Category: entrepreneur

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Some Facts About Women in Business

Since mentoring many small business hopefuls Ive come to realize a very disturbing fact. Many very bright and hopeful female entrepreneurs have crossed my office threshold with the mistaken idea that just being a woman gives them an advantage over their male counterparts. Sadly, this is not as true as weve been led to believe.

Certainly the female population of today is much better off than their mothers or grandmothers, but obtaining financial support/loans isnt viewed by bankers any differently than it is for male entrepreneurs.
A myth has been circulating for years that has led entrepreneurs to believe that women-owned and minority-owned businesses can obtain loans easier. Unfortunately, that is only a myth.

If your entrepreneurial dream requires a bank loan, the process isnt any easier if youre a woman or a minority. The only slight advantage is that there may be additional lending sources available if youre in either of these categories. But you still have to sell the lender on your business and means of repayment.

Both male and female executives in the corporate arena have much in common in terms of professional aspirations. However, the playing field is far from being equal. A survey was done by a non-profit research group called Catalyst recently. Male & female executives at 1,000 of the largest corporations in the U.S. were surveyed and more than half of the women said that they aspire to a CEO position. They were even willing to make sacrifices such as delaying a marriage and/or children, and that very willingness shouts to us that the field isnt equal.

Other survey results were as follows:

49.5% of all employed managers and professionals are women, but they still tend to manage only other women.
The highest-paid female executive still earns only 68% of the salary paid to her male counterpart.
Firms that include women on their senior management teams showed greater improvement in corporate performance.
62% of the firms that included women on their senior management team saw their market share grow, compared with only 39% of companies with no female senior management.

Advancements in technology should help ease the movement of more women into leadership. Computers enable women to work more flexible hours and better balance work and family commitments, which is not expected of their male counterparts. (How equal is that?)

So-called feminine leadership traits will grow in importance in the 21st century, according to more than 160 international companies and 75 senior executives view of their firms progress toward gender equity.

Most respondents, predominantly male, predicted wide-spread abandonment of the command and control managerial style for a more team-oriented approach. That doesnt seem all that bad to me. I can think of a lot of companies that could use more teamwork and less monarchy leadership.

These business gurus saw this new style as requiring skills that are more feminine than masculine, thus giving an edge to female managers. However, another 15-year study has shown that female managers are no more inclusive or democratic than men when making workplace decisions.

As grim as these facts might be, I dont want to discourage any prospective female entrepreneurs. We female business owners know that we may have to work twice as hard for half the recognition and pay, but ladies statistics show well outlive our male counterparts.

We know that any woman who is a wife and mother and also in business, could do the job of two air traffic controllers without breaking a sweat even as the airport burns to the ground.

 
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Make money working from the comfort of your own home!

How many times have you heard that phrase, pitch, advertisement, or
whatever? Lots, I’m sure. It is used so much because marketers know that
staying home and making money is the fondest dream of millions of people.

And why not? Did you know that the majority of fatal heart attacks happen
at 9 a.m. Monday morning? It’s true. It seems a lot of people would
rather die than get back to the old grind after a weekend of freedom.

So when someone offers an opportunity or plan for you to take your job and
shove it, yet still make enough money to live and pay all your bills, it
sounds blissfully irresistible.

Of course, bliss and reality are always two different things. Is it
really possible to run a business from your own home that is more than a
hobby or source of part-time income? Can you get rich working out of your
own home? Can you really trade your cubical and necktie for blue jeans and
the comfort of your own den?

Well, for your information, home-based businesses are one of the fastest
growing kinds of enterprises in America today. As this is being written,
some 40 million Americans are doing at least some form of work out of their
homes, and the numbers are rising rapidly. According to the U.S.
Department of Labor, as many as 70 million people will be working out of
their homes by the year 2005. Government studies have indicated that as
much as 75% of all work done in this country could eventually be moved
home.

The overwhelming majority of home workers, however, are not exactly getting
rich. The average work-at-home American earns less than $15,000 per year.
That may not be bad as a supplement to a spouse’s full-time income, but
let’s face it, fifteen grand in and of itself is not much better than poverty.

As master marketer and author Dr. Jeffrey Lant said: “Frankly, I never saw
any benefit to staying home and being poor.”

Lant, without so much as a business card, became a work-at-home
millionaire, and is a perfect example of what truly can be achieved if you
are serious about chucking your day job, staying home, and not settling for
peanuts in exchange for your freedom. You can have it all — you can stay
home and make as much — and more — money than your current job provides
you.

In this report, we are going to outline and discuss five key rules on how
to work at home and make big bucks, no matter where you live. After these
five rules, we’ll talk about the most important aspect of any business,
whether it be home-based or a giant factory — cash flow. Starting your
own business out of your home is all about attitude and inspiration, but
all the attitude in the world won’t help you without money!

1. It Takes Commitment

Is it any secret in America that most people detest their jobs? Study
after study proves that most people simply dread going to work Monday
morning, and they live for the freedom of the weekend. But even that
freedom is not pure because we know that it is only temporary. It’s hard
to enjoy a Sunday evening when the Monday morning alarm clock is just a few
hours away.

It makes sense that people hate their jobs. Everyday, there is a lot of
butt kissing that needs to be done. There are endless meetings which
usually accomplish nothing. There are pointless interruptions, a lot of
drifting this way and that, and lot of idiot supervisors who do nothing but
waste your time and then dog you for not accomplishing your share of work.
There are co-workers you hate, and who would stab you in the back in a
minute if it meant a raise for them instead of you.

When you work for someone else, you live a regimented life. Your body may
not want to get up at 7 a.m., but you have to be at work by 8 a.m. so you
lurch out of bed with a head full of sleep.

People who choose to work at home are doing more than just escaping the
yoke of their master; they have made a deep, firm, life-altering decision
which says that health, happiness and prosperity depend vitally on the
freedom to work for ourselves, and in doing so in the comfort of the home.

We want to really emphasize that fact that to be successful in a
work-at-home situation, you have to be nothing less than a fanatic; a
zealot, who is utterly committed to making work-at-home not only a
successful venture, but a profound commitment for life. You must be
convinced that a return to an outside office job would be the equivalent of
a spiritual death sentence.

Many people hate their office jobs, but they have made an inner compromise
with themselves. They have convinced themselves that their job is “not so
bad,” pays the bills, and that they can stick out because they have to.

If you want to be truly successful at quitting your day job, there cannot
be any room for such compromises in your soul. You have to take the
attitude that to work any longer at your hateful job is akin to fouling
your inner being with a spiritual cancer the will sicken and kill you.

2. Eliminating the Home-Office Mentality

To move our work home, however, does not mean we eliminate every single
thing about the traditional American office. Rather, we should select what
is useful and what is not.

It’s a mistake to quit your job and go home with a “home-office” mentality.
By this we mean thinking small, and believing that you will automatically
sacrifice a decent income in exchange for your freedom. Please! Do not
think small!

