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Atricle Dump - Fail to plan... or Plan to FAIL??
All prospects are not created equally. Some are worth the continued investment of your time, resources and energy, while others will only sap your motivation, as well give you ample frustration and send you to an early grave. (Sales grave, that is.) Why do salespeople give these poor prospects more time than they deserve? Here are a few reasons for you to consider. The salesperson:1. Lacks an adequate number of good prospects – so spends time trying to turn poor ones into sales.(good luck.) 2. Mistakenly believes (as well as some sales managers) that everyone is a good prospect. (Not so.) 3. Does
Example: Someone calls and asks when you can deliver a certain item, you reply "within two days", they are happy with your response BUT instead of the conversation finishing, they go on to talk about weather, sports, families etc...
.....before you know it, a one-minute call has turned into a 30 minute episode of everything except business. Not Good. This is time you could have efficiently used elsewhere.........they have stolen your time from you. Look out for the 'Time Thieves' - they are everywhere. Spot them - deal with them.
Time Management is KEY to business planning. If your plan has a tight schedule to work to, then your management of ever-so valuable time will be v
One of the biggest problems in any growing business is the long delay it typically takes to get paid. It is not uncommon for it to take 60 to 90 days from the time a company completes a job or contract to the time when the company actually gets paid. Ninety days is almost an industry standard interval from receipt of a service or goods by a large commercial customer to the time that payment is sent out.In the meantime, the companies' employees are expecting to get paid on time; which is usually weekly, and most of the operating expenses need to be covered on a monthly basis. Some of the bills even need to be pai
One of the biggest obstacles I have endeavored to translate to many, many small business / home business people, is a very simple phrase......' Treat It Like a REAL business, Because It IS a REAL Business'.
The fundamental reasoning behind so many failures in small business, is the clear lack of willingness to act like a real business. Many people may ' have a go ', they could ' give it a try ', or ' let's see what happens ' - all with the.. ' what have I got to lose? ' attitude. THAT, my friends, is one of the biggest secrets to FAILURE.
OK - so let's assume that your small business / home business / BizOp etc., is NOT you main source of income. It is NOT responsible for putting food in you family's stomachs, it is NOT what keeps a roof over your head..... it is NOT the sole form of income that you, your family and your Bank Manager rely upon.
So look at it like this. If it WAS, would you put as much effort into it as you do now? I can pretty much guarantee that your efforts would be substantially more, because everything relies on the success of your business, vis-?-vis the money your business generates.
Well, now we have ascertained that you should be running it like a real business.......Are you?
> Do you have a business plan?
> Do you know each step that your business will take over the next week, month, year, three years....?
> Have you prepared your agenda for acquiring new customers, products, joint venture partners?
> Do you have a timetable of events?
> How often do you research, analyse, read-up and check out your competitors?
> When was the last time you contacted your client base?
> Do you offer them special offers, free resources and reports? What about surveying them and asking for their opinions?
> How often do you do all this?
> Does your business have a 'company objective'?
> Has your 'company' it's own 'customer mission statement'?
> Have you set yourself / your business targets....use my S.M.A.R.T. Principle...... .......targets which must be
= Specific.............. each item / area of business must be targeted specifically.
= Measurable........ be able to measure your targets, how much, how often etc.
= Achievable........don't think that you can sell 2 million units if your competitors only sell 50 units.
= Realistic.............. be honest with yourself. Can it be done?
= Time-bound.......give limitations and deadlines to whatever you are planning. Open-ended is no good.
If you want to run your BUSINESS 'willy-nilly', or 'Gun Ho' - then expect eventual failure. However, with some applied thought, planning and foresight, you can develop your little, part-time home business into something which definitely has increased chances for success.
Apply time-management techniques, stick to time-tables and deadlines. Look out for 'Time Thieves'........ These are people or events which steal time from you, time which could be more effectively used elsewhere.
Example: Someone calls and asks when you can deliver a certain item, you reply "within two days", they are happy with your response BUT instead of the conversation finishing, they go on to talk about weather, sports, families etc...
.....before you know it, a one-minute call has turned into a 30 minute episode of everything except business. Not Good. This is time you could have efficiently used elsewhere.........they have stolen your time from you. Look out for the 'Time Thieves' - they are everywhere. Spot them - deal with them.
