OK -- It seems like it was yesterday that I arrived on this great land called "The United States of America". Having arrived from the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere to the richest country in the World, needless to say, I was FASCINATED at the contrasts, particularly, the ones that I saw in NEW YORK CITY, the best City in the World. I discovered myself in that organized chaos. And it was awesome... The possibilities seemed to have been endless, Americans were optimistic and poised to spend on each other, and I, the skinny little Black kid from the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, was literally in paradise! I saw the American spirit, a great people. I saw people walking fast, talking fast, easting fast. I saw purpose, resolve, determination, passion etc. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE AMERICA THAT I LOVE?
We can get back to that lovely place again. But we can't do it by fearing failure. We have to start creating business structures that will CREATE JOBS JOBS JOBS JOBS again. Yes, we need HEALTH CARE as well, but we need JOBS even more. People gain a certain level of freedom and self-belief just from having good paying jobs. Marriages have more stability, wives are happier, and as the saying goes: "If momma is not happy, ain't nobody happy, huh?". But on a serious note, WHY SHOULD WE START CREATING JOBS AGAIN? NEWER TYPES OF JOBS? and WHY IS IT VITAL TO GETTING BACK TO THE AMERICA THAT WE KNEW AND LOVED?
Well, as entrepreneurs, when we start to strategically create jobs, we don't only help the economy, but we also help our own businesses' capability maturity level. Imagine being BOMBARDED with a lot of phone calls or guests or prospects after conducting a strategic marketing/advertising campaign. Would you be able to single-handedly, seamlessly and successfully process all your prospects enough to turn most of them into lifelong clients?
Well the answer is probably a big fat NO. As the saying goes, "one can do everything in life, but one cannot do it alone..." In other words, we need each other, and as a French saying goes, "we always need someone who is smaller or less sophisticated than we are."
TODAY, Americans have a fear to venture out, and quite understandingly so, such a fear is not without merit. But as one American president stated, "the only thing Americans have to fear is FEAR itself." I have, personally, embarked on a mission to be a MOTIVATING FACTOR/ INSPIRATION LEADER to all Entrepreneurs, and particularly American entrepreneurs because to whom much is given, much is also required. It's time to start spending again, time to start HIRING AGAIN, and last but not least, time to start INNOVATING again. Americans need factories in AMERICA. Not in INDIA, not in CHINA... Right here in AMERICA.
America became great because Americans had to unite against factions and fear with the goal of being ONE NATION, UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. And as such they have PLEDGED ALLEGIANCE to the American flag to that end. Not because they had no fear, but because sometimes they realized that they had to "pinch their noses to swallow the medicine" and that medicine is RISK-TAKING my friends. NO PAIN, NO GAIN.
With just a little bit of RISK TAKING by those who have the money and a dialogue with those who have the ideas, we can start fueling that PASSION/FIRE again. There's nothing life having FIRE in one's belly. The FIRE in my BELLY is limitless. In fact, it's enough to conquer the World... I believe that I can <smile> through business... It's quite American. We are CAPITALISTS here right? There's nothing like that ENTREPRENEURIAL ENTHUSIASM. It's like conceiving a baby and then giving birth to it. You cannot wait to see that baby grow, you cannot wait to give your ALL for that baby. Businesses are the babies of those who form them and if we are willing to consider taking HIGH CALCULATED RISKS for HIGH REWARDS we'll be on our way there again.
Failure is the mother of success. If Americans continue to be afraid to fail because the Banks are not lending or because the venture capitalists are skeptical, then they'll keep closing down their businesses, and the JOBS will dry up and our systematic economy will collapse and the American Dream will remain only a dream for most.
I started my first business on a shoestring budget almost two (2) decades ago, and it still remains the best decision of my life. Yes, you can start HIRING again, yes you can make the phone ring again, yes you can have your dream business again, while reaping the fruits of your hard work. All it takes is a bit of RE-INVENTION in your mind's eyes. DOUBTFUL ABOUT WHAT I'm saying? CALL ME ON IT.
I'll even give you a FREE CONSULTATION. Call me at (407) 272-0873 and if I don't show you how I can work with you to turn your idea into a full-fledged profitable business, I'll personally pay you for your time. Come on now, let's rebuild America again. The government won't do it for us. We, the entrepreneurs, are the ones who will create the lasting jobs. It's a cycle... if we don't create jobs, then people won't have the money to spend on other businesses, and businessmen and women won't have the money to spend on lawyers, doctors etc... it's like a domino-effect... LET US STOP IT ONE BUSINESS AT A TIME!
Pete Lorins, PhD CD, JD - petelorins@aol.com (email)
"BCG" is an exclusive affinity group, structured around brainstorming sessions that are tailored to help you reach the best possible business solutions. We understand that those with the best ideas don't always have enough capital and vice versa. Our themes are always EXPERTISE, CAPITAL, and VENTURES, and our focus is the success of your business. Good Luck! Contact us @ (407) 272-0873 or info@snirol.com
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Understand Your Value - Manage Your Opportunities by Pete Lorins PhD CD, JD
Before embarking on any entrepreneurial endeavor, one should consider the following ancient proverb: "KNOW THYSELF." What it really means is that before we start trying to understand our customers'/prospects' worlds, we should develop a full understanding of our own world and have a guiding vision that begins to define the IDEAL CUSTOMER. More specifically, we need to understand our offerings, the markets they target, and the quantitative and qualitative levels of activity we must attain to reach our personal performance goals.
Self-knowledge begins with the VALUE PROPOSITION inherent in the goods and services we are offering customers. In other words, the positive business and personal impact that your offerings deliver to your customers. This value represents your competitive advantage in the market place. It also serves as a baseline from which you can begin to measure the fit between your offerings and prospects (prospective customers). The UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS of your offerings help you define the IDEAL CUSTOMER.
STEP-1: Quantitative Approach
1) Sales Plan/Business Development - Contact a predetermined number of prospects
2) Contacts - These become your contacts
3) Appointments - Set "x" number of appointments
4) Presentations - Set the appointment in "y" presentations
5) Sales - Yield "z" number of sales.
STEP-2: Qualitative Approach
1) Develop Qualitative Metrics
2) Determine the Best Leads for a Particular Moment
3) Perform Opportunity Management - Recognize the Opportunities
Opportunity Management -- encompasses how we develop and manage our leads. As the opportunity represented by each customer changes, so does their priority in the salesperson's schedule. The ultimate purpose of opportunity management is to point salespeople toward that single individual or company that represents the best place they could be at at any particular moment.
If you're struggling with any of the above concepts/approaches, please feel free to call Pete Lorins @ (407) 272-0873. The value of your business and entrepreneurial aspirations depends on it.
Pete Lorins, PhD CD, JD -- petelorins@aol.com (email)
Self-knowledge begins with the VALUE PROPOSITION inherent in the goods and services we are offering customers. In other words, the positive business and personal impact that your offerings deliver to your customers. This value represents your competitive advantage in the market place. It also serves as a baseline from which you can begin to measure the fit between your offerings and prospects (prospective customers). The UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS of your offerings help you define the IDEAL CUSTOMER.
STEP-1: Quantitative Approach
1) Sales Plan/Business Development - Contact a predetermined number of prospects
2) Contacts - These become your contacts
3) Appointments - Set "x" number of appointments
4) Presentations - Set the appointment in "y" presentations
5) Sales - Yield "z" number of sales.
STEP-2: Qualitative Approach
1) Develop Qualitative Metrics
2) Determine the Best Leads for a Particular Moment
3) Perform Opportunity Management - Recognize the Opportunities
Opportunity Management -- encompasses how we develop and manage our leads. As the opportunity represented by each customer changes, so does their priority in the salesperson's schedule. The ultimate purpose of opportunity management is to point salespeople toward that single individual or company that represents the best place they could be at at any particular moment.
If you're struggling with any of the above concepts/approaches, please feel free to call Pete Lorins @ (407) 272-0873. The value of your business and entrepreneurial aspirations depends on it.
Pete Lorins, PhD CD, JD -- petelorins@aol.com (email)
Monday, April 25, 2011
Fear (Make it Your Best Friend) By Reed Sawyer
Robert Kyosocki once said, "If you do the thing that you fear the most, you will have conquered your fear." As an entrepreneur, fear is a constant companion. You are fearful that you won't sell any of your product, or run out of money, or be sued by a deadbeat, or....
