How can trust improve your business?

How can trust improve your business?
One of the books I use in my classes is titled: "Riding the
wave of culture". My students gain a much better
appreciation for the differences they encounter when being
exposed to a different culture. I strongly believe that
awareness of a circumstance is more then 50% of the
solution. When talking about different cultures, that is
also true. In this case, awareness allows you to behave
better, avoid foolish things and adjust your expectation to
what the culture you are dealing with dictates. What we
will be talking about is the term "trust". I did some
research and found the following: In the social sciences,
the subtleties of trust are a subject of ongoing research.
In sociology the degree to which one party trusts another
is a measure of belief in the honesty, benevolence and
competence of the other party. Based on the most recent
research, a failure in trust may be forgiven more easily if
it is interpreted as a failure of competence rather than a
lack of benevolence or honesty. You can exchange competence
for skill or knowledge in most cases. Only if it can be
shown that you knew about something and still didn't use
your knowledge, would trust be at least as much violated,
if not more, because it goes to honesty in such a case. Now
that we have an idea what trust really means, let's look
some stories a friend of mine send me in an email regarding
the impact of trust on developing and keeping your business:

He writes: "Over the past few days, I've had a chance to
see just how skeptical people can be and how seemingly
little things will cause people--especially new people --to
question doing business with us.

It was quite eye-opening and bears some contemplation--for
us. The first experience was a phone conversation with a
subscriber. He was inquiring about one of our programs and
it gave us a chance to get to know each other a little.

He mentioned that he was feeling better about our company
after speaking with me. When I asked why he hadn't before,
he mentioned a Tele-seminar we had done last year. He had
heard about it too late to attend live, but when he emailed
me about a recording, I told him to stand by as it was
going to be available soon.

Apparently, when we announced the availability of the audio
file to our readers, he missed it. And in the process he
felt that we had not followed through. It was perceived as
a small breech of trust--but enough to cause a seed of
doubt. I was glad for the opportunity to clear it up.

There was another event that occurred this week that
further showed me just how careful you have to be when you
do not yet have a relationship of trust.

One of our new members related to me that she was
disappointed in a couple of things. It seems that during
our Open House Conference call, I had stated there would be
time for some questions and answers. And there were via the
webcast. Participants could-- and did--send in questions
which we answered. But I forgot to leave a Q&A time for
those on the telephone. Once again, my error caused doubt
in her mind.

And this same person was troubled that a link sent to her
was not hot-linked and seemingly invalid. We now had two
strikes against us.

These are two of my friend's experiences about trust and
building your business. We have experienced similar things
in our business. The connection to my class about diversity
and pluralism comes in when we look at what the value of
relationships is in different countries. The term created
by Trompenaars & Hamptden-Turner talks about specific
versus diffuse cultures. They say:

In specific cultures a manager segregates out the tasks
relationship he or she has with subordinates and insulates
this from other dealings. In diffuse cultures the life
space and everything that happens in it permeates
everything. If you would draw this difference in a graphic,
a specific representative of a culture would have a
relatively small core in the center of a circle that
represents his or her private life. That's the area they
would keep away form others and don't talk much about,
other then with very close friends, spouses and family
members. All the rest of the circle would be considered the
public life, which is divided into a number of parts. Each
part has relationships but they don't really impact the
inner core and relationships can exist in each part of the
public life without touching or influencing each other.

If you drew the same circle (same size) for a member of a
diffuse culture, the vast majority of the inner area of the
circle would be considered the private life. Just a very
small ring on the outside is public life. That causes
almost every aspect of life to influence both public and
private life.

As you might imagine, if a person form a specific culture
meets or interacts with a person of a diffuse culture, the
private life of the diffuse culture person is almost always
touched. That makes the relationship much different. If one
doesn't know about these differences, mistakes are easily
made and people can get hurt, not only physically, but also
emotionally. Trust can get broken. The stories Michael
Angier was referring to are more for people of the specific
type, where the facts determine the relationship that
forms. With people form diffuse cultures, you need to form
the relationship first and then these small hick-ups don't
play a huge role in maintaining trust.

