Many of the posts I put up are not anything unknown or even new. I cannot and do not claim to be able to re-invent the wheel! I can however help clean, straighten and polish a dirty or neglected wheel and help it spin forward. There is no doubt in my mind that everyone has what it takes to be successful and reach their goals. Achieve their wildest dreams! Please use this blog and the resources behind it to get back on track and/or keep yourself moving forward. Post comments questions suggestions. Get involved!
Thanks
Thursday, September 13, 2007
INSANE!
I was reminded this morning of one of my all time favorite things by a great man..
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.
Many don't realize that they are insane! Read the definition again and take a look at your activities. Is there something that you are doing that just doesn't end up coming out exactly how you envisioned it? Your vision, end result or goal is most like a good one. But the process may be flawed. Don't give up! Anything is possible! If you don't have a process or plan then that is obviously the problem..STOP! Develop a plan. If you have one then STOP! Take the time to re-evaluate it. Either way, PUT IT IN WRITING. Then once you have created your plan or have re-evaluated a current plan get the input of trusted professionals. Your personal coach, manager or mentor are some of the best to share your plan with and get some objective feedback.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.
Many don't realize that they are insane! Read the definition again and take a look at your activities. Is there something that you are doing that just doesn't end up coming out exactly how you envisioned it? Your vision, end result or goal is most like a good one. But the process may be flawed. Don't give up! Anything is possible! If you don't have a process or plan then that is obviously the problem..STOP! Develop a plan. If you have one then STOP! Take the time to re-evaluate it. Either way, PUT IT IN WRITING. Then once you have created your plan or have re-evaluated a current plan get the input of trusted professionals. Your personal coach, manager or mentor are some of the best to share your plan with and get some objective feedback.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
How to Get "Mo"
What makes you want to do what you do when you do it?
That is the mystery of motivation. Motivation is the drive that impels a person to take action. It is an internal need that is satisfied by an external expression.
When you experience something and you want to get some "mo" -that is "mo"-tivation! The truly motivated person wants to take action to either get what he wants, or to avoid what he doesn't want.
There are three ways people can become motivated. The first is the K.I.T.A. method of motivation (K.I.T.A. stands for "kick in the anatomy"). It is based on the fear of punishment. The K.I.T.A. method motivates people to move away from something painful or distasteful. It pushes them into action. An example of K.I.T.A. motivation is when the boss threatens to fire you unless you stop showing up late for work.
The second motivation technique is the 4Ps Principle. It uses praise, prestige, promotion, or paycheck to motivate people. The 4Ps pull people toward something by promising a reward for taking action. An example of the 4Ps Principle: "Bill, you are too good an employee to be late for work all the time. And when you show up on time for an entire month, I am going to give you a promotion and a raise. And I will announce it in the company newsletter!"
The K.I.T.A. and the 4Ps Principle methods of motivation both work, but they are not as effective as the third method. There is no special name for this one. It is just plain ol' self-motivation. It involves finding a personal reason, deep inside yourself, to take action.
Most people go through life being pushed or pulled by outward circumstances. They do what they do in response to what happens to them. Like a billiard ball, they are bouncing off the rails of life or falling into the pockets -all in response to the positive or negative cues of their outward environment!
An effectively motivated person, however, is self-motivated! He or she is not like a wheelbarrow (being pushed) or a wagon (being pulled). Instead, a dynamically motivated person is like an automobile -he is driven by his own power source from within!
That is the mystery of motivation. Motivation is the drive that impels a person to take action. It is an internal need that is satisfied by an external expression.
When you experience something and you want to get some "mo" -that is "mo"-tivation! The truly motivated person wants to take action to either get what he wants, or to avoid what he doesn't want.
There are three ways people can become motivated. The first is the K.I.T.A. method of motivation (K.I.T.A. stands for "kick in the anatomy"). It is based on the fear of punishment. The K.I.T.A. method motivates people to move away from something painful or distasteful. It pushes them into action. An example of K.I.T.A. motivation is when the boss threatens to fire you unless you stop showing up late for work.
The second motivation technique is the 4Ps Principle. It uses praise, prestige, promotion, or paycheck to motivate people. The 4Ps pull people toward something by promising a reward for taking action. An example of the 4Ps Principle: "Bill, you are too good an employee to be late for work all the time. And when you show up on time for an entire month, I am going to give you a promotion and a raise. And I will announce it in the company newsletter!"
