When people think of playing a role they usually imagine taking a part in a stage production or starring in a blockbuster movie. For most of us, though, those kind of roles are the stuff of fantasy.

But every day, you actually play all kinds of social roles in your relationships with others. A “social role” is the part played by a person in a given social context, including typical or expected patterns of behavior.

For example, as part of a family you’re a father or mother, sister or brother, son or daughter, cousin, etc. You’re a friend, mentor or role model to someone, or if you have a career you maybe an employee, or boss, or both.

Some social roles, like wife and husband or employee and boss, are determined by the relationship you have to others in your life.

But there are other social roles you play that are often not as obvious to you or even to those around you. These roles are usually ones you’ve chosen, based on your personality profile and they play an important part in determining how much you’re enjoying life. Simply put, while you can play many different social roles, you have a natural predisposition for some over others.

For example many people can learn to sell, but not all are naturally gifted at being a salesperson. Some people find that managing people comes easily and is very rewarding, while others have no idea how to oversee and direct other people’s work.

Success in any role requires a knack for the skills that support that role, and an understanding of the social expectations around it. Just because you’re attracted to a particular role doesn’t mean you automatically have the needed skills or possess that behavioral style.

It’s entirely possible to choose a social role for which you have little or no natural skills (think Joan Crawford in “Mommy Dearest”). When this is the case, it’s often because the role has been presented as something that’s expected, that you should do to please someone important to you or that you need to do to “get ahead.”

Personal growth always involves change. Sometimes it means changing the roles we play, other times it’s a change in how we play a role. But it always begins with a conscious understanding of who we are and the roles we play on a daily basis.

Discovering how well your natural skill sets support the roles you play is an important step to attaining Success For Life. This knowledge allows you to have the all important element of choice.

Carry a small notebook with you for the next 3-5 days and make a note of every role you play in your own and someone else’s life.

Once you have your list, catagorize the roles into ones you enjoy and do well, and ones you don’t take pleasure in. Decide what actions to take to either let go of the unpleasant roles or what behaviors you can adopt to increase your enjoyment of them.

About the Author:

Gary Jordan, Ph.D., has over 27 years of experience in clinical psychology, behavioral assessment, individual development, and coaching. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology – Berkeley. He’s the co-founder of Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., a consulting firm that specializes in helping people discover their true skills and talents. www.vrft.com

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Entrepreneurs have a knack for seeing opportunities where others don't. If you see 2010 as a good time to start a business despite the recession, then you may have an entrepreneurial perspective. Now you need to know if you have some of the other characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.

What helps entrepreneurs these days is that virtual business models put more emphasis on talent and less on administration and infrastructure. After all, e-commerce solutions can give you an instant storefront presence and credit card processing services can handle your receivables, and SEO can give you access to online customers with a minimal up front investment.

So now all you need is the right set of skills and characteristics. Consider whether you have the following ingredients of successful entrepreneurship:
1. Talent.
You should be able to identify at least one area of ability that makes you stand out from the crowd. This can be anything: technical expertise, sales skill, marketing insight, or logistical know-how. Since small businesses are talent-driven, you have to start out with the belief that you have the raw material with which to compete and succeed. It helps if your skills happen to be in areas with growing demand, such as health care or computer technology. If you have medical knowledge or a skill such as Web design, you may have a little wind at your back.

2. A new or different perspective.
"Me-too" businesses have a tough time making a mark, especially during a weak economy. Your business should be founded on the idea that there is a better way to do things. Ideally, you should have enough experience in your chosen industry to be familiar with the normal way business is done, and to have developed some unique insights as to how that can be improved. Being able to clearly articulate a differing perspective should be central to your business plan. In turn, it should also become the vision you communicate to everyone you hire, and the selling proposition you use to pitch potential customers.

3. A business network of connections and affiliations
Experience is valuable not only for knowing how other companies do things, but also for helping you form a business network that will get your new company up and running more quickly. Remember, people--especially business-to-business customers--can be reluctant to do business with a start-up. You should have some contacts who respect you enough personally to take a chance on your new business. Of course a network of contacts can also help you identify potential investors, suppliers, and talented employees. If you need to build your network think about joining a business community of interest.

4. A war chest.
Don't start your business venture unless you have identified sufficient funding to not only get started, but to keep your business running through the inevitable lean months at the beginning. Many businesses are forced to go under just as they would be starting to gain some momentum, simply because they underestimated the amount of time it would take for profits to start rolling in. Funding can be from your own savings, outside investors, or loans. Of course, external sources of funding are harder to come by in a recession, but you can use techniques such as virtual offices to reduce the need for this type of funding.

5. Ability to take risk.
You should start any new business with a commitment to succeed, but an acceptance of the risk involved. Entrepreneurs are often people who are willing to trade a sure thing working for someone else for even a risky chance at running their own show.

6. An eye for complementary talent.
Once you start hiring people, you should think in terms of rounding out the team rather than looking for people just like yourself. It can be a mistake to have too many would-be leaders in one organization. If you have an independent and visionary outlook, you might do well to complement that with a strong administrator who can take care of the details.

7. Persistence.
Not only does it take a long time for a new business to gain traction, but entrepreneurs often don't succeed on their first try. As long as you have confidence in the first two items on this list--your talent and your unique perspective on the business--you should be willing to keep trying.

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It's an unfortunate fact of life (and business). Out of the blue you get a nasty email from someone. Sometimes it's about an article you've written. Sometimes it's accompanied by a refund request. Sometimes it doesn't seem like it's tied to anything at all.

Or maybe you discover someone writing malicious things about you on a blog or a forum. Or maybe some other negative things suddenly start getting tweeted or posted to Facebook about you, your products or your business.

Stuff happens. As a business owner and entrepreneur, the more successful you become, the more you open yourself up to criticism, negative feedback or just plain being attacked.

As someone who is both a writer AND a business owner, I know all about what happens when you're dealing with unwelcome criticism. (I write fiction so yes, I've dealt with my share of negative feedback.) But if this is something new for you, or even if it's not new but you're feeling like you've just been sucker-punched by something out of the blue, I thought I'd share a few insights to help you get through it.

1. Know you're not alone.

We've ALL been there. And I mean exactly that. It doesn't matter how small or big your business is, stuff like this is going to happen. So know that no matter what just happened to you, there are a lot of entrepreneurs and business owners out there who will both sympathize and emphasize.

2. See it for what it is.

All criticism is not created equally. Sometimes what someone is saying has absolutely nothing to do with you and everything to do with their own issues. Sometimes they have a legitimate complaint but the person is so unhappy with their own life they blow it completely out of portion because they just want to strike out at someone and you're the one they picked.

And sometimes they have a legitimate beef AND they handled it fine, but you just didn't want to hear it. An example of this is some of the criticism I've gotten from some of my stories. The people were thoughtful and absolutely right. And I hated them. (Until I got over myself and slunk back to the keyboard to make the edits.)

Now the third option doesn't happen too often (unless you're a fiction writer) but the first two do. You just have to see it for what it is. If there's something buried in the anger and name-calling you can use to improve your products, services or business, by all means use it. But know the rest of it has absolutely nothing to do with you and everything to do with them.

(And you'll know when the criticism is right. Trust me. Your gut will tell you.)

3. Be kind to yourself.

When these things happen, it can hurt. And that's okay. Call a friend. Or better yet, your mother (if you can). Write about it in your journal. Take a walk. Don't bury your feelings, let yourself feel bad and then let it go. Don't tell yourself it doesn't matter and let it fester inside you, deal with it. Get it out of you. And then let it go.

4. Let someone else deal with these things.

Whenever possible, have someone else in your business be a filter for stuff like this. Let other people take care of refund requests or just read the nasty emails and they can decide if there's a legitimate complaint buried in there or not. Protect yourself, there's no need for you to see everything or deal with everything. Yes you'll have to step in if something big happens, but let other people take care of the small stuff. The small stuff is what wears you down anyway. Save yourself for the big things and don't worry about the rest.

About the Author
Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) is your Ka-Ching! marketing strategist and owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC, a copywriting and marketing agency. She helps entrepreneurs become more successful at attracting more clients, selling more products and services and boosting their business. To find out how she can help you take your business to the next level, visit her site at http://www.MichelePW.com.

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My 95-year-old grandfather is quite a character. Yep, he's still going strong, takes 2 pills a month (yes, you read that right, a month) but he always makes sure he gets his gin in every day. (Forget yogurt, the key to living a long and health life is definitely the gin.) He's also a very successful businessman.

One of the things he taught me is you should always ask. What's the worst that will happen? They'll say no and you'll be no worse off than you are now.

Now, while I subscribe to that and DO ask, I've realized there's a bit of an unspoken rule here. Yes, I think asking and negotiating is part of business and life. So why do some questions put my teeth on edge and others don't? Where's the line?

I've been thinking about this and that's when it hit me. The questions that bug me, that cause my defensives to go up, are the ones that imply a lack of respect for me.

Let me illustrate with a story. At a Dan Kennedy event a few years ago, Gene Simmons was speaking. He opened it up for questions and this guy with what appeared to be a relatively new business stood up. In the course of the conversation with Gene, he said "Well, I know you see the potential of what I'm doing, but I can't pay you to help me market it. Would you be willing to take it on for a percentage of the business?"

Instantly groans filled the room. The would-be business owner turned around and said "It doesn't hurt to ask, does it?"

Now on one hand he's right. If Gene said no (which he did) he's no worse off than he was before he asked.

On the other hand, I would argue that he IS worse off because he just lost the respect of a chunk of the people in the room (and probably Gene as well).

Why? Because that's a question that implies a lack of respect for both Gene and himself.

What this would-be business owner is saying is this: "I don't believe enough in my business to take out a loan or do what it takes to hire you. Nor do I really believe that YOU can do what you say to make me a success."

Because if he believed either of those, he WOULD find the money because he would know he would get a huge return on his investment.

Now, there are limits here. A smart business person would figure out what he or she should expect to gross from their business, and then would know how much to invest to get that. So, for instance, let's say the potential of the business is $100,000 a year. It wouldn't make any sense at all to invest $250,000 to get $100,000. (Unless the $250,000 is a one-time thing and you were pretty convinced you would continue to make $100,000 every year, at which point by year 3 you'd start making pure profit.) Now, would it make sense to invest $10,000 to make $100,000? I'd say so.

In addition to that, the moment anyone says "I know you see the potential in this" they've lost me. If they have to TELL me that because it's not so obvious I can see it for myself, we have a problem on our hands.

So, while I do believe in Grandpa's adage which is "it doesn't hurt to ask" I also believe that BEFORE you ask, make sure what you're asking isn't implying a lack of respect.

Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) is your Ka-Ching! marketing strategist and owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC, a copywriting and marketing agency. She helps entrepreneurs become more successful at attracting more clients, selling more products and services and boosting their business. To find out how she can help you take your business to the next level, visit her site at http://www.MichelePW.com.

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Article Contributed by Heather Dorso from TRUSTe

Web sites are increasingly asking consumers to allow access to their address books to send invitations to their friends on the consumer’s behalf. A common technique to increase the site subscriptions, and benefits for the user by bringing their friends into the service.

A recent article in the New York Times highlights the complexities of implementing an address book import feature. Done well, such a mechanism provides clear notice to consumers to ensure that they understand what will happen to the addresses in their address book, so the consumer has a meaningful opportunity to consent. Implemented poorly, it can leave consumers distressed and even mortified to find their personal and professional contacts getting messages demanding to know why they aren’t on the latest social networking site.

In TRUSTe’s experience of certifying the online privacy practices of thousands of web sites, the use of address book contacts import features is rising. Here are some general “best practices” recommendations for helping web sites make their “Contacts import” features live up to consumer expectations.

1. Ability to Skip using the Import Contacts feature

If you invite consumers to let you import their email address books, make sure they can opt out or skip that step. Make the Skip option equally prominent compared to the Submit button, so the consumer is provided a clear choice around using the feature.

2. Messages Sent on Behalf of the Consumer

If you send messages to the consumer’s contacts, place “on behalf of” in the From line. This will alert recipients that the message is not actually from the consumer’s e-mail address. Offer consumers a preview of the message to be sent that includes header and body text.

3. Use of the Contact Information Supplied

Notify consumers at the Point of Collection and in your Privacy Statement about how you will use the imported contact information. Explicitly state whether you will be sending a one-time invite or a reminder email in addition to the original invite.TRUSTe also recommends stating that the imported contact information will not be used for other purposes beyond sending the requested invite or reminder messages.

4. Requesting Login Information for Other Accounts

When asking consumers to supply login information they use for other services such as an email account to import their address book, provide clear and conspicuous notice about how your site will use this information. This will help avoid surprising users who think they are choosing the same login information to register with your own site.

5. Additional Checks if Providing Incentives to Import Contact Information

If you are providing an incentive, such as a contest entry or rewards points, for consumers to import contacts, additional CAN SPAM requirements may apply. Be sure to provide an opt-out from receiving additional email messages. Additionally, some recipients ask for a global opt-out mechanism if they want to receive no further such e-mailed invites through the web site’s servers, regardless of who subsequently imports the recipient’s address as part of their Contacts. A site should make sure they have a way to block further such invites to e-mail recipients upon request, even if resulting from actions by the user’s contacts.

The guidelines above should help ensure that consumers get an opportunity to provide informed consent. Address book import can be a powerful feature to help a site expand its reach and can make use of the site much more convenient for the user, provided the feature is implemented carefully and respects the consumer’s consent.

About TRUSTe

TRUSTe Privacy Seals help consumers click with confidence by guiding them to trustworthy Web sites. More than 2,400 Web sites rely on TRUSTe industry best practices to help them make the right decisions about privacy and protecting confidential user information. Half of the top fifty Web sites are certified including Yahoo, AOL, Microsoft, Disney, eBay, Intuit, and Facebook. Independent research shows that when a TRUSTe web seal is present, visitors are more likely to share personal information, register at higher rates and spend more money. To learn more about internet privacy services for SMBs, visit http://www.truste.com/privacy_seals_and_services/small_medium_business_privacy/index.html

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I’ve been thinking about the topic of this article for a while. It’s lately becoming more and more evident to me that social media is seductive- both in a business sense, and a personal one. On a business level, social media is seductive because it represents a way to create new relationships and fill our business pipeline. Done right, social media can be the last lead generation strategy you’ll ever need. (Not that I’d recommend this, it’s always wise to have multiple marketing channels to best stabilize your business.)

The personal element is the one I want to focus on here, because it’s this element that isn’t talked about very much. Social media is seductive- and it’s easy to be seduced. What this means is that you can be pretty much anyone you want to be within the social media space- and you can present yourself as more outgoing, charming, vivacious, or even attractive than you are in real life (especially if you use a picture of someone who is much hotter than you.)

We all have a desire to be liked and admired and respected, and social media gives us a way to do this. In some ways, everyone wants to be a social media rockstar, to benefit from the accolades, recognition and adulation that comes from everyone loving you. (Or at least seeming to.)

The problem with this, as with any kind of online (and potentially one-sided) relationship is that no matter how scintillating or fantastic you are within social media, you are, at the end of the day, still a real person with real assets and real liabilities.

Social media connections and online relationships have a place in your life, but should never substitute for real life/offline connections with people who have a chance to spend time with you, know you, and hang out with you- not just worship an image of you.

The other challenge in terms of balancing social media with real life relationships is that in social media, you can always find someone to talk to on Twitter, and you’ll be able to find people who agree with everything you say. Your personal popularity can be at an all time high online, but this doesn’t automatically translate into a golden life offline.

In fact, your real life relationships may suffer from too much social media popularity. I was speaking with a client earlier today who has recently joined Twitter. She has been spending a lot of time learning the system and has been tweeting very often. She has made some powerful connections and constantly feels drawn to tweet multiple times per day- even when she has agreed to spend time with her husband. Any lull in their conversation sees her picking up her Iphone and updating her Twitter status. It’s lately been causing some strain in her marriage because technology is, at times, more powerful and more consuming than her real life relationships.

With the constant stimulation and 24/7/365 access we can have to social media networks, it becomes more important that we create some kind of balance in our use of the social media sites. The psychology of social media is such that we do desire connections. We just need to make sure that the lure of our online connections doesn’t overshadow our interest in our offline ones.