In the book an interesting experiment is described. Workers
in different countries are asked if they would help to
paint their bosses house. People form the USA, UK,
Switzerland, and most northern European countries said
"No". These are the areas in the worlds considered to be of
a specific culture. People form diffuse cultures, like
China, Nepal, and several African countries (to name a few)
would actually paint their bosses house. They see this as
part of the relationship and commitment to their work, the
company and the boss as a person. It touches their personal
life and standing. They also trust that their help will be
seen as a positive thing when their work at their employer
is evaluated.

A funny ting about this test was the fact that 71% of
Japanese respondents said they wouldn't paint their bosses
house, even though they are considered part of a diffuse
culture. The researchers went back to the Japanese
participants in the survey and asked them why they answered
the way they did. The surprising (and funny) reply was:
"Houses in Japan are never painted" - just showing that you
need to be careful what you are asking to gain empirical
data. In reality they would probably do it if it would be
something that could realistically happen. Japanese workers
are famous for their loyalty to country, company, and
authorities. That makes developing relationships so much
more important, especially in diffuse cultures.

In summary, trust is a very important thing in every
culture. We need to realize what environment we are in to
know what we should and shouldn't do. This will also allow
us to predict the consequences. Michael Angier wouldn't
loose or almost loose a client because he didn't announce a
posting or article, or didn't allow for some Q&A sessions
in a diffuse culture. Those that tune in and listen to him
would have developed a trusting relationship to him before
they would every spend considerable time in a tele-seminar.
What his American clients, coming from a specific culture
deemed a failure of trust or a strike against him would be
forgiven because he probably had done many many more
important things to gain the trust of his listeners and
participants.

Small mistakes can drive people away and we all want to
avoid them. When dealing with different cultures, being
aware of how trust is build and how it can be lost is
equally important if we want to be successful, especially
in a more and more global marketplace.

----------------------------------------------------
Axel Meierhoefer is a published author, educator, coach,
consultant, and the founder of Axel Meierhoefer Consulting
LLC (AMC LLC). His motto is" Helping others help themselves
achieve success". If you like to take a free test
assessment to discover where you stand on the path to
success or you like to get a consultation to prepare
coaching, you can learn more about Axel at
http://www.meierhoefer.net/blog or send an email to
AM@Meierhoefer.net

Blogging for Business

Blogging for Business
Blogs, or weblogs, are websites featuring diary-type
entries displayed in chronological order, often providing
commentary or news on a particular subject. Blogs may
combine text, images, and links to other sites related to
the subject matter. Many blogs also have features that
allow readers to comment on them. Though most are primarily
text-based, some blogs focus on art, photos, music, video,
or audio as part of a larger network. Many people are also
loyal blog-readers who read a certain blog everyday.

Blogs can also be used as a successful promotional tool for
your internet business. Blogs provide an easy way to bring
search engine traffic -by far the most powerful way of
securing traffic online - to your site through intelligent,
liberal use of keywords within the blog. You can upload a
blog program to your site that will allow even the least
web-savvy businessman to easily publish content. It's fast,
easy and inexpensive, as you don't have to wait for or pay
someone to do it for you.

Search engines seem to have an affinity for blogs. Bloggers
have discovered that their blog entries get faster
inclusion and higher rankings in search engines. As proof
of this, Google actually purchased Blogger - one of the
most widely-used blogging programs available. The leading
search engine on the planet saw this technology as
important enough to own - why not use it to your advantage?
You can get fast and free marketing for your internet
business campaign that has the possibility of reaching
thousands and even millions.

Blogs provide an excellent way to make your internet
business seem less impersonal to your customers. It's no
secret that businesses have to woo customers. Blogging your
site makes you look like "just one of the guys", if you
will. You can portray your internet business however you
wish with blogs: innovative, superior, playful, charitable,
environmentally conscious - the sky is the limit. You can
give people a solid reason for wanting to buy your internet
business.

