====================================
What You Want Part 2
====================================
Last week we did a quick exercise to get to the root of what we really want, this week, take a short period of time to think about your business quagmires - those sticky, icky places where things went wrong. Who was always around? What brought out the best whine? Who approached it as a challenge with solutions? Make a list and burn it.
Now, make a plan for what you want to do, focus on the positive behaviors and activities that are producing results, people that do well and the successes they bring, and which customers do you really, really want to hug when you hear their voice. When animal trainers want to produce a new behavior, they focus on WHAT they want, not what they DON'T want. Learning from your business quagmires for the solutions may be the perfect start to the New Year in a new way.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
====================================
Party Plans
====================================
The holiday party is a great time to meet people but . . . you should have a plan!
Everybody goes to parties, and the holiday season is full of them. It’s also a business slowdown season for many of us who are not in retail. The holiday parties are NOT just a place for free food and drinks.
Holiday parties and other social mixers bring new opportunities to network, even more than the rest of the year. The holidays are times when we are more likely to see people in a social setting, and this setting definitely lends itself to building relationships.
Most people think of networking only in traditional networking venues, such as the chamber, strong-contact referral groups like BNI, and other business-oriented gatherings. But that’s not using the power of networking to its fullest.
It can be the best time to introduce yourself or have a friendly conversation with one of your superiors. Making an impact on someone important can be a real career booster; it could open the door for new job opportunities, promotions and/or new business.
In order to make the most of “holiday party networking,” here are a few things to keep in mind:
• Be prepared! If you’re going to hobnob, try to know whom you are talking to, what their job and role in the company are and what they’ve done this year for the organization. Use this info as a way to start a conversation. If you know some of the people who will be in attendance, do a Google search on them. Do some homework.
• Ask questions. Some suggestions: How did you start the business? How did you take the business international? How did you start franchising? What were some of the challenges with . . . ? Have you read any good books lately? (My favorite is: How can I help you?)
• Have a “teaser” topic ready. Approaching the end of the year, every business wants to increase profits and performance in the New Year. Have an idea ready that describes how you can improve your sector in the coming year. (Word to the wise: Don’t give away the goose; set up a meeting to discuss the details.)
• Use this introduction as a segue for a future meeting. As mentioned above, you don’t want to “end” the conversation at the party. The end game here is to open the door for follow-up. You want to be able to connect with the person after the party, one-to-one.
• Don’t have more than a couple drinks. It’s a party, but it’s not YOUR party. You don’t want to be stinking of liquor when you approach the people you want to connect with. Impressions count. Make the right one.
• Be confident of your value. Introducing yourself to an executive can be an intimidating experience, so give yourself an informed pep talk. Before the event, make a list of the things you’ve done over the past year and understand how what you do may integrate into discussions. Once you’ve got this down, there’s no reason you shouldn’t feel good about yourself. Consider how what you’ve done can integrate with the executive’s interests.
• Honor the event. Make sure when networking at a holiday party–or any non-traditional networking event–that networking is supplementary to the reason people are there, so don’t treat it like a chamber mixer. Be sincere.
Don’t act as if you’re in the boardroom giving a presentation; keep it natural and leave them intrigued. The real emphasis must be on “finesse” at a company holiday party. Yes, it is a great networking opportunity–but if you overtly “sell,” you may turn people off! After all, it is a holiday.
You can network anywhere, including events where it might not at first occur to you to try it–and, paradoxically, it’s at these non-traditional networking settings where you’ll often get the most bang for your buck.
Copyright 2009 Ivan Misner, PhD, Founder BNI International
Paula Frazier
Referral Marketing Expert & Master Trainer
Referral Institute
540-793-0622
http://referralinstitute-va.com/
"Helping people create Referrals For Life®"
================================
Santa Came to Town
================================
When you think of Santa, you probably focus on what he gave. But have you ever thought about what he pays? You can be sure the IRS does!
Santa is most famous for his holiday gift-giving. His North Pole organization is set up as a not-for-profit corporation under Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3). But Santa also operates a second, highly profitable business focused on licensing and endorsements. So how can Santa shelter some of those presents? Fortunately, Santa can take advantage of many of the same deductions as any other business owner. Those include:
• Mileage. Santa can choose to deduct "actual expenses" (maintenance, upkeep and depreciation on the sleigh, reindeer chow, etc.) or the standard allowance (currently 55 cents per mile). In Santa's case, his trip around the globe to deliver toys to all the good little girls and boys makes the allowance his best bet. (His sleigh also qualifies as "energy efficient" - it's 100% "green," running entirely on reindeer power, and even Rudolph's nose is low-wattage.)
• Uniforms and work clothes Santa provides for himself and his elves are deductible so long as they're not "suitable for ordinary street wear." This time of year it seems like everyone enjoys a red coat and hat. Still, we feel confident Santa's classic look is distinctive enough to pass the test.
• Home office. Home offices are deductible so long as they're used "regularly and exclusively" for work and constitute the "principal place of business." Santa's North Pole workshop certainly qualifies, which means he can write off depreciation, utilities, cleaning and maintenance, and holiday decorations. Code Section 132(j)(4) even lets him write off "on-premises employee athletic facilities" for holding reindeer games.
• Retirement. Santa seems to love his job now. But how will he feel about his long night's work as he ages? He'll probably want to stuff some cheer in his own stocking. The problem is those naughty nondiscrimination rules that force him to contribute on behalf of his elves. We recommend a "safe harbor" 401(k) to maximize his own contributions without worrying that the plan may become "top-heavy."
• Family employment. It's not clear if Mrs. Claus holds a formal position in Santa's organization. However, putting her "on the books" would let Santa boost the couple's qualified plan contributions and perhaps establish a Section 105 medical expense reimbursement plan to write off his medical bills as a business expense.
And remember - if you have any last-minute holiday finance questions, don't hesitate to call us!
Tim Pinkelman, CPA
Accounting Center & Tax Services, Inc.
419-882-9255 or 734-847-0400
http://www.accounting-centers.com/
Monday, December 28, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
What you Want and Personal Economy
"Look for ways to continually improve. If you’re not getting better, you’re probably getting worse.” --Karen Kerrigan
====================================
What do you Really Want?
====================================
This Saturday my Husband and I ventured into the shopping fray. We stopped and enjoyed a cup of strong coffee and talked about what we wanted to get others for gifts. We both agreed that giving required really thinking about the person and what they may or may not want or appreciate. From this conversation it is easy to start thinking about the things we want in our own lives.
Often we want something ABOUT what we want, rather than the object itself. For example, we can't all be ballet dancers, yet we could bring more beauty and grace into our life. Try this exercise from Dr. Phil McGraw:
1. What do you want in life?
2. What must you do to get it?
3. How will you feel when you get what you want?
Use the answer to 3. to start over, putting it as the next number 1.
EXAMPLE:
1. I want a red sports car.
2. I must save a lot of money to get one.
3. I will feel special when I’m driving in it. So, this answer becomes your new #
3 --> 1. I want to feel special.
2. I must set myself apart to get it.
3. I will feel exceptional. - What you want is
3 --> 1. I want to be exceptional.
2. I must be a master at what I do.
3. I will feel like I made a difference.
What you really want is not the car, but to make a difference. You can keep this up until real clarity
unfolds, or stop here and seek “What you must do” to make a difference. As you wind down 2009, think about what you want for your business in 2010. . . what you really want!
As you wind down 2009, think about what you want for your business in 2010. . . what you really want!
With a short work week ahead, feeling complete by Thrusday may require a plan. Try this Weekly Plan to get your thoughts together to acheive a restful holiday.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
====================================
Focus On Your Personal Economy (Energy)
====================================
You are in control of your choices! That’s hard to remember sometimes especially with the current state of the economy. What follows are 5 steps you can take over the coming weeks to jump-start your personal economy - your health, happiness and success and start the New Year with a bang!
Step #1
Make healthy food choices at each meal.
Instead of cutting things out of your diet, try the flipside of the equation and add fruits and/or vegetables to every meal you eat.
Step #2
Exercise daily!
Take at least 30 minutes every day to get your heart rate up a little and get moving! You pick – it could be walking, riding a bike, roller blading, running, dancing or even playing with your wii (they are cheaper than ever this year).
Step #3
Minimize negativity in your life.
Quit watching the news or listening to idle gossip! Be observant during the day and find ways to reduce the negatives wherever you can.
Step #4
Do what makes your heart sing!
Find some time every day to do something that is the answer to this question – “In my picture perfect life, I am …”
Step #5
Be thankful all day long.
Three times a day, morning, noon and night, say out-loud and with feeling behind it. “I am so very thankful for…” and then mention something very specific.
Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com/
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com/
A Free Copy of Think And Grow Rich! The Best-Selling Success Book of All Time http://www.FreeTGRbook.com/ChangingLanes Vic Johnson, wants to give you a free copy of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill! It is one of my personal favorites and one I give to college granulates. It is one of the few books I reread on a regular basis and still find new thoughts. Think and Grow Rich has been responsible for more self- made success stories than any book I know.
====================================
What do you Really Want?
====================================
This Saturday my Husband and I ventured into the shopping fray. We stopped and enjoyed a cup of strong coffee and talked about what we wanted to get others for gifts. We both agreed that giving required really thinking about the person and what they may or may not want or appreciate. From this conversation it is easy to start thinking about the things we want in our own lives.
Often we want something ABOUT what we want, rather than the object itself. For example, we can't all be ballet dancers, yet we could bring more beauty and grace into our life. Try this exercise from Dr. Phil McGraw:
1. What do you want in life?
2. What must you do to get it?
3. How will you feel when you get what you want?
Use the answer to 3. to start over, putting it as the next number 1.
EXAMPLE:
1. I want a red sports car.
2. I must save a lot of money to get one.
3. I will feel special when I’m driving in it. So, this answer becomes your new #
3 --> 1. I want to feel special.
2. I must set myself apart to get it.
3. I will feel exceptional. - What you want is
3 --> 1. I want to be exceptional.
2. I must be a master at what I do.
3. I will feel like I made a difference.
What you really want is not the car, but to make a difference. You can keep this up until real clarity
unfolds, or stop here and seek “What you must do” to make a difference. As you wind down 2009, think about what you want for your business in 2010. . . what you really want!
As you wind down 2009, think about what you want for your business in 2010. . . what you really want!
With a short work week ahead, feeling complete by Thrusday may require a plan. Try this Weekly Plan to get your thoughts together to acheive a restful holiday.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
====================================
Focus On Your Personal Economy (Energy)
====================================
You are in control of your choices! That’s hard to remember sometimes especially with the current state of the economy. What follows are 5 steps you can take over the coming weeks to jump-start your personal economy - your health, happiness and success and start the New Year with a bang!
Step #1
Make healthy food choices at each meal.
Instead of cutting things out of your diet, try the flipside of the equation and add fruits and/or vegetables to every meal you eat.
Step #2
Exercise daily!
Take at least 30 minutes every day to get your heart rate up a little and get moving! You pick – it could be walking, riding a bike, roller blading, running, dancing or even playing with your wii (they are cheaper than ever this year).
Step #3
Minimize negativity in your life.
Quit watching the news or listening to idle gossip! Be observant during the day and find ways to reduce the negatives wherever you can.
Step #4
Do what makes your heart sing!
Find some time every day to do something that is the answer to this question – “In my picture perfect life, I am …”
Step #5
Be thankful all day long.
Three times a day, morning, noon and night, say out-loud and with feeling behind it. “I am so very thankful for…” and then mention something very specific.
Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com/
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com/
A Free Copy of Think And Grow Rich! The Best-Selling Success Book of All Time http://www.FreeTGRbook.com/ChangingLanes Vic Johnson, wants to give you a free copy of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill! It is one of my personal favorites and one I give to college granulates. It is one of the few books I reread on a regular basis and still find new thoughts. Think and Grow Rich has been responsible for more self- made success stories than any book I know.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Re-Charge and Lessons Learned
====================================
Recharging
====================================
Three times in the last 24 hours, I got the message on my cell phone "Alert! Battery is low" and I dutifully plugged it in to the charging cord, 45 minutes later retrieved it and placed it in my pocket never verifying the charge was complete. This morning, when I saw that after charging, it still was giving me the "low-life" message, I investigated and discovered I'd not plugged charger into the outlet. Oops!
This reminds me of how as business owners, we tend to treat the holiday season as a time to do everything to perfection while saying we are "doing" the things that will recharge us. . . well sort of, but not really.
This holiday season, make it a habit to confirm you are getting recharged. Maybe that means, sleeping an extra hour, or minding your nutrition, or just catching some down-time alone or with people you choose. Be proactive and schedule your recharges and verity they worked!
Plugging in to what recharges you will not only lead to a happier holiday now but in January, you won't need a vacation from the holiday.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
====================================
Lesson Learned
====================================
I hosted one of my jewelry open houses this week and while I’m grateful for the sales I did make, I made an error in judgment when it comes to marketing. (Tsk! Tsk!) I mailed my mailers out with a week’s advance notice and relied too heavily on email marketing to drum up interest in the open house. While I believe that email marketing works, I didn’t have a relationship built with my clientele through that medium. So here’s the take away for you:
1) mail early! Give people at least two week’s notice for an event (Emily Post would suggest four weeks) and
2) make sure your clients are used to receiving email messages from you because you don’t want your invitation to get eaten by the dog named “spam.” Enjoy your week!
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
http://www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com/
http://www.marketinginabox.biz/
A Free Copy of Think And Grow Rich! The Best-Selling Success Book of All Time http://www.FreeTGRbook.com/ChangingLanes Vic Johnson, wants to give you a free copy of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill! It is one of my personal favorites and one I give to college granulates. It is one of the few books I reread on a regular basis and still find new thoughts. Think and Grow Rich has been responsible for more self- made success stories than any book I know.
Recharging
====================================
Three times in the last 24 hours, I got the message on my cell phone "Alert! Battery is low" and I dutifully plugged it in to the charging cord, 45 minutes later retrieved it and placed it in my pocket never verifying the charge was complete. This morning, when I saw that after charging, it still was giving me the "low-life" message, I investigated and discovered I'd not plugged charger into the outlet. Oops!
This reminds me of how as business owners, we tend to treat the holiday season as a time to do everything to perfection while saying we are "doing" the things that will recharge us. . . well sort of, but not really.
This holiday season, make it a habit to confirm you are getting recharged. Maybe that means, sleeping an extra hour, or minding your nutrition, or just catching some down-time alone or with people you choose. Be proactive and schedule your recharges and verity they worked!
Plugging in to what recharges you will not only lead to a happier holiday now but in January, you won't need a vacation from the holiday.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
====================================
Lesson Learned
====================================
I hosted one of my jewelry open houses this week and while I’m grateful for the sales I did make, I made an error in judgment when it comes to marketing. (Tsk! Tsk!) I mailed my mailers out with a week’s advance notice and relied too heavily on email marketing to drum up interest in the open house. While I believe that email marketing works, I didn’t have a relationship built with my clientele through that medium. So here’s the take away for you:
1) mail early! Give people at least two week’s notice for an event (Emily Post would suggest four weeks) and
2) make sure your clients are used to receiving email messages from you because you don’t want your invitation to get eaten by the dog named “spam.” Enjoy your week!
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
http://www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com/
http://www.marketinginabox.biz/
A Free Copy of Think And Grow Rich! The Best-Selling Success Book of All Time http://www.FreeTGRbook.com/ChangingLanes Vic Johnson, wants to give you a free copy of Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill! It is one of my personal favorites and one I give to college granulates. It is one of the few books I reread on a regular basis and still find new thoughts. Think and Grow Rich has been responsible for more self- made success stories than any book I know.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Listening and Giving
Listening to Your Customers
Even in slow economic times, a business can grow by paying attention to the customers. Listening to your profitable customers and adapting your business to them now, may do more to sustain a business than any mass market appeal. Besides, the masses are not all your ideal customers anyway.
Some people right now need or want your business's product or service, so tell the truth, explain what you will and won't do and realize that some will go away.
This week, ask your customers how you can better serve them. What makes them smile?, What will make their buiness life easier?
Time spent now, will be remembered in the future when customers have more to spend!