You will never be able to avoid risk, however, if you can manage risk intelligently, you can minimize the risk and make it acceptable.
What are some of the ways that an entrepreneur can manage risks?
1) Incorporate: If you own a sole proprietorship, all that you now own, or will own in the future, can be taken away in a lawsuit. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people that are professional victims that are just looking to sue someone, and because we do not have a "loser pays" legal system, they do so at no risk. How do you manage those risks? Incorporate. If someone sues, and wins, all that they can do is to take the corporate assets, not your personal assets.
2) Insurance: Do you have a "key man" or woman that your business depends on to be profitable? What would happen if they died? What would happen if they got an offer at a different job? (Can you say, "Lebron James"?) Key man insurance is expensive, but it gives you a buffer to survive and move on if a key employee is no longer there. At the same time, if you have a key employee, and you are not paying them well, do not be amazed if they leave at the first opportunity. One of the ways to manage this is to give them a piece of the company. You do not do this out of altruism, but because it makes good business sense.
3) Investment (Research and Development): A lot of companies work like crazy to develop new technologies and have the latest and greatest product...and then stop innovating. In our technologically advanced culture, a new technology will be cutting edge for weeks. It will be innovative for months, and it will have a life span of 18 months...if you are lucky. If you are developing new technologies, you must be constantly adapting, revising, and coming up with new products/services that are "cool". If you don't you risk being a "buggy whip" manufacturer with a great product...but no demand.
4) Instant results marketing: One of the ways to lower your risks in marketing is to only pay for results. For instance, If your advertising budget is 10% of gross sales, and you want to increase sales, offer a 10% discount off purchases, if they buy using a coupon. You only pay for results WHEN the sale is made. OR, you use consultants, and you ONLY pay when they make a sale. By using production results (or commissions) you are only paying when you receive money. If you are using dinosaur marketing techniques, you pay for the possibility that someone will notice the ad, remember, contact you, and purchase. If you use Instant results marketing, you pay the commission AS you are paid, and not before. This lowers risk.
5) Bundling services/products: Instead of offering to sell your services piecemeal, offer to bundle services so that your customers pay for a larger purchase, increasing your revenue, by giving them a discount over buying the separate pieces individually. (Buy a case of Mountain Dew, for $150, rather than purchasing one Mountain Dew for $1.50. The per unit cost is lower individually, but by selling a greater volume, you increase your revenue. Assuming that they will continue to purchase your product.)
In short, if you are able to reduce your risk of failure, you will increase your chances of success, with all other variables being constant. Manage your fear, and you will manage your success.
Reed Sawyer -- ReedBetweenTheLines@yahoo.com (email)
You will never be able to avoid risk, however, if you can manage risk intelligently, you can minimize the risk and make it acceptable.
What are some of the ways that an entrepreneur can manage risks?
1) Incorporate: If you own a sole proprietorship, all that you now own, or will own in the future, can be taken away in a lawsuit. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people that are professional victims that are just looking to sue someone, and because we do not have a "loser pays" legal system, they do so at no risk. How do you manage those risks? Incorporate. If someone sues, and wins, all that they can do is to take the corporate assets, not your personal assets.
2) Insurance: Do you have a "key man" or woman that your business depends on to be profitable? What would happen if they died? What would happen if they got an offer at a different job? (Can you say, "Lebron James"?) Key man insurance is expensive, but it gives you a buffer to survive and move on if a key employee is no longer there. At the same time, if you have a key employee, and you are not paying them well, do not be amazed if they leave at the first opportunity. One of the ways to manage this is to give them a piece of the company. You do not do this out of altruism, but because it makes good business sense.
3) Investment (Research and Development): A lot of companies work like crazy to develop new technologies and have the latest and greatest product...and then stop innovating. In our technologically advanced culture, a new technology will be cutting edge for weeks. It will be innovative for months, and it will have a life span of 18 months...if you are lucky. If you are developing new technologies, you must be constantly adapting, revising, and coming up with new products/services that are "cool". If you don't you risk being a "buggy whip" manufacturer with a great product...but no demand.
4) Instant results marketing: One of the ways to lower your risks in marketing is to only pay for results. For instance, If your advertising budget is 10% of gross sales, and you want to increase sales, offer a 10% discount off purchases, if they buy using a coupon. You only pay for results WHEN the sale is made. OR, you use consultants, and you ONLY pay when they make a sale. By using production results (or commissions) you are only paying when you receive money. If you are using dinosaur marketing techniques, you pay for the possibility that someone will notice the ad, remember, contact you, and purchase. If you use Instant results marketing, you pay the commission AS you are paid, and not before. This lowers risk.
5) Bundling services/products: Instead of offering to sell your services piecemeal, offer to bundle services so that your customers pay for a larger purchase, increasing your revenue, by giving them a discount over buying the separate pieces individually. (Buy a case of Mountain Dew, for $150, rather than purchasing one Mountain Dew for $1.50. The per unit cost is lower individually, but by selling a greater volume, you increase your revenue. Assuming that they will continue to purchase your product.)
In short, if you are able to reduce your risk of failure, you will increase your chances of success, with all other variables being constant. Manage your fear, and you will manage your success.
Reed Sawyer -- ReedBetweenTheLines@yahoo.com (email)
Creativity (For Your Business) -- By Reed Sawyer
A lot of business owners are looking for an inspiration for a new product idea, marketing plan, or simply a new design. They just feel that they aren't creative, and don't know how to be inspired. Here are a few easy tips.
1) Know your schedule: If you are a morning person, and you feel most alive/inspired/awake early in the morning, this is your time. Try waking up a little earlier and writing down a few thoughts that are NOT what you would usually think about. Creativity is nothing more than thought paths that we haven't taken before, and noticing the journey.
2) Let your subconscious do the heavy lifting. Joe White, a serial entrepreneur in Colorado, used to write down the top ten things that he wanted to do the next day just before he would go to bed. Then, while he was sleeping, his subconscious would start working on the list. When he woke up, before he got out of bed, he would just start jotting down his thoughts and ideas. He was one of the most organized people I have ever known, and he did more before 9:00 than most people did all day.
3) Read things you have never read before. Go to www.stumbleupon.com, enter your interests, and stumble away viewing sites that are wildly eclectic and totally different from anything you have ever seen before. Some will make you think, others will make you quickly click on the "stumble" button, leading you to new adventures.
4) Make a planned attempt to be creative. Use the "reticular activator" section of your brain to help you find answers that you hadn't even thought of before. (Think back to the last time that you bought a car. What color? What make and model? When you did that, did you suddenly notice all of the other cars that were just like yours? That is the "reticular activator" noticing new things, and suddenly finding them everywhere. It is one of the brains most powerful...and under-appreciated tools that allows you to notice things and be creative.) In other words, write down what you are looking to achieve, and suddenly...you will find it. If you don't know what you are looking for, you will never even come close to finding it.
5) Don't cherry pick ideas. If you do this diligently, you will generate 50 ideas that are terrible, for every good one. However, that good one might be a million dollar idea. Write them down, expand them, go into different applications of the idea, expand on those, write down their different applications, and expand on those, and then set it aside for a few days. What you will find, when you come back to it, is that the first idea probably stunk, but the tangential ideas that came out of the first one were better, and became better with each tangential turn. Don't be afraid to take the bunny trails when you are brainstorming, but record the journey, and revisit. Use your subconscious and the reticular activator to really ramp up the process.
6) Write when you are asleep. I will suddenly wake up at 4:00 in the morning, have a brilliant thought, and before I fully wake, I will write it down...and then go back to bed. When I am fully awake, I can then explore this fresh new idea, that was unemcumbered by common sense and logic. It had the freshness of a dream. Use the tools above to flesh it out, and explore the possibilities.
7) Find an idea partner that you can bounce these off of. A good brainstorming session will create ideas that are better than what you can create by yourself, and will lead you to action. (Ideas without action are just dreams. Ideas with action...change the world.)
8) Once you have written out your ideas in full, ask yourself, "What need does it fill?" "Find a need...fill a need" (Robots). If your application doesn't fill a need, then it is useless as a business application. However, don't throw it away, find a need that it DOES fill. Some of the greatest inventions didn't fill existing needs, but created something so fresh that the need became apparent after it had been invented. (VCR's, DVD's, Personal computers, cars, railroads, fire....)
