Month: January 2011

Categories
Success Attitude

Business and Creativity: It’s Not Just for Artists!

Article Contributed by Lynda-Ross Vega

There are six distinct Perceptual Styles that characterize the ways the different people see the world. On the surface, some of these styles look more creative than others—but creativity is not a Perceptual Style quality, it’s a human quality.

Often, when we hear the word ‘creativity’ we think of artists and art in the broadest sense of the word—painting, sculpture, composing, writing, etc. But creativity is not limited to the artistic field, and entrepreneurs and other professionals do themselves a great disservice when they dismiss the notion that they have natural creative abilities.

One definition of creativity reads:

the ability to transcend traditional ideas, rules, patterns, relationships, or the like, and to create meaningful new ideas, forms, methods, interpretations

Using this definition we can find creativity in each of the six Perceptual Styles:

1.   Activity shuns repetition and routine and will create new ways to accomplish everyday tasks in order to keep them interesting. Rather than giving up on a project, the individual with the Activity Perceptual Style will approach it in multiple ways, trying different solutions until they find one that works for them.

2.    Adjustments creates complex systems that reflect the intricate and interconnected nature of their perceptual experience. Individuals with this Perceptual Style see the natural world around them as an elegant sort of clockwork. Therefore, their creative solutions will reflect and highlight unique ways of connecting systems that appear to others to have no connection at all.

3.    Flow also sees complexity, but within in the realm of human relationships. Individuals with the Flow Style create extraordinarily multifaceted communities that creatively build relationships, bonding others together using unusual and inexplicable common interests.

4.    Goals is a master at creating tactics that directly address the issues and problems at hand. Individuals with this Style have a form of creativity that is driven by their ability to turn mundane everyday tasks into an exciting form of competition.  With startling focus, they cut through all that is superfluous and drive to the heart of what needs to be done with relentless energy and endurance.

5.    Methods has an unusual form of creativity: reducing organization and regulation to new levels of simplicity. Individuals with this Style take what many see as the opposite of creativity—routine, stability, categorization, and predictable sequences—to a level beyond mere order, creating truly optimized systems. Their creativity lies in their ability to see through the complexity and chaos and make it intelligible to all.

6.    Vision creates images of possible futures that stir the passion and imagination of others. Individuals characterized by this Perceptual Style use their high energy to persuade others to join them and to draw out the best in each person by finding creative ways to challenge them. This style of creativity lies in the ability to see and make use of the best that others have to offer.

This list is by no means exhaustive or comprehensive. It is merely an exercise to demonstrate the different approaches to creativity that characterize each of the six Perceptual Styles. It may be true that you cannot paint a picture or compose a symphony, but broaden the meaning of the word and you’ll discover that you’re using your creativity every day in your business.

About the Author:

Lynda-Ross Vega: A partner at Vega Behavioral Consulting, Ltd., Lynda-Ross specializes in helping entrepreneurs and coaches build dynamite teams and systems that WORK. She is co-creator of Perceptual Style Theory, a revolutionary psychological assessment system that teaches people how to unleash their deepest potentials for success. For free information on how to succeed as an entrepreneur or coach, create a thriving business and build your bottom line doing more of what you love, visit www.yourtalentadvantage.com

Categories
Human Resource

Burn Your Mission Statements

Article Contributed by Skip Weisman

What I’m about to say, will shock most organizational leaders….It’s time to retire the mission statement.

-They don’t motivate anyone.

-They are a waste of time and energy to develop.

-They quickly become part of the corporate wallpaper.

During a recent leadership workshop a participant proclaimed, “When I hear the word mission, I think of a military mission.”  Not exactly the image that is going to get most employees excited about their jobs.

Lookup the word “mission” on dictionary.com and 15 references are cited. Only these three even come close to filling the definition organizations use the concept for and none are very inspirational:

-an assigned or self-imposed duty or task; calling; vocation.

-a sending or being sent for some duty or purpose.

-the business with which a group is charged

Is it any wonder why few employees are motivated by their organization mission statements? Yet, most every organization in the world spends countless hours and tens of thousands of dollars trying to create the perfect mission in strategy sessions.

