tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91781743132314208412024-03-14T10:35:43.681-04:00Entrepreneur BootcampTips to help you run a successful business.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-11291277873126996352016-05-24T09:30:00.000-04:002017-12-11T13:42:53.140-05:00Grant Cardone Character Should Supercede TalentOver the weekend I started watching some Grant Cardone videos, particularly one that's sort of a fact "The Apprentice" show called "Whatever It Takes." For 90+ minute episodes, it show showed me a lot of how Grant Cardone treats people and from what I saw, it wasn't good.<br />
<br />
Let's get some of the preliminary things out of the way like who is he: He is a Bestselling author and expert on Sales. He also runs his own digital media platform where people can view videos and read articles. He makes lots of speeches and appears on business TV shows quite often. He is a HUGE Scientologist, which wouldn't matter, except that he expects others to live by it's principles and pushes some of their books at times.<br />
<br />
Back to the program. The premise of "Whatever it Takes" is for him to hire someone to work as a telemarketer for his business. They would be cold calling businesses trying to sell Cardone University, which allows a company to train their people via the Website instead of sending them in training. I find zero wrong with the product, it could be helpful.<br />
<br />
What turned me off was I saw a man who publically humiliated people for entertainment. The reasoning may have seemed sound, but the execution was way off.<br />
<br />
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<br />
First, he would have some guy yelling at them to to get in a line and dump all their content into a bin. Then they would go through their phones looking at pictures and commenting on the pictures of women, and asking about their sexual orientation, and marriage status. Based on information he received from consumer reports, he would then put individuals on blast for defaulting on loans, arrests, and if they had medicine in their bag (this is where the Scientology came in, if you needed it, he didn't want you). He forced a young guy to cut his age appropriate hair because he thought he was too high maintenance and not manly enough (he was a flight attendant).<br />
In one case, a young man had bought a program from Cardone, and was not able to pay for it, so he put him on blast, made him pay the $1500 he owed him, and then sent him on his way.<br />
You would think with all the weeding out that he would find the perfect candidate, but in reality, only 2 people of 8 worked for him, and apparently they didn't make it 90 days.<br />
<br />
This brings me to why his character and style is probably the issue. His company has a 90% turnover rate. If you look at some of the videos of how he cold calls, it makes sense. He has three complaints just within the last year on BBB, in which the company's responses are confrontational to say the least.<br />
<br />
An example,<br />
One guy doesn't want them to call or contact and has stated as such, which they are legally required to comply with. Instead they sent him this response:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQG1v_qOlMEc-add2gxkkUG_XFk-x1nWtxBBZm3vIebzfzoH6fVG6sQbrqrseOFH9uI4ZL6frjrtRmyzUoYXnKaxipzCASs5nJ5hXZ23JMval68QYi9F05YpCYqax_q-PRxpwkcs-iYzU/s1600/20160523_151648.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQG1v_qOlMEc-add2gxkkUG_XFk-x1nWtxBBZm3vIebzfzoH6fVG6sQbrqrseOFH9uI4ZL6frjrtRmyzUoYXnKaxipzCASs5nJ5hXZ23JMval68QYi9F05YpCYqax_q-PRxpwkcs-iYzU/s320/20160523_151648.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<br />
It's like Snake oil salesmen tactics, and the attitude is coming from the top. Grant Cardone may be a talented salesperson, but that does not mean he, nor his staff, should treat potential employees and clients like trash. It reminds me of the old saying about if you want to know the true character of a person, see how they treat those who can do nothing for them.<br />
<br />
Do I have a problem with Cardone's content? No. Some of it is a little outdated, but for his generation, it could be effective. If this show had been my only knowledge of him I would have just wrote him off and let it go, but this is not about his business content, but how he treats people. I don't care how much money you have in the bank, if you treat people badly, you are bankrupt. Please show me the memo where the more money you have in the bank it gives you an automatic pass on character? I think people get blinded by the dollar signs.<br />
In many cases, he humiliated the job seekers, and I think that has more to do with why the majority of people he picked, did not work for him. Of the two who did, they did not last. There is a line from a story I read by Dorothy L Sayers where she states, "A person will suffer a disappointment, but they will not suffer a humiliation."<br />
<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-2340146028610395542015-03-31T14:59:00.000-04:002015-03-31T14:59:16.409-04:00Is Your Marketing Like Meerkat, Periscope, or Stre.am<a href="http://www.planet-science.com/umbraco/ImageGen.ashx?image=/media/112909/periscope_121226200.jpg&width=600&constrain=true" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://www.planet-science.com/umbraco/ImageGen.ashx?image=/media/112909/periscope_121226200.jpg&width=600&constrain=true" /></a><br />
Over the last few weeks there has been a lot of movement on the live video front. The selling point of all of them, is the ease to broadcast by pushing one button. They also, all involve Twitter in some aspect. Since the launch of Meerkat, in February, many have been chomping at the bit on its uses.
We want to look more at what blew it up and why it may now be dying a slow death.<br />
On the plus side, it was first to the playground. Anyone else would be playing catchup. Secondly, tech journalist loved the little scrappy company, and they were all in.
But wait! Twitter bought a untested competitor, Periscope.<br />
After all the media had planted their flags in Meerkat being the future, they were blown away by the launch of Periscope. The people decided it was their new go to app for live events and fridge views (inside joke).
Over the course of four days, Meerkat moved from 140 to 523 in the App Store, while Periscope jumped to number 30.<br />
But, wait, another player entered the field at SXSW, called Stre.am. They launched on both Android and iOS, unlike Periscope and Meerkat. The only problem is they received zero traction. ZERO.
I, being an android user, did a couple of streams on Stre.am, and only received 25 viewers at most.<br />
The other downside to the service was the video never saved to your phone, as it said it could. Finally, there was no way to title videos, so people could at least have an idea of what they would be viewing.<br />
So, the question is, which reflects your marketing? Are you the media darling going down in flames? The one, with the giant behind you, so you don't really need to market, or the one no one is paying any attention to because you failed to do any relevant marketing.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-63686104507963976442015-03-03T15:20:00.001-05:002015-03-03T15:20:31.332-05:00Influencers Move the Needle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are tons of blog posts and articles about influencers today. Most are in regard to those on social media who have large audiences. I want to divide this group into two categories. There are those who have a large following, but do little to monetize that audience. Then, there are the other half who do monetize their audience. They may make their money via brand promotions or sales.
An example of this type would be a person who posts on Snapchat and is paid by a major brand to incorporate their brand into their story. The former, does not have brand deals, and are generally not receiving any payment or making money with their own products, people like Gary Vaynerchuk fall in this category. <br />
What both groups have in common is the ability to move the needle. An influencer, by definition, "the capacity or power of persons or things to be a compelling force on or produce effects on the actions, behavior, opinions, etc., of others."
There are many who argue that the number of followers doesn't matter. To a point they are correct. If you have a million followers and no one cares what you say, there is a problem. <br />
The thing is that real influencers have influence. You may not like that, like the anti-vaxxer doctor that thousands believe is a god, though he is responsible for bringing back diseases which had been eradicated in the United States. On the flip side, people like Taylor Swift influences people to be kind and to buy music instead of stealing it. <br />
Influencers get people to take an action, whether it is to watch a snapchat, read and comment on social media content, and for many that can mean influencing people to buy brand X instead of brand Y.<br />
We have been used to celebrities and politicians have this type of "power," but with the rise of Internet "fame," the playing field has been leveled, so that any average Joe with a good idea can produce content which people want to see or read.
<br />
<p>There are many claiming to have influence, but the ROI tells the truth. If people don't act on their suggestions, then odds are they are just noise makers.</p>
The question you have to ask yourself is do you move the needle or just yap into the air?<br />
<pre>Citations:
American Psychological Association (APA):
influencer. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved March 03, 2015, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/influencer
</pre>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-67299627436561471272015-01-08T09:00:00.000-05:002015-01-08T09:00:05.687-05:00Dear Boss, Fear is Not Respect<div class="MsoNormal">
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There is a conversation I overhear way too often. It goes
like this:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Person: “You better do this or A will be angry.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Other person: “Oh, I will just explain blah, blah.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Person: “You know how she/he is. You know what will happen
if you do/don’t do this.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It took me hearing this conversation a few times to get that
people were being trained to fear the person in authority. I couldn’t help but
think, “Why does that person need to be feared instead of respected?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We have all had our share of bosses, co-workers, and maybe
even family members, who everyone jumped at just the mention of their name.
People adjusted their behavior and even speaking level based on the mood of
this person. People would scatter as they came into the room just to be out of
the path of their anger.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It reminds me of the 1988 movie, ‘Big Business,’ where the
boss, Sadie Shelton, has people so afraid of her that the people in the office
call each other when she arrives at the building. As she makes her way through
the office people dive into closets as she unleashes her venom on those in her
view.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Bruno Bettelheim says, “<span style="background: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Punishment may make us obey the orders we are given, but at best it will
only teach an obedience to authority, not a self-control which enhances our
self-respect.</span>” It seems that some people do not understand that respect
and obedience through fear are not the same thing. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">Steve Jobs, by his own
admission, was not the nicest guy in Silicon Valley to work for before he was
fired by the company he founded. When he went back some 14 years later, there
was a different man at the helm. He was still ambitious and driven, but the
angry boss was gone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">We have to make sure as
leaders that we are respecting people and treating them properly. When people
are treated right, they will give back the respect they have been given. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: white; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The other way to put it
is, if you think that employee is going to keep all that anger and resentment
they receive to themselves, you are in for a rude awakening. Most likely, it is
being pushed onto your customers.</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-30931221105962452052014-10-06T17:28:00.004-04:002014-10-06T17:28:45.223-04:00Don't Be Like The Adobe PR Team<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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PR has a bad rep for the most part, and sadly most of it is justified. In my experience with the Adobe PR team, I waited an hour for them to send an email declining my press pass. If I had not been onsite at the time, and already been to the keynote, I would say no harm, no foul, but that is not the case.<br />
<br />
In this case, the woman took my papers and told me it would take five minutes. She then worked with at least 40 other people as she waited for this magical answer to appear from on high.<br />
Well, it turns out her only way to communicate with the PR person, Alex Moriconi was via text. She literally had to take a photo of my assignment letter to send it him or her. My thought was WTF???<br />
<br />
So it ticks me off that after an hour, he or she finally sent a denial. I find that rather inefficient and unjustifiable on any level. Empower the people at the desk or have people attempt to register at the press room.<br />
<br />
I don't mind they did it by text. I mind that they wasted an hour of my time when it could have been done in less than 10 minutes. I mind that there is no reason given for it, and I really mind that they then have the nerve to insult you and say you can pay $595 to see some displays and go to some parties. REALLY? <br />
<br />
The job of the public relations department is to make the company they represent look good in the public eye. Fortunately, I like Adobe, so I will overlook this blot on their image. You don't make people wait an hour to tell them "no, but if you pay us, yes."<br />
<br />
Be mindful of the people you want to write good things about your product or service. Don't be like the Adobe PR team.<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-10557001665538346562014-08-19T15:44:00.001-04:002014-08-19T15:44:21.674-04:006 Questions to Ask Before Starting a Business<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Everyday someone hangs out their shingle declaring they are in business. It is a noble idea, a little exciting, and some admit they enter with a little too much optimism and not enough planning. Many have been sold on the idea that if they want to be wealthy they have to start their own business or invest in real estate. But, do some enter business without really thinking and planning it out? Yes.
<br />
Businesses require planning or a person will jump from idea or strategy to another with little results to show for it in the end. It is one thing to sell stuff on the side on eBay, but the real money makers have a plan to carry out their eBay business.
<br />
What are some things that a person starting a business needs to plan?
<br />
1. What is the item for sale? Is it a service or product?
<br />
2. Who wants that item? Is it for businesses or consumers? In other words, who is the target audience?
<br />
3. What is the price point? How much does it cost to buy?
<br />
4. How will it get to the buyer? Is it digital, a hard item, or in-person product?
<br />
5. How will buyers know the item exists? What kind of marketing and promotion will be done, or is it all word of mouth or referrals?
<br />
6. Is the business legal with all proper licensing, taxes, etc., done?
<br />
Why are people so confused or turned around when starting a business? One of the problems some businesses owners encounter on social media sites is the temptation to drop their strategies for those of self-appointed gurus; although some admit to feeling overwhelmed with all "choices" they seem to have.
<br />
This group tends to ditch easy small ticket items to become "coaches," or run high ticket programs, but have no real plan in place to deal with slow times or growth. Others fall for the trap of the 4 hour work week illusion. This is the idea that someone can become independently wealthy just working 4 hours per week on their business. The problem is this is pretty much a myth.