Dr. Rachna Jain is Chief Social Marketer at The Mindshare Corporation. Rachna works with speakers, consultants, authors, and small business owners to develop and execute effective social media marketing strategies. Her proprietary persuasive social media process (sm) focuses on building influence, credibility and visibility online. This translates into greater recognition, increased website traffic, faster lead generation, a shorter sales cycle, and more opportunity for her expert clientele. She blogs regularly at The Mindshare Blog

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Article Contributed by Roxanne Emmerich

We've all been there. You walk into a bank, restaurant, or store and suddenly feel it, that vague sensation that all is not well. It drips from the ceilings and sits in puddles on the floor. The employees are lost in thought, unable to decide whether they'd rather be somewhere else or stay and kill each other. And you're the lucky one bathing in all the poison they can ladle up.

Yeesh.

I hope you've experienced the other side, too. You walk in the door and are gob smacked by a sense of well-being. This isn't just a place where people work, it's a place that WORKS. The employees want to be there and they want YOU to be there. You feel your brow relax, and the corners of your mouth head ever-so-slightly north. You don't wanna leave.

So which of these do YOU work in?

Now, which of these environments do you think YOUR employees rather work in?
So you're wondering if that six-headed, chain-smoking, flatulent monster that's been "hiding" in the supply closet is the Beast we're talking about here.

Here Are 9 Symptoms of a Dysfunctional Workplace:

1. People say one thing and mean another
2. People give lip service to new ideas, only to undercut them in private
3. Defensiveness
4. Saying you'll do something and then not doing it
5. Chaos
6. Deflection of feedback and blame
7. People pretending they "missed the memo on that one"
8 Refusal to deal with conflict
9. Gossip and backstabbing

When you think of a dysfunctional organization, you might picture a lot of screaming and yelling. But take a close look at this list. There's very little that has to do with raised voices, and the only mention of "conflict" is the failure to deal with it directly.

You will have conflicts in the workplace. The key is to address it in a healthy and productive way. Yelling at someone isn't the best way to communicate displeasure, but it's a heck of a lot better than whispering behind that person's back, which gets us into the excruciating, crazy-making world of the passive-aggressive.

If I had to nominate just one of thing from the list above as the most destructive symptom of the dysfunctional workplace, there's no contest. It's GOSSIP. A workplace full of whispered gossip is as painful and maddening as a buzzing mosquito at bedtime. It is destructive to the soul of your workplace and the souls of your people who never feel safe and always wonder who is talking behind their backs.

When people gossip about others, you may as well have them bring baseball bats and beat each other. At least that will heal. If a happy and functional workplace is your goal, there are few more productive places to put your energy than the absolute elimination of gossip.

How to End Gossip & Create a Happy Workplace Environment Where People Actually Want to Work

Step one is to recognize that gossip is an attempt at communication—seriously screwed up communication, sure, but communication nonetheless. You can't eliminate the behavior without providing something to replace it—namely a good and healthy way of communicating.

All Jack had to do was to go to Tom and say, “Dude, when you are late with that analysis, I end up on my knees to my boss because then my report is late. Please promise me you'll get that to me on time from now on.” Reasonable. Direct. Easy.

If Jack came to you with gossip, simply say, “Gee, it sounds like you need to talk to Tom directly so you can work this out.” Lather, rinse and repeat until the person wakes up!

Once you establish a zero-tolerance policy for talking behind another person's back, give your employees permission to address conflict head-on, out loud, courageously and honestly. Create a trusting and open environment and watch the dysfunctions in your workplace ebb away.

The Next Step to Ending Workplace Dysfunctions: Build a Shared Vision

Now you've recognized the symptoms and diagnosed the disease. Time for the cure.

Most workplace dysfunctions amount to employees shooting their energy at each other because there's nothing else to aim for. What's needed is a single, shared vision.

Everyone wants to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Everyone wants to feel productive and be happy. Give yourself and your team members a clear and positive picture of where you want to go as a group. Most of them will jump at the chance to be a part of it. When people align around a vision of great service, pettiness and dysfunctional workplace behaviors fall away and people become who they need to be to make it happen.

Will there still be those who stubbornly hold on to their dysfunctions? I guarantee it. And for the sake of the rest of you, gently but firmly encourage those folks to find and follow their bliss elsewhere.

Are you ready to do what it takes to end the dysfunctions and create a can-do culture in your workplace?

About the Author
Roxanne Emmerich is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into massive results-oriented “bring-it-on” environments. To discover how you can motivate employees, ignite their passion and catapult performance to new levels, check out her new book – Thank God It's Monday. Now, you can get a free sneak preview at: http://www.thankgoditsmonday.com/preview_the_book/

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If you’re thinking of switching to VoIP service from a traditional landline based Key, PBX, or hybrid phone system, you’re not alone- businesses of all sizes are beginning to realized the cost-saving benefits of computer/telephony integration. Switching to a VOIP phone is relatively simple- changes can be made quickly and easily, and there is usually very little equipment to purchase.

Whether you’re switching to a business VoIP service or implementing a phone system for the first time, here are a few things you need to consider:

Internet Connectivity

VoIP phone systems use the internet to make and receive calls- you’ll need to make sure your connection and your power supply can support system requirements. Generally, a steady, uninterrupted power supply and a high-speed internet connection are all that’s needed. Your connection should be able to support the added traffic that the system will create. Vendors will ask how many employees will be using the system, how many calls are placed daily, and take into consideration features like auto attendant and call transferring when setting up your internet connection to support your system. You may need to purchase additional routers or install a backup power supply.

VoIP Adapters

If you’re witching to VoIP from a traditional phone system, you can save by purchasing adapters for your current phones. A traditional phone fitted with a VoIP adapter works identically to a VoIP phone. Most adapters are less than $50 each, and are often available in bulk discounts for larger offices. In lieu of adaptors, you can also purchase VoIP phones, headsets, or microphones that can be connected directly to a computer and used in place of a traditional headset. Most business and residential VoIP service providers sell both VoIP-compatible phones and adapters.

VoIP Phones

Voice over Internet Protocol phones are slightly more expensive that VoIP adapters, but are a good investment if you plan to use the system for several years. VoIP phones are easy to use and install- they don’t take any special training to set up. Once installed, they work identically to traditional phones. Most VoIP phones cost at least $100 each, with many vendors offering steep discounts for phones purchased in bulk.

Switching to a VoIP system takes surprisingly little time. Once you’ve decided to make the switch, you can shop around for providers and compare prices for services and equipment. Most providers can also make suggestions about system configuration (i.e., if you need a faster internet connection) during this stage. Once you’ve settled on a service provider and purchased equipment, you can have the new system up and running in less than a week.

About the Author
Merrin Muxlow is a writer, yoga instructor, and law student based in San Diego, California. She writes extensively for Resource Nation, a company that provides resources for business owners, and is a frequent contributor to several sites and programs that offer tools for entrepreneurs, including Dell and BizEquity.

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Article Contributed by by Roxanne Emmerich

If you've seen the movie Jerry Maguire, you'll remember the scene where Tom Cruise asks Cuba Gooding, Jr., "What can I do for you?" Gooding says, "Show me the money."

Many employers think that's the key to employee engagement. But any company that THINKS you have to pour money on employees to get them engaged will write off employee engagement efforts during tough economic times. "We just can't afford to do it right now," they say.

In fact, you can't afford NOT to pay attention to engagement, especially during a recession when sales are soft. Employee engagement scores regularly account for up to 50 percent of the variance in customer service scores. A disengaged employee can cost you 30 TIMES as much in safety-related incidents. And disengaged employees are over 85 percent more likely to leave.

Engagement comes not from dollars but from more personal factors.

Eight Ways to Keep Your Employees Engaged for the Long Term

1. Listen to your employees. Most people want to work for an employer who cares enough to listen. The best way to know what your employees need and expect is to ask them—and to listen carefully to their answers.

2. Provide clear, consistent expectations. Vague policies and unclear expectations can make employees feel irritated, unsafe and even paranoid. This leads to your employees becoming disengaged. They click into survival mode instead of focusing on how to help the company succeed.

3. Give employees a sense of importance. This has a greater impact on loyalty and customer service than all other factors COMBINED.

4. Develop opportunities for advancement. The chance to work your way up the ladder is a tremendous incentive for productivity, bonding, and employee engagement.

5. Create good relationships with others in the workplace. If you have a toxic relationship with your employees, you can forget about asking them to put their shoulder to the wheel for the company.

6. Offer regular feedback. If you want to keep your employees moving forward, give them the occasional rudder report. And don't forget positive feedback, which should ideally outnumber the negative by about 5 to 1.

7. Celebrate and reward for successes. Set realistic targets, then reward and celebrate when they are reached. And don't wait for the end of a big project to celebrate. Pick landmarks along the way and go nuts when you hit them.

8. Move from "the company" to "our company." The heart and soul of engagement is ownership. As long as your employees feel they are working to help YOU make YOUR company succeed, engagement will be low. Once you get them to see themselves as partners in the endeavor—making decisions, staying informed, sharing in the company's ups and downs—everything changes. Engagement soars.

Just imagine a workplace in which employees feel important and listened to, in which expectations are clear and feedback consistent, in which relationships and shared ownership are cultivated, advancement is available, and success is celebrated.

Now stop imagining it and CREATE it!

About the Author
Roxanne Emmerich is renowned for her ability to transform "ho-hum" workplaces into massive results-oriented "bring-it-on" environments. To discover how you can create a 20/20 business vision, motivate employees, ignite their passion and catapult performance to new levels, check out her new book - Thank God It’s Monday. Now, you can get a free sneak preview at: http://www.thankgoditsmonday.com/preview_the_book/

• 1 Comments

If you've seen the movie Jerry Maguire, you'll remember the scene where Tom Cruise asks Cuba Gooding, Jr., "What can I do for you?" Gooding says, "Show me the money."

Many employers think that's the key to employee engagement. But any company that THINKS you have to pour money on employees to get them engaged will write off employee engagement efforts during tough economic times. "We just can't afford to do it right now," they say.

In fact, you can't afford NOT to pay attention to engagement, especially during a recession when sales are soft. Employee engagement scores regularly account for up to 50 percent of the variance in customer service scores. A disengaged employee can cost you 30 TIMES as much in safety-related incidents. And disengaged employees are over 85 percent more likely to leave.

Engagement comes not from dollars but from more personal factors.

Eight Ways to Keep Your Employees Engaged for the Long Term

1. Listen to your employees. Most people want to work for an employer who cares enough to listen. The best way to know what your employees need and expect is to ask them—and to listen carefully to their answers.

2. Provide clear, consistent expectations. Vague policies and unclear expectations can make employees feel irritated, unsafe and even paranoid. This leads to your employees becoming disengaged. They click into survival mode instead of focusing on how to help the company succeed.

3. Give employees a sense of importance. This has a greater impact on loyalty and customer service than all other factors COMBINED.

4. Develop opportunities for advancement. The chance to work your way up the ladder is a tremendous incentive for productivity, bonding, and employee engagement.

5. Create good relationships with others in the workplace. If you have a toxic relationship with your employees, you can forget about asking them to put their shoulder to the wheel for the company.

6. Offer regular feedback. If you want to keep your employees moving forward, give them the occasional rudder report. And don't forget positive feedback, which should ideally outnumber the negative by about 5 to 1.

7. Celebrate and reward for successes. Set realistic targets, then reward and celebrate when they are reached. And don't wait for the end of a big project to celebrate. Pick landmarks along the way and go nuts when you hit them.

8. Move from "the company" to "our company." The heart and soul of engagement is ownership. As long as your employees feel they are working to help YOU make YOUR company succeed, engagement will be low. Once you get them to see themselves as partners in the endeavor—making decisions, staying informed, sharing in the company's ups and downs—everything changes. Engagement soars.

Just imagine a workplace in which employees feel important and listened to, in which expectations are clear and feedback consistent, in which relationships and shared ownership are cultivated, advancement is available, and success is celebrated.

Now stop imagining it and CREATE it!

About the Author:

Roxanne Emmerich is renowned for her ability to transform “ho-hum” workplaces into massive results-oriented “bring-it-on” environments. To discover how you can create a 20/20 business vision, motivate employees, ignite their passion and catapult performance to new levels, check out her new book – Thank God It’s Monday. Now, you can get a free sneak preview at: http://www.thankgoditsmonday.com/preview_the_book/

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Article Contributed by Roberta Chinsky Matuson

As human beings, we have a natural tendency to want to be loved. But what happens when your desire to be loved interferes with your ability to lead?

People who gravitate toward leadership roles tend to be charismatic. They work hard at keeping their audiences captivated and enjoy the adoration they receive from their followers. This is all fine and good, until their desire to be liked, or even loved, begins to cloud their judgment. Here are some examples of how this can play out:

Colleagues rather than subordinates

In their quest to be liked, leaders drop their guards and become more informal with their employees than they should be. An example of this is when a leader joins his staff at Happy Hour. There is nothing wrong with sharing a beer with the team. However, things can quickly get out of hand when one beer leads to a six-pack. Before you know it, managers are sharing drinking stories from their college days. Throw in a few shots of tequila, and all bets are off.

To effectively lead, your followers must have a high regard for you. Sure, they may look up to you all evening, but will they still respect you in the morning?

Communicating versus commiserating

It is lonely at the top. There are few people who you can confide in regarding your hopes and fears. It can happen to the best of leaders – eventually they stop communicating and start commiserating with their executive team and sometimes with staff.

In these trying times, your team is looking for a leader. Someone who they are confident will be able to steer their ship through these choppy waters. The last thing they need to hear is a leader expressing doubt. If you find that you need a sounding board, consider hiring an executive coach or joining an association. Then be sure you return to the business of communicating the information employees need to hear, so when you turn around, you actually have people following you.

Are you doing too much for your employees?

Are you constantly picking up the slack for members of your team who are not cutting it? When doing so, do you take the time to explain how they can improve their performance? Or do you simply decide it is easier to do things yourself to avoid more conflict?

Conflict fuels improved performance and innovation. It can also strengthen relationships when both parties have an opportunity to have their say. Think about your own personal relationships – do you have more respect and adoration for those who are willing to call you on your actions, or for those that avoid conflict?

It is nice to be loved, but as a leader, it is more important to be respected.

About the Author
Roberta Chinsky Matuson is the President of Human Resource Solutions (www.yourhrexperts.com) and has been helping companies align their people assets with their business goals. She is considered an expert in generational workforce issues. Roberta publishes a monthly newsletter "HR Matters" http://www.yourhrexperts.com/hrjoin.cgi which is jammed with resources, articles and tips to help companies navigate through sticky and complicated HR workforce issues. Click here to read her new blog on Generation Integration http://generationintegration.typepad.com/matuson/. She can be reached at 413-582-1840 or Roberta@yourhrexperts.com.

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Have you ever known someone who could immediately make friends with anyone? You know they type. They can build instant rapport and it doesn’t matter about race, age, or gender. They can walk into a room and befriend everyone from a priest, a mechanic, and the CEO. Afterward you are scratching your head wondering…how did they do it?

In most cases it is because they have mastered several key skills. Sometimes it is something they learn naturally. For most people they have just spent the time improving their skills.

There are four basic personality styles that vary based on the type and amount of information needed to make a decision. Pragmatics and analyticals base decisions on facts and data while amiables and extroverts make decisions based on emotion and feelings. Pragmatics and Extroverts need just enough information to make a decision (and no more!) while analyticals and amiables just can’t get enough.

You can learn more about personality styles in my article Mastering the four personality styles.

Brandt Smith is a sales, marketing, public speaking, and professional development expert. Learn about achieving wealth and life balance through entrepreneurship at Wealth and Wisdom, where he is cofounder and senior editor. Their advice on wealth building, personal development, and life balance can help take you to the next level. You can also read more of his thoughts on his blog.

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“You must be the change you wish to see in the world”- Mahatma Ghandi

This morning a dear friend, I’ll call Gail, called to tell me the results of a conversation she just had with a friend who is also a business colleague. They’ve known each other for years and used to do business together until a year ago when their relationship hit some bumps that didn’t get resolved.

Gail has a wonderfull attitude when it comes to working through problems. While many people look at conflicts as negative experiences to be avoided or have expectations of them becoming arguments that end poorly, Gail pursues conversations with an open and loving heart.

Whenever she experiences conflicts with others, her first step is to look within herself for answers. She’s been on a quest for spiritual enlightenment and personal growth for many years and has come to believe that the people who push our buttons serve us to grow in many ways. She consistently looks at how she shows up with people and takes 100% responsibility for who she is and what she does. She says, ” My friend is really working for me!” Looking at her expectations, beliefs, attitude, past hurts, and desires helps her to gain clarity about what we wants for herself. She’s then able to expand her viewpoint to a higher truth in creating a different reality.