How Successful Organizational Leaders Motivate Employees Without Having a Mission

If organizational leaders want to inspire and motivate employees, connect at a deep level with customers and build a brand around something that shows the organization makes a difference, they should burn their organization’s mission. Then, they should dig deeper to identify the organization’s “Purpose.”

Dictionary.com’s definition of “purpose” includes:

-the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used,
-an intended or desired result; end; aim; goal.
-determination; resoluteness.

Those three definitions provide a much greater foundation that will help you inspire a group of employees to work toward your organization’s goals. The inspiration will become more real, however, by experiencing actual organizational purpose statements.

My Favorite Purpose Statements…

I believe Yellowstone National Park has one of the best organizational purpose statements.   Sitting across the archway leading into the park, their purpose statement reads “For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People.” It’s simple. It’s easy to remember. And it’s something that focuses park employees on serving the millions of visitors to Yellowstone every year.

Here’s another example:

A regional not-for-profit organization recently completed a strategic planning process decided to take my advice and created this as its purpose statement: “Our Purpose Is To Instill Hope, Empowerment and Self-Determination in People with Mental Illness to Foster Recovery and a Transition to Mental Wellness!”

Again, this is a one-sentence statement that is memorable and motivational whereas most mission statements are many sentences in length, are cumbersome for employees to memorize and are rarely associated to or referenced after they are created.

To create a powerful purpose statement for your organization you might think that all you have to do is ask “why does our organization exist?” That question can be tricky, especially in a for-profit organization that needs to meet shareholder expectations, turn a profit and dividends or attain a certain share price. Instead, the focus should be on the thing the organization must to in order for it to position itself to be able to achieve those things.

Two Questions You Should Be Asking to Create Your Purpose Statement…

“What is the one thing that our organization must do for our customers and our community, at a very high level, that will absolutely ensure our financial success for the long-term?”

“What is it that we do consistently that makes a difference in our customers lives/businesses every day?”

Even with these questions leadership teams have a challenge answering them by themselves.  Often, internal facilitators fail to push the issue deep enough to get to the core essence of the organization’s existence.  What is created is a statement lacking power and emotion.

For organizations serious about creating a memorable and motivational purpose statement that actually inspires team members to perform and achieve high level results there also needs to be an implementation and integration strategy to infiltrate the purpose throughout the organization’s culture. Often times the best results are attained by having an outside facilitator and consultant assist the organization’s leadership with this process.

Creating a powerful organizational purpose that will motivate employees while building a powerful brand image is just one component of “The 3 Strategies Champion Organizations Master that Too Many Leaders Take for Granted,” a white paper and audio seminar that can be downloaded at www.SkipWeisman.com/3LeadershipStrategiesTraining

About the Author:

Skip Weisman of Weisman Success Resources, Inc. of Poughkeepsie, NY (www.WeismanSuccessResources.com) works with organizational leaders to improve personnel, productivity and profits by helping them “Create a Champion Organization,” one that communicates effectively and takes action with commitment towards a shared compelling vision. His latest White Paper Report is “The 3 Strategies Champion Organizations Master That Too Many Leaders Take for Granted” and is available as a free download at www.SkipWeisman.com/3LeadershipStrategiesTraining

Categories
Planning & Management

Make Your Sales Meetings STICK: How Regular, Productive Meetings Will Motivate Your Sales Team

Article Contributed by Sharpenz

Picture this: A group of sales reps are heading down the hall to the conference room for a meeting with their manager. They are definitely taking their time getting there. They stop for coffee, peek at their Blackberrys and seem to be pondering something silently in their heads.

Wouldn’t you like to know what’s going on in their heads? We do, so we decided to find out. We asked two groups of sales reps “What reaction comes to mind when you hear there is going to be a sales meeting?”

Group One was not looking forward to the meeting. Their responses included:
• Uh oh. What are they going to make us do now?
• Is this going to be another day we’ll have to blitz because we haven’t made numbers?
• What did we do wrong?
• What fire are we going to have to put out now?

