Archive for the 'Best Practices' Category

Oct 24 2009

STOP HIRING CONSULTANTS!

STOP HIRING CONSULTANTS

(for the wrong reasons!)

 

Dear Business Owners and Managers: Stop with the knee-jerk decisions to hire consultants. They will not help you through the economy unless they are specialists at bringing sales in your door!

Until at least a couple of years down the road,  there is no need for “communication consultants” or “management trainers” or “personal growth and development consultants” or people to write your mission statement, your vision statement, your annual reports or your “white papers.”

How do I know? Because I’ve done all of the above (and made a successful career of it), but I also have run my own business for 35 years, and helped to start hundreds of others. I’ve run management and communication and personal growth and development training programs for 20,000 people. And I’ll be the first to tell you not to waste your time and money on these services, in this economy.

There is only one thing you need consultant support for these days, and that is for services that bring you sales. Period.

That having also been said,  I will be so bold as to suggest that communications and marketing generalists are also not the kinds of “sales consultants” to trust. Find a specialist. Do not EVER hire a marketing or communications consulting firm to do your website. Get a website specialist. Do not EVER hire a website specialist to write your website content. Get a writer who understands sales.

A good, proven commercial / marketing / advertising / website writer can do more for your business than all the ad agencies, marketing and communication consultants and non-sales trainers you can find put together! You need writing help? Hire a writer!

There is a growing temptation to panic at the financial strangulation your cutbacks have created, and grasp at any outside service that –like the frustrated wife whose husband  was a marketing executive and could only ever sit on the edge of the bed and talk about how great it would be– you simply cannot afford right now.

Promises do not perform. Providers with track-records for creating and delivering sales perform, and are worth paying! Look for a successful writer who is a quick study and who shows you she or he can learn your business promptly, who has a customer benefit focus instead of a chest-beating, “how great your business is” and product / service features focus.

You want someone who can help you develop sales strategies and and create the tactics that support that thinking. You want someone who is not afraid to work weekends or evenings to get the job done.

You want someone who will take the extra step, go the extra mile, and give you more than what you expect … someone who is both a talented writer and an example of what you want and expect from a sales pro.

Anyone who fits this profile,  by the way, should also be receptive to at least partial compensation based on performance. I know a lot of consultants will hate me for this post, but –down deep– they’ll have to admit that I speak the truth.

 

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Hal@TheWriterWorks.com or comment below.

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

Make today a GREAT Day for someone!

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Oct 22 2009

RAZZMATAZZ IS DEAD.

If You’re Thinking

                          

Fireworks,

                           

Think Again!

                                                                                    

 

     If you’re one of those theatrical entrepreneur types,  and you’re not getting the sales you deserve, you might want to consider trading in the Broadway-belt-it-out and marching band music, the 3-D glasses, dogs and ponies, and PowerPoint specials for a much higher-impact (and, btw, much less expensive) presentation tool. It’s called truth.

The times have changed.

The economy has changed.

The marketplace has changed.

Buying motives

                    

have changed

                                                                        
(though they’re still emotionally-triggered, not rationally evaluated).
                                                      

And sales prospects and repeat sales customers

are rapidly retreating from RAZZMATAZZ!

     Out- of-touch-with-reality car dealers and furniture dealers  are still tangled up in their underwear shooting 0ff desperation-anchored messages, thinking that s~o~m~e~h~o~w they will manage to come up with the magic super sensational presentation ingredient that will send hoards of people charging into the parking lots and showrooms. Those days are over.

     People want to buy products and services that speak the truth  to them about value and performance and potential. They want every sales presentation to tell them what’s in it for them, and they want it to be the truth. Smoke and mirrors are out. The truth is in.

     I don’t care if the truck I want is a gas guzzler  as long as I know that it is going in, and as long as it’s a reasonable gas guzzler in my mind, and as long as the sales rep is being honest about it with me . . . but don’t give me a big come-on and a spielful of exaggerations. I’m not interested in how it compares with a hybrid; I don’t want a hybrid. Just the truth will do.

     Oh, and you could have the best furniture price deal in 57 states,  or since the earth died from global warming, and give me fat rebates and 20 years to pay. You can plunk me in a lounge chair, give me a pino colada and have six beautiful women fan me and feed me grapes while I watch a 3-D revolving stage of perfect room settings.

     Each setting can be in perfect lighting  with perfect background music and perfect chocolate chip cookie smells wafting around perfect flower arrangements, and not only will it get you nowhere and cost you untold expenses, it will make me walk out . . . because all I wanted was a pair of nightstands that will look nice next to my bed.

