a background in customer service, entertainment, telecommunications, and safety.  A former professional stand-up comedian, he is also an actor with television, voice-over, and national radio program experience.

Voicemail Etiquette 101: Tips for Managing Your Messages

By Kate Zabriskie

How many times has one of the following happened to you?

• You call someone and get his voicemail telling you that he will be out of the office until July 6^th. The only problem is it’s September 8^th when you place the call.

• You call a big organization but still can’t get in touch with a living, breathing person no matter what combination of buttons you push, and you’ve already left three messages and received no returned phone call.

• Someone leaves you a message, but you can’t clearly hear her name or number. The only part of the message that is really understandable is that the call is urgent.

When he thought up the idea of voicemail in the late 1970s, inventor Gordon Matthews probably never imagined that more than two decades later people would still be abusing and misusing his would-be office miracle. Those types of encounters are annoying, frustrating, and a total waste of time you probably don’t have. The worst part is they happen by the millions every day and show no signs of stopping. 

If you use a telephone at work, chances are you’ve been to voicemail hell. It’s a horrible place, and unfortunately most of us know it well. The good news is there are some steps you can take to stay out of this hotspot.

Read the Book: First and foremost take a look at the book that came with your voicemail system. Over the course of a year, you may waste a few hours repeating whole messages if you don’t know the simple commands for forwarding and rewinding calls. What? You’ve lost the book, or they never gave you one? No excuse: Google it online. Search for your phone model, and you will probably find the manual. No time to read it? Bring it with you to meetings, on airplanes, the grocery store – find a minute here or there to pick up a new tip.

Improve the Quality of Your Outgoing Messages: If you give people information that can help them help themselves, you will get them what they need faster and save yourself time as well.

1.   Identify your name, organization, and telephone number in your outgoing message. Example: “Hi, this is Karen Smith with Adcomine at 212-555-1234.”

2.   State that you are not available and any other important information.  Example: “I’m out of the office today, January 3^rd.  I will be returning January 5^th.  I will not check voicemail until I am back.  If this is an emergency or you need immediate assistance, please call Bill Withers at 917-555-6543.”

3.   Tell people how to leave an appropriate message. That’s right: if you want good information, ask for it.  Example: “Please leave a brief message stating how I can help you, along with your phone number, and I will call you back.”

4.   If you prefer email, offer that as an option to callers. If you have an unusual name or company name, spell out the email address.  Example: “You may want to email me at...”

5.   To cut down on repeat calls if you work in a high-volume call area, state that you will return calls within 24 hours or whatever time period your organization’s policy on return calls requires.

6.   If you update your message when you go out of town, don’t forget to update it again when you get back.

7.   If your system allows callers to bypass your message by hitting the pound key, tell them that, especially if you have an unusually long message.

Stay on Top of Your Messages: What frustrates callers isn’t always the fact that they have had to leave a voicemail but that their calls were not answered “promptly.” The number of times you check voicemail each day will vary depending on your job function and industry. However, if you have not told people differently, at a minimum you should check messages once a day and return those calls. Here are some other guidelines for making the most out of your message-checking time.

1.   Have a pen and paper ready when you begin dialing.

2.   Listen to all of the messages before you start returning calls.

3.   Remember that you don’t have to return them in the order in which they were received. 

4.   Sometimes it’s easier to return calls when you are pretty sure the recipients won’t pick up the telephone.  You can answer their questions on their voicemail and move on with your day.

5.   If you are super busy and have the luxury of an assistant or some other kind soul, ask this person to return some of your phone calls. This is especially good if it is going to take an unusually long time for you to get back with someone.

6.   Don’t save messages you really don’t need. If you wrote down the information from the call, most of the time there is no reason to save the original recording. After all, do you really want your box so full no one can leave a message? That’s embarrassing and unprofessional.