9) Articulate the idea into a sentence. If you can't articulate it into one sentence, rethink it. The greatest ideas can be shared easily and expressed simply.
10) If you have developed your idea into a complete business application, now you need to bring it to market. That is where you need the Capital and Expertise of Brainstorm Capital Group to help you take it to the next level.
1) Know your schedule: If you are a morning person, and you feel most alive/inspired/awake early in the morning, this is your time. Try waking up a little earlier and writing down a few thoughts that are NOT what you would usually think about. Creativity is nothing more than thought paths that we haven't taken before, and noticing the journey.
2) Let your subconscious do the heavy lifting. Joe White, a serial entrepreneur in Colorado, used to write down the top ten things that he wanted to do the next day just before he would go to bed. Then, while he was sleeping, his subconscious would start working on the list. When he woke up, before he got out of bed, he would just start jotting down his thoughts and ideas. He was one of the most organized people I have ever known, and he did more before 9:00 than most people did all day.
3) Read things you have never read before. Go to www.stumbleupon.com, enter your interests, and stumble away viewing sites that are wildly eclectic and totally different from anything you have ever seen before. Some will make you think, others will make you quickly click on the "stumble" button, leading you to new adventures.
4) Make a planned attempt to be creative. Use the "reticular activator" section of your brain to help you find answers that you hadn't even thought of before. (Think back to the last time that you bought a car. What color? What make and model? When you did that, did you suddenly notice all of the other cars that were just like yours? That is the "reticular activator" noticing new things, and suddenly finding them everywhere. It is one of the brains most powerful...and under-appreciated tools that allows you to notice things and be creative.) In other words, write down what you are looking to achieve, and suddenly...you will find it. If you don't know what you are looking for, you will never even come close to finding it.
5) Don't cherry pick ideas. If you do this diligently, you will generate 50 ideas that are terrible, for every good one. However, that good one might be a million dollar idea. Write them down, expand them, go into different applications of the idea, expand on those, write down their different applications, and expand on those, and then set it aside for a few days. What you will find, when you come back to it, is that the first idea probably stunk, but the tangential ideas that came out of the first one were better, and became better with each tangential turn. Don't be afraid to take the bunny trails when you are brainstorming, but record the journey, and revisit. Use your subconscious and the reticular activator to really ramp up the process.
6) Write when you are asleep. I will suddenly wake up at 4:00 in the morning, have a brilliant thought, and before I fully wake, I will write it down...and then go back to bed. When I am fully awake, I can then explore this fresh new idea, that was unemcumbered by common sense and logic. It had the freshness of a dream. Use the tools above to flesh it out, and explore the possibilities.
7) Find an idea partner that you can bounce these off of. A good brainstorming session will create ideas that are better than what you can create by yourself, and will lead you to action. (Ideas without action are just dreams. Ideas with action...change the world.)
8) Once you have written out your ideas in full, ask yourself, "What need does it fill?" "Find a need...fill a need" (Robots). If your application doesn't fill a need, then it is useless as a business application. However, don't throw it away, find a need that it DOES fill. Some of the greatest inventions didn't fill existing needs, but created something so fresh that the need became apparent after it had been invented. (VCR's, DVD's, Personal computers, cars, railroads, fire....)
9) Articulate the idea into a sentence. If you can't articulate it into one sentence, rethink it. The greatest ideas can be shared easily and expressed simply.
10) If you have developed your idea into a complete business application, now you need to bring it to market. That is where you need the Capital and Expertise of Brainstorm Capital Group to help you take it to the next level.
Reed Sawyer -- ReedBetweenTheLines@yahoo.com (email)
Friday, April 22, 2011
Establishing Rapport Quickly!!!
One of the secrets to negotiating is effective communication. However, if someone feels that they are being interrogated, they will not reveal anything about what they want.
The easiest way to begin a negotiation is to start with sharing a little bit about yourself, and then revealing a little more, and a little more, and then let the other person talk. I use open and closed ended questions to precisely find their objections and motivations.
What are open ended and closed ended questions?
An open ended question is one with no easy answer.
As you start asking these questions, and you must listen sincerely, the other person will be amazed that you want to listen, and they will start telling you everything you wanted to know...and more. The open ended question gathers a LOT of information. It will be free ranging, and go off in unexpected tangents. Your job here is to herd cats...by asking the closed ended question to clarify their response.
Here are some closed ended questions:
Open: "Tell me about your situation?"
Response: "I lost my job, and can't make the mortgage payments, I am wanting to sell so that I don't hurt my credit in a foreclosure."
Closed: "So you're worried about a foreclosure hurting your credit?" (We have moved away from the price, and are focusing on the foreclosure hazards, and the deleterious effects on their credit. The closed ended question can be answered in a single word or sentence.
If the seller starts going in the wrong direction, use the closed ended questions to get them back on track. You can interrupt...IF you are doing it to understand them better. "Pardon me, I just want to make sure I understand, So you are saying that you are most concerned with avoiding a foreclosure?" This question gets them back on track, and steers them in the direction that you want them to go.
Although it seems rude to interrupt, you are actually engaging in intense listening, and if you also use mirroring techniques the seller will be amazed that you understand them so well, and will want to open up.Practice this with friends and family, and you will be amazed at the results. You will find that people want to tell you everything, and that is ok...if you can control the direction of the conversation.
These intense listening skills are powerful, and must be used with caution. If they are used without integrity, they can really take advantage of other people, so make sure that you let people know up front exactly what you want to do; help them solve their problem, in a mutually advantageous manner.
Open and closed ended questions work with almost any person, but you must be aware that there are cultural differences around the world, and if you can modify your listening skills to cultural norms, it will work with anyone.
Reed Sawyer -- ReedBetweenTheLines@yahoo.com (email)
The easiest way to begin a negotiation is to start with sharing a little bit about yourself, and then revealing a little more, and a little more, and then let the other person talk. I use open and closed ended questions to precisely find their objections and motivations.
What are open ended and closed ended questions?
An open ended question is one with no easy answer.
- "Can you tell me a little bit about your situation?"
- "How do you feel about that?"
- "What are you looking to accomplish with this sale?"
- "What would make you happy with this sale?"
As you start asking these questions, and you must listen sincerely, the other person will be amazed that you want to listen, and they will start telling you everything you wanted to know...and more. The open ended question gathers a LOT of information. It will be free ranging, and go off in unexpected tangents. Your job here is to herd cats...by asking the closed ended question to clarify their response.
Here are some closed ended questions:
Open: "Tell me about your situation?"
Response: "I lost my job, and can't make the mortgage payments, I am wanting to sell so that I don't hurt my credit in a foreclosure."
Closed: "So you're worried about a foreclosure hurting your credit?" (We have moved away from the price, and are focusing on the foreclosure hazards, and the deleterious effects on their credit. The closed ended question can be answered in a single word or sentence.
If the seller starts going in the wrong direction, use the closed ended questions to get them back on track. You can interrupt...IF you are doing it to understand them better. "Pardon me, I just want to make sure I understand, So you are saying that you are most concerned with avoiding a foreclosure?" This question gets them back on track, and steers them in the direction that you want them to go.
Although it seems rude to interrupt, you are actually engaging in intense listening, and if you also use mirroring techniques the seller will be amazed that you understand them so well, and will want to open up.Practice this with friends and family, and you will be amazed at the results. You will find that people want to tell you everything, and that is ok...if you can control the direction of the conversation.
These intense listening skills are powerful, and must be used with caution. If they are used without integrity, they can really take advantage of other people, so make sure that you let people know up front exactly what you want to do; help them solve their problem, in a mutually advantageous manner.
Open and closed ended questions work with almost any person, but you must be aware that there are cultural differences around the world, and if you can modify your listening skills to cultural norms, it will work with anyone.
Reed Sawyer -- ReedBetweenTheLines@yahoo.com (email)
The dreadful alternative - By Reed Sawyer
When you are seeking to buy, or sell, anything, use the power of the "Dreadful Alternative" as your partner.
What is the "Dreadful Alternative"? Imagine that you are looking to buy a house. As you are starting to talk, ask a few questions:
1) If I don't buy it, what are you going to do? (If they have been trying to sell it for a long time, they are already afraid of not being able to sell it.)