Group Two’s responses were very different:
• Look forward to them. Always learn something. Starts my morning off good.
• My manager always makes it interesting. We brainstorm and I learn something new.
• I hope my manager doesn’t go off on a tangent. It wastes my time.
• I look forward it because it’s a time to hear success stories as well as some objections that each of us may hear throughout the week. We also get some tips and advice for overcoming objections as well as additional selling techniques.

Why are the responses of these two groups so completely different? Because Group One’s manager does not have regular meetings while Group Two’s manager does.

Which responses would you like from your sellers? Many would select Group Two. Yet the responses from Group Two aren’t all good either.

As a sales manager, how do you get a positive reaction from your team when you ask for their time?

One of the best ways to do this is to hold regularly scheduled meetings. With the availability of teleconference bridges, even remote teams should be brought together regularly. How often? That’s up to you. Weekly or once every other week works, quarterly is generally not often enough. The keys to making the meeting regular are to:
•    Decide on the dates/schedule
•    Commit to the time
•    Communicate your schedule including the expectation of participation (Yes, participation, not just attendance!)
•    Stick to the schedule

How often does your sales team meet? Do you think their comments would be more in line with Group One or Two? If you are part of a sales team, let us know what you’re thinking as you’re heading toward that conference room.

About the Author:

Sharpenz is dedicated to providing sales managers the resources and tools they need to energize, engage and equip their sales team to sell each week. Our 30-minute power sales booster meetings help companies increase sales by providing the right tools and training – fast. Designed with the busy manager in mind, Sharpenz ready-to-go sales training kits will give your sales team the opportunity to grow and earn more – all in a half hour of power.  To learn more, visit www.sharpenz.com and sign up for your free ready-to-go sales training kit today!

Categories
Business Ideas

5 Things I Did Right to Start Seeing Consistent Business Growth, Income and Success!

I was very excited about how I ended 2010. I finally hit a financial milestone.

However, I wasn’t an overnight success. I started this process in 2005 to transform my business from a one-woman freelance copywriter to president of a copywriting and marketing company.

I’m going through all the things I did so you can duplicate my success. Below are 5 things that worked for me:

1. Started attending events. Now, I’m not talking about becoming an event junkie. But I do believe going to events is key to taking your business to the next level.

There are so many benefits from attending events beyond what you’re going to learn from the speakers — networking, connecting with your “tribe,” getting out of your own little world so you can get some fresh ideas for your business, meeting the “movers and shakers” in your industry and more.

In addition to all of that, you also may discover your business starts to take off because you’re finally taking yourself and your business seriously.

2. Started regularly marketing. This one is tough if you don’t have a support system, but it’s crucial if you want to break the feast-famine cycle (either too much or too little business — when there’s too much you stop marketing because you’re crazy busy and when there’s too little you’re in “desperation marketing mode.”)

If you want to have a steady stream of clients and customers and a full pipeline of leads, the way to do that is by regularly marketing. It’s that simple…and that difficult.

But there are 2 things you can do to make this MUCH easier — change your mindset so you put as much emphasis on marketing as you do everything else in your business and implement a system to make it easier for you to follow through and your team to support you.

3. Got in alignment with what I teach. In my case, it meant making marketing my own business as important as marketing my clients’ businesses. In your case it may look different. But the reality is, you personally need to be in alignment with what you teach or how can you possibly stand tall and value your gifts and your brilliance?

Now, I have an important note about this — do NOT use this as an excuse to not move forward in your business. If you feel like you’re not in alignment, then get yourself in alignment. The only way you’re going to transform your business is if you do what you need to do to be an alignment and practice what you preach. (And if you can’t get yourself in alignment, maybe you need to take a hard look at what you’re providing. You might need to tweak your offering — this could be a message from the universe you’re not doing what you’re truly meant to do.)

4. Surrounded myself with the right people. You can’t do it all yourself. If you want to grow your business, you need to get a team in place to support you. Now this is something else that can feel scary — after all, hiring people is a big commitment. So what I would suggest is start small. Hire a VA (virtual assistant) for a few hours a month or a bookkeeper. Then make sure you use that time for revenue-producing activities.