Don’t Perpetuate the Problem: Are you tired of long-winded, difficult to understand voicemails? Stop the cycle by leaving concise and understandable voicemails. When recording a message, have mercy on your listeners and do the following:

1.   Speak slowly and leave your phone number at the beginning and the end of the message.

2.   Limit your comments to one or two subjects. Voicemail is not a one-person show.

3.   If you are rambling, for the sake of others and your reputation, stop yourself and rerecord.

4.   If you need action of some sort, state what you need. Voicemails that simply say, “call me” are irritating at best.

5.   If the recipient of your messages tends to fall into the trap listed in the previous point, tell him or her, “When you return my call, please leave a message on my voicemail to let me know the status of the project if I’m not able to pick up the phone.”

6.   If you are using a group distribution list that lists everyone’s name on the message, read the manual for your phone system and put the list at the end.  If people want to listen to it, they can.

A little careful planning and attention can free your time and help you view voicemail as the useful tool that it is rather than the purgatory it can be.

 

Kate Zabriskie is founder of Business Training Works, Inc., a company that specializes in  down-to-earth soft skills training in the workplace.  They specialize in helping others develop the skills they need to be successful.  Their services includes: business etiquette, interpersonal communication skills, business writing, presentation skills, customer service, negotiation, time management, and other essentials. The company’s clients include Microsoft, Georgetown University, Schering Plough, the USDA and Bank One. For more information, call 301-934-3250.

The No-Money-Down Marketing Plan: Improve Your Marketshare without Spending a Penny

By John Haskell

The economy is nothing short of "lousy." Business is really tough. Customers are canceling events. A local party and event rental company asked its team what they could do to create an adequate amount of revenue to survive the recession.

The group had the benefit of being together for a number of years. They wrote up a marketing and sales plan every year for the last three years. They also recognized planning is the launching pad for success. Without a plan, they would not have any chance to survive. Together, they came up with a strategy to attack new markets and meet new people. The CEO increased his involvement with the sales team and with customers. The results were immediate. After making a three-hour trip to a military base, the CEO closed a big deal because the sergeant in charge of the event was so impressed the owner came to see him. 

As your organization braces itself for tough times, how can it can it boost revenue without breaking the budget? Here are some steps to building your own no-money-down marketing plan.

1.  Write a revised marketing plan and execute it:  Assuming you have a plan in the first place, go back and review every element to see how it fits into the current environment. If you don't have a plan in place, move fast to create one.

2. Uncover your opportunities: Do you have certain products that stand out? Do you have particular financial strength so you can help your customers through hard times? Do you have other services can you offer? What other competitive strengths do you have? 

The starting point for all business planning is "opportunities." What opportunities still exist in the market for your company? Check out your key competitors who are weak and whose customers may be feeling uncertainty or doubt. The word gets out during bad times. You don't want to badmouth anyone, but you can certainly point to the solidity of your company, your long history, your repeat customers, etc. Sowing the seeds of doubt about competition's ability to deliver, to service, to respond is part of the competitive world.

3. Develop new terms and conditions for doing business: Now is the time to look at ways to exploit your opportunities with new thinking. For example, your customer may not have the money for inventory, but you know they can sell much more if they have goods in their stores.

What can you do? One answer that may work to your advantage is "consignment." By putting goods in your customer's stores without asking for payment, you make it possible for them to sell more of your product. You may be able to force the customer to drop competitive merchandise in return for this major support. Work out terms and conditions to protect your investment and make it profitable for you.

4. Don't accept "no," "We never did it before" and the big one, "Our systems won't allow it." If you let the finance people or the "naysayers" stand in your way, you will not succeed. Just because you have never done it before doesn't mean it won't work. Systems are there to serve the company – not prevent progress. There is always someone who can figure out how to make a program work within the confines of IT or other systems. As a leader, you cannot allow "no" or other objections to stand in the way of a program that has great upside potential. These are times when leaders must be bold.