2) If you have to move to another house, and make double payments, how long could you afford to make them before it SEVERELY affected your life style.
3) If you can't make the double payments, would you lose the house in foreclosure and have your credit destroyed?
By asking questions, you are having the seller tell you the answer. If I tell them, it might be a lie, if they tell me, it's always the truth (at least according to them.) By using the dreadful alternative as your partner in negotiating, you are replacing the price (hope of gain) with the fear of loss. The fear of loss always wins. Because they are the ones stating the fear, it is always the truth.
Our next blog will go into detail on some of the techniques to use to maximize the power of the dreadful alternative.
Reed Sawyer -- ReedBetweenTheLines@yahoo.com (email)
What is the "Dreadful Alternative"? Imagine that you are looking to buy a house. As you are starting to talk, ask a few questions:
1) If I don't buy it, what are you going to do? (If they have been trying to sell it for a long time, they are already afraid of not being able to sell it.)
2) If you have to move to another house, and make double payments, how long could you afford to make them before it SEVERELY affected your life style.
3) If you can't make the double payments, would you lose the house in foreclosure and have your credit destroyed?
By asking questions, you are having the seller tell you the answer. If I tell them, it might be a lie, if they tell me, it's always the truth (at least according to them.) By using the dreadful alternative as your partner in negotiating, you are replacing the price (hope of gain) with the fear of loss. The fear of loss always wins. Because they are the ones stating the fear, it is always the truth.
Our next blog will go into detail on some of the techniques to use to maximize the power of the dreadful alternative.
Reed Sawyer -- ReedBetweenTheLines@yahoo.com (email)
Need To Make Lots of Money? You Can Literally Build a Million-Dollar Business Using Craigslist, Paypal and Ebay :: by Pete Lorins
Need To Make Lots of Money? You Can Literally Build a Million-Dollar Business Using Our Processes that are tailored around innovative uses of Craig's List, Paypal and Ebay :: by Pete Lorins
There are many simple, yet abstract (non-obvious) money-making secrets that many who have become online millionaires have been using. But of course, if you're waiting for them to share them with you, I have news for you... Think again! Usually, people who discover secrets that make them rich either keep it a secret or simply keep it in their family. There are certain combination of strategies out there that are powerful and proven, that when applied properly, almost anyone can become a millionaire with them. I'm talking about using the power of the Internet to make money even while you're asleep. Using a combination of customized tools including the use of Craig's List, eBay, and other tools, we can either teach you how to make millions or make you millions of dollars per year. The best news is that with Internet-based businesses, you no longer need millions of dollars in venture capital (VC) to start a successful business. You just need the right people on your side. This is exactly why we created Brainstorm Capital Group (BCG) to help aspiring entrepreneurs like yourself and particularly our affinity members figure problems that only a combination of innovative business expertise could help solve. And if capital were to be needed, our group is equipped with the necessary capital as well, but with Internet--based businesses, VC is becoming less and less important. What you need the most is expertise, and the latter will have been readily available to you in each of our brainstorming sessions.
EBAY
E-Businesses are here to stay. For instance, EBAY is the clear leader in incubating aspiring e-businesses and providing online selling services to entrepreneurs worldwide. According to Meg Whitman, eBay's CEO, more than 1.3 million people now make all or part of their livelihood selling on eBay. And a July 21, 2005 study conducted by eBay reported that U.S.-based eBay members sold more than $10.6 billion of merchandise during the first six months of 2005 alone. Things like "High Traffic", "Ease of Use", and "Marketplace Excellence" are some of eBay's strengths. In fact, eBay has become a World phenomenon. Today, People can sell almost anything on eBay. Albeit, it is better suited to sell commodity items (e.g., batteries, books, name-brand appliances) and other easy-to-recognize items.
CRAIG'S LIST
Thus, customer service is minimized since the known nature of one's goods minimizes questions from potential purchasers. Craig's List is a great advertising tool, and in most parts of the U.S., it is still free. In my nearly two decades of business experience, I have never used an advertising medium that was more effective than Craig's List both cost-wise, and result-wise. One can sell almost anything on Craig's List, but unlike eBay, one has to do all of the transactions manually. However, if one is ready to receive phone calls and know how to advertise with the right buzzwords, one is bound to get lots of effective and continuous leads from Craig's List.
PAYPAL
Paypal is a merchant payment processing service. It has become the most recognized online payment processing service in the World. It is easily linked to eBay and it can be programmed into one's web site or shopping cart. Hence, you should be able to accept all your payments online without the need to create specialized shopping carts. Using the above mentioned tools, we have mastered in-house techniques that can make your thousands of dollars a year. You can always start your online business (eBusiness) alone, but without adequate knowledge of the strategies that online millionaires have used, you're bound to make many mistakes and might even end up believing that it is not feasible. However, we assure you that it is because we've practiced what we preach.
Sometimes we're praying to strike gold when all we have to do is start digging. Faith without action is dead. As I'm typing this article, someone is making his first million (dollars) online. OK, it's not for everyone, because most people prefer concrete ways of making money, either via a regular 9-to-5 job, or a face-to-face transaction of some sort. However, the problem with concrete ways of making money is the fact that they are so obvious that "even a caveman can do them." Hence, competition is high, and hundreds of aspiring entrepreneurs are struggling to make money from the same limited sources. However, those who have mastered the abstract (non-obvious) methods; those that are not very obvious to the average person are in a position of autonomy. In fact, they speak a language that only a small percentage of people speak out there, and it is this very reason why they make more money than 90% of the population (those who opt to work from 9-5.) Yes it comes with the price of running one's own business ventures, but being able to do so seamlessly from the comfort of one's home is quite simply amazing.
There is saying that goes like, "we can do everything that we want to do out there, but we simply can't do it alone." In other words, there is a business success puzzle out there, as in life, in business, finding the right pieces of the puzzle goes hand-in-hand with understanding the big picture. And with the two combined, one can proceed to solve such a puzzle. After reading this article, you'll understand how and why we have found the right pieces of this puzzle and you'll be ready to become an online millionaire.
We are in the process of designing the next generation of online business brokerage systems, but until we are done, we have created a set of related processes that can literally make you millions of dollars per year. How so you're probably asking? Our system will allow you to make money by networking or purchase new leads from which money can be easily made. Never again will you have to wait for the phone to ring, or to quit your job. Prior to the release of the above system, we make you millions of dollars a year using either things you already own, or things we can buy on your behalf to be resold by our team to bring you nothing short of hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars.
If you don't believe us, we'll sell the first two (2) unwanted items in your garage free of charge in so little time, that you will feeling pinching yourself. Our approach to marketing is non-traditional. Marketing is basically defined as those things you do to attract customers to one's business. Traditional businesses depend on billboards, newspaper ads, TV, or radio spots, and word-of-mouth. However, the INTERNET offers one a wide array of new techniques that, when used in addition to those traditional methods are very effective. Moreover, many of them are surprisingly effective and affordable, too.
The Internet's ability to help you reach so many people so inexpensively is one of the primary reasons we recommend using it to build your MILLION-DOLLAR BUSINESS. Your next questions are probably:
Every entrepreneur is challenged to get a lot done in a short period of time with limited resources. And although being one's own boss has tremendous appeal, entrepreneurs have to be careful that they don't bite off more than they can chew. Hence, sharing one's business ownership with partners may help one run farther and faster than one could have done alone. As previously mentioned, one can do everything/anything in life, but not alone.
Benefits of Partnership
Partners can bring a lot of value to your new venture. There are both business and personal reasons why one may want to share his/her burdens with a partner. And these include:
1) Companionship;
2) Additional relationships and financial resources;
3) Additional brains, hands and energy for business development;
Negatives of Partnership
1) Decision -making and coordination delay;
2) Financial pressure from having to support multiple owners;
3) Distraction from business due to personal conflicts;
4) Potential creation of a competitor.
Things to consider before partnering:
i) Would "two heads be better than one" in your situation?
ii) Make a list in your Millionaire Idea Journal of people whom you trust and respect and may be available to help you.
iii) Give consideration to exactly what skills or resources each of them would bring to your business.
iv) Evaluate whether any of them have important skills or resources that could make a big difference for your new company.
v) Consider how much time they have available to help you, their need for current income, their work history, and any other factors that may affect their ability to help you or their trustworthiness.
