Interested vs. Interesting

OED Certified Advisor Sandy Riser of The Next Level Business Solutions brings us this simple and critical perspective on networking events.

When was the last time you went to a networking event where you felt someone was really interested in you? I like the theory about being interested in who you are talking to vs. what we think we should be at events which is being interesting.


If you switch those around, they will turn your networking into a powerful piece of your marketing. It is not all about you.
See more of Sandy's tips by visiting Next Levels's blog, or by follwoing them on Facebook and Twitter.

What is a Marketing Plan?

It is a written plan that describes your product in detail and how it will be sold to the markets that will best use it and that you can best reach.

A marketing plan should be developed when a business first starts, as part of its business plan, and should be updated at least 2 times a year (preferably four times).

Most failures in marketing can be attributed to executive oversight, neglect, or lack of facts.

A marketing plan consists of a total volume goal broken down (at least) by products, customer types, areas, and time periods. That is, how much of each product is to be sold to each type of customer in each territory over each month or quarter? How much profit is each to produce?

Good business organization calls for management to:
 Establish the business goal
 Analyze the market potential
 Plan a marketing program to get the job done
 Organize manpower, equipment, capital
 Train people to execute assignments
 Execute-administrate the program
 Control it - goals, budgets, performance as planned

Factors that must be consider in writing a marketing plan:
 What products and services are you selling?
 Where will you be located and why?
 How will you get or produce these products or services?
 What is the industry?
 What is the past, present and future outlook for the industry?
 Who will buy what you are selling?
 How many buyers are there?
 Why will they buy from you?
 How will you sell them?
 How often will they buy from you?
 How much will they buy from you?
 How will they know about you?
 Where are your buyers located?
 Who are the competitors?
 What are they selling and how are they selling?
 What will make you better then the competitor?
 What suppliers or vendors will you need?

Personal Responsibility

“The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill

 

There is only one person responsible for your life and that person is YOU.

You must take 100% responsibility for your life and your actions.

You can’t blame others for what you have or don’t or what happens in any area of your life. It is all your responsibility and you have created the life you are living and only you can change it.

You must take responsibility for your life and be accountable for your wants, desire, and dreams. Accountability unlocks the door to your future.

Responsibility and accountability are about results. If you hold steadfast to your wants, desires, and dreams and do everything you can to attain them… then they will be yours. But they will not fall into your lap you must have a plan and hold yourself steadfast in moving forward every day. You control you destiny… not luck or others.

And you can create a life of abundance and goodness… that is the beauty of life. You can change anything you want to, improve anything you want to… all you have to do is want it powerfully enough (have a burning desire) and keep the belief that it is yours to have and it can and will be yours… if you hold yourself accountable for attaining it all.

No more stories, no more excuses, no more unfulfilled dreams… just do it.

Regards,

Eric

 

Eric W. Leaman
Trustee
Organization for Entrepreneurial Development

Unleashing the entrepreneurial spirit.

Change your mind ... and EVERYTHING changes

 

Ask People Why They Do Business With You

Testimonials are great, but successful companies do something more direct.

How often have you actually asked a person why they do business with you, and not your competition?

Have you ever?

Most people don't bring up the subject. They're afraid that the customer might start thinking about whether or not they should switch. Believe it that's not at all likely, unless they were on the verge of switching already. In that case, you'll find out now, when you have a chance to fix it, instead of later, after they're gone.

When the customer hears a sincere question from you that you genuinely want an answer for, you'll be surprised at how often you'll GET a direct answer. And you'll be surprised at some of the things you hear.

What you consider important might not be at all what the customer thinks matters. Ask them with a genuine interest (You DO want to know why people spend money with you, don't you?) and then listen. Ask for specifics. And when they've answered you, thank them.

When you see a pattern forming, use that in your advertising. Look for the things that are common to your most valued customers. Build on those strengths.

You'll also notice that, when your customers tell you out loud why they buy from you, they're also telling themselves. They reinforce the reasons that you are the one that they do business with. And that's the best advertising you can get.

The Reality of Work

contributed by OED Certified Advisor Gene G. Wright, Managing Partner, Northstar Consulting

Summary

We now live in a world of exponential change and increasing uncertainty in the world of work. The “new normal” is often expressed in terms of jobless growth, asset de-risking and the relentless pursuit of increasing competitiveness. The necessity for innovation in the workplace has long been recognized as a critical success factor for global companies like Apple, General Electric and Wal-Mart. However, it is no less important to small businesses where the loss of a single employee may be devastating to its success.  Today, in the best and most profitable organizations large and small, greater wealth is being derived directly from people performance versus capital equipment investment. In these organizations, unleashing the potential of people is seen as essential for the organization to thrive. Their employees are regarded as “talent” versus “labor” and seen as investment versus an expense. And like an investment, they’re being sought after to provide a return on investment (ROI). Employees are being more precisely targeted and selected for work roles to predictably and consistently provide maximum performance to their employers.