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
Giving to Give
A novel idea for the commercialized world we live in and do business, when every Season's Greetings or Birthday card contains a coupon for a percentage off an order of $20, 50, 100 or more. (It seems we increasingly have to spend just to qualify for discounts that make the deal a perceived value.) So what does Giving to Give mean?
It means get rid of your agenda. Send a Birthday card to your best customer - without your logo on the card - and say . . . wait for it . . . "Happy Birthday! We're glad that we have had the opportunity to be of service to you in the past year and we sure hope it's been a good year for you!"
It means saying what you think you can't. Send your biggest client a Season's Greeting card and tell them "We respect you and value your input over the last year". I guarantee it will go miles beyond the smarmy "Wishing you and yours a . . . fill in the blank".
It's easy if you turn the tables on yourself. You probably have received a card or a gift from a supplier, or maybe your dentist, or even your mechanic, and it was probably branded with their logo and how much they can save you on your next purchase or service, etc. If you can relate to this then I'll bet you a dollar to a donut that you said something like "Yeesh. Why can't they treat me like person instead of a dollar sign!"
When we treat our customers, clients, family and friends like we'd like to be treated, we get amazing results. Practice the Golden Rule in your appreciation and it will show through. If you Give to Get, or give to get something in return, then that will show through too! If you'd rather have your card or gift recipients say "Wow! That was special!" and go on to tell all their friends and family, then let go of the outcome and send them something from the heart.
"For it is in giving that we receive." - St. Francis of Assisi
Copyright 2009 Todd Pillars is an Appreciation Marketer with Send Out Cards.
Contact him today at 419-855-2273, tpillars@gmail.com or visit his website at http://www.sendoutcards.com/tpillars
Links of Interest
A Free Copy of Think And Grow Rich! The Best-Selling Success Book of All Time by Napoleon Hill. http://www.FreeTGRbook.com/ChangingLanes Vic Johnson, wants to give you a free copy. It is one of my personal favorites and one I give to college graduates. Take the opportunity to get one for free!
Even in slow economic times, a business can grow by paying attention to the customers. Listening to your profitable customers and adapting your business to them now, may do more to sustain a business than any mass market appeal. Besides, the masses are not all your ideal customers anyway.
Some people right now need or want your business's product or service, so tell the truth, explain what you will and won't do and realize that some will go away.
This week, ask your customers how you can better serve them. What makes them smile?, What will make their buiness life easier?
Time spent now, will be remembered in the future when customers have more to spend!
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
Giving to Give
A novel idea for the commercialized world we live in and do business, when every Season's Greetings or Birthday card contains a coupon for a percentage off an order of $20, 50, 100 or more. (It seems we increasingly have to spend just to qualify for discounts that make the deal a perceived value.) So what does Giving to Give mean?
It means get rid of your agenda. Send a Birthday card to your best customer - without your logo on the card - and say . . . wait for it . . . "Happy Birthday! We're glad that we have had the opportunity to be of service to you in the past year and we sure hope it's been a good year for you!"
It means saying what you think you can't. Send your biggest client a Season's Greeting card and tell them "We respect you and value your input over the last year". I guarantee it will go miles beyond the smarmy "Wishing you and yours a . . . fill in the blank".
It's easy if you turn the tables on yourself. You probably have received a card or a gift from a supplier, or maybe your dentist, or even your mechanic, and it was probably branded with their logo and how much they can save you on your next purchase or service, etc. If you can relate to this then I'll bet you a dollar to a donut that you said something like "Yeesh. Why can't they treat me like person instead of a dollar sign!"
When we treat our customers, clients, family and friends like we'd like to be treated, we get amazing results. Practice the Golden Rule in your appreciation and it will show through. If you Give to Get, or give to get something in return, then that will show through too! If you'd rather have your card or gift recipients say "Wow! That was special!" and go on to tell all their friends and family, then let go of the outcome and send them something from the heart.
"For it is in giving that we receive." - St. Francis of Assisi
Copyright 2009 Todd Pillars is an Appreciation Marketer with Send Out Cards.
Contact him today at 419-855-2273, tpillars@gmail.com or visit his website at http://www.sendoutcards.com/tpillars
Links of Interest
A Free Copy of Think And Grow Rich! The Best-Selling Success Book of All Time by Napoleon Hill. http://www.FreeTGRbook.com/ChangingLanes Vic Johnson, wants to give you a free copy. It is one of my personal favorites and one I give to college graduates. Take the opportunity to get one for free!
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
If you haven't read "Think and Grow Rich", check it out for free - no overdue library fees! Just pay shipping. http://ping.fm/tyau4
Monday, November 30, 2009
Lessons Learned & Tax Changes, Again.
"Treat your business like a Fortune 500 Company. Create and implement a process that organizes your company behind the scenes." --Nolan Baker
--------------------------------
Lessons Learned and Relearned
--------------------------------
While working with clients, family and myself (my most difficult client) I am constantly reminded that we all have good ideas that get lost in the daily clutter of life. Usually these ideas are simple, clear, and will make a difference. Just last week, Tim Pinkelman, a great business planner, friend and client, showed me a form he had created years ago for meetings to handle, organize and identify the next step. It was simple, one page, fill in the blanks, check the boxes to organize the activities of a meeting. This is the type of tool that helps the attendee listen instead of taking voluminous notes. A great tool he had rediscovered.
I think we all have those moments of "why am I not doing that anymore?" Mostly, it comes from the day to day stress of getting things done without respect to added value or savings.
So where to start to change this cycle? Well, I will usually say - a plan that is written and goal driven. But today, I want you to be the student as we approach the holiday season and the New Year.
1. Create order in your life. Let Chaos be a theory not applied in your life. Clutter is the zapper of energy; it reminds us of undone projects.
2. Keep is simple. Occam's Razor paraphrased by me is "if all things are equal usually the simplest solution is the best."
3. Find Clarity. Knowing what you want and when you want it are keys to success and happiness.
4. Set goals. Goals need to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. Think of goals as the GPS of your life - you know you want to get somewhere, right?
This week's quote is from Nolan Baker, a financial planner in the Toledo, Ohio area that has built a practice and grown it in these unique financial times. What the quote eludes to is the need to put systems and processes in place so that the creative juices and energies of your ideas are not lost! Whoa - that sounds like Lean in practice and a way to document what you have learned! Oh yes, he is the cover-boy of the http://www.seniormarketadvisor.com/ for November 2009.
While you are getting ready for the holiday season, get your mind in a place that will benefit your dreams for only then will you be of greatness for the rest of us!
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
-----------------------------------
Tax Changes, Again
----------------------------------
One thing we can be sure about with taxes is they are a constantly moving target. On November 9, President Obama signed the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Act of 2009. That Act extended the first-time homebuyer credit for purchases signed before May 1, 2010 and closed before July 1, 2010. The new law also limited the credit to homes costing $800,000 or less and raised the income level to qualify for the credit ($125,000 for individual filers and $225,000 for joint filers).
However, the new law also extended the credit, up to a limit of $6,500, for buyers who have maintained the same principal residence for any five-consecutive year period during the eight-year period ending on the date they buy a new principal residence. So you don't have to be a first-time homebuyer to qualify for the "first-time" homebuyer credit!
Buying a home has always offered tax-saving opportunities. The new law makes these opportunities even more attractive. If you're worried about missing these sorts of "hidden" opportunities, then call today to discuss what we can do. And let your friends, family, and colleagues know that we're here to help them, too!
Tim Pinkelman, CPA
Accounting Center & Tax Services, Inc.
http://www.accounting-centeres.com/
419-882-9255 or 734-847-0400
-------------------------
Links of Interest
--------------------------
A Free Copy of Think And Grow Rich! The Best-Selling Success Book of All Time by Napoleon Hill. http://www.FreeTGRbook.com/ChangingLanes. Vic Johnson, wants to give you a free copy. It is one of my personal favorites and one I give to college graduates. Take the opportunity to get one for free!
-----------------------------------
SMART goals details
-----------------------------------
Does your Business have a Plan? Webinar and Live Classes are available
now with Changing Lanes. Your business can still be the business of your dreams.
December 7, 9, 10 - live webinar. Registration
-----------------------------------
Learn more about Occam's Razor
Have a profitable week.
-----------------------------------
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
--------------------------------
Lessons Learned and Relearned
--------------------------------
While working with clients, family and myself (my most difficult client) I am constantly reminded that we all have good ideas that get lost in the daily clutter of life. Usually these ideas are simple, clear, and will make a difference. Just last week, Tim Pinkelman, a great business planner, friend and client, showed me a form he had created years ago for meetings to handle, organize and identify the next step. It was simple, one page, fill in the blanks, check the boxes to organize the activities of a meeting. This is the type of tool that helps the attendee listen instead of taking voluminous notes. A great tool he had rediscovered.
I think we all have those moments of "why am I not doing that anymore?" Mostly, it comes from the day to day stress of getting things done without respect to added value or savings.
So where to start to change this cycle? Well, I will usually say - a plan that is written and goal driven. But today, I want you to be the student as we approach the holiday season and the New Year.
1. Create order in your life. Let Chaos be a theory not applied in your life. Clutter is the zapper of energy; it reminds us of undone projects.
2. Keep is simple. Occam's Razor paraphrased by me is "if all things are equal usually the simplest solution is the best."
3. Find Clarity. Knowing what you want and when you want it are keys to success and happiness.
4. Set goals. Goals need to be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely. Think of goals as the GPS of your life - you know you want to get somewhere, right?
This week's quote is from Nolan Baker, a financial planner in the Toledo, Ohio area that has built a practice and grown it in these unique financial times. What the quote eludes to is the need to put systems and processes in place so that the creative juices and energies of your ideas are not lost! Whoa - that sounds like Lean in practice and a way to document what you have learned! Oh yes, he is the cover-boy of the http://www.seniormarketadvisor.com/ for November 2009.
While you are getting ready for the holiday season, get your mind in a place that will benefit your dreams for only then will you be of greatness for the rest of us!
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
-----------------------------------
Tax Changes, Again
----------------------------------
One thing we can be sure about with taxes is they are a constantly moving target. On November 9, President Obama signed the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Act of 2009. That Act extended the first-time homebuyer credit for purchases signed before May 1, 2010 and closed before July 1, 2010. The new law also limited the credit to homes costing $800,000 or less and raised the income level to qualify for the credit ($125,000 for individual filers and $225,000 for joint filers).
However, the new law also extended the credit, up to a limit of $6,500, for buyers who have maintained the same principal residence for any five-consecutive year period during the eight-year period ending on the date they buy a new principal residence. So you don't have to be a first-time homebuyer to qualify for the "first-time" homebuyer credit!
Buying a home has always offered tax-saving opportunities. The new law makes these opportunities even more attractive. If you're worried about missing these sorts of "hidden" opportunities, then call today to discuss what we can do. And let your friends, family, and colleagues know that we're here to help them, too!
Tim Pinkelman, CPA
Accounting Center & Tax Services, Inc.
http://www.accounting-centeres.com/
419-882-9255 or 734-847-0400
-------------------------
Links of Interest
--------------------------
A Free Copy of Think And Grow Rich! The Best-Selling Success Book of All Time by Napoleon Hill. http://www.FreeTGRbook.com/ChangingLanes. Vic Johnson, wants to give you a free copy. It is one of my personal favorites and one I give to college graduates. Take the opportunity to get one for free!
-----------------------------------
SMART goals details
-----------------------------------
Does your Business have a Plan? Webinar and Live Classes are available
now with Changing Lanes. Your business can still be the business of your dreams.
December 7, 9, 10 - live webinar. Registration
-----------------------------------
Learn more about Occam's Razor
Have a profitable week.
-----------------------------------
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Monday, November 23, 2009
Rewarding Employees & Yellow Pages
“Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.” --Napoleon Hill
Your authors are:
Linda Fayerweather of Changing Lanes LLC
Rebecca Booth of Imagine That
Pat Altvater of Transformations Institute
Paula Frazier of BNI of West Virginia
====================================
Rewarding and Thanking your Employees
====================================
Work above the agreed desired outcomes of individual performance is a choice each employee makes. When employees know what is expected of them (job descriptions help with desired performance outcomes that are time sensitive) combined with regular reviews, the choice they make beyond the expected achievement needs to be recognized. This recognition needs to match what the employee values. If the employee values family time, then a reward that would honor that time will be remembered longer.
A small business owner I work with asked at the team meeting if "any" employee would have time to do an especially dirty job that had been neglected by the recently fired cleaning crew. The self-selected employee did a tremendous job and was paid his regular wage, PLUS in the pay envelop, were 4 movie coupon tickets. Each time the employee goes to the movie, he tells the owner about it and thanks her! The employee feels recognized, respected and remembers the reward beyond the paycheck. The owner got a job well done and an employee that is ready for the next challenge.
Employees that feel appreciated and recognized will reward you with good work.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
====================================
‘Tis the Season
===================================
I wish I could tell you that Halloween is done for 2009; but I can’t. ‘Tis the season for Yellow Pages advertising contracts. Many of you may be nervous about the economy and you may be unsettled about your marketing initiatives for the remainder of the year. There is hope! My first suggestion is to look back at where you got your new clients. Chances are it’s not out of the Yellow Pages. For most businesses, I have seen Yellow Pages advertising drive price shoppers to the phone versus people with money to spend. So take a long hard look at how you spend your marketing budget and where those new clients are coming from. If the majority is coming from Yellow Pages, good for you. If not, then downsize, downsize, downsize that ad! Be careful, reps for Yellow Pages are notorious for not letting you walk away from a “deal”, so they’ll be quite aggressive in convincing you to stay. But check out these facts:
* Hotels have stopped stocking their rooms with Yellow Pages, because their guests are connected to the internet with their phones.
* There are more Yellow Pages books in the marketplace that people with telephones
* More people are using the internet to find phone numbers than ever before
* People are concerned about our landfills being junked up with Yellow Pages, so they’re not even picking them up any more.
Less is more. Especially when it comes to advertising in the Yellow Pages. You have my permission to not think twice about slashing that budget like Freddie Krueger would slash his next unwitting victim. BOO!
Aside from Coach Linda Fayerweather – many yellow pages contracts must be cancelled with a certified letter!
Copyright 2008 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
http://www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com/
http://www.marketinginabox.biz/
Links of Interest
Bob Nelson wrote "1001 Ways to Reward Employees" available at:
More on SWOT analysis at http://tinyurl.com/SWOTcl
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Your authors are:
Linda Fayerweather of Changing Lanes LLC
Rebecca Booth of Imagine That
Pat Altvater of Transformations Institute
Paula Frazier of BNI of West Virginia
====================================
Rewarding and Thanking your Employees
====================================
Work above the agreed desired outcomes of individual performance is a choice each employee makes. When employees know what is expected of them (job descriptions help with desired performance outcomes that are time sensitive) combined with regular reviews, the choice they make beyond the expected achievement needs to be recognized. This recognition needs to match what the employee values. If the employee values family time, then a reward that would honor that time will be remembered longer.
A small business owner I work with asked at the team meeting if "any" employee would have time to do an especially dirty job that had been neglected by the recently fired cleaning crew. The self-selected employee did a tremendous job and was paid his regular wage, PLUS in the pay envelop, were 4 movie coupon tickets. Each time the employee goes to the movie, he tells the owner about it and thanks her! The employee feels recognized, respected and remembers the reward beyond the paycheck. The owner got a job well done and an employee that is ready for the next challenge.
Employees that feel appreciated and recognized will reward you with good work.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
====================================
‘Tis the Season
===================================
I wish I could tell you that Halloween is done for 2009; but I can’t. ‘Tis the season for Yellow Pages advertising contracts. Many of you may be nervous about the economy and you may be unsettled about your marketing initiatives for the remainder of the year. There is hope! My first suggestion is to look back at where you got your new clients. Chances are it’s not out of the Yellow Pages. For most businesses, I have seen Yellow Pages advertising drive price shoppers to the phone versus people with money to spend. So take a long hard look at how you spend your marketing budget and where those new clients are coming from. If the majority is coming from Yellow Pages, good for you. If not, then downsize, downsize, downsize that ad! Be careful, reps for Yellow Pages are notorious for not letting you walk away from a “deal”, so they’ll be quite aggressive in convincing you to stay. But check out these facts:
* Hotels have stopped stocking their rooms with Yellow Pages, because their guests are connected to the internet with their phones.