If you become a member of our affinity group/exclusive club, we have services that can be made available to you to minimize the negatives of partnership, including referral to affordable legal services (e.g., partnership agreements detailing:
> Who owns the business?
> Who is contributing money and how will it be repaid?
> Who gets paid, and how much and how often?
> Who pays the costs?
> Who keeps the profits?
> Who has final say in decisions if there is a disagreement?
> Whose credit rating can be the business draw upon if necessary?
> Who has signing authority on the company's bank accounts?
> What happens if one partner decides to cut back on her time commitment or end her involvement with the business?
> What happens if one partner dies unexpectedly.?
BEST START-UP MONEY NEWS:
As mentioned above, with Internet-based businesses, you no longer need millions of dollars in venture capital (VC) to start a successful business. This is because the e-Business revolution induced declining costs of Internet services (and the infrastructure to deliver these services.) However, an entrepreneur like you can still use common means of raising money such as raising money from friends, family or "angels" when starting an e-Business, but even that is not necessary, unless one starts a complex, highly technical new service or invest up-front in significant inventory, office space or personnel.
At BCG we're here to assist you thrive. If you can prove that you're serious about your innovative ideas, or driven to acquire or partnering up with new ventures, we'll welcome you into our affinity group, and assist you towards becoming the next Internet millionaire as quickly as your heart desires. Good luck!
Pete Lorins, PhD CD, JD -- petelorins@aol.com (email) -- (407) 272-0873 (phone)
There are many simple, yet abstract (non-obvious) money-making secrets that many who have become online millionaires have been using. But of course, if you're waiting for them to share them with you, I have news for you... Think again! Usually, people who discover secrets that make them rich either keep it a secret or simply keep it in their family. There are certain combination of strategies out there that are powerful and proven, that when applied properly, almost anyone can become a millionaire with them. I'm talking about using the power of the Internet to make money even while you're asleep. Using a combination of customized tools including the use of Craig's List, eBay, and other tools, we can either teach you how to make millions or make you millions of dollars per year. The best news is that with Internet-based businesses, you no longer need millions of dollars in venture capital (VC) to start a successful business. You just need the right people on your side. This is exactly why we created Brainstorm Capital Group (BCG) to help aspiring entrepreneurs like yourself and particularly our affinity members figure problems that only a combination of innovative business expertise could help solve. And if capital were to be needed, our group is equipped with the necessary capital as well, but with Internet--based businesses, VC is becoming less and less important. What you need the most is expertise, and the latter will have been readily available to you in each of our brainstorming sessions.
EBAY
E-Businesses are here to stay. For instance, EBAY is the clear leader in incubating aspiring e-businesses and providing online selling services to entrepreneurs worldwide. According to Meg Whitman, eBay's CEO, more than 1.3 million people now make all or part of their livelihood selling on eBay. And a July 21, 2005 study conducted by eBay reported that U.S.-based eBay members sold more than $10.6 billion of merchandise during the first six months of 2005 alone. Things like "High Traffic", "Ease of Use", and "Marketplace Excellence" are some of eBay's strengths. In fact, eBay has become a World phenomenon. Today, People can sell almost anything on eBay. Albeit, it is better suited to sell commodity items (e.g., batteries, books, name-brand appliances) and other easy-to-recognize items.
CRAIG'S LIST
Thus, customer service is minimized since the known nature of one's goods minimizes questions from potential purchasers. Craig's List is a great advertising tool, and in most parts of the U.S., it is still free. In my nearly two decades of business experience, I have never used an advertising medium that was more effective than Craig's List both cost-wise, and result-wise. One can sell almost anything on Craig's List, but unlike eBay, one has to do all of the transactions manually. However, if one is ready to receive phone calls and know how to advertise with the right buzzwords, one is bound to get lots of effective and continuous leads from Craig's List.
PAYPAL
Paypal is a merchant payment processing service. It has become the most recognized online payment processing service in the World. It is easily linked to eBay and it can be programmed into one's web site or shopping cart. Hence, you should be able to accept all your payments online without the need to create specialized shopping carts. Using the above mentioned tools, we have mastered in-house techniques that can make your thousands of dollars a year. You can always start your online business (eBusiness) alone, but without adequate knowledge of the strategies that online millionaires have used, you're bound to make many mistakes and might even end up believing that it is not feasible. However, we assure you that it is because we've practiced what we preach.
Sometimes we're praying to strike gold when all we have to do is start digging. Faith without action is dead. As I'm typing this article, someone is making his first million (dollars) online. OK, it's not for everyone, because most people prefer concrete ways of making money, either via a regular 9-to-5 job, or a face-to-face transaction of some sort. However, the problem with concrete ways of making money is the fact that they are so obvious that "even a caveman can do them." Hence, competition is high, and hundreds of aspiring entrepreneurs are struggling to make money from the same limited sources. However, those who have mastered the abstract (non-obvious) methods; those that are not very obvious to the average person are in a position of autonomy. In fact, they speak a language that only a small percentage of people speak out there, and it is this very reason why they make more money than 90% of the population (those who opt to work from 9-5.) Yes it comes with the price of running one's own business ventures, but being able to do so seamlessly from the comfort of one's home is quite simply amazing.
There is saying that goes like, "we can do everything that we want to do out there, but we simply can't do it alone." In other words, there is a business success puzzle out there, as in life, in business, finding the right pieces of the puzzle goes hand-in-hand with understanding the big picture. And with the two combined, one can proceed to solve such a puzzle. After reading this article, you'll understand how and why we have found the right pieces of this puzzle and you'll be ready to become an online millionaire.
We are in the process of designing the next generation of online business brokerage systems, but until we are done, we have created a set of related processes that can literally make you millions of dollars per year. How so you're probably asking? Our system will allow you to make money by networking or purchase new leads from which money can be easily made. Never again will you have to wait for the phone to ring, or to quit your job. Prior to the release of the above system, we make you millions of dollars a year using either things you already own, or things we can buy on your behalf to be resold by our team to bring you nothing short of hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars.
If you don't believe us, we'll sell the first two (2) unwanted items in your garage free of charge in so little time, that you will feeling pinching yourself. Our approach to marketing is non-traditional. Marketing is basically defined as those things you do to attract customers to one's business. Traditional businesses depend on billboards, newspaper ads, TV, or radio spots, and word-of-mouth. However, the INTERNET offers one a wide array of new techniques that, when used in addition to those traditional methods are very effective. Moreover, many of them are surprisingly effective and affordable, too.
The Internet's ability to help you reach so many people so inexpensively is one of the primary reasons we recommend using it to build your MILLION-DOLLAR BUSINESS. Your next questions are probably:
- SHOULD I SHARE MY MILLION-DOLLAR IDEA?
- CAN I DO THIS ALONE?
Every entrepreneur is challenged to get a lot done in a short period of time with limited resources. And although being one's own boss has tremendous appeal, entrepreneurs have to be careful that they don't bite off more than they can chew. Hence, sharing one's business ownership with partners may help one run farther and faster than one could have done alone. As previously mentioned, one can do everything/anything in life, but not alone.
Benefits of Partnership
Partners can bring a lot of value to your new venture. There are both business and personal reasons why one may want to share his/her burdens with a partner. And these include:
1) Companionship;
2) Additional relationships and financial resources;
3) Additional brains, hands and energy for business development;
Negatives of Partnership
1) Decision -making and coordination delay;
2) Financial pressure from having to support multiple owners;
3) Distraction from business due to personal conflicts;
4) Potential creation of a competitor.
Things to consider before partnering:
i) Would "two heads be better than one" in your situation?
ii) Make a list in your Millionaire Idea Journal of people whom you trust and respect and may be available to help you.
iii) Give consideration to exactly what skills or resources each of them would bring to your business.
iv) Evaluate whether any of them have important skills or resources that could make a big difference for your new company.
v) Consider how much time they have available to help you, their need for current income, their work history, and any other factors that may affect their ability to help you or their trustworthiness.
If you become a member of our affinity group/exclusive club, we have services that can be made available to you to minimize the negatives of partnership, including referral to affordable legal services (e.g., partnership agreements detailing:
> Who owns the business?
> Who is contributing money and how will it be repaid?