     Sure I’ll drink the drink,  smile at the help and grab a flower on my way to the door, but I only wanted something I can put my glasses, alarm clock and a lamp on. The whole bedroom I don’t need. The time-wasting presentation I don’t want. Good-bye, Yellow Brick Road!      

     The truth.  The truth is that evasive, unfancy bit of product and service (and sales rep) authenticity that caters to me the customer and the evidence of performance that I’m looking for. It does mean, of course, that the sales rep IS going to have to listen to me and deal with my interests, instead of telling me about hers or his.

     I would never admit it, but I will probably still buy that truck because I think I look good driving it.  Of course I’m going to want to like the sales rep too for being honest with me, and I will certainly need some good list of features to wave in my green family’s faces to justify my purchase.

     The nightstands?  Give me good honest quality for a good price and make sure they look okay with the rest of my room. Please don’t waste my time or my brain with B.S. and a ton and a half of RAZZMATAZZ. It’ll cost you the sale. Besides, RAZZMATAZZ is dead!

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Hal@Businessworks.US     302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

 Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Oct 21 2009

Business Sign of the Times?

“Sorry, it’s NOT  FOR  SALE!”

                                                      

     Think about it.  Almost everything you do and say every day is a form or function or process of  sales, or selling. (And, believe me, the more you think about it, the more you’ll agree!)

     So reality is  that if you’re not relying heavily on customer and client referrals these days, why not just label everything in your store, showroom, briefcase or website as “NOT FOR SALE!” ??? 

     You already know  that the best source of new business is old business … or current business (that translates to targeting past and present customers for repeat sales AND referrals!)

     Past and present customers  are people and organizations that already know you and rely or have relied on you and your company. They have already accepted your ability to deliver what you promise, when you promise. (Also known as “branding”!) They are aware of your reputation. They are aware of your competition and have chosen you now or in the past. 

     You don’t need to “dog and pony show”  or razzmatazz them. You DO need to remind them — clearly and often — how much you appreciate them and their support and patronage and confidence and trust. You DO need to be sure they are still totally pleased with your offerings, and find out what you need to do in order to make sure, if they’re not. 

. . . you DO need to convince them that you will stand on your head and spit wooden nickels for them if that’s what they need, in order to continue counting them as loyal customers.     

     The bottom line is  that you don’t need to convince these people to do business with you, but you DO need to convince them that you will stand on your head and spit wooden nickles for them if that’s what they need, in order to continue counting them as loyal customers or clients — and to be assured that they will continue to refer you to their friends, family, neighbors,  associates, employees, suppliers … even (for publicity and news release coverage sake) media contacts!

     Should you still cold call?  Absolutely! Should you rely on cold calls? Absolutely NOT! You always need to be out there registering positive first impressions with prospects. But remember that the bulk of your sales (studies show close to 80%) will come from established customers and clients.

     Ah, and there are fringe benefits  connected with focusing on present and past customers. Chasing repeat sales and referrals from those who have come to you before or who are presently dealing with you will prove more productive, easier to communicate with and influence, less time-consuming, and almost always more pleasant. Not so sure? How much easier is it for you to spend time with old friends than to make new ones?                                          

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Input always welcome Hal@TheWriterWorks.com “Blog” in subject line or comment below. Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You! Make it a GREAT Day! Hal

Subscribe FREE to this blog list-protected RSS email…OR $.99/mo Amazon KindleCreative? Add YOUR 7 words to the 377 day 7Word Story (under RSS) Get new Nightengale Press book THE ART OF GRANDPARENTING See:

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Oct 20 2009

MESSAGE FOR THE BOSS’S WALL…

 Right this minute,

                                   

is what you are doing

                                     

helping you get to

                                        

where you want to go?

                               

     Oh, c’mon now,  I can’t be that productive every single minute; I’d be a robot! Yes, this is true; you’d be a robot; well, let’s say it’s  probably true, but you CAN be productive a whole lot more than you are right now and a whole lot more than you think you can be…and, uh, not be a robot.

     Here’s the trick:  Focus your brain on trying to be “here and now” as much as you possibly can, every passing moment. No, you’re not likely to succeed at it 100% of the time. And even 50% of the time may prove daunting. But if you are at 10% and go to 20%, that’s a major victory that will yield major benefits. Work your way to 30%, 4o%? You’re headed for the mountaintop!