The K.I.T.A. and the 4Ps Principle methods of motivation both work, but they are not as effective as the third method. There is no special name for this one. It is just plain ol' self-motivation. It involves finding a personal reason, deep inside yourself, to take action.
Most people go through life being pushed or pulled by outward circumstances. They do what they do in response to what happens to them. Like a billiard ball, they are bouncing off the rails of life or falling into the pockets -all in response to the positive or negative cues of their outward environment!
An effectively motivated person, however, is self-motivated! He or she is not like a wheelbarrow (being pushed) or a wagon (being pulled). Instead, a dynamically motivated person is like an automobile -he is driven by his own power source from within!
The 10 Question Business Plan
Writing a business plan for your Solo Entrepreneur business doesn't have to be a daunting project. If you can answer 10 straightforward questions about your business, you can be ready to go. The key to success is to answer all of the questions in enough depth that if a friend asked you to invest in this business, you'd say yes. Most importantly, make sure you record your business plan somehow...whether you write it by hand, type it into your computer, or put it on stick notes on your wall. Keep it someplace handy where you can refer to it when you are making important business decisions. And, make sure you review it monthly--or, even better, weekly--and update it at least annually.
1. Your Dreams: What do you want your business to provide for you? (think time, money, freedom, who you work with) Be specific--how much money, how many hours, when do you want to "retire".
2. Customers: Who are your customers and what do they want/need?
3. Products and Services: What products/services will you provide to meet customer's needs?
4. Markets: Where are your customers and what do you know about them as a group? "Where" might be geographic, it might be what kind of places they hang out, or where they go to find products or services like yours. What is their age, income, gender, hobbies, family structure, etc.
5. Your Style: How will you reach customers and what will you say? Your methods of reaching customers needs to match with where your customers are--and with a message that they can relate to. Marketing, Advertising, Networking...
6. Competitors: Where else are your customers likely to get this need met? Find out all you can about how your competitors price, market, and how they provide service. The more you know about your competitors the stronger you will be able to overcome objections. You are the expert.
7. Your Uniqueness: How will your product/service meet customer's needs differently than your competitors? Consider how your personal uniqueness impacts that.
8. Your Abilities: Of the skills necessary to run your business, what do you do well, and what do you need help with?
9. External Resources: What people/technology/services will support you in the skills you need help with? What do you need to succeed?
10. Fulfilling your Dreams: How will your business provide the kind of working environment you desire, both in how much time you spend, how you perform your work, and how much money you make? Here's where the rubber meets the road--make sure you can show how you will sell X amount of product or service at Y price, cover your expenses, and reach the goals you set in 1. above.
Once you can answer all these questions, have it reviewed by some trusted, experienced professionals who will give you feedback. Family and friends are ok to share it with but professionals will give more objective feedback. Consider a business coach, as one such resource! James Rogers at Simply Bridges Group, Inc. is one I highly recommend. 407-542-6585. Feel free to use me as well!
1. Your Dreams: What do you want your business to provide for you? (think time, money, freedom, who you work with) Be specific--how much money, how many hours, when do you want to "retire".
2. Customers: Who are your customers and what do they want/need?
3. Products and Services: What products/services will you provide to meet customer's needs?
4. Markets: Where are your customers and what do you know about them as a group? "Where" might be geographic, it might be what kind of places they hang out, or where they go to find products or services like yours. What is their age, income, gender, hobbies, family structure, etc.
5. Your Style: How will you reach customers and what will you say? Your methods of reaching customers needs to match with where your customers are--and with a message that they can relate to. Marketing, Advertising, Networking...
6. Competitors: Where else are your customers likely to get this need met? Find out all you can about how your competitors price, market, and how they provide service. The more you know about your competitors the stronger you will be able to overcome objections. You are the expert.
7. Your Uniqueness: How will your product/service meet customer's needs differently than your competitors? Consider how your personal uniqueness impacts that.
8. Your Abilities: Of the skills necessary to run your business, what do you do well, and what do you need help with?
9. External Resources: What people/technology/services will support you in the skills you need help with? What do you need to succeed?