Time Management is KEY to business planning. If your plan has a tight schedule to work to, then your management of ever-so valuable time will be v
A couple months ago, I told my husband I was going to revamp my business by defining a niche and a target market. My niche is writing. My target market – well, at the time, it was anyone or anything that needed writing or editing services. “Don’t you think you’ll be limiting yourself by concentrating JUST on writing?” he asked me with obvious concern. “No, not at all” I quickly responded. He looked at me puzzled. My husband loves stories so I knew a fishing analogy would help him see the light.“You know how when we go fishing you use a lure and I use worms?” I asked him. “Yes,” he replied still visibly confused. “W
So look at it like this. If it WAS, would you put as much effort into it as you do now? I can pretty much guarantee that your efforts would be substantially more, because everything relies on the success of your business, vis-?-vis the money your business generates.
Well, now we have ascertained that you should be running it like a real business.......Are you?
> Do you have a business plan?
> Do you know each step that your business will take over the next week, month, year, three years....?
> Have you prepared your agenda for acquiring new customers, products, joint venture partners?
> Do you have a timetable of events?
> How often do you research, analyse, read-up and check out your competitors?
> When was the last time you contacted your client base?
> Do you offer them special offers, free resources and reports? What about surveying them and asking for their opinions?
> How often do you do all this?
> Does your business have a 'company objective'?
> Has your 'company' it's own 'customer mission statement'?
> Have you set yourself / your business targets....use my S.M.A.R.T. Principle...... .......targets which must be
= Specific.............. each item / area of business must be targeted specifically.
= Measurable........ be able to measure your targets, how much, how often etc.
= Achievable........don't think that you can sell 2 million units if your competitors only sell 50 units.
= Realistic.............. be honest with yourself. Can it be done?
= Time-bound.......give limitations and deadlines to whatever you are planning. Open-ended is no good.
If you want to run your BUSINESS 'willy-nilly', or 'Gun Ho' - then expect eventual failure. However, with some applied thought, planning and foresight, you can develop your little, part-time home business into something which definitely has increased chances for success.
Apply time-management techniques, stick to time-tables and deadlines. Look out for 'Time Thieves'........ These are people or events which steal time from you, time which could be more effectively used elsewhere.
Example: Someone calls and asks when you can deliver a certain item, you reply "within two days", they are happy with your response BUT instead of the conversation finishing, they go on to talk about weather, sports, families etc...
.....before you know it, a one-minute call has turned into a 30 minute episode of everything except business. Not Good. This is time you could have efficiently used elsewhere.........they have stolen your time from you. Look out for the 'Time Thieves' - they are everywhere. Spot them - deal with them.
Time Management is KEY to business planning. If your plan has a tight schedule to work to, then your management of ever-so valuable time will be v
DO match and mirror the speed, tone and volume of the other person's voice. DON'T speak in a monotone.DO call for a specific reason such as to provide some information of value. DON'T call just to check in.DO go the prospect's web site first to see if they fit your ideal prospect profile. DON'T randomly send out expensive (your time, material costs and postage) literature.DO tell the truth even if you do not have the answer to a question at that moment. DON'T try to fake like you know the answer to a question you don't.DO ask for the business. DON'T assume you have it u
> Do you have a timetable of events?
> How often do you research, analyse, read-up and check out your competitors?
> When was the last time you contacted your client base?
> Do you offer them special offers, free resources and reports? What about surveying them and asking for their opinions?
> How often do you do all this?
> Does your business have a 'company objective'?
> Has your 'company' it's own 'customer mission statement'?
> Have you set yourself / your business targets....use my S.M.A.R.T. Principle...... .......targets which must be
= Specific.............. each item / area of business must be targeted specifically.
= Measurable........ be able to measure your targets, how much, how often etc.
= Achievable........don't think that you can sell 2 million units if your competitors only sell 50 units.
= Realistic.............. be honest with yourself. Can it be done?
= Time-bound.......give limitations and deadlines to whatever you are planning. Open-ended is no good.