Instead of reacting to her friend by taking things personally, Gail approached the conversation with compassion, empathy, and curiosity. Her intention was to hear what her friend was thinking and feeling without trying to fix anything, defend her point of view, or make anything happen to rebuild their friendship. Her desire was to show up authentically, take responsibility for herself, and invite whatever healing might be possible between them without any attachment to the outcome.

In their conversation, Gail was able to hear and sense the fears and concerns her friend was experiencing and respond with love and appreciation.

Three ways we get “hooked” into reacting to people and situations

1. We make assumptions. We unconsciously react believing we understand what is happening. Assumptions can become an automatic conditioned response based on past experiences and what we believe is true. Have you ever heard the word assume broken down? When you assume, you make an “ass of u & me”. Words, phrases, beliefs, and perspectives mean different things for each person. When you assume you know what the other person means, thinks and feels, you can only know what anything means for you, not them. Some people are afraid to ask questions because they worry about looking dumb or think they should know what the other person wants. Making assumptions that are off the mark can create a lot of stress and pain. Be open to realize you might not know something! Be willing to ask for clarity so that you can eliminate assumptions that might cause conflicts and misunderstandings. Communication is an important element in fostering trust and building deeper connections.

2. We take things personally. We can feel invalidated, disrespected, attacked, unheard…The truth is that most of the time, if not all of the time, the things we take personally have nothing to do with us. Our reactions stem from the beliefs and insecurities we have about ourselves, others, and the world. As a psychotherapist and coach, I have found that personalizing is one of the main ways people experience conflicts in relationships causing many misunderstandings and hurtful feelings.

And, when your self-care is off (your life is out of balance), the tendency to overreact, become irritable, defensive, and take things personally becomes much stronger and likely to occur. That’s usually a signal to me that I’m out of alignment and need to do some things to nurture myself!

Compassionate detachment is a skill that is mastered. It is the ability to step into the position of an observer to the experience, like watching a movie and being fully engaged with the story without becoming the story. Being able to come into conversations in a charge neutral space takes practice and personal growth.

3. The delivery of the information or experience feels uncomfortable, bad, offensive.. I have often heard people say they the main problem they have with another person is not what they said, it was how they said or did something. While you are not 100% responsible for how people interpret what you say and do and what they create for themselves, you are responsible for how you show up for people. Hey - that’s how you work for each other!

Dr. Lorraine Cohen, President of Powerfull Living, brings more than 25 years experience in personal and business coaching, psychological counseling, and sales to thousands of spiritually minded business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders from a wide range of industries. Learn more about Lorraine’s services, success products and programs.

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Article contributed by Mike Robbins

How often do you not say or do something because you're worried about how it'll be perceived? For most of us, myself included, this happens more often then we'd like to admit.

We live in a culture that is starving for authenticity. We want our leaders, our co-workers, our family members, our friends, and everyone else we interact with to tell us the truth and to be themselves. Most important, we want to have the personal freedom and confidence to say, do, and be who we really are, without worrying so much about how we appear to others and what they might think or say about us.

Sadly, however, even though we may say we want to live in a way that is true to our deepest passions, beliefs, and desires; most of us don't and it's not that easy. We've been taught by our parents, teachers, spouses, friends, co-workers, politicians, the media, and others, that it's more important to be liked and to fit in than it is to be who we truly are. In addition, many of us assume that who we are is not good enough and therefore we're constantly trying to fix ourselves, or to act like others who we think are better than us.

However, as the famous 19th century author and poet Oscar Wilde so brilliantly stated, "Be yourself, everyone else is already taken."

What It Really Means to Be Authentic

Authenticity is about enjoying a new sense of freedom to be who we really are--ourselves, natural and without a mask in our relationships, our work, and our life. It takes courage, commitment, and depth to:

- Look within ourselves
- Tell the whole truth (even when we don't want to)
- Be vulnerable
- Admit, own, and share our true thoughts, feelings, desires, insecurities, passions, embarrassment, dreams, and more.

However, being open and real about all of these things (and more) is what it means to be authentic in life.

Five Principles for Being Your Authentic Self

In order to utilize the power of authenticity in your life as a way to enhance your relationships, increase your fulfillment, and empower yourself, here are five key principles:

1) Know Yourself - Make a commitment to your own personal growth. Discover more of who you are. And, seek out and allow the support, honest feedback, and guidance of others.

2) Transform Your Fear - There's nothing wrong with having fear, it's the resistance and denial of fear that is the real problem. When you admit, own, feel, and express your fear, you have the ability to move through it, transform it, and utilize its power in a positive way. Taking action in the face of fear is courageous and empowering.

3) Express Yourself - Have the courage to speak your truth boldly. Deal with conflicts directly. Express your emotions fully. Be vulnerable and real about what you think and how you feel. While on the surface you may worry that this will be seen as "weak," in actuality expressing yourself completely gives you access to real freedom and power.

4) Be Bold - Live, speak, and act with courage, passion, and truth – even if it's difficult or scary. Go for what you want in your work and in your life. And get back up when you fall down, which you will.

5) Celebrate Who You Are - Appreciate and honor who you are, what you do, and the gifts and talents that you have. Celebrating yourself is not about being arrogant. It's an awareness of your own power and it's the key to self-confidence, fulfillment, and authenticity.

Being your authentic self is not for the faint of heart, but once you're willing to truly engage and do the work to become more real - your life, your work, and your relationships will be more exciting, meaningful, and fulfilling!

About the Author
Mike Robbins is a best-selling author and personal growth expert who empowers people just like you with more freedom and confidence in their work, in their relationships and in life. Now you can get a FREE Sneak Preview to his NEW book: Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Already Taken (Hardcover, Wiley) and learn how to transform your life with the power of authenticity at: http://www.beyourselfbook.com/about-book.htm

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Article Contributed by Roxanne Emmerich

Unmotivated employees have rightly been called "the black holes of the business universe." Fortunately, motivation is not something a person is born with or without. Applying these Ten Commandments can go a long way to helping existing employees find their motivation.

1. Commit with all thy heart so others might follow

Before you ask your employees to commit, you must be fully committed yourself as a manager and leader of your organization. Throw your heart over the bar, make that complete commitment, and others will follow.

2. Declare a zero-tolerance policy for dysfunctional behaviors

These behaviors include people saying one thing and meaning another, giving lip service, gossiping and backstabbing. Enlist a company-wide commitment to stop every one of these workplace dysfunctions that lead to conflicts and lower employee productivity.

3. Show that you care, in every way

Show your team members that you care, not just about their productivity, but also about them. A kind word or a "good job," a pat on the back or a question about someone's health can go a long way toward motivating your employees.

4. Celebrate every victory

Recognition of achievements is high on the list of employee motivators. Every Big Project consists of scores of little victories along the way. Celebration builds confidence, and confident people are open to feedback. This means your employees will be more willing to grow with your company.

5. Clean up thy messes

As a manager and leader, you WILL inevitably make mistakes. It is critical to clean up your messes as you make them. Acknowledge the mistake then make a commitment to make things right and prevent a recurrence.

6. Use powerful and positive language

Say what you mean and communicate your position in a clear and powerful and positive manner. Your ability to motivate employees will be INCREDIBLE when people know what is expected of them and why.

7. Be unreasonable with thyself

Being "reasonable" doesn't bring out the best of who you are. Show that you are willing to forego the excuses and happily do what needs doing, regardless of how "unreasonable" it seems. Your employees will then rise to the unreasonable themselves.

8. Reprogram thy limiting beliefs

We all come equipped with self-doubting mechanisms. Begin living "as if" you are smart enough, good enough, and up to the challenge, and guess what - suddenly you will be. Once those limiting beliefs fall away, your actual competence increases, which further reduces self-doubt... and places you in a happy feedback loop of motivation.

9. Choose joy

When you develop a habit of interpreting things as good instead of bad, it actually alters the neural pathways in your brain. Your brain will find it easier to interpret things as good. You've rewired your brain for happiness—and happy people are MUCH more likely to be motivated and engaged than unhappy ones.

10. Give, Give, GIVE

Life gives to the givers and takes from the takers, and life has a perfect accounting system. If you want your employees to shower your company with success, it's time for you to dig in and give like crazy to your employees.

Give them your committed heart. Give them a functional environment. Give them care, celebration, integrity, clarity, and a vision of the impossible made possible. Give them a model of life without limiting beliefs. Most of all, show them the way by choosing joy.

Do these things and you will motivate your employees and end up in the Promised Land together.

About the Author
Roxanne Emmerich is renowned for her ability to transform "ho-hum" workplaces into massive results-oriented "bring-it-on" environments. To discover how you can motivate employees, ignite their passion and catapult performance to new levels subscribe to Roxanne's FREE "Thank God It's Monday" ezine at http://www.ThankGodItsMonday.com

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Article Contributed by Roxanne Emmerich

The dysfunctional workplace is a killer. Untreated it will kill off your customer base, your profits, and your joy for living as surely as anything.

As managers, leaders and top executives within your organization you've got to kill the conflicts in your workplace first before dysfunction takes hold.

The Top Ten Workplace Conflicts That Disrupt Organizations - and the Cure for Each

No. 1: No teamwork

The best managers lead a team – not just a group of individual employees. If you have employees at odds and you show no desire to fix it then you are leading your organization to a disaster.

So, make sure that the most direct supervisor meets with those involved in a workplace conflict to learn what it will take to resolve it and to secure a firm commitment to do so. Don't forget to spell out immediate consequences in the event of failure.

No. 2: Saying one thing and meaning another.

If you have an employee with a pattern of saying, "But what I meant was...", call them on it. Requiring the offender to have all communications checked for clarity for a period of time usually nips this in the bud fast.

No. 3: Giving lip service to new ideas then undercutting them in private.

You'll want to enlist everyone's help in keeping this workplace conflict out. Make it clear that dissenting opinions are welcomed during decision making, but that once a decision is made, undercutting will not be tolerated.

No. 4: Defensiveness at reasonable suggestions.

As a manager, it is your responsibility to let your team know that you consider a willingness to improve to be one of the hallmarks of a person with a bright future in your company. Defensiveness should be viewed as what it is - an unwillingness to improve one's self.

No. 5: Attraction to chaos.

Pot stirring is a violation of principles and a threat to productivity. Counterbalance the pleasure they get from drama with a greater measure of negative consequences.

No. 6: Not following through on commitments.

Let your team know that they are expected to acknowledge errors and make a commitment to clean up every last bit of the resulting mess.

No. 7: Deflecting blame.

Deflecting blame equals deflecting responsibility. Make it clear that the only acceptable behavior is acceptance of responsibility and (as above) quick work to clean up the mess.

No. 8: People pretending like they "never got the memo."

If there was no breakdown in the actual system, make it clear that the employee is responsible for consistently accessing internal communications like memos and emails so that he is never again "out of the loop."

No. 9: Refusing to deal with conflict directly.

Conflict resolution is an essential part of a manager's job. Performance reviews can and should count disruptive interpersonal conflicts against managers on whose watch they occur.

No. 10: Gossiping and backstabbing.

Once you establish a zero-tolerance policy for talking behind another person's back, give your people permission to address conflict head-on, out loud, courageously and honestly. And make it clear that giving or receiving gossip is not acceptable.

You may have noticed a refrain coming back again and again in this advice: Make it clear. Once you've made the determination to purge your workplace of dysfunctional behavior, your greatest ally and most powerful tool will be clarity. Follow the advice in this article and in my new book "Thank God It's Monday" and you will terminate all workplace conflicts and improve your organization's productivity.

About the Author
Roxanne Emmerich is renowned for her ability to transform "ho hum" workplaces into massive results-oriented "bring-it-on" environments. To discover how you can ignite the passion of your employees, catapult performance to new levels, and boost employee morale of your company, subscribe to the Thank God It's Monday™ e-zine at http://www.ThankGoditsMonday.com

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The dysfunctional workplace is a killer. Untreated it will kill off your customer base, your profits, and your joy for living as surely as anything.

As managers, leaders and top executives within your organization you've got to kill the conflicts in your workplace first before dysfunction takes hold.

The Top Ten Workplace Conflicts That Disrupt Organizations—and the Cure for Each

No. 1: No teamwork

The best managers lead a team – not just a group of individual employees. If you have employees at odds and you show no desire to fix it then you are leading your organization to a disaster.

So, make sure that the most direct supervisor meets with those involved in a workplace conflict to learn what it will take to resolve it and to secure a firm commitment to do so. Don’t forget to spell out immediate consequences in the event of failure.

No. 2: Saying one thing and meaning another.

If you have an employee with a pattern of saying, "But what I meant was…", call them on it. Requiring the offender to have all communications checked for clarity for a period of time usually nips this in the bud fast.

No. 3: Giving lip service to new ideas then undercutting them in private.

You'll want to enlist everyone's help in keeping this workplace conflict out. Make it clear that dissenting opinions are welcomed during decision making, but that once a decision is made, undercutting will not be tolerated.

No. 4: Defensiveness at reasonable suggestions.

As a manager, it is your responsibility to let your team know that you consider a willingness to improve to be one of the hallmarks of a person with a bright future in your company. Defensiveness should be viewed as what it is—an unwillingness to improve one's self.

No. 5: Attraction to chaos.

Pot stirring is a violation of principles and a threat to productivity. Counterbalance the pleasure they get from drama with a greater measure of negative consequences.

No. 6: Not following through on commitments.

Let your team know that they are expected to acknowledge errors and make a commitment to clean up every last bit of the resulting mess.

No. 7: Deflecting blame.

Deflecting blame equals deflecting responsibility. Make it clear that the only acceptable behavior is acceptance of responsibility and (as above) quick work to clean up the mess.

No. 8: People pretending like they "never got the memo."

If there was no breakdown in the actual system, make it clear that the employee is responsible for consistently accessing internal communications like memos and emails so that he is never again "out of the loop."

No. 9: Refusing to deal with conflict directly.

Conflict resolution is an essential part of a manager's job. Performance reviews can and should count disruptive interpersonal conflicts against managers on whose watch they occur.

No. 10: Gossiping and backstabbing.

Once you establish a zero-tolerance policy for talking behind another person’s back, give your people permission to address conflict head-on, out loud, courageously and honestly. And make it clear that giving or receiving gossip is not acceptable.

You may have noticed a refrain coming back again and again in this advice: Make it clear. Once you've made the determination to purge your workplace of dysfunctional behavior, your greatest ally and most powerful tool will be clarity. Follow the advice in this article and in my new book "Thank God It’s Monday" and you will terminate all workplace conflicts and improve your organization’s productivity.

About the Author:

Roxanne Emmerich is renowned for her ability to transform “ho hum” workplaces into massive results-oriented “bring-it-on” environments. To discover how you can ignite the passion of your employees, catapult performance to new levels, and boost employee morale of your company, subscribe to the Thank God It’s Monday™ e-zine at www.ThankGoditsMonday.com

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About.com Entrepreneurs by Scott Allen: One of the main reasons that people site for attending a conference is the networking opportunities. Yet they often leave the event feeling they made few or no connections. Here are 10 Tips to help you get the most out of connecting with others at a conference:

1. Have a plan. Know in advance whom you want to meet (directly or the type of people), which speakers you want to hear, and what tradeshow booths you want to visit.

2. Set appointments in advance. If you know that there will be people in attendance whom you know that you would like to see, call or email a few weeks in advance to schedule a time to meet for coffee, a meal, or a drink.

3. Do not focus on meeting the celebrity speakers. Place you focus on meeting other people in attendance at the event. It is the other attendees who you are most likely to bond with and create real long lasting mutually beneficial friendships.

4. Talk to the people sitting next to you. Once you have said something as simple as "hello", it will be easier to talk with them later in the week if you see them again.

5. Ask questions of people you meet. People are more interested in themselves than they are in you, so ask them questions to help them get to talking.

6. Put your technology away. Do not run to your phone, BlackBerry, or laptop at every break. Utilize the time on breaks to converse with others.

7. Do not automatically send a LinkedIn or Facebook request. Best is to ask people if they would welcome such a link at this time. Be respectful of the fact that they might use social networking differently than you do.

8. Read their stuff. Many people are active bloggers, twitterers, authors, etc... If people create the written word, seek out their work and read it. It is a great way to get to know people by reading their stuff, but they will also be honored when you tell them that you read their blog or follow them on Twitter.

9. Introduce others. When you meet cool people, be the conduit who connects them with others who might be beneficial to them.

10. Follow up. If you meet interesting people and you never follow up, it makes no difference. Own the follow up after you meet people and send them an email (or better yet, a handwritten note) telling them how much you enjoyed talking with them, and plan for future discussions.

