Tuesday, November 30, 2010

The Safest Investment Yielding The Biggest Return ... Law Of Attraction

Investing in the principles of the law of attraction offers hope for those struggling with the problems our society is facing.

By Denny Hagel




Unemployment, foreclosures, lost retirement accounts, and rise in health care costs.....How did we get here? Republicans blame the democrats and the democrats blame the republicans. The truth is that “we the people” have passively allowed the “powers that be” to lead us straight into this economic storm that is devastating so many lives.
It has become a nightly ritual in many homes to watch the evening news, hoping for positive news from the people that have promised us solutions.
We are afraid. We want something to happen.
Well, it can and it will. We each have what it takes to turn our situation around. We don’t have to wait for “them” out “there” to find the right formula that will get us back on track.
Several years ago, Rhonda Byrne’s program, The Secret, hit the market and became a phenomenon. Through her program we learned about the universal law of attraction. Like the universal law of gravity, the law of attraction works all the time for everyone.
The universal law of gravity states, “what goes up must come down”. We don’t have to do anything....it just happens.
The universal law of attraction states, “what you think will become reality”. It doesn’t matter what we do or don’t do....it just happens.
However! We can choose what we think. With some investment of effort on our part, we can decide to think positive thoughts. We can choose to rid our minds of negative thoughts. Why do we want to do this? We want our lives to improve. We want solutions to our problems. The law of attraction states that our thoughts create our reality.
We trust strangers with our hard-earned money to invest. We place our confidence in those we send to Washington to work on our behalf, and we take pride in our dedication to our jobs.
These all involve risk....will my money investments grow and be safe? (Does Bernie Madoff ring a bell?). Will my government representatives remain loyal to me or be influenced by the big money lobbyists? Will my dedication and hard work guarantee me job security?
Why not invest in the one thing you KNOW you can control? The one thing you KNOW is a safe bet...and therefore yields the highest return? YOURSELF.
Whether you believe it or not, the law of attraction affects your life. So why not “risk” applying the effort to focus on only positive thoughts such as,” I have more than enough money”, “I will enjoy a secure retirement”, or I am secure in my job.”
To minimize the “risk” you need confidence in yourself, be able to trust that the Universe, God, the Divine or whatever word you choose will respond to your positive thoughts, and you must believe that you are worthy of receiving what you desire to have in your life.
When you throw a ball straight up in the air, you don’t wonder if it will come back down to you. It will. It works the same way with the law of attraction. When you think positive thoughts and focus on what you do want in your life, it will happen.
Our business is in the construction field. Many experts say that the decline in the economy is a direct result of the plummeting housing market. We live in the state of Florida, a state with one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.
We have witnessed many longstanding businesses in all areas of construction lay off hundreds of workers and close their doors in the last year. We have close friends facing foreclosure and losing their jobs. Every level of society feels the pressures and the problems and our community is no exception.
And yet, our business is thriving. Our company continues to have a full work load and been able to avoid laying off our crew. Why?
We believe that it is a direct result of our decision a couple of years ago when we made the commitment to maintain a positive mindset. Everyday we are grateful for everything we have. We KNOW we will continue to have jobs come in and we will be successful regardless of what is happening around us...and we are!
Invest in yourself and the power of choice we each have within ourselves. Your return will be immeasurable.
And then, pass this knowledge on to your children. Empower them with the knowledge that they have the power to choose.Encourage them to choose positive thoughts by explaining the benefits that they will receive!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Get In The $500 Billion Game

The Business-to-Government (B2G) market focuses on the biggest whale of a customer found anywhere in the world. Over 1700 different agencies spend $500 billion annually and Congress mandate 23% of all federal contracts be set aside for small businesses. In order to limit competition to small businesses, contracting officers require two qualified responses from small businesses. Get in the game and develop a B2G marketing plan.

By Randall Mauldin
Copyright (c) 2010 Randall Mauldin



The Business-to-Government (B2G) market focuses on the biggest whale of a customer found anywhere in the world. In business, whales are clients that can turn small businesses into large corporations through rapid growth, and the federal government has been the source of exponential growth for companies that understand the rules and how to play the B2G game. Currently, over 33,000 opportunities are active in the federal business database, FedBizOpps.gov, of which over 12,000 are set aside for small business. Small companies can compete in a national market throughout the United States, thus a business in Brevard County, Florida can compete for and win a contract in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
In order to limit competition, contracting officers require two qualified responses from small businesses, but contract officers cannot set aside an opportunity unless small firms respond. In addition to the government, large businesses with multi-million dollar federal contracts have small business set aside goals written into their contracts. This means corporations such as Harris, Lockheed Martin, and DRS, need small businesses as vendors to achieve those goals. The same requirements for the government are necessary to do business with large prime contractors. Get in the game with the appropriate registrations and market to government procurement officials in order to gain an advantage in the B2G market. At a minimum, small businesses should register in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) and Small Business Administration (SBA) databases to position their company for opportunities presented in the federal market.
The government buys everything the small business community offers at one time or another. The federal government purchases about $500 billion worth of goods and services each year, from office supplies to aircraft carriers. The top five industries in 2009 were manufacturing, professional services, administrative services, construction, and wholesale goods. The Department of Defense is the largest federal buyers with over $350 billion in purchases each year, of which $100 billion went to small business in 2009. Over 1700 different agencies spend the remaining $150 billion where statutory goals set by Congress mandate 23% of all federal contracts be set aside for small businesses.
The time to get in the game and establish a foundation for working with the government is better than ever. Small businesses must be more active in the B2G market to provide prime contractors and government buyers services and products from the small business community. Registration is not enough to win contracts. Businesses need optimize database profiles and develop targeted one-page capabilities statements to pitch their business. The ticket to get in the game is to complete the basic registrations and develop a marketing plan using the same techniques from the commercial market where you determine the needs of the customer and provide solutions for those needs.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