5.  Promote your company's major skills:  Your company does certain things very well. Is your technology particularly good? Are you great promoters? Do your people relate to customers especially well? Look at your company very honestly and figure out the one or two things you do best. Then promote these to your customers and to your own people constantly. You may not be perfect, but if you are better than competition, promote it! If you have skills that make a difference for customers – promote it! If you are universally loved by customers – promote it!!

6.  Go back to lost customers: When business was good, losing a customer may not have seemed important. Now that the market is significantly smaller, the customers who have survived are much more important.  All it may take is a simple "we are sorry" … sometimes it may take much more. You must do whatever it takes to see those past customers who are not buying, and find ways to win them back.

Price will be important, but it is not the only thing. There are other valuable tools you can bring to the table. Start by asking every salesperson to name the one potentially significant customer who used to buy, but now isn’t. Then work with the salesperson to figure out a tactical plan to get business back from that customer. If you do get some business from them, be sure your company handles it perfectly. Then go back and get more!

This No Money Down Marketing Plan is the starting point for survival in these difficult times. Get going now so you can put these tactics to work to help your company increase its marketshare now.

 

John Haskell, aka Dr. Revenue®, is a Professional Speaker, Seminar Leader and Marketing and Sales Consultant.  As a former CEO/COO of divisions of Fortune 500 companies and as President of The Professional Marketing Group, Inc., he consistently demonstrates the value of written marketing and sales planning.  He helps his clients write and implement marketing and sales plans, and his “Dr. Revenue Marketing and Sales Clinics” result in immediate sales and marketing focus.  For more information, e-mail drevenue@drrevenue.com.

What’s Your Tagline?

By Michelle LaBrosse

With the explosion of social media, you’re hearing a lot about personal brands again.  Now, Andy Warhol’s infamous 15 minutes of fame is a reality for anyone who can upload a video to YouTube or create a blog.  However, as a project manager, when I think of personal brands, I like to think about it in terms of how people experience you.  What do people think about you?  What’s your reputation? 

Since it’s the start of a new year, let’s turn those questions around.  How do you want people to think of you?  What do you want your tagline to be?  If you think about what you want to accomplish this year, what is your mantra?

Think of a word or a tagline that will inspire you this year.  Some people like the clarity of a single word like “simplify.”  Others get more inspired by a tagline like Nike’s famous Just Do It.  My tagline for the year is “energize,” because I plan to wrap up my first round of energy self-sufficiency projects around the country as part of my Cheetah Power initiative.  I also need to keep my energy high for all the Cheetahs around the world who are practicing fast and fantastic Project Management. 

In a survey conducted by taglineguru.com, here are their top taglines -- just to get your creative engines roaring.

1. Got Milk? (1993, California Milk Processor Board)

2. Don’t leave home without it. (1975: American Express)

3. Just do it. (1988: Nike)

4. Where’s the beef? (1984: Wendy’s)

6. Think different. (1998: Apple Computer)

7. We try harder. (1962: Avis )

8. Tastes great, less filling. (1974: Miller Lite)

9. Melts in your mouth, not in your hands. (1954: M&M Candies)

Once you have your tagline, here are some ways to bring it to life: Write your tagline down or create a simple graphic of it, and post it where you can see it.  What we can visualize, we can make happen.

Think of 3-5 specific behaviors you need to model for your tagline to be experienced by others.  For example, if your tagline is “simplify,” what are you going to do so people can experience you as someone who simplifies things?  Are you going to create agendas and e-mail them at the start of a meeting?  Are you going to come up with a new way for your team to collaborate online?  Are you going to be a rallying cry and driver for getting rid of time-wasting tasks?

Build into your year four things (one for each quarter) that would be significant achievements underneath the mantle of your tagline.  If “simplify” were my tagline, I might donate all the things I no longer use to the Salvation Army or a local charity. When you’re writing a project plan, ask yourself what you might include in your plan to show your tagline in motion.

Make it tangible and have fun with it: Your tagline is really a tangible way to motivate yourself to be the person and project manager you want to be.  We all write resolutions, but the key is finding the way to motivate ourselves long after the ball drops.  Try the tagline, and see how it works for you in 2010.