10. Fulfilling your Dreams: How will your business provide the kind of working environment you desire, both in how much time you spend, how you perform your work, and how much money you make? Here's where the rubber meets the road--make sure you can show how you will sell X amount of product or service at Y price, cover your expenses, and reach the goals you set in 1. above.
Once you can answer all these questions, have it reviewed by some trusted, experienced professionals who will give you feedback. Family and friends are ok to share it with but professionals will give more objective feedback. Consider a business coach, as one such resource! James Rogers at Simply Bridges Group, Inc. is one I highly recommend. 407-542-6585. Feel free to use me as well!
Sales Trainer, Motivator extrordinaire...
Everybody is a sales person whether or not it is in their job title or job description. To be successful in what you do for a living you need to not only sell your product, service or idea but you also need to "sell" yourself to your clients. You need to prospect and prospect effectively. There is a process to how you conduct your business to get results and it is, like it or not, a sales process. I've always enjoyed helping others sell better and achieve more. In past jobs I was given opportunities to create and present different activities to teach and train. They were very successful and won national recognition. It has been too long since I was able to do what I enjoy so I want to start to do it again. My goal is to help you uncover hidden strengths and become the best sales professional you can be! I will use what I've learned and what is known from others to be great selling techniques etc.. Keep coming back because this will never stop growing and I offer you the opportunity to get in now before you have to schedule me and my services 2 years in advance because of my demand!
Cell Phones in my life
Seems like I always end up working with cell phones! I got my retail sales job right after finishing my business degree with Sprint (then Sprint PCS). In less than 2 months I was amongst the top 5 sales reps in the Philadelphia market achieving over 100% of my quota. I was given the responsibility of senior sales rep at 3 months and was responsible for training and managing the sales reps in my store, and when the manager got fired I managed that store, but without the title. When the store closed I was offered a few open positions as top candidate. I even had a couple of directors fighting over getting me! I chose the marketing position and was responsible for the corporate stores in the entire Philadelphia market. I did this for a little over a year until Sprint PCS laid off most all of the marketing staff across the country. I still miss this job as I attained some great achievements. One was training and coaching a sales rep to be the winner of a national contest in professional retail selling skills (their canned sales process). This stemmed from a refresher course I was asked to create and implement that was a huge success quoted as "better than the trainers classes" and got national headquarters attention. Another benchmark in this position was my creation of W.A.R. We Are Retail. War was a brainchild where I took corporate efforts and had a 1 day war themed interactive training for the entire staff of corporate retail. I could do an entire post on this one! In a nutshell it was the most effective way to train the sales, customer service and management what that quarters corporate efforts were such as new promotional plans, phones, contests marketing and advertising. It too was launched nationwide with slightly different names and themes which was obviously to say it was their own and not mine!? I loved having weekly meetings with managers to convey sales strategies and marketing efforts for current promotions. I know my work in this position increased sales. I also know that my motivation and reward programs including quarterly sales kick off parties were a huge part in the success and sales in that market. Their loss!
I went through a few different jobs including a couple attempts at my own business which failed due to a few different factors I'd rather not get into right now. The last attempt was moving to Orlando, FL and running a company for a couple of investor friends. Well it never was exactly what they said it would be but I tried my best and to make a long story short I was let go suddenly on a tuesday afternoon because they thought they had all the answers and I wasn't it.. Shortly thereafter these quote unqoute friends asked me to help them get the business back on track from home and part time admitting they were wrong for letting me go. So I did as little as I had to to show some effort because I knew it was a lost cause. They didn't want to make the changes, and put forth the effort, necessary to make it a success let alone pay me what I'm worth and give me the power I had and have to make it successful. It went belly up! It ran fine for the 6-7 months I was there and strangely went belly up within a month after I was let go... imagine that!
