Decide What to Measure Three Times Before Measuring Twice and Cutting Once to Achieve 20 Times More

Decide What to Measure Three Times Before Measuring Twice and Cutting Once to Achieve 20 Times More
Carpenters have a rule of thumb: Measure twice; cut once.

However, that rule can be inadequate if the carpenter
chooses the wrong thing to measure. For instance, measure
from the wrong end of the board and you'll still make a
mistake.

In this essay, you'll find out ways to pick the right
measurements, ones that will speed you toward accomplishing
20 times as much with the same time, effort and resources
(a 2,000 percent solution).

All the necessary steps are listed here for doing 20 times
more:

1. Understand the importance of measuring performance.

2. Decide what to measure.

3. Identify the future best practice and measure it.

4. Implement beyond the future best practice.

5. Identify the ideal best practice.

6. Pursue the ideal best practice.

7. Select the right people and provide the right motivation.

8. Repeat the first seven steps.

After creating an environment where the value of
measurements is appreciated, your next step is to gain the
most benefit from measurements. Begin by focusing on a
particularly important process within your organization
where you expect to find a large improvement opportunity.
Then you should determine what measurements about this
process will help you make the fastest progress. If you are
a laggard in developing successful new products in an
industry where that skill is critical, the new product
development process would be a fine place to start. Using
the experience that you gain in looking at the first
process, you can go on to extend this approach to other
important processes and opportunities.

Pick Your Organization's Low-Hanging Ripe Fruit

Organizations that make exponential improvements are much
more focused than competitors on this kind of gain. The
natural tendency is, by comparison, to measure processes
where progress delivers emotional satisfaction to employees
… whether or not improving those processes will be very
beneficial to the organization's success. Fight that
tendency where the potential benefits are modest.

Change Is a Moving Target

As circumstances change, what you need to measure changes
too. For example, at one time U.S. auto quality was so poor
that drivers primarily sought cars that wouldn't break
down. Many U.S. consumers bought Japanese vehicles. But
when American quality improved, customers started seeking
brands that offered the best dealer service. That was a
short-lived trend, however, as better new-car quality
reduced the need for dealer service.

Styling again became important. Lexus lost ground because
it did not look much different than much less expensive
Japanese offerings. Next, American drivers went for
minivans and sport utility vehicles. At first, Japanese
companies did not respond because such vehicles were not in
demand in Japan.

As you can see from this example, you will fail if you keep
measuring and focusing on the same thing. As each
shortcoming is eliminated, customer cravings will shift to
something else. The able executive will continually switch
what is measured, how much emphasis is placed on that
measure, and what actions are taken to reflect the current
and potential customer and stakeholder environments.

Find the Suggestion-Box Winners

A large consumer products company found that it lagged all
of its competitors in measures of financial performance.
Stung by this information into wanting to change,
management encouraged employees to suggest improvements.
Tens of thousands of suggestions were received.

Rather than treat all these ideas equally, management
established a review team that included executives from
every functional area. The reviewers looked for ideas that
offered enormous immediate and long-term benefits that were
easy to implement right away.

Another team of fifteen executives was assigned to see that
these top options got enough implementation attention. One
percent of the ideas provided 95 percent of the cumulative
improvement. As a result of this effort, three years later
the organization was the number one performer in its
industry by any financial measurement.

Choosing to pursue those highest potential ideas
aggressively was a good idea. You should do the same.

Less Is Usually More

A lack of focus may mean that no gains occur. A major
retailing company learned this lesson in the late 1970s.
Panicked by sales drooping below breakeven, management
looked to implement 100 improvement projects in a year.
None succeeded. At that point, focus shifted to just four
high payoff programs, none of which was on the original
list of 100 projects. These programs all succeeded due to
focused attention, and the company was soon earning high
profits.

Pick Improvements That Help Everything Else

What do you do when nothing works well? Identify how
performance in one area affects performance in all other
areas. Another leading retailer with severe problems
learned this lesson by testing a number of improvement
ideas to see how many other performance areas were helped.
What was learned? Allowing employees to spend more time
serving customers made both employees and customers much
happier. Sales and profits rose as a result. This approach
was counter to the retailer's previous instinct to slash
employees every time that profit targets were missed.

Measure at the Right Level with the Right Measure

Large organizations often confuse themselves by
overaveraging what they measure. For example, tracking the
average temperature on a given day around the world won't
tell a retailer what kind of apparel to offer in a given
store. Start looking at the temperature trends by store,
and you may begin to improve your stocking.