<br />
Finally, some new business owners listen to people who are wannabes instead of listening to the successful. It stands to reason that if a person wants to know what it is like in Hawaii, they should ask someone who has been there, not the person who just looked at a picture, yet many solo business owners fall for the big talkers instead of the people with proven results.
<br />
It may also be an ego thing at work in not listening to those who have done it, but it is at the costs of some solo business owners spending a lot of time chasing rabbits instead of collecting money from paying customers.
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-7764116016864346222014-03-24T13:52:00.001-04:002014-03-24T13:52:15.868-04:00Five Errors to Avoid in Business According to the Apprentice<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Name="index heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of figures"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="envelope return"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="footnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="line number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="page number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="endnote text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="table of authorities"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="toa heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="List Number"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Body Text Indent"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="FollowedHyperlink"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="E-mail Signature"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Top of Form"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Acronym"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Address"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Cite"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Code"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="HTML Preformatted"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Columns 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Elegant"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Subtle 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
Name="Table Web 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" UnhideWhenUsed="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" SemiHidden="true" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" QFormat="true"
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<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" QFormat="true"
Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" QFormat="true"
Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" SemiHidden="true"
UnhideWhenUsed="true" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="41" Name="Plain Table 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="42" Name="Plain Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="43" Name="Plain Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="44" Name="Plain Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="45" Name="Plain Table 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="40" Name="Grid Table Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46" Name="Grid Table 1 Light"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51" Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52" Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="51"
Name="Grid Table 6 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="52"
Name="Grid Table 7 Colorful Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="46"
Name="Grid Table 1 Light Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="47" Name="Grid Table 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="48" Name="Grid Table 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="49" Name="Grid Table 4 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="50" Name="Grid Table 5 Dark Accent 5"/>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.brainzooming.com.php53-28.dfw1-2.websitetestlink.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/100821WarningSign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Business mistakes, The Apprentice" border="0" src="http://www.brainzooming.com.php53-28.dfw1-2.websitetestlink.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/100821WarningSign.jpg" height="236" title="Five Errors to Avoid in Business According to the Apprentice" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I am sort of aficionado when it comes to the show The
Apprentice. I have watched the show from every English speaking Country, and
have learned quite a bit from the show. Some of the errors of candidates,
regardless of the Country, seem to be universal. Could it be that those same
mistakes make it into real business, which is why so many fail? The mistakes
are:</div>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Ignoring Market Research: Without a doubt this
is the one that seems to be more about ego than the idea that the market is
wrong. Let me give you two examples. One, there was a task to make a home
exercise piece of equipment. The market research told the losing team that it
had to be simple and easy to use. What did they make? A black box with exercise
hands. It was ugly and complicated. One of the places they pitched said the
best thing about the team’s pitch was that they took the box with them when
they left. Ouch. The second was to build an item for the home. The losing team
went against the research and built what they referred to as a splash wall to
keep water from getting out of the tub when the child played. The better idea
they had was for a pillow in the bathtub. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li>Not controlling the budget: Just because you
have money does not mean you have to spend it all in one place. You have to
know and justify what you are spending money on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the task the candidates were required to
set up a cleaning service for the day. The caveat was that all the equipment
they put in their van came out of their $300 budget. The losing team spent
almost all of their money, and seemed to be happy by their decision. The other
team spent only half, and actually undersold the losing the losing team, but
because the losing team let their budget get away from them, they ended up in
the boardroom for one of them to be fired. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Being nasty is not a skill: Several candidates
on season five of The Apprentice UK were nasty, mean spirited, and way too
arrogant. They were nasty to each other, customers, places they were pitching,
and one was even nasty to one of the people who follows the team. Let me tell
you this was not the thing to be, they received a dressing down from Lord Sugar
they won’t soon forget. The nastiness even caused some of them to purposely
sabotage their team’s chances of winning just to try to get someone they didn’t
like out of the competition. It didn’t work.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Know your products: There are two tasks with two
different skills needed. One, they send the candidates to buy products from a
list at the cheapest price. The other was selling products they had for their
proper value. In the first one, there are always items they have zero clue what
they are, so they waste lots of time trying to find them, and tend to
overspend. In the other task, they are supposed to find the value of the
product and then sell it for that price or more. In both cases, teams waste
lots of time on the things which don’t matter, ignore sound advice, and forget
what they were told to do in the briefing. In the valuation tasks, both teams
lost money just by not doing research. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<ul>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span>Practice your pitch: This show has lots of
people with egos and they like to show off, so they will put the wrong person
in to pitch. The main example I can think of involved a mobile app. The person
who should have done the speech, does speeches to youth as her job. The one who
did the pitch was a project manager who had zero clue of this market, and
sounded like she was pitching to a corporate board. She even failed to tell
them how to download the product. </li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .25in;">
Although these candidates just
suffered being fired by one of The Apprentice hosts, business owners could
suffer consequences which could lead to their business being unprofitable or
closed, so take heed.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-71100209475226789522014-03-05T10:00:00.000-05:002014-03-05T10:00:04.057-05:00Google Plus is Not an OptionI have a friend who hates Google+. There's no real reason for this animosity, but she just hates it. My guess is because it takes time to develop relationships on it. It's not like Twitter where you can throw out some tweets on a popular Tweet and someone will possibly start a chat with you. Nope, Google+ takes work, but the spoils go to those who are willing to do the work.
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZr3yA2O_hCKPjqse-qev2ec3W1cqyvVs7Il1VLWRfsttY97IEVQ" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSZr3yA2O_hCKPjqse-qev2ec3W1cqyvVs7Il1VLWRfsttY97IEVQ" /></a>
As you know, every platform has an audience and serves a particular purpose. Twitter used to be if you wanted to meet people, then you could send them a tweet, but with the rise of so called social media experts, the platform has changed to a one sided broadcast. The only way to have a conversation is to be on a hashtag chat or talk about a trending topic. Sorry, but that is the reality.
Facebook is really for people you know, and it is moving towards a pay to have your post seen platform due to all the brands, marketers and moms. Again, just another reality.
Google plus is sort of what you want it to be. If you want success, you will have to:
*Have people in your circles that are active on the platform, and not just a bunch of people autoposting.
*Find people around a hobby/idea (example, photography is a HUGE group)
*Participate in some Hangouts
*Comment on stuff that interest you. The comment system is sort of a chat the way many use it.
*Jump In
Using it for your business is a no brainer. You can use the Hangouts (video conference with up to 9 people) to share your expertise, interview people, cook, sing, whatever.
If you want to have some ROI for your time on Google+ then consider becoming an instructor in the Helpout section. You set the price, the time limit, and the topic. Google gets 20 percent, but small price to pay since it is their audience that is coming to you.
Get in there and really get involved. Don't listen to people (journalist) who don't even use the platform. That's like asking a life long vegan how a steak tastes. They have no idea. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-42840843040060138152014-03-04T19:45:00.003-05:002014-03-04T19:45:41.455-05:00Umango the Personalized personal assistant<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qbgQFrcuABM" width="480"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-10873692424980731482014-02-06T09:00:00.000-05:002014-02-06T09:00:00.080-05:00Opportunities Where You Are by Orison Swett Marden<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTbyUUdIQCsEbrsI6sbVCCeyKt5WocSZlxPkKFg_KE-2zArxpuq" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTbyUUdIQCsEbrsI6sbVCCeyKt5WocSZlxPkKFg_KE-2zArxpuq" /></a></div>
No chance, no opportunities, in a land where many poor boys become rich men, where newsboys go to Congress, and where those born in the lowest stations attain the highest positions? The world is all gates, all opportunities to him who will use them. But, like Bunyan's Pilgrim in the dungeon of Giant Despair's castle, who had the key of deliverance all the time with him but had forgotten it, we fail to rely wholly upon the ability to advance all that is good for us which has been given to the weakest as well as the strongest. We depend too much upon outside assistance.<br />
"We look too high
For things close by."
<br />
A Baltimore lady lost a valuable diamond bracelet at a ball, and supposed that it was stolen from the pocket of her cloak. Years afterward she washed the steps of the Peabody Institute, pondering how to get money to buy food. She cut up an old, worn-out, ragged cloak to make a hood, when lo! in the lining of the cloak she discovered the diamond bracelet. During all her poverty she was worth $3500, but did not know it.<br />
<br />
Many of us who think we are poor are rich in opportunities, if we could only see them, in possibilities all about us, in faculties worth more than diamond bracelets. In our large Eastern cities it has been found that at least ninety-four out of every hundred found their first fortune at home, or near at hand, and in meeting common every-day wants. It is a sorry day for a young man who cannot see any opportunities where he is, but thinks he can do better somewhere else. Some Brazilian shepherds organized a party to go to California to dig gold, and took along a handful of translucent pebbles to play checkers with on the voyage. After arriving in San Francisco, and after they had thrown most of the pebbles away, they discovered that they were diamonds. They hastened back to Brazil, only to find that the mines from which the pebbles had been gathered had been taken up by others and sold to the government.<br />
<br />
The richest gold and silver mine in Nevada was sold for $42 by the owner to get money to pay his passage to other mines, where he thought he could get rich. Professor Agassiz told the Harvard students of a farmer who owned a farm of hundreds of acres of unprofitable woods and rocks, and concluded to sell out and get into a more profitable business. He decided to go into the coal-oil business; he studied coal measures and coal-oil deposits, and experimented for a long time. He sold his farm for $200, and engaged in his new business two hundred miles away. Only a short time after the man who bought his farm discovered upon it a great flood of coal-oil, which the farmer had previously ignorantly tried to drain off.<br />
<br />
Hundreds of years ago there lived near the shore of the river Indus a Persian by the name of Ali Hafed. He lived in a cottage on the river bank, from which he could get a grand view of the beautiful country stretching away to the sea. He had a wife and children, an extensive farm, fields of grain, gardens of flowers, orchards of fruit, and miles of forest. He had a plenty of money and everything that heart could wish. He was contented and happy. One evening a priest of Buddha visited him, and, sitting before the fire, explained to him how the world was made, and how the first beams of sunlight condensed on the earth's surface into diamonds. The old priest told that a drop of sunlight the size of his thumb was worth more than large mines of copper, silver, or gold; that with one of them he could buy many farms like his; that with a handful he could buy a province, and with a mine of diamonds he could purchase a kingdom. Ali Hafed listened, and was no longer a rich man. He had been touched with discontent, and with that all wealth vanishes. Early the next morning he woke the priest who had been the cause of his unhappiness, and anxiously asked him where he could find a mine of diamonds. "What do you want of diamonds?" asked the astonished priest. "I want to be rich and place my children on thrones." "All you have to do is to go and search until you find them," said the priest. "But where shall I go?" asked the poor farmer. "Go anywhere, north, south, east, or west." "How shall I know when I have found the place?" "When you find a river running over white sands between high mountain ranges, in those white sands you will find diamonds," answered the priest.<br />