Eventually, you’re going to reach a point where you have a big team working for you. The only problem with that is then you suddenly find yourself spending a bunch of time managing them. That’s when you want to look into getting a COO or a business manager for your business. I was lucky. My husband has joined the business as the COO and that has made a HUGE difference in being able to grow the business.

5. Did what I needed to do to work through my blocks. You may have heard the quote (and I’m paraphrasing) that the best self-development tool is having a business. ALL your obstacles and blocks will show up as you start and grow a business. And don’t be surprised if some of the biggest blocks show up when everything looks good on the surface.

I have 2 suggestions: First, know this is normal and be prepared for it. Second, don’t stop investing in yourself. Whatever you need to do to keep moving forward and busting through those blocks. Maybe you need a coach, a product, or something else. Or maybe you need to finally outsource something you’ve been reluctant to let go of (your copywriting for instance?)

Chances are you know what you need to do to keep moving forward, so what I want to encourage you to do is honor that feeling start taking action.

Which leads me to the last (bonus) tip:

6. Take action. Nothing happens if you don’t take action. The best advice I can give you (other than marketing yourself regularly) is take action. Get those to-do’s crossed off your to-do list and watch your business grow!

Categories
Starting Up

Top Advantages of Starting A Distribution Business

Article Contributed by Ray Haiber

The wholesale distribution business in the U.S. is a huge industry that accounts for literally trillions of dollars of sales every year.  The age old practice of buying goods from manufacturers and the reselling them at a profit to retailers and other businesses is a business activity that continues to thrive and evolve. Today new opportunities are emerging for entrepreneurs to start small distribution businesses in niche markets that are not on the radar or are currently too small for the big players to bother with.

This article will provide a list of the top advantages of either launching or buying a distribution business including the relative ease of getting started and the ability to start out small and grow at your own comfortable pace.

Relatively Easy & Quick To Start:

Distribution businesses are service related so they don’t require the build out or leasing of a fancy retail location or the start up of an expensive manufacturing plant.  So in comparison once you have contracted a supply of products to distribute you can often be up and running very quickly. Whether you will need to secure warehouse space to store and ship your goods will depend on a number of variables including the type & size of products you plan to distribute. The good new is that if you do need to lease commercial warehouse space to get off the ground it is often much cheaper than high visibility retail space as your physical location is not that important to your customers.

In fact many distribution businesses are often launched successfully as home based businesses with a garage or basement serving as “dirt cheap” warehouse space. Whether this arrangement becomes permanent or not will depend on a number of variables including how large you intend to grow your business.

Potential Low Start-Up Costs:

Depending on the type of product you to intend to sell, starting some types of distribution businesses can be extremely affordable vs. opening a retail store or restaurant for instance. It’s very possible for example to start a business that distributes inexpensive imported sunglasses or jewelry to retailers for literally a just few thousand dollars, or less.  Other than securing a supplier all you need to get off the ground in most cases is a phone, a desk, a computer maybe, and a little space to store your product. And of course if you can operate the business from home you obviously don’t have the monthly overhead expense of leasing space.

Grow At Your Own Pace:

The fact that you can start out very small and grow your business incrementally as needed or desired is one of the great advantages of starting and owning a distribution type business. There are numerous success stories of distributors that started out in a small basement or spare bedroom that eventually grew into businesses that do millions of dollars in sales a year. Growing at your own pace puts the owner in the driver seat as far as controlling core expenses like rent and can provide a certain comfort level while you learn and build your business.

Better Lifestyle:

And finally because distribution is a generally a “business to business” activity where you are selling to other businesses you don’t have to deal with a lot of the negative aspects of being a retailer or selling to the public. This includes generally shorter hours and only being open 5 days a week as compared to many retail businesses that are often opened 6 to7 days a week. Ultimately this distinction could provide you with more flexibility and free time to spend on other priorities in your life including your family.

About Author:

Ray Haiber has 12 years experience as a professional business broker and franchise sales consultant. You can view  franchises for sale across the USA here. Go here to research affordable and  low cost businesses for sale including distribution opportunities.