     Why “here and now”?  Because everything else is fantasy, and you’re living in a reality world. When your dominant thoughts revolve around past and / or future events, ideas, experiences most of the time, it’s like trying to relocate Disneyland into a war zone.

     Your focus is not in tune  with what’s happening around you, and that’s wasted time and effort that you will never get back. (Er, in case you DO figure out how to get it back, call me collect immediately; I’ll make us both billionaires!)

     Sure, Hal, you make it sound easy,  but it’s pretty hard to not get worried about future stuff or to avoid dwelling on the past. How can I do that?

     Ah, funny you should ask.  First of all, recognize that we are talking about CHOICE. Your behavior is your choice. It can be conscious or unconscious, but it is a choice … or it’s a choice that sets up the behavior. Okay, so recognizing it’s a choice means also realizing that it’s as simple to choose to be tuned in to the present as it is to choose not to be.

     Next: Take ONE MINUTE out of your nerve-racking fast-lane life  and take some deep breaths. That will help, you get in touch with the most immediate “here and now” thing happening in your entire life: your breathing!

     If you do this in earnest, I guarantee you positive results, and I guarantee you it will help you get yourself focused on “here and now.”  IT CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOR THE BETTER RIGHT NOW IN JUST ONE MINUTE!

     You will be more productive more often, starting right this minute!  What have you got to lose? Wasted efforts? GO FOR IT!   

# # #               

Hal@TheWriterWorks.com

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

Make it a GREAT day for someone!

2 responses so far

Oct 19 2009

What ARE you thinking???

“As a man thinketh, so is he.”

— THE OLD TESTAMENT

                                                       

“You become

                                             

what you think about.”

— EARL NIGHTINGALE

                                                                                           

     Don’t roll your eyes  and raise your sarcasm to a fever pitch until you try it. If you REALLY try it with your whole heart and soul and a burning desire, you will prove that initial resistance attitude wrong. All wrong.

You will do it IF YOU WILL DO IT! 

                                           

     And what do you guess  is the only thing that can keep you from doing it, from becoming what you think about? Well, now, if you know me, you can probably guess the answer.

     If you’re a new or infrequent visitor to this blog, you may not know that I constantly bang away at the realization you may want to consider (that behavioral science studies have proven conclusively) that all human behavior is a conscious or unconscious choice.

     If you pretend  that you are unable to become what you think about (now, I do mean really and truly brainwash yourself, and mercilessly drive yourself to the finish line, vs. a token ten-minute or ten-hour or ten-day or ten-week or ten-month commitment), then you must know that “un-ableness” is a behavior.

… and doesn’t that then make it a conscious or unconscious choice? 

Of course it does.

So why doesn’t EVERYone make the choice to become what she or he thinks about?

A)  Most people don’t choose to realize it’s a choice.

B)  Many people don’t choose to accept that it’s a choice, and

C)  Even those who do choose to realize and accept that the behavior of becoming what you think about is a choice choose to make it hard for themselves for that to happen.

— ————————

     It’s just as easy, often easier in fact,  to consciously choose for a behavior to be easy as it is to consciously or unconsciously choose for it to be hard.

     So, let’s suppose you’re on the hunt  for a relationship (love or business makes no difference to the process) or perhaps some massive amount of income. And if you’ve ever hunted anything, you know that it requires complete and total focus to be successful.

     So, how important to you is what you’re seeking?  If it’s genuinely worth it, turn on the charm and 1) think yourself succeeding, 2) think yourself succeeding, 3) think yourself succeeding as much as you can, every minute, every hour, every day.

     You must see yourself  in your mind’s eye enjoying your reward. Don’t want to do all that? Then you’re not serious about it, so just go back to that can of beer and your spider solitaire game, or TV football or soap opera, and call it a day. Oh, and stop torturing yourself with promises to do better. Just accept that becoming what you think about is a choice that you don’t choose to make.

     If you’re willing to choose  to accept the challenge of thinking yourself into success, however and you’re ready to choose to go for it, and pursue what you want even through the miserably low periods you’re certain to encounter (because we can’t control everything that’s outside of our minds), then do it. And call or email me to tell me about it.

     The people who believe all this are the ones who have done it. That alone should be a message! 

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Hal@Businessworks.US or 302.933.0116

 “The price of freedom is eternal vigilance!” [Thomas Jefferson]

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals. God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Oct 18 2009

NEGATIVE ATTENTION BEATS NONE

When You Can’t Get +

                           

Don’t Settle For –

                                                         

     We are all humans  (I believe; at least my blog diagnostics don’t show quality visits here from Animal Planet — or any other planet, for that matter!) and because we are (human), it is part of our pattern of emotional instincts that when we cannot get positive recognition, we settle for ANY kind of recognition, and will sometimes resort to seeking NEGATIVE recognition when nothing else is forthcoming.