<br />
The discontented man sold the farm for what he could get, left his family with a neighbor, took the money he had at interest, and went to search for the coveted treasure. Over the mountains of Arabia, through Palestine and Egypt, he wandered for years, but found no diamonds. When his money was all gone and starvation stared him in the face, ashamed of his folly and of his rags, poor Ali Hafed threw himself into the tide and was drowned. The man who bought his farm was a contented man, who made the most of his surroundings, and did not believe in going away from home to hunt for diamonds or success. While his camel was drinking in the garden one day, he noticed a flash of light from the white sands of the brook. He picked up a pebble, and pleased with its brilliant hues took it into the house, put it on the shelf near the fireplace, and forgot all about it. The old priest of Buddha who had filled Ali Hafed with the fatal discontent called one day upon the new owner of the farm. He had no sooner entered the room than his eye caught that flash of light from the stone. "Here's a diamond! here's a diamond!" the old priest shouted in great excitement. "Has Ali Hafed returned?" said the priest. "No," said the farmer, "nor is that a diamond. That is but a stone." They went into the garden and stirred up the white sand with their fingers, and behold, other diamonds more beautiful than the first gleamed out of it. So the famous diamond beds of Golconda were discovered. Had Ali Hafed been content to remain at home, had he dug in his own garden, instead of going abroad in search for wealth, and reaping poverty, hardships, starvation, and death, he would have been one of the richest men in the world, for the entire farm abounded in the richest of gems.<br />
<br />
You have your own special place and work. Find it, fill it. Scarcely a boy or girl will read these lines but has much better opportunity to win success than Garfield, Wilson, Franklin, Lincoln, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frances Willard, and thousands of others. But to succeed you must be prepared to seize and improve the opportunity when it comes. Remember that four things come not back: the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, and the neglected opportunity.<br />
<br />
It is one of the paradoxes of civilization that the more opportunities are utilized, the more new ones are thereby created. New openings are as easy to fill as ever to those who do their best; although it is not so easy as formerly to obtain distinction in the old lines, because the standard has advanced so much and competition has so greatly increased. "The world is no longer clay," said Emerson, "but rather iron in the hands of its workers, and men have got to hammer out a place for themselves by steady and rugged blows."<br />
Thousands of men have made fortunes out of trifles which others pass by. As the bee gets honey from the same flower from which the spider gets poison, so some men will get a fortune out of the commonest and meanest things, as scraps of leather, cotton waste, slag, iron filings, from which others get only poverty and failure. There is scarcely a thing which contributes to the welfare and comfort of humanity, not an article of household furniture, a kitchen utensil, an article of clothing or of food, that is not capable of an improvement in which there may be a fortune.<br />
<br />
Opportunities? They are all around us. Edison found them in a baggage car. Forces of nature plead to be used in the service of man, as lightning for ages tried to attract his attention to the great force of electricity, which would do his drudgery and leave him to develop the God-given powers within him. There is power lying latent everywhere waiting for the observant eye to discover it.<br />
<br />
First find out what the world needs and then supply that want. An invention to make smoke go the wrong way in a chimney might be a very ingenious thing, but it would be of no use to humanity. The patent office at Washington is full of wonderful devices of ingenious mechanism, but not one in hundreds is of use to the inventor or to the world. And yet how many families have been impoverished, and have struggled for years amid want and woe, while the father has been working on useless inventions. A. T. Stewart, as a boy, lost eighty-seven cents when his capital was one dollar and a half in buying buttons and thread which shoppers did not call for. After that he made it a rule never to buy anything which the public did not want, and so prospered.<br />
<br />
It is estimated that five out of every seven of the millionaire manufacturers began by making with their own hands the articles which made their fortunes. One of the greatest hindrances to advancement in life is the lack of observation and of the inclination to take pains. An observing man, the eyelets of whose shoes pulled out, but who could not afford to get another pair, said to himself, "I will make a metallic lacing hook, which can be riveted into the leather;" he was so poor that he had to borrow a sickle to cut the grass in front of his hired tenement. Now he is a very rich man.<br />
<br />
An observing barber in Newark, N. J., thought he could make an improvement in shears for cutting hair, invented clippers, and became rich. A Maine man was called in from the hayfield to wash clothes for his invalid wife. He had never realized what it was to wash before. Finding the method slow and laborious, he invented the washing-machine, and made a fortune. A man who was suffering terribly with toothache said to himself, there must be some way of filling teeth which will prevent their aching. So he invented the principle of gold filling for teeth.<br />
<br />
The great things of the world have not been done by men of large means. Ericsson began the construction of the screw propellers in a bathroom. The cotton-gin was first manufactured in a log cabin. John Harrison, the great inventor of the marine chronometer, began his career in the loft of an old barn. Parts of the first steamboat ever run in America were set up in the vestry of a church in Philadelphia by Fitch. McCormick began to make his famous reaper in a gristmill. The first model dry dock was made in an attic. Clark, the founder of Clark University of Worcester, Mass., began his great fortune by making toy wagons in a horse shed. Farquhar made umbrellas in his sitting-room, with his daughter's help, until he sold enough to hire a loft. Edison began his experiments in a baggage car on the Grand Trunk Railroad when a newsboy.<br />
<br />
As soon as the weather would permit, the Jamestown colonists began to stroll about the country digging for gold. In a bank of sand some glittering particles were found, and the whole settlement was in a state of excitement. Fourteen weeks of the precious springtime, which ought to have been given to plowing and planting, were consumed in this stupid nonsense. Even the Indians ridiculed the madness of the men who, for imaginary grains of gold, were wasting their chances for a crop of corn.<br />
<br />
Michael Angelo found a piece of discarded Carrara marble among waste rubbish beside a street in Florence, which some unskillful workman had cut, hacked, spoiled, and thrown away. No doubt many artists had noticed the fine quality of the marble, and regretted that it should have been spoiled. But Michael Angelo still saw an angel in the ruin, and with his chisel and mallet he called out from it one of the finest pieces of statuary in Italy, the young David.<br />
<br />
The lonely island of Nantucket would not be considered a very favorable place to win success and fame. But Maria Mitchell, on seventy-five dollars a year, as librarian of the Nantucket Athenaeum, found time and opportunity to become a celebrated astronomer. Lucretia Mott, one of America's foremost philanthropists and reformers, who made herself felt over a whole continent, gained much of her reputation as a preacher on Nantucket Island.<br />
<br />
"Why does not America have fine sculptors?" asked a romping girl, of Watertown, Mass., in 1842. Her father, a physician, answered that he supposed "an American could be a stone-cutter, but that is a very different thing from being a sculptor." "I think," said the plucky maiden, "that if no other American tries it I will." She began her studies in Boston, and walked seven miles to and fro daily between her home and the city. The medical schools in Boston would not admit her to study anatomy, so she had to go to St. Louis. Subsequently she went to Rome, and there, during a long residence, and afterward, modeled and carved very beautiful statuary which made the name of Harriet G. Hosmer famous. Begin where you are; work where you are; the hour which you are now wasting, dreaming of some far-off success, may be crowded with grand possibilities.<br />
<br />
Patrick Henry was called a lazy boy, a good-for-nothing farmer, and he failed as a merchant. He was always dreaming of some far-off greatness, and never thought he could be a hero among the corn and tobacco and saddlebags of Virginia. He studied law six weeks, when he put out his shingle. People thought he would fail, but in his first case he showed that he had a wonderful power of oratory. It then first dawned upon him that he could be a hero in Virginia. From the time the Stamp Act was passed and Henry was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses, and he had introduced his famous resolution against the unjust taxation of the American colonies, he rose steadily until he became one of the brilliant orators of America. In one of his first speeches upon this resolution he uttered these words, which were prophetic of his power and courage: "Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell, and George the Third—may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it."<br />
<br />
The great natural philosopher, Faraday, who was the son of a blacksmith, wrote, when a young man, to Humphry Davy, asking for employment at the Royal Institution. Davy consulted a friend on the matter. "Here is a letter from a young man named Faraday, he has been attending my lectures, and wants me to give him employment at the Royal Institution—what can I do?" "Do? put him to washing bottles; if he is good for anything he will do it directly; if he refuses he is good for nothing." But the boy who could experiment in the attic of an apothecary shop with an old pan and glass vials during every moment he could snatch from his work saw an opportunity in washing bottles, which led to a professorship at the Royal Academy at Woolwich. Tyndall said of this boy with no chance, "He is the greatest experimental philosopher the world has ever seen." He became the wonder of his age in science.<br />
<br />
There is a legend of an artist who long sought for a piece of sandal-wood, out of which to carve a Madonna. He was about to give up in despair, leaving the vision of his life unrealized, when in a dream he was bidden to carve his Madonna from a block of oak wood which was destined for the fire. He obeyed, and produced a masterpiece from a log of common firewood. Many of us lose great opportunities in life by waiting to find sandal-wood for our carvings, when they really lie hidden in the common logs that we burn. One man goes through life without seeing chances for doing anything great, while another close beside him snatches from the same circumstances and privileges opportunities for achieving grand results.<br />
<br />
Anna Dickinson began life as a school-teacher. Adelaide Neilson was a child's nurse. Charlotte Cushman's parents were poor. The renowned Jeanne d'Arc fed swine. Christine Nilsson was a poor Swedish peasant, and ran barefoot in childhood. Edmonia Lewis, the colored sculptor, overcame the prejudice against her sex and color, and pursued her profession in Italy. Maria Mitchell, the astronomer, was the daughter of a poor man who taught school at two dollars per week. These are but a few of the many who have struggled with fate and risen to distinction through their own personal efforts.<br />
<br />
Opportunities? They are everywhere. "America is another name for opportunities. Our whole history appears like a last effort of divine Providence in behalf of the human race." Never before were there such grand openings, such chances, such opportunities. Especially is this true for girls and young women. A new era is dawning for them. Hundreds of occupations and professions, which were closed to them only a few years ago, are now inviting them to enter.<br />
<br />
When I hear of a young woman entering the medical profession, or beginning the study of law, or entering school with a view to teaching, I feel like congratulating her for thus asserting her individuality.<br />
<br />
We cannot all of us perhaps make great discoveries like Newton, Faraday, Edison, and Thompson. We cannot all of us paint immortal pictures like an Angelo or a Raphael. But we can all of us make our lives sublime, by seizing common occasions and making them great. What chance had the young girl, Grace Darling, to distinguish herself, living on those barren lighthouse rocks alone with her aged parents? But while her brothers and sisters, who moved to the cities to win wealth and fame, are not known to the world, she became more famous than a princess. This poor girl did not need to go to London to see the nobility; they came to the lighthouse to see her. Right at home this young girl had won fame which the regal heirs might envy, and a name which will never perish from the earth. She did not wander away into dreamy distance for fame and fortune, but did her best where duty had placed her.<br />
<br />
If you want to get rich, study yourself and your own wants. You will find that millions have the same wants. The safest business is always connected with man's prime necessities. He must have clothing and a dwelling; he must eat. He wants comforts, facilities of all kinds for pleasure, luxuries, education, and culture. Any man who can supply a great want of humanity, improve any methods which men use, supply any demand of comfort, or contribute in any way to their well-being, can make a fortune.<br />
<br />
"We cannot doubt," said Edward Everett, "that truths now unknown are in reserve to reward the patience and the labors of future lovers of truth, which will go as far beyond the brilliant discoveries of the last generation as these do beyond all that was known to the ancient world." Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-20845597640346480422013-12-12T15:05:00.002-05:002013-12-12T15:05:43.099-05:00The One Nelson Mandela Quote That Businesses Should Apply<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-play-to-win-4.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-and-play-to-win-4.png" width="274" /></a></div>
<br />
Nelson Mandela said many things, which one would consider wise, but there was one quote I heard that I had not, before, and it applies to life and business.<br />
<br />
The story goes that when he was young, he and the neighborhood boys used to enjoy stick fights. He said that he was learned to "(defeat) <b><i>win, but do not dishonor your opponent.</i></b>" A strategy he used throughout his life.<br />
So how does this apply to business? In the rush for market share, higher market earnings, and sales, some businesses have gone the route of dishonor.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>They go on review sites and bash their competition.</li>
<li>They belittle (humiliate) the founders/CEOs of the competition.</li>
<li>They lie to customers about the quality of the product (service).</li>
</ul>
<div>
Here's the thing, if you have to grow your business through lies and deceit, then perhaps business is not where you belong. If you want to defeat your competition:</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li> Have a product or service that is better. </li>