To quote Jeffrey Lant again: “Too many home-based practitioners fail to
understand the benefits that accrue because of the professional style they
have selected. They focus on the “home” part of the business rather than
the “business” portion, and as a result are doomed to small incomes.”
Working at home provides many benefits. We can save a lot of time because
we don’t need to commute and we have more control over our schedule. We
can save a lot of costs because we don’t have the overhead requirements of
larger businesses. We can cut our stress — and so have more energy —
because we avoid many of the characteristic problems of life in the late
20th-Century office. We must work these advantages to our profit.

3. Your International Headquarters

The German philosopher Immanuel Kant said that if you sit at home alone at
your empty kitchen table, eventually, the “whole world will come to you.”

Well, today you don’t need the great mind of a philosopher to make the
entire world come into your living room. What you need is a phone jack.

We live in a unique time in history. Satellites, fiber optics, the
integrated circuit and other communications miracles means that you can be
just about anywhere in the developed world and establish communication with
anyone.

The telephone, the fax machine, the computer, the modem — all of these are
not only affordable by any middle-class citizen; they are the key to
eliminating your need to drive a hectic freeway everyday to get to a place
of business outside your home.

With these devices at our disposal, we should allow ourselves to “think
globally.” Too often, home-based businesses focus on the narrowest market,
the neighborhood, the county, the city or state. This is fine if you are
providing a local service and are content with a certain moderate level of
income. But if you want the big bucks, you should not think small. Also,
you should not believe that, just because you are home-based, you cannot
compete with the big guys.

The purpose of any business is to seek assess and seek out every possible
market for its products and services, to ascertain whether these markets
have the ability to buy these products/services, to determine whether there
is sufficient profit in these markets to warrant approaching them, and,
once positive assessment has been made, to launch a sustained marketing
campaign that gets a significant percentage of this market to purchase the
product or service in question.

Your home telecommunications machines will not only enable you to do this,
but they can also help you overwhelm larger, more cumbersome traditional
businesses that are your competition.

As a home-based entrepreneur, you will not have all of the disadvantages of
your more traditional competitors: no office rent, equipment or expense;
no employees to pay salaries and fringe benefits for; no time wasted on
meetings, employee problems, paid sick leave, etc.

All the money your competitors spend on heating the office and buying
furniture could better be spent on the actual marketing itself.

As a home-based business, you will be already positioned where the
traditional business is currently struggling to move: toward the lowest
possible overhead and the greatest possible concentration of dollars on
products/service development and product/service marketing.

So, a home-based business takes full advantage of three major goals of
modern business success:

(1) Vastly reduced overhead
(2) Easy access to a global market
(3) Full advantage of telecommunications.

To not have the basic telecommunications toys — computer, modem, fax, and
telephones is impossibly stupid. Still, even in this day and age, many of
people strongly resist the one element that is undoubtedly the heart and
brain of any successful home business — the computer. The computer is so
important in fact, we have made it a category all itself.

And remember, learning to use a modern computer is easier than learning to
drive a car, so you have no excuse not to plunge forward.

4. The Computer

You should pay close attention to what computers can do for you in your
plans to escape your job and make your work-at-home dreams come true.

People who want to run a home business usually have a very small staff — in
fact, a staff of one — yourself! The rest of your needs are handled by
independent contractors, depending on the kind of business you are in and
the services you need.

To run a serious, truly global home business, a computer is as necessary as
oxygen is to life on earth. Those who try to fool themselves into thinking
they will ever make a serious go of their home-based business without a
computer are sadly mistaken.

Computers give you two primary advantages:

(1) They enable you to store large amounts of data and to sort by data
field so that you can easily get the information you need.

(2) They enable you to develop a pattern document for every situation
you’ll ever be in in your business. To run a home-based business
successfully, you must anticipate just what situation will emerge and
prepare accordingly.

A business is based on a characteristic series of situations and a
characteristic set of things that happen — or that do not happen. You
must be prepared with the proper document for each situation. Once you
have established all the protocols, and have experienced all the situations
associated with your kind of business, the time will come when running your
business is, in large part, a repetition of certain key tasks. Computers
are all about handling repetition swiftly and efficiently.

But the computer is much more. Today, by connecting a computer to the
phone line with a modem, your machine becomes more than a data storage
system and repetitive task handler. It becomes a multi-task, multi-level
communications processing center that connects you to the globe.

Such things as e-mail, on-line services, the Internet, the Web and more
can’t help but revolutionize the way business is done. If you do not
become a part of it today, you certainly are going to suffer for it greatly
in the near future.

If there is an effective way to market products on the Internet or any
other on-line venue, no one has truly discovered it yet. The only people
making money on Internet marketing are the people who are selling the
concept of doing it. If you have a product or a service and expect to
reach millions of buyers through computer screens, you are sadly mistaken.

The Internet is definitely where a lot of innovative things are happening.
It’s a great place to exchange ideas, find out what hot, what’s not, and
stay on the cutting edge whatever your particular business is.

5. Your Business Hours

If you’ve been paying attention to the first four points, you’re well on
your way to becoming a successful home-based business owner. Now we don’t
want you to blow it by thinking you can keep banker’s hours.

The global market is a 24-hour per day market, and a 365-day per year
market. Let the others sleep late on Saturdays and take Sundays off.
Those times could be your day to move and corner loads of customers that
the others miss.

You should get up earlier and quit work later. You should be open for
business on holidays and be available 24-hours a day either personally or
through your answering service.

“But wait a minute!” you might be thinking at this point! “I thought that
working at home was all about freedom and an end to drudgery. This sounds
like nothing but endless work!”

Well, here’s the thing. For most of you who quit your regular jobs to go
to work for yourself, you’ll discover something magical. You’ll discover
that when you are working for yourself, when you are building your own
business, a lot of what you does not seem like work at all.

The great writer Jane Roberts said, “Inspiration is its own motivator.”

Running your own business is all about being inspired 24-hours-a-day. When
you stop selling your body and soul to some company or corporation and
start giving your energy to yourself, work has a way of turning into
inspiration and play.

The perfect work for you is that which you don’t think of as work, yet
doing it makes money and provides you with the bread and shelter of life.
You’ll see what it’s like if you make a true commitment to being self
employed, put all your energy into it, and stick with it for the long run.

-30-

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MARKETING YOUR OWN PRODUCTS

One of the main problems within the “inner circle” of the mail order business
is that everyone is selling everyone else’s products. Pages crammed full with
commission dealerships is turning a good thing out of hand.

It’s been said over and over again, but newcomers to the industry should
realize that they need to develop their own products and services. Commission
dealerships are fine to compliment your business if the product is relative
to your main product, but everyone should strive for developing their OWN
product too. No one will ever get rich dealing in just commission dealer-
ships. And people who think this way will give up over a period of time
because they go broke. Let’s stop this madness and spread the word about
becoming a Prime Source.

How do you develop your own specialized product or service? It may take a
few months to get your “feet wet” in mail order to determine your particular
“niche.” However, you should already know the talents you possess inside
yourself and what your own capabilities are. There has to be more to your
business than making money!

What are your hobbies and interests? What would you like to do more than
anything else and would you do it if you were not getting paid?

