Rising Concerns For The Gurus,

Rising Concerns For The Gurus,
More and More Beginners are discovering the secrets to
Making Money online without spending money on dozens of
programs to help create their new venture, this is leaving
a big hole in the once so fat wallets of the Gurus who
promote hundreds of different products and take beginners
in thousands of different directions. Thanks to the program
that offers 95% of all the work done for beginners, we can
now consider a lot of material online as "passé".

A misleading fact of making money online, is that almost
everyone wants you to believe its real easy and takes no
time at all, hoping you will open your wallet to the next
big product. Lets face it, if the experts gave you their
secrets, then you would become their competitor and not
their customer. A lot of beginners are now realizing the
power of a test drive (a trial period) and a money back
guarantee, as opposed to a once so popular "this will make
you rich program".

Now easier it has become, but time is still the area of
concern for most beginners who understand the value of
planning and creating a daily step by step system for
themselves to follow. One of the true paths to success and
financial freedom can be achieved by giving the hands on
approach which has been around for years and is now finally
starting to lead the way for so many people. Dreams really
can and are coming true all over the web for so many new
beginners who enjoy a challenge by taking a 30 day free
trial to see if it is what they want to do or if they
should move on.

People are talking more and more about how to get things
done now, and less about what you will need next, which may
or may not help if your just starting out. With 95% of all
the work already completed, the serious beginners find
themselves armed with an entire line of unparallel products
to promote. All the materials provided are just like the
ones the experts use e.g., squeeze pages, pre-sale pages,
sales pages, PDF reports, e-mail campaigns, solo ads and so
on.

It is saving beginners hundreds, even thousands of dollars
while helping them build there own list. The time saved by
creating all their needed essentials for achieving success
online is unbelievable (from weeks to months in some
cases). It is leading the way for the future and it is
leaving more time on the table for taking the guesswork out
of what they need to do to achieve success.

----------------------------------------------------
For the beginners looking for stability and consistency.
See what one Guru did without consulting the others to
stand out and help you. To receive more information :
http://viralurl.com/E_Trusted/Your-List

Root Cause - It Takes Some Digging to Find It

Root Cause - It Takes Some Digging to Find It
Quality programs, such as QS 9000, common to the automotive
industry, use the concept of root cause analysis in problem
solving. The person new to the system is frequently tempted
to quickly jump at the answer without depth of
investigation. A quality review that discovers quick
assumptions being made by management will uncover this
weakness in company operations.

Quality programs have been the way of life for operations
in the aviation manufacturing business since WWII, but it
has spilled over into other industries in modern times.
Quality companies seeking certification under quality
programs such as ISO 9000 will have to learn the discipline
of digging for the root cause. For example, an airliner
crashes, and on the surface it appears to be pilot error,
frequently the first assumption made by the FAA. The crash
investigation team knows better. There is much digging to
be done.

In the industrial setting, a quality certified operation
demands the discipline of root cause analysis. For
example, a manufacturer of car seat actuators was
challenged by an annual cost reduction challenge, which is
common to automotive operations. The cost reduction
challenge was passed down to the gear manufacturer, a
subcontractor, and the gear manufacturer sought ways to
reduce material cost. One common approach is to go offshore
with material and/or manufacturing requirements. Since
changing the source of material and manufacturing requires
prequalifying the new source, samples of the offshore
products need to be cycled through the engineering,
manufacturing, and quality operations. Testing, similar to
the original qualification testing, needs to be repeated.
This is the normal course of events when developing
alternate sources.

If the new parts performance measure up to original parts
performance, then the new source is qualified, and parts
can now be sourced from off shore. The other possible
outcome is that there are significant shortcomings in the
new parts, and the offshore source needs to be sidelined
until quality issues are cleared up. Proceeding without
prequalifying testing could cause havoc in the field. The
following is a possible scenario that reflects lack of
quality discipline.

The new source of gears is accepted without
prequalification testing, and the new parts are built into
the product. The seat actuators are shipped worldwide, and
they are installed into sedans and vans representing the
spectrum of vehicles all the way up to luxury cars. Then
there is a rash of part failure across the board ' in some
cases with serious injuries resulting. The sales outlet
CEO is screaming; the parent organization officers are
screaming; the domestic original product manufacturer is
embarrassed, and they are eager to help.

Root cause analysis is brought into play. The new products
are collected and sidelined for belated qualification
testing. The original source production line is reactivated
to produce qualified products, and the pipeline is filled
with originally qualified products. Meanwhile, the new
assemblies made from unqualified parts are cycled through
the qualification testing series. Notable differences are
found in the performance of new actuators, and the new
source is condemned.

The chain of events can be summarized as follows: Seat
failure BECAUSE OF actuator failure BECAUSE OF gear
failure BECAUSE OF unqualified source BECAUSE OF failure to
prequalify: ROOT CAUSE

This case is fairly transparent, but most of the time the
root cause of failure is elusive, and it takes detective
work to get to the source of the problem. It could require
a cycle of analysis / testing / re-analysis, etc. In most
real world situations it requires a team effort to clear up
a problem. It's worth every effort because the future of
the company and jobs is at stake. It is not for the faint
hearted.

----------------------------------------------------
For more management and leadership articles and
anti-leadership from The Crass Captain, visit
http://www.CrassCaptain.com . Find Christine Casey-Cooper's
new book, entitled The Crass Captain's Guide to
Organizational Dysfunction, on Amazon soon.