Blogs convert visitors into sales and profits - those
companies who blog as part of their internet business have
discovered that blogs bring in more visitors and that a
high percentage of those who visit a blog, if properly
influenced through that blog's content, will actually buy
from their company. Blogs also work in business-to-business
relationships. People respond positively to blogging,
whether they are buying for themselves or for their
business.

Blogs are also a great way to get your company's content
onto others' sites, even your competitor's. Many blogs have
a syndication feature that makes it easy for others to
include your content on their websites. A portion of the
blog (usually the headline and the first few words of the
copy) can be picked up and shown on other sites. When that
site's visitor clicks the link for more information, they
are transferred to your site. Most business bloggers have
discovered that this feature is bringing in a substantial
amount of additional traffic to their sites.

Bloggers reach potential consumers of all ages, races, and
in all locations of the world. By using blogging to
recommend or talk about your product, you can personalize
any imaginable product or service.

----------------------------------------------------
For more information on Blogging and creating a successful
internet business, visit
http://TheInternetBusinessAuthority.com

Personal Qualities Required To Be An Entrepreneur And Start Your Own Business

Personal Qualities Required To Be An Entrepreneur And Start Your Own Business
A lack of skill, ability and experience in certain business
areas need not be a barrier to success and starting your
own business. The personal qualities exerted by a small
business owner overcoming deficiencies over and over again
are vital and present in many entrepreneurs much more so
that specific technical knowledge.

Not everyone is a master of all business attributes in fact
very few are. Certainly being a master of all is a
fantastic position but unrealistic while certain personal
qualities are essential to fight the inevitable battles to
come. Business battles the successful entrepreneur wins.

Businesses that have grown and become medium sized and
bigger are not reliant on the business owner entirely.
Employees are engaged with specialist skills and abilities
to develop and grow the business. A sole trader just
starting out has to settle for a comfortable living or have
the ability to grow the business to the point where more
specialist abilities can be added to the business.

Most small business owners who start a new business do so
in an area where that small business owner has some
knowledge, experience and skill. It is a natural
progression having acquired the business knowledge and
experience to use those abilities to build the business
under self employment rules rather than earn profits for an
employer.

The personal qualities a small business owner possesses are
more likely to determine the level of success. Abilities
such as hard work, determination, persistence, intuition,
tolerance and aggression can be the bedrock of success. But
the road to success is not all slam wham bang for the
entrepreneur.

Small business owners invariably work longer and harder
than employees. An employee works for wages and an adequate
work performance is enough. A small business owner is more
likely to be on the job at first light, miss the coffee and
dinner break and twelve hours later announce he has to
finish off for the day because he has to go home and do the
business accounting books that he started on Sunday.

Determination and persistence go hand in glove with
success. Every new business runs into problems at some time
or reaches a stage where the business owner needs to be
completely focused and stick with a strategy to make the
plans work. Things go wrong from time to time; its normal,
determination and persistence are valuable qualities to see
through these times.

Aggression in forcing through a business plan may sometimes
be the only viable option. Not physical violence but the
heightened state of anxiety to push through the plan and
make it work with controlled aggression and passion. On the
other side of the coin there will be times when the small
business owner has to exercise tolerance and just go with
the flow.

Many small start up businesses go out of business within 2
to 3 years of starting a new business. A major cause is
under capitalisation which basically means they run out of
money. Liquidity is a major area of concern for every small
business entrepreneur and a cautious approach to a new
business can be of considerable value.

There is a strong tendency for a new business start up to
borrow money and buy new equipment just to get started.
Such businesses are taking a major risk the plans will
work. Some plans do work but rarely it is a smooth path and
a better option is to build the business and reinvest
profits made.

A more cautious approach would be to start a new business
without borrowing substantial funds because if the small
business owner has the ability to make a success of the
business and make money then they can usually do so without
external funding and use the profits made to build the
business in the future. The sound reason for a small
business or a start up business to borrow money is to
already be showing a good financial performance and use
extra funds to speed up future success while borrowing
funds with no track record is a gamble and a gamble which
fails only too often.

