pro•mot•er 

pro•mot•er (pre-mo'ter) noun
1. One that promotes, especially an active supporter or advocate.
2. A financial and publicity organizer, as of a boxing match or an artistic performance.
3. Genetics. A DNA molecule to which RNA polymerase binds, initiating the transcription of messenger RNA.

pro•mo•tion 

pro•mo•tion (pre-mo'shen) noun
1. The act of promoting or the fact of being promoted.
2. Advancement in rank or responsibility.
3. Encouragement of the progress, growth, or acceptance of something; furtherance.
4. Advertising; publicity.
— pro•mo¹tion•al adjective
— pro•mo¹tion•al•ly adverb

Jeff@marketmagic.com

Cut Costs To Increase Profit

What do you think is easier to do … reduce your expenses by 5% or double your sales?
I think most would agree that reducing expenses might be easier. Why, then, do most business owners spend little time on attempting to reduce expenses?
Consider this: Your current profit margin is 5% - if you reduce costs by 5% your profits double! Of course, you can do the same thing by merely DOUBLING your sales!
It is amazingly simple to reduce operating costs by a few percent by being diligent. This article will provide you with a listing of some of the specific ways in which operating costs may be reduced. You may find that you can reduce spending considerably by observing only a few of the suggestions. And remember, the small stuff adds up! Think about saving each time you spend and you will discover your own ways to save.

Distinction: Goals Vs Shoulds
Definitions
Goals - something you want and are willing to work towards
Shoulds - something you think you have to get to get what you really want
Comparisons
comes from your being vs. comes from outside
Example
Irene set goals at the beginning of the year to exercise daily, to produce a new brochure for her business, and to pay off debt. These were things she thought would make her happier, but the goals didn't inspire her or connect with her at a deep level. When she set a goal to double the value she gave her clients and another to plan a dream vacation, she started having a lot more fun pursuing them.
Key Point
A goal is a result worth pursuing. With an authentic goal, you enjoy pursuing it, but you don't feel driven or attached to it. You feel fine about changing it or letting go of it. A should is what you've heard is the right things to do, or something which seems like the means to an end. A should goal has risk, potential consequences, and significance if you don't get it. A should-based goal is usually a little dull. It doesn't light you up.
Benefits
Shoulds are either hard to get or unfulfilling when you get them.

You have doubtlessly concluded your next level of
company performance requires a managerial change. And
hopefully, you have realized the changes necessary are with
you. As CEO (or, on a divisional or departmental level -
senior executive) your jobs include holding the vision;
inspiring your senior management and your staff; fostering
key relationships with customers, vendors, investors and
the public, etc. You now need to let go of some cherished
things like product design, hiring, perhaps day-to-day sales -
many things you handled in the past, often out of
necessity - and focus yourself on your role as CEO.
What about all these things you used to do? Delegate them.
Assign the job to someone else. This doesn't sound like a
big deal, why write a whole article on it? Do you delegate?
Of course you do. But do you delegate the important
things? The things you "know" you could do better? The
things you are "best" at? Probably not. The question is,
should you?

Introduction to Networking
Networking.

The word conjures up all sorts of interesting pictures. Men in recliners smoking cigars and making deals in back rooms. MLM dealers cheering at training sessions and trying to recruit everyone who comes within 3 feet of them when they're done. Even computer wizards doing arcane things behind the scenes to make your Internet connection work.

Networking is about connections. For your purposes in business, it's making connections that bring you customers.

A couple of basic working definitions are in order.

Contact

A person with whom you have developed, or are developing, an ongoing relationship of trust and mutual respect, SPECIFICALLY REGARDING BUSINESS MATTERS.

Referral

The recommendation of a business to a person who knows the prospective customer well enough to have developed some level of established trust. Someone telling a friend or business acquaintance to do business with you based on their confidence in your ability to do the job well.

Networking

Consciously developing contacts in an effort to increase the number of referrals you get for your business.

Networking, in the business sense, is nothing more complicated than working out ways to get other people to send you business, based on word of mouth or direct introduction.

Networking is the single most cost efficient form of advertising you can plan for. Yes, you may get some, or even a lot, of referrals without making a conscious effort at it. You'll get a lot more if you pay attention to the process.

It not only leads to more business, but it usually means better business. If a customer always pays their bills and never gives you hassles, do you think they're liable to send someone your way that is a deadbeat and a trouble customer ? Not often. The two types don't usually mix, and when they do, the good customer will normally value the relationship too much to jeopardize it with unnecessary bad referrals.

The Entrepreneurs Test
Do you have what it takes to succeed in a business of your own?
One of the first questions you must ask yourself when considering if you should go into business for yourself is….. AM I THE TYPE?

To help you, we have developed the following "Test".  Complete the questions that follow and mail or fax your responses to us.  We will send you confidential analysis and recommendations.

Name 
Address 
 
Phone 
E-mail 
Fax 

If someone gets me going, I keep going.
I do things on my own. No-one needs to tell me to get going.
I a very laid back.  I take an "easy does it" attitude.

I have enough friends. I don't need any more.
People bug me.
I like people. I can get along with almost anybody.

I can get people to do things if I drive them.
I can get most people to go along with me without much difficulty.
I usually let someone else get things going.

I like to take charge and see things through.
I'll take over if I have to but I usually like to let someone else get things going.
There is always some "eager beaver" waiting around waiting to show off.  I say, "Let them".

I take things as they come.
I like to plan before I start anything.  I am usually the one who lines things up.
I do alight until things get to complicated.  I like things simple.

I keep going as long as necessary.  I don't mind hard work.
I work hard when I have to but everyone needs a break.
I can't see where hard work gets you anywhere.