Coaching and alcoholism

Coaching and alcoholism
When I train managers as coaches I always warn them to
respect the power of coaching questions and to recognize
the possibility that what starts as an innocuous, business
related conversation, may lead to the unveiling of a deeper
issue. Coaching managers would be advised to develop at
least a little insight into the signs of abnormal
psychology. Consider for example, alcoholism and drug
addiction.

To begin with, a few definitions:

Addiction

Repeated consumption of a substance on which the user has
become physically or psychologically dependent.

Physical Dependence

A state in which the body has adjusted to the substance.

Tolerance

A process of adjustment where the body needs increasing
doses to achieve the same effect.

Withdrawal

The unpleasant side effects when use of a substance is
discontinued.

Psychological Dependence

A compulsion to use a substance for its pleasant effect.

Griffiths (1995) proposed that addictive behaviour has 6
elements:

Salience

How important the behaviour becomes.

Euphoria

The rush or high produced by the behaviour.

Tolerance

How much is required to produce the desired effect?

Withdrawal

What happens when the addictive behaviour stops?

Conflict

The conflict which can be felt internally or amongst an
addict's social group

Relapse

The propensity to resume the addictive behaviour.

Let's now consider some of the factors surrounding alcohol
abuse:

Who?

Generally anyone although it is often prominent amongst the
higher social classes with well paid jobs and usually
during so called middle-age.

Why?

There are many reasons for alcohol abuse. There are social
factors such as celebration or 'drowning your sorrows',
psychological factors and also particular genetic
predispositions.

We might also consider the similar aspects of drug abuse:

Who?

Again the tendency is for drug abuse to start in
adolescence. Sadly this can often begin with a perfectly
valid prescription from a doctor for tranquillizers or
barbiturates.

Why?

This seems to be a combination of availability and social
learning.

It is interesting to note that of all the conditions within
'abnormal psychology' it is often alcohol and drug abuse
which receive the most sympathy. Our media is awash with
concern for the Robert Downeys and Amy Winehouses yet
screams for the life long incarceration of all
schizophrenics at the same time. Yet which of these two
groups of sufferers is more responsible for their
conditions?

What then of the coaching manager who uncovers these signs
when coaching around workload management or time keeping?
Best advice would seem to be to keep to good coaching
principles. Ask questions designed to raise awareness,
generate responsibility and build trust then listen
carefully and attentively to the responses. This is highly
unlikely to make things worse and may actually do quite a
lot of good.

After that, it's a question of referring the coachee to the
relevant professional. For this reason I recommend that all
coaching managers familiarize themselves with their
organization's welfare procedure.

----------------------------------------------------
Matt Somers is a coaching practitioner of many years'
experience. He works with a host of clients in North East
England where his firm is based and throughout the UK and
Europe. Matt understands that people are working with their
true potential locked away. He shows how coaching provides
a simple yet elegant key to this lock. For a bumper load of
coaching tips and tricks - including FREE resources - visit
http://www.mattsomers.com

Why a Success Coach?

Why a Success Coach?
A coach is someone who helps clients discover his dreams
and goals, his values, his priorities and his boundaries. A
coach rarely offers advice on what to do; her role is to
lead the client to identify the problem, the options and to
choose a solution. A coach asks questions ' especially the
tough ones. What are you afraid of? Who is waiting for you?
What is it that you don't want to tell me?

A coach is on the journey with the client sharing
victories, experiencing challenges, resourcing solutions
together.

As the teacher, or the coach, you also have to be a
student. You are on a continuous learning path. In fact, it
is in the process of coaching that you learn the most.

People who want to be schoolteachers need to learn how to
teach. If you're going to be a success coach, doing your
best won't be enough. You need to learn how to coach. You
need some skills.

If you start to coach without creating a foundation, you're
still likely to have success in the beginning. That success
comes from your excitement, your energy, and your ability
to transfer that excitement to others. Their lives will
improve simply because they're paying attention. Yet what
happens when six months or a year passes by and all of a
sudden the results drop off, and you don't know why. It
will be because you don't have a system.

You won't be an expert or an authority in every area you
discuss. As a success coach, what you will do is help
others find their own answers, silently companioning them.
It's not my job to tell my client what to do with his life,
but it is my job to help him find out for himself what to
do to take his life to the next level.

Do you want to be a good student? Then be a good coach.

Whether you think you want to be a coach or not, you should
be. Enter into the business of coaching ' it will benefit
your life; it will be the catalyst for you to step into
greatness. When you learn to coach others, you become the
best student of all. As you coach from within yourself,
outside of yourself, you often come up with solutions for
your own issues while helping others discover theirs.

As you go become a coach, you'll learn to be flexible, and
you'll coach in areas that you may know nothing about. And
that's perfect because you don't need to know content, you
just need to know people. You're an expert on people,
because you are one! You are on the outside looking in. You
have a perspective that your client doesn't have.

A coach is the bridge between information and action. There
is a difference between knowing and doing. Some people have
the solutions to their problems, but lack the impetus to
get going. Some have the solutions and aren't aware. And
some need guidance in discovering the answers they seek.
But answers alone are not enough. Solutions without action
result in the same outcome as not having the solution at
all.

You, as the coach, believe more in your client than she
believes in herself. You see her as perfect. You see the
obstacles behind which lie her successes and you lead her
around, over and through those obstacles.

You guide your client through the discovery process. You
create a system of accountability to help the client take
action on his discoveries.