STALLBUSTERS

Identify Your Most Important Processes

Ask these questions to begin your search for your most
important processes:

• How long could your organization survive without each
process?

• How long could your organization prosper if each process
were done poorly?

• How long will your organization last if it performs each
process less well than competitors?

Having developed a sense of what your most critical
processes are, ask these questions:

• If you did the process as well as you can imagine it,
what would be the size of the benefit compared to how well
you are doing today?

• If you did the process as well as you can imagine it,
what other opportunities would open up?

• What would developing those opportunities be worth?

Potentially Important Processes to Measure

• Developing new products and services that provide
customers with major benefits over competitors'
offerings

• Marketing for attracting and retaining customers with
whom you have a profit margin advantage over competitors

• Shifting your mix of customers, products, and services to
improve your costs versus competitors

• Identifying and implementing your most important
cost-reduction opportunities

• Finding and realizing your organization's largest
opportunity areas

• Reducing cost of capital in ways other than by borrowing
more money and refinancing at lower interest costs

• Adjusting compensation and recognition activities to
reinforce helpful employee behavior

• Obtaining win-win ideas for mutual benefit from
suppliers, partners, and the communities you serve

• For public companies, monitoring of institutional
investor decisions to purchase your competitors' shares and
debt rather than yours

Find the Critical Factors for Your Most Important Process

Once you have selected an important process to focus on,
narrow your attention further to reveal the most important
parts of the process. The following questions will help you:

• Who can help you determine the critical factors in the
process you are investigating?

• How can you measure what may cause or influence the
process's important aspects?

• What's the best way to check your conclusions about the
critical factors of important processes by using
statistical analyses?

Start by Measuring Everything You Can Think of (That Seems
Worth the Cost) Concerning the Process's Output and Its
Influences - and Then Narrow Your Focus

This is a good time to identify which measures are most
available for comparisons outside of your organization. Be
sure to check all your data to see how well they help you
understand your performance. Once you've done that, begin
eliminating some measurements while paying more attention
to others. To make this shift, work with data until you can
statistically identify causes and effects.

In deciding how much to spend to measure and analyze, keep
in mind the size of the potential benefits. Some expensive
measures are well worth the cost. One firm found that a
single measure (which cost more than all of the other
measures combined) provided almost all of the insights into
improving an essential process. Had the company stopped
looking because of expense, the firm's sales would be less
than half and profits below a quarter of the current level.

Copyright 2007 Donald W. Mitchell, All Rights Reserved

----------------------------------------------------
Donald Mitchell is chairman of Mitchell and Company, a
strategy and financial consulting firm in Weston, MA. He is
coauthor of six books including The 2,000 Percent Squared
Solution, The 2,000 Percent Solution, and The 2,000 Percent
Solution Workbook. You can find free tips for accomplishing
20 times more by registering at:
=========> http://www.2000percentsolution.com .

Why it's so hard to ask for money and how to make it easier.

Why it's so hard to ask for money and how to make it easier.
"What's wrong with me?" Someone in the marketing class was
complaining to us, about himself. "My bank account is near
zero, and I have twenty thousand dollars in accounts
receivable- and all I need to do is send out the invoices."

"Why can't I send them out? I feel out of integrity with
myself."

In different businesses, it's the same story. The massage
is over, and the massage therapist stutters asking for
payment. The product is shipped, and you are waiting and
waiting for the check- yet you don't call and ask for it.

Why is it so easy to be out of integrity with yourself by
not asking for the money you are owed?

Actually, you are trying to stay in integrity by not asking.

Huh? But it feels so out of integrity to perform work and
not get paid for it, and not ask for the money. How can
that be in integrity?

It's true there is an integrity conflict, but it happened
earlier than the time of asking for, and receiving, payment.

The integrity conflict happened at the time when your
client/customer initially agreed to use your service or
product.

Integrity has to do with wholeness- being complete.

When a new customer says "Yes" to your offer, whether it's
a class, a year-long custom consulting arrangement, or a
pair of custom-made shoes, you are forging an agreement. A
sale is just that: an agreement.

In order to be functional, and feel good, agreements need
to be in integrity: meaning they need to be complete. All
details accounted for.

What's wrong with this agreement:

"Sure, let's go to dinner. How about this Wednesday? Yes?
Great, I'll see you then."

This agreement is not in integrity. Why, what's missing?
You've already spotted what's missing- what time are you
going to dinner? Where are you going to dinner? Are you
going to meet where you are eating, or is one of you going
to pick the other up?