> Who gets paid, and how much and how often?
> Who pays the costs?
> Who keeps the profits?
> Who has final say in decisions if there is a disagreement?
> Whose credit rating can be the business draw upon if necessary?
> Who has signing authority on the company's bank accounts?
> What happens if one partner decides to cut back on her time commitment or end her involvement with the business?
> What happens if one partner dies unexpectedly.?
BEST START-UP MONEY NEWS:
As mentioned above, with Internet-based businesses, you no longer need millions of dollars in venture capital (VC) to start a successful business. This is because the e-Business revolution induced declining costs of Internet services (and the infrastructure to deliver these services.) However, an entrepreneur like you can still use common means of raising money such as raising money from friends, family or "angels" when starting an e-Business, but even that is not necessary, unless one starts a complex, highly technical new service or invest up-front in significant inventory, office space or personnel.
At BCG we're here to assist you thrive. If you can prove that you're serious about your innovative ideas, or driven to acquire or partnering up with new ventures, we'll welcome you into our affinity group, and assist you towards becoming the next Internet millionaire as quickly as your heart desires. Good luck!
Pete Lorins, PhD CD, JD -- petelorins@aol.com (email) -- (407) 272-0873 (phone)
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Pinpointing the Prime Customer -- By Pete Lorins
Successful salespeople take the time to prepare for the initial conversation with potential customers. They construct external and internal profiles of the customer's organization and ensure that those profiles match the profile of the ideal customer. They identify the driving forces and perspectives at work n the customer's organization and become familiar with the customer's goals.
By completing this work, sales professionals lay the groundwork for a successful initial conversation. They create a basis for engagement that enables them to speak with customers using the customer's language, frame the initial conversation around issues of importance to their customers, and build a perception of professionalism in the customers' minds that clearly differentiates them from their competition.
To identify long-term drivers, look to the customer's web site for mission and vision statements. For short-term drivers, read the CEO's message in the annual report. It is a rare message that does not include concrete statements about the critical success factors driving the business currently, and what will drive it in the near future. Confirm that the drivers identified in these sources are current (they can change fast) and then ask: To what degree are they at work in your prospective customer's business? How do they connect to your offerings?
What about the corporate culture at work in a customer's company? Personality and values trickle down from the top, so the smart profiler pays particular attention to the customer's executive committee members. What are their backgrounds? CEOs and other leaders who have risen to power have come out of different functions and, accordingly, have different perspectives. A CEO with a sales background may be focused on customer satisfaction; one with an engineering background may be more focused more on innovation. This information is often found in the public domain, and is readily available.
I know that if you apply the above wisdom, you'll be able to compete and win, especially when the stakes are high. For more information about customer prospecting, I suggest that you read "mastering the complex sale" by Jeff Thull, as many of the concepts provided here can be found in that book. Good luck!
Pete Lorins, PhD CD, JD -- pete@snirol.com (email) -- (407) 272-0873 (phone)
By completing this work, sales professionals lay the groundwork for a successful initial conversation. They create a basis for engagement that enables them to speak with customers using the customer's language, frame the initial conversation around issues of importance to their customers, and build a perception of professionalism in the customers' minds that clearly differentiates them from their competition.
To identify long-term drivers, look to the customer's web site for mission and vision statements. For short-term drivers, read the CEO's message in the annual report. It is a rare message that does not include concrete statements about the critical success factors driving the business currently, and what will drive it in the near future. Confirm that the drivers identified in these sources are current (they can change fast) and then ask: To what degree are they at work in your prospective customer's business? How do they connect to your offerings?
What about the corporate culture at work in a customer's company? Personality and values trickle down from the top, so the smart profiler pays particular attention to the customer's executive committee members. What are their backgrounds? CEOs and other leaders who have risen to power have come out of different functions and, accordingly, have different perspectives. A CEO with a sales background may be focused on customer satisfaction; one with an engineering background may be more focused more on innovation. This information is often found in the public domain, and is readily available.
I know that if you apply the above wisdom, you'll be able to compete and win, especially when the stakes are high. For more information about customer prospecting, I suggest that you read "mastering the complex sale" by Jeff Thull, as many of the concepts provided here can be found in that book. Good luck!
Pete Lorins, PhD CD, JD -- pete@snirol.com (email) -- (407) 272-0873 (phone)
Becoming an Effective Executive (Part-2) - 5 Required habits/practices of the mind -- By Pete Lorins
As explained very clearly in Peter Drucker's "The Effective Executive", effectiveness is a habit; a complex of practices. And practices can always be learned. And although practices are deceptively simple, they are exceedingly hard to do well.
They have to be acquired, as we all learn the multiplication table; that is, repeated so much that "6 x 6 = 36" has become unthinking, conditioned reflex, and firmly ingrained habit. One learns practices by practicing, and practicing and practicing again. Hence, there is no reason why anyone with normal endowment should not acquire competence in any practice. Essentially, there are five of such practices/habits of the mind that have to be acquired to be an effective executive:
1) Effective executives know where their time goes --They work systematically at managing the little of their time that can be brought under their control.
2) Effective executives focus on outward contribution --They gear their efforts to results rather than work. They start out with the question, "What results are expected of me?" rather than with the work to be done, let alone with its techniques and tools.
3) Effective executives build on strengths -- Their own strengths, the strengths of their superiors, colleagues, and subordinates; and on the strengths in the situation, that is, on what they can do. They do not build on weakness. They do not start out with the things they cannot do.
4) Effective executives concentrate on the few major areas where superior performance will produce outstanding results -- They force themselves to set priorities and stay with their priority decisions. They know that they have no choice, but to do first things first, and second things not at all. The alternative is to get nothing done.
5) Effective executives, finally, make effective decisions -- They know that this is, above all, a matter of system --of the right steps in the right sequence. They know that an effective decision is always a judgment based on "dissenting opinions" rather than on "consensus on the facts." And they know that to make many decisions fast means to make the wrong decisions. What is needed are few, but fundamental decisions. What is needed is the right strategy rather than the razzle-dazzle tactics.
These are the elements of executive effectiveness. And should you have a need to ask any questions about any of the latter, please feel free to contact me at the following contact information. I enjoy holding discussions about them or any other entrepreneurial aspirations. Good luck!
Pete Lorins, PhD CD, JD -- pete@snirol.com (email) -- (407) 272-0873 (phone)
They have to be acquired, as we all learn the multiplication table; that is, repeated so much that "6 x 6 = 36" has become unthinking, conditioned reflex, and firmly ingrained habit. One learns practices by practicing, and practicing and practicing again. Hence, there is no reason why anyone with normal endowment should not acquire competence in any practice. Essentially, there are five of such practices/habits of the mind that have to be acquired to be an effective executive:
1) Effective executives know where their time goes --They work systematically at managing the little of their time that can be brought under their control.
2) Effective executives focus on outward contribution --They gear their efforts to results rather than work. They start out with the question, "What results are expected of me?" rather than with the work to be done, let alone with its techniques and tools.
3) Effective executives build on strengths -- Their own strengths, the strengths of their superiors, colleagues, and subordinates; and on the strengths in the situation, that is, on what they can do. They do not build on weakness. They do not start out with the things they cannot do.
4) Effective executives concentrate on the few major areas where superior performance will produce outstanding results -- They force themselves to set priorities and stay with their priority decisions. They know that they have no choice, but to do first things first, and second things not at all. The alternative is to get nothing done.
5) Effective executives, finally, make effective decisions -- They know that this is, above all, a matter of system --of the right steps in the right sequence. They know that an effective decision is always a judgment based on "dissenting opinions" rather than on "consensus on the facts." And they know that to make many decisions fast means to make the wrong decisions. What is needed are few, but fundamental decisions. What is needed is the right strategy rather than the razzle-dazzle tactics.
These are the elements of executive effectiveness. And should you have a need to ask any questions about any of the latter, please feel free to contact me at the following contact information. I enjoy holding discussions about them or any other entrepreneurial aspirations. Good luck!
Pete Lorins, PhD CD, JD -- pete@snirol.com (email) -- (407) 272-0873 (phone)
"Becoming an Effective Executive Analyzed" Series - by Pete Lorins
In order to run an effective organization, one has to either be or hire an effective "executive". The executive in any organization is an entirely different position. According to Peter Drucker, author of many landmark writings in the managerial profession, there are four (4) major realities over which an executive, essentially, has no control. Hence it is very important that an executive is aware of such realities as to be more effective and also control stress and frustration <smile>.
