We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit. -- Aristotle
Second Six Months of 2010
Yes, the year is marching on and the economy appears to be improving. As with the last two recessions, the old way to do things did change. Right now, the whole "social media" thing is growing and many of us are scratching our heads saying "Is this for me?" and "Will it waste my time?"
I'm one of the first to admit that I'm not an expert, but I do know that I've met new people and actually have closed some business because I had a presence on Linkedin. How did that happen? Just by being social. You know how to do it at a meeting - you make small talk, you ask about what others are interested in and you research people you'd like to meet. A good social person will remember and look for ways to help others - all that simple stuff we have been doing for years. Now it is just digital.
What I've learned so far:
1. Linkedin is very professional: this gives others a strong view of your talents AND you can GIVE and GET recommendations.
2. Facebook is informal and more personal: connecting with friends and family is a great way to start.
3. Twitter is something I'm still trying to figure out - just seems so ephemeral. Although tweets about tornado warnings are important in Northwest Ohio.
So, if you are going to venture in to social media:
1. Take a class and learn what parts will work for you and your business;
2. Plan how much time you will spend per week/day and stick to it.
3. Remember to treat your social media interactions like a live networking meeting - You wouldn't walk up to someone and say "Hi, my name is Linda and would you like to buy a washer machine today?" It doesn't work in person and it doesn't work online!
Copyright 2010 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
419-897-0528
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/pages/Changing-Lanes-LLC/134429606419?ref=sgm
http://www.linkedin.com/in/changinglanes
How do you respond to recurring patterns?
Awakened entrepreneurs notice their reaction to the recurring patterns in their life and business. Is there something going on in your business and you think, “Why does that keep happening to me?” It could be product returns or clients that don’t take the next step with you. The conscious entrepreneur notices the pattern, seeks to understand it and then takes responsibility for making changes to correct the issue.
In contrast, the unaware entrepreneur makes excuses – they suffer from what Dr. David Schwartz calls “excusitis.” They blame things outside of themselves for the results they are getting. Their subconscious mental process may go something like this:
“I’m not doing as well as I think I could. What can I use as an excuse so I am not humiliated? Let’s see: the economy, my location, the irrationality of my customers, my age, bad luck.”
Each time the victim makes the excuse to someone, it becomes more and more embedded in their subconscious until they actually believe it. Don’t let that happen to you. Notice when you are making excuses and take any actions you can to change your situation.
Sustainable success comes to those who take responsibility for the detrimental recurring patterns in their business and take actions to positively affect their results.
Copyright 2010 Pat Altvater
Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com/
http://www.momsoutsmartingobesity.com/
http://www.choosesuccessbook.com/
419-344-6613
Monday, June 28, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Motivating and Baseball
Staying Motivated as a Fearless Success Seeker
The last few weeks we have been talking about finding opportunities for business growth and success. This week, let's examine how to stay motivated to reach success.
I could tell you about Thomas Edison, Henry Ford or Colonel Sanders who all had great successes preceded by lots and lots of trials and failures. Instead, let's jump in and get motivated.
How do you stay motivated? Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich says you have to have a "burning desire" for riches be they wealth, health, fame or time AND that demands you have a vision.
Often, when working with business owners the day-to-day far outweighs the future. This lack of vision is worse than being blind, it is demotivating. If your vision of your business is to pay the bills, so be it - that is what it will be. If your vision of your business is to retire wealthy, then just paying the bills will not do.
Staying motivated means you will need to have a vision that is supported by objectives--actions--projects--tasks all aligned with your vision.
Taking the time this week to create a vision AND the supporting work will give you a motivating path.
Real tasks that are tied to a
Future vision that support your
Burning desire
Posted where you will see it at least
Two times each day, will be motivating - even if it is to change your vision!
Here is a worksheet to get you started: One Page Plan
Copyright 2010 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
419-897-0528
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
Avoiding taxes is as American as baseball
But you might be surprised just how hard it can be to strike out the IRS!
Later this month, the Philadelphia Phillies were scheduled to play three games against the Toronto Blue Jays. The games were originally scheduled to be played in Toronto, but authorities there will be hosting a G-20 Summit meeting. Someone apparently suckered baseball Commissioner Bud Selig into thinking a meeting of the world's 20 largest economies was more important than an international sporting rivalry! So he moved the series to Philadelphia. But that created tax problems for at least one player . . . .