There is no way to keep this agreement, because it's not in
integrity- it's not whole.

And, there are other, less obvious details missing as well:
is it a private dinner for two, or is it okay to invite
anyone else? "I hope it's okay, but I brought my brother
along," is not the best thing to say if your dinner partner
has shown up in an evening dress at a fancy Italian
restaurant expecting a romantic dinner for two.

Integrity. Clarity.

Getting paid easily and every time, without discomfort and
without waiting, means you need to get really clear on the
money details before you consider your customer has truly
said "Yes."

There are three details about money that you need clarity
on to be in integrity. But even more importantly, how can
you get comfortable asking for them, when you've been
avoiding them all along?

What are those three details, and how do you find comfort?

Keys to Asking for the Money

• The three details: How, how much, and when.

1. How is payment accepted. Check? Credit card? Cash only?

2. How much. What's the total cost of your offer?

3. When is payment due. Half at the time of scheduling?
Payment right after the massage is over? Cash on Delivery?
Net 30 days? Do you send an invoice, and when?

- Sidenote on #3: You don't have to follow the conventions
of your industry on when payment is due. Just because
'everybody' bills net 30, doesn't mean you can't ask for
30% 50% or even 100% up front. In most cases your customer
doesn't care, they just want to know when.

If you are conscious and clear, and it's authentic from
your heart, your customers will do as you ask them.

• Clarity creates comfort.

It's true that before you get used to asking for the three
details, it can make your heart go 'pitter-pat.' But let's
look at it from the customer's perspective.

Let's say you just decided to buy something you really
want. What's your next question? "How do I pay for this?"
But what if it's not clear how to pay for it? There's no
obvious register, no one you can find to pay.

How uncomfortable do you feel? Personally, I -want- to pay,
and feel really uncomfortable when I don't how it works.
That discomfort alone can get me to put down whatever I
wanted to buy, and leave.

Talking about the details is a point of integrity, and
because it has to do with wholeness, it's a point of
comfort for your customer. And overlooking them may leave
your potential customer feeling uncomfortable. Is that good
customer service?

Ask for the details, and make those "Yeses" ones where you
get paid. It will keep you in integrity, and your customer
will feel much more comfortable.

----------------------------------------------------
Mark Silver is the author of Unveiling the Heart of Your
Business: How Money, Marketing and Sales can Deepen Your
Heart, Heal the World, and Still Add to Your Bottom Line.
He has helped hundreds of small business owners around the
globe succeed in business without lousing their hearts. Get
three free chapters of the book online:
http://www.heartofbusiness.com

7 ways to avoid being an email slave

7 ways to avoid being an email slave
Although email is an essential business tool, it can also
turn out to be a real productivity killer.

One survey showed that most of us spend more than a quarter
of our working day responding to emails.

So we can free up a lot of time by following these seven
tips on managing email effectively.

1. Stop checking your email every few minutes

The sense of speed and immediacy makes most of us want to
react as soon as an email arrives. But the old-fashioned
daily mail delivery was actually much more efficient. That
way you can plan your time more effectively and focus on
priorities.

So the first step in getting control over your email is to
stop checking it every few minutes and start checking it
twice a day. That means logging out of your email account
at all other times. And if you have a notification alert
that tells you each time an email arrives ' you need to
switch it off.

2. Set strict time limits on the time you spend checking
emails

If you decide in advance how long you are going to spend
dealing with emails, it stops you wasting time on the less
important ones.

It encourages you to act on the ones that need attention
rather than following an interesting link, reading jokes,
or following pointless discussions. And we are generally
more efficient when we concentrate on one type of task at a
time.

For most people, a limit of about 15 minutes at a time is
probably appropriate. Yes that is 15 minutes twice a day '
which may not seem much. But you'll be surprised at how
disciplined you can become.

3. Use separate email accounts for different purposes.

It's often worth considering having different email
accounts for different purposes. For example keep business
and personal separate. And have one business account for
important contacts and another for newsletter subscriptions
and mailing lists. You can then check the less urgent one
less often.

4. Scan first to decide what's important

Your email account doesn't know which items are most
important so it serves them to you in the order they
arrive. Many people are tempted to deal with them in that
order too.

Deal with your email in the way you would read a newspaper.
Look at the subject line and the name of the sender first.
That lets you concentrate your time and attention on the
most important emails.

5. Apply a one-touch approach

The best way to remain on top of your email is to handle it
quickly and decide whether to do it, delegate it or delete
it rather than spending too much time thinking about it.

