Acknowledge Distractions

Drive Your Goals
Get in the driver's seat with your goals and pick what you will achieve by year end. Usually distraction is not one of the "must do" goals listed, but it certainly appears like the new fangled digital billboards where brightness and movement distract our eyes from the road.

The distraction of a new task surfacing during the day just needs to be "checked-in" with these questions: 

• Does it help you achieved your goals?
• Will it keep you aligned with your vision and mission?
• Does it represent a survival, safety or health issue?

If you answer "no" to the above, think of this project as an unpaved side-road you might want to avoid. If it is a great idea, set up a parking lot for great ideas, a method to capture the concept. I've seen folders, voice memos, emails to self and one person actually had a corner on their white board that said "parking lot" with post-its.

If you answer "yes" to all of the above - get busy, make a plan, or maybe delegate the plan, then target to celebrate when it is completed.

If you only said "yes" to the survival, safety or health issue, this is critical and needs immediate attention. Remember, the vast majority of disasters are controllable and preventable. Think of this plan as purchasing "insurance".

Acknowledging distractions sometimes leads to better plans and more powerful commitments to achieve them.

Copyright 2010 Linda Lucas Fayerweather MBA EA
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
What are you doing right now to reach your goals?
Call Linda for getting your plan aligned with your dreams. 419-897-0528
linda@changinglanes.biz

Focus Creates Consciousness in Business
Pay attention! How many times did you hear that when you were growing up? As adults, we still hear it as we are bombarded throughout our day with many messages, projects, people and frankly, our own mind and emotions that are vying for our attention. Instead of being overwhelmed by these distractions, we can use them to help develop and focus our power of attention.

 To be successful in our lives and businesses, we need to become conscious in order to embrace our unconscious and focus our mind. That means we choose to be mindful of what we are doing and consciously notice when our mind is drifting off from the present moment. When we do this, everything will be done better, more efficiently and even faster. As our power of focus gets stronger, thoughts begin to lose their ability to distract and we find that we can experience more joy in the moment.

Here are some things we can do daily to develop our skills:

1.While working, focus your mind on what you are doing and if something else enters your mind, just acknowledge it and then bring yourself immediately back to the task.

2.If you notice that you are having a difficult time focusing, just spend a few moments doing deep breathing.
3.When eating, focus your mind on your food, savor it, chew it slowly and enjoy the experience.

Enjoy practicing, even a few minutes throughout the day, will do wonders for your power of attention.

Pat Altvater

Transforming Bodies and Minds
http://www.outsmartweight.com/
http://www.momsoutsmartingobesity.com/
http://www.choosesuccessbook.com/
419-344-6613

Price Check

Price Check
Before you cut your price or offer a substantial coupon, take some time to do a little research. You might want to start with some history -- of the airlines. SouthWest built their business model on being the lowest priced airline and actually changed air travel. Most people now shop airline tickets on price. When your customer shops price, your business becomes a commodity - just like a bushel of corn.

Prior to a implementing a strategic pricing decision, make sure you can answer these questions:
1. Do you know how much money you make on each sale? If you sale a widget for $100 and it costs $50 to make it, you will have $50 left to cover other expenses and profit.

2. Do you have other costs that are always there? These fixed costs are the rent, people, advertising and day to day operating expenses. You will want to know this "contribution margin" or percentage (on average) of overhead needed to support each sale. If your contribution margin is 34%, then in the above example $34 will be your additional cost. Potential profit is now $16 (on average).

3. Do you need to pay to get business in the door? If you are a convenience store, you usually don't have to pay someone to bring you business, but many businesses both offline and online pay commissions and referral fees for leads and referrals that produce sales. So, if a 8% commission or finder's fee is paid in our example that would reduce potential profit to $8.

Let's say your business wants to cut prices or offer a coupon for 10%!
Your price would become $90;
Cost would remain $50;
Overhead would remain $34; and the
Commission would become $6.30.

Your potential profit is now $90 - $50 - $34 - $6.30 = ($.30). Just like that we went from a profit to a loss of $.30 on each sale.

Cutting prices and offering coupons needs to be carefully studied to make sure it fits your business's long term health.

Copyright 2010 Linda Lucas Fayerweather MBA EA
http://www.changinglanes.biz/
What are you doing right now to reach your goals?
Call Linda for getting your plan aligned with your dreams. 419-897-0528
linda@changinglanes.biz
One Page Business Planning Classes are forming - available from your desk! Check out the coupon below. Oh, yes - coaching is included!


Great Referrals are NO Accident - Part 3
Network With a Net

Referral networking is a lot like catching fish by casting a net. Each fish comes to the net by a different path--each has a unique "story" that is not repeated. You don't focus on a particular fish and then try to get it to come to the net--in fact, you probably don't even see the fish until you pull in the net. Instead, you focus on the action of setting the net. You know that if you set your net correctly and consistently, fish will eventually come, no matter what path they take to get there.

The same is true for getting referrals. You don't have to worry about how a specific referral got to you because you understand the process of setting your net.

And the best part is your net can be working for you all the time. You don't have to be there whenever someone you know runs into someone else who could use your services--this means you can be "fishing" in many different ponds simultaneously and reaping tons of new business. This is especially true when you've become a referral gatekeeper and begin to get referrals not only from your own network of contacts but from the networks of others as well.

When it comes to networking, there is no coincidence about referrals. They are the inevitable cumulative result of the day-to-day activities of relationship-building. And even though those efforts can't be measured as easily as cold calls, the results are far more powerful.

Paula Frazier
Referral Marketing Expert & Master Trainer
Referral Institute
540-793-0622
http://referralinstitute-va.com/
"Helping people create Referrals For Life®"