How Not to Write a Business Book

Posted by admin in Business Books on Aug 22nd, 2009 | 0 comments

While it would take a much longer article to describe all of the things I tried that didn’t work in writing a book, it’s worth noting some of the many mistakes I made that others might see as opportunities to make faster progress.

Hopefully, others will avoid these pitfalls in similar projects. Here’s an example: Many public speakers will tell you that you can simply dictate 10 hours worth of material onto a tape and then hire a writer for very little money who will turn that material into a finished book. Perhaps that’s the case if your message is about your humble beginnings and how positive thinking made you a success.

I tried that approach for several book ideas. In each case, I found an intelligent, hard-working person who wrote much better than I do. I armed the writers with an outline for a book and invited the writers to interview me until he or she had enough material. We recorded those interviews and had them transcribed. The writers even got a floppy disk of the transcribed material so they could simply edit the interviews if that was enough for them.

M talented collaborators did their best. They worked hard. They wrote lots of material. They asked lots of good questions. But they could not produce manuscripts that captured the essence of what we wanted to describe. I devoted long and painful hours to the process, and these collaborations just didn’t work. It became obvious that I could write the material faster than I could explain it to someone else who would then do the writing.

When people first learn about the project to accelerate all forms of improvements by 20 times, they often have a reaction like Peter Drucker’s: Some smart CEO will want to take this perspective and gain enormous advantages by permeating his or her company with these practices.

I spent many years writing to CEOs who had such reputations, visiting CEOs we knew who had that orientation, and making presentations to senior officer groups. I remember one such visit when I felt very confident that we would get the go ahead.

To ease matters, I offered to do the work for no fee. That offer only gained me the reaction that each person in the room would rather go home five minutes earlier every night than spend even five minutes on learning and employing the problem-solving practices we had created.

Why? I’m sure the answer varied from organization to organization that turned us down. Our general impression was that people were overworked and fearful of losing their jobs. The continual downsizing of American organizations had been going on for some time, and there weren’t many people left who did anything other than run from fighting one fire to putting out another one.

A little known fact was that many of the executives who had great reputations for installing new ideas were mostly doing so after these ideas had been around for 20 or 30 years. In addition, executive pay had reached the moon. Due to a combination of more emphasis on stock options and larger performance bonus opportunities, a senior management group could earn more in five years than a similar group would have earned in a lifetime two decades earlier.

Most executives didn’t plan to stick around any longer than it took to cash out with their big payday. Something like this project required people who wanted to enjoy improvements for many years to come.

Marketing-oriented people will tell you that you can sell any idea to the media. Just write press releases; follow up with writers, editors, and producers; and you will be overwhelmed with demand for your idea. That wasn’t my experience. Fearing that we had gone about it in the wrong way, we sought help in pursuing this path.

Marketers of ideas seemed underwhelmed by our project. One organization is considered to be unbeatable in this area. I spent months making daily telephone calls trying to get someone to speak with us. Finally, a sales representative from that organization called me back to say that they were very busy but that the CEO of the organization had agreed to discuss the project for 15 minutes by telephone three months in the future. Okay.

On the appointed day, there was a snowstorm in the CEO’s town. The CEO didn’t make it to the office in time for our scheduled call. I tried for the next six months to reschedule. O never got another slot. And that was one of the more promising leads I had for marketing and writing help.

Business Ideas: Approach Them Sensibly

Posted by admin in Business Ideas on Aug 22nd, 2009 | 0 comments

The need of money to run a life cannot be undermined. It is one commodity that is absolutely essential to run a life. Something without which you cannot think of existing. People do various things to earn money. None, however, can match the joy and satisfaction of one’s own venture. One is one’s own boss there. The joy of doing things in one’s own way simply cannot be beaten. Now, to start a business or a venture one needs to work on certain plans. Indeed, business ideas are important for any business to get started and running.

One must understand that it is not necessary to start a big business ideas. One can start with a modest beginning, which if the approach is right can be made big. It is always nice if one is clear about the goals that one wants to achieve then it becomes very easy to function and gain success.

There are several opportunities now to start a business. Getting good business plans or business ideas, therefore, is not difficult. One very good business idea can be of working from home. This is especially beneficial for women, particularly housewives, who don’t get time to move out because of their responsibilities, can now actually earn from their homes. There are several companies who give commissions to people who can help bring in customers. They provide all the training, tools etc. and help one in achieving a particular level because if you make money, they make money as well. Other business that can be operated from home is that of web design. With the advent of Internet this is one option everyone should opt for.

In this era of globalisation the opportunities are immense. Advent of Internet has brought the whole world to one’s place, all that is required is a careful thinking that would provide one with enough business ideas to start one’s own venture.

Getting Scammed With Online Business Opportunities Can Be Frustrating

Posted by admin in online business on Aug 18th, 2009 | 0 comments

It happens to all of us. It may have already happened to you – especially if you’re just starting out in online business: frustration. The frustration of signing up with that “golden” opportunity to make a “fortune” online. “No cash up front!” “Work only 1 hour a day!” “Get that new car next week!”