6. Use technology to make email management easier

Email has time-saving technology built in but few of us
make full use of it. For example:

- create an easy-to-follow filing process using folders and
sub-folders.

- use the search function to find old emails.

- set up 'rules' to apply specific actions to messages that
fit these rules.

- set up autoresponders to avoid having to respond to every
email manually.

7. Create standard replies to common inquiries

You can create templates or standard wordings that you can
re-use by simple cut-and paste rather than creating the
same message multiple times.

So remember that email can be a productivity killer or it
can play a vital role in building your business and making
your day more productive. It's up to you to decide which
you prefer!

----------------------------------------------------
Robert Greenshields is a marketing success coach who helps
business owners and independent professionals who are
frustrated that they're working too many hours for too
little reward. Sign up for his free tips on earning more
and working less at http://www.MindPowerMarketing.com

Mastermind Team? Do You Have One?

Mastermind Team? Do You Have One?
The key to life is to be around the people who will empower
you to reach the next level in life! In order to exceed
your present reach, you need to be around people who will
help you stretch a little farther. The secret to a
productive mastermind team is for you to surround yourself
with people who you can always learn from. A sign of a
very intelligent person is to be smart enough to realize
that you need to learn from others who can contribute to
your WHY in life.

As you know, my ultimate outcome is to develop the #1
personal self-development company in the world. Each and
every day I strive to immerse myself in material and people
who will enable me to achieve our corporate mission.

As you look at your own mission in life, you need to ask
yourself a very honest/straightforward question ...."Is my
personal development engine in Forward, Neutral or
Reverse?" The answer is very simple. All that you need to
do is to write down the top 10 people you regularly
associate with. As you review the list, realize that you
will become an exact duplicate of those 10 people --
financially, spiritually, physically and psychologically.
Once again, be honest with yourself. If you are not 110%
happy about what you see yourself becoming due to your
present relationships, you need to take ACTION immediately!
Make a decision to develop a mastermind TEAM!
Unfortunately, 95% of people will never take the action
needed in order to become part of a mastermind team. They
will continue to live their lives and wonder WHAT HAPPENED
to their LIVES and all of their DREAMS. You need to stop
whining and begin working on yourself to become part of a
Mastermind Team!

I am proud to say that each and every day I associate with
people who are either at my level of enthusiasm, excitement
and intelligence or even more so than I am, which is the
key to a personally productive mastermind team. You need to
be a part of a group of people who make you want to exceed
your present reach. Be honest with yourself and know that
you need to change your associations in order to achieve
your God-given dreams! You will be amazed by the
results. Your life will SOAR like an EAGLE to the ends of
the earth if you change your associations!

Find your WHY & FLY!

----------------------------------------------------
John shocks millions globally by exposing the truth about
how to achieve monumental life success despite the labels
that society has placed on you. Through his award winning
live seminars, power-packed training programs, live
tele-classes, weekly ezine and website
(http://www.FindYourWhy.com), John Di Lemme has made
success a reality for thousands worldwide.

The Layers of Your Brand

The Layers of Your Brand
Branding is a hot topic in marketing these days, but it's
defined in different ways and looked at from different
angles. There are many components that make up a brand, and
we call each component a Brand Layer.

Here are our definitions of some of the most important
Brand Layers:

Brand Foundation

The base from which all brand elements will be created and
measured against for accuracy. This layer consists of the
following elements:

- Brand Vision is your company's plan for itself-how your
company wants to appear to the world, and how your company
wants to grow and change in coming years.

- Brand Mission is what your company wants to create in the
world, through its products or services.

- Brand Values are those ideas that your company brand
stands for and that you believe in-and also what you don't
want to and won't do. These values help your potential
clients to decide whether you can help them, and they also
help you decide who you will help and what you can't offer
or deliver. Brand Values are largely an internal measure
against which you can process incoming jobs, but they will
also be communicated through all of your marketing
materials.

Brand Basics

These components of your brand form your business's "face"
to the public. Brand Basics shape and direct your
customers' views of your business. Telling your customers
how you want to be perceived is an essential piece of a
Brand Strategy for any small business, and the easiest way
for you to do this as a small business owner is through
your:

- Brand Identity, the suite of visual elements that are
used consistently in your marketing, including:

- Brand Names of your company and product or service lines

- Logo

- Visual Vocabulary

- Collateral system/stationery set (business card,
letterhead, envelope, and so on)

- Marketing materials (brochure, postcard, flyer, and so on)

- Website

- Brand Content, the way you write and talk about your
brand, including your:

- Marketing Copy

- Tagline

- 30-second Pitch or Elevator Speech

- Brand Marketing that integrates both visuals and text
about your brand, and that gets your message out to your
audience. This is made up of your:

- Advertising

- Trade shows

- Public Relations

- All other outreach/marketing programs

- Brand Offerings, the products or services that you
present, along with the quality, warranties, and value that
you include with your products and services.