<li>Go the extra mile, which few are willing to do. </li>
<li>Act with integrity (again, in short supply).</li>
</ul>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-61577561940468447892013-09-16T09:00:00.000-04:002017-12-11T13:12:22.656-05:00Social Media is Time Consuming But Worth It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
You ever see those books promising you will that you will have Warren Buffet's riches through social medial on just 15 minutes a day? Yeah, just an FYI, they lied. If you actually were involved on all the social networks and blogging, don't count on less than 3 hours per DAY, and that might be the minimum.<br />
<br />
How did I come up with this horrid number? By experience. Let's look at just some typical stuff.<br />
<br />
1. Read tech or industry news- Long form articles get saved. (15 minutes)<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2a2tQMqAjFPIb0XSGm_3nEl9j0IGwXlcSYP1YQiqfeYLEUf95AbuntsHaLPzP1TAr7VP5xxoHnP5wxh27XMLA8j5awzjkth4HD4HLUN1DfDlLL9AwA2fbPMd-LqkSODXB4hXTmJz5sQ/s1600/twittertrends.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD2a2tQMqAjFPIb0XSGm_3nEl9j0IGwXlcSYP1YQiqfeYLEUf95AbuntsHaLPzP1TAr7VP5xxoHnP5wxh27XMLA8j5awzjkth4HD4HLUN1DfDlLL9AwA2fbPMd-LqkSODXB4hXTmJz5sQ/s1600/twittertrends.JPG" /></a><br />
2. Twitter has multiple parts: A)Look over Twitter Trending topics to find out if there was a disaster, big announcement, or whatever that I might want to tweet about or blog about. B)Look at tweets from list C)RT ones you think followers will enjoy. D) Quick glance at regular stream to see if I can answer a question, thank someone for a RT, or whatever. (15-25 minutes)<br />
<br />
3. Facebook- Look over topics being discussed in groups I belong to. Make comments, if appropriate. Look over your personal stream to catch up on babies, marriages, divorces, and food porn. Add a video or blog post to your business page, if necessary. (15 minutes).<br />
<br />
4. Pinterest/Instagram- Pinning, liking, commenting, and adding your own pins. (20 minutes)<br />
<br />
5. Snapchat Watch the snaps of interest, post your snaps, and comment (15 minutes)<br />
6. LinkedIn/Quora- Look at notices, skim read the new stuff, congratulate, invite some for connections, answer a question, comment (20 minutes)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nZIbpIY1Y7Z6JT0ZGzWu9yN9qk30R6MKOHvB4v6PxUxOPQ_dWp1W-WO1YWz66aMRE6y0AoquE3RfL1lK1pJEbZkY3hW9Dzq7rZ-oA-aQ_IGduUDq65WAgRVwjn5wva3QX6lPxVzwvlA/s1600/quoraquestion.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5nZIbpIY1Y7Z6JT0ZGzWu9yN9qk30R6MKOHvB4v6PxUxOPQ_dWp1W-WO1YWz66aMRE6y0AoquE3RfL1lK1pJEbZkY3hW9Dzq7rZ-oA-aQ_IGduUDq65WAgRVwjn5wva3QX6lPxVzwvlA/s320/quoraquestion.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
7. Blog Post- I had not forgotten the post. Actually, you could do this second, but for our purposes we will put it last. Write your content, make or find an accompanying picture, and then distribute if not done automatically. Respond to comments throughout the day. (30 minutes)<br />
<br />
8. Youtube- You could forgo the Blog post and use video instead. Either way, you need to also view your subscriptions, comment, respond, and share. (15 minutes)<br />
<br />
9. Instagram- Take photos, submit, hashtag, view other photos, comment, and follow (15 minutes). <br />
<br />
These are just the top ones. If you belong to special ones, then you have to add those on your schedule. Of course, these times will vary, and if you want to stay sane, I don't recommend doing them all everyday. There are some shortcuts like using Buffer to schedule your posts. The only thing here is that if there has been a major tragedy and you send out an auto tweet, you will get hounded.So, plan your tweets, but also be quick to adjust the posting time or content if something major happens during the day. And please, don't use tragedy to try to sell. That doesn't go over well at all.<br />
<br />
Other things that could add to your social media time is doing Google Hangouts or Twitter chats. They generally last an hour. If you want to run your own (hint. hint) set up one on a weekly basis.<br />
<br />
A sample Twitter chat #<a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23smallbizchat&src=typd" target="_blank">smallbizchat</a><br />
<br />
<br />
So, as you can see, it takes time to be social online, just as it does offline.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-32591163953669373862013-09-04T15:05:00.002-04:002013-09-04T15:05:37.871-04:00Are You Defeating the Purpose of Mystery Shoppers?<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQLWQDoFLuq-QxMNaDiJ4l4QH5DdSpRA6fAM1IyYiNZCbO7ca3MpA" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQLWQDoFLuq-QxMNaDiJ4l4QH5DdSpRA6fAM1IyYiNZCbO7ca3MpA" data-sz="f" name="ZjoSs85Z9ZJOQM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQLWQDoFLuq-QxMNaDiJ4l4QH5DdSpRA6fAM1IyYiNZCbO7ca3MpA" style="height: 197px; margin-top: 0px; width: 136px;" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't Defeat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Hundreds of businesses use mystery shoppers to help get a gauge on what is happening in their business. Mystery shoppers are individuals who generally go into a store, bank, restaurant, or hotel and evaluate a specific behavior, such as, the information they are given on mortgage loan, or how an employee treats them.<br />
<br />
Generally the shops, as they are called, are done during a specific date range, and in some cases, a time range. For example, a company may hire a mystery shopping company to perform 10 mystery shops during the first week of October between the hours of nine to five.<br />
<br />
One of the odd things which has been occurring is some businesses are actually training their employees in what to look for in a mystery shopper such as the type of questions they have. Some blatantly get the questionnaire the mystery shopper is going to fill out and train from that.<br />
<br />
So I go back to my question, are you defeating the purpose of the mystery shopper? My answer is yes. I think of it as cheating, here's why. If the employee only does what is required to do because you have trained him for the mystery shop, then the treatment the shopper may receive may be scewed. <br />
<br />
If the purpose of the mystery shopper is to evaluate behavior, then it defeats the purpose if a business trains for the shop instead of training the employee(s) on what is required service for all customers. Further, by telling employees the time frame the shops may occur is again problematic.<br />
<br />
And, a final thought, if an employee IDs a mystery shopper, that means that shopper gets fired from ever doing that shop again, regardless of the State. The weird thing about this is that shoppers who have been identified, was generally due to negative feedback, which is also telling. <br />
<br />
The job of the mystery shopper is just to evaluate how things are at the time they go into an establishment. They are not the enemy. Companies spend millions a year on this service, but it could all be money down the drain since some prefer to cheat by warning employees and/or outing mystery shoppers.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-69795978777479239502013-06-21T03:30:00.000-04:002013-06-21T03:30:02.807-04:00THE IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT HABITS<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Q6sr4itifLsE7ckvXkWX4N1Evb2wo1O64QffhS0BzvS7_qX1juAHuQ8xhjgWcqRsU720ls5-4HTywtjj6t3pSmi12X53xwQpK0TDaWAgdaXTWhDi3R5WWHxKBe06niTmCPhKUmOtr_w/s1600/business-t-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Q6sr4itifLsE7ckvXkWX4N1Evb2wo1O64QffhS0BzvS7_qX1juAHuQ8xhjgWcqRsU720ls5-4HTywtjj6t3pSmi12X53xwQpK0TDaWAgdaXTWhDi3R5WWHxKBe06niTmCPhKUmOtr_w/s320/business-t-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div id="id00141">
As has been stated, habit is the basis of character. Habit is the persistent repetition of acts physical, mental, and moral. No matter how much thought and ability a young man may have, failure is sure to follow bad habits. While correct habits depend largely on self- discipline, and often on self-denial, bad habits, like pernicious weeds, spring up unaided and untrained to choke out the plants of virtue. It is easy to destroy the seed at the beginning, but its growth is so rapid, that its evil effects may not be perceptible till the roots have sapped every desirable plant about it.</div>
<div id="id00142">
No sane youth ever started out with the resolve to be a thief, a tramp, or a drunkard. Yet it is the slightest deviation from honesty that makes the first. It is the first neglect of a duty that makes the second. And it is the first intoxicating glass that makes the third. It is so easy not to begin, but the habit once formed and the man is a slave, bound with galling, cankering chains, and the strength of will having been destroyed, only God's mercy can cast them off.</div>
<div id="id00143">
Next to the moral habits that are the cornerstone of every worthy character, the habit of industry should be ranked. In "this day and generation," there is a wild desire on the part of young men to leap into fortune at a bound, to reach the top of the ladder of success without carefully climbing the rounds, but no permanent prosperity was ever gained in this way.</div>
<div id="id00144">
There have been men, who through chance, or that form of speculation, that is legalized gambling, have made sudden fortunes; but as a rule these fortunes have been lost in the effort to double them by the quick and speculative process.</div>
<div id="id00145">
Betters and gamblers usually die poor. But even where young men have made a lucky stroke, the result is too often a misfortune. They neglect the necessary, persistent effort. The habit of industry is ignored. Work becomes distasteful, and the life is wrecked, looking for chances that never come.</div>
<div id="id00146">
There have been exceptional cases, where men of immoral habits, but with mental force and unusual opportunities have won fortunes. Some of these will come to the reader's mind at once, but he will be forced to confess that he would not give up his manhood and comparative poverty, in exchange for such material success.</div>
<div id="id00147">
The best equipment a young man can have for the battle of life is a conscience void of offense, sound common sense, and good health. Too much importance cannot be attached to health. It is a blessing we do not prize till it is gone. Some are naturally delicate and some are naturally strong, but by habit the health of the vigorous may be ruined, and by opposite habits the delicate may be made healthful and strong.</div>
<div id="id00148">
No matter the prospects and promises of overwork, it is a species of suicide to continue it at the expense of health. Good men in every department and calling, stimulated by zeal and an ambition commendable in itself, have worked till the vital forces were exhausted, and so were compelled to stop all effort in the prime of life and on the threshold of success.</div>
<div id="id00149">
The best preservers of health are regularity in correct hygienic habits, and strict temperance. Alexander Stephens, of Georgia, it is said contracted consumption when a child, and his friends did not believe he would live to manhood, yet by correct habits, he not only lived the allotted time of the Psalmist, but he did an amount of work that would have been impossible to a much stronger man, without his method of life.</div>
<div id="id00150">
It should not be forgotten that good health is quite as much dependent on mental as on physical habits. Worry, sensitiveness, and temper have hastened to the grave many an otherwise splendid character.</div>
<div id="id00151">
The man of business must needs be subject to strict rule and system. Business, like life, is managed by moral leverage; success in both depending in no small degree upon that regulation of temper and careful self-discipline, which give a wise man not only a command over himself, but over others. Forbearance and self-control smooth the road of life, and open many ways which would otherwise remain closed. And so does self-respect; for as men respect themselves, so will they usually, respect the personality of others.</div>
<div id="id00152">
It is the same in politics as in business. Success in that sphere of life is achieved less by talent than by temper, less by genius than by character. If a man have not self-control, he will lack patience, be wanting in tact, and have neither the power of governing himself nor managing others. When the quality most needed in a prime minister was the subject of conversation in the presence of Mr. Pitt, one of the speakers said it was "eloquence;" another said it was "knowledge;" and a third said it was "toil." "No," said Pitt, "it is patience!" And patience means self-control, a quality in which he himself was superb. His friend George Rose has said of him that he never once saw Pitt out of temper.</div>
<div id="id00153">
A strong temper is not necessarily a bad temper. But the stronger the temper, the greater is the need of self-discipline and self-control. Dr. Johnson says men grow better as they grow older, and improve with experience; but this depends upon the width and depth and generousness of their nature. It is not men's faults that ruin them so much as the manner in which they conduct themselves after the faults have been committed. The wise will profit by the suffering they cause, and eschew them for the future; but there are those on whom experience exerts no ripening influence, and who only grow narrower and bitterer, and more vicious with time.</div>
<div id="id00154">
What is called strong temper in a young man, often indicates a large amount of unripe energy, which will expend itself in useful work if the road be fairly opened to it. It is said of Girard that when he heard of a clerk with a strong temper, he would readily take him into his employment, and set him to work in a room by himself; Girard being of opinion that such persons were the best workers, and that their energy would expend itself in work if removed from the temptation of quarrel.</div>
<div id="id00155">
There is a great difference between a strong temper, "a righteous indignation," and that irritability that curses its possessor and all who come near him.</div>
<div id="id00156">
Mr. Motley compares William the Silent to Washington, whom he in many respects resembled. The American, like the Dutch patriot, stands out in history as the very impersonation of dignity, bravery, purity, and personal excellence. His command over his feelings, even in moments of great difficulty and danger, was such as to convey the impression, to those who did not know him intimately, that he was a man of inborn calmness and almost impassiveness of disposition. Yet Washington was by nature ardent and impetuous; his mildness, gentleness politeness, and consideration for others, were the result of rigid self-control and unwearied self-discipline, which he diligently practiced even from his boyhood. His biographer says of him, that "his temperament was ardent, his passions strong, and, amidst the multiplied scenes of temptation and excitement through which he passed, it was his constant effort, and ultimate triumph, to check the one and subdue the other." And again: "His passions were strong, and sometimes they broke out with vehemence, but he had the power of checking them in an instant. Perhaps self-control was the most remarkable trait of his character. It was in part the effect of discipline; yet he seems by nature to have possessed this power in a degree which has been denied to other men."</div>
<div id="id00157">