Coaching is about being real. Dealing with what is, rather
than what isn't. Developing a bond of trust. It is about
opening up to each other.

Coaching is also about knowing yourself. So much of
coaching is based on instinct, and questions, and internal
examination. If you're not on a journey of
self-examination, you're not in tune with yourself, and
you're not congruent with what you're asking of your
clients.

You need to get real with yourself - know your strengths,
and your challenges. Know your personality - how are you
likely to act, to react, to choose to do work. Know your
striving instincts to get work done. Know your skill base.
Know your limitations, and where to get resources.

When clients are looking for a coach in their lives, a life
coach, a success coach, they're putting their dreams in
your hands. They trust you with their lives, their hopes.
It's not something they choose lightly ' there is a lot at
stake in giving you that trust. It's not what they stand to
lose that scares them. It's what they stand to gain by
choosing the right person to guide them.

You will create miracles. Miracles happen all the time,
although we don't always identify them in that way. You've
heard stories about life-changing experiences. The help you
give can change your client's life. A miracle is a shift in
perception. All you have to do is shift someone's
perception of the way she sees her life or the way she
approaches certain things, and a miracle happens. One
minute she's literally going off the road; the next, you
have picked her up, set her going in a new direction and
her life is changed forever. And you will do it again and
again.

----------------------------------------------------
Shelley Herzog is co-author of How to Coach A Fish: 12
Weeks of Incredible Coaching. Known as the Wealthy Coach,
she helps life & business coaches create lucrative coaching
practices quickly & easily. For more information, go to
http://www.TheWealthyCoach.com .

Organizing For Top Results: The Foundation of a Fast, Successful Job Search

Organizing For Top Results: The Foundation of a Fast, Successful Job Search
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average
length of unemployment is about 18 weeks. But this
statistic accounts for all industries, sectors, and
professional levels. While you may be one of the lucky few,
other statistics indicate that the average job search for a
professional or mid-manager can take six months (25-26
weeks) or more. Of course, if you are changing careers,
your job search may be even longer. And if you are
currently employed, your search will often take longer
simply because you have less time to devote to it.

Clearly, for most professionals, the days of just going
through the Sunday paper and sending out a few resumes is
over. Today, conducting a multi-pronged search is critical.
While the individual techniques and tactics of job
searching are relatively simple, there are multiple steps
you have to take, often simultaneously, and you will be
dealing with massive amounts of information. Unless you
find a way to keep this information organized in an easily
maintained and managed system, you can quickly become
overwhelmed, bogged down, and confused. If you let yourself
get caught up in the details, you can easily lose sight of
the big picture and lose momentum. An organized plan and
system will help keep you motivated, moving forward, and
focused on achieving the ultimate goal.

In this excerpt from "Secrets of a Successful Job Search: 7
Simple Steps to Land the Job You Want in Half the Time," I
will describe a simple, easy-to-maintain system that you
can begin using today to immediately improve the efficiency
and productivity of your job search.

The 4 Major Job Search Phases

In the overall job search process, there are essentially
four key phases:

1) Option evaluation, goal setting & campaign planning

2) Job search & follow-up campaign

3) Job offers & negotiations

4) Accept and begin new job

At the start of your search, it is essential to create a
system to schedule, track, and log all of your activities
for the first three phases. At the very least, you need a
calendaring system, a system of logging inter-related and
follow-up activities, a contact management system, and a
filing system. Create the Ultimate Job Search Filing System
The foundation of your organizational system will be your
filing system. It is possible to do this on your computer,
to use a traditional filing method, or to use a large
three-ring binder. Because it allows you to physically pick
it up and carry it with you anywhere, I actually prefer the
three-ring binder method, so that is what I will describe
in this article. But if you prefer one of the other
methods, just adapt these suggestions accordingly. Before
you go any further, I suggest going out and buying a large
three-ring binder right now. A large-capacity one like a 4
or 5 inch will be easiest. You will also need some tab
sheets to label the sections. Some hole-punched pocket
sheets that allow you to store loose sheets of paper and
computer disks would also be really helpful. Now you will
want to use the tabs to create 9 categories:

1) Career Vision & Job Target

Begin your filing system by including a very clear written
statement of your current job target in a divided section
named "Career Vision & Job Target." You should also include
a written copy of your Personal Branding Statement. In this
same binder, you can keep copies of any assessments you may
have completed recently or in the past, to help you in
setting your career goals. This is also the place where
you will want to keep references, printouts, or copies of
any industry or profession-related articles or research
related to your job target.

2) Career Marketing Documents

In this section, store clean master copies of your resume,
biography, all job search letters and correspondence, a
list of references, a salary history, and any other
documents that you might use in your search. This is also a
good place to keep letters of reference written for you by
others, copies of awards, educational transcripts, training
certificates, and any other documents supporting and
proving your qualifications.

3) Company & Industry Research

This section is a great place keep printouts or copies of
any articles or other research that you have collected on
companies that interest you and that you have targeted or
plan to target during your search. This is also a good
place to store research on industry trends and competitive
data of relevance to these companies.

4) Job Advertisements

While you should keep more detailed activity logs
elsewhere, in the Job Advertisements section of your filing
binder, you should keep a copy of every ad you have
answered along with some basic notes about the date you
responded and the documents that you sent.

5) Internet Job Searching

The Internet Job Searching section is a perfect place to
keep records of the websites you are using in your job
search, places where you have posted your resume, and any
passwords and user names associated with the sites.