In spite of the critical need for innovation in the workplace, many companies and their employees remain deluded about the nature of work in this new age. Both parties continually experience unnecessary risk, loss, failure and surprises due to their respective reliance upon assumptions, misunderstandings or information voids. Managers and staff at every level are interacting daily without the knowledge necessary to unleash the greater potential hidden within their relationships. Incredibly, in 2011, some still only use performance reviews, engagement surveys, and assessments that are little more than rear view mirrors of past performance and do little to address real workplace needs and desires of either party. In sum, yesterday’s work mentality is inadequate for today’s workforce realities.      

The reality of today’s work relationships is one of great complexity, percolating from differences, contexts, variables and change between employer and employee. Because of the many “moving parts” there are significant benefits for both in the workplace if they can develop a common map for understanding and assembling work role relationships. A well designed work role serves to improve everyone’s thought, design, communications and choices. This can also provide a means for continuous improvements and knowledge management across time.

The value of predictive performance that may be gleaned from such a process could enable sustainable competitive advantage for businesses large and small if managers and employees can begin to realize, reconcile and reach agreement with their respective work, workplace and career goals. This becomes even more true related to respective specific needs and what each sees as value or benefit related to work. Both find it is easier to produce expectations than to extend attentive empathy and understanding of the other. Being accurately responsive to the other parties needs is advantageous and reliably provides the powerful leverage either requires to best gain what they seek

The critical factors that define, influence and impact performance, relationships and attraction between workers and organizations are quite different for employer and employee. On the “employer side” of work relationships there are three ever-changing, universal dimensions of functional work role performance within every organization of any size or industry. They include outcomes and production (what is expected), conserving resources (efficiency) and preventing risk (mistakes). On the “employee side” of work relationships, three different dimensions drive, attract, engage or repel workers across every profession and every worker demographic. These include functional (skills, competencies, education and experience), social (interactions with people inside or outside the organization) and life effects satisfaction (travel, relocation).

Predictability, the only way for employer or employee to dependably and consistently get what they need from the other is to provide what the other needs, and do it consistently and with precision. In short-the reality of work becomes a “we” thing with shared accountability for creating and sustaining high performance work relationships. Neither party is entitled anymore. Choice is the cornerstone of shared accountability and the underlying force for strong work relationships.

What do you think? Comments welcome!

How You View Life is How Your Life Will Be

If you want to be miserable, then get yourself around other people who are miserable. If you wish to be joyful, successful and fulfilled, put yourself around those who live with positive purpose.

The more energy you put into complaining about how bad things are, the more things you'll have to complain about. The more intensely you visualize how good things can be, the better they will become.

You are naturally drawn to whatever you focus upon. You will see precisely the opportunities and possibilities that you prepare yourself to see.

Each day is filled with so many choices and directions that you cannot possibly connect to them all. The ones you do connect with are the ones that most closely resonate with your view of life.

Fortunately, you can choose to view life in whatever way you wish. Those who find the best in life are those who continually remind themselves that all the good and valuable things are most certainly there.

“See your life as a grand opportunity for love and joy, achievement and fulfillment. And that's exactly what it will be.” - Ralph Marston

 Eric W. Leaman

Trustee

eleaman@oedglobal.org

http://twitter.com/oed4smallbiz

Organization for Entrepreneurial Development

 

Unleashing the entrepreneurial spirit.

Change your mind ... and EVERYTHING changes

 

Maintain a Sales and Marketing Focus

Accomplish something from your sales and marketing plan everyday!!
When running your own business, it is easy to get caught up in the task at hand, the deadlines, and the deliverables. But it is important to keep some attention on the future and maintain a long-term view of the business.

Do not allow yourself to spend all of your time on today’s operational crisis while neglecting business promotion, customer service, and long-term relationship building. Force yourself everyday to do something that will help you get new customers, to make additional sales to existing customers, or to get the word out about your business.

The classical Chinese proverb reminds us:

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – Lao-tzu

….and that journey continues with another step, and another, and another. You can only progress on your journey toward your goals if you continue to take step after step. These steps need to become regular, consistent and ongoing to continue to make progress.

Likewise, you must work at it to sustain or grow your business. You need to maintain a consistent sales and marketing focus to make sure your business endures and prospers.

Make it a habit to accomplish something from your sales and marketing plan every day. Every day you should be working on expanding sales, both directly and indirectly. Examples of some less direct activities you can undertake to position your business for increasing sales:

• Follow-up with existing customers
• Offer special promotions to dormant or former customers
• Meet with your biggest customers
• Meet with your targeted prospective customers
• Send out a promotional mailing/e-mailing
• Attend a networking event
• Sponsor a local business/consumer/community event
• Hold a special event for customers and prospective customers
• Meet with the sales team
• Refine sales messages
• Update sales management tools
• Optimize advertising
• Issue a press release
• Establish a new sales channel
• Address a new market segment
• Update sales literature
• Develop a strategy to increase competitive position
• Differentiate your products/services from competitors
• Optimize price points
• Map out an expansion plan

Of course you will want to select the items that are most important to your own business growth and success, and those items will logically have been reflected in your sales and marketing plan.

The important point is to not let a day go by without focusing on your sales and marketing tasks. By making them your top priorities, your business will benefit and you will be rewarded for these efforts.