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Monday Morning Motivators – September 17, 2007
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Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. Subscribing and Unsubscribing at www.mondaymorningmotivators.com
“Focus 90% of your time on solutions and only 10% of your time on problems.”
--Anthony J. D'Angelo
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Table of Contents
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1. Need Some Cheese & Crackers with that Whine? – Linda Fayerweather
2. The Power is in Your Hands Rule One - Rebecca Booth
3. Walking towards Health – Pat Altvater
4. To Do This Week
5. Fine Print
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1. Need Some Cheese & Crackers with that Whine?
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If you are not working ON your business at least 5 hours a week, then maybe on your way home tonight you will want to pick up some cheese and crackers so when you “whine” you won’t be doing it on an empty stomach. In Michael Gerber’s E-Myth Revisited
as entrepreneurs, we are reminded to work ON our business and not IN our business. In reality, the business owner with less than 15 employees will often not have the luxury to spend all her time ON the business. Here are some questions to start your thinking beyond the day to day work:
1. When will you spend 3 hours planning weekly? Is it scheduled?
2. What can you do this week to create a better tomorrow?
3. What core competencies do your employees posses which can be leveraged to affect sales growth?
4. What is the number one bottleneck in your business that is holding back growth of sales, profit or both?
5. If you had to price everything your employees and you do on an invoice for your customer, how many of these items would your customer recognize as value-added?
Carving out some time each week to plan and reflect will lead to a better tomorrow and maybe a celebration with wine and not whine.
Copyright 2007 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
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2. In Sales: The Power is in Your Hands – Rule 1 or 4
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Bob Beck, CEO of Sales Builders, Inc. believes the sales person and the customer are equals. In order to keep you on an equal level with the decision make, Beck offers four strategies for success.
Rule #1:
Reframe apparent weaknesses into real strengths. Many people think you need to acquiesce because the client hasn’t heard of your company before. Here are a few responses to gaining that equality:
“If nobody has ever heard of my firm, they can’t have negative preconceptions.”
“We may be new, but we have something different to offer.”
“Yes, we’re a small company, but the truth is we don’t have a bureaucracy to weigh us down.”
Copyright 2007 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
www.marketingsolutioneers.com
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3. Walking towards Health
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Walking is one of the best things you can do for your health. Research shows that a regular walking regimen decreases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure and even cognitive decline. In addition, may people who walk regularly report less stress, better sleep, more energy and a sense of empowerment from taking an active role in their health. If you want to walk for exercise but tend to procrastinate, start a walking club in your neighborhood; the rewards will pay off in more ways that you can imagine.
Copyright 2007 Patricia Altvater
www.TransformationsInstitute.com
Author, Journey to Health 12-Month Total Transformation Program
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4. To Do This Week
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Don’t confuse Memos with Reality.
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Monday Morning Motivators – September 10, 2007
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Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. Subscribing and Unsubscribing at www.mondaymorningmotivators.com
"As far as I'm concerned, I prefer silent vice to ostentatious virtue.”
--Albert Einstein
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Table of Contents
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1. Change Happens – Linda Fayerweather
2. The Power is in Your Hands - Rebecca Booth
3. Creating a Life that Works – Pat Altvater
4. To Do This Week
5. Fine Print
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1. Change Happens
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After writing for Monday Morning Motivators for 8 years, John Meyer, our networking coach, will be taking a leave. He continues to take on more responsibilities with BNI in the USA. Thank you, John for all your great tips.
With that said, let me introduce, Pat Altvater. Pat has a remarkable career starting as a CPA, using that expertise to sell software, opening 10 Curves stores and now becoming a certified attraction coach concentrating on helping people attract their perfect body. Welcome, Pat.
Change is always happening and businesses have finite resources. Small companies may achieve competitive advantage by focusing on a few well-planned products or services. Specialization can help you create a business receptive to new opportunities and quick to respond when the economy shifts. Resource dilution is a sure prescription for mediocrity.
Copyright 2007 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
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2. In Sales: The Power is in Your Hands – Part 1 of 4
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Many salespeople think that they’re not in the driver’s seat when it comes to closing a sale because the client has the economic power. So, they wrongly put themselves in a subservient position when calling on a client. Nothing could be further from the truth! Bob Beck, CEO of Sales Builders, Inc. believes the sales person and the customer are equals. In order to keep you on an equal level with the decision make, Beck offers four strategies for success.
Copyright 2007 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
www.marketingsolutioneers.com
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3. Creating a Life that Works
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Successful weight reduction is not about finding a diet that works but about creating a life that works! That means addressing everything from time management to nutrition to exercise to body image and relationships. Sounds overwhelming, doesn’t it? It’s not if you just work on one simple change at a time. Try adding an additional 10 – 15 minutes of daily exercise into your routine this week. You could take a quick walk around the block, dance for 10 minutes to your favorite tunes, jump rope, ride a bike, roller blade; do something FUN, it won’t feel like exercise!