Well that brings me to the present where I currently run a cell phone store in College Park just outside of downtown Orlando. I do not own the company nor do I have much, if any, input into how the business is run or anything. Seems to me that whatever I say falls on deaf ears or is somehow twisted a little bit to "make it someone else's idea" funny how that happens! Don't get me wrong the owner is one of the best guys I've met in my 4 years in Orlando, FL and I am proud to call him my friend. It just hurts me to see him struggle when there is a possibility for so much more and I know it. Not saying the business is run improperly, just that there is obvious things that could and should be changed to make is more profitable, smoother operation all around more successful. I still consider this my main source of income and I wake up every day praying and wishing that things will get better and this wireless business can be what it is capable of being. For now it offers customers one of the best experiences to deal with their wireless needs. Competetive pricing on phones and accessories. Service plans for T-Mobile, Sprint, Helio, at&t ever Disney mobile and Sirius satellite radio! All of the experience sets it apart from every corporate store and other independent dealers in the areas. We also provide cell phone repair which is rare and an amazing way for customers to save money. If I didn't work there I would still shop here and use the services here.. well.. assuming there was someone as good as me behind the counter everyday!!
I went through a few different jobs including a couple attempts at my own business which failed due to a few different factors I'd rather not get into right now. The last attempt was moving to Orlando, FL and running a company for a couple of investor friends. Well it never was exactly what they said it would be but I tried my best and to make a long story short I was let go suddenly on a tuesday afternoon because they thought they had all the answers and I wasn't it.. Shortly thereafter these quote unqoute friends asked me to help them get the business back on track from home and part time admitting they were wrong for letting me go. So I did as little as I had to to show some effort because I knew it was a lost cause. They didn't want to make the changes, and put forth the effort, necessary to make it a success let alone pay me what I'm worth and give me the power I had and have to make it successful. It went belly up! It ran fine for the 6-7 months I was there and strangely went belly up within a month after I was let go... imagine that!
Well that brings me to the present where I currently run a cell phone store in College Park just outside of downtown Orlando. I do not own the company nor do I have much, if any, input into how the business is run or anything. Seems to me that whatever I say falls on deaf ears or is somehow twisted a little bit to "make it someone else's idea" funny how that happens! Don't get me wrong the owner is one of the best guys I've met in my 4 years in Orlando, FL and I am proud to call him my friend. It just hurts me to see him struggle when there is a possibility for so much more and I know it. Not saying the business is run improperly, just that there is obvious things that could and should be changed to make is more profitable, smoother operation all around more successful. I still consider this my main source of income and I wake up every day praying and wishing that things will get better and this wireless business can be what it is capable of being. For now it offers customers one of the best experiences to deal with their wireless needs. Competetive pricing on phones and accessories. Service plans for T-Mobile, Sprint, Helio, at&t ever Disney mobile and Sirius satellite radio! All of the experience sets it apart from every corporate store and other independent dealers in the areas. We also provide cell phone repair which is rare and an amazing way for customers to save money. If I didn't work there I would still shop here and use the services here.. well.. assuming there was someone as good as me behind the counter everyday!!
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Ink Jet cartridges..
THIS IS JUST HISTORY.. it never got off the ground.Don't you hate it when you are printing something and your printer beeps at you saying low ink?! Then you have to go to the store look through all the different brands and try and find the cheapest one cause you know you don't need to waste money on ink!
Well I don't give the store employees the satisfaction of seeing me hunt through those stupid little boxes hanging on the wall anymore! I use Free Ink Forever. http://www.freeinkforever.com/ I was paying $58 plus tax for my color and black cartridges on my HP printer and I do that about 5 times a year. So it was costing me $290 a year! Plus tax.. plus gas and time going to and from the store. With Free Ink Forever I paid $99 to sign up and $15.95 shipping and handling. They sent me 2 new ink jet cartridges for my printer with envelopes and everything to send my empty ones back. All I ever have to pay for again is $15.95 shipping and handling and I'll always have a back up set of cartridges. I get this for the life of my printer! No more going out to the store either! Obviously I did the math cause you know I'm no rich man (yet!) and even with the sign up fee I'll be paying $178.75 for the first year. That saved me $111.25 right there! Wait it gets better. The sign up fee is one time so in year 2 of my printer with this deal I'll only be paying $79.75.. that's saving me $210.25! add that to the $111.25 and over 2 years I'm saving $321.50. That's like a free car payment! or the Electric bill in the summer! It's a no brainer!! If you use ink jet cartridges and want to say money then go to Free Ink Forever http://www.freeinkforever.com/ USE PROMO CODE 1000 so they know I sent you. I get a lil somethin for everyone I refer.. If you want to let me know and I'll tell you how you can make a lil somethin extra too!
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