6) Networking & Referrals

Again, you should keep more thorough records and logs
elsewhere, but the Networking and Referrals section is a
good place to keep a hard-copy printout of your networking
address book along with any notes of information you want
to remember in relation to particular individuals.

7) Recruiters & Agencies

In the recruiters and agencies section, you should keep
detailed notes about every headhunter firm or job search
agency you have worked with or contacted.

8) Interview Preparation

The interview preparation section can be used to keep all
of the notes you will accumulate as you prepare for
interviews. This is also a good place to keep notes on
questions you want to ask during interviews and notes about
interviews you have been on.

9) Salary Research

In the Salary Research section, you can keep data and
research you have collected to help you define your own
market value and to prepare for salary negotiations once
you have been offered a job.

In short, this binder gives you the ability to store all of
the documentation related to your job search in one central
place. Keeping accurate, up-to-date records of your job
search activities, logs of contacts you have made, and
step-by-step, calendared plans of the activities you must
complete in order to reach your job search goals will pay
you back for your effort multiple times over through a
faster and more successful job search. By creating a plan
and system for your job search, you will always know where
to focus your attention and what you should be doing next.

But remember, while this step of getting organized and
creating your job search system is a critically important
one, you must remember to NOT get bogged down. It is
important to be organized but it is also critical that you
get started on your search. Don't let not having a perfect
system prevent you from moving forward. At the most, spend
just a couple of days establishing your organizational
system.

----------------------------------------------------
Nationally certified resume writer and career marketing
expert, Michelle Dumas is the director of Distinctive
Career Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents
http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her Executive VIP
Services http://www.100kcareermarketing.com

Michelle has
empowered thousands of professionals all across the U.S.
and worldwide. Michelle is also the author of Secrets of a
Successful Job Search http://www.job-search-secrets.com

How Printing Smartly Will Boost Your Business Profitability And Help The Environment

How Printing Smartly Will Boost Your Business Profitability And Help The Environment
It is a sad and surprising fact that over 80% of office
workers haven't been trained to use their office printer.
By making simple changes to office printing, you can make a
big difference to office efficiency and therefore to
business profitability.

The features on modern printers and multifunctional devices
(offering copying and scanning as well as print facilities,
for example) are designed to save time and money,
increasing business efficiency and staff productivity
whilst reducing waste.

When used in the correct way, a printer can be an asset to
any company, but unless businesses make use of the
available technology and implement internal printing
policies, this money-saving potential will never be
realised.

Recent research has found that in spite of 89 per cent of
workers feeling they still need to print to work
effectively. Thus if costs are to be controlled, it is
essential to implement a printing code of practice for your
business.

All businesses are constantly looking to cut costs and
improve performance. An often-neglected area for business
owners and managers are the costs of the waste caused by
poor printer usage and the invisible cost of lost staff
time? .

Here is an obvious one: major savings can be made by
printing on both sides of the page - but only six per cent
of employers surveyed in recent surveys said their
businesses regularly use both sides of the paper when
printing. Research also shows that perhaps 58 per cent of
small businesses don't even have the facility to print on
both sides!

Double-sided printing potentially halves the paper
consumption of a business ' and so these findings are a
surprise. But hopefully, with the number of printers with
double sided-printing capability on the increase, it is to
be hoped that businesses will make sure staff know how to
use them.

And it's not just money that can be saved by using printers
in a smarter way. For example, these days it is a smart
move to consider a multifunctional device with a scan to
email function. This will allow staff to scan documents
directly to their email inbox to be saved or forwarded on
as required. The Some machines also feature a USB port that
allows documents to be printed directly from or scanned
directly to a USB memory stick - perfect for businesses
with staff that spend a lot of time on the road and away
from the office.

Avoiding waste wherever possible is always a smart idea.
Typical areas where wastage can be avoided is to break the
habit of draft printing for proof-reading and printing
emails. The waste that builds up from improper printer use
can be excessive.

Implementing a policy within your business that makes use
of printer functions and increases efficiency shouldn't be
difficult. It is certainly not a good idea just to assume
all members of staff know how to use every facility your
printer of multifunctional device offers

It is crucial to explain to staff why a few moment's
thought is so important when deciding to print or not to
print, and what it means to your business. Make sure your
printing policy is comprised of simple, easy to implement
steps. This can not only save money, but save time for your
staff and reduce the environmental impact of your
enterprise.

----------------------------------------------------
Jimi St. Pierre writes for a number of office systems
suppliers including Principal
(http://www.principalcorp.co.uk). Carrying out a Print
Survey will identify desireable or necessary changes in
policy and products . This is where specialist companies
such as Principal can help. Often these surveys can be
provided on a nil cost basis, and are your first step to
reducing print costs: so what are you waiting for?

An open letter to young managers

An open letter to young managers
An open letter to young managers

Dear (please put your name here .......................),

If you are a young manager, perhaps recently graduated,
then there's a good chance you are intelligent, confident
and ambitious - keen to make your mark in the world.
Chances are also high that you have high expectations of
both the job and the organization, and that you are quite
independent.

Additionally, if you have been promoted from within the
team, then no doubt you have some very good ideas on what
needs improving. Your own manager will see you as
innovative, technologically savvy and willing to learn. He
or she may have said to colleagues "My new team leader /
manager will be like a breath of fresh air for the team -
just what the doctor ordered."