These realities are built into the organization, and into the executive's day and work. Thus, he has not choice but to "cooperate with the inevitable." It is important to know about these realities because every one of them exerts pressure towards NON-RESULTS and NON-PERFORMANCE. In the field of Human Performance Management, I learned that Performance is a Function of Motivation, Ability and Opportunity (P = M x A x O), and throughout my graduate and post-graduate career, I've learned that if Motivation, Ability and Opportunity are not present, one cannot perform effectively. In other words, even the most brilliant person needs to have the motivation and opportunity to exercise his brilliance.
Anyhow, back to the four (4) realities, it is important to be aware of them because when one knows what he ha no control over, he can tailor his activities accordingly, so that he will focus more on the things on which s/he has control while being aware of the things on which he has no control.
The Four (4) Realities are:
1) His/her time tends to belong to everybody else -- everybody can move in on his time and everybody does. There seems to be very little any one executive can do about it. He cannot, as a rule, like the physician, stick his head out the door and say to the nurse, "I won't see anybody for the next half hour." Just at this moment, the executive's telephone rings, and he has to speak to the company's best customer, or to his boss.
2) S/he is forced to keep on "operating" UNLESS s/he takes positive action to change the reality in which s/he lives and work -- The fundamental problem is the reality around the executive. Unless he changes it by deliberate action, the flow of events will determine what he is concerned with and what he does.
3) S/he is effective only if and when other people make use of what he contributes -- Organization is a means of multiplying the strength of an individual. It takes his knowledge and uses it as the resource, the motivation, and the vision of other knowledge workers. Knowledge workers are rarely in sync with each other, and it's precisely because they are knowledge workers. Each has his own skill and his own concerns. And usually the people who are most important to the effectiveness of the executive are not people over whom he has direct control. They are people in other areas, including his/her superiors. And unless the executive can reach these people, and make his contribution effective for them and in their work, he has no effectiveness at all.
4) Whether an organization is large or small, the executive is within it, and sees the outside only through THICK and DISTORTED LENSES if at all. -- What goes on outside is usually not even known firsthand. It is received through an organization filter of reports, that is, in an already predigested and highly abstract (non-concrete) form that imposes organizational criteria of relevance on the outside reality. But , the organization is an abstraction. Mathematically, it would have to be represented as a single POINT ("."). That is, as having neither size nor extension. In fact, even the largest organization is unreal compared to the reality of the environment in which it exists. Specifically, there are no results within the organization. All the results are on the outside. The only business results, for instance, are produced by a customer who converts the costs and efforts of the business into revenues and profits through his willingness to exchange his purchasing power for the products and services of the business.
An understanding of the above realities will place any executive in a much better level of preparedness to be as effective as he is willing to be on any given project. <STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT POST IN THIS SERIES>
Posted by: Pete Lorins, PhD CD., JD (Engineer, Author, Lawyer, Educator and Entrepreneur)
Contact Information : (407) 272-0873 (Phone) -- pete@snirol.com (email)
These realities are built into the organization, and into the executive's day and work. Thus, he has not choice but to "cooperate with the inevitable." It is important to know about these realities because every one of them exerts pressure towards NON-RESULTS and NON-PERFORMANCE. In the field of Human Performance Management, I learned that Performance is a Function of Motivation, Ability and Opportunity (P = M x A x O), and throughout my graduate and post-graduate career, I've learned that if Motivation, Ability and Opportunity are not present, one cannot perform effectively. In other words, even the most brilliant person needs to have the motivation and opportunity to exercise his brilliance.
Anyhow, back to the four (4) realities, it is important to be aware of them because when one knows what he ha no control over, he can tailor his activities accordingly, so that he will focus more on the things on which s/he has control while being aware of the things on which he has no control.
The Four (4) Realities are:
1) His/her time tends to belong to everybody else -- everybody can move in on his time and everybody does. There seems to be very little any one executive can do about it. He cannot, as a rule, like the physician, stick his head out the door and say to the nurse, "I won't see anybody for the next half hour." Just at this moment, the executive's telephone rings, and he has to speak to the company's best customer, or to his boss.
2) S/he is forced to keep on "operating" UNLESS s/he takes positive action to change the reality in which s/he lives and work -- The fundamental problem is the reality around the executive. Unless he changes it by deliberate action, the flow of events will determine what he is concerned with and what he does.
3) S/he is effective only if and when other people make use of what he contributes -- Organization is a means of multiplying the strength of an individual. It takes his knowledge and uses it as the resource, the motivation, and the vision of other knowledge workers. Knowledge workers are rarely in sync with each other, and it's precisely because they are knowledge workers. Each has his own skill and his own concerns. And usually the people who are most important to the effectiveness of the executive are not people over whom he has direct control. They are people in other areas, including his/her superiors. And unless the executive can reach these people, and make his contribution effective for them and in their work, he has no effectiveness at all.
4) Whether an organization is large or small, the executive is within it, and sees the outside only through THICK and DISTORTED LENSES if at all. -- What goes on outside is usually not even known firsthand. It is received through an organization filter of reports, that is, in an already predigested and highly abstract (non-concrete) form that imposes organizational criteria of relevance on the outside reality. But , the organization is an abstraction. Mathematically, it would have to be represented as a single POINT ("."). That is, as having neither size nor extension. In fact, even the largest organization is unreal compared to the reality of the environment in which it exists. Specifically, there are no results within the organization. All the results are on the outside. The only business results, for instance, are produced by a customer who converts the costs and efforts of the business into revenues and profits through his willingness to exchange his purchasing power for the products and services of the business.
An understanding of the above realities will place any executive in a much better level of preparedness to be as effective as he is willing to be on any given project. <STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT POST IN THIS SERIES>
Posted by: Pete Lorins, PhD CD., JD (Engineer, Author, Lawyer, Educator and Entrepreneur)
Contact Information : (407) 272-0873 (Phone) -- pete@snirol.com (email)
Monday, April 18, 2011
Building a customer list, with co-op branding - By Reed Sawyer
YEARS AGO, when I was in Colorado Springs, we were doing lease options, and becoming proficient at the process. I persuaded my business partner that we needed to start a “Hands-On Real Estate” training seminar. We started advertising this on our radio talk show every week, and we kicked it off with a two day 16 hour free preview. It was free, but you had to register. We got the names, phone numbers, and email addresses for everyone that wanted to attend.
Step 1: Venue:
Once we had two hundred and fifty people signed up, we realized that we couldn’t have this in our back office, so we rented a comedy club during the day, (and gave out discount coupons to all attendees to the comedy club, this helped offset our costs.) We created a curriculum, that gave details on our process, and signed up co-sponsors that would give out free gifts. (These were premium items from mortgage lenders, title insurance companies, and other real estate service vendors.)
Step 2: Presentation:
We presented this with power point slides, handouts, and humor. We had over 80 frames on the wall of pictures of houses. Every picture had the picture, address, and the price paid. Then as we were talking we would point to a frame and say, “On THIS property, we did…” to increase credibility. As we continued to use these pictures in our talk, our credibility increased.
Step 3: Give a little first:
We gave away a free information packed “preview” that would have been a mastery level seminar for any other real estate training company; then we added a little more. By using sponsors that would benefit directly from our students, we were able to keep our costs down, and also gain leverage with our service vendors, and bring them business. Then, once we had established credibility, we offered them masters level classes, PLUS membership in our Real Estate Investor Association, PLUS a newsletter, PLUS access to our mortgage company for financing.
Step 4: Establish value:
By offering these free previews, we increased our credibility with all of those attendees. Not every one of them used our services, but we increased our value above and beyond our competition.
Step 5: Nudge:
If you do a fantastic job of making contact with your list…and then don’t follow up, you will be forgotten. Instead, do a follow up email every month to “nudge” them into taking action. Every contact with them should offer a great value added component, that they need to take action to receive.
Step 6: Repeat:
If you can do it once, you can do it again. Make sure that you establish a schedule for contacting your list, and always give them a reason to want to open your email, pick up the phone, or open your letter. If you bring value they will welcome your contact. If you are just bugging them to send you money…you become a pest.