     Negative recognition  is, after all, better than no recognition at all, right? Wrong! Unless of course you happen to be 3 years-old … or a manic-depressant … or a masochist … or a hermit … or a piece of broccoli! 

     Aha!  But many of us ACT 3 years-old when we are not getting pats on the back (or fanny, if you’re on a sports team; or on your knee or the back of your hand if you’re a patient … why do doctors always pat reassurance into your knee or back of your hand?) This is true for sure.

     The point is  that seeking negative recognition is a mentally unbalanced and emotionally unhealthy behavior. Consider if you will that those who make a practice of this, are those who frequently prompt wars, fights, arguments, teenage “groundings” (remember those?), military court-marshals, disciplinary actions, prejudice, divorce, abandonment, murder, jail terms, HIGH risk!

     When we can’t get positive recognition  for something we’ve done or said or thought, we have a tendency to turn in the direction of seeking some alternative (vs. just letting it go, because letting go is life’s most difficult task!) In other words, we drag ourselves down to the point where getting verbally bashed actually serves as a payoff!

     Yeah, right;  poor me; I really did screw up; I deserve all the criticism; beat me! (HA!HA! At least I finally got myself noticed!) Hey, folks: this is a sick mental/emotional state that calls for professional guidance. We all take it on the chin sometimes, but when someone is out seeking to take it on the chin, there’s a problem there.

     If that someone is you, get help! If it’s someone who works for you, get that person help. Having to evidence negative behavior to get noticed (ala temper tantrums) can end up costing your your business, lickity-split! It only takes one knife-blade, one bullet, one match!

     Remember all behavior is a choice.

                                                                 

     Some people get stuck not realizing or practicing that. Sometimes a professional is the best one to get that behavior UNstuck. 

     Oh, one other thought,  be more conscious of how important positive recognition is to 99.99% of all employees (and children) and make a practice of dishing it out a whole lot more than you probably think is needed or appropriate. It’s hard to offer too much

# # #

Hal@TheWriterWorks.com or comment below.

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

Make today a GREAT Day for someone!

 

One response so far

Oct 17 2009

There’s No Business Like Show Business!

HOW you show what you show

                                     

can win or lose sales!

                                                                     

     No, one picture is NOT worth a thousand words.  Absolutely nothing sells better than the right words. But, the right words need a visual payoff, and that all comes down to HOW you show your wares, people, services, vision and ideas… websites, ads, news releases, promotional materials, videos and commercials.

     When your advertising spokesperson  is saying or doing one thing and whatever’s in the background is saying or doing something different, you lose sales. A professional service video produced in a trashy, cluttered office leaves viewers believing the business is trashy and cluttered no matter what is said.

     When a news release  is accompanied by a (yawn!) yearbook-looking head shot photo of the person featured, and the contact person sending it is even fortunate enough to have the editor actually give it print space, readers will yawn and turn the page.

     When a news release  is accompanied by an action-based candid-looking photo, it will get inted more often and it will gain reader attention more often. HOW you show what you show in a news release attachment must be as “newsworthy” as the text of the release.

     Remember you’re not paying  for this space so give the editor something to get excited about or laugh at or learn from or be mesmerized by.

     Websites? I’ve seen an awful lot of websites with photos of things that have little if anything to do with the text. If your photos and illustrations are not providing a payoff, a punchline, to what the words say, fold up your site and go home.

     The world is smarter today.  You no longer need to spell out every tiny detail of what the benefits are to customers and clients, but you sure as hell better make sure that you’re not leaving out the essentials. Leave out enough to not bore people, but include enough to make sure you get your message in their faces quickly and without prompting puzzled looks.

     Photos need captions.  Captions need to include exact names and exact titles and exact descriptions. People will read them or not, but photos should NEVER go unexplained. Don’t assume others will get your message because it’s a spectacular graphic. They won’t.

     Trade shows?  Determine your single (yes, SINGLE) mission ahead of time and stick to it. You are either there to sell or to get leads or to attract investors or to strut your stuff to the industry r whatever, but NEVER more than one of those objectives, or you might as well throw the booth rental money out the window!