About the Author:

Scott Allen is a 20-year veteran technology entrepreneur, executive, and consultant. His latest venture, Link to Your World, LLC, is a full-service consulting firm that helps Global 2000 companies transform virtual relationships into real business. He is co-author of The Virtual Handshake: Opening Doors and Closing Deals Online and The Emergence of The Relationship Economy and a popular speaker on how entrepreneurs and professionals can use social media and social networking to grow their business.

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Are you familiar with joint venture partnerships?

In the course of a month, it’s not uncommon for me to receive several emails from people who are launching a book, product, or program with an invitation to participate in “getting the word out” to people in my network. The invitation includes offering a free high value bonus to purchasers of that book, product or program. If the bonus is accepted, each partner is supplied with the promotional emails to send out to their list on a specific day or time frame.

It’s a cost effective way to reach hundreds, thousands, and millions of people all over the world to build your email list and generate income. This practice has been around for years. You’ve probably received tons of emails either inviting you to participate as a JV partner or make a purchase based on the trusted recommendation of the email list you’re on. Once the purchase is made, people have access to all the free bonuses submitted.

In the last few years, I have invited folks to partner with me as well as agreeing to promote select campaigns because I cannot say yes to every invitation that comes my way.

Some of the criteria I use to make my choices to say yes:

* I have partnered with that person previously and trust in their material and reputation
* The invitation is a referral from someone I know and trust
* There is an opportunity to generate affiliate income from referral registrations
* I have reviewed or experienced the book, product or program in advance to assess it is a good fit for my list, complements my own business focus, and is of high value
* The author of the material is available to be interviewed in my Compelling Conversations Series if I want to book them as part of the promotion to introduce them to my network
* The information has a fresh perspective on material that might not be new (what really is new?)
* I have a good feel for it, intuitively

On the whole, I have found JV partnerships to be a great way to introduce my business to new markets, build my reputation and brand, and generate income. Having folks promote my products and programs to their network has been a tremendous support in marketing my business. So it has been disappointing in the last few years to see that some people have dropped the ball in their agreements to promote the campaigns to their list.

I’ve had this happen on at least two occasions. They’ve given me different reasons for not following through and I believe it becomes even more important to be selective about commitments Today, people are inundated with so many invitations they are saying yes to more things than they can manage. To me it’s about integrity and ethics. If I say I will promote something, barring an emergency, you can count on me to do what I say I will do, period. If I need to change my mind, I will let people know as far in advance as possible.

So, if you are using JV promotions to build your business, be sure you are saying yes for the right reasons:

* It’s a good fit for your market
* You can honestly recommend the product
* You have the time, energy, and space to add another commitment to your plate
* You have the systems in place to follow through on your promotion agreements
* You send out the promo mailing when you say you will

When folks are looking for additional JV partners, they will look at prior campaigns for ideas on who to contact. The web is a small place and people talk. You can either foster a positive or negative reputation.

Dr. Lorraine Cohen, President of Powerfull Living, brings more than 25 years experience in personal and business coaching, psychological counseling, and sales to thousands of spiritually minded business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders from a wide range of industries. Learn more about Lorraine’s services, success products and programs.

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A few days ago I received a voicemail from a woman saying she wanted to speak with me about coaching. I thought, “Cool”, because I have a few openings for new clients. Normally when people leave toll free numbers as call backs, I might have some suspicion about why they are really calling. I also work with many folks who work for companies so it’s not always clear cut as to whether the message is disguised as a sales call.

So, I called her back, left a message and we played phone tag a few times before we finally connect,ed which was about an hour ago. Within 15 seconds she launches into a sales pitch and is asking me to go to a website so she can walk me though what her company can do for me. She says, “It was only take 15-20 minutes.”

NO.

I said, “Bottom line what you do so I can determine whether I even want to continue this conversation or see your website”.

She said, “I can’t really do that because we customize what we can offer people and it is better is I show you.”

Wrong answer.

I said, “If you can’t give me any idea about your company or why I should even care about looking at your website, you are wasting my time and this conversation is over.”

Her response was to offer me her website address for me to look at my convenience.

Oh, you bet I’ll go look. I’ll do it right now…… not.

You see, if she had come out and left me a message that was direct and told me why she was calling me, the likelihood I (or anyone else) would return the call would potentially drop. Telling me she wanted to speak with me about coaching was a perfect hook…until she gets me on phone. And had I been willing to visit her site, give her my time and attention, she was probably hoping that I would like what I see enough to consider doing business with her, right?

I find myself shaking my head in wonder that approaching people this way actually results in a sale and it must work or people wouldn’t keeping doing it. I’m sure she was trained by her company to prospect that way. And, even if what she has to offer might be worth considering, I would never do business with her or her company because I don’t like being handled or manipulated and I won’t play along.

I received an email invitation last year to attend a special event by someone whose name was familiar to me. The invitation was compelling and certain bits of information was missing like who the company was, what it was about…. So, out of curiosity I went to the first online presentation. It was a beautifully presented webinar about being on the ground floor of an exciting new business, blah, blah blah and had just enough information to keep a person interested to take the next step and still left out what the product, program or company was. The campaign was strategic and pushed all the right buttons. It’s a percentages game of prospecting. Done correctly, a certain % of people will say YES.

I don’t believe in “one size fits all” sales and marketing tactics. I prefer direct infomation without all the hype like we’re having a conversation over a cup of coffee.

Many years ago I was a sales rep on 5th Avenue in New York selling different women’s accessories (scarves, belts & unbrellas). I had lots of pressure to open new business, meet quotas and sales figures. One of the reasons I was so succesful is that my accounts felt I cared about them doing well with their company sales and they trusted me.

Most successful people recognize that building relationships is the cornerstone of having a thriving business and personal life. We build relationships by making connections. Whether you work for yourself or someone else, you bring “who you are” into every conversation and interaction. The first thing people “buy” is YOU before they consider any product or service you have to offer.

Creating rapport is an important factor in making connections with people. We can do that by being forthright and sincere. When we genuinely seek opportunities to help others succeed by asking, “How can I be of help to you?” we invite affiliations and friendships to form.

Dr. Lorraine Cohen, President of Powerfull Living, brings more than 25 years experience in personal and business coaching, psychological counseling, and sales to thousands of spiritually minded business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders from a wide range of industries. Learn more about Lorraine’s services, success products and programs.

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People buy from those they know and trust. Nowhere is this more true than on the Internet, where you may never even meet anyone in person. Establishing a trust relationship with your potential online clients takes time, but it is well worth the effort!

Think about the last time you bought a product or service online, that had a substantial positive impact on your work or life in some way. If you were spending a good chunk of change (and perhaps investing a good bit of your time) on that purchase, chances are you did some research first: reading online forums and reviews to see what others had to say about them; contacting them directly with questions and observing how quick and helpful (and polite) their response was; maybe even buying a smaller product or service from them first. All to determine if you could trust this online business to deliver what they promise.

Your potential online clients are no different! They are going to want to know if they can trust you to deliver, too. Here are three specific ways you can work on building trust relationships online, and how each will help your business:

1. Get to know your customers. This helps you more deeply understand what it is they need — making it a lot easier to tell them how what you are selling is going to meet their needs. Find out where they “hang” out, on discussion forums, social networks, etc., and get involved. Don't just schmooze or try to sell your product right then and there -- instead, add value to the conversation. If you are doing it right, you’ll be doing a whole lot more listening than talking.

2. Connect with your customer on a personal level. Let them see you as a person, one who has some things in common with them. People will trust you, and ultimately buy from you, if they feel you are like them. This means being sincere and transparent — not pretending or making something up. If you can’t make that trust connection with one particular person, don’t force it — move on to someone else.

3. Keep up the trust relationship. The relationship doesn't stop after the sale! Clients who know and like you, and have benefitted from what you have sold them, will tell others about you! It will be easy for them to recommend you because they are recommending a trusted vendor, not an impersonal business or product. If you’ve done a good job of providing them with something that makes their job or life easier, they won’t be able to wait to tell someone else!

Terri Zwierzynski is a self-employed business strategist and marketing consultant to solo entrepreneurs, and a grassroots promoter of the solo entrepreneur lifestyle. She runs Solo-E.com, the resource website for the self-employed which attracts thousands of solo home business owners monthly from over 100 countries on six continents (and was recently named a finalist for “Website of the Year” in the 4th Annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business). Terri is also the co-author of 136 Ways To Market Your Small or Solo Business.

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BusinessKnowHow by Paul Facella: If you're a manager, supervisor, department head, senior executive, or business owner, it's more important to be respected than to be loved. But here's a secret: You can be both.

Being a well-loved boss isn't about developing a cult of personality. In fact, you don't have to have fantastic people skills to win over employees. What you do need is a commitment to make connection--real connection--with the people who work under you. That means getting to know their challenges, their work style, their stressors, and their role in the overall functioning of your company. It also means noticing them, acknowledging them, and listening to them.

Here are some tried-and-true ways to make that all-important connection with your staff and employees.

Be on the other end of the phone.

Be consistent.

Being a Well-Loved Boss [BusinessKnowHow]

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When people ask me, “What are key factors in having a prosperous business and happy life?” my answer always includes having a strong community of friends and colleagues.

Relationships are the cornerstone of our existence. We thrive by having interpersonal relationships, social and spiritual connections, and business affiliations. It is through our personal relationships we experience the sense of belonging and feelings of love (both sharing and receiving). Strong business relationships invite referrals resources, collaborations, strategic alliances, and masterminding.

Who’s in your circle of friends and colleagues? When you’re with them (in-person or virtually), do you feel energized, inspired, motivated, uplifted, understood?????

Qualities I look for in forging relationships:

* High integrity
* 100% responsibility who they are and what they do
* Altruistic
* Shared values
* Committed to personal growth
* Positive attitude
* Spiritually oriented
* Compassionate
* Strong communication skills

What qualities are important to you in your relationships?

What do you bring to your relationships?

I’ve been blessed to have a fabulous network of people. Years ago I began deliberately paying attention to people I met online, at networking events, and socially. Extending invitations to meet for coffee or chat on the phone was a great way to learn about people. Hosting my radio show opened further doors to meet people I admired and respected. Through social networking, joint ventures campaigns, and personal introductions, my circle has widened. Over the years, I have been fortunate to cultivate quality business relationships that have developed into strong friendships

I often ask folks in my circle and network, “Who do you know who might be great for me to meet? Would you willing to make an introduction on my behalf?” When I’m promoting a new product or event, having a strong network is invaluable.

If you work from home, isolation is one of the downsides. Be sure you’re engaged in activities to meet new people. You might even make it game to meet at least one new person each day or week!

Finally – if you wish to surround yourself with quality relationships, growing yourself as a person is a must. To attract great people, you must become the kind of person they want to hang out with!

Having great people in your lives to cheer you on, stimulate ideas, and hold you to your best will boost your strength and courage to say yes (and keep saying yes) to your desires and dreams.

Dr. Lorraine Cohen, President of Powerfull Living, brings more than 25 years experience in personal and business coaching, psychological counseling, and sales to thousands of spiritually minded business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders from a wide range of industries. Learn more about Lorraine’s services, success products and programs.

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Do you remember being told to use the "sandwich" technique when you needed to reprimand someone? Let me give you an example:

"Fred, I'm really pleased with how you've been progressing since you joined us and you're doing a great job. However you're not getting your reports in on time and we're missing
deadlines. I'd like you to tighten up a bit on this. Anyway,thanks for all you've done so far and keep up the good work."

Have you ever said something along these lines when managing your team? You probably needed Fred to sort out his reporting but you didn't want to upset or demoralize him.

The only problem is that Fred may not get the message and the importance of it may be seriously diluted.

He may hear it as, "Fred, you're doing a brilliant job, you just need to sort out the reporting bit but it's not really that important."

What happens then is, Fred continues to fail with his reports.

The "sandwich" technique doesn't work, it lets you off the hook and it's mealy mouthed. Be direct when managing your people and they'll respect you more for it. You are also much more likely to get a change in behavior.

If you're unhappy with some aspect of an employee's performance then you need to tell them so. The skill is in doing it in a way that's effective and doesn't lower the morale of the individual.

Firstly, it's not acceptable to speak to your people just when you're unhappy about something. Tell them the good news as well. As Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson say in their book The One Minute Manager - "Catch people doing something right" and tell them about it.

Some managers and employers still have this strange notion that if people are doing things right then that's what they're paid for and they don't need to be complimented.

Ask almost any employee in Industries throughout the world and they'll tell you that they don't feel appreciated by their manager.

When you notice someone doing something you do like, tell them about it. When you notice them doing something you don't like, tell them about it. Whether it's good news or bad, the same rules apply.

Do it as soon as possible. Acknowledgment of a job well done is not much good six months later. Also, if you don't immediately call someone's attention to something you are not happy about, then they'll assume it's okay. Either that or they'll think you didn't notice or you don't care.

Do it in private. Why is it that some managers still feel it's okay to reprimand someone in front of their colleagues? Even the mildest rebuke can have a negative effect on morale.

When you speak to the person use "I" messages. Say things like "I liked the way you did that" or "I think there is another way to do that." Avoid "You" messages such as "You're doing great." That can come across as patronizing or insincere. "You're doing that all wrong" may cause conflict, lower morale and may not sort the problem.

When your giving feedback, focus on one or two things. You'll only confuse the person if you run off a whole list of attributes or misdemeanors. Be specific about job behavior, focus on what the person did or didn't do, don't make a personal attack.

Allow time for the message to sink in and allow the person to respond. You can then seek agreement as to what will happen in the future. If the person does not agree to take
corrective action then you need to move to another level. When they do agree to take corrective action then make sure that you monitor it and give encouraging feedback.

Being direct with your people is better for you, better for them and better for you business, so save your "sandwiches" for lunchtime.

Alan Fairweather, 'The Motivation Doctor,' is an International Speaker, Author and Business Development Expert. To receive your free newsletter and free e-books, visit: http://www.themotivationdoctor.com

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I’m incredibly blessed to have developed wonderful business relationships and friendships. I can’t imagine who I would be or what my life would be like without them when I need business advice, feedback, to vent, a hug, a cheer, or a kick in the pants.

I’m a believer that the outside world is a reflection of the person we become on the inside. On days, when I am not at my best and feeling a bit low, I think of the people in my life who like hanging out with me in business or in my personal life. I realize if the people I enjoy, love, admire, and respect as high quality people want to be with me, well, what does that say about me, huh? My mood begins to lift and my thoughts shift. It’s a great reality check!

It takes time to develop trust and safety with folks.

The 10 qualities below are personal values I bring to my relationships and ones I look for in others.

1. Authenticity. Being real and genuine (as much as possible). Willingness to be vulnerable and let go of the need “to look good” in all situations invites opportunities to make a heart connection. In truth, we’re not always are our best and being human invites others to be real and genuine. When I’m in conversation with someone who is only sharing from their head, I have no sense of who they are because I can’t feel them anywhere!

2. Listening and communications skills. Who doesn’t want to feel heard and understood?Having the ability to express thoughts and feelings creates connection. Becoming a great listener and communicator is an art; one that can be developed without having to be perfect. Refer to a prior post I wrote on The Art of Listening.

3. Forgiveness. Making it ok to be human. I have put my foot in my mouth on many occasions and been forgiven. We all screw up sometimes and knowing that our human choices (yup I said choices) and mistakes will not cost us love and acceptance is a huge builder of trust and safety.

4. Unconditional love/acceptance. That’s what our children and animals teach us! Being loved and accepted for who we are is a normal and human desire we all want. Our individual viewpoints, experiences, passions… add richness and flavor to relationships (and the world). When we can offer unconditional love and acceptance to others we share a great gift that can be nurtured and passed on. That is how we serve others to heal and grow. Love is our natural state! Being forgiven has taught me how to forgive others; to look beyond the action or comment and see who that person is - someone just like me who wants to be loved and accepted.

5. 100% responsibility. Letting go of the blame game and fully owning thoughts, words, and actions. This is about being in personal integrity in how we show up and making amends when appropriate. Folks in my circle know that if it’s my stuff, I’ll own it and clean up anything I’ve created to the best of my ability. Red flags go up for me when I see folks play the blame game and pass the buck.

6. Not taking everything personally. This is an advanced skill to be able to hear and experience people from a charge neutral space with compassionate detachment. As a coach, therapist, and counselor, being able to step back without personalizing is a skill I’ve honed over the years. Having a strong self-image and sense of self are critical elements in being able to de-personalize. Being hungry, angry, lonely or tired can make it harder to stay in a loving space with people without reacting. Keeping self-care a priority is important!