We’ve all seen these types of hyped up ads. I mean, the Internet is literally drowning in them. With so much publicity and marketing flooding your browser, how can you tell which of the opportunities are legitimate – and which just want to scam you for your credit card numbers?

Basically, there are only 2 ways to find the ripe fruit in an orchard virtually overgrown with rotten apples.

1 – Sign up, pay the price. Do the “work” and realize too late that you just flushed your hard-earned cash down the toilet.

2 – Do your due diligence. Search & research; find views, reviews and opinions of those who have already signed up (DO NOT rely exclusively on the onsite testimonials for this as they are just too easy to fake); search for bios of the creators, designers AND those who provide testimonials; read EVERY word on the page promoting the opportunity; follow available links to affiliates and check out their credentials too; read every online article you can find relating to the opportunity; if you sign up for their newsletter, create a special email account to receive it just in case you can’t unsubscribe (keeps the spam out of your main inbox). Lather, rinse & repeat. Then, if the opportunity still appeals to you, sign up, dive in and STICK TO IT.

I think we can agree that option #1 is pretty much a gamble. Option #2 would however probably deliver much more satisfactory results. So why is it that so many of us get lured in by the scams? That’s actually quite an easy question to answer: gratification. Taking the route outlined in option #2 requires a lot of work, a lot of time and a lot of patience. The gamble illustrated in option #1 does have it’s appeal: “Wow, this could be THE solution I’ve been looking for!”.

Any search for solutions that we may undertake (whether for online business opportunities, or for anything else for that matter) is influenced by our desire for gratification – and the sooner, the better. It’s that desire for immediate results that gets us into trouble. Unscrupulous marketers know this and are able to capitalize on it; it’s called impulse buying. How many times have you purchased that cheap gadget or that totally useless little doohickie at the drug store checkout only to have wind up in the trash within a week?

Frustration is the result of unfulfilled desire.

Signing up for an opportunity with no due diligence is simply an attempt to fulfill a desire for immediate gratification: instant cash. There’s the trap: NO legitimate online business opportunity is going to provide you with such immediate income. Legitimate opportunities do require work, research & education. Most of them provide that education based on their years of experience and the research that they have already done for you.

So, how do you deal with the frustration that you may be feeling after having been “suckered”? Simple: you must first understand – and accept – that you were reacting to a very human desire to feel better right now. The key here is then to invest in your feelings before you invest in an online business opportunity.

Invest in my feelings? Huh? Let me explain. Which emotion do you prefer: disappointment or excitement? I think the answer to that is obvious. You can easily generate disappointment and frustration by reacting to your desires. You can just as easily generate excitement and mounting anticipation of future fulfillment by acting on your desires. Notice the difference? You can choose to react or to act – it’s up to you. Either way, it’s of the utmost importance to accept responsibility for the consequences – including how you feel.

Take your time to investigate the online business opportunities that interest you. Visit websites that provide information on a variety of affiliate programs. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of signing up with programs that provide one income stream versus those that provide multiple streams of income. Due diligence; with both your feelings, and with the online business opportunities you may be considering. It’s what will make or break your online success.

Stay tuned for my next article: Define What Really Motivates You to Start Your Online Business.

7 Valuable Customer Service Tips That Increase Sales

Posted by admin in Customer Service on Aug 17th, 2009 | 0 comments

Providing great customer service puts you ahead of other competing businesses. It’s what your business needs to develop a loyal customer base.

When your competitors lose business because of poor customer service and their lost customers become your first time customers, it’s your customer service that will keep your new customers coming back. It will cause your business to rise above its competition.

The following tips will help you to satisfy your customers better, get more repeat business and realize higher profits. Use them to increase your sales and create a business that you can be proud of.

1. Have a strong customer service policy in place.

First of all, create a strategy for interacting with your customers that focuses on providing great customer service. Make it part of what your business is all about.

If you make customer service your top priority, your employees will know that excellent customer service is expected of them. They’ll provide better customer service and you’ll have more satisfied customers and repeat business.

Without a clear cut strategy, your employees may come up with their own ideas about what customers want and how they should be treated. Letting this happen is very dangerous to your profits. It can cause your competition to take customers away from you.

2. Hire the right people.

Employees should treat customers with respect and courtesy. They should make it easy for people to want to do business with you and not eliminate your chances of your customers buying from you again.

Pre-employment tests can help you to determine whether the person you’re considering will be an asset. Will she cause you to lose money? Is she the right person for the job? These tests put the odds in your favor. Your hiring decisions can become a lot easier.

3. Listen and act on complaints.

Not taking complaints seriously will cause the same negative situations to happen again. You’ll lose business when your other customers have the same problem.

Instead of shrugging off complaints, use them to make your business more profitable and to offer better service. Complaints, when taken seriously, can make your service, policies and systems for dealing with your customers better. They can add to your bottom line.

4. Survey your customers.

Surveys provide an anonymous way for your customers to give you feedback. They make it easy for you to find out if your business is satisfying your customers or not satisfying them.

People can be brutally honest, so it’s wise to have very thick skin, when using this strategy. Also as in the previous tip, use any negative feedback that you receive to better your business.