----------------------------------------------------
Terry Cartwright, accountant and CEO at DIY Accounting,
designs Accounting Software at
http://www.diyaccounting.co.uk/ providing accounting
solutions for small to medium sized business in the UK with
payroll software at
http://www.diyaccounting.co.uk/payroll.htm for up to 20
employees

Are You the Best? Characteristics Required for an Aspiring Home Based Business Entrepreneur.

Are You the Best? Characteristics Required for an Aspiring Home Based Business Entrepreneur.
Are you the best? Is being the best simply locker room big
talk, or is it something to strive for? Whatever standard
you set for yourself as a home based business entrepreneur
and as a human being, viewing excellence as a process,
rather than merely a goal, can empower you toward high
achievement.

THINK POSITIVELY: In business and in life, "to think is to
create" is a proven formula. If you don't visualize a
positive outcome, if you can't see yourself winning as a
home based business entrepreneur, you've just made the
mountain even higher.

Reaching the peak is a mental game and it begins by staying
positive in all things. Napoleon Hill said it best, "Think
and Grow Rich".

HAVE A CLEAR VISION: The more precise your vision of a
desired outcome, the higher the likelihood of it coming
true. This isn't new age-speak; it's been proven that high
achievers visualize their goals with more detail than
others. See what you want and see it clearly, then go out
and make it happen.

BE A POWER HOUSE: High achievers are uncompromisingly
relentlessness. They never quit. They never let the tough
times get them down. They work hard and they work smart and
when they're behind they work harder and smarter. High
achievers look for ways to do more, to add value over and
above the point at which others settle.

NEVER STOP GROWING: High achievers never settle. They
relish their successes and then they get right back in the
game. Like an elite athlete, a successful home based
business entrepreneur will honor the basics; they are
always in spring training looking for ways to improve, to
get stronger and to play at a higher level.

The world is full of seminars and books and CDs/DVDs
covering all manner of personal growth opportunities and
all of them are worth your time.

BRING ON THE COMPETITION: Champions respect their
competitors not as enemies, but as catalysts they can
leverage to push themselves to a higher level. Competition
keeps you sharp; it pushes you to look at yourself and your
business plan critically and to keep your focus in the face
of life's distractions.

SERVANT LEADERSHIP: Leadership is an earned right. High
achievers know that the best leaders bring out the winner
in everyone. They seek to serve rather than to be served,
to empower success by extending their vision to others.

Your relationships are a lifeline that connects you to your
dreams, so care for them as the most important element of
your business plan. Core values of respect, courtesy and
accountability, when combined, are the key to making sure
your lifeline remains strong and keeps you connected. Make
sure the mark you leave behind is a thing of beauty.

MAKE A PLAN: Your most important business asset is your
time. How you manage it determines your success as a home
based business entrepreneur and to make the most of every
day you need to prioritize.

Don't let details derail you, even when the bigger issues
seem daunting. Develop work habits that drive toward
efficiency and have the discipline to understand the
hierarchy of value relative to what must be accomplished.

NEVER MAKE EXCUSES: Stuff happens, that's just part of
life. The first step in recovery from any set-back is
acknowledgement and the facing of reality.

Learn from your mistakes and those of others. Look upon
adversity as an opportunity for growth and change. Hold
your head high and get back in the game, knowing that
nothing can stop you.

NEVER SETTLE: Good isn't good enough any more. When you
strive to be the best, you have to be better than good.
Being good is a seductive enemy because it lures you into a
state of complacency. At best, good is a stepping stone
toward excellence and excellence is a stepping stone toward
becoming the best.

DREAM ON: It takes courage to dream. Dreams are the
foundation of high achievement and while dreams alone are
not enough, they empower action with purpose and drive.

Are you simply the best? Hopefully your answer is no, not
yet. Because there's always a higher level to be attained
and outstanding achievers harness the power of these
fundamentals to go there.

Choose to be one of them. Choose to honor these basic
principles of success. Dream big, work smart, and never say
never.