Copyright 2007 Patricia Altvater
Transformations Institute
Author, Journey to Health 12-Month Total Transformation Program
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4. To Do This Week
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Monday Morning Motivators – August 27, 2007
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Espresso business tips are designed to "caffeinate" your mind while your java gets you going. Subscribing and Unsubscribing at www.mondaymorningmotivators.com
"Entrepreneurship is a state of mind, a can-do attitude, a capacity to focus on a vision and work toward it."
-- Barry Rogstad
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Table of Contents
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1. Backup Plans – Linda Fayerweather
2. Giveaways - Rebecca Booth
3. The Ingredients of a Good Introduction - John Meyer
4. To Do This Week
5. Fine Print
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1. Backup Plans
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This weekend while driving to West Virginia I discovered two technologies that I rely on were temperamental in the mountains. First, my GPS would get lost – yes, it would occasionally say “on the way to your destination some roads will not be available – us a map”. Next, my cell phone’s network forgot to follow me! I do carry maps of all the States even though I’ve never driven west of Chicago, but cell phone usage has caused the demise of the old fashioned phone booth.
Look around your business and take note of where you need a backup plan for ongoing commerce. Start here with:
Computer backups – something, external hard drive, zip drive, flash drive and stored off site.
Succession of business – what if the owner is lost, stolen or gone to her great reward? A plan will be helpful, no critical.
Natural disaster plan – I’m only 45 miles from Findlay Ohio which has had national noted floods this week.
Employee illnesses – cross training is vital, and absolutely essential to small businesses.
Personal Paper Location – does someone know where your will and other documents area?
Copyright 2007 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
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2. Giveaways
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Did you know...80% of take-home gifts (from a user group, seminar or trade show) are given away instead of kept by the recipient? Next time you're shopping for that incentive, provide a choice. Not only do your prospects and customers leave with what they like, the chances are better that they'll keep your giveaway around this time!
Copyright 2007 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
www.marketingsolutioneers.com
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3. The Ingredients of a Good Introduction
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The recommended sequence for your introduction is your name, your business or profession, a brief description of your business or profession, a Memory Hook, and a benefit statement. Don't give people a laundry list of everything you do. You can discuss all the various areas when you get the appointment to meet with them.
Copyright 2007 John R. Meyer
District Director, BNI Ohio
http://www.bni-ohio.com
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4. To Do This Week
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Set up a password notebook – hard copy and securely stored.
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Monday Morning Motivators – August 20, 2007
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Espresso business tips are designed to "caffeinate" your mind while your java gets you going. Subscribing and Unsubscribing at www.mondaymorningmotivators.com
“Plans are nothing; planning is everything.”
--Dwight D. Eisenhower
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Table of Contents
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1. Leadership Review – Linda Fayerweather
2. Personal Image as Marketing – Part 2 - Rebecca Booth
3. Practice your Introductions - John Meyer
4. To Do this Week
5. Fine Print
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1. Leadership Review
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Most of us have figured out that not all great managers are good leaders and not all leaders should be followed. Last week, I gave you quick traits on a good leader. Good leaders remind me of great choreographers. They are behind the scenes, often not known outside the company, but their work is world renown. Two key qualities a leader must have are:
Visionary – seeing the future big picture
Strategic Thinker – knowing the broad path to achieve the vision.
Now, what pushes a person to leadership greatness in any endeavor is using these two qualities and the following skills:
Trusts,
Manages time,
Sense of humor,
Motivator extraordinaire,
Not condoning incompetence,
Cares about and for people,
A good teacher, mentor and communicator.
Although not all of us will have the vision and strategy to lead a large company, creating a vision and strategy for your business or department and then honing the skills above may just make you the leader to get the job done.
Copyright 2007 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz
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2. Personal Image as Marketing – Part 2
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Did you know that your attire is tantamount to a walking billboard? That Last week we talked about how your clothes become a walking billboard for your business. But did you know that your accessories can also make/break your image? Mary Nyitray, Optical Arts, tells us “many people overlook the fact that their eyewear is outdated or non-descript. This can be a huge turn off for people in sales. Eyewear today is anything but non-descript these days. You can improve your complexion, narrow a wide face, give yourself a mini-facelift as well as downplay lines/wrinkles around the eyes with the appropriate eyewear.” When’s the last time you really looked at yourself in the mirror? Your charge this week: inventory your wardrobe and eyewear. Toss out the old, outdated stuff and buy new, fresh looking clothes and accessories.
Copyright 2007 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
www.marketingsolutioneers.com
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3. Practice your Introductions
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If you want to be a "Noteable Networker", you have to get the most out of your first sixty second. Take time to plan your introduction and prepare some concise and descriptive overviews of your product or service. Remember, first impressions last! If you fumble around trying to introduce yourself and explain your business, or if you ramble on too long, people will remember that... and not in a positive way!
Copyright 2007 John R. Meyer
District Director, BNI Ohio
http://www.bni-ohio.com
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4. To Do This Week
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Where is your spare key for your car?