Surveys also give you the opportunity to find out what you’re doing right. Compliments about your service, how you treat your customers or how you resolve issues show that you’re hitting your target. You have proof that you’re doing a great job.

5. Get questions answered quickly.

You can cut down on the time you spend answering questions by email and phone by having a detailed FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section on your site and by using FAQ management software.

Live customer support software can also help you to provide excellent customer service. You can answer your customer questions and pre sale questions, right on your site, and increase your sales by getting questions answered faster than your competition.

If you choose to use software to help you fill your customer service needs, know that you still need to provide superior customer support by email. Questions need to be answered within 24 hours. Problems need to be addressed and overcome.

The same holds true when providing phone support. Questions and problems need to be handled in an efficient manner. Don’t keep customers waiting for long periods of time or make it difficult to talk to a “real person.”

6. Provide ongoing training.

Training can bring your customer service from where it is to where you would like it to be.

Whether your employees work in a call center or face to face with your customers, they still need to provide better service than your competitors. Your goal is repeat business not one time business. Training your employees can help you to achieve this goal.

You can train your employees in house, through seminars, or by using an outside firm. Whatever you choose, involve your employees by gaining they’re feedback. You’ll get better results by letting them know that their opinions and ideas matter.

7. Treat your customer service team with respect.

It is difficult for employees to treat customers well when they are treated poorly. Your working environment needs to be one of mutual respect. When this is the case, it is much easier to provide excellent customer service.

Basically, you want your employees to be treated the way you would want to be treated if you were the employee. You also want your customers to be treated the way you would want to be treated if you were a customer.

Accomplishing both of these things and using the other tips that you’ve been provided will help you to provide great customer service and increase your sales. You’ll be able to surpass your expectations for your business. You’ll be able to put yourself above your competition.

How To Read Four Business Books A Month, With Zero Additional Time Out Of Your Day

Posted by admin in Business Books on Aug 16th, 2009 | 0 comments

Today, I’ll let you in on a little secret that I use to read AT LEAST FOUR BOOKS EVERY MONTH, without taking any additional time out of my day.

Every single successful person I know focuses on learning daily, and it’s no accident. Top business owners know that ongoing education is an absolute necessity.

I don’t mean the kind of education you got in school, in those dusty old text books that were full of numbers and boring graphs.

I mean a different kind of education that deals more with street smarts, than book smarts.

Did you know that the majority of people will NEVER read a book again after high school? Our education system leaves such a bad taste in people’s mouths. When we are forced to learn, we end up dreading the process, instead of embracing it.

I know that in my own life, it wasn’t until I was out of school that I really started to love learning. I realized one day, that learning wasn’t just for reading, writing, and arithmetic. You could literally learn how to do ANYTHING in life.

Whether you wanted to get in shape, become more creative, build wealth, or start a business…it is a LEARNABLE skill.

And you do it much the same way you learned in school. You start by surrounding yourself with people who know more about the subject than you do. Then you read, listen, and watch everything that they have to teach you. Mimic the best until you reach a level of mastery where you can innovate on your own.

Once I realized the importance of learning I started trying to read more books about business. The problem was that there was never enough time. Sure, I could TRY to read a chapter per day, but the time would be filled each day with something urgent, and the reading would never get done.

I literally had a STACK of books that I wanted to read, and wasn’t making much progress.

That is, until one day I discovered a secret to success, which I learned from a man named Brian Tracy. The secret was to start listening to AUDIO BOOKS in my car while I was driving.

You see, every day I HAD to drive somewhere. There was no way that I could forget to drive, or not have enough time to drive. Every day, I was going to drive somewhere no matter what, so it was BUILT IN to my life.

I eventually came to hear of more and more successful people, who ALL followed this strategy. Pretty soon I was going through a book a week on tape. I would even “read” books while I was at the gym, taking public transit, or flying (so even if you don’t drive, there are still opportunities).

For me, the real beauty of listening to books on tape is that I get to hear someones voice, and this is how I learn best. It was like I was surrounding myself with these great authors. Everyday, their way of thinking and great outlook on life was changing the way I thought. I heard their voices and ideas so much, it was like they were my personal friends who I couldn’t get away from!

Some people are audio learners, and learn best when hearing someone speak (like me). Some people are visual learners, and learn best when they can SEE the words on the page (I have a different secret for you in my online course). A small percentage of the population are even touch learners, and learn best when moving their body or using their hands.

If you learn well by listening or hearing words in any way shape or form, then audio books are the secret you’ve been missing to start learning more every day, without taking any additional time out of your day.

Life is quite simply TOO SHORT to spend listening to Britney Spears and Snoop Dogg on the radio. Instead, start getting more reading done then you ever thought possible today by listening to audio books.

A great first one to listen to is Brian Tracy’s, The Psychology of Achievment, which you can purchase online.

You can get audio books through services such as www.audible.com (the Amazon.com of audio books), which allows you to download MP3′s to burn to CD’s or to use on your MP3 player.

They are often a bit cheaper than the actual book. You can also get audio books for free at your local library, and find some online for free. Finally, I have a handful of friends who also listen to audio books and we always share.

Start listening to audio books today, and you will AUTOMATICALLY start devouring great books at an incredible pace.