Michelle LaBrosse, PMP®, is an entrepreneurial powerhouse with a penchant for making success easy, fun, and fast.  She is the founder of Cheetah Learning, the author of the Cheetah Success Series, and a prolific blogger whose mission is to bring Project Management to the masses. Cheetah Learning is a virtual company with 100 employees, contractors, and licensees worldwide. To date, more than 30,000 people have become “Cheetahs” using Cheetah Learning’s innovative Project Management and accelerated learning techniques.  

 

 

Your Guide to Social Media: Disconnect to Connect

By Pat Heydlauff

According to several research studies done in 2011 and 2012, 39 percent of Americans spend more time on Facebook than in face-to-face relationships and 10.5 billion minutes per day are spent globally on Facebook alone.

The warp speed shift in social relationships and how we interact is due to social technologies, according to a July 2012 study, “The Social Economy: Unlocking values and productivity through social technologies,” by the McKinsey Global Institute.

The study states that there are greater than 1.5 billion networking users globally and 80 percent of them regularly interact through social networks causing sweeping cultural, social and economic change. People participate online in daily gossip, forming, maintaining and breaking social bonds and even getting married. It maintains that social technologies have literally changed how millions of people live.

The Social Media Catch-22: Social media is here to stay with no end in sight for the possibilities. Most would argue this is a good thing. But, is social media fostering generations of disconnected teens and adults that are constantly in contact but are never really connected? People post messages, email, text and play endless electronic tag with no nurturing results, no-face to-face satisfaction and no tangible interaction. The result – great imbalance in personal relationships.

Are you more connected to your mobile apps, iPod and iTunes than you are with your family and friends? What about your children – are they techno addicts? Do you have face-to-face time with them? What about senior parents who wait by a phone hoping you will call just to hear your voice?

Do you have tangible dependable trustworthy relationships that nurture, encourage and give you face-to-face feedback? Ones that can reach out and hug you when you are down, laugh with you when you are happy, congratulate you with a pat on the back when you are successful, and console you when you are sad.

Technology addiction, isolationism and indifference continue to race toward a non-descript finish line with no rules, no direction and no thought toward the future. Rapidly exploding technology provides instant information and messages, beams pictures from Mars in real time anywhere on planet Earth, allow you to do a virtual tour of real estate you may wish to purchase three thousand miles away and download the latest music release from your favorite artist - but at what price?

Are Relationships at Risk? Social media is dramatically changing personal and business communications, face-to-face connections and relationships. Today, there are at least two generations of loners, adults and teens, who are so technologically oriented they no longer know how to interact in person with family members, teachers, peers and bosses.

Relationships between children and parents suffer and disengage in this impersonal, pre-recorded faceless world. No longer are there any real connections with each other – no face-to-face talk time, no hugs, and no directly engaged interaction. Client/business relationships suffer from lack of eye contact, phone conversation where you can hear the receptiveness of the other person, and no visual body language to observe. Are adults, children and employees so electronically in contact and isolated that they have no meaningful connections? This form of contact takes a huge toll on society and leads to:

• emotional isolationism

• disengaged clients and consumers

• inability to communicate face to face

• loss of connection and respect between parent and  child

• loss of civility when communicating

Balancing Relationships with Social Media: Social media is very addictive. Create a plan to prohibit the social media takeover of your life and that of your children. The objectives are to create balance and to re-connect on a personal level – in person.

Set aside at least two hours per day where you are not wired or connected electronically – that means no iPads, computers, cell phones or other electronic gadgets. Reserve that time to connect with family, children, friends, clients or co-workers.

Eliminate impersonal communications by surprising a loved one or client with an actual phone call instead of a text, email or tweet. Return a phone message promptly instead of just listening to someone’s message. You and the caller become more engaged and connect emotionally when directly interacting. Due to massive high tech electronic interaction, people are emotionally impoverished and highly value the personal engagement.