7. Aligned values. Spiritual growth, personal transformation, communication, integrity are some of my core values. The people closest to me all share a common value of personal growth/life-long learning. Being with people who share personal, business, life values can feel like connecting with kindred spirits!

8. Compassion/empathy. Loving appreciation and understanding without judgment or criticism. Being thoughtful and caring invites the love of our soul to emerge. Ties right back to #4.

9. Supportive. People feel supported in different ways. Communicating what we need to be supported is the way we teach people how to show up for us. Building a strong community of people who nurture, energize, and lift us (whether we need a boost or not!) invites us to be authentic.

10. Managing conflict. This is a biggy for many folks. When people show up to work through the conflict by taking responsibility for their part, de-personalizing, being honest, making amends if necessary…. many of the points I’ve written about already, real trust and safety flourishes. We want to know that when things get tough and uncomfortable, folks will stick around and not leave us! Read my post - A Model for Conflict Resolution.

What would you add on your list?

When you’re having one of those days when you’re not feeling great, look at the people in your life who hang out with you because they love you, respect you, and appreciate you. You might find remembering helps to broaden and lift your outlook!

Dr. Lorraine Cohen, President of Powerfull Living, brings more than 25 years experience in personal and business coaching, psychological counseling, and sales to thousands of spiritually minded business owners, entrepreneurs, and leaders from a wide range of industries. Learn more about Lorraine’s services, success products and programs.

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Do you want a highly motivated team who don't take time off work, don't keep looking for other jobs and make a positive contribution to your business?

If the answer is "yes," then there are three steps you need to take with each member of your team.

Step 1 - Spend some quality time

I didn't say "quantity time" I said "quality time." One or two minutes of quality time on a regular basis are far more productive than a one hour review every year. You need to get to know each member of your team better and they need to get to know you.

This will help you build a positive relationship with each team member. You'll gain a much better understanding of them and how they're handling the job.

It will also give the impression that you care about the individual and show that you're there to help with problems both personal and business. Spending quality time will encourage opinions and ideas to flow from them and allows you to explain the company's mission. It gives them a feeling of being in on things which is a huge motivator.

It will also help you build an "early warning system" of any problems both business and personal. Finally, it builds team spirit and morale.

Step 2 - Give feedback and coach

You need to regularly tell each member of your team when they're doing well and when not so well. I read some recent research that suggested 65% of employees in the US received no recognition at work in the past year. My experience tells me that it's much the same throughout the world and much worse in some countries. Some managers still believe - "why should I praise people when they're only doing what they're paid to do."

If you want a happy and motivated team then you need to tell them when they're doing well.

It's also important to tell people when they're not performing well. There are too many managers who either ignore poor behaviour or come down on the person like a ton of bricks.

There are particular ways to give feedback and coach and they're described in detail in the book - How to get More Sales by Motivating Your Team.

Step 3 - Be a believer

We're now getting into the area of "Empowerment" which was first introduced in the 1980's and became a bit of a management buzzword. However, I believe that it's one of the most promising but least understood concepts in team motivation today.

I'm a fairly down to earth practical sort of person (probably comes from my engineering background). I'm not big into motivation theories unless I can see the benefits for me - I see a great deal of benefit for managers and team leaders in Empowerment.

Empowerment is about utilising the knowledge, skill,experience and motivation power that's already within your people.

The majority of people in teams and organisations throughout the world are severely underutilised. Your team have probably more to offer in terms of skill, knowledge and experience.

Put this to the test right away - implement these steps, motivate your team and achieve your business goals.

Alan Fairweather, 'The Motivation Doctor,' is an International Speaker, Author and Business Development Expert. To receive your free newsletter and free e-books, visit: http://www.themotivationdoctor.com

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This article is contributed by Dittman Incentive Marketing (www.dittmanincentives.com).

In today’s competitive marketplace, the race to increase profits by cultivating customer loyalty is going at full speed. Customer retention is not only a cost-effective and profitable strategy, it is a necessity for businesses wanting to stay ahead of the pack.

As consumers are spending less thanks to soaring fuel and food costs, companies are more reliant than ever on the loyalty of a dedicated customer base to maintain a competitive advantage. Following the Pareto Principle, 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers, and in a recession the numbers are closer to 95% and 5%, says Ajit Maira, senior vice president of the Information Technology Services Marketing Association. Since these returning customers cost less to reach, are less vulnerable to ploys from the competition and buy more over time, companies need to give customers an incentive not to go elsewhere for the same product or service.

One of the most successful ways to achieve this cost-effective retention is through the use of customer loyalty reward programs. By rewarding the ongoing purchase of product or services, companies achieve long-term relationships with customers. With a variety of loyalty programs available to companies, the key is discovering what works best for your needs and goals.

Build a Strong Foundation

Successful loyalty reward programs are built from a working knowledge of your customer base. To create the foundation, you must first identify the type of customers you want to retain and understand the types of products and services they value most. This information can then be used to determine the kinds of rewards programs that will appeal to them.

To obtain this level of understanding about your customers, it’s vital to conduct targeted research. In an article in the Harvard Business Review, authors Thomas O. Jones and W. Earl Sasser, Jr., suggest utilizing a combination of customer satisfaction surveys, customer feedback and market research. Together, these three tools can help businesses better grasp the wants and needs of the customer to build stronger brand loyalty.

Establish Winning Relationships

While good service is the key to earning customers, it’s not enough to maintain their long-term loyalty. In his book How to Win Customers & Keep Them for Life, author Michael LeBoeuf states, “Smart companies go the extra mile for the customer and show them just how dedicated they are to making sure that they feel good about doing business with them.”

To prove to your customers that your company is going that extra mile, you must show them you are doing just that on a regular basis. For example, Ben McConnell, co-author of Creating Customer Evangelists: How Loyal Customer Become a Volunteer Sales Force, suggests showing customers they are valued by inviting them to lend their opinions on new products and ideas, or invite them to your company’s conferences or meetings. These offers to participate in your company’s operations will promote a feeling of value and inclusion.

It’s also vital to maintain open lines of communication and always treat customers with courtesy. Loyalty is established over time, and customers need to believe that your company values them.

Give Them Incentives

Giving customers incentives to let their purchases be tracked allows you to base loyalty programs on very specific requests and needs. The incentives can help your business to increase customer traffic and sales, and most importantly—allow you to measure the effectiveness of the incentive.

The incentives can vary, and can include immediate rewards like free long-distance phone calls for hotel guests, targeted deals such as exclusive “friends and family” sales events, valuable membership cards offering extras like bonus spending points. Other options are also successful, like manufacturer rewards for items such as brand merchandise and discounts, and point-earning partnerships between retailers and online shopping sites.

Offering these loyalty incentives, also know as frequency marketing, allows your business to build a database of loyal customers that you can target again and again, and with precise tracking.

Follow Through

To reap the rewards of a customer loyalty programs, it is vital to maintain a consistent approach and follow through with your strategy. By staying the course with targeted research, communication and incentives, you can establish a loyal customer base yielding great results.

It's important to remember that customer loyalty can't be established overnight, but the investment required to create a satisfied customer is always worth the effort. Establishing long-lasting, loyal relationships with clients should not be an afterthought in the current market; it's now a fundamental necessity on the road to achieving higher profits and business longevity.

About Dittman Incentive Marketing
This article was provided by Dittman Incentive Marketing (www.dittmanincentives.com), a quality leader in the field of people performance improvement. Since 1976, Dittman has helped companies achieve critical corporate goals via original, one-of-a-kind customer loyalty programs and motivation programs that inspire a sales force to sell more and customers to buy more.

R.L. Fielding Bio
R.L. Fielding is a freelance writer who has written on a wide variety of topics, with special expertise in the education, pharmaceutical and healthcare, financial service and manufacturing industries.

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While research shows that most people believe they can’t be sold, the fact is those same people can indeed be persuaded if they don’t recognize that a sales technique is being used.

The trick lies in the different persuasive strategies used then and now. Lets use a car salesman this time since they top the list as the people you absolutely cannot trust in a poll.

Then: They go on downloading information in you, telling you EVERYTHING you need to know AND don’t need to know. Basically, its like taking a shotgun with pellets in it, hoping that one of them will hit the target. This doesn’t work anymore!

The following are strategies for you to adopt as you attempt to persuade your audience, be it one or many.

1. Aiming at the Target

Have you been in a situation where a salesman or saleswoman was trying to sell you something by giving you the 4-1-1 of what he or she is selling while you absolutely couldn’t wait to get away from the guy? That he or she was boring you nuts with all the information?

You felt like running away as soon as he turns his head because he never found out what was IMPORTANT to YOU.

Ask a simple question : “What’s most important to you when you buy a car? ”

“What’s most important to you when you enroll your kids to a programme? ”

“What most important to you when you look for a life partner…( ok you get it by now don’t you? ) ”

This simple question is what gets you the most answers. So for example, if I’m going to go buy a car, what’s important to me is the price.

So if you’re going to sell me a car, you should immediately address my pricing concerns and not go rambling on how energy-efficient and how many awards the car has won. This saves your breath and of course, time spent.

2. Never start your questions with ” WHY? “

Not only is it annoying but you get only excuses.

Lets use an example: If your kid comes back from school with his report card dominated with D’s and E’s and (God Forbid, F’s ), You’ll probably be in a rage and ask ..”WHY did you get D’s and E’s ?? ”

And the answer (or rather, excuse) that you’re going to get is:

“My teacher ate my test paper.”
“My teacher doesn’t really like me.”
“The kids bully me if I get A’s.”

So how can you ask the same question but get solutions instead?

Start your questions with “What” or “How”. These 2 words empowers action in people. You’re still asking the same question, but you shift its mode and then you start to get changes!

3. Use STORIES to convey your message.

Its important to highlight before I continue with how we can use stories that people tend to be too obvious when they use their stories. As a result, they shift back into a sales mode.

Most people cannot come up with a story on the fly. Even Paul suggested practice and fine-tuning our stories to ensure an impactful message and one that really sinks into the human psyche. Remember? Stories, like humour is a process. Your stories are not going to come out fantastic the first time you tell them. Hence, you must be willing to let your stories develop over time.

Eric Feng is the go-to guy if you want to learn how to impress your investors and customers through public speaking. For more tips and tactics that you can use immediately in your next presentation, visit The Public Speaking Blog.

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While some guys lose their heads when faced with a tough business environment others stay cool, survive and prosper.

OK,Ok, the sky is falling so stop running around and instead use that energy and money to survive and to improve on how things are done and on how to prosper from the coming upturn...yes in time the sky will right itself.

Have you ever seen any business consultant's card that didn't claim that they could lead you to the pot of gold buried under the employees' parking lot? But here's where it gets funny...they can.

In a book he wrote in the early 60s...1960s not 1860s...Bucky Fuller writes that humans adapt quickly to change and soon space out the past. Bucky didn't write this but I think that humans have limited RAM, and that many business managers are overloading the RAM they have ...so they stop thinking about things and fall into habits and patterns...no thinking required. The name of the book? Spaceship Earth.

And to further muddy the water, humans don't operate at their highest potential when stressed.

I'm tempted to start pointing out specific things a business should do during a hard economic time, but I've done that in other articles. This article is about new training and new thinking. The following is from an article I wrote during the last economic downturn.

A sales vice president of an international company had referred me to his region's CFO. He encouraged me to contact this woman and explain the scope of my consulting and training services.

After leaving three messages over a two week period, I got a call from the regional A/R Manager, the CFO's subordinate. I started to explain what I do when the man cut me off. "We just had the very prestigious firm from the U.K., Robem, Blind & Howe, do an evaluation of our business functions and with the exception of a few minor items, they validated our processes" .

On hearing the word "validation" the picture that comes to my mind is finding the right guy to stamp your parking ticket. Or maybe, if you're lucky enough to still have her, calling your Mom for some kind words and reassurance. But to pay a consultant to come in and pat you on the back, or wherever, and tell you you're doing good...never.

School Ties and the Intellectual Gene Pool

Keeping my thoughts to myself I said to the regional A/R guy, "That's great, it's always a good idea for a company to have an outsider come in and take a fresh look at things." I then asked how my firm could participate in providing them with their next evaluation. "Oh no, we're having R.B. & H. back again." , said the regional A/R guy. After a few more minutes of conversation it was clear to me that I was wasting my time. You see, I learned from the A/R guy that his boss, the regional CFO used to work at R.B.& H. and that she was not interested in working with any other consulting or training firm.

When everyone sitting around the conference table went to the same school, has a common life experience and understanding of things; you're not going to get a lot of new ideas, solutions and improvements. In fact, this kind of corporate inbreeding will limit the intellectual gene pool resulting in more of the same thinking. "Insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results."

We Don't Know What We Don't Know

Mohandas K. Gandhi was once accused of having said something that conflicted with a prior statement. His response was something like, "I will not waste my time apologizing for what I've said in the past. I can only seek to be faithful to the truth as it reveals itself to me." We don't know what we don't know.

No matter how smart a manager or management team , there's no way he/she/they know it all. Sometimes the true value of having an outsider review how things are done is that they ask dumb questions, because they don't know how things are done. Hiring a consultant who knows how you do things limits the potential payback. this excerpt is from an article titled "Corporate Inbreeding Hurts Profit"

An other thing to consider is how you spend the training budget, and if you don't have a training budget get one. How to spend the money? Try something new like video training, or teletraining. I still think that the best training takes place face to face but airfares are, excuse the pun, going sky high. And not having to spend time traveling reduces the cost of the training and wear and tear on the trainer. And some of those guys are not as young as they use to be.

Recently a man in Dallas asked if I remembered him , that we had met 17 years before. And then he went on to say, "When we met I had hair and your hair had color." And yes I did remember him...thanks for asking.

By now some of you may think that being that I'm a business trainer and speaker myself I have a vested interest in companies not cutting their training budget and you'd be right...but it's still true.

When things slow down it's time to prune and prepare for the next season. And it's time to see some new faces around the table.

Abe WalkingBear Sanchez is an International Speaker / Trainer / Consultant on the subject of cash flow / sales enhancement and business knowledge organization and use. Founder and President of www.armg-usa.com, WalkingBear has authored hundreds of business articles, has worked with numerous companies in a wide range of industries since 1982 and has spoken at many venues including the Shakespeare Globe Theater in London.

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For four years I did a conference where I invited business owners to tell us what they right in their business. We picked the top 12 stories and these successful business owners were given an opportunity to tell their story to up to 300 conference attendees.

While promoting the last conference, I sent faxed invitations to business owners who I thought would enjoy the positive press and would be interested in promoting their company to 300 people.

Several asked that I remove them from the list and I did so.

Four of them engaged a lawyer and filed a law suit.

Apparently there is a law that says you cannot fax someone unless you have written permission. This puzzled me especially since the names and fax numbers came from a public list I acquired from Reference USA.

The law states you cannot sell a product or service via fax without written permission (there is more but that is the highlight).

Since the fax I sent invited the business owner to a networking event where we could talk with them about their story and the role the conference would play in helping them grow their business, we were not in violation of the law.

The Cleveland based lawyer filed the lawsuit for a Cleveland based heating and air conditioning company. Apparently this lawyer files lawsuits when people receive an unwanted fax. As I talked with people about this lawsuit, I learned I was not the only one he has extorted money from. His reputation is less than stellar.

I am sure this lawsuit was not the intent of the fax law and our law makers really should fix this law to prevent this abuse.

According to my lawyer, the lawsuit is “legalized extortion” but his suggested was to settle the suit because of the cost of going to court and the difficulty in counter-suing.

It cost a lot of money and time to run this conference to promote good news in NEO. It cost a lot of money in legal fees to settle this law suit.

It is hard to plead “not guilty” when I clearly broke the law – even though I did not know the law existed. Sometimes we try to do something positive and it backfires. The backfire is what I call the law of unintended consequences.

There are two lessons to be learned: 1. Continue trying to do good but have a good lawyer. If you need a good lawyer let me know (email only please), I have more experience than I care to admit and I would be willing to share the names of the people who helped me. Asking a question to your lawyer before is always easier that dealing with a suit after the fact. 2. It doesn’t say much about our business owners if they cannot pick up the phone and ask to be taken of the list. To file a stupid and frivolous lawsuit to raise money is the ultimate in stupidity. The business owners who filed suit should be taken to the woodshed. It took a while to get my PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) back but I did. The essence of the second lesson is to trust your lawyer and stop worrying. Worrying does no good. All the sleep I lost did not change the outcome of the suit. Not counting legal fees the total settlement was for $750.