- Brand Experience, the process of working with you as seen
from the clients' perspective. But in order to create a
positive experience, you have to have a strong foundation
of systems, procedures, and processes built in to your
business-this is a basic level of professionalism that's
expected of every business. Things that factor in here
include:

- Returning calls

- Availability

- Turnaround time

- Professional interaction and communication

- Process

These Brand Basics can also help to shape your Brand
Personality, which is the persona that your business
projects to the world. This is defined through the way that
your brand expresses itself-the characteristics that give
your business a life of its own, outside of your own
personality.

Competitor Comparison

These components of your brand speak about your business's
relation to the competition:

- Brand Positioning is basically how your brand compares
with that of the competition. There are probably many
businesses that provide the services or products that you
provide: Brand Positioning determines where your business
falls in the continuum of businesses in your field.

- Brand Differentiation is another, more specific piece of
your Brand Positioning. Your Differentiators are those
things that make your business stand out from your
competition-the things that you do or offer that are unlike
anything your competition offers.

You can control these Competitor Comparison factors through
careful market research, market monitoring, and your
definition of both your Brand Positioning and Brand
Differentiation.

Internal Measures

These components of your brand are defined largely through
your business's actions:

- Brand Environment is the atmosphere at and within your
company.

- Brand Promise is the underlying guarantee or benefits
that you offer as part of all of your services. These
promises can be of quality, service, greatness,
affordability, or speed of delivery; regardless, every
business presents a Brand Promise to the public, promising
what the experience of doing business with them will be
like or what benefits the consumer/client will get from
doing business with that company. While your Brand Promise
is often initially shaped by promises made in your external
communications, it must be fully realized through the
internal execution of your services.

- Brand Values, which are an important part of your Brand
Foundation, are also helpful in deciding

External Measures

These components of your brand are defined by the public's
perception:

- Brand Awareness is the level of public awareness of your
brand-who knows who you are and what you do. This is
influenced by the strength and effective distribution of
your Brand Basics, as well as by word-of-mouth.

- Brand Gap is the difference between your Brand
Positioning and Differentiation and how your consumers and
clients actually view these things.

So, what is a Brand?

Your brand is really the combination of all of the above
Brand Layers. A brand is both your presentation and
public's perception of your business. It's the way that
people think about your business, and it is shaped through
all of the layers described above.

Once you've established your brand and started putting your
Brand Basics before the public eye, there are some other
branding issues you should consider:

- Brand Alignment is the biggest challenge in building a
brand comes from creating alignment across all of the Brand
Layers described above, and in creating that same alignment
between your audience and your message: making sure that
the message that you're presenting is the same message that
your customers and contacts are walking away with.

- Brand Management is the process of managing all of the
Brand Layers and achieving or maintaining Brand Alignment.
It is a constant process; you should check up on your Brand
Layers and Brand Alignment from time to time.

When all of your Brand Layers are working together, you'll
have a strong Brand that will help your business to grow
and prosper.

----------------------------------------------------
Erin Ferree is a brand identity designer who creates big
visibility for small businesses. As the owner of elf
design, Erin is passionate about helping her clients stand
out in front of their competition and attract more clients.
Her "Define Your Difference Branding Workbook" will help
you with your brand definition - the most important step in
the logo design process.
http://www.elf-design.com/products-define.html

Sell More by Getting in Your Customer's Head!

Sell More by Getting in Your Customer's Head!
As business people, we need to have as much clarity as
possible about how and why our customers choose to buy from
us.

Since we're all consumers, we should be able to recognize
and identify with the Buying Decision Process on a personal
level.

If you can isolate the specific reasons you buy products or
services - whether it's status associated with a brand,
analysis of a specific product benefit, or your
relationship with a salesperson - you will be more in touch
with what can strongly influence your potential customers
to buy from you.

Smart companies really want to understand their target
consumer's complete decision experience. They want to know
how their customers came to learn about their product to
begin with, specifically why they chose it, how they use
it, and even how they dispose of it.

Getting answers to the core reasons why someone buys,
provides incredibly valuable information.