If you want to run your BUSINESS 'willy-nilly', or 'Gun Ho' - then expect eventual failure. However, with some applied thought, planning and foresight, you can develop your little, part-time home business into something which definitely has increased chances for success.
Apply time-management techniques, stick to time-tables and deadlines. Look out for 'Time Thieves'........ These are people or events which steal time from you, time which could be more effectively used elsewhere.
Example: Someone calls and asks when you can deliver a certain item, you reply "within two days", they are happy with your response BUT instead of the conversation finishing, they go on to talk about weather, sports, families etc...
.....before you know it, a one-minute call has turned into a 30 minute episode of everything except business. Not Good. This is time you could have efficiently used elsewhere.........they have stolen your time from you. Look out for the 'Time Thieves' - they are everywhere. Spot them - deal with them.
Time Management is KEY to business planning. If your plan has a tight schedule to work to, then your management of ever-so valuable time will be v
As many small-time authors and self-publishers have discovered the hard way, the traditional book publishing model is fraught with problems that conspire against an individual author/publisher making a decent living from their work.The traditional model normally involves two basic choices: 1) use a commercial publisher, or 2) self-publish.THE COMMERCIAL PUBLISHER ROUTEThis option involves the author submitting book proposals or full manuscripts to commercial publishing houses in hope of acceptance.Once a manuscript is accepted by a publishing house (the vast majority are not accepted) a
= Achievable........don't think that you can sell 2 million units if your competitors only sell 50 units.
= Realistic.............. be honest with yourself. Can it be done?
= Time-bound.......give limitations and deadlines to whatever you are planning. Open-ended is no good.
If you want to run your BUSINESS 'willy-nilly', or 'Gun Ho' - then expect eventual failure. However, with some applied thought, planning and foresight, you can develop your little, part-time home business into something which definitely has increased chances for success.
Apply time-management techniques, stick to time-tables and deadlines. Look out for 'Time Thieves'........ These are people or events which steal time from you, time which could be more effectively used elsewhere.
Example: Someone calls and asks when you can deliver a certain item, you reply "within two days", they are happy with your response BUT instead of the conversation finishing, they go on to talk about weather, sports, families etc...
.....before you know it, a one-minute call has turned into a 30 minute episode of everything except business. Not Good. This is time you could have efficiently used elsewhere.........they have stolen your time from you. Look out for the 'Time Thieves' - they are everywhere. Spot them - deal with them.
Time Management is KEY to business planning. If your plan has a tight schedule to work to, then your management of ever-so valuable time will be v
Same old same old just doesn't sell anymore. To make your marketing stand out, you need to get creative. Below are five tips designed to get your creative juices flowing. Some are brainteasers or are what Michael Michalko in "Thinkertoys" calls Linear Thinkertoys. Others fall under intuition or Intuitive Thinkertoys. hich steal time from you, time which could be more effectively used elsewhere.
Example: Someone calls and asks when you can deliver a certain item, you reply "within two days", they are happy with your response BUT instead of the conversation finishing, they go on to talk about weather, sports, families etc...
.....before you know it, a one-minute call has turned into a 30 minute episode of everything except business. Not Good. This is time you could have efficiently used elsewhere.........they have stolen your time from you. Look out for the 'Time Thieves' - they are everywhere. Spot them - deal with them.
Time Management is KEY to business planning. If your plan has a tight schedule to work to, then your management of ever-so valuable time will be very important. Plan your time carefully, effectively and efficiently......but do allow for some overspill and overlap.......it happens in any business!
One KEY fundamental of business planning is the ability to be flexible and adaptable. Never assume that once you create your plan, that you must stick to it rigidly, but flexible when necessary, but not to the detriment of the your success. Remember, overspill and overlap work both sides of the same coin.
PLAN. Plan carefully, plan honestly, plan realistically. But you must plan.
Final thought. Think long and hard about the 'company / business objective' and the 'Customer Mission Statement'.
Put together a short (two - three sentences) paragraph for each, which clearly defines..... A). What your business is all about. B). What your customers can expect from your business.
Chose the words carefully, put into 2-3 sentences everything that encapsulates both statements totally and work to these statements closely.
Plan for success, because without planning, you will fail.
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