Pitcher Roy "Doc" Halladay played for Toronto from 1998-2009. As an American playing in Canada, he owed federal and provincial taxes of about 40%, plus U.S. taxes of 35%. The IRS let him take a credit for the taxes he paid in Canada. But, because the Canadian tax is higher than ours, he built up a boatload of "excess foreign tax credits" that he can't use except to offset U.S. tax on foreign income. (With me so far?)
In 2009, Toronto traded Halladay to Philadelphia. It was a pretty good trade for Philly, as Halladay pitched a perfect game against the Florida Marlins less than two weeks ago! It was also a pretty good trade for Halladay. Now he doesn't have to pay the higher Canadian tax - except when he plays in Canada. But, when he does play there, he can use those excess foreign tax credits to cut his U.S. tax. Still with me?
Here's where it gets complicated. Halladay's 2010 salary is $15.75 million. That means his pay for the three Toronto games is about $215,000. If the games were played in Toronto, that $215,000 would have been classified as "foreign source income," and he could have used the excess foreign tax credit against his U.S. income to save about $75,000 in U.S. tax. But, since the games will be here in the U.S., he'll wind up paying the full U.S. tax on that income. Sounds like Halladay just walked in a run - for the IRS!
We've said before that planning is the key to minimizing tax. There's not much that "Doc" Halladay could do to plan for those games being moved. But fortunately, most of us don't have to worry about "excess foreign tax credits" to minimize our tax, and there is something we can do in advance. So don't wait until the bases are loaded to call for your plan!
Tim Pinkelman, CPA
Accounting Center & Tax Services, Inc.
419-882-9255 or 734-847-0400
http://www.accounting-centers.com/
The last few weeks we have been talking about finding opportunities for business growth and success. This week, let's examine how to stay motivated to reach success.
I could tell you about Thomas Edison, Henry Ford or Colonel Sanders who all had great successes preceded by lots and lots of trials and failures. Instead, let's jump in and get motivated.
How do you stay motivated? Napoleon Hill in his book Think and Grow Rich says you have to have a "burning desire" for riches be they wealth, health, fame or time AND that demands you have a vision.
Often, when working with business owners the day-to-day far outweighs the future. This lack of vision is worse than being blind, it is demotivating. If your vision of your business is to pay the bills, so be it - that is what it will be. If your vision of your business is to retire wealthy, then just paying the bills will not do.
Staying motivated means you will need to have a vision that is supported by objectives--actions--projects--tasks all aligned with your vision.
Taking the time this week to create a vision AND the supporting work will give you a motivating path.
Real tasks that are tied to a
Future vision that support your
Burning desire
Posted where you will see it at least
Two times each day, will be motivating - even if it is to change your vision!
Here is a worksheet to get you started: One Page Plan
Copyright 2010 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
419-897-0528
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
Avoiding taxes is as American as baseball
But you might be surprised just how hard it can be to strike out the IRS!
Later this month, the Philadelphia Phillies were scheduled to play three games against the Toronto Blue Jays. The games were originally scheduled to be played in Toronto, but authorities there will be hosting a G-20 Summit meeting. Someone apparently suckered baseball Commissioner Bud Selig into thinking a meeting of the world's 20 largest economies was more important than an international sporting rivalry! So he moved the series to Philadelphia. But that created tax problems for at least one player . . . .
Pitcher Roy "Doc" Halladay played for Toronto from 1998-2009. As an American playing in Canada, he owed federal and provincial taxes of about 40%, plus U.S. taxes of 35%. The IRS let him take a credit for the taxes he paid in Canada. But, because the Canadian tax is higher than ours, he built up a boatload of "excess foreign tax credits" that he can't use except to offset U.S. tax on foreign income. (With me so far?)
In 2009, Toronto traded Halladay to Philadelphia. It was a pretty good trade for Philly, as Halladay pitched a perfect game against the Florida Marlins less than two weeks ago! It was also a pretty good trade for Halladay. Now he doesn't have to pay the higher Canadian tax - except when he plays in Canada. But, when he does play there, he can use those excess foreign tax credits to cut his U.S. tax. Still with me?
Here's where it gets complicated. Halladay's 2010 salary is $15.75 million. That means his pay for the three Toronto games is about $215,000. If the games were played in Toronto, that $215,000 would have been classified as "foreign source income," and he could have used the excess foreign tax credit against his U.S. income to save about $75,000 in U.S. tax. But, since the games will be here in the U.S., he'll wind up paying the full U.S. tax on that income. Sounds like Halladay just walked in a run - for the IRS!