I will not reveal this company in this post and I suspect he has more problems that receiving a fax he does not want. He apparently has little regard for his business or his business reputation to get involved in this nonsense. The other four who had their name on this lawsuit did not do their business a favor.

I was bummed for a while about this law suit. I am over it now but I am saddened that our business community has to waste time, energy and money over something this stupid.

Check out the long term consequences with a group of trusted advisors. After all, many minds and many experiences are far more effective in the decision making process than any single mind or experience.

After a successful consulting career, Ron Finklestein has spent the past 6 years building his business AKRIS LLC and helping entrepreneurs and business owners build their businesses by helping them solve the tough problems that hold them back. Ron is called The Small Business Success Expert by his clients because of his passion for their success and his knowledge of business.

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Our friend at YoungEntrepreneur.com, Evan Carmichael, alerted us to a really insightful post written by Anthony Mora for his weekly Entrepreneur University feature. Its about having 20 ways to have a successful Media Interview.

Review the following checklist:

1) Review the two or three primary points that you want to get across during the interview.

2) Make sure you’ve checked yourself in a mirror before you go on camera. Is your hair in place? Is your tie crooked? Is your lipstick smeared? Give yourself the basic once-over.

3) Remember, you don’t have to force the information; weave your points into the interview. If you spend your time forcing an issue, it will come out sounding strained and stilted.

4) Relax. You are there to have a conversation. Well, at least you want it to look like a conversation.

5) No slouching. Sit erect.

6) Focus on the interviewer. The camera and crew is part of the furniture as far as you’re concerned.

7) Start off with your most important information. Interviews can be very short. If you don’t lead with what’s important, you may have missed your chance.

8) Breathe. People have a tendency to hold their breath when nervous, which only creates more anxiety. Remember to breathe.

9) Smile. I’ve seen more media opportunities ruined by people who have refused to smile during their interviews. Looking grave does not make you appear more profound, it makes you look dull and somber.

10) Listen. Don’t anticipate questions. Don’t think that you know what the interviewer is asking. Wait until the question is asked and then respond.

Learn more for the rest of the 10 ways now at YoungEntrepreneur.com's article: 20 Ways To A Successful Media Interview - Entrepreneur University.

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This article is by our guest writer Diana Ennen, who is also the Author of Virtual Assistant: The Series, Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA, & The Corel Word Perfect Office Ready Virtual Assistant Solution Pack. She also owns a website: http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com

Whether just starting a virtual assisting business or having been in business for years, it's important to always remember that the initial impression you leave with potential clients is critical. Often it can be the determining factor in whether you get the client or not.

The key is portraying confidence, whether it's corresponding back to an e-mail, on the phone, or in person. You need to reassure these clients that if they trust you with their work, you won't let them down. In fact, they'll be amazed just how good of a job you do!

With your VA business you will either be responding to a client via e-mail, phone, or in person. Here are a few tips for each:

E-mail -- Keep your reply short and to the point. No client wants to read through paragraphs of text to get to the bottom line. Be friendly, yet professional. Provide all the needed information they requested and any other information you believe would be relevant. Use a signature line that provides all your contact information. Toot your horn a little. Include a paragraph that sings praises of your business and how you can help their business.

Phone - Always answer the phone in a professional, cheerful manner. Use Caller ID so that you know who's calling before you pick up the phone. This give you advance notice of what demeanor you need. Don't talk excessively. Keep in mind that most clients are busy and appreciate short, to-the-point conversations. Always have the information you need to relay to a client at hand. Be firm on your rates and business practices. Don't sound hurried. If you are working on a deadline, let your answering machine get it and call them back when you are more relaxed.

In Person - Dress the part. Not only does this make you feel more confident, but it conveys to them that they are dealing with a fellow professional. Be enthusiastic about your business and let them know that you want their business. Show interest and knowledge of their business. Have the right tools with you and close at hand. You don't want to have to look for a pen or your business cards. Have something such as a portfolio for them to keep that describes your business. This enables them to remember you after the appointment and also gives them an additional opportunity to check out the services you offer.

The ability to create a good first impression is a valuable asset for a virtual assistant and one that enables a business to grow. However, another valuable asset is being able to learn from your mistakes. After the interview if it didn't go well analyze what you could do better the next time and then do it. Mastering these first impressions can take some time, but the reward is a thriving business that you can be proud of.

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Four years ago this month, Solo-E hired its first contractors: 3 fabulous VAs. Between them they handled the details of hundreds of items of content for the website, scores of newsletters and uncounted correspondence with subscribers and clients. Two of them still work for me (the third took time off with her third child and is now pursuing a career in financial planning!)

Having a long and successful working relationship with a team of contractors is somewhat of an anomaly among solo entrepreneurs. In many ways I've been very fortunate to have such talented and caring people working for me. But I also recognize some critical pieces of making it work that can be planned for - because it's not just luck!

Part I: Setting up the relationship

1. Hire people that are a good fit for you. Seems obvious, but sometimes our criteria can hinge too much on things like cost and not enough on "can I see myself working well with this person?" Establish upfront what is important to you - consider skills, work habits, communication style, friendliness, etc. - make a list and use it when interviewing and making your hiring decision.

2. Establish written expectations on both sides. Do you expect emails answered in 4 hours or 48? Want a weekly update? Not interested in chit-chat? You may have talked about these things in the interview, but getting them down on paper gives you both something to refer back to. And this should be a two-way street: what are their expectations? Do they need to hear from you when they are doing a good job? Is it ok to contact them on the weekend?

3. Keep the lines of communication open. Talk ahead of time about the best way to let each other know when things aren't working (even better, put it in writing so you don't forget). Think about how you best receive feedback - on the phone, via email, scheduled ahead of time or on the spur of the moment, etc.

4. Life happens. If you work with another solo entrepreneur for any length of time, it's likely that one of you will face at least one personal issue that takes you away from the business at hand for some period of time. These issues can be difficult to talk about.illness, depression, family issues, death. But not telling the other person will leave them frustrated because things aren't getting done and they don't know why. Most people are very understanding and willing to accommodate changes in deadlines, leaves of absence, etc., but you have to communicate first. Talking about "what would we do if" ahead of time may help.

5. Show me the money (plan). This is one place to be absolutely crystal-clear. How often are invoices sent, how much detail do you need to see, what are the payment terms, how do they want to be paid. Do they want a minimum monthly commitment? Do you want to set a monthly maximum? What about referral agreements, profit-sharing, etc.

Part II: Building and Strengthening the Relationship Over Time

6. Pay on time! If the terms say pay within 10 days - why not pay in five? Your support team is the lifeblood of your business - what better way to let them know you appreciate and value their contribution?

7. Put away the fine-tooth comb. If you've done a good job of hiring a team member, you don't need to fuss over how many hours for this or that. If you don't trust them, you shouldn't have hired them.

8. Always say please and thank you. One of my earliest lessons in business - treat everyone with respect. They may be contractors but they aren't your minions! I take time to go over every email before I send it to make sure I've said please, and I send a quick thank-you when the task is completed.

9. Let them know you appreciate them. Send a note when they've completed a big project for you, or a small gift on a special occasion. Celebrate company milestones by thanking them with a card. Be creative! Sometimes it's fun just to let them know you appreciate them, with no particular occasion attached.

10. Encourage team input. They know your business and clients perhaps better than you do! Ask them for input when you are considering a strategic change. Encourage them to offer unsolicited suggestions to improve processes, etc. - and implement them when they make sense! This also goes two ways - if you share with the team your vision for the business, your strategic goals, etc., they will be better equipped to execute the plan with you.

11. Bonus: Let my people grow! If you are like most solo entrepreneurs you are a life-long learner - and so probably are the members of your team. Give them opportunities to take on new tasks. Encourage them to make decisions and take action without asking your input (set the boundaries for this so they know when you do want to be
consulted.) Ask them what they'd like to learn, and teach them new skills. You may be surprised how much better they will be at certain things than you are!

Building a great support team takes time, effort, and caring - but you will be rewarded many times over!

Terri Zwierzynski is a self-employed business strategist and marketing consultant to solo entrepreneurs, and a grassroots promoter of the solo entrepreneur lifestyle. She runs Solo-E.com, the resource website for the self-employed which attracts thousands of solo home business owners monthly from over 100 countries on six continents (and was recently named a finalist for “Website of the Year” in the 4th Annual Stevie® Awards for Women in Business). Terri is also the co-author of 136 Ways To Market Your Small or Solo Business.

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About.com Entrepreneurs: Have you ever been fired by a client? It's painful, embarrassing and even a bit depressing when it happens. It can completely throw your confidence as an entrepreneur.

And yet, it may be the best thing in the world for both you and your client.

But why let it get to the point that they have to fire you? Don't you want to be the one in charge of the relationship? Don't you want to end it on your own terms, as much as possible?

While you may feel like you really have to hang on to the client, whether for your own cash flow or out of your sense of commitment, there are several signs that it may be time to terminate the client relationship.

In some cases, the problem really is with the client, and you should just fire them:

The client is a jerk.

Life's too short. Dealing with jerks is stressful, and if you're stressed, not only will it affect your mental and physical well-being -- it will also affect your ability to serve your other customers well. It will affect your relationships with employees and business partners. And if they're that difficult, odds are that they're not going to be a good referral source for you anyway -- they may even be a liability.

The client drains all your time.

You may have heard of the Pareto Principle, aka "The 80/20 rule". In this context, it's the idea that 80% of your profits come from 20% of your customers, while 20% of your profits come from 80% of your customers. Now I'm not suggesting you should drop your smallest clients, just the least profitable ones. Sometimes it's difficult clients, but sometimes it's the nicest ones -- the ones who can talk you into doing just a little bit more, then a little more, then more, and so on. Scope creep! Try to draw the line with your client, but if it continues, you may have to cut them off.

7 Signs It's Time to Drop a Client [About.com Entrepreneurs]

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Does just the mention of the word 'spreadsheet' cause your mouth to go dry? Do you immediately think of sums, formulae, and figures?

Well fear not any more -- I'm here to tell you that spreadsheets aren't just for sums!

I'm going to share with you my favorite top five tips on how you can use spreadsheets in your every day business to help you keep organized and on top of your work - and there isn't a formula in sight!

No.1 'To Do' List

How do you manage your day-to-day tasks? Do you have a notebook for your To Do lists and cross out each one as you go along? Or do you have little yellow post-its stuck all over the place? Is this really the best way of managing your daily tasks?

Spreadsheets are a great way for you to organise your To Do list. Set up headings in the first row and add your tasks below. You can then sort your list by any column that you choose, making it an interactive To Do list. And best of all, your list is contained in one place.

Create a shortcut to your To Do list and place it on your desktop so that you can access it easily, or just keep it open and minimise your screen each time you're not using it.

No.2 Log Registration/Password Data

Another great way to use spreadsheets is to keep track of all those websites that you've registered at, and need to insert a username and password in order to gain access to.

Even though I try and keep to the same username/password I sometimes find that a website will require you to insert your username or password in a certain way, with digits as well as letters, or a minimum of six characters etc. etc. and then it starts to get confusing remembering which username/password for which site!

Set up a spreadsheet to track key data, and keep tabs on this crucial information in one easy-to-use place. As your list starts to get longer, you can also sort your data into alphabetical order, making it even easier to find your registration details.

No.3 Create a Simple Mailing Database

Another great use for a spreadsheet is to set up a simple mailing database. Perhaps you've researched a target market and want to send them a mailing. By creating a spreadsheet to input their name, address, phone number, email address, and website you can easily keep a track of your data.

You can also use this data to carry out a mail merge via Word. Create active hyperlinks for the email and website addresses and you can email or visit their website directly from your spreadsheet.

And if you add an additional column for 'Responses' you can simply monitor your success rate too!

No.4 Track Potential Clients and Follow-ups

If you regularly have enquiries from potential clients, whether they're phone calls or directly via your website, you can set up a spreadsheet to track this data. You can see where your enquiries are coming from, which method of marketing is the most effective, and if the prospect turned into a client.

You can also add an additional column for 'Follow-up Date' and perform a sort on this column so that you know who to follow up with and when!

No.5 Monitor a Project/Activity Planning

Because spreadsheets also accept date formats they are a great way to track projects or plan activities. You can easily use autofill to create a date timeline too. Use the column headings for your dates, and the rows for your activities.

As you work along the timeline, you can hide the columns with past dates, showing only those columns for current and future dates. And if you want to be really creative, use different colours for the cells to represent different activities.

There are so many more projects that you could use a spreadsheet for that don't require you to input complicated formulae. When I was compiling this list for you, I thought of twice as many again, all of which would help you to organise your day-to-day business activities.

Online Business Manager & Virtual Assistant, Tracey Lawton, supports professional speakers, coaches, and authors to operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business. Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free how-to articles at http://www.OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com.

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"Wisdom is the integration of thought and analysis based on accumulated
experience." Elkhonon Goldberg "The Wisdom Paradox"

Improvement starts with acceptance that a business doesn’t have to be
sick in order to get better.

Some years ago the CEO of a 3rd generation manufacturing company asked
that I conduct an evaluation of his credit operation. The company was
expanding into Europe and with the expansion came greater demands on
the ability to extend credit and cash flow. Following breakfast at my hotel
the CEO and I drove out to the factory and administrative offices. On the
drive out the CEO continued the story he’d started over breakfast. His
grandfather and father had built the business and now he and his brother,
who was the VP of sales, were trying to take the company to the next
level in growth.

We parked in the back of the building and as we walked through the
production area on the way to the administrative offices, we must have
passed by at least 20 production people…and there was silence. Not one
of the employees we encountered said good morning, hello boss or even
nodded…and neither did the CEO.

We met with the CFO, the Credit Manager, the Customer Service
Manager, and the A/R and A/P Managers…all women. The brother?,
he’d stuck his head into the room and then disappeared.

I’d ask a question of the group and as one of the women would start to
answer the CEO would butt in…soon the women shut up and the only
voices heard were mine and the CEO’s. After I broke up the meeting I
went to each member of the group individually to ask my questions.

On the way to the airport the CEO and I stopped for lunch and he wanted
to know what I thought needed to be done. I told him that his people were
approaching credit and A/R management in an old an out of date risk
management way…like many other companies. I told him that I had an
associate who in a week’s time could train his staff on our "profit "
approach and that he could help organize and document the knowledge
needed to ensure proper implementation.

The company president asked why I wouldn’t be doing the training, and I
said to him, "I don’t like you."

The man was shocked. "Why don’t you like me?", he asked. I was hoping
he’d ask and I said to him, "All the production people we passed were
brown or black and you didn’t greet any of them and on their part they
looked away from us. All the people in the front office are white and every
time one of the women in our meeting tried to say something you cut them
off as if what they had to say was of no value." I went on, "I don’t have to
look at any numbers to know that you have a high absentee and turn over
rate. Morale is bad because the employees don’t like you and that leads to
poor productivity and poor work quality. If you want to expand to Europe
you better know that those folks expect quality."

All was quiet for a few minutes and I wasn’t sure if I was going to have to
catch a taxi to the airport, and then he said, "You’re right , we keep retraining
new people and we’ve had a big problem with quality and with employees
stealing from us. My father and grandfather were loved by the employees
and they would do anything for them but neither my brother nor I seem to
have that ability." We drove to the airport in silence.

In my follow up report I suggested to the CEO that he and his brother find
themselves a GM (general manager) who liked people and wanted to be
liked in return. To his credit they found such a person and things got better,
he also had my associate out for the week.

The Point

Great Customer Service starts with great Employee Relationship Management.

It Will Make You or Break You

Marvin Minsky in his book , "Society of Mind" says that the human mind is
made up of thousands of learned agents/programs none of which on their own
define the mind, but collectively they make up the mind. Every business and
organization , including government, is a collection of people and none on their
own, including the CEO, define the organization but collectively they are the
company/organization.

Three Areas of Relationship Management

1. Employees. The highest priority is good relations with employees
because if they are unhappy your customers better look out. An
old friend once said to me, "If mama ain’t happy no one’s happy."
2. Vendors/Suppliers. Vendors are critical to your success and if you
disrespect and abuse them they’ll get even, and the word (buzz) will
get out on your company and then others will demand a higher price
to work with you,… if they‘ll work with you at all.
3. Customers. You might be able to get away with abusing consumers
because so many businesses do, because they have short memories
and because there’s a lot of them and more on the way. Business/
commercial customers are fewer in number and they have generational
memory. Get on the wrong side of a business customer and you find
that long after the reason is forgotten the bad taste lingers on.