The Duke of Wellington's natural temper, like that of Napoleon, was strong in the extreme and it was only by watchful self-control that he was enabled to restrain it. He studied calmness and coolness in the midst of danger, like any Indian chief. At Waterloo, and elsewhere, he gave his orders in the most critical moments without the slightest excitement, and in a tone of voice almost more than usually subdued.</div>
<div id="id00158">
Abraham Lincoln in his early manhood was quick tempered and combative, but he soon learned self-control and, as all know, became as patient as he was forceful and sympathetic. "I got into the habit of controlling my temper in the Black Hawk war," he said to Colonel Forney, "and the good habit stuck to me as bad habits do to so many."</div>
<div id="id00159">
Patience is a habit that pays for its own cultivation and the biographies of earth's greatest men, prove that it was one of their most conspicuous characteristics.</div>
<div id="id00160">
One who loves right can not be indifferent to wrong, or wrong-doing. If he feels warmly, he will speak warmly, out of the fullness of his heart. We have, however, to be on our guard against impatient scorn. The best people are apt to have their impatient side, and often the very temper which makes men earnest, makes them also intolerant. "Of all mental gifts, the rarest is intellectual patience; and the last lesson of culture is to believe in difficulties which are invisible to ourselves."</div>
<div id="id00161">
One of Burns' finest poems, written in his twenty-eighth year, is entitled "A Bard's Epitaph." It is a description, by anticipation, of his own life. Wordsworth has said of it:</div>
<div id="id00162">
"Here is a sincere and solemn avowal; a public declaration from his own will; a confession at once devout, poetical, and human; a history in the shape of a prophecy." It concludes with these lines:</div>
<div id="id00163">
"Reader, attend—whether thy soul<br /> Soars fancy's flights beyond the pole,<br /> Or darkling grubs this earthly hole<br /> In low pursuit;<br /> Know—prudent, cautious self-control,<br /> Is Wisdom's root."</div>
<div id="id00164">
Truthfulness is quite as much a habit and quite as amendable to cultivation as falsehood. Deceit may meet with temporary success, but he who avails himself of it can be sure that in the end his "sin will find him out." The credit of the truthful, reliable man stands when the cash of a trickster might be doubted. "His word is as good as his bond," is one of the highest compliments that can be paid to the business man.</div>
<div id="id00165">
Be truthful not only in great things, but in all things. The slightest deviation from this habit may be the beginning of a career of duplicity, ending in disgrace.</div>
<div id="id00166">
But truthfulness, like the other virtues, should not be regarded as a trade mark, a means to success. It brings its own reward in the nobility it gives the character. An exception might be made here as to that form of military deceit known as "stratagem," but it is the duty of the enemy to expect it, and so guard against it. The word of a soldier involves his honor, and if he pledges that word, to even a foeman, he will keep it with his life.</div>
<div id="id00167">
Like our own Washington, Wellington was a severe admirer of truth. An illustration may be given. When afflicted by deafness, he consulted a celebrated aurist, who, after trying all remedies in vain, determined, as a last resource, to inject into the ear a strong solution of caustic. It caused the most intense pain, but the patient bore it with his usual equanimity. The family physician accidentally calling one day, found the duke with flushed cheeks and blood-shot eyes, and when he rose he staggered about like a drunken man. The doctor asked to be permitted to look at his ear, and then he found that a furious inflammation was going on, which, if not immediately checked, must shortly reach the brain and kill him. Vigorous remedies were at once applied, and the inflammation was checked. But the hearing of that ear was completely destroyed. When the aurist heard of the danger his patient had run, through the violence of the remedy he had employed, he hastened to Apsley House to express his grief and mortification; but the duke merely said: "Do not say a word more about it—you did all for the best." The aurist said it would be his ruin when it became known that he had been the cause of so much suffering and danger to his grace. "But nobody need know any thing about it: keep your own counsel, and, depend upon it, I won't say a word to any one." "Then your grace will allow me to attend you as usual, which will show the public that you have not withdrawn your confidence from me?" "No," replied the duke, kindly but firmly; "I can't do that, for that would be a lie." He would not act a falsehood any more than he would speak one.</div>
<div id="id00168">
But lying assumes many forms—such as diplomacy, expediency, and moral reservation; and, under one guise or another, it is found more or less pervading all classes of society. Sometimes it assumes the form of equivocation or moral dodging—twisting and so stating the things said as to convey a false impression—a kind of lying which a Frenchman once described as "walking round about the truth."</div>
<div id="id00169">
There are even men of narrow minds and dishonest natures, who pride themselves upon their Jesuitical cleverness in equivocation, in their serpent-wise shirking of the truth and getting out of moral backdoors, in order to hide their real opinions and evade the consequences of holding and openly professing them. Institutions or systems based upon any such expedients must necessarily prove false and hollow. "Though a lie be ever so well dressed," says George Herbert, "it is ever overcome." Downright lying, though bolder and more vicious, is even less contemptible than such kind of shuffling and equivocation.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-86728068300589893112013-06-19T03:30:00.000-04:002013-06-19T03:30:00.539-04:00THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARACTER<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWpU5sTOOrwXGuIt1yz553MSIu8KrvGFRAn2bw-iKqqgeQyJ-OtuSoVsl-MOYxmVG-0Pg2pAONzc5jAAg335XRwNu8HVYL0j3i5m6cP3IvW6rXn4PCZQADxZY1xgLk2O6QhSZxp-H18vM/s1600/b2755a160d59799a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWpU5sTOOrwXGuIt1yz553MSIu8KrvGFRAn2bw-iKqqgeQyJ-OtuSoVsl-MOYxmVG-0Pg2pAONzc5jAAg335XRwNu8HVYL0j3i5m6cP3IvW6rXn4PCZQADxZY1xgLk2O6QhSZxp-H18vM/s1600/b2755a160d59799a.jpg" /></a></div>
<div id="id00060">
That "Heaven helps those who help themselves," is a maxim as true as it is ancient. The great and indispensable help to success is character.</div>
<div id="id00061">
Character is crystallized habit, the result of training and conviction. Every character is influenced by heredity, environment and education; but these apart, if every man were not to a great extent the architect of his own character, he would be a fatalist, an irresponsible creature of circumstances, which, even the skeptic must confess he is not. So long as a man has the power to change one habit, good or bad, for another, so long he is responsible for his own character, and this responsibility continues with life and reason.</div>
<div id="id00062">
A man may be a graduate of the greatest university, and even a great genius, and yet be a most despicable character. Neither Peter Cooper, George Peabody nor Andrew Carnegie had the advantage of a college education, yet character made them the world's benefactors and more honored than princes.</div>
<div id="id00063">
"You insist," wrote Perthes to a friend, "on respect for learned men. I say, Amen! But at the same time, don't forget that largeness of mind, depth of thought, appreciation of the lofty, experience of the world, delicacy of manner, tact and energy in action, love of truth, honesty, and amiability—that all these may be wanting in a man who may yet be very learned."</div>
<div id="id00064">
When someone in Sir Walter Scott's hearing made a remark as to the value of literary talents and accomplishments, as if they were above all things to be esteemed and honored, he observed, "God help us! What a poor world this would be if that were the true doctrine! I have read books enough, and observed and conversed with enough of eminent and splendidly-cultured minds, too, in my time; but I assure you, I have heard higher sentiments from the lips of the poor uneducated men and women, when exerting the spirit of severe, yet gentle heroism under difficulties and afflictions, or speaking their simple thoughts as to circumstances in the lot of friends and neighbors, than I ever yet met with out of the Bible."</div>
<div id="id00065">
In the affairs of life or of business, it is not intellect that tells so much as character—not brains so much as heart—not genius so much as self-control, patience, and discipline, regulated by judgment. Hence there is no better provision for the uses of either private or public life, than a fair share of ordinary good sense guided by rectitude. Good sense, disciplined by experience and inspired by goodness, issued in practical wisdom. Indeed, goodness in a measure implies wisdom—the highest wisdom—the union of the worldly with the spiritual. "The correspondences of wisdom and goodness," says Sir Henry Taylor, "are manifold; and that they will accompany each other is to be inferred, not only because men's wisdom makes them good, but because their goodness makes them wise."</div>
<div id="id00066">
The best sort of character, however, can not be formed without effort. There needs the exercise of constant self-watchfulness, self-discipline, and self-control. There may be much faltering, stumbling, and temporary defeat; difficulties and temptations manifold to be battled with and overcome; but if the spirit be strong and the heart be upright, no one need despair of ultimate success. The very effort to advance—to arrive at a higher standard of character than we have reached—is inspiring and invigorating; and even though we may fall short of it, we can not fail to be improved by every honest effort made in an upward direction.</div>
<div id="id00067">
"Instead of saying that man is the creature of circumstance, it would be nearer the mark to say that man is the architect of circumstance. It is character which builds an existence out of circumstance. Our strength is measured by our plastic power. From the same materials one man builds palaces, another hovels; one warehouses, another villas. Bricks and mortar are mortar and bricks, until the architect can make them something else. Thus it is that in the same family, in the same circumstances, one man rears a stately edifice, while his brother, vacillating and incompetent, lives forever amid ruins; the block of granite which was an obstacle on the pathway of the weak, becomes a stepping-stone on the pathway of the strong."</div>
<div id="id00068">
When the elements of character are brought into action by determinate will, and influenced by high purpose, man enters upon and courageously perseveres in the path of duty, at whatever cost of worldly interest, he may be said to approach the summit of his being. He then exhibits character in its most intrepid form, and embodies the highest idea of manliness. The acts of such a man become repeated in the life and action of others. His very words live and become actions. Thus every word of Luther's rang through Germany like a trumpet. As Richter said of him, "His words were half-battles." And thus Luther's life became transfused into the life of his country, and still lives in the character of modern Germany.</div>
<div id="id00069">
Speaking of the courageous character of John Knox, Carlyle says, with characteristic force: "Honor to all the brave and true; everlasting honor to John Knox, one of the truest of the true! That, in the moment while he and his cause, amid civil broils, in convulsion and confusion, were still but struggling for life, he sent the schoolmaster forth to all comers, and said, 'Let the people be taught;' this is but one, and, indeed, an inevitable and comparatively inconsiderable item in his great message to men. This message, in its true compass, was, 'Let men know that they are men; created by God, responsible to God; whose work in any meanest moment of time what will last through eternity.'</div>
<div id="id00070">
. . . This great message Knox did deliver, with a man's voice and strength, and found a people to believe him. Of such an achievement, were it to be made once only, the results are immense. Thought, in such a country, may change its form, but cannot go out; the country has attained <i>majority</i>; thought, and a certain spiritual manhood, ready for all work that man can do, endures there. The Scotch national, character originated in many circumstances; first of all, in the Saxon stuff there was to work on; but next, and beyond all else except that, in the Presbyterian Gospel of John Knox."</div>
<div id="id00071">
Washington left behind him, as one of the greatest treasures of his country, the example of a stainless life—of a great, honest, pure, and noble character—a model for his nation to form themselves by in all time to come. And in the case of Washington, as in so many other great leaders of men, his greatness did not so much consist in his intellect, his skill and his genius, as in his honor, his integrity, his truthfulness, his high and controlling sense of duty—in a word, in his genuine nobility of character.</div>
<div id="id00072">
Men such as these are the true life-blood of the country to which they belong. They elevate and uphold it, fortify and ennoble it, and shed a glory over it by the example of life and character which they have bequeathed. "The names and memories of great men," says an able writer, "are the dowry of a nation. Widowhood, overthrow, desertion, even slavery cannot take away from her this sacred inheritance . . . Whenever national life begins to quicken . . . the dead heroes rise in the memories of men, and appear to the living to stand by in solemn spectatorship and approval. No country can be lost which feels herself overlooked by such glorious witnesses. They are the salt of the earth, in death as well as in life. What they did once, their descendants have still and always a right to do after them; and their example lives in their country, a continual stimulant and encouragement for him who has the soul to adopt it."</div>
<div id="id00073">
It would be well for every young man, eager for success and anxious to form a character that will achieve it, to commit to memory the advice of Bishop Middleton:</div>
<div id="id00074">
Persevere against discouragements. Keep your temper. Employ leisure in study, and always have some work in hand. Be punctual and methodical in business, and never procrastinate. Never be in a hurry. Preserve self-possession, and do not be talked out of a conviction. Rise early, and be an economist of time. Maintain dignity without the appearance of pride; manner is something with everybody, and everything with some. Be guarded in discourse, attentive, and slow to speak. Never acquiesce in immoral or pernicious opinions.</div>
<div id="id00075">
Be not forward to assign reasons to those who have no right to ask. Think nothing in conduct unimportant or indifferent. Rather set than follow examples. Practice strict temperance; and in all your transactions remember the final account.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-30377915574491704322013-06-17T03:30:00.000-04:002013-06-17T03:30:00.689-04:00WHAT IS SUCCESS?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-Vmd1dKR7O4ISwpli58kJ5oqB4p5NsBJqkA3AsrEIZB7_NpADc-n71nm7uZ-mlY06UdYK7D29NSMslyxyyUN6h20lP_d5dl-PGuwh5pS7o6ftg6e3hwlaa9cJHASbmGFjd8M5Z3VhWs/s1600/p082911ps-0370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL-Vmd1dKR7O4ISwpli58kJ5oqB4p5NsBJqkA3AsrEIZB7_NpADc-n71nm7uZ-mlY06UdYK7D29NSMslyxyyUN6h20lP_d5dl-PGuwh5pS7o6ftg6e3hwlaa9cJHASbmGFjd8M5Z3VhWs/s320/p082911ps-0370.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div id="id00043">