All of your traits and characteristics are highly valued by
your employer - probably the reason you have been promoted
so quickly. Applied appropriately, they are very positive
characteristics to have and will ensure your success in
your new role.

On the downside, these same characteristics that are valued
so highly by your employer, may count for nothing with the
people you are about to manage. They did not appoint you.

Having worked with many experienced and not so experienced
managers, I have seen what leads to success and what can
impede success. Below are my nine principles for avoiding
career derailment. They are in my own personal priority
order and are what experienced managers call "learning how
to learn".

Priority #1: Give recognition to your people for good work
regularly. Find at least one of your team doing something
well every day and thank them specifically for what they
have done. This builds a positive culture within your team.

Priority #2: Ask for help when you need it. Use the
experience within your team. It's easy to think that "I'm
the manager. I'm supposed to know what I'm doing, so it
may make me look weak if I ask for help." There's only a
very slight difference between self confidence and
arrogance. The self confident manager says "I definitely
know there is an answer (somewhere) to this challenge or
problem." Whereas the arrogant manager says "I have the
answer to this challenge or problem".

Priority #3: Keep a Learning Journal. Jot down things in
a small pocket book that you think may be important. In
particular, when you do overcome a major challenge or
problem, take time to reflect (and record) - What was the
challenge? What did I do that worked well? What did I do
that did not work so well? What will I do differently next
time? Review your journal once a week on a designated day
and time. Make this a habit.

Priority #4: Avoid snap decisions. Certainly trust your
gut instinct, but before jumping into action, reflect - Is
this the best approach for this issue at this time? What
are some other alternatives?

Priority #5: Admit mistakes. The leadership research
suggests that all great leaders share one common trait -
they are willing to admit when they are wrong. Admitting
mistakes shows that you are human. It also builds trust
and respect.

Priority #6: Build your network. Look at the organisation
chart. Who are the successful managers? Who could
possibly be of help to you? Make sure you build a network
of colleagues from outside your team.

Priority #7: Be careful when giving negative feedback to
experienced staff. Make sure you get the words right - ask
them for their input in solving the issue or improving
their performance. If you have not had some training in
giving feedback, ask your manager or consult a good book.

Priority #8: Check your results. Once you have been in
the role for nine months, complete a 360 degree profile.
As well as getting feedback from your own manager and
perhaps informal feedback from others, you need to get an
accurate view of how you are performing as a manager. If
your organisation does not have a 360 process, see the link
at the end of this letter.

Priority #9: Find a mentor. Look for a manager within
your organisation whom everyone respects. Build a
relationship with that person. Over time, this friendship
should turn into a mentoring relationship. Mentoring takes
time - take yours!

One final piece of advice from an old, experienced manager.
You are young, energetic and have great potential to move
up the corporate ladder. The only thing you lack is
experience. In twelve months time, make sure that your
manager will be telling his / her colleagues "Yes, that was
a great decision I made promoting (put your name here
................). What a fabulous young leader he / she
is."

----------------------------------------------------
Bob Selden is the author of the newly published "What To Do
When You Become The Boss" ' a self help book for new
managers. He also coaches at the International Institute
for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland and the
Australian Graduate School of Management, Sydney. You can
contact Bob via http://www.whenyoubecometheboss.com/

Assess Your Company's Potential to Innovate with a New Business Model

Assess Your Company's Potential to Innovate with a New Business Model
Concepts are all well and fine, but what do these business
model innovation concepts potentially do for you? I want to
share some questions designed to help you apply what you
have been reading to your existing business.

What is your current business model?

If you offer many products and services, you may have more
than one. Understanding how you operate now will make it
easier to think about how you can improve upon the present.

In thinking about this question, you will find it helpful
to focus first on what benefits customers get from what you
provide. Also, consider what benefits the customers'
customers get through to the end user of the product or
service. In thinking about benefits, remember that
customers always want more and at a lower price. How does
your business model accomplish that for them?

As an example, let's consider the Folger's coffee business
at Procter & Gamble. That business is an industry leader in
providing coffee-based products to allow consumers to have
a tasty, comforting beverage at home that may or may not
stimulate them with caffeine. The products are sold
primarily through supermarkets, discounters, and warehouse
clubs.

Compare that with the Starbucks coffee business. Starbucks
primarily provides high-quality coffee and tea products
through a service in complex prepared forms in coffee bars
to also provide an enjoyable experience. The company
further offers roasted coffee beans as a product for tasty
experiences at other coffee bars and eat-away-from home
locales as well as for consumers to brew at home, so that
customers can always have the good-tasting products they
prefer.

The companies have two different business models that
provide different products, differing amounts of
experience, in different ways, and mostly in different
locations. Notice, however, that Folger's could have
innovated with the Starbucks business model before
Starbucks even existed as a company. The model already
existed in Europe, which is what helped stimulate the
Starbucks model.

Had Folger's done so, there would probably be only one
business model now in the industry. Interestingly, the two
businesses have started to compete directly with each
other's business models by offering prepackaged
coffee-based beverages that are manufactured and
distributed by others into normal beverage outlets.

What were the last five business models before the current
one?

Understanding the evolution of how you got to where you are
today often provides valuable insights into what new
business models would be most attractive in the future. The
forces that made those innovations work may still be around
today, or may have only been slightly changed.

Has your company had a process aimed at developing improved
business models?

New business processes almost always emerge from a
deliberate process of innovation. If your company has yet
to establish such a process, chances are higher that you
have a substantial backlog of opportunities for desirable
new business models.