Step 7: What’s in it for them?
Before I contact anyone, I always ask the simple question, “What’s in it for them?” Even if they loved you when you first met them, you have to always give them a gift/coupon/sample/joke/laugh in order to have them want to continue to talk to you. Give them a little something, and they will gladly open your email.
You don’t need a million dollar advertising campaign to get started, you just have to give a little first, and always be thinking, “What’s in it for them?” Good luck!
Reed Sawyer
Real estate and finance subject matter expert
Serial Entrepreneur
Licensed business broker,
Licensed real estate agent,
Licensed mortgage broker,
Licensed insurance salesman, (Life/Health)
Multi-state REO sales expert
Lease-Option expert
Radio talk show host
Narrator/Writer/Director
Bachelors of Science in Business Administration
Business Revenue Consultant
Marketing Consultant
Negotiator
Video production expert
Published author
Real estate and finance subject matter expert
Serial Entrepreneur
Licensed business broker,
Licensed real estate agent,
Licensed mortgage broker,
Licensed insurance salesman, (Life/Health)
Multi-state REO sales expert
Lease-Option expert
Radio talk show host
Narrator/Writer/Director
Bachelors of Science in Business Administration
Business Revenue Consultant
Marketing Consultant
Negotiator
Video production expert
Published author
(407) 385-8291(phone)
ReedBetweenTheLines@Yahoo.com (email)
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Are You Delaying Your Own Business Success?
YOUR BUSINESS SUCCESS AWAITS YOU -- by Pete Lorins, PhD CD., JD
Over fifteen (15) years or so ago, with little experience, and much enthusiasm and perceived vision, I started my first corporation with the goal of servicing the career development and corporate training markets (but I had actually had a bit of experience, as I had already started my very first venture at the age of 9), and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. In fact, I didn't even know what an "occupational license" was, and the idea of the various forms of legal fictions that allow people to form business associations (artificial persons) such as corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), partnerships to name a few, might as well have been a foreign language to me. But with a profound belief in my own vision, and as the ultimate optimist, I borrowed $300 from my mother (which had to be returned in a month), and even after I accepted a graveyard shift position at a broadcasting company, I pursued my dreams of being an entrepreneur in the most powerful nation in the world, the land of opportunities, good 'ole USA.
OK, I was, undoubtedly, off to a great start as I always had a hunch as to what I needed to do to make things work (e.g., marketing through the right channel, and getting the phone ringing), but that was only the beginning, as with all things in life, the laws of entropy always come into play. Thus, here I was, running a "one-man-show", and attempting to run a major operation that deal with career development for those who were facing career transitions and companies that needed training for those very people, and actually attempting to do so as if I was still 9 years old (by the way, most business starters do the same thing by focusing on their business plan, and internal affairs, instead of doing what it takes to make the phone ring). It didn't take long until people started asking me the following:
In life there are a few things that DO NOT come with a specific manual, including businesses, relationships, and raising children. Hence, most of us have really had to learn as we go through trial and error. However, it doesn't have to be the case. Some people have mentors/role models who can help them navigate life without making their own mistakes. Albeit, some mistakes are not avoidable, but there are some that most of us would prefer to have never made (e.g., losing all of our retirement savings on a shady venture.)
With "BCG", you'll be able to rely on our subject matter experts and venture capitalists, who have the real life experience that it takes to help you prevent some of the most common blunders that most entrepreneurs make. And the reason why they make it is because of the following:
Should you need to become a member of our FREE prestigious, and exclusive affinity group, please feel free to contact us at the following CONTACT INFORMATION for a phone or face to face interview:
Our team and I wish you the best in your entrepreneurial endeavors.
Sincerely,
Pete Lorins, PhD CD., JD
MS, Computer Engineering
BE, Electrical Engineering
BRAINSTORM CAPITAL GROUP
SNIROL Technologies, Inc.
Chief Executive/Corporate Liason
petelorins@aol.com (email)
(407) 272-0873 (Phone)
PS: We are in the process of initiating a one-of-a-kind online B2B system that will allow you to not only get business ideas, but also get actual leads from the very first day you start your business. It'll, essentially, automate your leads generation process so that you'll never have to wait for the phone to ring again. In fact, you can even turn your phone off and make money in your sleep. You'll be able to dictate how many leads you desire as per some desired categories. This system will also allow you to make much needed income just by doing things that you're already doing. All members of our affinity group will get discounts based on the various levels of seniority on which membership progress in our online B2B group is based. We anticipate the release to be in the next few months or so. Exciting times await us my friends.... Congratulations for Finding Us!!!!
Over fifteen (15) years or so ago, with little experience, and much enthusiasm and perceived vision, I started my first corporation with the goal of servicing the career development and corporate training markets (but I had actually had a bit of experience, as I had already started my very first venture at the age of 9), and I had no idea what I was getting myself into. In fact, I didn't even know what an "occupational license" was, and the idea of the various forms of legal fictions that allow people to form business associations (artificial persons) such as corporations, limited liability companies (LLCs), partnerships to name a few, might as well have been a foreign language to me. But with a profound belief in my own vision, and as the ultimate optimist, I borrowed $300 from my mother (which had to be returned in a month), and even after I accepted a graveyard shift position at a broadcasting company, I pursued my dreams of being an entrepreneur in the most powerful nation in the world, the land of opportunities, good 'ole USA.
OK, I was, undoubtedly, off to a great start as I always had a hunch as to what I needed to do to make things work (e.g., marketing through the right channel, and getting the phone ringing), but that was only the beginning, as with all things in life, the laws of entropy always come into play. Thus, here I was, running a "one-man-show", and attempting to run a major operation that deal with career development for those who were facing career transitions and companies that needed training for those very people, and actually attempting to do so as if I was still 9 years old (by the way, most business starters do the same thing by focusing on their business plan, and internal affairs, instead of doing what it takes to make the phone ring). It didn't take long until people started asking me the following:
- "Do you have an accountant?"
- "Do you have an occupational license"?
- "Who does your annual business report"?
- "Who handles your inventory?"
- "How about your Account Receivables?"
- "Are you in control of your Account Payables?"
- "Where do you get your capital/funding from?"
- "Are you breaking even?"
- "Are you profitable?"
- "Are you prepared for business growth"?
- "Do you have a web site"?
- Etc.
In life there are a few things that DO NOT come with a specific manual, including businesses, relationships, and raising children. Hence, most of us have really had to learn as we go through trial and error. However, it doesn't have to be the case. Some people have mentors/role models who can help them navigate life without making their own mistakes. Albeit, some mistakes are not avoidable, but there are some that most of us would prefer to have never made (e.g., losing all of our retirement savings on a shady venture.)
With "BCG", you'll be able to rely on our subject matter experts and venture capitalists, who have the real life experience that it takes to help you prevent some of the most common blunders that most entrepreneurs make. And the reason why they make it is because of the following:
- Lack of Support System;
- Lack of Capital or Funding;
- Inadequate Resources or Expertise;
- Wrong Ventures or lack of needs assessment;
- Lack of Market Analysis or Understanding for One's Market;
Should you need to become a member of our FREE prestigious, and exclusive affinity group, please feel free to contact us at the following CONTACT INFORMATION for a phone or face to face interview:
- Phone: (407) 272-0873
- Email: pete@snirol.com or petelorins@aol.com
Our team and I wish you the best in your entrepreneurial endeavors.
Sincerely,
Pete Lorins, PhD CD., JD
MS, Computer Engineering
BE, Electrical Engineering
BRAINSTORM CAPITAL GROUP
SNIROL Technologies, Inc.
Chief Executive/Corporate Liason
petelorins@aol.com (email)
(407) 272-0873 (Phone)
PS: We are in the process of initiating a one-of-a-kind online B2B system that will allow you to not only get business ideas, but also get actual leads from the very first day you start your business. It'll, essentially, automate your leads generation process so that you'll never have to wait for the phone to ring again. In fact, you can even turn your phone off and make money in your sleep. You'll be able to dictate how many leads you desire as per some desired categories. This system will also allow you to make much needed income just by doing things that you're already doing. All members of our affinity group will get discounts based on the various levels of seniority on which membership progress in our online B2B group is based. We anticipate the release to be in the next few months or so. Exciting times await us my friends.... Congratulations for Finding Us!!!!
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