Consumers pass through 5 distinct stages in the Buying
Decision Process:

1. Problem Recognition

2. Information Search

3. Evaluation of Alternatives

4. Purchase Decision

5. Post-Purchase Behavior

The way people make buying decisions depends, of course, on
the complexity of the problems they are trying to solve and
the complexity of each step in the decision process.

The time span of the buying process could be years or 3
minutes, depending on the product. And of course, our
different personality styles contribute to how much
detailed analysis we do, how quickly we buy, whether we are
driven by emotions, data, salespeople, etc.

The next time you make a substantial buying decision,
become aware of the thoughts and feelings you experience as
you go through each of these stages.

1. Problem Recognition: You know this feeling. You see a
problem or feel a need. Maybe it's as simple as feeling
sleepy and wanting a cup of coffee. This would be an
internal stimulus. Or perhaps your problem recognition
comes from an external stimulus. You see a commercial for
the newest model of your favorite luxury car, and all of
a sudden the car you currently own loses favor.

2. Information Search: Once you believe that you have a
valid problem or need, you want to investigate further.
You have what's called heightened attention. This is
characterized as openness to receiving information about a
product or service. Later you move into active search,
where you proactively visit stores or surf the web to
learn about a product. Maybe you ask family or friends
about a particular service you're considering.

3. Evaluation of Alternatives: This is the stage where you
look at competitive companies or brands and make judgments
about them. Most buyers consider several factors about a
product that's most important to them. If you're buying
a laptop computer, for example, you might be most concerned
with its memory, size, price, and local service options.
You eventually form a preference among a couple different
brands you're considering or among a couple models within
your favorite brand.

4. Purchase Decision: After you have some preferences in
mind, what triggers your final purchase decision? This is
a really important point in the buying process. It's a
complex period because there are 2 sub-stages to the
Purchase Decision stage:

a. Purchase Intention - this is a mental state where you
believe you know exactly what you want to buy. You
envision the purchase, but you haven't made any monetary or
legal commitments yet.

b. Purchase Decision - this is full completion of the
physical act of handing over your money, signing on the
dotted line of a legal documents, or submitting you credit
card information, for example.

It's important to realize that one's Purchase Intentions
are not reliable predictors of final purchase behavior.
This is because the time between your Purchase Intention
and your actual Purchase Decision can be highly influenced
by 2 factors:

• Factor #1 - the Attitude of Others means the extent to
which someone else's attitude can reduce or strengthen a
consumer's buying preference.

Imagine that you make the decision at work one morning that
you're going to buy a new Dell laptop computer that evening
when you get home. But on your lunch break you happen to
get a call from your best friend, who must bought an Apple
laptop. Your friend goes on and on about how much they
love their Mac, and all the great things they're doing with
it.

The closer you are to this friend, or the more you trust or
respect them, in combination with your self-confidence and
ability to be influenced in general, will determine how
likely you are to adjust your Purchase Intention.

Perhaps your brother is an IT professional, and just
yesterday he highly recommended that you only invest in a
PC. Now you have conflicting advice from two people who
are close to you. If you're someone with a tendency to
want to please others, your decision has just become much
more complex!

• Factor #2 - Unanticicpated Situational Factors are events
that arise in life that we don't expect.

If you decided to buy a Dell laptop in the evening when you
got home from work, but ended up losing your job at the end
of the day - that would be a major Unanticipated
Situational Factor! Your motivation to purchase could be
substantially reduced.

5. Post-Purchase Behavior: A consumer's behavior after
buying is related to their level of satisfaction or
dissatisfaction with the product or service.

Remember that one's satisfaction is always tied to one's
expectations.

If a product exceeds expectations, we are thrilled with it.
If it's lower than expectations, we are dissatisfied with
it. And if it meets expectations we are satisfied with it.

So it's critical that the claims you make about your
product or service are truthful, or even understated, to
increase the likelihood that customers will be happy!

----------------------------------------------------
Laura Adams is the host of the popular MBA Working Girl
Podcast. The content combines brainy business school theory
with real-world business practice from her career as a
business owner, manager, consultant and trainer. Subscribe
for FREE to this top-rated show and get the useful MBA
Essential Tip at
http://www.mbaworkinggirl.com

Stanford Media X Ten Innovation Trends: Robotics, Aging, Clean Tech, Brain, Gaming, Science and More

Stanford Media X Ten Innovation Trends: Robotics, Aging, Clean Tech, Brain, Gaming, Science and More
The goal of Stanford University Media X is to foster
collaborations between industry and academia. The 5th
Annual Media X Conference on Research, Collaboration,
Innovation and Productivity, which I was fortunate to
attend, served its purpose well. Let me share the 10 Key
Trends that every business executive and innovator should
be paying attention to:

1) Personal Robotics is poised to explode soon (predicted
by Paul Saffo). It usually takes 20 years science basic
science exists until applications reach inflection point
and take the world by storm-and we are about to see that
happen. Some indicators: DARPA sponsored first robotics
attempts in mid-80s, and now we have applications such as
the Roomba vacuum-cleaner, and a fully automated racing
car. Prof. Kenneth Salisbury showed how there are robots
today with great motor skills-i.e., they can unload a
dishwasher!