I can make up my mind in a hurry if I have to and my decisions are usually right.
I like to have plenty of time to make up my mind.  If I react to quickly I usually regret it.
I don't like to be the one who decides things.

I try to be on the level but sometimes say what is easiest at the time.
I never say things that I don't mean.
I tell people only what they need to know.

When I make up my mind on something I don't let anything stop me.
If something doesn't go smoothly I give up.
I usually finish what I start.
Records are not important.  I can keep everything in my head.
Since they are needed I can keep records even though I don't like it.
I can keep records but work is more important then shuffling papers.

 Yes No
I consider myself creative.  
I have special skills that I think could be turned into a business.  
I have friends that own their own businesses.  
I like to travel.  
I have strong commitments to a hobby.  
I feel uncomfortable asking for help.  
I have a strong commitment to a physical activity or sport I play  
I have a strong ego.  
I can take criticism and not take it personally.  

 

Learn what people value.
“To lead the people, walk behind them.” - Lao-tzu (6th century B.C.) Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism
Everybody has an opinion as to what adds value to his or her life.  Take some time with the people who are important to you and ask them what’s important to THEM.
 “A person usually has two reasons for doing something: a good reason and the real reason.” - John Pierpont Morgan (1837-1913) American financier
Point out their strong points.
“It's always worthwhile to make others aware of their worth.” - Malcolm Forbes (1919-90) American publisher
Learn/identify what’s special or unique about a person and take a moment to point it out.  You'll affect them positively with very, very little effort on your part.
Really listen to people.
Most people just listen for what they need from the other person.  They wait out a string of words until they hear a period landing at the end of a sentence.  Then they deliver the phrases they've been holding at the ready, which they hope will trigger a result and allow the "communication" to stop. 
Learn to listen to what is being said – not what you think is being said.
What if you did this during every conversation or situation you had for the rest of your life?
Facts and information are valuable but are rarely profound.

Retaining good employees has always been a challenge, and even more so today in light of low unemployment and high employee expectations. Here are ten things you can and should do.
1. Share the results of good work, tangibly.
Monetary and non-monetary rewards need to be tied to results so that, in receiving them, the employee knows that he or she is being rewarded for their specific contribution. Gifts given at the whim of the employer can be regarded as actually demeaning in that they bear little relationship to actual contribution.
2. Let your employees know they are part of a team.
Employees have heard the old saw, people are our biggest asset, so much so that they nearly vomit when it is repeated. Letting them know means having direct, regular, and personal contact.
3. Follow the CFH rule; be candid, frank, and honest.
Somehow, the higher one gets on the executive ladder, the more the misconception seems to exist that you can get away with not telling the truth to your employees. That simply isn't so. As Abraham Lincoln said: You can fool some of the people some of the time, etc. Being less than honest means that you'll get less than the best from your people.
 
4. Don't spare the bad news.
Some employers have a penchant for spreading the good news and hoarding the bad on the grounds that their employees won't be able to take it. The surprising thing is that, given a chance, most people are more resilient than we think.
5. Little things mean a lot.
Have you ever received a card or note out of the blue, when you were down or having a hard time, from someone who knew and simply took the time to let you know that he or she cared? Taking time to find out what's going on with your employees (yes, after 5:00 PM) and letting them know you care--with a card, a call, or simply a word, can make a huge difference.
6. Recognize that suspicion is normal.
As an employer, you may not want to hear it, but one of the unfortunate effects of downsized America is employers are, in general, not regarded as believable! So, it takes patience, fortitude, and a good deal of practice to get to the point where you are believed by your people. Don't become dismayed, just keep at it, as long as what you do and say is real.
7. Distribute choice perqs.
As long as you are in business for a profit, no business can afford to operate as though all people and positions are equal, because they're not! Some people are more talented than others; some have more energy, drive, and concern; and some demand more because they can get it. For those in this latter category, the true high achievers, you will have to treat them differently or lose them. They don't need your guidance so much as your recognition that they are outstanding.
8. Set your boundaries and make them clear.
Every single person who reports to you should be absolutely clear about two things: (1) what you expect of them, and (2) what they can expect of you. It pays to have a formal written policies statement and manual to discuss personally with everyone who reports to you.
9. Make it clear that, in your organization, continued growth is a condition of continued employment.
Too many organizations, especially in government, tolerate averageness, the hewers of wood and carriers of water. In the long run everyone, including the employee, suffers. From here on out into the twenty-first century, there will be less and less room for those who do just enough to get by.
10. Be genuine and be a model
You would think that this is obvious. Unfortunately, it's not. I've seen so many executives and CEOs who follow the dictum: Do as a say, not as I do. One of the surprising results of chronic reengineering has been that those employees who are truly self-directing have become less willing to tolerate unacceptable conditions. The average performers will hang around, but the outstanding ones will bide their time and leave.

As of 1/5/2010, this blog developed a series problem which My ISP could not resolve. I had to reinstall the software and lost the previous posts. I am reconstructing my previous small business posts at this time. The ability to comment has also been turned off until I’m sure that the Blog’s reason for failure has been resolved. Thanks for reading.

 

Jeff

Each individual has a wide variety of tools that can be nurtured into success.
What makes successful people “different” from most people?  They know that success is a process, something they have the ability to control and direct.
They…
1. Set Goals and Stay Focused
2. Are Self Disciplined and Schedule Their Time Wisely
3. Are Enthusiastic and Positive
4. Are Self-Motivated
5. Are Honest
6. Are Selective With People
7. Care About Others
8. Care About Themselves
9. Promise Their Best and Over Deliver
10. Handle Their Money Wisely
Finally - Successful people realize that people never succeed at anything unless they have fun doing it.