Perhaps you would rather write, edit, paste-up or seal envelopes.
Dorothy Christian (Shells 345) once explained the “high” she used to get when doing a
mass mailing. She loved peeling off labels, sticking them on envelopes and
folding the materials to insert. She said that every envelope she stuffed,
she felt it would generate a big customer order. This is enthusiasm!

Therefore, Dorothy could have developed a specialized or confidential
mailing service. Unlike a big mail where she would be mailing circulars in
envelopes, but a targeted-mailing for different programs and products.
(Example: A circular selling books and reports would be marketed only to
book buyers from lists Dorothy would purchase and use for these types of
mailings. She also would be careful not to put any conflicting information
in this special mailing she was preparing for specific customers.)

You can take anything you sell and creatively turn it into your own prime
source product. A good friend of mine, Helen VanAllen loved to prepare big
mails so she created the “Design-Your-Own-Big-Mail-Package.” Customers were
presented with a list of the circulars Helen had on hand and they checked off
the ones that interested them. This is one example of how an old concept can
be turned into something new with a twist that makes it YOUR OWN product.

There are several ideas that other mail order folks used to create their own
product. You can use the same concept locally also. If you sell vitamins, for
instance, you could sell them in individual packets and label them for each
day of the week. Use the vitamins from the company you are working with but
the individual packets and labels would be your own product. You can also
charge more for this personal touch.

You are unique! You are an individual who has special talents and interests.
Your business should be a reflection of YOU and your own contribution to mail
order. Mail order is a wonderful business, filled with some of the best
people in the world. But it’s up to every one of us to keep it that way.
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1,375 words
15 Amazing Ways to Supercharge
Your Business Success

I decided it would be fun to interview 10 of the smartest marketing gurus I know, including 7 multi-millionaires, about the best ways to increase customer and cash flow for just about any business.

What I got were a variety of fresh, innovative ideas — and once you read them, you will know that they came from a group of folks who have already made it big in businesses of their own.

The following are the “15 Best” ideas for super charging your business, no matter what kind of business you are in.

1. “Same-Old” is out — Getting attention with something new is in. To get new business, you must strive to be innovative and dramatic. For example,
an insurance agency, offered “the biggest steak dinner in town” if it couldn’t save any person money on their car insurance. This challenge was enough to make the telephone start ringing off the hook for days at a time.
The customer flow was “absolutely crazy” for days. The bottom line: dozens of new insurance buyers and tons of new cash flow — and all they had to do was fork out the cost for a half dozen steak dinners!

2. Tight target marketing. The big job in marketing and sales is getting to the right people inside another company. Addressing mail to “Facilities Manager” or printing a “routing slip” on the outside of the envelope is ineffective. Hitting the target is the challenge. Scoring a bull’s eye means making contact with the right individuals and is the only way to make the
sale. Taking time to be highly targeted in business communication is essential.

3. Be more creative. Pushing direct-mail pieces out the door or sending the newsletter to the mail room isn’t doing the job. Ask yourself: “Will anyone be intrigued enough to read the mailer–before tossing it in the
wastebasket?” Ask the same question about the company newsletter. A highly creative approach is necessary to be different and distinctive. Creativity
costs money. But, if more people read the ad, take time with the newsletter or decide that the offer in a mailer makes sense, you have accomplished the goal.

4. Focus on what customers care about. After listening to the admissions director talk about what should be shown in the school’s new recruiting
video, the marketing consultant asked, “Is this what parents and prospective students are interested in knowing?” Suddenly, everyone became less
confident. Someone suggested asking the student tour guides what questions the visiting parents and kids asked? Whether creating an ad, a brochure, or a sales presentation, knowing what the customer wants, needs and expects is what works.

5. Tell customers how to think about your company. We come to conclusions by making comparisons. If you don’t let customers and prospects know why it is in their best interests to do business with you or buy your product, they won’t. The rating of life insurance companies makes an impact on customers. The J.D. Powers’ customer-satisfaction survey on cars and personal computer manufacturers influences buying behavior. Wise companies spend time and effort consciously influencing the way they are perceived by
customers, prospects, bankers and stockholders.

6. Make your offers outstanding. Customers are cautious. They don’t like being put on the spot; they don’t want to make a mistake. This is why offers are essential. “Try it for 30 days…free.” “We won’t deposit your credit card slip for a month.” “Your satisfaction is guaranteed.” “Take the car for the weekend and drive it all you want.” The goal is to overcome the customer’s reluctance.

7. Be in the right place at the right time. “Why didn’t I think of you last week when we bought the new…” Some salespeople simply shrug off such comments. Oh, well. I can’t be in the right place every time.” Wrong. Being in front of the customer is today’s assignment. Developing a consistent program for staying in front of customers regularly is the challenge. A mix of seminars, newsletters, bulletins, fact sheets, special events and informative articles will keep you in the customers’ minds.

Ponder these tips for a week, and next week I’ll give you the remaining 8. Your business should shine after that!

8. Name your product or service. One of the best ways to differentiate your products or services from all the rest is to give them distinctive names. A building contractor with expertise in remodeling during off-hours calls himself the “stealth” remodeler. A fuel oil dealer doesn’t talk about service–he emphasizes “ComfortCare Service.” The idea is to imbue ordinary
ideas with new meaning thereby separating your com-pany from your competitors. Make sure, however, that the name appeals to your customers and not just to you.

9. Be relentless. Persistence is power in marketing and sales. Far too many firms fail in their efforts because they don’t follow through long enough to produce proper results. Marketing momentum comes from a
consistent effort. Once you start a newsletter, issue it on schedule. It takes time for customers to comprehend what you are doing and for prospects to get acquainted–and comfortable–with a business.

10. Get rid of the self-serving nonsense. Most company publications, ads, letters, brochures, and other sales materials are filled with words, photographs and information that do nothing more than toot the company’s horn. No one cares that the business says it is the “best,” “oldest” or the “biggest.” Pictures of the staff are only interesting to the staff. A better approach is to ask prospects what they want to know about your
company. We doubt anyone will be anxious to see pictures of the CEO, chairman of the board or the executive vice president.

11. Tell them everything you know. Spill the beans, so to speak. Since today’s customers want information, knowledge and helpful ideas, do everything you can to share everything you know. This is the only way to
become a valued resource to your customers. When people use your ideas, they will buy what you sell.

12. Be generous. No one wants to do business with firms operating on a one-way street. Buy a new car and the dealer hands you a 20-cent plastic key holder! It sends a message that this dealer doesn’t under-stand his
customers. You may forget the car, but you will never forget the lousy key ring! Another auto dealer delivers the new car to your office. What a difference. This dealer sends a powerful message–our customers are
important.

13. Make prospect identification your mission. The single most important daily activity in any business is prospect identification. By making prospecting a continuing process, companies produce a steady flow of new sales leads. They never stop asking, “Who do we want to do business with if we have the chance?” Then make sure all prospects are entered into a database so they can be cultivated over a period of time.