     Once you’ve defined what you’re doing  there, make sure your display shows what you want others to understand about what their benefits are for doing business with you! The right words will do the deed, but your visual experiences must serve as the cornerstone to your message, and must strongly reinforce what you say. Always and everywhere.            

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Input always welcome Hal@TheWriterWorks.com “Blog” in subject line or comment below. Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You! Make it a GREAT Day! Hal

Subscribe FREE to this blog list-protected RSS email…OR $.99/mo Amazon KindleCreative? Add YOUR 7 words to the 373 day 7Word Story (under RSS) Get new Nightengale Press book THE ART OF GRANDPARENTING See:

 http://readerviews.com/ReviewConnellyTheArtGrandparenting.html  

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Oct 15 2009

20-MINUTE BUSINESS REBIRTH

What’s Killing Your Business?

                                                                                           

So much positive feedback on  “What’s Your T-Shirt Say?” posted the other night:  http://halalpiar.com/2009/10/boost-your-business-in-3-minutes/ that I thought another evaluative exercise might be in order.

     Don’t scream, “Hi-YaaaAHHHH!”  in mock sarcasm and kick in your monitor screen when you read the next sentence that describes your homework assignment.

     If you’d like to boost your day-to-day and long-range business sales and operations  with 20 minutes of concentrated effort (and no consultant fees!), take a deep breath  http://halalpiar.com/2009/05/4-steps-in-one-minute-zero-stress/ and write your business’s obituary. Whaaat? Yup! Read the first 16 words of this paragraph again!

     No, it’s not easy.  Yes, it’s worth it! The exercise will be enlightening to say the least. The insights you gain may provide a guiding light to the revitalization of your business. Plenty of participants in my various entrepreneurship seminars have found this experience invaluable.

     Take any approach you like.  Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, and punctuation. At this point no one else in the world will see what you write anyway. The only requirement is to be honest with yourself.

     Some suggested questions to answer:  Itemize the highlights of the life of your business …

  • When it was born?
  • Who were the parents? 
  • Where? 
  • What was the startup business type and goal? 
  • Why? (i.e., what prompted entering a particular industry or profession and what was the  intended result?) 
  • How (what process used) did it get started? 
  • How did it get to where it’s been in this last year of it’s life?

     What was the cause of death? 

  • Any survivors? (Parents? Brothers? Sisters? Children? Grandchildren? Quotes/Testimonials from any of these people?)
  • Service arrangements? (Will there be a viewing? Will services be private? Should there be an “instead of flowers” request?)      

     Spend as much or as little time as you like  (20 minutes usually works). Your goal is to present as complete a picture as possible of the life of your business if it were to end today, and to focus on achievements and contributions made.

     In your final analysis, after you’ve finished your write-up,  step back and ask yourself if the cause of death is your true exit strategy. Should there be more accommodation for having more children and grandchildren? Are the highlights the ones you most desire?

  •  
    • Would you change the highlights if you could? 
    • What would you do differently if you could prevent the business from dying today? (Life saving surgery, if you will)
    • What would you do to ensure the business a longer life starting right this minute if you had the ability to step in now and spare it from death?
    • PSSSSST! What are you waiting for? 

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Input always welcome Hal@TheWriterWorks.com “Blog” in subject line or comment below. Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You! Make it a GREAT Day! Hal

Subscribe FREE to this blog list-protected RSS email…OR $.99/mo Amazon KindleCreative? Add YOUR 7 words to the 372 day 7Word Story (under RSS) Get new Nightengale Press book THE ART OF GRANDPARENTING See:

 http://readerviews.com/ReviewConnellyTheArtGrandparenting.html  

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Oct 14 2009

FOCUS GROUPS WORK

“Listen To Your Customers!”

                                                                              

     There is no single-sentence piece of advice,  guideline, or rule of thumb in all of business that’s more important. Your employees may be your greatest asset, but your customers are the reason your business lives, and the reason you get up out of bed and go to work every day.

     You are the boss.  That means — among 37 million other things you need to tend to — that, first and foremost, you must be putting yourself in the right place at the right time every day to be able to LISTEN to (absorb and process, not just hear!) your customers.

     Find out  what your customers REALLY think of your name, logo, themeline, reputation, service, branding, advertising, marketing, community involvement, pricing, packaging, cleanliness, vehicles, experiences with your products / services / employees / website . . . 

     You must ALWAYS  be asking for customer  opinions,  advice,  input,  suggestions, contacts, referrals, resources, networks … and then putting that information to work. Take it with a grain of salt if you like, but don’t blow it off or gloss over it!