In Closing

In human society all real meaningful change comes from the masses.
Institutions fight change even if it’s an improvement. James Russell Lowell
wrote, "He who is firmly seated in authority soon learns to think security
(their own) and not progress."

In a business change must come from the management team. Business
managers need to take time to seek out improvement or they’ll get lost in
the day to day details.

It’s up to the top managers to be leaders and set the example of what great
relationship management looks like, sounds like and feels like…and if they
can’t do it they need to get help.

Abe WalkingBear Sanchez is an International Speaker / Trainer / Consultant on the subject of cash flow / sales enhancement and business knowledge organization and use. Founder and President of www.armg-usa.com, WalkingBear has authored hundreds of business articles, has worked with numerous companies in a wide range of industries since 1982 and has spoken at many venues including the Shakespeare Globe Theater in London.

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This article is contributed by R.L. Fielding who writes regularly for Dittman Incentive Marketing.

“If only I could get people to do what I want them to do...”

How often have you thought that … or said that? And how often has the answer eluded you?

We’d love to think that employees will do the right thing and that customers will make the right choice, but since only a segment of your employees are motivated to do what you need them to do, and only some of your prospects have become customers (while the others remain only prospects), the question is … how can you get the rest of the people to see the light?

The answer lies in the “Zone of Self-Interest.” People will do the things you want if they perceive it to be clearly in their own best self-interest. And when that perception exists, you’ll be well on your way to exceeding your business goals.

Here’s How It Works

No matter what you need to accomplish, you can put a price tag on it. Some things lead to greater sales and others to lower costs. And as soon as you put a value on it, employee and customer loyalty rewards programs can help you accomplish it.

The approach is simple, and it’s proven to work. Identify a simple activity that you know to be key to your success and calculate the dollar value to you when it’s accomplished to your satisfaction…then reward it every single time it occurs. Every single time.

Every time a program participant does what you want done, he or she earns points (based on the value you’ve calculated). The points are redeemable for desirable merchandise, exotic travel, or other options. On a real-time basis, every participant can view a custom, personal statement, which details the credits and/or debits made to his/her account and the current account balance.

The Implication for You

The concept of the Zone of Self-Interest revolutionized the airline industry, then most other consumer businesses. Think about your own behavior and how it’s affected by the opportunity to earn free trips or hotel nights or merchandise for providing a seller with conscious loyalty. The rewards fall into your Zone of Self-Interest, and it motivates you to do something you normally wouldn’t do … and do it frequently.

Success breeds success. Unlike many programs that start with fireworks and finish with a fizzle, behavior reinforcement programs grow in effectiveness. With each passing day, the motivation power strengthens, and the bond between you and your program participants deepens. Simply put, a well-built behavior reinforcement program will produce more incremental revenue than it costs.

About Dittman Incentive Marketing

This article was provided by Dittman Incentive Marketing (http://www.dittmanincentives.com/), a quality leader in the field of people performance improvement. Since 1976, Dittman has helped companies achieve critical corporate goals via original, one-of-a-kind employee and customer loyalty rewards programs that inspire a sales force to sell more, customers to buy more, and others to do more.

R.L. Fielding Bio

R.L. Fielding is a freelance writer who has written on a wide variety of topics, with special expertise in the education, pharmaceutical and healthcare, financial service and manufacturing industries.

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For a solo professional having an up-to-date contact management database is one of the KEY administrative systems you have to have for your business. And, even more important, is having a system in place to create effective follow-up. Your business is built on following up leads and building relationships.

If you don’t have a contact management system in place, you will not be able to follow-up effectively with prospects, you could lose clients, and you will not be able to build your business.

Your contact management system needn’t be a ‘bells and whistles’ expensive database but it does need to be easy to use, easy to maintain, and easy for you to find your contact data. Once your contact management system is in place you need to ensure that you keep it up-to-date and are using it to follow up with prospects.

Spreadsheets are a great tool for keeping track of your contacts, but even they have their limitations, particularly if your database is starting to get very large - anything over 100 contacts really needs to be on a computerised, contact management database.

My very favourite contact management system is ACT! It really meets all of the criteria above in that it’s:

Easy to use;

Easy to maintain; and

Easy to find contacts.

And here’s a tip I have for you – you don’t necessarily need the latest version, especially if you’re going to use it just for yourself. I bought my first version of ACT! (ACT! 6.0 2004) off Ebay for $20. If you’re going to buy software off Ebay check that it’s being sold as ‘brand new and unregistered’. This was a very small investment for me to make to see if I liked the system and once I knew it was ideal I had no hesitation in upgrading to the latest version.

Keeping your contact management database up-to-date can seem a bit daunting, particularly if you have a lot of contacts. Here are my top 5 strategies for creating effective follow-up and keeping your contact management system up-to-date.

1. Update as you go along! Whenever you speak with or email a contact take a few minutes afterwards to update your database with this information BEFORE moving on to the next task. For example, did your conversation end with you promising to contact them again in a months’ time? If so, note this down and create a follow-up task there and then so you don’t forget.

2. Touch base regularly. Each month go through your database and see who you haven’t had any contact with over the last few months. Send them a ‘just getting in touch with you’ email, or call them.

3. Don’t forget good old-fashioned snail mail! Even snail-mail has gone all hi-tech. A great follow-up tool, and one that I currently use, is Send Out Cards - it's really quick and simple to use. You can choose to send either a card or postcard, and it makes for a great ‘stay-in-touch’ service. And just as simple to use as email, only more personal! You can even upload your own handwriting font to personalise your cards even more.

4. Send a newsletter. Okay, it’s not exactly personal one-on-one follow up, but it is keeping you in touch with your database. Very often your newsletter will generate a response from your reader, which means you will be able to turn this into a one-on-one communication with your contact!

5. Keep the process going! Make it a habit to update your database regularly. If you don’t get the opportunity to update your database as you’re going along (Tip #1) spend 20 minutes at the end of each day reflecting on what you’ve done during the day, who you’ve contacted, what the outcome was, and enter all of this information into your contact management system.

Follow these 5 tips and you will soon see your business start to grow through effective follow-up!

Online Business Manager & Virtual Assistant, Tracey Lawton, supports professional speakers, coaches, and authors to operate an efficient, organized, and profitable business. Learn how to create an efficient and organized office in 7 EASY steps, and receive free how-to articles at http://www.OfficeOrganizationSuccess.com.

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Common sense seems to be in very short supply. Perhaps it always was.

Even allowing for the creative and often hysterical reporting of the news media it is hard to avoid the conclusion that those making and executing laws and regulations in both Britain and the EU have taken leave of their senses. A previous culture of personal responsibility seems to have changed into a culture of dependence and blame.

Not, of course, entirely, but significantly.

This is wholly understandable. A society that rewards the feckless and punishes the responsible must expect the message to be understood and acted upon. Perhaps our rulers have forgotten that true compassion - indeed, true love - involves helping people to achieve and maintain their independence. Removing independence is theft of the most precious possession we have.

So far this sounds more like a political speech on behalf of the British Fascist Party than a basis for discussing what people need to learn. I make these points, however, because unless our education system starts with the right premise, everything else that it does will at best be ineffective and at worst be damaging.

I don't need to tell you the difference between education and training, between knowledge and reflection, between information and thought. So I'll skip the bit about facts, passing exams, exam marking and the roulette wheel of teachers who can (and those who cannot) forecast the likely questions with reasonable accuracy. I'll omit the scathing references I would have made about people who decry the Arts subjects. I'll nod only briefly towards the words of George Santayana (1863-1952) 'Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it'.

I'll go on to why what we need to learn has changed so much and so recently.

My first point is that in the past few years and with considerable Government help, we have come to understand better the relationship between body and brain. If there is a work / life balance to be struck there is also a body / brain balance in need of attention.

Today we are at the threshold of understanding the mind. We have not got there yet but we will, and reasonably soon if I am not much mistaken. We have started to appreciate that the mental prisons we often feel trapped in are largely of our own making. We are all capable of much more than we thought.

Such potential brings with it the responsibility to use well the resources we manipulate and to learn a new view of the time over which we manipulate them. Strangely, our Victorian forebears had a better sense of this aspect of time than we do. They invested for what they saw as the future; we invest for the next annual - or half-yearly, or quarterly - sometimes even monthly - profit results.

Proper planning has never been so important and never so neglected.

Second, we need to learn the basic skills of interpersonal communication - or social intercourse, if you like. Whether you were in favour of invading Iraq or against it I think we can all agree that in the 21st Century settling disagreements by thuggery is an admission of failure on a breathtaking scale. But that thuggery doesn't originate in the White House or Downing Street, it originates in Coronation Street, in your local town, the nearby neighbourhood, in the way we speak to a traffic warden, in the way officials deal with us.

Have you noticed how people seldom ask questions of each other these days?

Maybe they think it's intrusive or not very polite. At a time when many of us are going to spend more time in front of our computers we need to improve our social intercourse and change it from the drinks party or the Friday night booze-up to intelligent, informed discussion laced with that unique ability we have to be amusing about serious matters.

Some races have always been rather inhibited about asking questions. We cannot afford such inhibitions any more. It leads to a collection of floating islands, not to a society.

Third, we need to learn the joy of work. We've separated work and leisure to the point where work is seen as bad and leisure is seen as good. But everyone knows that too much of either is wrong. To do this we must make work joyful, not always easy when rough conditions, noisy machinery, inconsiderate bosses, rapacious shareholders demand effort and forbearance that is above and beyond normal duty. For all that, work must become a place of joy.

We seem to have failed to learn that the true satisfaction of a job well done is not in dollars but in the heart of the person doing it. In my mentoring the simple and true story of Alf Tuck, the man who came to thatch the cottage roof, has transformed the attitudes of hundreds of people towards their work.

If you want to know it, please ask me by email, and I will send it to you.

Fourth, we need to reconsider what facts we need to know. Five years ago it was important to know quite a lot of facts. Today we need to know different facts:

- how to access and store information on the internet

- how to discriminate between right and wrong information and good and bad sources

- how to reflect on the facts we learn; facts by themselves are like random numbers; they only

- become useful when we interpret them and make decisions based on them.

Fifth, our civilisation is based on trust. That trust is based on truth, a commodity in very short supply at present. No truth, no trust. No trust, no society. There will never be perfect truth and we have to learn to distinguish between truth, lies and hyperbole. If we do not understand and accept the relevance of truth for our very existence, our society will increasingly fail.

There are many other things we have to learn, of course. These are, to my way of thinking, the five essentials. They are at present being neglected in favour of doubtful academic awards.

If you agree with my very brief summary of what people need to learn today there is one remaining question: where do we get the teachers to do it?

That's my question to you.

John Bittleston blogs at TerrificMentors.com, a site that provides mentoring for those who wish a change in career or job, wanting to start a business or looking to improve their handling of people (including themselves).

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As part of what my company does in the talent representation business, we go to many photo shoots with our celebrities. From Playboy to Reader's Digest. From Sports Illustrated to Newsweek. An area of expertise i have acquired is the art of Hurry up and Wait! Even though most people don't do what i do, they understand this concept. I have a cure. One word really, PREPARATION!!!

The best way to reduce wasted time and focus on the job at hand is to have you, your staff, all parties involved prepared. For the obvious and the unthinkable. The tiniest detail can snag a multi million $ project. To have all of the duck in a row is always a monumental undertaking but one worthy of everyone's dedication and commitment.

Whatever your industry is, there are projects and programs that require fore thought. If you are in charge or aspire to be in charge here is a great moment for you to shine! There is nothing senior management likes less than paying for people just sitting around and doing nothing. Creating meaningful activity not just action with no purpose can undoubtedly facilitate continuity and expedience.

Whether you are on a photo shoot, media tour, television commercial shoot, corporate team building event, brain storming session, etc., plan to work and work your plan!

Evan Morgenstein: Entrepreneur, Consultant, Sports Agent, Motivational Speaker. Morgenstein started in the tech industry after graduating in 1987 from Syracuse University. Working for several partially owned IBM partnerships, Morgenstein learned from some of the best. He has parlayed that into a dominant company Premier Management Group in the celebrity talent and sports marketing industry.

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I received an email that lead me to this story. In a very few words it explains why change is so difficult. At the same time, it asks you to take a look at your behavior to see how you are contributing to the success of the team. I post the original article below for your reading pleasure and I am including the link where I found the original article:

http://www.iwdp.co.uk/articles/think_outside_the_box.php. It was written by Gary Stuart Wicks is the Director of Media Services for TiggerOnSpeed Ltd.

This is a powerful story.

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you do a particular thing in a particular way? Do you just follow the advice of those that have been doing the task the longest without further question?

Consider the following scenario, then consider your position within your company and ask yourself honestly, why?

Let's begin with a cage that contains five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of step ladders underneath it.

Before long, a monkey will go to the step ladder and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the first rung, spray all of the monkeys with cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt to retrieve the banana resulting in another soaking for all five monkeys.

After a few more attempts any monkey making the trip towards the step ladder will be prevented by the remaining monkeys.

Now, remove the water source. Extract one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and heads towards the step ladder; to his surprise and annoyance he is instantly attacked by the other monkeys.

After a second attempt and resulting attack, he is aware of the fact that if he makes his way to the step ladder in order to retrieve the banana he will be assaulted by the remaining monkeys.

Next, remove another of the original team of five monkeys and once more replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes towards the step ladder and is attacked. This time though, the previous newcomer has taken part in the attack with enthusiasm.

Again, replace a third monkey with a new one. The new one makes it to the step ladder and is in turn attacked.

Of the attacking force two of the four monkeys have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the step ladder, or even why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing the fourth and fifth original monkeys, all the monkeys that were aware of the water source and in turn were sprayed have now been replaced.

Nevertheless, no monkey will ever again approach the step ladder.

Why not?

Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been around here; and that's how company policy begins.

So, now you should be considering what you can do to avoid making the same mistakes as the group of monkeys; this is not something that can be instructed to you, this is something that only you can discover relative to your current position within the scenario.

If your team within the company acts in a similar fashion to the monkeys then you are undoubtedly not getting the best from your team, and therefore you are not providing your best to the company.

Do you want the presence of your company to suffer? Think outside the box.

Your Small Business Success Expert,
Ron Finklestein
info@yourbusinesscoach.net

After a successful consulting career, Ron Finklestein has spent the past 6 years building his business AKRIS LLC and helping entrepreneurs and business owners build their businesses by helping them solve the tough problems that hold them back. Ron is called The Small Business Success Expert by his clients because of his passion for their success and his knowledge of business.

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Continued from previous article "What are Human Resources and Why Should It Matter to You?"

Macro HR is the strategic function of HR in a particular work environment. Macro HR encompasses the understanding of what HR means to a business. That is, how HR fits into the organization’s structure, mission and planning. Macro HR further incorporates policy and practice development and designating who administrates HR. Additionally, collective bargaining and union avoidance campaigns are generally considered macro related concerns. Some of the vernacular related to macro HR is strategic planning and organizational design and development.

Micro HR is the actual execution of duties as delineated at the macro level. These duties include the administration of policies regarding the selection, hiring, compensation, placement, performance management, promotion, conflict resolution, discipline and discharge of employees. Some of the terms commonly associated with micro HR are operations planning, practices, procedures and administration.

How Macro and Micro HR Impact the Bottom Line

As stated above, a business will encounter difficulties when it fails to account for changes to macro and micro HR practices and changes to our labor and employment laws. Such difficulties include an unsafe workplace, attendance issues, conflict, misconduct, union organizing campaigns, high turnover and litigation. Simply stated, when a business encounters HR related problems, money is lost.

Businesses have money coming in through the "front door" via revenue, venture capital, grants, investors, etc. However, much of this money can exit through the "back door" because of poor HR practices. For instance, time and money is lost when a business realizes, after-the-fact, that it hired the wrong employee and may now have to discharge that employee. Consequently, that business now has to spend money and time finding and training a new employee and may even have to defend its treatment and discharge of the former employee.

Recognizing and efficiently resolving these problems often costs a great deal of time, energy and money. However, time and energy spent upfront, proactively, on HR related matters could help to reduce, and in certain instances eliminate, the loss of money out the "back door." Thus, HR becomes an investment in capital. Time, energy and money is saved and increased productivity and profits result. This ideology is commonly referred to as preventive, positive or proactive HR. Also, this is sometimes referred to as the human capital management philosophy.