14. Scrutinize your corporate identity. Yes, how a company presents itself makes a difference. Is the logo appropriate? Is it dated? Does it communicate the right message and the correct image? Is the president the
only one who understands it? What about the company colors? Are they reminiscent of the late ’50s? Do the letterhead, mailing labels and business cards convey a strong, positive message? Or, are they dull and
ordinary looking? If you don’t think this is important, your competitors will be thrilled. Corporate identity is the face you put on your company.

15. Write customer-centered letters. Most business letters have cold, impersonal words. “As per our conversation…” “Pursuant to our agreement…” When was the last time you heard anyone talk this way at
lunch (other than perhaps a lawyer)? Yet, give the same executives a pen and they become stilted. There is no reason why business letters should not be warm, friendly, conversational, interesting–and customer-centered. Write as if you were the one reading it. Should a letter end at the bottom of the first page? Yes, if that’s what it takes to tell the story? But it may take two, four or six pages. A letter should be as long as necessary and always interesting to the reader.

How to Build your Opt-In List

Some companies decide to send customers a free newsletter to get an email list. But there are other ways to collect email addresses. Sometimes having a newsletter just doesn’t make any sense for your company. For instance, if you happen to sell dishwashers, how much information could you send your customer, daily, on dishwashers. So, instead here are a few other options for increasing your email list.

You could run a contest. The puzzle, game or task should be easy and straightforward so that you don’t frustrate the customer and you still get their email address in the end.

A great incentive to collect email addresses would be a free eBook. People love getting free stuff, especially eBooks that interest them. Remember, it doesn’t have to be 100 pages long; five to ten pages will work fine.

Surveying the customer is a great way to collect email addresses. You can find out what the customer likes/dislikes, and what they have problems with or need solutions for.

Advertise your opt-in offer in an e-zine or classified ad. It actually doesn’t cost tons of money and if you find the right place to advertise, you could see dramatic results.

Email signatures, or electronic signatures, also referred to as a, sig file is a three to six line footer that you can add to the bottom of each email message you send out with your name, company and a free report with a link attached. You will be surprised how many visitors you get this way. Make sure you track where you are getting your traffic by the different links you send out.

If a customer is interested in downloading an article from your web site, they will definitely have no problem providing their name and email address. They will love to receive more articles from you or have access to a members only area of your site with plenty of resources.

Offer your customers a free course or a free download to collect email addresses. They will love to get something for free. Customers who opt-in when something free is being offered think to themselves what have I got to lose. It a great deal for both of you.

Getting In On The Ground Floor

Tractors that steer themselves, property that knows it’s been stolen, airplanes that land without pilots – that sounds like science fiction. It’s all a result of the global positioning system which is mind-boggling. The industry is set to skyrocket and opportunities for the entrepreneur are there.

This spring the U.S. government will launch its first next generation GPS satellite to complement the 30 older models already in use. The aim is to create stronger signals, increased bandwidth, and lots of potential for smart entrepreneurs.

Since the Defense Department made its GPS signals available for commercial use in 1993, the market for location-based services has swelled to nearly $5 billion, and that’s just the beginning. The demand for these services is expected to double in the next few years. The three hot growth areas – tracking, navigation, and hardware promise to be multibillion dollar markets by 2010.

Though startups are springing up all over the place, plenty of technologies remain untapped. One of the untapped areas are automated navigation systems in family cars that keep drivers a safe distance from other vehicles.

Huge companies such as UPS plan to outfit 75,000 drivers with GPS-enabled handhelds this year to help them reach destinations more efficiently. Some savvy entrepreneur who offered similar navigation and tracking services could also make out nicely.

Consider AtRoad, a Fremont, Calif. firm that went public in 2000. It offers “geo-fencing” software that triggers email alerts if a company’s vehicle speeds or goes into unauthorized areas. They charge a monthly fee of $45 per head to track more than 133,000 employees of clients such as SBC, Verizon, and the city of San Francisco. For the fiscal year ending in December, AtRoad’s revenue grew 19% to $75.2 million. That was a whopping 12.2% net profit margin.

This lucrative game was also played by Steve Wozniak, Apple co-founder, who started Wheels of Zeus in 2002. This company combines GPS data with local wireless networking. The technology helps parents keep tabs on their children, or can alert IT managers when company-owned computers leave the premises.

The agriculture and manufacturing companies are getting a taste of the technology by a company that outfits tractors with antennas that pick up signals to automatically guide the equipment and control the amount of pesticides used.

There are companies that are using this technology to guide and navigate giant trucks around cliffs and mine shafts. The maritime industry is predicted to invest hundreds of millions in coming years to outfit cargo containers and ships with GPS receivers.

Chipmakers already cashing in are charging about $13 per device to put GPS chipsets in phones, electronics, and car navigation systems. And with a new federal regulation that is forcing wireless operators to include GPS in their phones and networking equipment, chip demand is sure to explode.

Remember the day when we said that expecting to buy drinking water in bottles was something the American consumer would never do. Pay for water that comes out of the kitchen sink faucet? How silly! Look at the industry that’s grown up in that area!

Entrepreneurs – the GPS opportunity is out there, if only you know where to look. Remember, you heard it here first!

676 words
Biggest Challeneges for Entrepreneurs

When I saw the January issue of Entrepreneur Magazine I was thrilled. Cover copy had a teaser on it to the effect that entrepreneurs had been surveyed and inside were their answers. I was certain that, finally, someone was paying attention to entrepreneurs who were striving for a successful business. It was time to hear from us little guys!

I can’t tell you how surprised I was as I began to read the article. Their idea of an “entrepreneur” and mine were as different as night and day. I always classified an entrepreneur as someone like the “Mom and Pop” coffee shop around the corner, the family run produce market in town, or the 18 to 24 year old who had come up with a fantastic “gizmo” and was scooped up into a corporation as their newest genius. Let me give you a quote from the article that will clue you into its idea of an “entrepreneur”.

To explain the method used for the survey they state, “Entrepreneur magazine and PricewaterhouseCoopers “Entrepreneurial Challenges Survey” is an annual telephone survey of more than 300 CEOs of privately held, U.S.-based businesses recognized for their sustained, rapid growth. They average $31.5 million in annual revenue with an average of 185 employees, and have an ongoing annual growth rate of more than 23 percent……”

That definitely was not my picture of an entrepreneur. I don’t know too many entrepreneurs who average $31.5 million annually, or employ 185 people. To me, that’s a pretty successful company on its way to being a corporation. We should all be such entrepreneurs!

At any rate, I continued reading and I must say the information was worth the read, and the business of doing business can apply to those of us who aren’t quite making that $31.5 million per year yet. Here’s what the survey discovered.

What were considered their biggest challenges for 2006?
• 73% – Retention of key workers
• 38% – Developing new products/services
• 36% – Expansion to domestic markets
• 35% – Increased productivity
• 28% – Upgrading technology
• 23% – Creating business alliances
• 21% – Better management of cash flow
• 14% – Expansion outside the U.S.
• 13% – Improving risk management
• 11% – Finding new financing
• 11% – Buying another company or launching a spinoff
• 7% – Preparing company for sale
• 2% – Going public

Now when you stop and think about it, that’s pretty much what most entrepreneurs think about each year. Maybe not to the extent of expanding to foreign markets or launching a spinoff, but to keep your business perking along the road of improvement – all the rest are considered.