* There are more Yellow Pages books in the marketplace that people with telephones
* More people are using the internet to find phone numbers than ever before
* People are concerned about our landfills being junked up with Yellow Pages, so they’re not even picking them up any more.
Less is more. Especially when it comes to advertising in the Yellow Pages. You have my permission to not think twice about slashing that budget like Freddie Krueger would slash his next unwitting victim. BOO!
Aside from Coach Linda Fayerweather – many yellow pages contracts must be cancelled with a certified letter!
Copyright 2008 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
http://www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com/
http://www.marketinginabox.biz/
Links of Interest
Bob Nelson wrote "1001 Ways to Reward Employees" available at:
More on SWOT analysis at http://tinyurl.com/SWOTcl
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Monday Morning Motivators had a great post about having great customer retention by Paula Frazier at http://ping.fm/Mmras
Monday, November 16, 2009
SWOT & 100% Client Retention
“An economist is an expert who will know tomorrow why the things he predicted yesterday didn't happen today.” --Laurence J. Peter
Your authors are:
Linda Fayerweather of Changing Lanes LLC
Rebecca Booth of Imagine That
Pat Altvater of Transformations Institute
Paula Frazier of BNI of West Virginia
SWOT
SWOT is the acronym for Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. Albert Humphrey of Stanford University is credited with developing this strategic planning tool in the 1960s essential to developing a planning process. SWOT Analysis is an effective method of identifying your Strengths and Weaknesses, and to examine the Opportunities and Threats you face.
To carry out a SWOT Analysis, spend some time with these questions to prepare yourself and your business for the next business cycle:
Strengths:
--What are your advantages?
--What do you do well?
Weaknesses:
--What could be improved?
--What is done badly?
--What should be avoided?
Opportunities
--Where are the good chances facing you?
--What are the interesting trends?
--Changes in government policy related to your field
--Changes in social patterns, population profiles, lifestyle changes
--Local Events
Threats
--What obstacles do you face?
--What is your competition doing?
--Is changing technology threatening your position?
Carrying out this analysis will often be illuminating - both in terms of pointing out what needs to be done, and in putting problems into perspective.
For a tool to help with your SWOT, go to http://www.changinglanes.biz/files/SWOTanalysisWorksheet.pdf
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
ACHIEVING 100% CLIENT RETENTION
In a perfect world we’d all have 100% customer retention! Every person we agree to do business with is a perfect fit for us and we are a perfect fit for them. We will stand and deliver our products and services with integrity and they will experience the optimal return on their investment. Over time we establish trust and credibility and might occasionally become friends. They’re not going anywhere – or are they?
I’m not a math scholar but I’m pretty good at basic equations. Here’s one that most business owners and sales people are counting on: Qualified Prospects + Need/Interest = IDEAL CLIENTS. Now let’s agree to a few assumptions:
1. You believe in your products and services.
2. You can easily and passionately explain their benefits.
3. Your prospect needs and wants your products and services.
4. You follow through and deliver on everything you agree to do.
5. You connect with them as appropriate (weekly, monthly, quarterly).
Based on living up to the “givens” listed above why aren’t all of our clients staying with us FOREVER?!? I recently lost two clients so I began to consider some of the variables that may have affected my not so positive outcome.
I could honestly answer YES to all five of the givens. If it wasn’t me…who could it be? THEM? So I made a list of the Top 10 Characteristics (with brief descriptions) of my target market:
5+ Years in Their Industry -->Survived Start Up
2+ Years at Same Company --> Achieved Measurable Success
Business Owner/Top Producer --> Invested in Building the Business
Entrepreneurial Mindset --> Visionary & Calculated Risk Taker
Life Long Learner --> Invest In Their Own Development
Coachable --> Knows They Don’t Know Everything
Established in Their Industry --> Teaches and Trains Others in Their Field
Passionate --> Completely Believes in Their Prod/Svc
Wants/Needs Referrals --> Understands Referral Marketing is a Science
Positive Cash Flow --> Able to Budget/Invest Based on Their Goals
What are the Top 10 Characteristics of your target market?
My most successful clients have nine or ten of these traits. The two I lost only had two or three. My lesson learned – If a qualified prospect does not match most of my descriptors they’re not a good match for me. The proven equation looks something like this:
Qualified Prospects + Top 10 Traits + Need/Interest = IDEAL CLIENTS
Just because they need (or want) my product or service doesn’t mean they’re in a position to experience the maximum benefits. Most importantly, just because we’re not a good fit in business does not mean we’re not a good fit as friends and colleagues.
One of the most selfless things we can do when we’re talking to an unqualified prospect is refer them to someone that can help them with their most immediate needs. Ideally, they’ll develop into a qualified prospect over time by acquiring the skillset of your target market.
Quick personal note: My 9th grade geometry teacher would be so proud. My ability to prove, disprove and verbalize equations wasn’t quite as impressive back then. Admittedly it’s not all that impressive now. If she’d only spoken in terms of business; I’m a fourth generation entrepreneur! I still don’t know what time Train A is going to meet Train B. What I do know is that I don’t care to be on either train because they’re gonna CRASH!
One last variable to consider – Could some of our most successful clients become less than ideal clients by allowing their abilities to diminish? Absolutely.
Perhaps the goal shouldn’t be to attain 100% client retention. The goal is to serve people that meet 100% of your target market requirements in an effort to serve them to the best of your abilities.
Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula’s business networking articles have been published internationally. She is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion – Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com .
Links of Interest
More on SWOT analysis at http://tinyurl.com/SWOTcl
The Top 10 Tools for Maximum Productivity. Coach Phil Humbert’s Monthly tool: Request it at: http://PhilipHumbert.com/Free Take action! It’s a place to start.
Free ebooks from some of the great authors – Napoleon Hill, Benjamin Franklin, Plato and more. http://www.milliondollarbookshelf.com/
Tune-up your brain – lots of online games to either sharpen your skills, embarrass yourself in front of your kids or just chill. http://playwithyourmind.com/about/
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Teleclass
Available
Don't leave 2010 without a Plan!
Business Planning! Simple and Complete.
Join other savvy open entrepreneurs who feel overwhelmed and time starved by the success of thier business and desire to leverage thier time, resourcs and money.
October 20, 22, 28 7-9:30PM EDT/EST Cost $149
This will be a live webinar, handouts will be delivered via email and follow-up coaching will be available for 5 Monday Morning Motivator readers.
Go to: Changing Lanes - Classes for registration and details
This class is limited to 10 participants. Web site also has live classes in Northwest Ohio.
Your authors are:
Linda Fayerweather of Changing Lanes LLC
Rebecca Booth of Imagine That
Pat Altvater of Transformations Institute
Paula Frazier of BNI of West Virginia
SWOT
SWOT is the acronym for Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. Albert Humphrey of Stanford University is credited with developing this strategic planning tool in the 1960s essential to developing a planning process. SWOT Analysis is an effective method of identifying your Strengths and Weaknesses, and to examine the Opportunities and Threats you face.
To carry out a SWOT Analysis, spend some time with these questions to prepare yourself and your business for the next business cycle:
Strengths:
--What are your advantages?
--What do you do well?
Weaknesses:
--What could be improved?
--What is done badly?
--What should be avoided?
Opportunities
--Where are the good chances facing you?
--What are the interesting trends?
--Changes in government policy related to your field
--Changes in social patterns, population profiles, lifestyle changes
--Local Events
Threats
--What obstacles do you face?
--What is your competition doing?
--Is changing technology threatening your position?
Carrying out this analysis will often be illuminating - both in terms of pointing out what needs to be done, and in putting problems into perspective.
For a tool to help with your SWOT, go to http://www.changinglanes.biz/files/SWOTanalysisWorksheet.pdf
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
ACHIEVING 100% CLIENT RETENTION
In a perfect world we’d all have 100% customer retention! Every person we agree to do business with is a perfect fit for us and we are a perfect fit for them. We will stand and deliver our products and services with integrity and they will experience the optimal return on their investment. Over time we establish trust and credibility and might occasionally become friends. They’re not going anywhere – or are they?
I’m not a math scholar but I’m pretty good at basic equations. Here’s one that most business owners and sales people are counting on: Qualified Prospects + Need/Interest = IDEAL CLIENTS. Now let’s agree to a few assumptions:
1. You believe in your products and services.
2. You can easily and passionately explain their benefits.
3. Your prospect needs and wants your products and services.
4. You follow through and deliver on everything you agree to do.
5. You connect with them as appropriate (weekly, monthly, quarterly).
Based on living up to the “givens” listed above why aren’t all of our clients staying with us FOREVER?!? I recently lost two clients so I began to consider some of the variables that may have affected my not so positive outcome.
I could honestly answer YES to all five of the givens. If it wasn’t me…who could it be? THEM? So I made a list of the Top 10 Characteristics (with brief descriptions) of my target market:
5+ Years in Their Industry -->Survived Start Up
2+ Years at Same Company --> Achieved Measurable Success
Business Owner/Top Producer --> Invested in Building the Business
Entrepreneurial Mindset --> Visionary & Calculated Risk Taker
Life Long Learner --> Invest In Their Own Development
Coachable --> Knows They Don’t Know Everything
Established in Their Industry --> Teaches and Trains Others in Their Field
Passionate --> Completely Believes in Their Prod/Svc
Wants/Needs Referrals --> Understands Referral Marketing is a Science
Positive Cash Flow --> Able to Budget/Invest Based on Their Goals
What are the Top 10 Characteristics of your target market?
My most successful clients have nine or ten of these traits. The two I lost only had two or three. My lesson learned – If a qualified prospect does not match most of my descriptors they’re not a good match for me. The proven equation looks something like this:
Qualified Prospects + Top 10 Traits + Need/Interest = IDEAL CLIENTS
Just because they need (or want) my product or service doesn’t mean they’re in a position to experience the maximum benefits. Most importantly, just because we’re not a good fit in business does not mean we’re not a good fit as friends and colleagues.
One of the most selfless things we can do when we’re talking to an unqualified prospect is refer them to someone that can help them with their most immediate needs. Ideally, they’ll develop into a qualified prospect over time by acquiring the skillset of your target market.
Quick personal note: My 9th grade geometry teacher would be so proud. My ability to prove, disprove and verbalize equations wasn’t quite as impressive back then. Admittedly it’s not all that impressive now. If she’d only spoken in terms of business; I’m a fourth generation entrepreneur! I still don’t know what time Train A is going to meet Train B. What I do know is that I don’t care to be on either train because they’re gonna CRASH!
One last variable to consider – Could some of our most successful clients become less than ideal clients by allowing their abilities to diminish? Absolutely.
Perhaps the goal shouldn’t be to attain 100% client retention. The goal is to serve people that meet 100% of your target market requirements in an effort to serve them to the best of your abilities.
Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula’s business networking articles have been published internationally. She is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion – Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com .
Links of Interest
More on SWOT analysis at http://tinyurl.com/SWOTcl
The Top 10 Tools for Maximum Productivity. Coach Phil Humbert’s Monthly tool: Request it at: http://PhilipHumbert.com/Free Take action! It’s a place to start.
Free ebooks from some of the great authors – Napoleon Hill, Benjamin Franklin, Plato and more. http://www.milliondollarbookshelf.com/
Tune-up your brain – lots of online games to either sharpen your skills, embarrass yourself in front of your kids or just chill. http://playwithyourmind.com/about/
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Teleclass
Available
Don't leave 2010 without a Plan!
Business Planning! Simple and Complete.
Join other savvy open entrepreneurs who feel overwhelmed and time starved by the success of thier business and desire to leverage thier time, resourcs and money.
October 20, 22, 28 7-9:30PM EDT/EST Cost $149
This will be a live webinar, handouts will be delivered via email and follow-up coaching will be available for 5 Monday Morning Motivator readers.
Go to: Changing Lanes - Classes for registration and details
This class is limited to 10 participants. Web site also has live classes in Northwest Ohio.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Count Down & Giving to Give
Don't wait. The time will never be just right. --Napoleon Hill
Your authors are:
Linda Fayerweather of Changing Lanes LLC
Rebecca Booth of Imagine That
Pat Altvater of Transformations Institute
Paula Frazier of BNI of West Virginia
Guest Author: Todd Pillars of Send Out Cards
Count Down
Take a look at your calendar and you will notice that it is just 8 full weeks to 2010 which brings a natural rebirth and positive belief in a new beginning. Well, new beginnings take planning and preparation. Very few businesses have ever started or changed without a plan. One of the first steps in putting a plan together is to take a good look at where you have been.
Since the US celebrates Thanksgiving in the month of November, I like to take this month to reflect on my business. Being in gratitude for the past 10 months of success will often make planning smoother.
Take some time this week to reflect on these questions about your business.
1. Where are you compared to your 2009 plan?
2. What worked well in 2009?
3. Who were your best Customers in 2009?
4. How do your best customers know that you value them now and in the 2010?
5. Why will your business soar in 2010?
6. What do customers value about your service/product?
These questions will start the positive process of planning with identification of what made the past work or maybe not work so well.
Next week SWOT. Stay tuned.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
Sending Thanks
My how time flies! Another year is coming to a conclusion and the Holiday Season is almost upon us. November has one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving. This month is a great time to take a moment to tell the people that are important to you just how grateful you are that they are parts of your life, whether it’s personal or business.
Gratitude is defined as the quality or feeling of being thankful. When was the last time you felt the emotion of thanks? Sure we say thank-you but it’s mostly expected good manners. So when, and how deeply, did you thank someone for being your friend? Your partner? Your customer? Your husband or wife? Your brother, sister? Your mother or father? Was it a cursory thank-you or did you feel that they truly felt appreciated by your words?
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. What then, is an unexpected gift worth? It needn’t be a large gift but it does have to be heartfelt. That’s the key to appreciation; sending thanks from the heart. It’s what we call “Giving to Give”. In a world where it seems that everyone is “Out for themselves”, or “Giving to Get” something from somebody else, it is paramount to be sincere.
In an ideal world you could send it all! Well it’s possible and here’s how. Send your personal message in your own handwriting, include your uploaded pictures, a even send a small gift all from the convenience of your computer. It only takes a few minutes and it’s a lot less than going to the store and doing it yourself.
I challenge everyone to show one person each day how much you appreciate them. Do it for one solid year and just wait and see what you’ll have to be thankful for next November. Thanksgiving will be one of your favorite holidays, too!
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou
Copyright 2009 Todd Pillars is an Appreciation Marketer with Send Out Cards.
419-855-2273,
tpillars@gmail.com
www.sendoutcards.com/tpillars
Links of Interest
Discover the missing link to having a heart centered business. The url is http://www.beeingattraction.com/missing-link/?af=3047
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Your authors are:
Linda Fayerweather of Changing Lanes LLC
Rebecca Booth of Imagine That
Pat Altvater of Transformations Institute
Paula Frazier of BNI of West Virginia
Guest Author: Todd Pillars of Send Out Cards
Count Down
Take a look at your calendar and you will notice that it is just 8 full weeks to 2010 which brings a natural rebirth and positive belief in a new beginning. Well, new beginnings take planning and preparation. Very few businesses have ever started or changed without a plan. One of the first steps in putting a plan together is to take a good look at where you have been.
Since the US celebrates Thanksgiving in the month of November, I like to take this month to reflect on my business. Being in gratitude for the past 10 months of success will often make planning smoother.
Take some time this week to reflect on these questions about your business.
1. Where are you compared to your 2009 plan?
2. What worked well in 2009?
3. Who were your best Customers in 2009?
4. How do your best customers know that you value them now and in the 2010?
5. Why will your business soar in 2010?
6. What do customers value about your service/product?
These questions will start the positive process of planning with identification of what made the past work or maybe not work so well.
Next week SWOT. Stay tuned.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
Sending Thanks
My how time flies! Another year is coming to a conclusion and the Holiday Season is almost upon us. November has one of my favorite holidays, Thanksgiving. This month is a great time to take a moment to tell the people that are important to you just how grateful you are that they are parts of your life, whether it’s personal or business.