----------------------------------------------------
Chris Curwen has recently teamed with the direct marketing
giant, Jay Kubassek, who together are seeking ambitious and
willing entrepreneurs of any age or past experience, to
join them on their mission to create real prosperity and
true financial freedom - AT LEAST 100 millionaires over the
next 3-5 years. What if YOU could be one of them?
Go to: http://www.FreedomThroughAction.com for more details
on this unique online business opportunity.

You want to succeed online, but........

You want to succeed online, but........
The true fact is that there are plenty of ways to earn and
make money online from home in an honest and legitimate
ways. Many people are doing very well. In fact, thousands
and thousands are doing very well with their internet
businesses. Individuals are selling software programs,
weight loss programs,network marketing, at home income
opportunities, or other people's affiliate programs.

OK, so a person finds a good way to make money online. He
then comes across a work at home opportunity that gives him
everything he needs to succeed online. And I do mean
everything. I have been online now for over 5 years and can
tell you that there are good and solid programs that teach
you how to earn a great income on the internet. They
literally give you all the tools necessary to make a nice
living online.

In this article I want to go into why so many have failed
where great opportunities have surrounded them for so long.

1. "I want to succeed online so bad, but, I don't have the
money...."

This is one of the biggest obstacles that people face all
the time. Lack of funds is one of the reasons why people
never make it in a work from home business opportunity. If
you want to make it and succeed on the web or in any
business, you will need to somehow find those funds. Sure,
it is not easy to find that money, but you will need to do
that if you want to succeed in your business. Money excuses
will not help you make more.

2. "I have to succeed with this business, but I don't want
to work too hard..."

I see a lot of people want to succeed with their work at
home based business, but the one thing that amazes me is
that not everyone wants to work their tale off to make
their at home business a success. Many think that they will
just buy into a program, do a little work which won't
interfere with their daily routines, and make it big.

If you ever heard about people making automatic money from
home online, don't think that they have not worked hard
when they first started. They had to set up their website,
add good and solid programs to it. They had to set up an
autoresponder with follow up emails in it. Set up major
search engine ads, and much more. They actually worked very
hard to do all that.These same people are now internet
marketing success stories.

3. "I want to make it big and succeed, but no one in my
family and friends support me..."

This has happened to the many of us who are succeeding on
the world wide web. Just know that when you first start,
this will be the hardest time of all. You are not familiar
and don't have the knowledge like the work at home online
"gurus' have. You may be a little confused. And worst of
all, your family and friends actually laugh and tell you
that you are wasting your time. This can be a tough
situation for someone new since family and friends do have
a strong influence on you, right?.

4. "I want to make money online, but I want it to be fast
and easy money..."

There are people who are looking to make it big online in
the fastest way possible. I hope that you are not one of
them. I am here to tell you that those people who are
looking for a get rich quick program, never make any money
online and quit very fast. They have this attitude of
getting "something for nothing" which means seeing good
results for no effort on their part.

The best advice that I can give you today is to talk less
about your new business. Do the necessary work that is
outlined in the program that you have joined. Take action
everyday, read and listen to motivational books and tapes,
and never give up no matter what.

Making a strong commitment to succeeding can help you when
things don't always go your way.

So go out there, find a good and solid work from home
program, and do what ever it takes to succeed and you too
will become the next internet success story.

----------------------------------------------------
Tal Fighel is inviting you to visit this Legitimate get
Paid to take online Surveys Program
http://www.work-at-home-income-directory.com/MPS.html Or
visit his Work At Home "TOP PICKS" webssite where is his
offering legitimate and honest work at home opportunities:
http://www.work-at-home-income-directory.com

Small Business Loans: 10 Step Guide to Getting Your Commercial Loans Denied

Small Business Loans: 10 Step Guide to Getting Your Commercial Loans Denied
As a small business owner, real estate developer, stock
market investor or ebay power seller, obtaining money to
start, expand or buy inventory can be an immense challenge
in today's business arena. There is some amount of
preparation that must be done from the very beginning.