The Benefit Of Coaching

Coaching has become a fad that many leaders and managers still do not fully understand. Yet, when practiced with skill it can have a huge and positive effect on the performance of people in organizations.

By Ian Henderson



Most high performance teams and companies use the principle of coaching. Yet, even today the skills and practice of coaching are much misunderstood by many people.
Put in its simplest form, it is an exercise in collaborative interaction, involving the building of trust, the use of empowering (solution focused) questions, empathic listening and the honest and open sharing of views.
If practiced effectively, it will not only to generate new options for tackling problems but also to reinforce what is working well.
But, coaching should not be seen as a quick fix solution to problems. It takes time but it is a key ingredient of change in culture. Many organizations, particularly those who are owned and led by entrepreneurial people - often with a very direct, telling style - spend much of their time dealing with problems and not learning. This in turn limits the time and energy the leader has to address the key behavioural and performance issues that will ultimately determine the future of the company.
By adopting a coaching style to empower and develop staff, leaders find that not only are staff prepared to take more responsibility, but they will work together more effectively, be more satisfied in their work and more likely to stay with the organisation in the long term.
Coaching may be delivered by leaders or managers within a company or by external consultants. External coaches may be more appropriate at very senior level to address business and strategic problems, or to train internal coaches but most organisations will not perform at their best without coaching.
For most organizations the traditional command and control style of management is a route to organizational suicide in the current climate of rapid change in both technology and attitudes to work when the need to secure the discretionary effort of people has never been greater.
To coach effectively, you need to:
- build and maintain rapport with the person being coached
- be present and focused solely on the person being coached and the process (not easy but imperative)
- be curious rather than judgmental
- ask questions that focus on the solution rather than the problem
- listen to the answers given (often for what is not said)
- be observant
- give effective feedback
The coaching approach encourages continuous learning, stimulates creativity and builds a climate of trust and respect for the individual. Investment in coaching is enlightened self interest as a culture where individuals feel genuinely empowered and accept ownership and responsibility for their own performance can encourage the delivery of superior performance and results.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

The Secrets Of Successful Advertising

Did you know that a single advert, properly targeted, with the right headline and offer, costing say 200, can bring returns of perhaps 1000% or more within days? Advertising can be one of the most cost effective ways to generate new enquiries. Or it can be a complete waste of money. What makes a successful advert? Quite simply - one that gets results.