Reach out and touch someone (or several someones) emotionally on a daily basis. Even though people are in constant contact, they are never emotionally connected when using social technology. You cannot get a nurturing hug, empathetic look or reassuring touch from a Facebook friend or a Twitter follower. Unfortunately you can be emotionally hurt by a bully posting or tweeting something hurtful.

While there is great untapped potential for social media in the business community, there is great risk for relationships and face-to-face connections with family and friends. Create a plan that will protect you from the downside of social technologies yet fully take advantage of the upside.

Pat Heydlauff speaks from experience. She works with organizations that want to create an environment where employees are engaged, encouraged and involved, and with people who want to be in control, anxiety-free and confident. She is the author of the forthcoming book, Engage, How to Lead with Power, Productivity and Promise and Feng Shui, So Easy a Child Can Do It.  Visit www.engagetolead.com for more information.

The Real Story Behind Superior Service

By John Tschohl

Ask for a definition of customer service, and you probably will be met with a long pause, followed by a disjointed and vague response. While most people, including CEOs throughout the world, think they know what customer service is, many of them do not. 

Customer service is quality products, convenience, competitive prices, timely responses, reliability, a personal touch, speed, accuracy, and knowledgeable employees. It is doing what you say you will do. It is operating on the belief that no transaction is complete unless the service your customers receive is great enough to motivate them to return to you. 

Companies throughout the world are facing increasing competition, driven in large part by the Internet, which allows customers to compare products, services, and prices 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Meanwhile, social media such as Facebook allows consumers to share their complaints—and their praises—with millions of people throughout the world. 

There are several myths regarding customer service that not only are roadblocks to treating your customers in a way that will make them loyal to you for life, but that also will have a negative impact on your bottom line. Here are four of them:  

• You can improve customer service by hiring more employees. Like many things in life, quantity doesn’t equal quality. You can add all the employees you want but, if they don’t understand—and practice—the fundamentals of customer service all you have done is add to your payroll. It’s critical that you hire people who enjoy working with people and that you provide them the tools they need to serve your customers.  

• Pay your employees more, and their performance will improve. Money does not drive performance. Money is not a motivator. Money will not change attitudes and behaviors. So, what will? Recognition. Positive reinforcement and public praise will motivate your employees to do more and to do it better. I believe that recognition is every much a basic human need as food and water. When you fill that need, you will improve performance and develop a team of employees who are driven to do their best. 

• All employees are empowered. Don’t kid yourself; most employees are not empowered to do whatever it takes to satisfy your customers. There are several reasons for this. Employees are afraid they will make a mistake that will result in a severe reprimand or, worse still, being fired. Meanwhile, managers and supervisors are afraid they will lose power and prestige, if they allow their underlings to make empowered decisions. If you really want to improve customer service, it is imperative that you allow employees to bend and break the rules in order to make your customers happy—and that you reassure them that they will not be punished for doing so. You also must send the message to the rest of management that a major part of their jobs is to encourage empowerment. Doing so will have two results: It will improve customer service, and it will allow management to focus on other tasks. 

• Everyone understands customer service. They do not. And, if your employees do not understand it, how can you expect them to provide it? It is your responsibility to ensure that all employees can identify the elements of customer service—and then to train them and give them the tools they need to provide it. Conduct customer service training programs at least three times a year to provide employees the skills they need and to keep enthusiasm high. Then coach them, nurture them, and praise them. The time and money you spend in doing so is an investment in your company’s future. The return on that investment, in terms of customer loyalty and increased sales and profits, will drive your business. 

John Tschohl, the internationally recognized service strategist, is founder and president of the Service Quality Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Described by USA Today, Time, and Entrepreneur as a “customer service guru,” he has written several books on customer service and has developed more than 26 customer-service training programs that have been distributed throughout the world. John’s monthly strategic newsletter is available online at http://www.johntschohl.com/