The next part of the survey was interesting because entrepreneurs were given a list of several “wild-card” factors that could affect business in 2006. When asked which three would be most harmful to their business, here’s what they said:
• 47% – Unstable U.S. economy
• 43% – Rising health-care costs
• 41% – Shortage of qualified workers
• 40% – Weak market demand
• 24% – Rising oil/energy costs
• 24% – Rising interest rates
• 22% – New government regulations
• 18% – Weaker capital spending
• 14% – Weakening world economy
• 12% – Increased global competition
• 11% – Decreased access to capital
• 10% – Sudden drop in U.S. real estate market
• 10% – Tax increases
• 9% – Inflation

So maybe my entrepreneurs and those surveyed are not really that much different in thinking. The outlook of most entrepreneurs is probably optimistic, or will be unless more unforeseen disasters strike.

Even after the huge devastation of 9/11, within two quarters we were back to the same level of optimism as we had before. People get used to dealing with tough circumstances and factor them in, but are not swayed by them. When you really think about it; isn’t that what most entrepreneurs are like?

If they’re not, then they aren’t entrepreneurs by my way of thinking.

 THE SECRETS OF FREE ADVERTISING

The opportunities for getting free advertising for your product
or services are limited only by your own imagination and
energies. There are so many proven ways of promoting your
objectives without cost that it literally boggles the mind just
to think of listing them.

One way is to write an article relative to your particular
expertise and submit it to all the publications and media dealing
in the dissemination of related information. In other words,
become your own publicity and sales promotions writer. Get the
word out; establish yourself as an expert in your field, and
“tag-along” everything you write with a quick note listing your
address for a catalog, dealership opportunity, or more
information.

Another really good way is by becoming a guest on as many of the
radio and television talk shows or interview type programs as
possible. Actually, this is much easier to bring about than most
people realize. Write a letter to the producer of these programs,
then follow up with an in-person visit or telephone call. Your initial
contact should emphasize that your product or service would be of
interest to the listeners or viewers of the program–perhaps even
saving them time and money.

Other ways of getting free or very inexpensive exposure include
the posting of advertising circulars on all free bulletin boards
in your area, especially the coin-operated laundries, grocery
stores, and beauty and barber shops. Don’t discount the idea of
handing out circulars to all the shoppers in busy shopping
centers and malls, especially on weekends. You can also enlist the
aid of the middle school students in your area to had out
circulars door-to-door.

Some of the more routine methods include having a promotional ad
relative to your product or service printed on the front or back
of your envelopes at the time you have them printed with your
return address.

Be sure to check all the publications that carry the kind of
advertising you need. Many mail order publications just getting
started offer unusually low rates to first-time advertisers; a
free-of-charge insertion of your ad when you pay for an order to
run three issues or more; or special seasonal ad space at greatly
reduced rates. And there are a number of publications that will
give you Per Inquiry (PI) space–arrangement where all orders
come in to the publication, they take a commission from each
order, and then forward the orders on to you for fulfillment.

Many publications will give you a contract for space. In this
arrangement you send them your ad, and they hold it until they
have unsold space, and then at a price that’s always one third or
less the regular price for the space need, insert your ad. Along
these lines, be sure to check in with the suburban neighborhood
newspapers.

If you send out or publish any kind of catalog or ad sheet, get
in touch will all the other publishers and inquire about the
possibilities of exchange advertising. They run your ad in their
publication in exchange for your running an ad for them of
comparable size in yours.

Finally, there’s nothing in the world that beats the low cost and
tremendous exposure you get when you advertise a free offer.
Simply run an ad offering a free report of interest to most
people— a simple one page report with a “tag-line” inviting the
readers to send money for more information, with a full page
advertisement for your book or other product on the backside. Ask
for a self-addressed stamped envelope, and depending on the
appeal for your report and circulation of the publication in
which your ad appears, you could easily be inundated with
responses!

The trick here, of course, is to convert all these responses, or
a large percentage of them, into sales. This is done via the
“tag-line,” which issues an invitation to the reader to send for
more information, and the full page ad on the back of the report,
and other offers you include with the complete package you send
back to them. As mentioned at the beginning of this report, it’s
just a matter of unleashing your imagination. Do that, and you
have a powerful force working for you that can help you reach
your goals.


Dispelling 8 Misconceptions of Organization

Some people were born organized and then there are those of us who struggle with organizing every year at this time. It seems that it’s always at the end of the year when that little annoying bug begins nudging you to clear things up and start the new year organized.

Well, I’ve read just about everybody’s directions, books, and helpful hints about getting organized (in fact, I’m thinking of writing one myself), and I’ve got to tell you there are some misconceptions being fostered by every organizational guru. It will be my pleasure to give you the “skinny” on that in today’s column.

Here are the 8 misconceptions that we can throw out:

1. Handle paper once. This is not only impossible, but in most cases it’s unrealistic. Instead of handling paper once, get in the habit of doing something with each piece of paper to move it forward. If you get some information about an upcoming seminar/trade show, for example, decide if you’ll attend or not. If you’re to attend then note the date on your calendar and sign up. If not, then toss the information immediately. If you want to wait to sign up, then make a note in your planner to respond well before the deadline and file the paper in your “to-do” file.
2. Always keep papers stored out of sight: Some of us work better when their desk is clear, whereas others feel stifled if they aren’t surrounded by stacks of paper. If you’re an “out of sight – out of mind” type, keep papers you use often nearby in files or stacking bins. They’ll be accessible, yet not clutter your desk. When working on a project, spread out the papers related to it, and when you’re done put them away together in one place.
3. Everyone should be organized to the same degree. Different people work differently. Don’t feel that you have to work the same as someone else. Find a comfortable level of being organized, and make the necessary changes to maintain that level. I usually draw that line when I’m looking for something and can’t find it; that’s when I know things need to get reorganized.
4. Soon we’ll be a “paperless” society. Don’t you believe it. Experts have been saying that for years, and we won’t be paperless for a long time. It’s not technology that’s the problem, it is human nature that’s the culprit. We’re creatures of habit and used to seeing things in print rather than on a computer screen. The younger generation is now being trained on computers at an early age, so when they join the workforce, the “paperless” society will have a better chance of becoming a reality.
5. One planning system should fit everyone. When used correctly, daily planners are an ideal way to stay organized. Keep in mind, however, they are designed by a few for many users. When buying a planner, whether paper-based or electronic, determine what you want it to do and choose a system accordingly. If you can’t find one to suit your system, design your own based on your individual needs.
6. You have to be born organized to be organized. We learn both good and bad habits at an early age. It’s possible to change any bad habit, including disorganization. Youngsters raised in an organized environment sometimes rebel as adults by being disorganized. The opposite is also true, but neither is carved in stone and behavior can be modified.
7. You MUST use a “to-do” list. Planning day-to-day is not realistic for everyone. Someone may do the same task every week, but others find their plans changing daily. Consider your particular need, then plan by the day or the week.
8. Being organized means being a perfectionist. A perfectionist may spend time on insignificant details while disregarding the big picture. When others complete a project quickly and on time, the perfectionist continues to work until the project is perfect. A perfectionist becomes more effective when he/she lowers his/her standards slightly and concentrates on ways to increase productivity.