By Melina Abbott

I was reminded this week of Sir Alan Sugar’s comment “I have written books on advertising - Cheque Books” which probably sums up most business owners experience of advertising.  It’s expensive!
Does it work?
Well, did you know that a single advert, properly targeted, with the right headline and offer, costing say 200, can bring returns of perhaps 1000% or more within days?
Advertising can be one of the most cost effective ways to generate new enquiries.  Or it can be a complete waste of money.
What makes a successful advert?  Quite simply - one that gets results.
I advocate that EACH advert has to be accountable - i.e. if you place an advert it must do one of two things:
1. Make a sale
2. Get someone to contact you to find out more
And, if your advert doesn’t do either of those you are wasting money.
Take a look at most adverts.  They are all very similar.  They have a big headline (usually the company name), a great logo, they list the products or services on offer, there might be a photo or two, maybe a strap line - something like “you can always be assured of a great service”, “a superb range”, “free quote”, etc
Have a look at your local newspaper now - am I right?
I know that most of these adverts do not work.  I know that, because when my clients start to monitor where their enquiries come from, they realise that most of their new enquiries are through referrals or from the sign writing on their vans.  The sales they do get from the newspaper or magazine advertising do not even cover the cost of the adverts - let alone make a profit.  Now, I’m not advocating that you go out and cancel all your adverts.  However there are some simple steps you can take to make your advert more effective:
1. Before placing your advert, decide what you want your prospect to do.  Do you want them to: buy something from you, call for more information or visit your website?  An advert which is trying to sell something will be very different to one simply asking a prospect to call for more information.
2. Your entire advert should be devoted to getting your prospect to take the next step.  You need to give them all the information they need to do so.  If you want the prospect to buy something you need to highlight all the benefits of your product or service, and overcome all the likely objections so that they can make an informed decision.  Won’t it be too wordy? Well, would you tell a sales person to go and visit a prospect and say you’ve got 20 seconds to persuade this person to buy your product?  No, of course not, you wouldn’t put him or her under that much pressure.  So why put yourself under that pressure in trying to sell something in a tiny advert.
3. People do not buy newspapers or magazines to read the adverts - they buy them for the news and articles.  The more your advert looks like an editorial feature - the more it will be read.  So disguise your advert - make it look like a news article.
4. Try a 2 step approach.  Advertising can be very expensive - so don’t even attempt to sell in a tiny advert - offer your prospect some free information in exchange for contact details - e.g.:
Homeowners Decorating Guide.  For your FREE guide to choosing colour combinations of paint, tiles and wall paper Visit www…
How to sell your house faster and for more money?  Call 0800 ... for your free report and audio CD.
Then, when you send your free information - include your sales literature detailing all the benefits of your product or service.  You now have a qualified lead and have plenty of time and opportunity to follow up and make a sale.
5. Have a compelling headline - your company name is not a headline - people don’t care what you are called or how long you have been in business - they just want to know what you can do for them.  Your headline should be the biggest benefit you offer prospective customers.
6. Test & Monitor each and every advert you run.  Most businesses don’t monitor their adverts or sales promotions - they continue to run the same advert over and over - regardless of whether it pulls for them.  Did you know that a change in headline has been tested to increase the response of an ad by up to nineteen times?
7. Once you’ve found an advert which works continue to run it until it stops generating a profit.  Don’t stop it just because you’re bored with it and want to change it.  Remember that you may see your advert every day - but your prospects are seeing it for the first time.
There you have it - 7 steps to successful advertising.  Good luck.

Monday, November 8, 2010

7 Reasons You Upgrade Your Selling Skills

Today's sales climate has ungone major changes which means sales people need to change their approach and methodologies. Here are seven reasons you need to upgrade your sales approach.

By Kelley Robertson


Today’s business world has changed significantly. Buying decisions that used to take a few days can now take weeks, sometimes months. Decision makers and buyers have changed the way they manage their operations. And business has become more complex. This all means that it is critical that you upgrade your selling skills if you want to achieve long-term success in your sales career. Here are seven reasons you need to upgrade your selling skills.
1. The business climate has changed. In the last few years the business world has dramatically changed. Companies are leaner which means employees need to accomplish more with fewer resources. The decision making process often takes much longer than it used to. And, the people you deal with and sell to, are much busier. See point 5 for more detail on this.
2. Selling is becoming more difficult. If you are like many sales people, you have probably discovered that selling is more challenging than ever. It is more difficult to connect with executives and decision makers. It is more challenging to stand out from the competition. Products often change with increasing frequency which makes it more difficult to stay current. The volume of information you have to retain and manage can be overwhelming. And the number of accounts you have to juggle is likely taxing too.
3. Your customers and prospects are more savvy. Buyers are immune to tired, outdated sales tactics that manipulate people into making buying decisions. I’m not suggesting that you use these tactics; however, they have caused corporate decision makers to paint all sales people with the same brush. If your voice mail message sounds anything remotely like the others your contact hears, then you are destined for failure. If your presentation sounds like everything else they have heard, you will not close the sale.
4. What used to work is no longer as effective. A generic presentation that starts with an overview of your company, your position in the market place, the organizations that you have worked with, or the awards that you have won, simply doesn’t cut it anymore. I actually don’t know if this approach was ever very effective but I know for certain that it doesn’t work in today’s new economy.
5. Aversion to risk has increased. Many buyers have been burned over-zealous sales people who made false promises and unrealistic claims. People have purchased products and solutions that failed to achieve the desired results. They have signed agreements only to discover that the system they wanted required an unexpected investment of time and money. And they have made decisions that caused them embarrassment.
6. Key decision makers are busier than ever. Five years ago it used to take 6-8 calls to connect with a senior level decision maker. Now, it can take as many as 15 attempts. A typical executive has more than 40 hours of unfinished work on their desk at any given time. An average of 150 emails clog their in-box and they constantly have to deal with changing priorities. One executive I know said, “I can’t possible talk to a sales person because I already have too many projects on the go.” Another told me, “Just when I think I can’t get any busier, I do.”
7. Competition has increased. Virtually every industry has seen an explosion of competition. Low-cost products manufactured and shipped from overseas to local competitors trying to carve a slice of market share from you. This increase—and change—in competition means you need to improve your sales skills so you can position your product more effectively.
The majority of top performing sales people invest time and money in their personal development. They read books, listen to audio programs and they attend conferences and online events to improve and fine-tune their skills. If their company doesn’t sponsor or fund this development, they use their own money because they know that they will always get a return on this investment.
If you want to succeed in today’s business world and enjoy a long-term career in sales, it is essential that you constantly upgrade your selling skills. I don’t know who originally stated this quote but it is certainly applicable to this topic, “If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have gotten.”