It makes absolutely no sense to dream about your business
venture and then go about implementing it without a well
constructed plan. However, that is what thousands of
potential business owners do everyday and then they wonder
with great surprise as to why they fail at what they are
striving to accomplish.

So, I have the perfect solution. If you really don't want
to take the time to put this loan or credit line proposal
together the correct way, let me save you valuable time by
showing you the "express freeway" to getting your business
loans denied in only 10 simple steps.

10. News flash: Banks and credit unions are not in the
business to make loans. So, be afraid to ask for business
funding. But if you insist on asking, make sure you pick a
bank that is unfamiliar with your industry, preferably one
who has never loaned money to a business similar to yours.
Come on. Use uncommon sense.

9. When arriving, go in and "wing it." There is no need for
preparation. Take nothing with you to substantiate the
funding you are requesting and you are guaranteed to get a
quick, no-hassle non-interview with the loan officer. They
might share a laugh or two about you.

8. When in the loan interview, don't ask any questions. In
fact, don't even answer any questions they may ask. On the
other hand, if you are compelled to speak, this would be
the perfect time to verbally show how ignorant and
unprepared you really are about the whole lending process.

7. Your demeanor or attitude is not important. Portray
yourself as the apologetic loser you really are because,
let's face it, there are always other banks down the street
where you can always bore to death and take advantage of.
Don't tell me this is not a major image booster.

6. Dress casual. What does this mean? Suits are out. Ties
are too formal. Dress as if you were going to a family
reunion or to McDonald's. Shorts and sandals make for an
exceedingly successful impression.

5. Now here's a tricky one. When submitting loan
information, the best thing to do is to stretch the truth.
Let's face it... lenders never waste their time by
substantiating facts on an application. So, by all means
exaggerate until your hearts content.

4. And for heavens sake, don't worry about being neat. It's
overrated. Your loan application doesn't have to be legible
to be approved. Why take the unnecessary time and energy in
typing your application. I always find it convenient
carrying an extra crayon, preferably a blue one in my handy
dandy pocket.

3. Allow the loan officer to push you around and be
somewhat disrespectful. But hold your ground at the end by
forcing the banker to give you a preliminary decision on
the approval of your loan even though your application may
not be finished.

2. One of the most important ideas to convey is to make
sure they clearly understand that there are NO risks
involved with lending or extending credit lines to you and
your business today. Remember that bankers are not the
'sharpest tools in the shed.' If you tell them 'this is a
sure thing', they'll believe you. Why wouldn't they.

(Drum roll please...)

And finally, the last in our Top Ten - 1. Murphy's law
states... the first loan is always the easiest to get. Who
cares if they don't know you and you don't have an account
with them. Apply anyway. And always ask for more money than
needed. It probably wouldn't hurt to take them to dinner or
slip them a $5 bill. This can only help in getting your
huge commercial loan or unsecured business credit line
approved.

While there are many more areas that we could discuss, this
10 step guide as to what NOT to do when it comes to
approaching banks for business or investment funds. Of
course, I cannot think of one good reason why you wouldn't
get denied by any bank by simply using these foolish
amateur tactics.

But if any of this goes against all grains of sanity and
you still possess the crazy idea that you could be one of
the few, the proud who would get an approval for these
unsecured credit lines and business loans, then contact us
if you must.

Although we probably have more important things to attend
to, we will make occasional allowances in assisting you
dreamers who want to apply for a commercial loan the "right
way." Go figure...

----------------------------------------------------
Unsecured business credit lines and commercial loans enable
small business owners to access cash as needed to expand
their successful business or even start a new business.
Real estate and stock market investors would excel
unbelievably well with these type of credit lines. Read
this banker's blog now.
http://unsecuredbusinesscreditlines.com

Managerial Ethics

Managerial Ethics
Managerial ethics illustrate a rather sensitive issue. The
recent business history has proven ethics as a rather
challenging objective of larger organizations. The
following topics / views may illustrate fundamental issues
in the current debate. The current competing views include
"Maximize Profit" and "society's welfare" .