It has been said that "Nothing Succeeds Like Success." What is Success? If we consult the dictionaries, they will give us the etymology of this much used word, and in general terms the meaning will be "the accomplishment of a purpose." But as the objects in nearly every life differ, so success cannot mean the same thing to all men.</div>
<div id="id00044">
The artist's idea of success is very different from that of the business man, and the scientist differs from both, as does the statesman from all three. We read of successful gamblers, burglars or freebooters, but no true success was ever won or ever can be won that sets at defiance the laws of God and man.</div>
<div id="id00045">
To win, so that we ourselves and the world shall be the better for our having lived, we must begin the struggle, with a high purpose, keeping ever before our minds the characters and methods of the noble men who have succeeded along the same lines.</div>
<div id="id00046">
The young man beginning the battle of life should never lose sight of the fact that the age of fierce competition is upon us, and that this competition must, in the nature of things, become more and more intense. Success grows less and less dependent on luck and chance. Preparation for the chosen field of effort, an industry that increasing, a hope that never flags, a patience that never grows weary, a courage that never wavers, all these, and a trust in God, are the prime requisites of the man who would win in this age of specialists and untiring activity.</div>
<div id="id00047">
The purpose of this work is not to stimulate genius, for genius is law unto itself, and finds its compensation in its own original productions. Genius has benefited the world, without doubt, but too often its life compensation has been a crust and a garret. After death, in not a few cases, the burial was through charity of friends, and this can hardly be called an adequate compensation, for the memorial tablet or monument that commemorates a life of privation, if not of absolute wretchedness.</div>
<div id="id00048">
It is, perhaps, as well for the world that genius is phenomenal; it is certainly well for the world that success is not dependent on it, and that every young man, and young woman too, blessed with good health and a mind capable of education, and principles that are true and abiding, can win the highest positions in public and private life, and dying leave behind a heritage for their children, and an example for all who would prosper along the same lines. And all this with the blessed assurance of hearing at last the Master's words: "Well done, good and faithful servant!"</div>
<div id="id00049">
"Whatever your hand finds to do, do with all your might." There is a manly ring in this fine injunction, that stirs like a bugle blast. "But what can my hands find to do? How can I win? Who will tell me the work for which I am best fitted? Where is the kindly guide who will point out to me the life path that will lead to success?" So far as is possible it will be the purpose of this book to reply fully to these all important questions, and by illustration and example to show how others in the face of obstacles that would seem appalling to the weak and timid, carefully and prayerfully prepared themselves for what has been aptly called "the battle of life," and then in the language of General Jackson, "pitched in to win."</div>
<div id="id00050">
A copy line, in the old writing books, reads, "Many men of many minds." It is this diversity of mind, taste and inclination that opens up to us so many fields of effort, and keeps any one calling or profession from being crowded by able men. Of the incompetents and failures, who crowd every field of effort, we shall have but little to say, for to "Win Success" is our watchword.</div>
<div id="id00051">
What a great number of paths the observant young man sees before him! Which shall he pursue to find it ending in victory? Victory when the curtain falls on this brief life, and a greater victory when the death-valley is crossed and the life eternal begins?</div>
<div id="id00052">
The learned professions have widened in their scope and number within the past thirty years. To divinity, law, and medicine, we can now add literature, journalism, engineering and all the sciences. Even art, as generally understood, is now spoken of as a profession, and there are professors to teach its many branches in all the great universities. Any one of these professions, if carefully mastered and diligently pursued, promises fame, and, if not fortune, certainly a competency, for the calling that does not furnish a competency for a man and his family, can hardly be called a success, no matter the degree of fame it brings.</div>
<div id="id00053">
"Since Adam delved and Eve span," agriculture has been the principal occupation of civilized man. With the advance of chemistry, particularly that branch known as agricultural chemistry, farming has become more of a science, and its successful pursuit demands not only unceasing industry, but a high degree of trained intelligence. Of late years farming has rather fallen into disrepute with ambitious young men, who long for the excitement and greater opportunities afforded by our cities; but success and happiness have been achieved in farming, and the opportunities for both will increase with proper training and a correct appreciation of a farmer's life.</div>
<div id="id00054">
"Business" is a very comprehensive word, and may properly embrace every life-calling; but in its narrow acceptance it is applied to trade, commerce and manufactures. It is in these three lines of business that men have shown the greatest energy and enterprise, and in which they have accomplished the greatest material success. As a consequence, eager spirits enter these fields, encouraged by the examples of men who from small beginnings, and in the face of obstacles that would have daunted less resolute men, became merchant princes and the peers of earth's greatest.</div>
<div id="id00055">
In the selection of your calling do not stand hesitating and doubting too long. Enter somewhere, no matter how hard or uncongenial the work, do it with all your might, and the effort will strengthen you and qualify you to find work that is more in accord with your talents.</div>
<div id="id00056">
Bear in mind that the first condition of success in every calling, is earnest devotion to its requirements and duties. This may seem so obvious a remark that it is hardly worth making. And yet, with all its obviousness the thing itself is often forgotten by the young. They are frequently loath to admit the extent and urgency of business claims; and they try to combine with these claims, devotion to some favorite, and even it may be conflicting, pursuit. Such a policy invariably fails. We cannot travel every path. Success must be won along one line. You must make your business the one life purpose to which every other, save religion, must be subordinate.</div>
<div id="id00057">
"Eternal vigilance," it has been said, "is the price of liberty." With equal truth it may be said, "Unceasing effort is the price of success." If we do not work with our might, others will; and they will outstrip us in the race, and pluck the prize from our grasp. "The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong," in the race of business or in the battle of professional life, but usually the swiftest wins the prize, and the strongest gains in the strife.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-73755521237699460662013-05-01T08:00:00.000-04:002013-05-01T08:00:09.938-04:00Does Your Business Story Stand Out or Blend In?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zIvj4SkMY7c/UYBAnsPbEKI/AAAAAAAAQzo/yyPfZbFN-d8/s266/Photo%252520Apr%25252030%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252015%25253A03.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-zIvj4SkMY7c/UYBAnsPbEKI/AAAAAAAAQzo/yyPfZbFN-d8/s266/Photo%252520Apr%25252030%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252015%25253A03.jpg" id="blogsy-1367359648214.0554" class="alignnone" width="266" height="189" alt=""></a></div>
<p> I love a good story. Truth be told, I am all into mysteries, but not just any mysteries, Agatha Christie and Paul Temple are my favorite. Why? They require you to think. You are forced to really figure out who the guy is, and perhaps, the motivation behind their murder.</p>
<p>What does that have to do with your business? Quite a bit. I want a story where I am rooting for you, not one of "come to my business because we have the cheapest price." I want a story that tells me you put some thought into the service or solution you are providing. I want you to beat the odds. </p>
<p>One of my favorite business stories is The <a href="http://explore-kc.com/our-story.html" target="_blank" title="">Kenneth Cole Story</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p style="margin-bottom: 12px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font size="2"><strong>"I had an idea.</strong></font></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 12px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font size="2"><strong>I called a friend in the trucking business and asked to borrow one of his trucks to park in Midtown Manhattan. He said sure, but good luck getting permission. I went to the Mayor’s office, Koch at the time, and asked how one gets permission to park a 40 foot trailer truck in Midtown Manhattan. He said one doesn’t. The only people the city gives parking permits to are production companies shooting full length motion pictures and utility companies like Con Ed or AT&T. So that day I went to the stationery store and changed our company letterhead from Kenneth Cole, Inc. to Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. and the next day I applied for a permit to shoot a full length film entitled “The Birth of a Shoe Company.”</strong></font></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 12px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font size="2"><strong>With Kenneth Cole Productions painted on the side of the truck, we parked at 1370 6th Avenue, across from the New York Hilton, the day of shoe show. We opened for business with a fully furnished 40 ft trailer, a director (Sometimes there was film in the camera, sometimes there wasn’t), models as actresses, and two of New York’s finest, compliments of Mayor Koch, as our doormen. We sold 40 thousand pairs of shoes in two and a half days (the entire available production) and we were off and running.</strong></font></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 12px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font size="2"><strong>To this day the company is still named Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. and serves as a reminder to the importance of resourcefulness and innovative problem solving.”</strong></font></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 12px; "><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font size="2"><strong>The innovative beginnings of Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. was driven by the determination to become resourceful when confronted with NO."</strong></font></span></p></blockquote>
<p>How can you not want to reward that creativity and innovation with a purchase? You want Kenneth Cole to win, because they went above and beyond to stand out, when it was probably cheaper to blend in. They could have taken the shortcut route, but instead sold the consumer through this story that they not only spoke to their creativity, but also to the quality of the work. I mean, would Walmart do that for shoes they sell for $19.99? I doubt it since there is nothing special about them. </p>
<p>What's more impressive about this story is that I have remembered it over 15 years, and share it quite often. </p>
<p>So, again, what's your story? Why would I, as a consumer, being hoping you win the battle for business? </p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-78574847643188048592013-02-13T03:30:00.000-05:002013-02-13T03:30:01.673-05:00Why I Like Selling on AmazonFor the last couple of years I have sold on Amazon, but through a rather passive way. Meaning, I put my books on there, and that was that. They sold it, collected the money, shipped it, and all that fun stuff. And I like it that way for the most part.<br />
<br />
A few weeks ago, I happened up selling on Amazon, in this case, used books. What's the difference? Quite a bit. First off, let's just Admit Amazon takes a hell of a lot in either case. However, with this way, I felt like I have more control. I know who the customer is, and where they live which is sort of empowering.<br />
<br />
Of course, Amazon has rules in place to discourage you from dealing with that customer aside from the sale, but it is still helpful to have a name to go with a product being sold. Aside from the name, there is the text message alerting you to the sale, followed by an email. Then you pack and ship. The difference with this is it makes selling tangible. Withe the passive income, it is easy to forget that a person bought something from you since you only see the name of the book, how many copies it old, and what you made from it.<br />
So, while selling tangible items on Amazon may be more work, there is a huge plus for actually feeling like you are really in business, which passive income does not provide. <iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="200" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6675250.2985;sz=200x200;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802463762;pid=UBM9780814410349;usg=AFHzDLtKrPL2xmUGr0_s5QKYxc7LdSe52Q;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.cdsbooksdvds.com%252Fproduct.jhtm%253Fsku%253DUBM9780814410349;pubid=620682;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fc374146.r46.cf1.rackcdn.com%2F9780814410349.jpg;width=159;height=200" vspace="0" width="200"></iframe><iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N963.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6527721.7;dcadv=3632184;sz=180x150;lid=41000613802463762;pid=UBM9780814410349;usg=AFHzDLtKrPL2xmUGr0_s5QKYxc7LdSe52Q;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.cdsbooksdvds.com%252Fproduct.jhtm%253Fsku%253DUBM9780814410349;pubid=620682;price=%2423.21;title=Amazon+Top+Seller+Secr...;merc=CDS+Books+and+DVDS;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fc374146.r46.cf1.rackcdn.com%2F9780814410349.jpg;width=67;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-64511116006057511122013-02-06T16:32:00.001-05:002013-02-06T16:32:34.244-05:00Silicon Valleys Sexually Harasses it's Women to Keep it a Boy's Club<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NyZ12zUAwS4/URLL7e7PifI/AAAAAAAAOOA/04xdey-jkJI/s464/Photo%252520Feb%2525206%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252013%25253A22.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NyZ12zUAwS4/URLL7e7PifI/AAAAAAAAOOA/04xdey-jkJI/s464/Photo%252520Feb%2525206%25252C%2525202013%25252C%25252013%25253A22.jpg" id="blogsy-1360186354211.1768" class="alignnone" width="393" height="464" alt=""></a></div>
<p><font size="3" face="Verdana">Silicon Valley has a problem with hating women. Hate means "<span id="hotword" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: normal; text-align: left; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-weight: bold; ">to</span><strong> </strong><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-weight: bold; ">dislike</span><strong> </strong><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-weight: bold; ">intensely</span><strong> </strong><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-weight: bold; ">or</span><strong> </strong><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-weight: bold; ">passionately;</span><strong> </strong><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-weight: bold; ">feel</span><strong> </strong><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-weight: bold; ">extreme</span><strong> </strong><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-weight: bold; ">aversion</span><strong> </strong><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-weight: bold; ">for</span><strong> or extreme </strong><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-weight: bold; ">hostility</span><strong> </strong><span id="hotword" name="hotword" style="font-weight: bold; ">toward;</span><strong> </strong><span id="hotword" name="hotword"><strong>detest." </strong>Over the last couple of days I have seen example after example with techies doing all manner of things to degrade, harass, and sexually objectify women.<br>