Misinformation, when taken seriously, can hinder you from doing what you want. The next time you hear one of those “Organizational Gurus” espousing one of the above misconceptions, consider its value and work to develop your own style of organizing.

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How To Live Up to Your Greatest Potential If you want to make more of your talents - live up to your full potential - you have to learn to use them. You have the power to change your habits - to acquire new skills and fully use the skills you now have. You can improve your performance, your productivity, and the quality of your whole life. What makes a high achiever? Is it luck, intelligence, talent, dedication? All of these things figure in - they all make a difference. But we all know intelligent, talented, hard-working people who do not consider themselves very successful or even happy. And we know people who are not exceptionally bright but seem happy and successful. So there must be something else, some secret to success. Actually there are several secrets to achieving your peak performance - living up to your full potential. Your success at business, friendship, love, sports - just about anything you try - is largely determined by your own self-image. Your unhappiness is something you choose. So, you're thinking no one chooses to be unhappy. Well, maybe not - but you have to consciously choose to be happy, self-confident, and successful. Happiness is elusive when we go after it directly. So is self-confidence. Both seem to be more "side-products" than something you can achieve in and for itself. So how, then, can consciously choosing to be these things be of any value? Well, the secret is to focus on other things. First, focus on your potential. Begin by making a complete and accurate assessment of your potential. To do this you must take an inventory of yourself - you will make a few lists. Sit down and make a list of all the things you can do well. Be honest with yourself. When that list is done, make a list of all the things you like to do, even if you think you can't do them well. Then, make a list of all the things you would like to do, if you could. Now list your hobbies. Then, go back to the list of things you can do well. You are probably being much too hard on yourself. Most of us are. We have this little voice in our heads telling us things like: "You're so dumb," or "You can't learn to do that," or "You never do anything right," or similar nasty things. And even worse, we listen to that voice as if it's telling us the gospel truth. So now, shut off that voice - you can do it - and add a few more things to the list of things you can do well. Pretend you are your best friend - it's amazing how much more forgiving and charitable we are with our friends than we are with ourselves. Now that you are your best friend, you should be able to add a few more items to your "do well" list. But do be honest - don't list things you feel you really can't do well. Next, go to your list of things you like to do but you feel you don't do well. Speaking as your own best friend, do you think there are some things on this list that could be moved to your "do well" list? There probably are. If you like to do it, chances are you do pretty well at it. Treat your hobby list in the same manner. Next, go to your list of things you would like to do if you could. Ask yourself, "Why can't I do this, if I'd like to?" Put your reasons on another list. OK. So you have a lot of lists going - what good is that going to do? Well, you have just made an assessment of yourself. If you have been truly honest in making these lists, it may even be a fairly accurate assessment. Probably it isn't, but that's OK. This assessment isn't carved in stone. It's subject to change. But for now we will work with what's on the lists. At least you have a place to start. Look over your lists again. You are focusing on all the things you feel you can't do and the reasons why you can't do them, right? Well, don't. FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN DO - FOCUS ON YOUR POTENTIAL. Make it a habit to focus on your strengths. Don't forget to include your undeveloped potential, as well. Train yourself to focus on your potential instead of your limitations. Now that's not to say that you should ignore your list of reasons for not doing some of the things you would like to do. Not at all! But look at them from the viewpoint of your strengths. For instance, you'd like to play basketball but you think you are too short, so you don't even try. In this case, you are looking at it from the viewpoint of your limitations. Now, when you look at it from the viewpoint of your strengths, you would say, "Well, I may be pretty short to play, BUT I am fast. I can handle the ball well. I have a lot of stamina. I can't change being short, but I can refuse to let my limitations overcome my strengths." You see the difference? Focusing on your limitations lets those limitations make your decisions for you. Focusing on your strengths lets YOU make the decision. To go back to our example: when you've decided to overcome your height limitations to play basketball - something you really want to do - you will be more determined to develop your strengths to compensate. You will do well, because you will be doing what you really want to do and you will be determined to develop the full potential of your strengths. Very few people concentrate on fully developing any of their strengths. That's where you will have the edge. You know your true disadvantages but your determination, your singleness of purpose, will inspire you to fully develop the talents and skills you do have. OK. You probably have no interest in playing basketball. Then go to your assessment of yourself. What do you have a major interest in? What do you have a natural aptitude for? Go for it. Devote yourself to something you really like to do. Don't choose something just because you think you could make more money at it than you could by doing something else that you would really rather work at. You won't work to develop your full potential. You may start out with enthusiasm, but you will soon flag. It will be a chore to go to work. You'll probably find yourself hating to go. It'll be difficult to work on improving your skills because you don't like what you are doing. You probably won't be working up to your potential. Your success will probably be limited by your growing lack of interest and your happiness will surely be affected. If, however, you devote yourself to something you really like to do, you'll enjoy your work, you'll be enthusiastic, and you'll probably find yourself working on improving your skills just for the sheer joy of it. You will be working to reach your full potential. You'll probably soon find you are making more money at this truly interesting occupation than you ever dreamed possible. And because you like what you are doing, you will be happier. When you know you are working to your full potential and you enjoy your work and begin to feel successful, you will find that self-confidence and happiness soon follow. But, you must be realistic and honest with yourself. If you set goals that you can't possibly reach, you are setting yourself up for failure. You will make yourself frustrated and unhappy. The key here is a realistic and honest assessment of your potential. Although most people will be unnecessarily harsh in their assessments, it is easy to become too hopeful when you start breaking down barriers. If, for instance, you're extremely interested in and fond of music and would love to be a singer, it would be unreasonable to set a singing career as your goal if you can't sing a note (some talents are inborn). But if you are knowledgeable about the music business and would be happy being involved in some other capacity, then it would be reasonable to pursue a career in the business. Be wary of making otherwise perfectly reasonable goals unattainable because of stringent time frames. When you set a goal, you will most likely set times for achieving certain steps along your way to achieving your final goal. Even if you don't set the time frames formally, you will probably have a pretty good idea of how long you are giving yourself. It's wise to sit down and formally set these goals. Think about it and give yourself reasonable time to achieve them. Make a deal with yourself to view these time limits as flexible. Don't get discouraged if things don't work out as planned. Sometimes finding our place takes both time and error. All of us experience failures of one magnitude or another. The key is to view the failures as a learning experience - if nothing else, failures teach us what not to do. Remain flexible. As long as you keep focusing on your strengths and potential, the right thing will come along - and probably sooner rather than later. But don't quit at the first sign of boredom. Even if you have truly found your niche, you will not feel enthusiastic 100 percent of the time. Don't worry about others - don't compare your progress with that of others. No matter how successful you are, there will be someone else who, to you, looks like she's got it made - who looks like she's getting where you want to go faster and easier than you are. Maybe she is. Maybe she isn't. Who cares? Focus on your own achievements. Work to develop your skills and talents to their full potential. Compete with yourself - your short term goals should be based on today's