Maximizing profits illustrate the greatest commitment to
shareholder and stakeholders. In this particular theory,
the managerial staff is only committed to maximize the
bottom-line in terms of profit: a mean to an end in order
to achieve the highest possible profits. Society's welfare
illustrates a common goods approach.

In this particular approach managerial staff attempts to
achieve a balance between the bottom-line and social
welfare of the society and employees. It is of great
interest to explore the theoretical aspects of managerial
issues and compare them to real practices.

The two above name theories assume that managerial issues
are constrained and objective; stakeholders vs. society. On
the other hand, the reality proves a rather multi
dimensional reality; stakeholders vs. society vs. culture
vs. religion vs. politics vs. diversity vs. personality vs.
globalization vs. many other unpredictable factors.
Further, both of theories appear to be better suited for
larger organizations: small businesses encounter more
immediate issues such as revenue and cash flow rather than
managerial ethics.

Most small businesses ran by savvy business people are less
concerned about ethics. Out of extensive experience in
consulting small businesses, I can confidentially stat that
I have never met a small business owner that was not
willing to take unethical actions in order to maximize
profits. Given the fact that this is not a scientific
statement, it is important to view this statement in terms
of personal experiences, which conflicts with the academic
management practices.

Moreover, there is more to the issue of ethics. Given the
fact that both competing theories consider some sort of
managerial responsibility to some one or some group,
illustrates a major weakness of both theories. Both
theories fail to point to the necessity of "perception". It
is hypocritical to expect only one segment of a society
i.e. businesses to create value or consider societal
consequences.

Thus, most business simply attempt to create a perception
of societal responsibilities rather than genuine concerns
In terms of creating profits, it is important to understand
that in practical terms, it is difficult to create social
awareness or consider social issues without being able to
prove their value to the business shareholder or
stakeholder. Thus, any managers' first priority should be
profits, Once the objective of achieving the highest
possible profits have been achieved, an organization can
effort to pursue alternate goals of societal concerns and
improvement.Some people may argue that societal benefits /
concerns may have a direct influence on the bottom line of
any given business.

However, it is important to point to the fact that it is
extremely difficult to quantify the direct impact of
societal charity work on corporate profits. It is merely
possible to use anecdotal and qualitative data in order to
assign arbitrary real value to such social actions.

Ultimately, it is important to consider the main goal of
any given company i.e. profits. It is further important to
allow for businesses to pursue and achieve their goals
before they can be expected to become beneficial corporate
citizens.

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Managerial Ethics
http://www.totalqualityassuranceservice.com/

How To Upsell & Cross-Sell To Achieve Rapid Sales Growth

How To Upsell & Cross-Sell To Achieve Rapid Sales Growth
January has been a busy month of sales seminars, sales
training and motivational speeches so I hadn't had any time
to think what I was going to write about this week until
about half an hour ago...

I was sat at my PC in my home office, tidying up some
emails when one of my good friends called. It's been a
while since I have spoken to him so I was delighted to hear
from him. After a quick catch up we quickly focused our
attentions onto setting the world to rights! He said that
he has something he thought I would be interested in
hearing...

This story starts with my friend's 18 year old son who is
currently enjoying a gap year, getting his head down and
working. He has a job in major UK supermarket and he is
really enjoying it.

Based in South West London the store he is working in is
busy, affluent and diverse. It's not huge but it's a decent
size. They have around about 150 staff and shifts would
mean that at any one time there might be 40 or more people
working in the store.

Like most retailers the store chain in question are keen on
their customers owning and using store cards. This creates
loyalty, allows the store to compile details on personal
shopping habits and group trends and, perhaps most
importantly, allows them to extend credit to their
customers.

And as any business who has cards like these knows,
customers on credit are worth far more than those paying
cash!

So back to our little store...