</span></span></font></p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><font color="#333333" size="3" face="Verdana"><span style="line-height: normal; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Sarah Parmenter of "You Know Who" wrote a blog post about her experience where an unknown person put up faked porn pictures of women who LOOKED similar to her, and proceeded to send links of the photos to high profile people she knew in order to ruin her credibility. You can read that <a href="http://www.sazzy.co.uk/2013/02/speaking-up/" target="_blank" title="Speaking Up">here</a></span></font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Verdana"> Whitney Hess tells her story of harrassment <a href="http://whitneyhess.com/blog/2013/02/06/speaking-up/" target="_blank" title="Speaking Up">here</a>. She knows who the individuals are, but has allowed the ones who have harassed her publicly on her blog, twitter, etc to go unchallenged which has brought some benefits (new clients), and loss (friends distancing themselves from her).</font></p>
<p><font size="3" face="Verdana">Dr. Lesie Jensen-Inman discusses a physically <a href="http://www.jenseninman.com/blog/13737040/speakingupitstime" target="_blank" title="Speaking Up, It's Time">threatening</a> situation from a conference attendee. And how the attendees were too busy discussing her physical attributes and clothing on Twitter to be concerned with what she was speaking on. </font></p>
<p> Here's what these all have in common:</p>
<ul>
<li>All these women were afraid or ashamed to tell their story until time passed. In the case with Sarah, the person who did it was never caught. </li>
<li>The women were mainly subjected to the harassment at conferences where they were speaking, by men who did not like the idea of a WOMAN speaking. </li>
<li>Considering the average age of an employee in Silicon Valley is less than 35, this attitude towards women is being taught and re-enforced in the tech industry itself, and not necessarily through American culture where it is the norm for women to work, speak in public, and be the top in their field (i.e., Hillary Clinton). </li>
</ul>
<p>Silicon Valley is supposed to be innovative, disrupting stuff, and creating things we want to buy, but how can the men of Silicon Valley have any idea what women want or need when they refuse to listen to those within their industry?. How can tech grow when there is a blatant attempt to silence women?</p>
<p> Forget about the laws being broken and potential lawsuits, and focus on the real issue; sexism and misogyny is just plain wrong. In order for it to stop, the good men are going to have to take the lead. Unlike the women who were fearful of disclosing their harassment but did it anyway, too many influential men in the technology industry have done something far worse, they ignored it. </p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-74724846413470935212013-01-23T17:23:00.001-05:002013-01-23T17:23:20.360-05:00Did You Inherit a Nightmare?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A5fdgpGLaKY/R8ArG2oLC5I/AAAAAAAABDU/fWdLZvK6cag/s2048/Employee%252520Theft%252521.jpg" target="_blank" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A5fdgpGLaKY/R8ArG2oLC5I/AAAAAAAABDU/fWdLZvK6cag/s500/Employee%252520Theft%252521.jpg" id="blogsy-1358979788694.6313" class="alignleft" alt="" width="500" height="375"></a></div>
<p> In this time where businesses are being gobbled up or acquired, sometimes we overlook the people who won't be part of the million dollar payout...the employees. </p>
<p>Over the last couple of months I have watched as one company took over another. The fallout was not pretty, but that is for another blog post. But he is one of the main things I have seen, the new place inherited a culture. What do I mean by that? The way the staff was under the old management, the new management got. </p>
<p>It seems like all chocolate and roses when you get a group of people already trained in their job, but that is only if they were trained correctly in the first place. And, second, how these people respond to each other. Oh, and third, do the clients you serve respect them. Hmmm.</p>
<p>Lets talk about the problems just for a moment, and then we will turn it around. The main problem the new company acquired was a group of people the clients did not trust or respect, and the staff did not trust or respect each other. The previous management had incited them to become backbiters (snitches), they then used that information to turn them against each other. </p>
<p>How do you turn it around? In some cases, you have to get rid of the root. I am on record for saying gossips and snitches should be fired first, but since the management encouraged the behavior we have to undo the damage. </p>
<ol>
<li>Fire or move those employees who seem to have the biggest problem with letting go of the old way of doing things. </li>
<li>Disrespecting each other is not an option, and it is disrespectful to backbite and/or to use each other in a manner that is inconsistent with the mission. Also precludes, sex with each other or clients. A few broken relationships or just a whisper about who is sleeping with whom can destroy a place's morale. </li>
<li>Make expectations clear. You can't hold people accountable for what they don't know.</li>
</ol>
<p>On the plus side, inheriting a staff saves a lot of time with hiring and training. They know who can or will do what, and what the result will be. Over time, as in this case, some weeded themselves out (quit or fired). It will take some time to undo some of the old ways, but those willing and able may then become your biggest assets. </p>
<p>Inheriting a staff can be a mixed bag, but with a clear mission and communication, it can work out for your good. <br>
</p>
<p> </p><div style="text-align: right; font-size: small; clear: both;" id="blogsy_footer"><a href="http://blogsyapp.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://blogsyapp.com/images/blogsy_footer_icon.png" alt="Posted with Blogsy" style="vertical-align: middle; margin-right: 5px;" width="20" height="20" />Posted with Blogsy</a></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-78001840118470347262012-11-19T11:53:00.001-05:002012-11-19T11:53:42.746-05:00Of Course it's the Money, Duh!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: none;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-iUvsqUsUu-E/UKpkEqn73pI/AAAAAAAAI80/ymS4b4cpgBk/s340/Photo%252520Nov%25252019%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525208%25253A51.jpg" target="_blank" style=""><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-iUvsqUsUu-E/UKpkEqn73pI/AAAAAAAAI80/ymS4b4cpgBk/s340/Photo%252520Nov%25252019%25252C%2525202012%25252C%2525208%25253A51.jpg" id="blogsy-1353344020667.7192" class="alignnone" width="340" height="339" alt=""></a></div>
I have one of two responses when I hear someone saying they are not doing something for the money. One, is to call them a straight out liar, or two, think they are some idiot living off parents, spouse or significant other, who doesn't get that someone is paying for their ability to "play."<br/><br/>No where is this "not doing it for the money" thinking so apparent then in writing circles. Yes, I get it, it's your passion, blah, blah, blah. However, if you REALLY did not want to get paid for said writing, you wouldn't submit it to places to get paid. There are these things called blogs. So, now that we have eliminated that first lie, lets move on.<br/><br/>Two, if you have put all your eggs (writing income) in one basket which has changed their payout and you just lap it up like a dog, you are not a business person. Over the last two years the online writing world has changed significantly, but it is clear some think they are being the "good guy" to just roll with the punches and not adjust. <br/><br/> At some point, if a person is doing something for pay where they have to consider the return on investment (ROI). Meaning, if you are spending two hours writing a researched article for $5, which no one reads, that's a waste of time and effort. It might help get other opportunities, but it depends on the credibility of the outlet. For example, If you wrote for Forbes for free vs a content farm, there is a HUGE difference in how an author will be viewed.<br/><br/>There are lots of writing outlets which have moved to payment based on views. This really only works for credible outlets (Forbes) and writers who have an audience and know how to market their work through social media avenues. If you don't have one or the other, the odds are that you will never see a payout since no one will be reading your work. <br/><br/>The bottom line is write for outlets which help you get to where you want to be. If you want to be considered an expert then choose an outlet where there is a built in audience and they are respected. You could do your own blog of course, but it takes time to make it profitable (ROI). <br/><br/>Wanting to write for your passion is noble, but if you need that income to live, then be wise and write for outlets who are willing to pay for your work or have an audience large enough where you will gain exposure which you can leverage.<br/><br/> <br/><br/>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-82127347204220628572012-11-14T13:44:00.001-05:002012-11-14T13:44:01.491-05:00What Makes Your Business Standout? Seth Godin says that in order to get your business noticed, it must standout. Of course, he wrote a book about it called "The Purple Cow." When I look at various businesses coming along, one thing is certain, most do not standout. In fact, many are just copycats. <br/><br/>It's sort of like a paint-by-number business model. The reason for this is usually because they took the idea of someone else or read books and articles on what the newest get rich quick scheme is.<br/><br/>In order for your business to stand out, you have to be doing something someone else is not doing. It is about providing a solution to a problem. Standing out may be as simple as simplifying a difficult process. Another issue is that the online business audience has zero clue who their audience is. They seem to go with the throw it against the wall and whatever sticks is your audience. <br/><br/>One thing I have learned is there are three primary audiences, you early adopters, masses, and laggards. The approach to each audience is difference. Why they buy is different, so it's up to the business owner to find out who they want to serve.<br/><br/>Standing out is not hard as long as the idea is yours. If you are just copying an idea to get "rich" then you will not put in the real work to do what's necessary. <br/><br/>So, some questions to help you think:<br/><br/>1. What problem are you solving?<br/><br/>2. Who is the audience you are targeting?<br/><br/>3. Have they ever paid for this type of product before?<br/><br/>4. What are they willing to pay?<br/><br/>5. If you have competitors, how are you different from them?<br/><br/>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-17622679648290477242012-11-12T18:42:00.001-05:002012-11-12T18:42:26.264-05:00Who are You Listening To While You Build Your Business?Since as,long as I can remember I have always been aware of the importance of who you hang around or listen to. I have always taken the approach of watching and learning.
Of late, I have been on a Seth Godin kick. I like him. He is smart and practical. You would be surprised how rare of a combo that is. He has a podcast called "Start-up School" where you hear excerpts of a three day event he held for people in the early stages of business.
As someone who has been publishing for a little over two years, I needed his wisdom, because quite frankly one area seemed to dry up overnight, so I needed to adjust course or close down. I was in the process of adjusting when I found out about the podcast.
What a time saver it has been. It helped me make some solid decisions on the path to pursue. Now, I know many talk about the importance of mentors in person, but, again quite frankly, he was/is a publisher, and not a whatever is popular now "expert."
So, he earns credit for having been where I want to go. Sure there are slight differences, but not enough to chuck off his advice to the people he was teaching.
Here is what I know for sure, I may not have been in the room when he taught the seminar, but he has mentored me. We all need to take stock in who we are going to or listening to for advice. You can go to the know-it-all with zero results to show for all that "knowledge" or you can listen and ACT on the advice of the ones who are actually DOING it.
Somewhere along the line we started listening to anyone who hung up a shingle, and ignored those who were actually doing something. It doesn't take much to talk, but it takes guts to act. So, who are you listening to? How is that working out for you?
Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-65305296818802634192012-11-07T17:14:00.000-05:002012-11-07T17:14:10.313-05:00SALES WITHOUT SALESMANSHIP<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.mobileapptesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Dollar-Sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="480" width="480" src="http://www.mobileapptesting.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Dollar-Sign.jpg" /></a></div>
"Say, you're a funny salesman!" exclaimed the business man. "Here I make up my own mind that I need two motor trucks and decide to buy 'em from your company. Then I send for a salesman. You come down and spend a week looking into my horse delivery, and now you tell me to keep my horses. What kind of a salesman do you call yourself anyway?"
"What made you think you needed motor trucks?" was the counterquestion of the serious, thick-spectacled young chap.
"Everyone else seems to be turning to gasoline delivery. I want to be up to date."
"Your delivery problem lies outside the gasoline field," said the salesman. "Your drivers make an average of ninety stops each trip. They climb stairs and wait for receipts. Their rigs are standing at the curb more than half the time. Nothing in gasoline equipment can compete with the horse and wagon under such conditions. If you had loads of several tons to be kept moving steadily I'd be glad to sell you two trucks."
"Suppose I wanted to buy them anyway?"
"We could not accept your order."
"But you'd make your commission and the company its profit."
"Yes; but you'd make a loss, and within a year your experience would react unfavorably upon us."
So no sale was effected. Facts learned during his investigation of this business man's delivery problem led the salesman to make suggestions that eliminated waste and increased the effectiveness of his horse rigs.
About a year later, however, this business man sent for the salesman again. He contemplated motorized hauling for another company of which he was the president. After two days' study the salesman reported that motor trucks were practicable and that he needed about five of them.
"All right—fill out the contract," directed the business man.
"Don't you want to know how these trucks are going to make you money?" asked the salesman.
"No; if you say I need five trucks, then I know that's just what I need!"