If you have had or do have such a process, does it look at
business model innovation separately from product and
technological innovation?

Many companies see new products and technologies as the
only ways to provide increased benefits to customers and
end users. As the coffee discussion suggested, it can be
easier to add more value by turning a product into a
service than it is to focus only on improving the product
itself.

For example, General Food's Maxwell House division had
introduced flavored coffees conceptually like what you get
in a coffee bar in the early 1970s. Few would argue that
the taste and experience of these canned items are a match
for what is offered at a Starbucks or a coffee bar using
Starbucks products. Without a separate focus on new
business models (that may include new products and
technologies), you are probably missing most of your
opportunities.

When was the last time your company changed its business
model?

If the answer is more than two years ago, the odds favor
there being a current opportunity to implement an improved
business model.

How many times has the business model changed in your
industry in the last ten years?

If the answer is less than three times, there is probably
untapped potential for a new business model now.

How expensive is it for you to develop and test a new
business model?

The answer differs a lot from industry to industry. If the
costs are low, then you have very high potential to develop
an improved business model. You will face few internal
hurdles to doing the necessary early experimentation.
Conversely, if the costs are high, you will probably need
to create an improved way to develop business models that
is less expensive.

How risky is it for you to develop a test a new business
model?

For some companies, reputation is so important, for
example, that it is difficult to even test new things until
they are almost perfect. In other industries, working with
crude prototypes is the expectation.

What do you lose if your business model experiment fails in
all of the predictable ways that it could? If not very
much, what are you waiting for?

If much is at stake, consider ways to reduce the amount at
risk or the visibility of your flops. Early experiments
should be expected to create "learning" rather than
solutions, so you need to have a way to get your learning
on the cheap.

Copyright 2008 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 seven books including Adventures of an
Optimist, The Irresistible Growth Enterprise, and The
Ultimate Competitive Advantage. You can find free tips for
accomplishing 20 times more by registering at:
====> http://www.2000percentsolution.com .

Happy Customers Buy More

Happy Customers Buy More
Customer loyalty is critical for long term business success
in more ways than one. On the one hand happy customers buy
more, but just as importantly happy customers also
recommend your business to more people. I did an experiment
with my own business where I sent every new customer a
chocolate gift basket two days after they bought from me
with a note saying thank you for purchasing from Tyvar
Marketing, we hope you enjoy our service. This was a
completely unexpected gift as I had not mentioned it once
throughout the sales process. At the time I was testing to
see if a surprise gift would reduce my refund rate (which
it did, my refunds dropped from 10% to zero), but the most
interesting outcome which I hadn't predicted was that I
started receiving a large number of referrals from these
customers. My referrals for the months I ran this promotion
were more than ten times what they were normally.

At the time I was selling a high priced product so I could
afford to spend $80 on a gift basket but there are a lot of
businesses out there with lower margins, so I've written
this article to show you how you can give your customers
valuable gifts that bring a smile to their face and
ultimately sees them buying, more and referring your
business to more people for virtually zero outlay.

For this to make sense you must understand that there are a
lot of businesses out there looking for new customers.
These businesses know they have a good product and will get
a lot of repeat business if they can encourage people to
try their product or service, so they would be quite
willing to give you some FREE or heavily discounted
products for you to gift to your clients. This is a win-win
deal for both your business and their business. You
increase customer satisfaction and they gain exposure for
their business.

The simplest way to find businesses like these is to take
advantage of a free business listing on a Joint Venture
Directory such as www.1000Legs.com saying that you are
looking for FREE or discounted products to send your
clients as gifts. This will allow businesses which are
looking to promote their products to customers such as
yours, the chance to contact you with valuable gifting
offers.

You don't need to limit your gift sending to just new
customers, you can send gifts to ALL your customers. Send
them Christmas gifts, send them birthday gifts, Valentines
Day gifts, gifts to celebrate the years you've been in
business or just a random out of the blue gifts, to say
thank you for being a valued customer.

----------------------------------------------------
For more low cost marketing ideas try a FREE online
marketing analysis at http://www.the3WayWin.com

"Your KEY to Career Focused Success"

"Your KEY to Career Focused Success"
Everyone wants the key to a successful career, right? I
always did and I'm sure you do too. None of us want to be
left at the starting gait feeling disenchanted and broke.
Your career path is taking a trip down many different roads
hoping to make 'right' choices in the decision making
process.

Many times you may have made wrong turns in the road but
got back up again. Never, never, never give up is key to
your future success. None of us are guaranteed anything in
the workplace. Even when we've done great work and
exceeded all the usual expectations of the boss... we can
still get outsourced ' downsized or simply fired for no
good reason without recourse.

Get back up and go again. It's their loss for not having
you as a career employee. Your good attitude will carry you
on to the next level of success in your career path.
Nothing can stop you.

Only once in my long career was I fired from my position
but it turned out to be the BEST thing to happen for me...
and to their demise [failure].

You are the IN-CHARGE person to make decisions about your
future career path. Never let anyone tell you otherwise.
As you've heard before, if YOU don't do it then it'll never
get done... or no one is going to do it for you.

Each step or action you take is one move closer to your
career journey arrival... it's like a road map on your way
to your destination.

Over and over.... it's all about TAKING ACTION. Everything
you read is... "losers wait for a miracle while the action
taker gets the job."

Which one are you? Are you a procrastinator? Are you
unwilling to take responsibility for yourself or to care
enough to get going now?