accomplishments. If you have reached Point A today, make Point B your next objective - improve yourself and don't worry about the other guy. OK. You have decided what your ultimate goal is. Make sure it is a definitely defined goal. "Someday I want to be famous" just won't cut it. Define exactly what you want to do. Define a reasonable time frame. Know what you have to do to get there. You don't need to know every little detail, but you do have to have the big picture and many of the details. If you have a goal in mind but don't know what it takes to reach it, then you need to find out. Do some reading, talk to people who know, ask questions and LISTEN to the answers. Think that sounds like a lot of work? Well, remember what you are preparing for - your success and happiness. Surely you want to put a little effort into that! Anyway, a little reseach into what it will take for you to reach your goals isn't too difficult. Train yourself into making this "research" the next focus of your life. You will be focusing on your strengths, on your purpose, and on learning and doing. If you have chosen a goal that is right for you, focusing on these things and devoting the necessary time should not be too difficult. It may take a bit of self-discipline at first, but your determination and interest will carry you through until the focusing process becomes a habit. When you have a real desire to accomplish something, initiatative should only require an occasional shove - but you may need to give it a nudge now and again. Get into the habit of visualizing your success. Now sitting around and daydreaming in generalizations about it is not what we mean. You need to visualize specifics. To return to the basketball example, daydreaming about being carried off the court on your teammates' shoulders is just daydreaming. Picturing in your mind how you will work a play if your opponent makes a particular move, picturing your exact response to it, is visualizing specifics. If you run through specific moves in your mind, you will be prepared when the need for those moves arises. Don't be afraid to use your imagination to visualize new and better ways to accomplish things, as well. Here in your mind, you can try doing things in ways that are different from the usual. This is a creative process - you may have heard of creative thinking. Training yourself to think creatively is largely learning to let your imagination work on methods that are different from the "way things have always been done." It's breaking away from the idea that a thing can be done effectively in only one way. It's looking at a problem from all angles. Just play a game of "what if." Ask yourself, "What if I did this thing this way?" It's OK to get a little crazy sometimes. But, you must also spend some of your thinking time at specific visualizations of the moves you need to make to accomplish your goals. Visualizations are important but actual physical practice of your skills is important, too. Practice the boring little skills that are necessary as well as the skills that you enjoy. Don't let yourself rely on just the things that come naturally and easy to you. Develop your limited potentials as well as those that you feel are your assets. Work on developing the more general attributes that are important to almost any goal: Success comes more easily to those who have a pleasing personality. This is not to say that you should bend to eveyone's wishes or scrape and bow. Rather, develop an attitude that is respectful of other's opinions but true to your own beliefs. Be flexible - don't be so rigid that you can't accept another's opinion when it is superior to your own. Be willing, even eager, to learn from others. Changing your opinion in light of more facts is a sign of strength of character, not weakness. Be willing to extend a helpful hand, be a team player. Develop a sense of humor. Be polite and caring - but be your own person. Learn to guard against emotional responses. You are susceptible to errors of judgement when you let your emotions get in the way. Of course, everything we do is done based somewhat on our emotions, but strong emotions have little place in decision making. Hold your emotions in check. Try to delay decisions if you are in an emotional state. Learn to ignore your emotions and use reasoning to arrive at your decisions. Develop the habit of enthusiasm. Enthusiasm works like a magnet - it draws people and success. It's a pleasing personality trait that people like to be a part of. It seems to be contagious - the people around you become enthusiastic, too, and become more cooperative. Enthusiasm sparks initiative and singleness of purpose. We've talked of working to develop habits - the habit of focusing on your goals, the habit of focusing on your strengths, the habit of learning and "researching," the habit of visualizing, the habit of enthusiasm. Now we will talk of habits in a little different light - breaking them. First, assess your habits looking for the ones that may be displeasing to others. Offensive habits can hold you back from success - they are often a part of an unpleasing personality. Look for things like grumbling or grunting at people instead of answering, gazing at anything but the speaker when conversing, smirking or sneering when you don't agree - anything that is an automatic, displeasing mannerism. It will be very difficult to assess your habits accurately. After all, a habit is something that we do without thinking much about it. You will have to spend some time at this and be very conscious of yourself. Ask someone you trust to help you with this assessment. It may take a lot of work to break yourself of displeasing habits. Try substituting a different, more pleasing behavior for the habit you wish to break. OK. You have set definite goals, you have a definiteness of purpose, you have researched and know the specific steps to take to achieve the goals, you have resolved to be flexible and to develop a more pleasing personality. Now what? Well, just because you have a clear purpose, know what you want, are willing to work on developing your potential, and willing to be a nice person, success will not drop into your lap overnight. You will probably find that one of your first steps in achieving your goals will be to take a job somewhat below where you hope eventually to be. But you've already analyzed the steps to your goal, so you presumably have planned for this. However, you do want to advance and, of course, as quickly as possible. As you advance toward your goals, you will undoubtedly run up against some difficult people (maybe even difficult bosses), and there will be times you'll need to deal effectively with them. Since you are working on becoming a nice, enthusiastic person and a team player, you already have half the battle won. Your attitude is as important as the other guy's attitude when you are dealing with difficult people. Always keep in mind that your job is a training field for you. You are getting paid as you learn the things you need to know to achieve your goals. Pretty good deal, right? If you view your job as a paid opportunity to advance toward your goals, you will be an asset to your boss. You will also be a happier, more productive person. Viewing your job in this manner will allow you to view the difficult people you will inevitably need to deal with as an opportunity to grow. From them and the situations they create, you will learn to negotiate with, side-step around, and draw out the best in others without letting yourself become upset. Each time you successfully deal with one of these people you will gain confidence and probably friends to add to your support network. The skill of negotiating with difficult people and the confidence you have gained from these encounters comes in handy when you are ready to ask for a promotion or raise - even if your boss happens to be a nice person. Successful negotiation is not a contest of wills - it is working together to solve a problem or come to an agreement. It is an opportunity to learn how others feel about the issue. Always be prepared. Know who you are talking with. Always know as much as possible about the person. Know about the person's marital status, family, hobbies, education, difficulties, attitudes, and whatever else you can learn. The information may give you an understanding of the person. If you know the circumstances, you will more easily find the most effective way to get your point across. At the very least, the information will make the person seem more familiar which will give you more self-confidence. Know the issue - not just your opinions about it. Be able to back up your opinions with reasons and research. If you are asking for a promotion, know the demands of the job in question. Know and be honest about how much of the job you are already qualified to do and how much additional training you will need. If you may not be as qualified as someone else applying, be prepared to negotiate for a smaller-than-offered salary until you are fully trained - remember the training is worth a lot to you. Be enthusiastic and focus on your strengths - don't boast but give an a simple and accurate listing of the strengths you feel make you a good candidate for this job. The strengths you cite can and should include specific job related skills, your present accomplishments on the job, your interest in the field (not just this job), your enthusiasm, your ability to work as a team member, and other personal