Gratitude is defined as the quality or feeling of being thankful. When was the last time you felt the emotion of thanks? Sure we say thank-you but it’s mostly expected good manners. So when, and how deeply, did you thank someone for being your friend? Your partner? Your customer? Your husband or wife? Your brother, sister? Your mother or father? Was it a cursory thank-you or did you feel that they truly felt appreciated by your words?
They say that a picture is worth a thousand words. What then, is an unexpected gift worth? It needn’t be a large gift but it does have to be heartfelt. That’s the key to appreciation; sending thanks from the heart. It’s what we call “Giving to Give”. In a world where it seems that everyone is “Out for themselves”, or “Giving to Get” something from somebody else, it is paramount to be sincere.
In an ideal world you could send it all! Well it’s possible and here’s how. Send your personal message in your own handwriting, include your uploaded pictures, a even send a small gift all from the convenience of your computer. It only takes a few minutes and it’s a lot less than going to the store and doing it yourself.
I challenge everyone to show one person each day how much you appreciate them. Do it for one solid year and just wait and see what you’ll have to be thankful for next November. Thanksgiving will be one of your favorite holidays, too!
“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” - Maya Angelou
Copyright 2009 Todd Pillars is an Appreciation Marketer with Send Out Cards.
419-855-2273,
tpillars@gmail.com
www.sendoutcards.com/tpillars
Links of Interest
Discover the missing link to having a heart centered business. The url is http://www.beeingattraction.com/missing-link/?af=3047
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Monday, November 02, 2009
Taxing Thoughts & Thankful Entrepreneurs
Taxing Traveling Thoughts
Years and years ago while sitting in a college economics class, the instructor said that TAXES should be designed to "tax what you don't want people to do". So that would mean if you want people to smoke, drink and drive less, we would see huge taxes on cigarettes, alcohol and gasoline. So, for me the entire tax structure of the US always causes my head to hurt . . . but I digress.
While checking in at the Detroit Airport, I was asked on the Kiosk if I wanted to check my bag, I thought "Sure, then I don't have to drag it around." The fee to check was $25 a bag - bummer, so I chose to carry-on. I was in the last zone to board and watched as many people had MORE than one carry-on and one personal bag. No surprise to me, the overhead bins were full so my bag was hauled away, stored in the cargo hold and the cost to me was $0. Maybe, if the airlines want people to check bags, they should TAX the carry-on bag beyond ONE or allow travelers to check a small carry-on for free.
The point of this conversation is to help business owners realize that when you change your prices, sometimes you cause people to respond in a way you didn't expect. When you make changes in your busienss you should track the results.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
Are you Ready for 2010? Checkout Changing Lanes Workshops
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
PS. American Airlines made $278 million in bag fees during 2008!
Awakened Entrepreneurs Are Thankful for Everything!
Thanksgiving is this month! It's easy to be thankful for the blessings in our life, but what if we also took the time to be thankful for the things that we perceive as problematic.
You see, it's all good! According to the Law of Polarity, everything contains its opposite. For example, black and white, good and bad, Yin/Yang, up and down. We can't define something without having its opposite also present. So for everything that you perceive as negative in your life, the positive side of that event is also available to you - if you take the time to perceive it.
For example, recently the "on" button on my laptop quit working and I couldn't access my Outlook or recently saved files. It took 10 days for the repair - bummer! BUT on the positive side, my son built me a wonderful inexpensive desktop computer from a combination of old and new parts! What was even better though is that since I couldn't work to full capacity without all my current files, I took the opportunity to purge unused books and file folders from my office. I felt like I was working in a whole new environment.
This Thanksgiving find something you aren't happy about and be grateful for the good that is going to come out of it, even if you don't understand what that is right now.
Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com/
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com/
Powerful You! Women's Network Facilitator, Toledo Area Chapter
Join us for business, personal and spiritual growth - networking with a heart!
419-344-6613
Years and years ago while sitting in a college economics class, the instructor said that TAXES should be designed to "tax what you don't want people to do". So that would mean if you want people to smoke, drink and drive less, we would see huge taxes on cigarettes, alcohol and gasoline. So, for me the entire tax structure of the US always causes my head to hurt . . . but I digress.
While checking in at the Detroit Airport, I was asked on the Kiosk if I wanted to check my bag, I thought "Sure, then I don't have to drag it around." The fee to check was $25 a bag - bummer, so I chose to carry-on. I was in the last zone to board and watched as many people had MORE than one carry-on and one personal bag. No surprise to me, the overhead bins were full so my bag was hauled away, stored in the cargo hold and the cost to me was $0. Maybe, if the airlines want people to check bags, they should TAX the carry-on bag beyond ONE or allow travelers to check a small carry-on for free.
The point of this conversation is to help business owners realize that when you change your prices, sometimes you cause people to respond in a way you didn't expect. When you make changes in your busienss you should track the results.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
Are you Ready for 2010? Checkout Changing Lanes Workshops
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
PS. American Airlines made $278 million in bag fees during 2008!
Awakened Entrepreneurs Are Thankful for Everything!
Thanksgiving is this month! It's easy to be thankful for the blessings in our life, but what if we also took the time to be thankful for the things that we perceive as problematic.
You see, it's all good! According to the Law of Polarity, everything contains its opposite. For example, black and white, good and bad, Yin/Yang, up and down. We can't define something without having its opposite also present. So for everything that you perceive as negative in your life, the positive side of that event is also available to you - if you take the time to perceive it.
For example, recently the "on" button on my laptop quit working and I couldn't access my Outlook or recently saved files. It took 10 days for the repair - bummer! BUT on the positive side, my son built me a wonderful inexpensive desktop computer from a combination of old and new parts! What was even better though is that since I couldn't work to full capacity without all my current files, I took the opportunity to purge unused books and file folders from my office. I felt like I was working in a whole new environment.
This Thanksgiving find something you aren't happy about and be grateful for the good that is going to come out of it, even if you don't understand what that is right now.
Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com/
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com/
Powerful You! Women's Network Facilitator, Toledo Area Chapter
Join us for business, personal and spiritual growth - networking with a heart!
419-344-6613
Monday, October 26, 2009
10 Weeks & Cinderella
10 Weeks to 2010
OH NO - the holidays are just around the corner! Often when the decorations go up, the marketing goes down the tubes. Maybe it is seasonal overwhelm, maybe it is just the belief that the next year will be great and why waste your time at the end of they year. Stop fighting yourself and realize that it has been a rough year, so planning now could be great.
Take some time to analyze what worked well in 2009 for your business.
Start by making a list of:
--What you spent money on for advertising and promotion AND the resul
--How much time you spent on social media and networking AND the results
--When did you have your best marketing results
--Why did customers give you repeat business.
From this frank discussion, evaluate your target market to be sure that they know you, remember you and are of a financially rewarding market. Ask yourself if there is a more desirable ideal customer.
Use these answers to set a 10 week action plan to get more customers before the end of the year. Don't forget to review your core message for clarity and appeal to your ideal customer.
Next step: Develop your 2010 marketing plan and the activities that will help you achieve them. Start planning now - email Linda to get started on your plan for 2010.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
Cinderella and the Stroke of Midnight
We're all familiar with Cinderella's story. Her fairy godmother turned a pumpkin into a gorgeous carriage to take her to the ball -- with a strict warning to be home by midnight, lest the carriage turn back into a pumpkin!
Tax planning works the same way. That's because at midnight on December 31, some of the most valuable tax breaks turn into pumpkins. In some cases, you miss the chance to take advantage of them this year. In others, they expire entirely and you lose them forever.
In recent years, Washington has made taxes even more complicated than usual. Strict budget rules mean that new breaks come and go. This year, there are 22 tax breaks expiring on or near December 31. Some of them may be renewed before the end of the year. But it still makes sense to look at them now to make sure you don't lose anything the law offers:
* The deduction for sales tax you pay to buy a new car or truck
* The "First-time Homebuyer" tax credit (this one actually expires November 30, although it may be extended)
* The itemized deduction for state and local sales taxes (as opposed to income taxes)
* The special deduction for state and local property taxes for clients who don't otherwise itemize
* The $4,000 deduction for "qualified tuition and related expenses"
* The increased exemptions for calculating the dreaded alternative minimum taxable income
* The $100,000 exemption for IRA distributions paid by the trustee directly to a qualified charity
Several valuable business tax deductions also expire this year:
* The 50% "bonus depreciation" for new business equipment
* The expanded "first-year expensing" dollar limit of $250,000 (which drops to $125,000 in 2010)
* Accelerated depreciation benefits for certain tangible assets (including "qualified leasehold property," restaurant property, retail space improvement property, and "qualified machinery and equipment" used in farming businesses)
* Expanded first-year depreciation benefits for business vehicles
* Special credits for "COBRA" continuation subsidies for laid-off employees
None of us want to miss any of these breaks. But the only way you can be sure not to is to ask! If you're worried about missing valuable deductions -- especially if you own your own business -- call us. And if your friends, family, and colleagues are worried, have them call us too!
Tim Pinkelman, CPA
Accounting Center & Tax Services, Inc.
6601 Lewis Ave.
Temperance, MI 48182
419-882-9255 or 734-847-0400
http://www.accounting-centers.com/
OH NO - the holidays are just around the corner! Often when the decorations go up, the marketing goes down the tubes. Maybe it is seasonal overwhelm, maybe it is just the belief that the next year will be great and why waste your time at the end of they year. Stop fighting yourself and realize that it has been a rough year, so planning now could be great.
Take some time to analyze what worked well in 2009 for your business.
Start by making a list of:
--What you spent money on for advertising and promotion AND the resul
--How much time you spent on social media and networking AND the results
--When did you have your best marketing results
--Why did customers give you repeat business.
From this frank discussion, evaluate your target market to be sure that they know you, remember you and are of a financially rewarding market. Ask yourself if there is a more desirable ideal customer.
Use these answers to set a 10 week action plan to get more customers before the end of the year. Don't forget to review your core message for clarity and appeal to your ideal customer.
Next step: Develop your 2010 marketing plan and the activities that will help you achieve them. Start planning now - email Linda to get started on your plan for 2010.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
Cinderella and the Stroke of Midnight
We're all familiar with Cinderella's story. Her fairy godmother turned a pumpkin into a gorgeous carriage to take her to the ball -- with a strict warning to be home by midnight, lest the carriage turn back into a pumpkin!
Tax planning works the same way. That's because at midnight on December 31, some of the most valuable tax breaks turn into pumpkins. In some cases, you miss the chance to take advantage of them this year. In others, they expire entirely and you lose them forever.
In recent years, Washington has made taxes even more complicated than usual. Strict budget rules mean that new breaks come and go. This year, there are 22 tax breaks expiring on or near December 31. Some of them may be renewed before the end of the year. But it still makes sense to look at them now to make sure you don't lose anything the law offers:
* The deduction for sales tax you pay to buy a new car or truck
* The "First-time Homebuyer" tax credit (this one actually expires November 30, although it may be extended)
* The itemized deduction for state and local sales taxes (as opposed to income taxes)
* The special deduction for state and local property taxes for clients who don't otherwise itemize
* The $4,000 deduction for "qualified tuition and related expenses"
* The increased exemptions for calculating the dreaded alternative minimum taxable income
* The $100,000 exemption for IRA distributions paid by the trustee directly to a qualified charity
Several valuable business tax deductions also expire this year:
* The 50% "bonus depreciation" for new business equipment
* The expanded "first-year expensing" dollar limit of $250,000 (which drops to $125,000 in 2010)
* Accelerated depreciation benefits for certain tangible assets (including "qualified leasehold property," restaurant property, retail space improvement property, and "qualified machinery and equipment" used in farming businesses)
* Expanded first-year depreciation benefits for business vehicles
* Special credits for "COBRA" continuation subsidies for laid-off employees
None of us want to miss any of these breaks. But the only way you can be sure not to is to ask! If you're worried about missing valuable deductions -- especially if you own your own business -- call us. And if your friends, family, and colleagues are worried, have them call us too!
Tim Pinkelman, CPA
Accounting Center & Tax Services, Inc.
6601 Lewis Ave.
Temperance, MI 48182
419-882-9255 or 734-847-0400
http://www.accounting-centers.com/
Monday, October 19, 2009
Business tips for week of October 19, 2009
No Blame means No Excuses
Over time, I’ve learned that when managers say “we need more accountability around here” they really mean “Who is to blame for that latest disaster.” People fear blame often because they don’t want to be admit they made a mistake. Therefore they deflect, make excuses or just plan ignore the problem become the norm. In the real world, mistakes can often be the best teachers and when mistakes are honestly discussed, corrective action taken and follow-up accountability used, often an organization will excel.
Now, the dark side is that sometimes a person may think no blame means we will tolerate anything. Talk to a commercial pilot and you will discover that if the pilot doesn’t follow the pre-flight checklist, the co-pilot is empowered to not allow take off.
The next action on “no excuses” is related to repeat offenders. Being clear that you will learn from your mistakes is good; allowing the mistakes to continue is bad policy. Back to the airplane – do we really want to keep a pilot employed that refuses to do a checklist?
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
Variety Is the Spice of Life…and Networking!
Variety is the spice of life! It’s also the key to a powerful network. Business professionals that count on qualified referrals to build their business know the importance of meeting new people - not just any people, the “right” people. I’m not saying that there are “wrong” people; simply that there are people better suited than others to help you.
All too often, we spend way too much time doing the same old things with the same old people and there is nothing that will take you down faster than surrounding yourself with too many folks that are too much alike. Limiting your contacts means limiting your referral marketing efforts!
If we want to stay in business, we definitely need to spend time with our prospects. They look alike. We’ve also got to spend time with our clients. They look alike.
Forest Gump’s momma was a little woman that made a big statement, “Life is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re gonna get”. The same is true of many networking events, boardroom meetings and trade shows that you attend. Often times we walk into a room full of wondrous variety. Experienced networkers know how to relationally sample and select the very best.
I can’t tell you how many networking events I’ve been to over the years. Without exception, some folks are enjoying, or finding solace in, the food and drinks. Others are shaking hands, kissing babies and collecting as many business cards as possible in hopes of finding that one special person that will become their next client.
Unless and until you can take all of those business cards to your local bank and cash them in, it’s probably not in your best interest to become a card collector. Instead, you should attend networking events with purpose…the purpose of connecting with the right people.
I hosted a workshop several weeks ago. Everyone in attendance looked…well…like me - suit on, hair done, laptop in tow and Blackberry in hand EXCEPT one guy. He had on uniform pants, work boots, a sweat shirt and had his hair pulled back in a pony tail. Almost no one talked to him. Why? Because he was different!
The one person that did take the time to connect with him, a very smart BNI Executive Director, struck gold. He learned that Jeremy was an auto mechanic. He wasn’t just any auto mechanic; Jeremy was one of two Certified Master Porsche mechanics in all of Southwestern Virginia. Do you think some of his clients may be part of our target market?
DIVERSIFY YOUR NETWORK BY DIVERSIFYING YOUR CALENDAR:
1. Attend a new networking event with purpose, the purpose of meeting new people.
2. Find a person in the room that no one is talking to and engage them.
3. After learning a bit about who they are and what they do, ask them to introduce you to someone there that THEY KNOW. Diversity…here we come!
At this point it becomes incredibly important to know the difference between contacts and connections. In his recent bestseller, The 29% Solution, Dr. Ivan Misner offers that a contact is someone you know, but you still haven’t developed a strong, trusting relationship. A connection is someone who knows you, likes you and trusts you because you’ve taken the time to establish credibility with one another. Card collectors are increasing their surface level contacts. Conscientious networkers are looking for high level connections.
How much money are you leaving on the table by hanging out with people that are already connected to the majority of the people in your network? Diversify your networks. Embrace a variety of people to help you build your business by referral. Get out there, meet someone new and start digging. You never know when you might strike GOLD!
Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is also an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula’s business networking articles are featured internationally. She was recently published in Brainsbook for Networking and is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion – Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com .
Links of Interest
If you are a MOM interested in raising healthy children, check out: http://www.healthytalksformoms.com/ Pat Altvater has launched a Telesummit with 7 experts discussing raising healthy children - this is a free program, but you must register.
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Teleclass
Available
Don't leave 2010 without a Plan!