We've said before that planning is the key to minimizing tax. There's not much that "Doc" Halladay could do to plan for those games being moved. But fortunately, most of us don't have to worry about "excess foreign tax credits" to minimize our tax, and there is something we can do in advance. So don't wait until the bases are loaded to call for your plan!
Tim Pinkelman, CPA
Accounting Center & Tax Services, Inc.
419-882-9255 or 734-847-0400
http://www.accounting-centers.com/
Monday, June 14, 2010
Opportunity & Customers Trends
Onward with Being a Fearless Opportunity Seeker
Last week we talked about obstacles and seeing them as opportunities. Now, let's explore getting our brains to look for opportunities. When we try to do any task that is either part of our regular jobs or something we see will lead to change, some of us will find anything to do other than the job at hand. Relax, and take a nap! Seriously, when people have something big to do or hard to do, if they do something else for even 15 minutes they will likely return refreshed and often with new insights. According to Richard Wiseman author of :59 Seconds getting ready is part of the process. Here are his four techniques to help you think and behave more flexibly.
Priming. Work hard on something and then take time to do something completely different, go to a museum, watch a child's sporting event, do a Sudoku puzzle, just immerse yourself in something.
Perspective. Imagine how your friend, a child, your partner, your accountant might approach this problem. Now, think about doing the exact opposite of what you think you should do - what does that look like?
Play. Take a break for 15 minutes, watch some funny videos, put mustaches on all the faces on the front page of the newspaper.
Perceive. Shake things up, drive a different way to work, count the birds outside your kitchen window or wash the dishes by hand. Doing something out of the ordinary requires you to operate on manual, not automatic.
Use these ideas when you are stuck or frustrated and force your mind to pay attention to just that. You may be surprised when you come back to the task.
Copyright 2010 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
419-897-0528
www.ChangingLanes.biz
8 Trends in Consumer Behavior
While we can't predict the future, we can use metrics to predict customer loyalty. The following are trends in branding and marketing for 2010:
1) Value is EVERYTHING - with pocketbooks shrinking, people aren't shopping sales any more. They need a "reason to buy" instead of a bevy of items at a low, low cost!
2) Brands = Value - Why J Crew versus The Cap? J Crew is synonymous with careful chic (smart & stylish). The Gap some think of as expensive denim & khaki. What does your brand stand for?
3) Brand Value is Built on Brand Differentiation - While your brand may be readily recognized, it won't pay the bills. Instead you need to differentiate yourself with your competitors to seal the deal when it comes to sales and profitability. Brand awareness is obsolete.
4) Your Brand Can't Stand on Its Own - Just because you tout your brand values doesn't mean the consumer believes you. The consumer decides what's authentic and what's not when it comes to brand differentiation. Sorry Charlie, but "Because I Said So" is soooooo over.
5) Expectations are Blooming - Consumer expectations are high now, which means they are adopting and devouring the latest innovations on the market. There is a hunger for more iPhone, iPad, cool stuff than ever before.
6) Don't Rely on Your Old Tricks - When's the last time you really believed a bank ad that says, "We're all in this together." Sounds pretty hollow right? Make sure the values you're expounding are current. Celebrity scandals, fat cat bankers have made the consumer hypercritical of how their emotions are being played in an ad. Be authentic with your message and with your pairing of celebrities with your product.
7) Conversation & Community are Critical - If consumers trust the community, they'll extend that trust to the brand: case in point: ebay thrives based on consumer feedback.
8) People are Talking to Each Other Before They Talk to You. - Social Networking and exchange of information outside of your store will increase. Start making Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter work for you. Listen, engage and profit from these trends in marketing and branding for 2010.
Copyright 2010 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
http://www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com/
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Last week we talked about obstacles and seeing them as opportunities. Now, let's explore getting our brains to look for opportunities. When we try to do any task that is either part of our regular jobs or something we see will lead to change, some of us will find anything to do other than the job at hand. Relax, and take a nap! Seriously, when people have something big to do or hard to do, if they do something else for even 15 minutes they will likely return refreshed and often with new insights. According to Richard Wiseman author of :59 Seconds getting ready is part of the process. Here are his four techniques to help you think and behave more flexibly.