traits that will be an asset on the job. Always enter into negotiations with a calm and reasonable manner. Don't let emotion and emotional outbursts have a place at the negotiating table. You must be in control of yourself if you want to get your point across. People are more likely to listen to your views if you present them in a calm and reasonable manner. Present your ideas with conviction but don't try to intimidate others or be demanding. State your views simply, completely, and orderly. When you are expressing an opinion rather than a fact, use a qualifying "I think" or "In my opinion." When others are expressing their views, listen carefully and ask questions if something isn't clear. Don't disagree until you are sure you understand their position. When you do disagree, do so in a pleasant non-threatening way. "I see what you mean, but . . ." or "I can understand why you think that, but . . ." are a couple of good ways to begin a statement of disagreement. Be courteous and leave them a chance to save face. Be prepared to face people who are not calm and reasonable. Don't let them get to you. Remain calm and reasonable and even be a little sympathetic. Let's say you have entered into negotiations with your boss for a raise and he blows up with, "I can't afford to give you a raise. This business isn't exactly a gold mine. Don't you realize how tough times are?" Remain calm. Put yourself in his shoes. Try to find something you can agree and sympathize with. For instance, look sympathetic and agree, "I know you have a lot of expenses and you work hard to keep this business going. It must be really difficult for you sometimes." This will probably not be the response he expects. It will probably take the wind out of his sails. Most likely he will calm down, and since you are sympathetic to his problems, he'll be more willing to listen to you. If you remain calm, reasonable, and sympathetic, he will calm down. When he is calmer, discuss with him the reasons you are a valuable asset to him. Don't threaten but calmly and reasonably discuss the bargain a small raise is. With that small raise, he'll be keeping a happy and fully trained employee who knows the company. When you consider the expense of finding and training another individual, giving you a raise is a bargain for your boss. Play "Let's Make A Deal." Be prepared to deal. Don't expect to get everything you want. If you are willing to gracefully make some concessions, you will be more likely to arrive at a satisfactory deal. After all, a negotiation has at least two opposing sides. This means someone else has something they want, too - even if that something is simply to leave things as they are. Arrive at a compromise that everyone can live with. Remember, you are working at long-range goals, and you may be negotiating with them again. Developing your potential more fully is a key to happiness and fulfillment. Although we have primarily discussed this in terms of a job, these same concepts can be used in many other areas of your life. In developing your potential to it's fullest, you will want to become a more efficient person - get more done in less time - so you can take full advantage of the opportunities that you make for yourself. You will note that most effective, successful people seem to accomplish a great deal. It's true that this is partly due to enthusiasm, but there's more to it. The first barrier to efficiency is procrastination - putting off getting started. Sometimes you know you are procrastinating. You may not want to do the task at hand so you keep putting it off until tomorrow. The thing to do is to look at it from a different angle. If it'll have to be done sometime, tell yourself, "why not do it now, and get it off your back." And that's just where it is! On your back dragging you down. Putting things off makes everything harder to do. If you keep putting things off, you'll soon have several things piling up, and then the sheer number of tasks you have backed up will make it seem impossible to ever get caught up. This affects everything you do try to do. Sometimes you don't even realize you are putting things off. You may keep yourself extremely busy doing things of little importance to unconsciously give yourself excuses for doing the things you really should be doing. You say to yourself, "Look how busy I am. I just can't get everything done." But the result is the same as when you know you are procrastinating. It soon bogs you down. All you are doing is "running in place." So how do you beat procrastination? The first step in beating procrastination is to admit to yourself how often you do it and assessing your methods of doing it. Not very difficult, really, when you become aware of the tactics some of us use to hide from ourselves what we are doing. The key in overcoming procrastination and becoming more efficient is organization. Plan ahead. Know what you want to accomplish today, this week, and in the long haul. Make lists. The lists for today will probably be more detailed than the longer-term lists. That's OK. Now look over the lists and rank the tasks in order of importance. Make three or four groupings based on importance. Within each group, star the things you least like to do. Each day you will have a "today" list to work on. Tackle the tasks that are most important first. If you have several "most important" tasks on your list, take on the least liked things in that grouping before you do the better liked ones. When you have accomplished a task, check it off. You'll be surprised what a good feeling you have when you check things off. What a sense of accomplishment! It's an incentive to do the next task on the list. When you have completed the tasks in the first grouping, begin on the list of next importance. Again do the starred items in that group first. Keep on checking things off as you get them done. Do you see what is happening? You get the most pressing, least liked tasks out of the way early in the day when you are fresh and rested. As the day goes on you will feel less and less pressure. You have reserved the less important tasks for the end of the day when you will be more tired. With this system you will have not only increased your efficiency but also reduced some of the stress in your day. Stress can get in the way of efficiency. Your new efficiency will help you develop your potential. It is, in fact, a part of living up to your potential. Another important part of efficiency is in delegating work. If you are in a position where you have assistants or designated people under your supervision, you need to learn to delegate. If you are not in such a position yet, you still need to know - since you're working on developing your potential you very likely will be some day. Delegating work is difficult for many people. Some find it hard to ask others to do things for them - others find it hard not to demand that others do tasks. Delegating is an art. First, you need to realize that the people under your supervision are PEOPLE. Seldom, if ever, should you demand - that takes away self respect. In order to achieve a happy and co-operative crew, you need to help them build self-respect and self-confidence. A happy and co-operative crew is an asset to you. Demands do not promote self-respect and co-operation. Oh, it's probably effective to demand in the short run - but in the long run you will be better off to gain co-operation without demanding. People who are asked to do a task, are given explanations and clear instructions, and are praised for a job well done will grow in self-respect. They will also respect you as a good supervisor. If you hesitate to ask for their assistance, your crew will feel that you do not trust them or have faith in their abilities. This affects their self-respect and, as a reaction, will affect their respect for you, as well. When you delegate work, don't delegate just the "junk" tasks. Your crew needs to be given some important tasks to do as well as unimportant ones. The important task gives them a sense of the respect you have for them and the faith you have in their abilities. It's a good idea to save some "junk" tasks for yourself. Perhaps the most respected and effective boss is the one about whom the crew says, "She never gives us anything to do that she wouldn't do herself." Why? Because, by her actions the boss is saying that, though her position is above theirs, she is still just "plain people." Delegation of tasks is important because you can gain in effectiveness and get more done if you properly supervise a crew. Don't feel embarrassed or hesitant about delegating work. If it helps you to shine, it helps your crew shine, too. A well-run, effective department is a credit to the whole team. With proper delegating, you can help your crew achieve their potential as well as achieving your own. All of us have untapped potential - perhaps even areas of genius - that we have neglected to develop. Whether your concept of success has to do with business, love, friendship, sports, a combination of these or something else, more fully developing your potential will help you achieve your goals. If you can learn to assess your potential, set realistic goals, and go after those goals with determination, organization, and purpose, you will use your potential more fully, gain confidence, and be a happier and more successful person. *+nnwwhlVkh_>CJOJQJaJhlVkhlVkCJOJQJaJhlVkOJQJhlVkhlVk5CJOJQJaJ*+u S Y Z 1
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