Business Planning! Simple and Complete.
Join other savvy open entrepreneurs who feel overwhelmed and time starved by the success of thier business and desire to leverage thier time, resourcs and money.
October 20, 22, 28 7-9:30PM EDT/EST Cost $149
This will be a live webinar, handouts will be delivered via email and follow-up coaching will be available for 5 Monday Morning Motivator readers.
Go to: Changing Lanes - Classes for registration and details
This class is limited to 10 participants. Web site also has live classes in Northwest Ohio.
No Blame means No Excuses
Over time, I’ve learned that when managers say “we need more accountability around here” they really mean “Who is to blame for that latest disaster.” People fear blame often because they don’t want to be admit they made a mistake. Therefore they deflect, make excuses or just plan ignore the problem become the norm. In the real world, mistakes can often be the best teachers and when mistakes are honestly discussed, corrective action taken and follow-up accountability used, often an organization will excel.
Now, the dark side is that sometimes a person may think no blame means we will tolerate anything. Talk to a commercial pilot and you will discover that if the pilot doesn’t follow the pre-flight checklist, the co-pilot is empowered to not allow take off.
The next action on “no excuses” is related to repeat offenders. Being clear that you will learn from your mistakes is good; allowing the mistakes to continue is bad policy. Back to the airplane – do we really want to keep a pilot employed that refuses to do a checklist?
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
Variety Is the Spice of Life…and Networking!
Variety is the spice of life! It’s also the key to a powerful network. Business professionals that count on qualified referrals to build their business know the importance of meeting new people - not just any people, the “right” people. I’m not saying that there are “wrong” people; simply that there are people better suited than others to help you.
All too often, we spend way too much time doing the same old things with the same old people and there is nothing that will take you down faster than surrounding yourself with too many folks that are too much alike. Limiting your contacts means limiting your referral marketing efforts!
If we want to stay in business, we definitely need to spend time with our prospects. They look alike. We’ve also got to spend time with our clients. They look alike.
Forest Gump’s momma was a little woman that made a big statement, “Life is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re gonna get”. The same is true of many networking events, boardroom meetings and trade shows that you attend. Often times we walk into a room full of wondrous variety. Experienced networkers know how to relationally sample and select the very best.
I can’t tell you how many networking events I’ve been to over the years. Without exception, some folks are enjoying, or finding solace in, the food and drinks. Others are shaking hands, kissing babies and collecting as many business cards as possible in hopes of finding that one special person that will become their next client.
Unless and until you can take all of those business cards to your local bank and cash them in, it’s probably not in your best interest to become a card collector. Instead, you should attend networking events with purpose…the purpose of connecting with the right people.
I hosted a workshop several weeks ago. Everyone in attendance looked…well…like me - suit on, hair done, laptop in tow and Blackberry in hand EXCEPT one guy. He had on uniform pants, work boots, a sweat shirt and had his hair pulled back in a pony tail. Almost no one talked to him. Why? Because he was different!
The one person that did take the time to connect with him, a very smart BNI Executive Director, struck gold. He learned that Jeremy was an auto mechanic. He wasn’t just any auto mechanic; Jeremy was one of two Certified Master Porsche mechanics in all of Southwestern Virginia. Do you think some of his clients may be part of our target market?
DIVERSIFY YOUR NETWORK BY DIVERSIFYING YOUR CALENDAR:
1. Attend a new networking event with purpose, the purpose of meeting new people.
2. Find a person in the room that no one is talking to and engage them.
3. After learning a bit about who they are and what they do, ask them to introduce you to someone there that THEY KNOW. Diversity…here we come!
At this point it becomes incredibly important to know the difference between contacts and connections. In his recent bestseller, The 29% Solution, Dr. Ivan Misner offers that a contact is someone you know, but you still haven’t developed a strong, trusting relationship. A connection is someone who knows you, likes you and trusts you because you’ve taken the time to establish credibility with one another. Card collectors are increasing their surface level contacts. Conscientious networkers are looking for high level connections.
How much money are you leaving on the table by hanging out with people that are already connected to the majority of the people in your network? Diversify your networks. Embrace a variety of people to help you build your business by referral. Get out there, meet someone new and start digging. You never know when you might strike GOLD!
Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is also an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula’s business networking articles are featured internationally. She was recently published in Brainsbook for Networking and is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion – Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com .
Links of Interest
If you are a MOM interested in raising healthy children, check out: http://www.healthytalksformoms.com/ Pat Altvater has launched a Telesummit with 7 experts discussing raising healthy children - this is a free program, but you must register.
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Teleclass
Available
Don't leave 2010 without a Plan!
Business Planning! Simple and Complete.
Join other savvy open entrepreneurs who feel overwhelmed and time starved by the success of thier business and desire to leverage thier time, resourcs and money.
October 20, 22, 28 7-9:30PM EDT/EST Cost $149
This will be a live webinar, handouts will be delivered via email and follow-up coaching will be available for 5 Monday Morning Motivator readers.
Go to: Changing Lanes - Classes for registration and details
This class is limited to 10 participants. Web site also has live classes in Northwest Ohio.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Changing Lanes & Truth
Changing Lanes - Really!
Last night, I returned from the annual "close up the summer camp adventure" and drove 200+ miles through Michigan on Interstate 75. At some points this road is 2 lanes and several place 5 lanes and in case you haven't driven this highway, I believe the majority of those traveling believe that 75 is the minimum speed limit. What I noticed is that many people change lanes much like they change directions on their business.
1. Impulsive - puts on blinker and changes lanes all at the same time. Often this can cause havoc for those in the immediate area. They don't intend to cause problems but there lack of planning does.
2. Focus Challenged - thinks about changing lanes, puts on blinker and never changes, just blinks. If you go by them you will usually see they are talking, singing with the radio, talking on the phone or just day dreaming. Remember - wishing and dreaming are not plans.
3. The Dervish - Just changes lanes whenever they think they can go faster - no blinker and you will see them weaving in and out of traffic. They seldom arrive any sooner, just more stressed.
4. The Thoughtful Planner - looks, puts on blinker, waits and then changes and usually very successfully. These drivers are aware of their surroundings.
Such is the way with business, the thoughtful planners are not adverse to the risk of entrepreneurship or changing the direction of their business, they just plan it out. They calculate the risks, put on the blinker and commit to change. They don't live in their business, they live with their business as part of the competition, landscape and their lives.
I have to admit that at various points in my life, I've been all four of the above in business, but last night with two precious packages in the car (my daughter and grandson), I am proud to say I was number four when it came to driving.
Getting a plan before you change lanes is one proven key to success. Where will your business take you?
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
Awakened Entrepreneurs Face the Truth
We are in the final stretch of 2009; do you know how you are doing compared to your plan for 2009? Have you kept your accounting records up to date so you have a clear picture of where you are at this point?
Many entrepreneurs claim they are just too busy to keep up their monthly records and compare their results to their plan. Really, too busy? OR maybe they just don't want to have to face the truth.
Awakened entrepreneurs know that denial is like holding a finger in the dike. Eventually, it'll break down and then it will be too late to self-correct. When we fear the truth, we become defensive and constricted and waste energy that could be spent on seeking opportunities or solutions.
If your receipts are in a paper bag (think file folder, drawer, top of dresser, etc) all smashed together, maybe it's time for you to get some help before the year is over. Get your records up to date, so you can create a plan for 2010 that is based on accurate information from the current year.
Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com/
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com/
http://www.healthytalksformoms.com/
419-344-6613
Last night, I returned from the annual "close up the summer camp adventure" and drove 200+ miles through Michigan on Interstate 75. At some points this road is 2 lanes and several place 5 lanes and in case you haven't driven this highway, I believe the majority of those traveling believe that 75 is the minimum speed limit. What I noticed is that many people change lanes much like they change directions on their business.
1. Impulsive - puts on blinker and changes lanes all at the same time. Often this can cause havoc for those in the immediate area. They don't intend to cause problems but there lack of planning does.
2. Focus Challenged - thinks about changing lanes, puts on blinker and never changes, just blinks. If you go by them you will usually see they are talking, singing with the radio, talking on the phone or just day dreaming. Remember - wishing and dreaming are not plans.
3. The Dervish - Just changes lanes whenever they think they can go faster - no blinker and you will see them weaving in and out of traffic. They seldom arrive any sooner, just more stressed.
4. The Thoughtful Planner - looks, puts on blinker, waits and then changes and usually very successfully. These drivers are aware of their surroundings.
Such is the way with business, the thoughtful planners are not adverse to the risk of entrepreneurship or changing the direction of their business, they just plan it out. They calculate the risks, put on the blinker and commit to change. They don't live in their business, they live with their business as part of the competition, landscape and their lives.
I have to admit that at various points in my life, I've been all four of the above in business, but last night with two precious packages in the car (my daughter and grandson), I am proud to say I was number four when it came to driving.
Getting a plan before you change lanes is one proven key to success. Where will your business take you?
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
Awakened Entrepreneurs Face the Truth
We are in the final stretch of 2009; do you know how you are doing compared to your plan for 2009? Have you kept your accounting records up to date so you have a clear picture of where you are at this point?
Many entrepreneurs claim they are just too busy to keep up their monthly records and compare their results to their plan. Really, too busy? OR maybe they just don't want to have to face the truth.
Awakened entrepreneurs know that denial is like holding a finger in the dike. Eventually, it'll break down and then it will be too late to self-correct. When we fear the truth, we become defensive and constricted and waste energy that could be spent on seeking opportunities or solutions.
If your receipts are in a paper bag (think file folder, drawer, top of dresser, etc) all smashed together, maybe it's time for you to get some help before the year is over. Get your records up to date, so you can create a plan for 2010 that is based on accurate information from the current year.
Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com/
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com/
http://www.healthytalksformoms.com/
419-344-6613
Monday, October 05, 2009
Business tips for week of October 5, 2009
Monday Morning Motivators is a short burst of business tips you can use today and through out the week. Our reporters, authors and correspondents strive to bring you tips and insights to make your business shine.
"In the absence of communication there can be no business" --Diane DiResta
Your authors are:
Linda Fayerweather of Changing Lanes LLC
Rebecca Booth of Imagine That
Pat Altvater of Transformations Institute
Paula Frazier of BNI of West Virginia
It is the 21st Century
Business practices that match the century are going to be key to making your business thrive. If you are reading this email, you are savvy on the Internet - great! What other things can you do? Well, I'm reminded every time I hear someone say "green business" that "lean businesses" have been the leading the way for years.
Yes, I am one of those green people that takes my own bags to the grocery store which does seem to perplex many a cashier. Now, all the places I shop SELL reusable bags yet, I'm still I'm the oddball. This is clearly a green thing on my part - 5 less bags in the land fill each week. Now take a look at the Lean side of this. I usually choose to bag myself - saving the cashier time and me on the unloading end as I bag by where the supplies are shelved in my home. Two stores actually give me $.05 for each bag I use - a little change never hurts.
Lean businesses are always looking for ways to do more with less.
Green businesses are looking for ways to have less impact on the environment.
Together they are a team that will be thriving in this century.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
The Future of Sales: On-Demand Customization
Check out this website: Zazzle.com. It's been allowing consumers to customize their own t-shirts, shoes, mug, business cards and the like since 2005.
Zazzle CEO Robert Beaver notes, "The competitive mentality is, 'If I help someone else, that's going to take dollars out of my pocket.' But that isn't the way our sellers are thinking. More sellers enhance the overall quality of the marketplace." Test drive the model for yourself. You'll find there's an idea incubator, access to artists' creations as well as a trend indicator. Create a few shirts for a company event or birthday party, then consider creating your own personalized line of marketed goods to be sold on zazzle.com. Remember, customization is the future.
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com
www.marketinginabox.biz
Links of Interest
If you are a parent interested in raising healthy children, check out: http://www.healthytalksformoms.com Pat Altvater is launching a Telesummit with 7 experts discussing raising healthy children - this is a free program, but you must register.
Need help with your business books? If you are in Northwest Ohio, this upcoming seminar is for you. Check it out at Minding Your Money sponsored by the Women's Entrepreneurial Network.
Rebecca Booth is working to help the Toledo Crystal Awards be awesome - she will keep us posted about her enteries. Details about the Gala
The Ultimate Lean and Green man of New York City: No Impact Man
Monday Morning Motivators is a short burst of business tips you can use today and through out the week. Our reporters, authors and correspondents strive to bring you tips and insights to make your business shine.
"In the absence of communication there can be no business" --Diane DiResta
Your authors are:
Linda Fayerweather of Changing Lanes LLC
Rebecca Booth of Imagine That
Pat Altvater of Transformations Institute
Paula Frazier of BNI of West Virginia
It is the 21st Century
Business practices that match the century are going to be key to making your business thrive. If you are reading this email, you are savvy on the Internet - great! What other things can you do? Well, I'm reminded every time I hear someone say "green business" that "lean businesses" have been the leading the way for years.
Yes, I am one of those green people that takes my own bags to the grocery store which does seem to perplex many a cashier. Now, all the places I shop SELL reusable bags yet, I'm still I'm the oddball. This is clearly a green thing on my part - 5 less bags in the land fill each week. Now take a look at the Lean side of this. I usually choose to bag myself - saving the cashier time and me on the unloading end as I bag by where the supplies are shelved in my home. Two stores actually give me $.05 for each bag I use - a little change never hurts.
Lean businesses are always looking for ways to do more with less.
Green businesses are looking for ways to have less impact on the environment.
Together they are a team that will be thriving in this century.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
The Future of Sales: On-Demand Customization
Check out this website: Zazzle.com. It's been allowing consumers to customize their own t-shirts, shoes, mug, business cards and the like since 2005.
Zazzle CEO Robert Beaver notes, "The competitive mentality is, 'If I help someone else, that's going to take dollars out of my pocket.' But that isn't the way our sellers are thinking. More sellers enhance the overall quality of the marketplace." Test drive the model for yourself. You'll find there's an idea incubator, access to artists' creations as well as a trend indicator. Create a few shirts for a company event or birthday party, then consider creating your own personalized line of marketed goods to be sold on zazzle.com. Remember, customization is the future.
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com
www.marketinginabox.biz
Links of Interest
If you are a parent interested in raising healthy children, check out: http://www.healthytalksformoms.com Pat Altvater is launching a Telesummit with 7 experts discussing raising healthy children - this is a free program, but you must register.
Need help with your business books? If you are in Northwest Ohio, this upcoming seminar is for you. Check it out at Minding Your Money sponsored by the Women's Entrepreneurial Network.
Rebecca Booth is working to help the Toledo Crystal Awards be awesome - she will keep us posted about her enteries. Details about the Gala
The Ultimate Lean and Green man of New York City: No Impact Man
Monday, September 21, 2009
Serendipity
Week of September 21, 2009
Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. The archives are stored at: MondayMorningMotivators.blogspot.com
“There is no rule that life has to be hard. I looked it up.” --Lora J Canary
This week's topics include: • Serendipity - Linda Fayerweather
• A Master of Viral Marketing - Rebecca Booth
• Awakened Entrepreneurs Have a Growth Mindset - Pat Altvater
• Relax - Paula Frazier
Serendipity
The word “serendipity” is fun to say and it is something that many entrepreneurs forget to observe. It refers to when one accidentally discovers something useful while looking for something entirely unrelated. A short list of serendipitous discoveries are dynamite, silly putty, scotch guard, LSD, Teflon, vulcanized rubber, safety glass and corn flakes.
In my yard this growing season, a doe I call Dora has taken residence. As a lifelong avid gardener, I have watched as my prize plants have been treated like her own personal salad bar! I’ve more than curbed my enthusiasm for weeding - why bother - I just make it easier for her to find the tasty morsels. Even Liquid Fence® ,fondly referred to by my family as “dead man in a can”, ceased to work. This is where serendipity stepped in as "eupatorium rugosum" took over. This weed is native to North American, has medicinal qualities and is POSIUNOUS to deer! If cows graze on it, their milk will be toxic. Ah Ha! The deer seem to be smart enough to not eat it or other things around it!