2) Brain Computer Interfaces. Prof. Krishna Shenoy
explained how, for many people who can't move/ communicate
well, new systems enable the translation of brain signals
into control signals, by implanting electrodes in brain
that measure signals and help predict behaviors based on
response pattern recognition There are already applications
today that help people move cursors based on their thoughts.

3) Clean Technology: Scott Z. Burns, co-producer of An
Inconvenient Truth, explained how Al Gore was reluctant to
make the movie, but he was convinced to participate given
the increasing threat of global warming. Al Gore saw an
analogy between the movie and a bio-feedback device that
her daughter used to treat her migraines. In biofeedback,
one learns how to manage vital body variables in order to
reach a goal (preventing migraines, managing stress...).
Similarly, Gore wanted each viewer to find his or her own
"levers" or "muscles" and ways to act -not just be told
what to do.

4) Reinventing Aging: Prof. Laura L. Carstensen, of the
Stanford Center on Longevity, explained how Technology &
Science has been improving Biology for the last 150 years,
and now we need to focus on how to help people remain
physically fit and mentally sharp as we age. We need to
redefine "aging". Nowadays, there are many role models in
their 70s and 80s that show how age is not an obstacle for
being active contributors in society.

5) Virtual Simulations for medical education. Dr. LeRoy
Heinrichs showed how simulations work very well to train
surgeons and other medical professionals learn how to
perform their jobs. Virtual simulations (in a simulated
virtual environment) can work as well as physical ones
(which typically are more expensive and less scalable).

6) Green Building and Green Cars. Prof. Gilbert M. Masters
recommended reading the article "It's the Architecture,
Stupid!" to understand how buildings account for 35-45%
carbon emissions in the US, more than transportation and
industry.

7) Friends not Email: Prof. B.J. Fogg claimed that email
"cheapens our lives" and insisted that maintaining close
relationships is critical for happiness. Email is a very
bad tool to manage close relationships. Wise words.

8) Science Videos: Prof. Roy D. Pea made the case that
there is an increasing need for DIY videos in protocol
sharing among scientists, so they can better replicate
experiments. His Lab is creating new ways to enable people
create conversations about video to enhance diversity of
views and connections.

9) Games for Learning: Prof. Dan Schwartz showcased new
methods for learning outside the classroom. Games can help
merge formal & informal learning. Teachable agents are
computer programs created by students to make their
knowledge explicit, and can be used as part of games to
motivate students do their homework.

10) 3D Scientific Imaging. Prof. Paul Brown displayed some
of the new imaging and software packages that allow doctors
navigate virtually into the bodies of patients, in a
non-invasive way The images are simply spectacular. They
used these technologies to see in detail the interiors of
an Egyptian mummy.

Which of these trends is more relevant to your business?
What can you do to start preparing for the future, today?

----------------------------------------------------
Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO and Co-Founder of
SharpBrains.com, which provides the latest science-based
information for Brain Training and Brain Exercise, and has
been recognized by Scientific American Mind, MarketWatch,
CBS, Forbes, and more. Alvaro holds MA in Education and MBA
from Stanford University, and teaches The Science of Brain
Health at UC-Berkeley Lifelong Learning Institute. You can
learn more at http://www.sharpbrains.com/

7 ways to make every minute of your working day count

7 ways to make every minute of your working day count
All of us have only 24 hours in a day and few of us want to
spend all of them working.

So being able to manage your day effectively will determine
not only your business success but also your quality of
life.

Here are seven ways to make every minute as productive as
possible.

1. Manage your day with time limits

One of the most effective ways to take control of your time
is to block out specific segments of your day to work on
particular tasks.

Some people work well in short bursts completing specific
15-minute tasks before moving on to the next one. Others
prefer longer sessions of 45 or 60 minutes. Using a timer
keeps you on track.

2. Make sure you control your email instead of letting it
control you

Email is now an essential business and communication tool.
But sometimes, it can turn out to be a real productivity
killer.