A new kind of salesmanship is being developed in many lines of business—and particularly in the rebuilding of sales organizations made necessary by the ending of the war and return to peace production. "Study your goods," was the salesman's axiom yesterday. "Study your customer's problem," is the viewpoint to-day; and it is transforming the salesman and sales methods.
Indeed, the word salesman tends to disappear under this new viewpoint, for the organization which was once charged largely with disposing of goods may now be so intimately involved in technical studies of the customers' problems that selling is a secondary part of its work. The Sales Department is being renamed, and known as the Advisory Department or the Research Staff; while the salesman himself becomes a Technical Counsel or Engineering Adviser.
Camouflage? No; simply better expression of broader functions.
As a salesman, probably he gave much attention to the approach and argument with which he gained his customer's attention and confidence. But, with his new viewpoint and method of attack, perhaps the first step is asking permission to study the customer's transportation needs, or accounting routine, or power plant—or whatever section of the latter's business is involved.
The experience of the thick-spectacled motor-truck salesman was typical. Originally he sold passenger cars. Then came the war, with factory facilities centered on munitions and motor trucks. There being no more passenger cars to sell, they switched him over into the motor-truck section. There he floundered for a while, trying to develop sales arguments along the old lines. But the old arguments did not seem to fit, somehow.
It might have been possible to demonstrate the superior construction of his motor truck; but competitors would meet point with point, and customers were not interested in technicalities anyway. He tried service as an argument; but that was largely a promise of what motor trucks would do for people after they bought them, and competitors could always promise just as much, and a little more.
Company reputation? His company had a fine one—but motor-truck purchasers wanted to know the cost of moving freight. Price? No argument at all, because only one other concern made motor trucks calling for so great an initial investment.
So Thick-Specs, being naturally serious and solid, began to dig into motor trucks from the standpoint of the customer. He got permission to investigate delivery outfits in many lines. Selling a five-ton motor truck to many a business man was often equivalent to letting Johnny play with a loaded machine gun. Such a vehicle combined the potentiality of moving from fifty to seventy-five tons of freight daily, according to routing and the number of hours employed; but it involved a daily expense of twenty-five dollars.
The purchaser could lose money in two ways at swift ratios, and perhaps unsuspectingly: He might not use his full hauling capacity each day or would use it only half the year, during his busy season. Or he might underestimate costs by overlooking such items as interest and depreciation.
Thick-Specs' first actual sale was not a motor truck at all, but a motorcycle, made by another company. Within three months, however, this motorcycle added two big trucks to a fleet of one dozen operated by a wholesale firm. That concern had good trucks, and kept them in a well-equipped garage, where maintenance was good. But at least once daily there would be a road breakdown. Usually this is a minor matter, but it ties up the truck while its puzzled driver tries to locate the trouble.
When a motorcycle was bought for the garage, drivers were forbidden to tamper with machinery on the road—they telephoned in to the superintendent. By answering each call on his own motorcycle—about an hour daily—the repairman kept equipment in such good shape that valuable extra service was secured from the fleet each day.
The salesman-adviser did not originate this scheme himself, but discovered it in another concern's motor-truck organization; in fact, this is the advantage the salesman-adviser enjoys—acquaintance with a wide range of methods and the knack of carrying a good wrinkle from one business to another. He brings the outside point of view; and, because modern business runs toward narrow specialization, the outside point of view is pretty nearly always welcome, provided it is honest and sensible.
In another case he had to dig and invent to meet a peculiar situation.
There was a coal company working under a handicap in household deliveries. Where a residence stood back from the sidewalk coal had often to be carried from the motor truck in baskets. This kept the truck waiting nearly an hour. A motor truck's time is worth several dollars hourly. If the coal could have been dumped on the sidewalk and carried in later, releasing the truck, that would have saved expense and made more deliveries possible.
A city ordinance prohibited dumping coal on the sidewalk except by permit. Coal men had never tried to have that ordinance changed. But the salesman-adviser went straight to the city authorities and, by figures showing the expense and waste involved, secured a modification, so that his customer, the coal company, got a blanket permit for dumping coal and gave bonds as an assurance against abuse of the privilege. Then a little old last year's runabout was bought and followed the coal trucks with a crew to carry the coal indoors, clearing sidewalks quickly.
This salesman-adviser's philosophy was as simple as it was sound. Confidence is the big factor in selling, he reasoned. Your customer will have confidence in you if he feels that you are square and also knows what you are talking about. By diligent study of gasoline hauling problems in various lines of business he gained practical knowledge and after that had only to apply his knowledge from the customer's side of the problem.
"Put it another way," he said: "Suppose you had a factory and expected to run it only one year. There would not be time to get returns on a costly machine showing economies over a five-year period; but if you intended to run your factory on a five-year basis, then that machine might be highly profitable.
"In sales work it was just the same; if you were selling for this year's profit alone, you'd close every sale regardless of your customer's welfare. Let the purchaser beware! But if you meant to sell on the five-year basis, then confidence is the big investment, and the most profitable sale very often one you refuse to make for immediate results."
He had a fine following when the draft reached him; and during the eight months he spent in an Army uniform he utilized his knowledge of gasoline transportation as an expert in Uncle Sam's motor service. Upon being discharged he returned to his job and his customers, and to-day the concern with which he is connected is taking steps to put all its motor-truck salesmen on this advisory basis.
War shot its sales force to pieces—the Army and the Navy reached out for men and tied up production facilities; so there was nothing to sell. But war also gave a clean slate for planning a new sales force.
As old salesmen return and new men are taken on for sales instruction, this concern trains them—not with the old sales manual, by standard approach and systematic sales argument, but by sending them out into the field to study gasoline hauling problems. They secure permission to investigate trucking methods of contractors, department stores, wholesale merchants, coal dealers, truck owners hauling interstate freight, mills, factories and other lines of business. They investigate the kinds and quantities of stuff to be moved, the territory and roads covered, the drivers, the garage facilities. They ride behind typical loads and check up running time, delays, breakdowns, gasoline and oil consumption.
Engineering teaches people to think in curves. This youngster had to make a curve of the grocer's trucking before he could visualize it himself. His curve included factors like increase in stuff that had been hauled during the past three years and additions to the motor equipment. When you have a healthy curve showing any business activity, the logical thing to do, after bringing it right down to date, is to let it run out into the future at its own angle. This was done with the grocery curve, and its future extension indicated that not more than three months later the grocery house would need about four more five-ton motor trucks.
Closer investigation of facts behind the curve revealed an unusual growth in sugar hauling, due to the increase in supply and removal of consumer war restrictions. And that grocery concern bought additional trucks for sugar within two months. With the insight made possible by such a curve a salesman might safely have ordered the trucks without his customer's knowledge and driven them up to his door the day the curve showed they were needed.
"Here are the trucks you wanted to haul that sugar."
"Good work! Drive 'em in!"
What has been found to be sound sales policy in the motor truck business applies to many other lines. Yesterday the salesman of technical apparatus sought the customer with a catalogue and a smile—and a large ignorance of the technical problems. To-day that kind of selling is under suspicion, because purchasers of technical equipment have been led to buy on superficial selling points and left to work out for themselves complex technicalities that belong to the manufacturer of the equipment.
In the West during recent years a large number of pumps of a certain type have been sold for irrigating purposes. Purchasers bought from the catalogue-and-smile type of salesman, hooked their pumps up to a power plant—and found that they lifted only about half the number of gallons a minute promised in the catalogue. Manufacturers honestly believed those pumps would do the work indicated in their ratings. They had not allowed for variations in capacity where pumps were installed under many different conditions and run by different men. The situation called for investigation at the customer's end; when it was discovered that these pumps ought to be rated with an allowance for loss of capacity a half to two-thirds of the power, due to friction and lost power.
It might have been dangerous for the salesman to show up again in an irrigation district where a lot of his pumps were "acting up," armed only with his catalogue and smile. But when an engineer appeared from the pump company to help customers out of their difficulties, he won confidence immediately and made additional sales because people felt that he knew what he was talking about.
The superintendent of a big machinery concern found that his expense for cutting oils was constantly rising. Salesmen had followed salesmen, recommending magic brands of the stuff; yet each new barrel of oil seemed to do less work than the last—and cost more in dollars.
One day a new kind of visitor showed up and sent in the card of a large oil company. He was not a salesman, but an investigator of oil problems. The superintendent took him through the plant. He studied the work being done by screw-cutting machines, lathes and other equipment operated with cutting oil. Where salesmen had recommended brands without technical knowledge of either the work to be done or the composition of the oil, this stranger wrote specifications that cut down the percentage of costly lard oil used on some work; and he eliminated it altogether on others.
Moreover, he pointed out sheer losses of oil by picking up a handful of metal cuttings from a box, letting them drip, measuring the oil that accumulated and recommending a simple device for reclaiming that oil before the waste metal was sold.
This new viewpoint in selling is developing in so many lines that to enumerate them would be to make a national directory of business concerns manufacturing milling machinery, office devices, manufacturing and structural materials, equipment for the farm and the mine.
People who purchase such products have been accustomed to meeting two different representatives of manufacturers: First, the salesman skilled in selling, but deficient in technical knowledge.
"This chap is here to see how much he can get out of me," said the prospective consumer to himself; and he was on his guard to see that the visitor got as little as possible, either in the way of orders or information.
The other representative came from the mechanical department to see how present equipment was running, or perhaps to "shoot trouble." He was long on technical knowledge, but probably dumb when it came to salesmanship.
"This fellow is here to help me out of my troubles," said the customer. "I'll see how much I can get out of him."
Presently manufacturers of equipment woke up to the fact that their mechanical men—inspectors and trouble shooters—had a basis of confidence which the salesman pure and simple was rapidly losing. Moreover, the technical man gained a knowledge of the customer's requirements that furnished the best foundation for selling new equipment.
The salesman discovered the technical man and went to him for tips on new equipment needed by customers whose plants he had visited. The technical man also discovered the salesman, for it was plain enough that equipment well sold—skillfully adjusted to the customer's needs—gave the least margin for trouble shooting.
So there has been a meeting of minds; and to-day the salesman studies the technicalities, and the technical man is learning salesmanship, and their boss is standing behind them both with a new policy. This is the policy of performance, not promises—service before sales. Under that policy the very terms salesmanship and sales department are beginning to disappear, to be replaced by new nomenclature, which more accurately indicates what a manufacturer's representative can do for the customer, and gives him access to the latter on the basis of confidence and good will.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9178174313231420841.post-34191036920473082112012-11-06T15:38:00.000-05:002012-11-06T15:40:51.770-05:00Best Buy Customer Service Failure Saved by Twitter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Recently I was replacing a phone which I had outgrown, so I went online, read reviews and did all the comparisons. Sorry, not an Apple girl, so was not even on the list. When I had decided on a phone, it came down to where to get it. I could get it from my provider via mail or an outlet near my home. Then I looked at Best Buy, and found they had the phone $30 cheaper. SOLD!!!
So, I made the purchase online and all I had to do was pick it up. Bestbuy.com was great about selecting a location closest to my home or allowing me to choose. They also emailed me when the order was ready, so I wouldn't show up and have people looking at each other going "huh"?
Well, turns out even though I had done my due diligence, and so had bestbuy.com, the store seemed like they lacked in some areas.
- Walked into store at 10:15, gave them my information and they went and got the phone.
- After noticing nothing was being done after 15 minutes, I inquired and found the one who initially helped me decided that he had to do something else first, and that another agent who was with a client would be handling me.
-30 minutes later, she got to me. Then she, nor her other teammates knew how to process a pickup, so she had to go get information elsewhere.
Here is my problem with the breakdown. First, the lack of communication. If they had been upfront, I would have had no issue, but instead, they pretty much ignored me until it was convenient for them to respond.
Second, the one who did finally assist me was too busy reading her own text to consider that I might have something more to do than to sit around a Best Buy. Seriously, she was charging her green phone, and looked at it no less than ten times during my visit. I find that unacceptable. I am pretty sure Best Buy is not paying her to text.
Third, while they were waiting around they proceeded to publicly disrespect a colleague who had walked through by gossiping about her. I found it offensive because your customers should not be hearing you trash the people you work with or for.
Had it not been for the cheeful Tweets from the social media people from Best Buy, on Twitter, I doubt I would have completed my sale. As it was, they lost money because I had picked up other items, and put them back the longer I waited.
What started as a positive experience could have ended very poorly, but I now know that I will not go back to that store again, and just finish my purchase online or at a different location.
It just reminds me that as a business owner, you have to make sure that all your employees are on the same page when it comes to customer service, or your reputation could take a hit.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com