Priming. Work hard on something and then take time to do something completely different, go to a museum, watch a child's sporting event, do a Sudoku puzzle, just immerse yourself in something.
Perspective. Imagine how your friend, a child, your partner, your accountant might approach this problem. Now, think about doing the exact opposite of what you think you should do - what does that look like?
Play. Take a break for 15 minutes, watch some funny videos, put mustaches on all the faces on the front page of the newspaper.
Perceive. Shake things up, drive a different way to work, count the birds outside your kitchen window or wash the dishes by hand. Doing something out of the ordinary requires you to operate on manual, not automatic.
Use these ideas when you are stuck or frustrated and force your mind to pay attention to just that. You may be surprised when you come back to the task.
Copyright 2010 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
419-897-0528
www.ChangingLanes.biz
8 Trends in Consumer Behavior
While we can't predict the future, we can use metrics to predict customer loyalty. The following are trends in branding and marketing for 2010:
1) Value is EVERYTHING - with pocketbooks shrinking, people aren't shopping sales any more. They need a "reason to buy" instead of a bevy of items at a low, low cost!
2) Brands = Value - Why J Crew versus The Cap? J Crew is synonymous with careful chic (smart & stylish). The Gap some think of as expensive denim & khaki. What does your brand stand for?
3) Brand Value is Built on Brand Differentiation - While your brand may be readily recognized, it won't pay the bills. Instead you need to differentiate yourself with your competitors to seal the deal when it comes to sales and profitability. Brand awareness is obsolete.
4) Your Brand Can't Stand on Its Own - Just because you tout your brand values doesn't mean the consumer believes you. The consumer decides what's authentic and what's not when it comes to brand differentiation. Sorry Charlie, but "Because I Said So" is soooooo over.
5) Expectations are Blooming - Consumer expectations are high now, which means they are adopting and devouring the latest innovations on the market. There is a hunger for more iPhone, iPad, cool stuff than ever before.
6) Don't Rely on Your Old Tricks - When's the last time you really believed a bank ad that says, "We're all in this together." Sounds pretty hollow right? Make sure the values you're expounding are current. Celebrity scandals, fat cat bankers have made the consumer hypercritical of how their emotions are being played in an ad. Be authentic with your message and with your pairing of celebrities with your product.
7) Conversation & Community are Critical - If consumers trust the community, they'll extend that trust to the brand: case in point: ebay thrives based on consumer feedback.
8) People are Talking to Each Other Before They Talk to You. - Social Networking and exchange of information outside of your store will increase. Start making Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter work for you. Listen, engage and profit from these trends in marketing and branding for 2010.
Copyright 2010 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
http://www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com/
Imagine That!
419.855.3399
Monday, June 07, 2010
Obstacles and Follow-up
Approach Obstacles as Opportunities
When you make a decision to do something for your business that tests your boundaries, it's not uncommon to feel challenged and sometimes even want to change your mind. Talking with business owners of the the years I've observed that most have learned to say NO to distractions, obstacles and themselves. When challenges and obstacles are recognized as change agents, it becomes easier to keep on the path of our new direction. And sometimes when barriers and obstacles continue to show up, we might be tempted to say "oh, that is a sign from the Universe that we shouldn't be following this new path." Remember that doubt is not truth and fear often is the mast that obstacles wear. Make your dream happen by saying NO to them. Actually, that is a great example of a very useful way to the use the statement "Just Say No."
Now, go out and have a great week and adjust to be the fearless opportunity seeker.
Copyright 2010 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
419-897-0528
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
Are You Using Follow-up to Justify Your Failure?
Most everyone will agree that the key to success is follow up. Listen in to a conversation between the seasoned entrepreneur or salesperson and novice and you'll hear the famous quote; "The money's in the follow up". They're pretty accurate, they say it takes 5-7 touches before a sale is made, but that's only half the story and most don't know how they can do it in half the time.
It's all about how you follow up, not if. (If you're not employing some type of follow up system then delete this email, turn off your computer, and go pick up the help wanted ads from your local paper. Really. The follow up process is your chance to shine. Follow up is how you set yourself apart - your differentiator - that will not only get you the sale but set the stage for a long term customer or client. However, if you're using an antiquated or ineffective method of follow up you are simply enabling excuses for your lack of production. Think back to the last time you said "I've sent 4 emails to Mr. Prospect about the proposal and they've never responded back!" You'll never achieve your goals like that.