Success may mean making 100 phone calls; 200 resumes sent
into the marketplace; 20 interviews may be in your future
to arrive at your new career position... does it matter?
Not really if you get the end results desired.

Your #1 goal is to have SUCCESS in the search for your
Dream Job. Do not let anything or anyone get you
sidetracked. It's all about FOCUS, so if you have ADHD or
ADD... get professional help. There's nothing wrong with
asking for guidance in your career search.

Methods change - there are some who use VIDEOS - audio -
the latest in marketing techniques to promote YOU to a
possible new employer. There's NO guarantee that one idea
or method will work better than any of the others.

DO something EVERYDAY. It may even be the wrong "something"
but better than sitting around feeling sorry for yourself
and wasting valuable time.

You're losing income every day of unemployment or staying
in the wrong career path. Get focused on your journey now,
not later.

----------------------------------------------------
Don Monteith spent 32 years as co-owner of several
franchises and a personnel/staffing business. Every year,
his firm placed hundreds of job candidates in their dream
job. Today, Don shares his business and career expertise
through his newest websites on the Internet.
http://www.Career-Coaching-Central.com

10 FREE, Creative, Low-Cost Marketing Tips

10 FREE, Creative, Low-Cost Marketing Tips
Here are the Top 10 Tips I give small business owners and
entrepreneurs on a daily basis when I see them out at
networking functions. These 10 things will be the least
expensive and probably the most effective forms of
marketing that you could do to promote your small business.

1. Display your cards or brochures at coffee shops, book
stores, businesses of people you know, membership stores
like Costco and Sam's Club, anywhere that will allow it;
all of these are free. Seek out ones locally that will
allow you to do this and replenish them frequently. You
can also approach other business professionals that
compliment what you do and have a similar target market as
you to swap marketing materials, meaning you display or
carry theirs and they yours.

2. Hold an Open House, Ribbon Cutting or some kind of an
event to attract the public or your specific target market
to your business. You can partner with another business to
split the cost, you can bring in a charity to raise money
for or have a client appreciation night of some sort.
Whatever you do, make sure you plan it well in advance and
publicize the event to the media and your database. I can
help you plan and promote your events in the media and to
your database!

3. Networking is the cheapest form of advertising you can
do ' find organizations, associations, chambers, groups and
monthly meetings that have attendees and members that fit
your unique target market client or referral source and
visit them first, then join if you see the value. The key
to networking is frequency. You need to go to the
organization's events that you join each month for greater
visibility, to be recognized and ultimately to be the go-to
person for your particular industry. Visit
www.ksawamarketing.com each month for a FREE monthly
Networking Calendar and numerous organization links!

4. Put your sales message and/or logo on everything, your
car, shirts, nametag, building, invoices, envelopes, sales
flyers, receipts, tags, etc. Simple name/logo branding can
be a huge asset for a small business (everyone will say
"I've seen your stuff somewhere"). Ask me for a referral
for companies who do these things!

5. Invite trade for services for things you may need
(bookkeeping help, CPA, financial or attorney advice,
marketing, advertising, promotions, signs, promo items,
printing, products, services, etc.). This will save you
money and give you other avenues to pursue for referrals as
well.

6. Go in with other small businesses that compliment your
business on advertising opportunities, chamber inserts or
in their newsletter, inserts in the local papers, direct
mail pieces, target mailing list purchases, door to door
flyers, etc. (i.e.; housekeeping business and carpet
cleaning business). This will keep your costs lower for
these items and give you greater credibility by partnering
with other professionals. I can help you design and
coordinate these marketing pieces so they STAND OUT!

7. Make sure you are listed on all local area or national
website directories necessary that will target your message
for you. Do the free ones for sure, but evaluate them if
they charge a fee. When you consult with me ' I give you a
list of these for FREE!

8. Include links to other people's websites on yours and
ask to do the same for added exposure. Have an "I
recommend these businesses" page. Reciprocal links helps
both websites get higher up on the search engines. I offer
low cost advertising on my email newsletters which reach
1,500 business professionals and my clients are listed for
no extra charge on my client list on my website!

9. Follow up, Follow up, Follow up with everyone you meet
and ask them what their business is all about and how could
you work together to promote each other? You need to
develop a system for this so it gets done. Whether it's
add them to your mailing list and mail to them once a
month, add them to your email list if they opt-in and email
them weekly or calling them, stopping by or faxing them on
a monthly basis to keep in touch. Having a system or
guideline written down that you can follow easily each
month is the key. I can help you put together an effective
and efficient, low cost follow up marketing system that's
easy to follow!

10. Never base your advertising decisions on what YOU do,
take yourself out of the picture and think like your
customer and what they would generally do. Always ask
pertinent questions of any media before buying it such as
"What is their circulation or reach" and "How do they
market themselves or how is their medium distributed".
Research all your options first, figuring out which ones
reach your target market the best, then evaluate their cost
per thousand. I can put together an Advertising Plan for
you so you know where to and NOT to spend your money!

Well, hopefully you are doing everything on that list
already in your business, but if not I'm sure I've only
reminded you of what you already know to do. NOW DO IT!

----------------------------------------------------
© Copyright 2008 K.Sawa Marketing
Katrina Sawa is an Award-Winning Relationship Marketing
Coach who's helped hundreds of small business owners take
dramatic steps in their businesses to get them to the next
level in business, revenues and life. She offers one-on-one
coaching, group coaching and do-it-yourself marketing
planning products. Go online now to get started with her
Free Report and Free Audio at
http://www.jumpstartyourmarketing.com !