As entrepreneurs we often get stuck doing, and doing, and doing and forgetting to step back and watch. Imagine setting up your business to run limiting your controlling hands in established processes. Without constant weeding, sometimes serendipity may step in and say “Hi”. Maybe the right “employee”, like the eupatorium, just needs time to establish some roots.
Check out the list of other serendipitous inventions at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serendipity
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
Corner Dental - A Master of Viral Marketing
There’s no better way to market than virally – getting a group of people to give your product or service a shout out. MySpace, FaceBook and Twitter have connected people to their friends, families, colleagues and past employers in an endless loop. Marketing to them, however is not as easy as clicking on a banner ad. Banner ad click-through rates now mirror that of traditional direct mail: a whopping 1%, yet banner advertising is worse on social networks where a measly 0.02% of people will click on the ad. The key to getting someone to pass along your product’s name or a testimonial for your service is to offer something that people REALLY WANT. I saw a perfect example of this at the UT/OSU football game on Saturday. Corner Dental advertised the opportunity to “Show Your Smile” to the crowd by texting your picture to their website during the game. Not only did Corner Dental post the photos on the JumboTron at the game, but my nephew gave CD a shout-out to his friends that his picture was featured. Viral marketing doesn’t get much better than that.
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com
www.marketinginabox.biz
Awakened Entrepreneurs Have a Growth Mindset
The following is taken verbatim from http://www.mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.html
Mindset is a simple idea discovered by world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, PhD in decades of research on achievement and success – a simple idea that makes all the difference.
In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success – without effort. They’re wrong.
In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work – brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.
Essentially Dr. Dweck is saying that people with a growth mindset enjoy challenges, accept mistakes as learning experiences and value personal growth, all essential traits of an awakened entrepreneur. In contrast, a person with a fixed mindset is defensive about mistakes, constantly works at appearing successful and doesn’t try anything new unless they know they can succeed. Which mindset describes you?
It is possible to change. I am interviewing Dr. Dweck as part of my free Childhood Obesity Tele-Summit this October. You can learn more about mindsets and how to help the people around you, your children and/or your employees, adopt the growth mindset directly from Dr. Dweck on October 13th at 8pm EST. For more information and to register for this free event, go to: http://www.tinyurl.com/momstelesummit.
Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com
419-344-6613
Taking Time to Revive
So whether your daily grind is physical, mental, or a combination of the two, plan to take a day off to replenish your mind, body and spirit.
1. Pick up a good book and lose yourself in a great novel.
2. Experience a movie adventure with some friends.
3. Take the family to the park for a picnic. Sounds corny; but it’s fun.
4. Let social media be your outlet. Go online to connect on FaceBook and Twitter your favorite Tweeple to your heart’s content.
5. Hang out. Turn off the television, radio and phone and literally do nothing.
No matter what you choose to do, know that you’ve earned it! Get out your planner and schedule your next one, now.
Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula’s business networking articles are featured internationally. She was recently published in Brainsbook for Networking and is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion – Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com.
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. The archives are stored at: MondayMorningMotivators.blogspot.com
“There is no rule that life has to be hard. I looked it up.” --Lora J Canary
This week's topics include: • Serendipity - Linda Fayerweather
• A Master of Viral Marketing - Rebecca Booth
• Awakened Entrepreneurs Have a Growth Mindset - Pat Altvater
• Relax - Paula Frazier
Serendipity
The word “serendipity” is fun to say and it is something that many entrepreneurs forget to observe. It refers to when one accidentally discovers something useful while looking for something entirely unrelated. A short list of serendipitous discoveries are dynamite, silly putty, scotch guard, LSD, Teflon, vulcanized rubber, safety glass and corn flakes.
In my yard this growing season, a doe I call Dora has taken residence. As a lifelong avid gardener, I have watched as my prize plants have been treated like her own personal salad bar! I’ve more than curbed my enthusiasm for weeding - why bother - I just make it easier for her to find the tasty morsels. Even Liquid Fence® ,fondly referred to by my family as “dead man in a can”, ceased to work. This is where serendipity stepped in as "eupatorium rugosum" took over. This weed is native to North American, has medicinal qualities and is POSIUNOUS to deer! If cows graze on it, their milk will be toxic. Ah Ha! The deer seem to be smart enough to not eat it or other things around it!
As entrepreneurs we often get stuck doing, and doing, and doing and forgetting to step back and watch. Imagine setting up your business to run limiting your controlling hands in established processes. Without constant weeding, sometimes serendipity may step in and say “Hi”. Maybe the right “employee”, like the eupatorium, just needs time to establish some roots.
Check out the list of other serendipitous inventions at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serendipity
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
Corner Dental - A Master of Viral Marketing
There’s no better way to market than virally – getting a group of people to give your product or service a shout out. MySpace, FaceBook and Twitter have connected people to their friends, families, colleagues and past employers in an endless loop. Marketing to them, however is not as easy as clicking on a banner ad. Banner ad click-through rates now mirror that of traditional direct mail: a whopping 1%, yet banner advertising is worse on social networks where a measly 0.02% of people will click on the ad. The key to getting someone to pass along your product’s name or a testimonial for your service is to offer something that people REALLY WANT. I saw a perfect example of this at the UT/OSU football game on Saturday. Corner Dental advertised the opportunity to “Show Your Smile” to the crowd by texting your picture to their website during the game. Not only did Corner Dental post the photos on the JumboTron at the game, but my nephew gave CD a shout-out to his friends that his picture was featured. Viral marketing doesn’t get much better than that.
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com
www.marketinginabox.biz
Awakened Entrepreneurs Have a Growth Mindset
The following is taken verbatim from http://www.mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/index.html
Mindset is a simple idea discovered by world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck, PhD in decades of research on achievement and success – a simple idea that makes all the difference.
In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are simply fixed traits. They spend their time documenting their intelligence or talent instead of developing them. They also believe that talent alone creates success – without effort. They’re wrong.
In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work – brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment. Virtually all great people have had these qualities.
Essentially Dr. Dweck is saying that people with a growth mindset enjoy challenges, accept mistakes as learning experiences and value personal growth, all essential traits of an awakened entrepreneur. In contrast, a person with a fixed mindset is defensive about mistakes, constantly works at appearing successful and doesn’t try anything new unless they know they can succeed. Which mindset describes you?
It is possible to change. I am interviewing Dr. Dweck as part of my free Childhood Obesity Tele-Summit this October. You can learn more about mindsets and how to help the people around you, your children and/or your employees, adopt the growth mindset directly from Dr. Dweck on October 13th at 8pm EST. For more information and to register for this free event, go to: http://www.tinyurl.com/momstelesummit.
Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com
419-344-6613
Taking Time to Revive
So whether your daily grind is physical, mental, or a combination of the two, plan to take a day off to replenish your mind, body and spirit.
1. Pick up a good book and lose yourself in a great novel.
2. Experience a movie adventure with some friends.
3. Take the family to the park for a picnic. Sounds corny; but it’s fun.
4. Let social media be your outlet. Go online to connect on FaceBook and Twitter your favorite Tweeple to your heart’s content.
5. Hang out. Turn off the television, radio and phone and literally do nothing.
No matter what you choose to do, know that you’ve earned it! Get out your planner and schedule your next one, now.
Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula’s business networking articles are featured internationally. She was recently published in Brainsbook for Networking and is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion – Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com.
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Monday, September 14, 2009
Call to Action
Monday Morning Motivators for the Week of September 14, 2009
Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. The archives are stored at: MondayMorningMotivators.blogspot.com
“Miracles happen for people who believe in them. Opportunities happen for people who expect them.” Rita Milios
This week's topics include:
• Where is Your Call To Action? - Linda Fayerweather
• What to Do When Business Sours - Rebecca Booth
• Awakened Entrepreneurs Treat Themselves Well! - Pat Altvater
• 29% Solution – Looking Forward - Paula Fraizer
Where is Your Call To Action
On Thursday, I presented a stellar 20 minute educational program. And, it was just that - educational. I did a free presentation for 30 local women business owners, expecting in return some free promotion - which was provided, have something the participants will purchase in the back of the room and anticipated garnering some business. I have created a new presentation that demonstrates a simple way to develop a Vision Statement which is a small part of my 6 hour workshop on business planning. After the fact, I received 10 emails of praise and thanks which are greatly appreciated with two requests for One-to-One meetings, but no requests for engagements. What did I do wrong?
No Call To Action.
I was so focused on the content that I forgot to build that burning desire in my audience to
~Learn MORE,
~Tell them what MORE was,
~Explain to them why MORE is going to make their life saner and
~Show them the actual flyer to get MORE with a special 24 bonus.
This would have taken 2 minutes of the 20 minutes and I missed the opportunity.
Without a call to action, my presentation activities were short circuited by me. I can only blame, myself and take it as a great learning lesson.
How about you? Let me know your examples of Great calls to action and not so much calls with an email to: linda@changinglanes.biz
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
------------------------
What to Do When Business Sours
Many of us are faced with cutting costs these days. Yet what happens when your entire demographic or way of doing business changes? Learn a lesson from these two folks:
David EisnerWhat Happened: Customers weren’t renewing annual contracts
Solution: He shifted to monthly contracts and improved customer service.
Kim Matheson Shedrick
What Happened: The high-end business of building spas slowed.
Solution: She turned to the Web to target less affluent clients and expanded the corporate side of her business.
I like to think of the current economic situation as a time for creativity. Instead of slashing people, prices and expenses; consider job sharing, cutting hours and/or reshaping your business radically like the two individuals above. By keeping in tune with what your customers want and how they need to do business, you’ll both be better!
Source: August/September 2009 SmallBiz
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com
www.marketinginabox.biz
------------------------
Awakened Entrepreneurs Treat Themselves Well!
Experts say that a full 70 – 80% of our thoughts are negative. Shocking, isn’t it? However, the unfortunate reality is that we are constantly judging ourselves and others. Listen to yourself during one day and see how many judgmental thoughts you have. Do you look in the mirror in the morning and criticize your appearance? Do you reprimand yourself if you make a mistake, realize that you’ve said the wrong thing, or handled a situation poorly?
Keep in mind, too, that our criticisms of others always reflect how we feel about ourselves. Those judgments mask our own fears that we don’t measure up and typically what we judge in others is what we don’t like about ourselves and haven’t had the courage to admit! When you catch yourself judging someone else, immediately bring the thought into your awareness and see if you can find the lesson there for you.
Awakened entrepreneurs don’t waste mental energy on critical thinking.
The minute you hear yourself think a judgmental thought say “Cancel that” and instantly substitute a new and powerful thought about you. Keep doing this and eventually those judgmental comments will subside and you’ll free up your brain to think other more creative and empowering thoughts!
Copyright 2009 Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com
http://www.transformationsinstitute.com
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com
419-344-6613
------------------------
Review and Looking Forward
As someone that relies completely on word-of-mouth to build my businesses, I’ve found The 29% Solution, written by leading referral marketing expert Dr. Ivan Misner, to be instrumental in my success. He offers 52 weekly networking success strategies (one per week) and specific actions to take to experience success through focused, purposeful networking efforts. I look forward to sharing them with you in the coming weeks.
Weeks 1-7 were all about you and your business. Weeks 8-14 we went through exercises to identify and connect with specific people to build our network. Now it’s time to go deep by going the extra mile!
Let’s take a sneak peek at week’s 15-20 before we dive into the details:
Week 15: Be A Value Added Friend takes a look at the value you bring to your relationships.
Week 16: Become a Catalyst shows you how to be a person that takes the lead and makes things happen.
Week 17: Find an Accountability Partner helps you find someone that you respect and answer to regarding specific goals.
Week 18: Volunteer and Become Visible encourages you to give back to the community you do business in.
Week 19: Send a Thank You Card focuses on a simple but powerful 2 minute activity. Believe it or not very few people still do this!
Week 20: Follow Up TODAY offers the importance of timely follow up to keep moving forward in the relationship.
Now is the time to delve into the archives and revisit past weeks in The 29% Solution as we continue to take this 52 week journey together. See you next week!
Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula's business networking articles have been published internationally. She is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion - Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com
------------------------
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. The archives are stored at: MondayMorningMotivators.blogspot.com
“Miracles happen for people who believe in them. Opportunities happen for people who expect them.” Rita Milios
This week's topics include:
• Where is Your Call To Action? - Linda Fayerweather
• What to Do When Business Sours - Rebecca Booth
• Awakened Entrepreneurs Treat Themselves Well! - Pat Altvater
• 29% Solution – Looking Forward - Paula Fraizer
Where is Your Call To Action
On Thursday, I presented a stellar 20 minute educational program. And, it was just that - educational. I did a free presentation for 30 local women business owners, expecting in return some free promotion - which was provided, have something the participants will purchase in the back of the room and anticipated garnering some business. I have created a new presentation that demonstrates a simple way to develop a Vision Statement which is a small part of my 6 hour workshop on business planning. After the fact, I received 10 emails of praise and thanks which are greatly appreciated with two requests for One-to-One meetings, but no requests for engagements. What did I do wrong?
No Call To Action.
I was so focused on the content that I forgot to build that burning desire in my audience to
~Learn MORE,
~Tell them what MORE was,
~Explain to them why MORE is going to make their life saner and
~Show them the actual flyer to get MORE with a special 24 bonus.
This would have taken 2 minutes of the 20 minutes and I missed the opportunity.
Without a call to action, my presentation activities were short circuited by me. I can only blame, myself and take it as a great learning lesson.
How about you? Let me know your examples of Great calls to action and not so much calls with an email to: linda@changinglanes.biz
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
------------------------
What to Do When Business Sours
Many of us are faced with cutting costs these days. Yet what happens when your entire demographic or way of doing business changes? Learn a lesson from these two folks:
David EisnerWhat Happened: Customers weren’t renewing annual contracts
Solution: He shifted to monthly contracts and improved customer service.
Kim Matheson Shedrick
What Happened: The high-end business of building spas slowed.
Solution: She turned to the Web to target less affluent clients and expanded the corporate side of her business.
I like to think of the current economic situation as a time for creativity. Instead of slashing people, prices and expenses; consider job sharing, cutting hours and/or reshaping your business radically like the two individuals above. By keeping in tune with what your customers want and how they need to do business, you’ll both be better!
Source: August/September 2009 SmallBiz
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com
www.marketinginabox.biz
------------------------
Awakened Entrepreneurs Treat Themselves Well!
Experts say that a full 70 – 80% of our thoughts are negative. Shocking, isn’t it? However, the unfortunate reality is that we are constantly judging ourselves and others. Listen to yourself during one day and see how many judgmental thoughts you have. Do you look in the mirror in the morning and criticize your appearance? Do you reprimand yourself if you make a mistake, realize that you’ve said the wrong thing, or handled a situation poorly?
Keep in mind, too, that our criticisms of others always reflect how we feel about ourselves. Those judgments mask our own fears that we don’t measure up and typically what we judge in others is what we don’t like about ourselves and haven’t had the courage to admit! When you catch yourself judging someone else, immediately bring the thought into your awareness and see if you can find the lesson there for you.
Awakened entrepreneurs don’t waste mental energy on critical thinking.
The minute you hear yourself think a judgmental thought say “Cancel that” and instantly substitute a new and powerful thought about you. Keep doing this and eventually those judgmental comments will subside and you’ll free up your brain to think other more creative and empowering thoughts!
Copyright 2009 Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com
http://www.transformationsinstitute.com
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com
419-344-6613
------------------------
Review and Looking Forward
As someone that relies completely on word-of-mouth to build my businesses, I’ve found The 29% Solution, written by leading referral marketing expert Dr. Ivan Misner, to be instrumental in my success. He offers 52 weekly networking success strategies (one per week) and specific actions to take to experience success through focused, purposeful networking efforts. I look forward to sharing them with you in the coming weeks.
Weeks 1-7 were all about you and your business. Weeks 8-14 we went through exercises to identify and connect with specific people to build our network. Now it’s time to go deep by going the extra mile!
Let’s take a sneak peek at week’s 15-20 before we dive into the details:
Week 15: Be A Value Added Friend takes a look at the value you bring to your relationships.
Week 16: Become a Catalyst shows you how to be a person that takes the lead and makes things happen.
Week 17: Find an Accountability Partner helps you find someone that you respect and answer to regarding specific goals.