So let's start at the beginning. The follow up starts the moment that two people who just met part ways. (Now, you and haven't met... yet. So let's change that. Go here and fill out the form so I know we need to get together.) As you're walking away you take notes of what made that connection a potentially profitable one. You plan your follow up.
1) You can call them in a couple of days and say nice to have met you and let's get together. Very effective for getting an appointment but it doesn't make you stand out.
2) You can send an email and invite them to connect on Facebook, LinkedIn, and/or Twitter. Boring! And your prospect will assume he's going to be seeing pictures of your cat, your family reunion, or worse of all, your Farmville score.
3) You can send a card in the mail, with a custom message in your handwriting, in a real envelop with a real First-class stamp on it for about a $1. You can even customize it with your - or your prospect's - picture on it for a few cents more. On a scale of 1-10 this has an impact factor of about 150!
Are you tired of losing business to your competitors while hiding behind follow up? Work smarter, not harder, and become more memorable to your prospects, clients and customers. Start using the easiest, most fun and effective tool I've found for managing follow up. Go here and test drive the system and send 2 cards to anyone you want - prospect or customer - free. It's on me.
Todd Pillars is an Appreciation Marketer with SendOutCards. Contact him today at 419-855-2273 or tpillars@gmail.com to SUPERCharge your Referrals! Surf on over to http://www.sendoutcards.com/tpillars to send someone an Awesome Day!
When you make a decision to do something for your business that tests your boundaries, it's not uncommon to feel challenged and sometimes even want to change your mind. Talking with business owners of the the years I've observed that most have learned to say NO to distractions, obstacles and themselves. When challenges and obstacles are recognized as change agents, it becomes easier to keep on the path of our new direction. And sometimes when barriers and obstacles continue to show up, we might be tempted to say "oh, that is a sign from the Universe that we shouldn't be following this new path." Remember that doubt is not truth and fear often is the mast that obstacles wear. Make your dream happen by saying NO to them. Actually, that is a great example of a very useful way to the use the statement "Just Say No."
Now, go out and have a great week and adjust to be the fearless opportunity seeker.
Copyright 2010 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
419-897-0528
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
Are You Using Follow-up to Justify Your Failure?
Most everyone will agree that the key to success is follow up. Listen in to a conversation between the seasoned entrepreneur or salesperson and novice and you'll hear the famous quote; "The money's in the follow up". They're pretty accurate, they say it takes 5-7 touches before a sale is made, but that's only half the story and most don't know how they can do it in half the time.
It's all about how you follow up, not if. (If you're not employing some type of follow up system then delete this email, turn off your computer, and go pick up the help wanted ads from your local paper. Really. The follow up process is your chance to shine. Follow up is how you set yourself apart - your differentiator - that will not only get you the sale but set the stage for a long term customer or client. However, if you're using an antiquated or ineffective method of follow up you are simply enabling excuses for your lack of production. Think back to the last time you said "I've sent 4 emails to Mr. Prospect about the proposal and they've never responded back!" You'll never achieve your goals like that.
So let's start at the beginning. The follow up starts the moment that two people who just met part ways. (Now, you and haven't met... yet. So let's change that. Go here and fill out the form so I know we need to get together.) As you're walking away you take notes of what made that connection a potentially profitable one. You plan your follow up.
1) You can call them in a couple of days and say nice to have met you and let's get together. Very effective for getting an appointment but it doesn't make you stand out.
2) You can send an email and invite them to connect on Facebook, LinkedIn, and/or Twitter. Boring! And your prospect will assume he's going to be seeing pictures of your cat, your family reunion, or worse of all, your Farmville score.
3) You can send a card in the mail, with a custom message in your handwriting, in a real envelop with a real First-class stamp on it for about a $1. You can even customize it with your - or your prospect's - picture on it for a few cents more. On a scale of 1-10 this has an impact factor of about 150!
Are you tired of losing business to your competitors while hiding behind follow up? Work smarter, not harder, and become more memorable to your prospects, clients and customers. Start using the easiest, most fun and effective tool I've found for managing follow up. Go here and test drive the system and send 2 cards to anyone you want - prospect or customer - free. It's on me.
Todd Pillars is an Appreciation Marketer with SendOutCards. Contact him today at 419-855-2273 or tpillars@gmail.com to SUPERCharge your Referrals! Surf on over to http://www.sendoutcards.com/tpillars to send someone an Awesome Day!
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