Knowing which HR practices to adopt and which HR disciplines to focus on is crucial in resolving macro and micro HR issues. A competent HR professional knows which disciplines and policies to focus on and understands how the legal environment affects HR. A competent HR professional also knows that effective HR helps transform business from just a place to work into an environment which provides employees varied opportunities for meaningful contributions. Meaningful employee contributions lead to decreased operating costs, innovation and increased profits. Implicit in this explanation is the fact that results are measurable via means such as before and after analysis and time and expense audits.

More about Utilizing an HR Attorney as a Consultant will be explained in my article next week. Do look out for it.

As a labor and employment attorney and businessperson, Charles Krugel has represented management in hundreds of negotiations, in-house and 3rd party proceedings. Charles has over 13 years of experience in the field and he has run his own successful management side practice for the past 7 years.

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The simplest definition of human resources (HR) that I can offer is that it's the management of employees as a capital asset. A business acquires and manages employees, in a manner similar to acquiring and managing any other capital asset. Now what exactly does this entail?

Employees are human and they are a business resource. However, in the same way that machinery or equipment is capital that is acquired, utilized, appreciates or depreciates in value, and which can be improved, sold or discarded, HR relates to the management of employees in a similar manner. Although this explanation may seem callous, under closer examination it is evident that HR pays as much attention to the "human" half of its name as it does to the "resources" aspect.

HR concerns the approach and ideology a business adopts for the life cycle of its employees and its company culture. Recruiting, selecting, compensating, motivating, maintaining and promoting employees are all part of HR. HR further includes strategic, budget and succession planning. Consequently, to some extent, all businesses with more than one employee have HR concerns and practice HR. Furthermore, a business’ HR philosophy may be multidisciplinary or singular in approach.

For example, an HR ideology may focus more on labor and employee relations than on organizational culture and development. Yet, an effective HR philosophy has to acknowledge that because employees affect every facet of business, and are the human face of business, employees have the greatest impact on productivity and profits.

HR affects profit and productivity.

Therefore, in order to improve productivity and profits and decrease employment related expenses, management must know how to treat employees in a fashion which enhances their value. Ultimately, effective HR helps to maximize profits and productivity by minimizing employment related expenses and maximizing employee performance.

In U.S. industry, modern HR theories date back to the Industrial Revolution. Moreover, since the Industrial Revolution, HR has evolved along with changes in production, distribution, finance and, perhaps most importantly, legal and civil rights. HR poses problems for a business when it fails to understand how these changes influence macro and micro HR practices.

More about Macro and Micro HR will be explained in my next article. Do look out for it.

As a labor and employment attorney and businessperson, Charles Krugel has represented management in hundreds of negotiations, in-house and 3rd party proceedings. Charles has over 13 years of experience in the field and he has run his own successful management side practice for the past 7 years.

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I outlined the steps you should take to prepare yourself for ‘The New Work World’. One of the essentials I mentioned was networking. Why is networking so important?

We all know how long it takes to establish a good business relationship. Doing so is an art. Learning to trust, understanding the give and take, setting the terms for mutual support. These things cannot be done in an instant. They take time. Start now. It will put you ahead of the others. Who are you going to have to rely on in your career and business?

Your colleagues, bosses, subordinates are the most important people as far as your career is concerned.

You will network with some of them because you like them. That’s valuable friendship. But your networking at work must go beyond that. You want to know what is going on in the business. Cultivate those of your colleagues who keep their ears to the ground. They can see the storms ahead.

Your customers, of course, come next.

But do we need to network with them? After all, they ARE customers. The answer is that eighty percent of your new business will come from your existing customers if you cultivate them. They are the second most important networking you will do. They must be high on your networking list.

Your suppliers are almost as important as your customers.

However clever and watchful you are you need the trust of your suppliers to be able to have trust in them. Never underestimate the help that a good supplier can give you if he is on your side – or the damage he can do if he isn’t. “You don’t see what the waiter does in the kitchen.” Your suppliers know what is going on in the business beyond your section of it. Their intelligence is invaluable. Make use of it.

Your shareholders – yes, even if you are not a Director it is sensible to know some of the shareholders.

They have a point of view and it’s a pretty important one as it determines the share price. Shareholders are knowledgeable but beyond their knowledge is a certain sense of the market often not observed by those too close to it. Make use of their knowledge. Use the knowledge of stockbrokers, too. Make friends with one or two. They have as close to an inside track as you can get these days. They don’t always get everything right – none of us does – but they are better informed than most.

Your competitors should be on your network list all the time. All business works well because of a mixture of competition and cooperation. Too much of either is bad. Often there is not enough cooperation. Besides, the next job is more likely to be with a competitor than with anyone else. How many of your competitors do you know?

The media are an essential part of your network.

They must be cultivated long before you need to give them a story. Find out which is the reporter dealing with your business – not just in the press but in TV, too, and on the radio; get to know them; socialize with them. You may become firm friends. That will be a great help to you when you have to mobilise their help.

Notice I have said ‘socialize’. Many people prefer to stick to their circle of friends and keep their non-work-time to themselves. In ‘The New Work World’ you can’t do that. You must be prepared to mix business and pleasure. The successful have been doing it for a long time. Now it’s your turn.

John Bittleston blogs at TerrificMentors.com, a site that provides mentoring for those who wish a change in career or job, wanting to start a business or looking to improve their handling of people (including themselves).

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Entrepreneur: "Why can't we all just get along?"

Rodney King's 1991 plea has become part of our nation's vernacular. While the dialogue on diversity has led to passionate conversations about what it means to be civil, we still struggle with the essence of the question: Why can't we all just get along?

At the core of "getting along" are rules, obligations and norms that, when shared, provide the foundation for strong, stable relationships and flourishing communities. Through such conventions of civility, we learn about what polite behavior and manners mean to the community. Some might say these rules provide a sense of order; others would suggest that civility fosters feelings of well-being and positive relationships.

So, what can we do to foster workplaces that are more civil and respectful? First, we can have conversations about what being civil means for different people. This would provide some sense of shared norms, with the ultimate goal of creating respectful, valued relationships, strengthening communication, and fostering interpersonal and team collaboration. Some simple actions that we can all take include:

- noticing your point of view, particularly when you're holding tight to it, and making a point to seek out and truly listen to perspectives different than yours;

- speaking up when others are excluded.

Being civil means being constantly aware of others and weaving restraint, respect and consideration into this awareness. Civility is attending to the community at large in our everyday interactions. The goal is moving beyond politeness, tiptoeing around conversations so as not to offend, or saying what you think you're supposed to say, to more authentic sharing.

The Unwritten Rules of Civility [Entrepreneur]

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With steadily increasing global competition, it is more important than ever that each employee in your organization have a clear understanding of the company’s overall vision, be in alignment with the organizational goals, and have identified how their day to day activities contribute to the accomplishment of these objectives.

No longer do people have the luxury of arriving at work, completing their assigned tasks, and going home, thinking, magically, that everything will continue to work out as before. We are experiencing a rapidly changing business climate, which demands shifts in attitudes and creative thinking in order to meet the challenges of the future.

How can your company accomplish this throughout your organization?

Beginning, as author Steven Covey, reminds us, “with the end in mind.” As an executive, you must ask yourself and your team what the “ideal” looks like in each key area. In sales, for example, what would be the ideal situation? How would it appear? What about manufacturing, administration, and distribution? If everything were operating perfectly, how would you describe it?

Bringing key management together for this type of strategic planing session will result in your having identified a crystal clear vision for the entire organization, with each and every segment of the business functioning at it’s optimal level.

This visioning exercise can then be adapted and used by each department to create a “mini” version for their own area of responsibility and, further, to the individual, enabling she or he to relate their job to the bigger picture as well as their personal goals.

Once you have a clear vision of what the ideal would be in each area of your organization, the next step is to identify several goals by which you can measure your progress. For the sake of this exercise, we’ll use a one year time frame, since this is a reasonable period to institute change, while allowing you to experience success early on.

Looking at each segment of your business, what would have to happen to accomplish your ideal vision? If, for example, in distribution, the ideal was to achieve 100% on time delivery and no more than a 72 hour turnaround, what are the measurable goals that would support it’s accomplishment?

When setting goals, it is important to use the S.M.A.R.T. method , whereby each goals is Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timed. Specifically, what will you accomplish by when? Then, from your list of goals, you can develop 30–90 day milestones and further reduce those to identify the daily actions that must be taken in order to succeed.

For example, part of the vision for your sales department might be, “To be the best in our industry. To be the ‘gold standard’ by which our competition measures itself against.” This will likely translate to an increase in sales, improved customer retention, better referrals and so on.

From this, the sales woman in your New Jersey territory may, looking at her personal vision and goals, decide she wants to earn 50% more in commissions and calculates that this would require XX dollars in sales each quarter. From this, she has determined, based on past performance, how many sales per month she needs and, further, how many presentations she needs to make each week. This breaks down further into how many calls she needs to make each day in order to accomplish this, what additional systems she might implement to achieve better customer retention, and which networking functions would best support her vision.

With each and every individual, in each and every department, holding the same, clear vision and knowing their role in it’s accomplishment, you will experience a level of success beyond your wildest expectations.

Jim Donovan, is the author of several critically acclaimed self-help and business books, published in 22 countries, a highly sought after motivational speaker, and the President of Jim Donovan Associates, a peak performance consulting company that offers programs and services to help companies grow and prosper in today's competitive marketplace. To learn more visit JimDonovanAssociates.com.

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In this article, I shall describe the most important attributes and activities to ensure success. I define success as being popular, powerful, rich, free and happy. A series of disciplines can show you the path but only you can tread it.

“I can provide the recipes but you must do the cooking.”

We all want to be popular. Every human being longs to be loved. Some deny that they feel this way. They really need help because they are denying a basic requirement of life. There is nothing wrong with seeking popularity but it must be sought in moderation. The desire becomes dangerous when it becomes more important than everything else. Most people go through short phases of desperately needing to be popular. That's all right as long as the need doesn't last. A normal wish to be liked by our friends and family is healthy. Indeed, if families devoted more effort to being nice to each other much pain and suffering would be spared.

Think about the people you like. Do they talk about themselves all the time? Of course not. If they did you wouldn't like them. So to be popular you must think of the other person. Most of us are wrapped up in ourselves a lot of the time. At its worst it is called selfishness and it is a serious problem. If you think it is someone else’s problem, you are probably wrong; it is more likely a problem for you.

Interesting people are nearly always popular. An interesting person is one who asks you a lot of questions about yourself, your life, your work, your play, your ambitions, your fears. They show a genuine interest in your views. They want your opinions. They may themselves have many excellent stories to tell; they may be wise beyond their years. If they are clever they will work their stories and wisdom into the way they generate your interest – through the questions they ask you. Success or failure for them is the response you give. It is rare indeed for someone not to respond when the subject being discussed is the most interesting in the world – the person themselves.

Interesting people are generally popular, but not always. They need to be nice as well. That means dealing decently with people, showing concern and care, helping when a hand is needed. That help must consist of two quite distinct elements.

One is demeanour - how you appear to others. In a nutshell, smile. People who smile genuinely generate warmth and a special, non-threatening intimacy. There’s another aspect to being nice, being polite. The encyclopaedia says that the purpose of politeness is to make all of the parties to an exchange relaxed and comfortable with one another. Think of politeness as giving face to the other person. We do it to those we meet socially and don’t know very well. Do we do it to our loved ones, within the family, to our colleagues at work? We should. The rude person, however loved, is never popular.

The other way to help I call ‘sleeves’ – roll them up and get on with it. Some people are better at one, some at the other. If you can do both you will be truly popular.

Will being popular make you successful? By itself, no, but it is a prerequisite to the other four forms of success. Without it, don’t bother going any further.

John Bittleston blogs at TerrificMentors.com, a site that provides mentoring for those who wish a change in career or job, wanting to start a business or looking to improve their handling of people (including themselves).

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BusinessKnowHow: Networking is about creating an extended family. It's about developing connections, caring about people, increasing the size of your "tribe." Most of all, networking is not the awkward social ritual many of us think it is--networking is actually FUN!

Practice "Palm Up" Networking. When you network, are you giving, or grasping? Palm up networking embodies the spirit of service, of giving and wanting nothing in return. The universe has a perfect accounting system. Give to others, it'll all come back to you in time.

Do Daily Appreciation. Appreciate at least one person daily. Sometimes I do this via e-mail so I can be thorough. Simply tell someone how much you appreciate who they are, what they do, whatever about them moves you. They'll be flattered and you'll feel great.

Equalize Yourself with Others. We're all equal. Practice equalizing yourself with others--this will enable you to more comfortably interact with others, and to reach out to people of all walks of life.

Rolodex Dip. Flip through your contact database and pick a name. Then think of all the things you like about them. Now call them up to see how they are doing. They'll be surprised and delighted.

Pick a "Sensei of the Day": Your sensei can be a person, a pet, a plant, it doesn't matter. The important thing is to acknowledge that there is much to learn and you are being offered valuable lessons constantly.

Six Essentials for Networking [BusinessKnowHow]

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Rajesh Shakya: There are numerous ways to fail as a project manager. Many Project Managers just live with their job as project manager and don’t actually manage the projects. Many Project Managers simply don’t get time to get updated with latest technology tools and best practices. Let’s take a look at some of the ways in particular that project managers can succeed.

Use project management tools effectively- Just to name a few for enterprise project management to personal project management- Microsoft Project, QualBridge Enterprise.

Manage your time well- Speaking of time, first of all you personally should be organized and achieve the desired outcome on time and on budget, then your project team will follow you.

Conduct meetings effectively- Meetings are necessary in completing projects - project planning meeting, stakeholder meetings, project team meeting, weekly briefing, daily scrum and so on.

Maintain a sense of humor- Activities in a project may go wrong. But you have to maintain a sense of humor so that you don’t do damage to your health, to your team, to your organization, and to the project itself.

Give and receive criticism- Learning the emotions of each of the team members is very important. Similarly, the ability to receive criticism is crucial for project managers.

Improve decision-making skills- You should be quick to give decisions and the decisions should be right, because your team members look to you for some approvals, choices from many options and prioritize activities.

Be adaptive- Accept any good suggestions if adaptable with project time, budget and resources.

Trust yourself- Trusting yourself and also team members is a vital component to effective project management.

Success Tips to Project Managers [Rajesh Shakya]

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Inc: Most working professionals think it's important to have a sense of humor around the office, a recent survey found.

Among nearly 500 full and part-time office workers surveyed, 97 percent said they preferred workplace managers who could make them laugh, while 87 percent said their bosses were pretty funny, according to Robert Half International, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based staffing services firm.

"Managers who can laugh at themselves or difficult situations are often seen as more approachable and in touch with the challenges their teams face," Max Messmer, chairman and CEO of Robert Half International. He said a good sense of humor helped build rapport among staff and eased otherwise stressful situations.

Workers Prefer Funny Bosses [Inc]

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Entrepreneurs: I've worked with entrepreneurs for more than 25 years, and most of the successful ones have created and developed their products on their own and love being independent. "Being my own boss" is the answer I usually get when I ask them what they like best about being an entrepreneur.

But in fact, successful entrepreneurs are not Lone Rangers -- which, for inexperienced entrepreneurs, should be regarded as a good thing. I've talked to more than 100 successful entrepreneurs over the past 10 years, and they frequently don't have a lot of business management experience, don't have any more money than the average person and typically have never tried to introduce a product before.

The key moment in their entrepreneurial process has been when they recognized their shortcomings and sought help from other people. That help is exactly what they need to succeed, and it can come in hundreds of forms, such as these:

A manufacturer willing to extend dating on orders
An industry connection who helps you fund your initial production run
A retailer who heavily promotes your product at its expense

You should think about the kind of help you will need right at the start, before you even begin to introduce a product to market. If you can prototype and make your product at home, you can probably survive on your own until you're ready to sell. But most entrepreneurs have products that require a little more investment upfront, and they could go broke if they wait too long to get experienced advice. Not only that, but getting help early will prevent a lot of mistakes in creating your product, and this will help you save money for the crucial tasks that lie ahead.

Teaming Up for Success [Entrepreneurs]

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About Entrepreneurs: No question about it; you provide one of the most valuable services imaginable. However, without an ongoing and ever-increasing number of new, quality prospects, you'll eventually run out of people with whom to share the benefits. You might even end up asking yourself that most dreaded of questions in the world of sales, which is, "Who do I talk to next, now that my original list of names has run out?" That thought can be downright discouraging, can't it? Then again, it need not happen.

Develop profitable, win/win relationships with practically every new person you meet - whether one on one or in a social setting.

How to Cultivate A Network of Endless Referrals [About Entrepreneurs]

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