Like most stores they have targets and goals and their most
recent "push" is on encouraging customers to sign up for
more store cards. Each member of staff, whether
individually or as a group, is trained to "upsell" these
cards and are then let loose on the customers. Not
particularly ambitious, their target number of take ups is
4 cards per week... for the whole store.

So for the next week our young hero, despite not being on
the till much of the time, asked every customer he could if
they would sign up. Despite his lack of experience or
formal sales training and techniques our hero signed up...
18, in one week. Now I have to admit that I have no idea
how this rates or how many you or I would have signed up
but it is obviously well over the target of 4 that was set
for the whole store.

At the end of the week our young salesperson goes on his
holidays, returning two weeks later to find out that in his
absence the whole store, 150 people remember, have upsold
exactly ... zero.

Zero in 2 weeks. So what do we learn from this?

1. Upselling and cross-selling to existing clients is
critical if you want to sell more and make more money.

Clients who have already bought off you, who are in a
buying mood and who believe in and see value in what you do
are great prospects for upselling and cross-selling. There
is every possibility that they will buy something else if
you make it known to them.

I remember as a young salesman one of my best clients
buying something off someone else. I rang him to ask why he
had not bought from me and he told me that he would have
but that he was unaware that I could help in this area!
Ouch! I never made that mistake again!

2. Know what you can upsell and cross-sell.

Up to date knowledge of what you can upsell is critical.
Upselling the wrong or irrelevant products or services will
just alienate your clients. Upselling and cross-selling the
right stuff at the right time is your duty. How many times
have you bought something only to get it home and realise
that you wish you had bought the more expensive option
because it has features or benefits that you would have
preferred. If only the salesperson had told you about it!

A reader rang me yesterday to tell me that he was running a
short training session on upselling. The first thing that
he had done was outline for his team all of the options
they had for upselling and how these would benefit the
client. This knowledge is critical if you want to maximise
your sales.

3. Make sure that you ask.

Perhaps the biggest block to upselling is that salespeople
do not ask. Maybe they feel scared. Perhaps they feel
cheeky. Maybe they think that they don't have the right.
Perhaps they "already know" that the client will say, "No".

Whatever! The biggest problem with upselling, as with
asking for referrals, is that most salespeople quite simply
just do not ask.

Call it the McDonalds affect if you like... you have to
ask! They upsell on everything and they get a lot of "Nos"
but they also get a lot of "Yeses"! You need to make just
asking part of your sales process too. You could
significantly increase your sales results over night.

Yesterday morning I met my sister and her kids in the
afternoon. I only wanted a cup of tea. As I ordered the
woman said, "I've just baked some home-made scones. They're
still warm. Can you smell them? Would you like one whilst
they're still warm?"

"Yes please". An easy sale!

4. Learn how to "ask" properly.

Once you know the benefits of upselling and cross-selling,
know what to upsell and commit to asking you need to
improve your upselling techniques. McDonalds ask if you
want a bigger drink or fries but they have no idea whether
you are thirsty or hungry or neither. That's fine in
Mcdonalds, they don't have the time but you do. And you
have the relationships to do this too.

As you are selling ask questions that uncover the need for
an upsale. They needn't be complex but they do make a huge
difference to the relevancy of your upsell and the final
result.

When booking keynotes I don't just suggest that people buy
the books or audios as well, I ask a few questions first to
identify what exactly is needed and how it would add
benefit for my client.

5. Keep it simple.

I've said it before and I will say it again but 80% of
selling is about turning up, maintaining the right attitude
and playing the game.

Many salespeople walk in to my seminars and demand the
advanced stuff because they are so experienced yet, when
you follow them around, they have forgotten or are not
doing many sales basics.

Without the basics you are screwed!

My friend's son may not know the intricacies of selling
yet. He may not have the skills or the experience. He may
not be as subtle, as sophisticated nor as cunning as his
more experienced friends yet. But subtlety, experience and
cunning are no substitute for action and if he keeps on
taking action he will outsell his more established but less
proactive peers.

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To find out more about author and motivational speaker
Gavin Ingham and to join his free Sales Success newsletter
visit http://www.gaviningham.com now.