Week 18: Volunteer and Become Visible encourages you to give back to the community you do business in.
Week 19: Send a Thank You Card focuses on a simple but powerful 2 minute activity. Believe it or not very few people still do this!
Week 20: Follow Up TODAY offers the importance of timely follow up to keep moving forward in the relationship.
Now is the time to delve into the archives and revisit past weeks in The 29% Solution as we continue to take this 52 week journey together. See you next week!
Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula's business networking articles have been published internationally. She is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion - Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com
------------------------
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Big Yellow Buses
Week of August 31, 2009
Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. The archives are stored at: MondayMorningMotivators.blogspot.com
“don’t confuse the product with the person. Remember, it’s “selection,” not “rejection.” Elayne Savage, PhD
This week's topics include:
• Big Yellow Buses - Linda Fayerweather
• Be Careful of Lowering Your Prices - Rebecca Booth
• Awakened Entrepreneurs Keep Plugging - Pat Altvater
• 29% Solution – Become Magnetic - Paula Fraizer
Big Yellow Buses
In Northwest Ohio those big yellow school buses are lumbering along and I have to remind myself of different routes and start times so as not to get caught in the hub-bub. Those yellow buses also remind me that learning is a constant part of life and maximizing my education so that I maximize my joys in life is something very important to me. As a consultant I’ve often gone into businesses that have not changed in 10 years or more – even the software is the same. Yes, I actually was at a company that is still using a DOS version of some accounting software – let’s hope they don’t need any tech support – ever!
Having spent time the last few weeks on the “next step”, take a look at your business and see what education you need?
What does your staff need?
What education will make a difference in 2010?
What education could give you a competitive advantage?
With community colleges and public school continuing education programs, there are affordable options. Let those yellow buses remind you this week that you have the opportunity to make 2010 great!
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
Be Careful of Lowering Your Prices
Did you know that lowering your prices can be detrimental to the sale? It’s true. In a recent SmallBiz article, Chellie Campbell, a LA financial consultant who works with entrepreneurs noted, “When I see a company offer big discounts, I think that they’re in trouble, or desperate. It’s a red flag.” Instead of lowering your costs on a product or service, partner up with another company to make the offer more valuable. Here’s what Chellie recommended to a rental resort owner who was trying to bolster sales: “You own a one-of-a-kind dream vacation spot. People will pay to have a luxurious experience. If it isn’t priced high enough, people will stay away because they won’t think it’s good enough. “ Free golf packages, couples massages and champagne/caviar evenings were suggestions for added perks to make the rental more palatable.
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com
www.marketinginabox.biz
Awakened Entrepreneurs Keep Plugging
Wonder what news will be next regarding the economy? Is it on the way back or is there another wave coming? It’s easy to get caught up in worry and anxiety over whether our business will do well or not, given the current conditions.
Don’t go there.
It may only take the slightest suggestion to trigger an old belief in our subconscious, a belief that says for example, “people aren’t spending right now, so no one will buy from me.” Often we don't even know the little seed of doubt has slipped in, but it gets in our mind and grows slowly, yet persistently. We actually give way to lack, limitation and failure a little at a time and before we know it, we’ve become one with the problem.
Instead, stay conscious to this by adopting a new belief that states “my business expands every year.” Succeed and grow, regardless of what happens to the economy. Just keep moving forward, by putting yourself out there more and more each day and you’ll attract the customers you need to achieve your business goals this year.
Set your intention, then put attention on it by taking the necessary actions and you will achieve the results you desire.
Copyright 2009 Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com
http://www.transformationsinstitute.com
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com
419-344-6613
WEEK 14: Become Magnetic
Many people believe that we attract who we are. If that’s the case we’d better use this week’s strategy with caution because the word magnetic literally means “possessing an extraordinary power of ability to attract”. So when you’re in a positive frame of mind you’ll attract positive people. And when you’re consumed with negativity you’ll end up surrounded by a bunch of negative nellies.
The strategy we explored in Week 7 included a list of the Top 10 Traits of Master Networkers. One of characteristics that made the list was positive attitude. While we can’t necessarily control our every thought, we can adjust our attitudes long enough to get through a conversation, meeting or event. Agreed?!?
Becoming a center of influence makes you a living magnet for your business. What does that mean? It means that you’ll be recognized in the community as the go-to person, someone with a diverse, strong network. You’ll be someone that can help people overcome obstacles by offering resources and making valuable introductions. Yes - that could be you!
This week TAKE ACTION by attending an event with a positive mindset to attract positive people:
1. Be ready to engage the people you attract with some basic conversation starters and questions.
2. Identify common points of interest to connect on a more personal level.
3. Give flavored answers! For example, when you ask Dr. Misner how he’s feeling he says, “Any better and I’d cancel my life insurance”. There is no doubt that he’s loving life.
4. Don’t cross your arms. This is a visual cue that you’re open and approachable. You can attract people all day long but they won’t engage you if you don’t appear to be social or accessible.
5. Give options for communication. Follow up is generally well received when you connect with people in the way they’re most comfortable. Simply ask if they prefer phone calls? Email? Texts?
6. Always have business cards because you never know who you might meet. If someone doesn’t have cards it makes you wonder how long they’ve actually been in business. Hmmmm?
7. Conquer your fear. Have you ever walked up to someone and actually had them turn and walk away? Probably not. Get in there!
8. Wear your name tag. Many times folks won’t approach you if they know that they should know your name and they don’t. Think of your name tag as a kind reminder…for others.
You will know that you are truly magnetic when you walk into a room full of people and they naturally gravitate toward you. According to the Law of Attraction, choose to be positive and great things will come your way!
Can you establish relationships and do business online? Yes. I still firmly believe that the strongest relationships, those that stand the test of time and turmoil, will be those that are nurtured face to face, nose to nose and toe to toe. Online communities shouldn’t take the place of the actual community you live and work in. It should enhance and add value to it!
Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula's business networking articles have been published internationally. She is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion - Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. The archives are stored at: MondayMorningMotivators.blogspot.com
“don’t confuse the product with the person. Remember, it’s “selection,” not “rejection.” Elayne Savage, PhD
This week's topics include:
• Big Yellow Buses - Linda Fayerweather
• Be Careful of Lowering Your Prices - Rebecca Booth
• Awakened Entrepreneurs Keep Plugging - Pat Altvater
• 29% Solution – Become Magnetic - Paula Fraizer
Big Yellow Buses
In Northwest Ohio those big yellow school buses are lumbering along and I have to remind myself of different routes and start times so as not to get caught in the hub-bub. Those yellow buses also remind me that learning is a constant part of life and maximizing my education so that I maximize my joys in life is something very important to me. As a consultant I’ve often gone into businesses that have not changed in 10 years or more – even the software is the same. Yes, I actually was at a company that is still using a DOS version of some accounting software – let’s hope they don’t need any tech support – ever!
Having spent time the last few weeks on the “next step”, take a look at your business and see what education you need?
What does your staff need?
What education will make a difference in 2010?
What education could give you a competitive advantage?
With community colleges and public school continuing education programs, there are affordable options. Let those yellow buses remind you this week that you have the opportunity to make 2010 great!
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
Be Careful of Lowering Your Prices
Did you know that lowering your prices can be detrimental to the sale? It’s true. In a recent SmallBiz article, Chellie Campbell, a LA financial consultant who works with entrepreneurs noted, “When I see a company offer big discounts, I think that they’re in trouble, or desperate. It’s a red flag.” Instead of lowering your costs on a product or service, partner up with another company to make the offer more valuable. Here’s what Chellie recommended to a rental resort owner who was trying to bolster sales: “You own a one-of-a-kind dream vacation spot. People will pay to have a luxurious experience. If it isn’t priced high enough, people will stay away because they won’t think it’s good enough. “ Free golf packages, couples massages and champagne/caviar evenings were suggestions for added perks to make the rental more palatable.
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com
www.marketinginabox.biz
Awakened Entrepreneurs Keep Plugging
Wonder what news will be next regarding the economy? Is it on the way back or is there another wave coming? It’s easy to get caught up in worry and anxiety over whether our business will do well or not, given the current conditions.
Don’t go there.
It may only take the slightest suggestion to trigger an old belief in our subconscious, a belief that says for example, “people aren’t spending right now, so no one will buy from me.” Often we don't even know the little seed of doubt has slipped in, but it gets in our mind and grows slowly, yet persistently. We actually give way to lack, limitation and failure a little at a time and before we know it, we’ve become one with the problem.
Instead, stay conscious to this by adopting a new belief that states “my business expands every year.” Succeed and grow, regardless of what happens to the economy. Just keep moving forward, by putting yourself out there more and more each day and you’ll attract the customers you need to achieve your business goals this year.
Set your intention, then put attention on it by taking the necessary actions and you will achieve the results you desire.
Copyright 2009 Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com
http://www.transformationsinstitute.com
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com
419-344-6613
WEEK 14: Become Magnetic
Many people believe that we attract who we are. If that’s the case we’d better use this week’s strategy with caution because the word magnetic literally means “possessing an extraordinary power of ability to attract”. So when you’re in a positive frame of mind you’ll attract positive people. And when you’re consumed with negativity you’ll end up surrounded by a bunch of negative nellies.
The strategy we explored in Week 7 included a list of the Top 10 Traits of Master Networkers. One of characteristics that made the list was positive attitude. While we can’t necessarily control our every thought, we can adjust our attitudes long enough to get through a conversation, meeting or event. Agreed?!?
Becoming a center of influence makes you a living magnet for your business. What does that mean? It means that you’ll be recognized in the community as the go-to person, someone with a diverse, strong network. You’ll be someone that can help people overcome obstacles by offering resources and making valuable introductions. Yes - that could be you!
This week TAKE ACTION by attending an event with a positive mindset to attract positive people:
1. Be ready to engage the people you attract with some basic conversation starters and questions.
2. Identify common points of interest to connect on a more personal level.
3. Give flavored answers! For example, when you ask Dr. Misner how he’s feeling he says, “Any better and I’d cancel my life insurance”. There is no doubt that he’s loving life.
4. Don’t cross your arms. This is a visual cue that you’re open and approachable. You can attract people all day long but they won’t engage you if you don’t appear to be social or accessible.
5. Give options for communication. Follow up is generally well received when you connect with people in the way they’re most comfortable. Simply ask if they prefer phone calls? Email? Texts?
6. Always have business cards because you never know who you might meet. If someone doesn’t have cards it makes you wonder how long they’ve actually been in business. Hmmmm?
7. Conquer your fear. Have you ever walked up to someone and actually had them turn and walk away? Probably not. Get in there!
8. Wear your name tag. Many times folks won’t approach you if they know that they should know your name and they don’t. Think of your name tag as a kind reminder…for others.
You will know that you are truly magnetic when you walk into a room full of people and they naturally gravitate toward you. According to the Law of Attraction, choose to be positive and great things will come your way!
Can you establish relationships and do business online? Yes. I still firmly believe that the strongest relationships, those that stand the test of time and turmoil, will be those that are nurtured face to face, nose to nose and toe to toe. Online communities shouldn’t take the place of the actual community you live and work in. It should enhance and add value to it!
Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula's business networking articles have been published internationally. She is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion - Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Monday, August 24, 2009
The Next Step
Week of August 24, 2009
Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. The archives are stored at: MondayMorningMotivators.blogspot.com
"Sweeping dirt under the rug only creates a bump you keep tripping over." --Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
This week's topics include:
• What is Your Next Step Part 2 - Linda Fayerweather
• Reasons to Buy - Rebecca Booth
• Connect with Like-Minded People - Pat Altvater
• 29% Solution – Join a Web-based Networking Group - Paula Fraizer
What is Your Next Step Part 3
Last week we talked about our next steps having a Purpose – Goal – Profit – Do --> PGPD. This week to make a next step happen is to schedule it. Even if it is a simple task, getting it on your schedule will do two things:
1. Relieve your mind of trying to remember it
2. Put it on your schedule to make it a real task or project.
So, take a look at your TO-DO list and identify what you can schedule now, delegate or delete. This alone will free up some valuable brain space to think about your next business adventure.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
Reasons to Buy
I saw a commercial last night about American Express’s Shine a Light Program. If you haven’t seen it, be on the lookout for it. Not only is it excellently written, its message of forming relationships with customers is priceless. (Oops, wrong card). Bravo’s Top Chef Judge and restaurateur Tom Colicchio tells the viewer why he shops directly with Urban Angler versus buying his fly fishing gear online or via a catalog. He’s interested in three things:
1) Actually feeling the equipment he’s interested in buying
2) Getting opinions from the staff on what’s the best gear and where’s the best place to fish
3) Forming relationships - even friendships - with the people at Urban Angler.
Keep this in mind when you’re working with a client/customer today. Even if you’re not a retailer, these are important things that customers want to know/see/feel. BTW, the ad appeared on Bravo TV, so keep watching for the commercial. You can view the ad online if you’re interested. Simply Google Amex’s Shine a Light Program.
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com
www.marketinginabox.biz
Awakened Entrepreneurs Connect with Like-Minded People
A fantastic way to build your business is to connect with like-minded people. Open, mindful engagement with like-minded people always empowers you, helps you learn what you need to learn about yourself, and gives you the experience of giving and receiving unconditional love and support. And, that IS one of the most soul-nurturing things you can do for yourself and your business. It’s like recharging your battery.
I recently attended the inaugural meeting of the new Toledo area chapter of Powerful You! Women’s Network (click here for more information - http://www.powerfulyou.com). The “networking with a heart” meeting was just wonderful and I noticed when I take time to engage with like-minded women, I feel totally appreciated and connected. Another time when I feel this way is at my mastermind meeting facilitated by Linda Fayerweather (click here for more information....____). The sense that everyone is there to offer suggestions and support to each other is very fulfilling and helps me realize I am not alone.
Who do you engage with at this level? And, if you don’t have people right now who are able to have this level of connection with you, what will you do to bring these types of relationships into your life?
Copyright 2009 Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com
http://www.transformationsinstitute.com
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com
419-344-6613
29% Solution - WEEK 13: Join A Web-Based Networking Group
So you’re stuck in your proverbial cave? There’s still a way out…through the world wide web!
Some say that if you successfully harness the power of the internet you can actually experience positive results in your business networking efforts. David Teten and Scott Allen, authors of The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online, tell us that online networks may even become the next power lunch or golf course.
Many times when folks hear the word “network” they assume it’s referring to the way computers are physically connected and hardwired together. The most current definition has to do with the virtual connection to today’s wired-up world. WWW dot opportunities seem almost infinite!
These days, how often do you hear, “Let’s do lunch?” Almost never! It’s been replaced by, “Shoot me an email” or “Let’s catch up on FaceBook.” My 14 year old daughter literally uses the word “talk” in place of “text” and describes online communications as if they’re discussions.
Like it or not, we can keep up or get left behind because technology is going to continue to move forward with or without us. It’s generally more empowering to get started on your own terms. So let’s do it!
This week TAKE ACTION by venturing out via computer:
1. Find an online business community that’s a good fit for you.
2. Set up your profile (completely).
3. Request connections with people you know.
4. Post your status and comment on a colleague’s blog/status.
5. Schedule daily or weekly time to regularly participate in your online community.
Can you establish relationships and do business online? Yes. I still firmly believe that the strongest relationships, those that stand the test of time and turmoil, will be those that are nurtured face to face, nose to nose and toe to toe. Online communities shouldn’t take the place of the actual community you live and work in. It should enhance and add value to it!
Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula's business networking articles have been published internationally. She is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion - Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. The archives are stored at: MondayMorningMotivators.blogspot.com
"Sweeping dirt under the rug only creates a bump you keep tripping over." --Rhoberta Shaler, PhD
This week's topics include:
• What is Your Next Step Part 2 - Linda Fayerweather
• Reasons to Buy - Rebecca Booth
• Connect with Like-Minded People - Pat Altvater
• 29% Solution – Join a Web-based Networking Group - Paula Fraizer
What is Your Next Step Part 3
Last week we talked about our next steps having a Purpose – Goal – Profit – Do --> PGPD. This week to make a next step happen is to schedule it. Even if it is a simple task, getting it on your schedule will do two things:
1. Relieve your mind of trying to remember it
2. Put it on your schedule to make it a real task or project.
So, take a look at your TO-DO list and identify what you can schedule now, delegate or delete. This alone will free up some valuable brain space to think about your next business adventure.