I once knew a boss  who did all this listening, who actually hired professional facilitators and researchers to run opinion surveys and focus discussion groups, who gathered whole file cabinets full of customer information, and let it collect dust right up until the day he was forced to close his doors because he never heeded customer advice to upgrade his inventory of services

. . . and he never followed up  on the referrals and contacts his customers provided. It was just easier to do business the old way, using old systems, old inventory, old-thinking employees, and old contacts. It became a business too old for its own good.

     Customer Focus Groups  (targeted discussion sessions moderated by a professional presenter and interviewer) can be the most useful customer opinion and information-gathering tool you can use. Odds are, though, like professional business writing, it’s almost always (like probably 99.9% of the time) best to hire an outside professional to get the job done.

     Why?  One reason is that objectivity is critical to meaningful feedback. Two is that your customers will speak much more freely with an “authorized outsider” than they will with you and/or people in your organization.

     Outside professionals bring fresh perspectives and objectivity both to the table. And these are particularly valuable attributes when it comes time to interpret the findings. They are paid for what they do, Because they are not put on salary, they are really not “beholden” to you beyond the immediate assignment.

     You can usually count on  more honest and direct conclusions and hypotheses.

     Focus group format, facilitation, agenda, and especially the words that are used  can make a huge difference in what you learn… as different as the replies generated by asking someone WHY he or she was late, vs. asking HOW can being late in the future be avoided?

     Bottom Line?  How can you provide customer service or manage customer relations if you don’t know exactly and with certainty what your CUSTOMERS consider to be “service” and “relations”? It could mean something completely different than what you think.

FOCUS GROUP QUESTIONS?

Call or Email: 302.933.0116 or Hal@Businessworks.US  (“FOCUS GROUPS” in the subject line) 

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Input always welcome Hal@TheWriterWorks.com “Blog” in subject line or comment below. Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You! Make it a GREAT Day! Hal

Subscribe FREE to this blog list-protected RSS email…OR $.99/mo Amazon KindleCreative? Add YOUR 7 words to the 371 day 7Word Story (under RSS) Get new Nightengale Press book THE ART OF GRANDPARENTING See:

 http://readerviews.com/ReviewConnellyTheArtGrandparenting.html  

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Oct 13 2009

BUSINESS NETWORKS WORK

Call it whatever you want…

                                                                    

     Call it an incubator,  a co-op, a strategic alliance, shared platforms, networking, whatever you want . . . the bottom line is that the long-term business success effects of this sucky economy and dollar devaluation are going to be measured in terms of how much you can be both a leader AND a team player!

     The US Army teaches  that — among other things — to be a great leader requires also being a great teammate and follower. You can lead your business straight over the cliff by ignoring all other businesses around you and “going for broke,” if you choose a path of arrogance.

     The major difference  between arrogance and self-sufficiency and independence is that the first of these is an attitude. Combining forces with other businesses doesn’t render you helpless. If it does, you’ve selected the wrong business to work with, or you have an attitude problem.

     Combining forces with other businesses  should put your business — and the others — in a position of strength. It means that one business picks up where the other leaves off to the mutual benefit of all involved. Money can be involved, but it doesn’t always have to be. Ego is almost always involved; don’t let it be. Self-importance loses wars, and crushes business ventures!

     A Two-Way WIN-WIN:  I work with a bright young business that specializes in Internet marketing (website design and services, email and SEO programs, etc.). We combined website development interests because that firm’s strengths were tech-driven and mine were content-driven. We share responsibilities on work generated and produce a better, more complete product by focusing on what we do best.

     A Three-Way WIN-WIN-WIN:  A local liquor store and area deli have combined forces at a local fire department to raise money for an area charity by paying the fire department space rental and soliciting donations for admission to a “Giant Wine & Cheese Tasting Festival” that includes vendor donations of wine and cheese from a couple of dozen manufacturers and distributors who supply the two stores. Actually, if you think about it, this is like a 30-Way WIN situation.

     Can your business share  a workspace? A receptionist? A display area? A parking lot? A truck or delivery service? A database? Utilities? Cleaning services? Expertise? Research? Resources? Sales teams? Payroll services? Meeting rooms? Advertising media expenses? THINK about it!

     The next chapter in American business  will revolve around ways to economize even more than you are right now. The challenge will be to make the most of every resource, including those of neighboring or allied businesses. OPEN MINDS OPEN DOORS.   

# # #               

 Hal@TheWriterWorks.com or comment below.

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

Make today a GREAT Day for someone!

 

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