One recent survey showed that most of us spend at least a
quarter of our working day responding to emails. While
obviously some of that is important, we can free up a lot
more time by managing our email more effectively.

3. Take steps to avoid interruptions

Interruptions can show up in many forms ' phone calls,
emails, people dropping by unannounced or just about
anything that distracts your focus from what you are
involved in.

One way you can deal with this is being aware of likely
interruptions and deciding whether they are necessary.

You have to ensure that while you are focusing on managing
your own time that others don't perceive your dedication
negatively. So make sure you let them know when you will be
available.

4. Set up your working area for efficiency

A well-ordered office or desk helps you achieve your time
management goals. Arrange your office so that it is
convenient for you to work comfortably ' and clear your
desk of clutter. Whatever you need in the course of your
workday should be easily accessible.

The right colors, the right furniture to keep you
comfortable, the right storage can all go a long way in
keeping you working in harmony.

5. Answer the phone because you want to ' not because it is
ringing

If you know how to use the phone to increase your
productivity, it can go a long way in saving you time.
Rather than emailing someone and waiting, sometimes it is
far quicker to interact over the phone and get your answers
immediately.

6. Surf the web productively

The Internet is a wonderful resource. But, unless you are
disciplined, it's extremely easy to find yourself aimlessly
surfing the web when you should be working. Studies show
that many people waste two or three hours surfing the web
without purpose.

Rather than being sucked into this massive time waster, set
aside a specific time for conducting Internet research or
browsing for information. Then focus on your goals and do
your best to resist the urge to surf. This one change will
make your efforts a lot more focused and productive.

7. Make use of automation

There is a wide range of technology available for carrying
out many tasks. Whether it's using automated software to
send out your emails or to keep your website up-to-date, or
automating the issue of your invoices, it can save you
considerable time and money.

Also consider creating standard emails that you can issue '
perhaps automatically ' in response to specific inquiries.
And, if you have a web site, make sure you publish the
answer to common inquiries there to minimize unnecessary
questions.

The more effectively you can manage your working day, the
sooner you will finish and the better your lifestyle will
be.

----------------------------------------------------
Robert Greenshields is a marketing success coach who helps
business owners and independent professionals who are
frustrated that they're working too many hours for too
little reward. Sign up for his free tips on earning more
and working less at http://www.MindPowerMarketing.com

That Little Bit Extra...

That Little Bit Extra...
The "little bit extra" is a very powerful concept to put
into practice today in every aspect of your life. The
difference between being ordinary and being extraordinary
is that little bit EXTRA. The little bit extra is what
separates average performers from CHAMPIONS!

In a sales process, the little bit extra is that one extra
follow-up call, that extra sincere thank-you or the extra
little bit of energy that you put into the presentation of
your business. This will separate you from your
competition. You can either go through the motions of your
business or you can give that little bit extra in order to
cement yourself in the mind of your potential customer. We
all can relate to purchasing a product/service from someone
who just gave you a little bit extra attention than their
competitor did and THAT is the reason we bought from THEM!

When I personally coach someone, one of my key strategies
is to move them to become champions in their field. One of
the easiest ways is to show them the value of what a little
extra eye contact with their prospects or customers brings.
You need to look your prospect or customer directly in
their eyes when you are presenting your business! This
drives into them your confidence and conviction about what
you and your product/service have to offer them. When I
coach people, I tell them that the eye contact strategy
alone will take them two steps ahead of their competition.

Remember, people will feed off your confidence from the
look in your eyes. As you progress in your journey towards
fulfilling your WHY, you need to constantly give that
little extra! The true sign of a champion-to-be is just
when it seems impossible for him/her to give that extra
push; they dig deep down and give that little bit extra to
fulfill their WHY! When I speak to groups, I train them to
have the mindset of always giving a little bit more than
their competitor. Over the long run, it will pay off big!
A small improvement over a long period of time will produce
outstanding results.

Now that you know the benefit of giving that little bit of
extra effort, you need to ask yourself a question..."What
can I do today and every day with a little more effort to
move me to the champion level in my field?" You need to
realize someone will be the champion in your chosen
endeavor. Let me ask you a question, "Why not you?" See
you at the top!

Find your WHY and Fly!

----------------------------------------------------
John shocks millions globally by exposing the truth about
how to achieve monumental life success despite the labels
that society has placed on you. Through his award winning
live seminars, power-packed training programs, live
tele-classes, weekly ezine and website
(http://www.FindYourWhy.com), John Di Lemme has made
success a reality for thousands worldwide.