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
Reasons to Buy
I saw a commercial last night about American Express’s Shine a Light Program. If you haven’t seen it, be on the lookout for it. Not only is it excellently written, its message of forming relationships with customers is priceless. (Oops, wrong card). Bravo’s Top Chef Judge and restaurateur Tom Colicchio tells the viewer why he shops directly with Urban Angler versus buying his fly fishing gear online or via a catalog. He’s interested in three things:
1) Actually feeling the equipment he’s interested in buying
2) Getting opinions from the staff on what’s the best gear and where’s the best place to fish
3) Forming relationships - even friendships - with the people at Urban Angler.
Keep this in mind when you’re working with a client/customer today. Even if you’re not a retailer, these are important things that customers want to know/see/feel. BTW, the ad appeared on Bravo TV, so keep watching for the commercial. You can view the ad online if you’re interested. Simply Google Amex’s Shine a Light Program.
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com
www.marketinginabox.biz
Awakened Entrepreneurs Connect with Like-Minded People
A fantastic way to build your business is to connect with like-minded people. Open, mindful engagement with like-minded people always empowers you, helps you learn what you need to learn about yourself, and gives you the experience of giving and receiving unconditional love and support. And, that IS one of the most soul-nurturing things you can do for yourself and your business. It’s like recharging your battery.
I recently attended the inaugural meeting of the new Toledo area chapter of Powerful You! Women’s Network (click here for more information - http://www.powerfulyou.com). The “networking with a heart” meeting was just wonderful and I noticed when I take time to engage with like-minded women, I feel totally appreciated and connected. Another time when I feel this way is at my mastermind meeting facilitated by Linda Fayerweather (click here for more information....____). The sense that everyone is there to offer suggestions and support to each other is very fulfilling and helps me realize I am not alone.
Who do you engage with at this level? And, if you don’t have people right now who are able to have this level of connection with you, what will you do to bring these types of relationships into your life?
Copyright 2009 Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com
http://www.transformationsinstitute.com
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com
419-344-6613
29% Solution - WEEK 13: Join A Web-Based Networking Group
So you’re stuck in your proverbial cave? There’s still a way out…through the world wide web!
Some say that if you successfully harness the power of the internet you can actually experience positive results in your business networking efforts. David Teten and Scott Allen, authors of The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online, tell us that online networks may even become the next power lunch or golf course.
Many times when folks hear the word “network” they assume it’s referring to the way computers are physically connected and hardwired together. The most current definition has to do with the virtual connection to today’s wired-up world. WWW dot opportunities seem almost infinite!
These days, how often do you hear, “Let’s do lunch?” Almost never! It’s been replaced by, “Shoot me an email” or “Let’s catch up on FaceBook.” My 14 year old daughter literally uses the word “talk” in place of “text” and describes online communications as if they’re discussions.
Like it or not, we can keep up or get left behind because technology is going to continue to move forward with or without us. It’s generally more empowering to get started on your own terms. So let’s do it!
This week TAKE ACTION by venturing out via computer:
1. Find an online business community that’s a good fit for you.
2. Set up your profile (completely).
3. Request connections with people you know.
4. Post your status and comment on a colleague’s blog/status.
5. Schedule daily or weekly time to regularly participate in your online community.
Can you establish relationships and do business online? Yes. I still firmly believe that the strongest relationships, those that stand the test of time and turmoil, will be those that are nurtured face to face, nose to nose and toe to toe. Online communities shouldn’t take the place of the actual community you live and work in. It should enhance and add value to it!
Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula's business networking articles have been published internationally. She is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion - Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com
Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Monday, July 20, 2009
Customer Service
Customer Service, Empathy and Success all walk the same walk!
“To err is human, to forgive is divine.” –Alexander Pope
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This week's topics include:
* Customer Service for Small Businesses - Linda Fayerweather
* Take it from a Success Coach
- Rebecca Booth
* The Inspired Entrepreneurs are Empathetic - Pat Altvater
* 29% Solution Diversify - Paula Fraizer
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Customer Service for Small Business – Part 3
This week’s customer service tip for the rest of 2009 is Recovery.
To err is human. . . is an old quote that ends with “to forgive is divine” and with customer service, sometimes we have to forgive ourselves, learn and move on. When you have a customer service issue with a customer you value, try this process:
1. Identify WHY it happened. Asking “WHY” at least 5 times of yourself or your staff is a great Lean tip that works and will help you get to the root cause of the problem.
2. Develop a process to deal with these types of problems or clients. Sometimes we can’t stop the problem from happening but can mitigate the angst our customers feel.
3. Now, make things right by recovering in style and create a deeply loyal customer.
4. Document the process and build a procedure that is repeatable.
5. Schedule to review your new procedure at least quarterly and tweak to perfection.
These steps are work, but in the end, problems become a welcome, fine-tuning of your business model. I personally would rather run then have a customer service problem, but knowing where I fail my customer is so important to getting and keeping the right customers.
Week 1: Diversify
Week 2: Compensation and Tracking
Next week: Say NO
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Take it from a Success Coach
The most powerful business tool is the ability to learn from your mistakes. Entrepreneurs are sponges when it comes to knowledge. We are constantly on the outlook for innovative ways to improve our business practices. We attend workshops, talk with our peers, garner feedback from our clients and devour magazines and books in hopes of taking our businesses to the next level.
Success Coach, Romanus Wolter, says that all of this information is meaningless without our own unique interpretation of it. Things move so fast that we often forget to apply what we’ve just learned to our businesses. With this said, we can – and do – falter. While we can’t reverse or change that history, Wolter says can change four very small habits and improve our businesses:
1. Make Hindsight Your Mentor – document your lessons – those you’ve learned the hard way by a mistake or those that you’ve learned from that workshop you just took. Keep a notebook with you at all times and take note of the what you’re doing right, wrong and what you can implement.
2. Trust Your “Sixth Sense” – your natural instinct is a powerful one. Finetuning your instincts will show you how seemingly random events fit together in your business. When you get that tingle in your gut, don’t ignore it. Stop and evaluate the information and explore how you might use it.
3. Integrate Hindsight with Foresight – History is a great teacher. Let past experiences provide you with helpful advice for the future. Weave what you’ve learned into future projects. Chronicle your lessons and update your business practices accordingly. By disciplining yourself to look at the past and future simultaneously it helps you make significant breakthroughs.
4. Let Yourself Make Mistakes – Making mistakes is a natural part of the process. Be open to tweaking your hindsight lessons to fit the particular needs of a new project. Open your mind to new strategies and recognize that errors may occur. Be truthful with yourself even it if hurts. By drawing on lessons you’ve learned as you engage in everyday actions, you’ll achieve even more with less effort. Hindsight is an effective tool in propelling your business forward and an important reminder that you have the ability to attain any goal.
Go for it!
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
http://www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com/
http://www.marketinginabox.biz/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Awakened Entrepreneurs Cultivate Enthusiasm for Their Work.
“I have found enthusiasm for work to be the most priceless ingredient in any recipe for success.” ~ Samuel Goldwyn
Those words are so true, aren’t they? It’s difficult to act enthusiastically when your energy is low. Neither can you muster up much creativity. In fact, studies indicate that when your morale is low day after day, the creative part of your brain becomes thinner and when you are excited and positive, the creative part of your brain becomes thicker. So your ability to think creatively is directly tied to your energy level.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll discuss some of the ways to keep your enthusiasm for your work high.
One way to have more enthusiasm is to participate in activities that produce morale lifting endorphins, such as exercise. Start your day with vigorous exercise which will cause the body to produce endorphins and you’ll feel better all day long. Or, if you feel your enthusiasm waning as the day goes on, spend 20 minutes exercising, and you’ll return to your desk ready to press on.
Copyright 2009 Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com/
http://www.transformationsinstitute.com/
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com/
419-344-6613
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear MMM Readers,
As someone that relies completely on word-of-mouth to build my businesses, I’ve found The 29% Solution, written by leading referral marketing expert Dr. Ivan Misner, to be instrumental in my success. He offers 52 weekly networking success strategies (one per week) and specific actions to take to experience success through focused, purposeful networking efforts. I look forward to sharing them with you in the coming weeks.
WEEK 9: Meet the Right People
“Master networkers know that a good contact isn’t necessarily a good connection. One of the most important things we’ve learned is that it’s not what you know, or even who you know – it’s how well you know them and how well they know you that really counts in building a powerful network.”
“A contact is someone you know, but with whom you haven’t fully established a strong relationship. A connection is someone who knows you, likes you and trusts you because you’ve taken the time to establish credibility with [them].”
I can’t tell you how many networking events I’ve attended over the last 20 years. Without exception, there are always two main groups of people you can easily recognize. One group is enjoying, or finds comfort in, the food and drinks. The other group is there shaking hands, kissing babies and collecting as many business cards as possible from their new contacts hoping to find that one special person that will become their next client.
One of your main goals should be to meet the right people. Quick note: I’m not saying that there are “wrong” people; simply people that are better suited than others to help you build your business. How do you know who the right people are?
TAKE ACTION this week to identify them:
1. Identify 5 professions (other than your own) that serve your preferred clients. Those are the folks you want to meet when you’re out and about.
2. Identify 2 specific business goals and then identify the specific people you can seek out to help you accomplish each goal.
3. Identify 3 associations and organizations you can ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE in to meet and develop relationships with the right people.
Unless and until you can take all of those business cards to your local bank and cash them in, it’s probably not in your best interest to become a card collector. Instead, you should attend networking events with purpose…the purpose of connecting with the right people.
Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula’s business networking articles have been published internationally. She is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion – Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com.
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Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
“To err is human, to forgive is divine.” –Alexander Pope
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This week's topics include:
* Customer Service for Small Businesses - Linda Fayerweather
* Take it from a Success Coach
- Rebecca Booth
* The Inspired Entrepreneurs are Empathetic - Pat Altvater
* 29% Solution Diversify - Paula Fraizer
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Customer Service for Small Business – Part 3
This week’s customer service tip for the rest of 2009 is Recovery.
To err is human. . . is an old quote that ends with “to forgive is divine” and with customer service, sometimes we have to forgive ourselves, learn and move on. When you have a customer service issue with a customer you value, try this process:
1. Identify WHY it happened. Asking “WHY” at least 5 times of yourself or your staff is a great Lean tip that works and will help you get to the root cause of the problem.
2. Develop a process to deal with these types of problems or clients. Sometimes we can’t stop the problem from happening but can mitigate the angst our customers feel.
3. Now, make things right by recovering in style and create a deeply loyal customer.
4. Document the process and build a procedure that is repeatable.
5. Schedule to review your new procedure at least quarterly and tweak to perfection.
These steps are work, but in the end, problems become a welcome, fine-tuning of your business model. I personally would rather run then have a customer service problem, but knowing where I fail my customer is so important to getting and keeping the right customers.
Week 1: Diversify
Week 2: Compensation and Tracking
Next week: Say NO
Copyright 2009 Linda Fayerweather
What's working in your Business?
Changing Lanes LLC
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
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Take it from a Success Coach
The most powerful business tool is the ability to learn from your mistakes. Entrepreneurs are sponges when it comes to knowledge. We are constantly on the outlook for innovative ways to improve our business practices. We attend workshops, talk with our peers, garner feedback from our clients and devour magazines and books in hopes of taking our businesses to the next level.
Success Coach, Romanus Wolter, says that all of this information is meaningless without our own unique interpretation of it. Things move so fast that we often forget to apply what we’ve just learned to our businesses. With this said, we can – and do – falter. While we can’t reverse or change that history, Wolter says can change four very small habits and improve our businesses:
1. Make Hindsight Your Mentor – document your lessons – those you’ve learned the hard way by a mistake or those that you’ve learned from that workshop you just took. Keep a notebook with you at all times and take note of the what you’re doing right, wrong and what you can implement.
2. Trust Your “Sixth Sense” – your natural instinct is a powerful one. Finetuning your instincts will show you how seemingly random events fit together in your business. When you get that tingle in your gut, don’t ignore it. Stop and evaluate the information and explore how you might use it.
3. Integrate Hindsight with Foresight – History is a great teacher. Let past experiences provide you with helpful advice for the future. Weave what you’ve learned into future projects. Chronicle your lessons and update your business practices accordingly. By disciplining yourself to look at the past and future simultaneously it helps you make significant breakthroughs.
4. Let Yourself Make Mistakes – Making mistakes is a natural part of the process. Be open to tweaking your hindsight lessons to fit the particular needs of a new project. Open your mind to new strategies and recognize that errors may occur. Be truthful with yourself even it if hurts. By drawing on lessons you’ve learned as you engage in everyday actions, you’ll achieve even more with less effort. Hindsight is an effective tool in propelling your business forward and an important reminder that you have the ability to attain any goal.
Go for it!
Copyright 2009 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Celebrating 10 years of delivering results for our clients.
http://www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com/
http://www.marketinginabox.biz/
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Awakened Entrepreneurs Cultivate Enthusiasm for Their Work.
“I have found enthusiasm for work to be the most priceless ingredient in any recipe for success.” ~ Samuel Goldwyn
Those words are so true, aren’t they? It’s difficult to act enthusiastically when your energy is low. Neither can you muster up much creativity. In fact, studies indicate that when your morale is low day after day, the creative part of your brain becomes thinner and when you are excited and positive, the creative part of your brain becomes thicker. So your ability to think creatively is directly tied to your energy level.
Over the next few weeks, we’ll discuss some of the ways to keep your enthusiasm for your work high.
One way to have more enthusiasm is to participate in activities that produce morale lifting endorphins, such as exercise. Start your day with vigorous exercise which will cause the body to produce endorphins and you’ll feel better all day long. Or, if you feel your enthusiasm waning as the day goes on, spend 20 minutes exercising, and you’ll return to your desk ready to press on.
Copyright 2009 Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com/
http://www.transformationsinstitute.com/
http://www.ignitethepowerwithinbook.com/
419-344-6613
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Dear MMM Readers,
As someone that relies completely on word-of-mouth to build my businesses, I’ve found The 29% Solution, written by leading referral marketing expert Dr. Ivan Misner, to be instrumental in my success. He offers 52 weekly networking success strategies (one per week) and specific actions to take to experience success through focused, purposeful networking efforts. I look forward to sharing them with you in the coming weeks.
WEEK 9: Meet the Right People
“Master networkers know that a good contact isn’t necessarily a good connection. One of the most important things we’ve learned is that it’s not what you know, or even who you know – it’s how well you know them and how well they know you that really counts in building a powerful network.”
“A contact is someone you know, but with whom you haven’t fully established a strong relationship. A connection is someone who knows you, likes you and trusts you because you’ve taken the time to establish credibility with [them].”
I can’t tell you how many networking events I’ve attended over the last 20 years. Without exception, there are always two main groups of people you can easily recognize. One group is enjoying, or finds comfort in, the food and drinks. The other group is there shaking hands, kissing babies and collecting as many business cards as possible from their new contacts hoping to find that one special person that will become their next client.
One of your main goals should be to meet the right people. Quick note: I’m not saying that there are “wrong” people; simply people that are better suited than others to help you build your business. How do you know who the right people are?
TAKE ACTION this week to identify them:
1. Identify 5 professions (other than your own) that serve your preferred clients. Those are the folks you want to meet when you’re out and about.
2. Identify 2 specific business goals and then identify the specific people you can seek out to help you accomplish each goal.
3. Identify 3 associations and organizations you can ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE in to meet and develop relationships with the right people.
Unless and until you can take all of those business cards to your local bank and cash them in, it’s probably not in your best interest to become a card collector. Instead, you should attend networking events with purpose…the purpose of connecting with the right people.
Paula Frazier is a referral marketing trainer, consultant and keynote speaker. She is an Executive Director for BNI and part of a select team of Master Trainers for Referral Institute. Paula’s business networking articles have been published internationally. She is also acknowledged in the New York Times best seller, Truth or Delusion – Busting Networkings Biggest Myths. Check out #33, Delusion with a twist! Paula can be contacted at paula@referralinstitute-va.com.
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Have a profitable week.
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC
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