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