3 Basic Steps to Starting Your Wholesale Business

3 Basic Steps to Starting Your Wholesale Business
The wholesale business is one of the largest and oldest
industries in the world. You can date back organized
trading to our first civilizations. The most important
cities of the ancient world where trading posts that became
important because you could control the economy in time of
peace and also in time of war.

Now most business trade in some way or another, they trade
products, services, something. Now it is easier then ever
before to trade products, we have many more sales and
distribution channels than ever before, we have many new
tools to our disposal and information is easy to get and to
transfer.

These days you can use the internet, drop shipping,
telephone, email, bank wire transfers and many other
resources to expedite business transactions and make it
much more interesting for wholesale businesses.

There are many types of businesses you can start, run, or
grow. It does not matter where you are in your business,
fortune 500 or start-up. You will have a host of
information to your disposal including articles, best
practices, ebooks, lists of suppliers and how to guides.

Now you don't even have to buy and sell products. Anyone
can become a broker and just sell products without
providing any start-up capital or investment. This works
for selling to distributors, consumers, retailers, anyone.

Are you in business now or just starting a wholesale
business? What type of business will you start? What
products can you sell and where? How much money do other
individuals or companies make? How can you start? These
are all questions you should be asking yourself when
exploring your venture. They are the most basic questions.
Don't just think of buying something and selling it. Learn
about your products, where they are sold, who sells them,
are they name brands? What are the prices for all channels?
Who are the players in the industry?

More difficult questions will include what kind of profit
and gross margins you'll make, how to negotiate prices, who
are the best suppliers for each product, how to find
distribution channels for your items, etc.

The type of ventures you can find or start will include:
-Trading
-Distribution
-Exporting
-Importing
-Liquidations
-Many More

You should also learn about the different sales channels
where you can send your products. Here are just some
examples of sales and distribution channels you can use to
sell your products. Each channel represents a sales
opportunity, these will include:
-Online Stores
-eBay -Selling to Supermarkets
-Selling to Convenience Stores
-Exporting to Mexico, Asia, Europe, etc.
-Selling to distributors and wholesalers
-Cash and Carry Stores
-Door to Door at retail prices
-Many More

Where you sell the products will depend greatly on the
product and also on the pricing you have. If you deal
directly with the manufacturer you can probably get great
the best pricing available to anyone and sell to any
channel you want including other large distributors. if
you are buying the products from second or third parties
your prices will not be very competitive.

No matter what kind of wholesaler you are. You have to try
to work directly or as close to the manufacturer or brand
owner as you can, or better, you can be the brand owner and
sell your own products. That's the best business of them
all.

You can also find many type products including electronics,
software, clothing, jewelry, and sports equipment, house
furniture, that you can promote trade and sell.

Remember we did not touch on promotions in this article,
just the basics of a wholesale business. Distribution is
first but you will also have to remember getting the
product on the shelves is one thing, selling it out the
shelves is another.

----------------------------------------------------
Jorge Olson is an Entrepreneur expert in Wholesale Business
found at http://www.DistributionBusiness.com and the Sales
and Distribution Channels. He's the founder of a
http://www.wholesale-distribution-business.com a portal
dedicated to teaching how to buy and sell consumer
wholesale products.

The Importance of Developing a Plan for Strategic Alliances

The Importance of Developing a Plan for Strategic Alliances
Strategic alliances have become a major factor in today's
business models. Strategic alliances can enable the
business owner to offer more services to their most valued
clients ' and for many businesses, strategic alliances are
the most profitable avenue of revenues.

Strengths of Strategic Alliances

According to recent research, 80% of surveyed CEOs found
strategic alliances beneficial for several purposes:

-Quickly enter into the marketplace

-Promptly obtain technology advancements without research
costs

-Minimize the budgetary costs typically associated with
growth investments

To ascertain what type of strategic alliance is right for
you, it is important that you assess your business
thoroughly. Are you looking to penetrate a greater volume
of the market share? Are you looking to reach a potential
partner's customer base? Would you like to launch a new
product line? Understanding your specific goals ' as well
as your market position, strengths, weaknesses, and
available resources ' will help you craft an appropriate
strategic alliance.

However, the main reason why strategic alliances fail is
because at least one of the partners is not happy with the
results. Why does this occur? In most cases, the strategic
alliance fails because a solid plan was not created at the
outset of the endeavor.

Know Your Business ' and Your Partner's

All strategic planning deals with three key questions:

-What do we do? It may sound simple, but to effectively
join efforts with a strategic partner, you must have a good
concept of what your business offers. Without a clear
defined understanding of every aspect of your goods and/or
services, it is nearly impossible to target a valuable
strategic partner.

-Who do we serve? Every business has a target customer or
client. That doesn't necessarily mean that your business
will solely market to that target profile, but it gives you
a deep understanding for who is using your products. This
allows you to key in on the specifics when choosing an
alliance partner.

-Who is our competition? In order to stay at least one step
ahead, it is important to keep informed as to who your
competitors are and what they are doing. By placing your
head in the sand like an ostrich on this issue only gives
your competitors an edge on rising above your business. In
order to compete in any business, you must not only "Keep
up with the Jones," but you must beat them. A huge benefit
to creating a strategic alliance partner is that often a
business can avoid competition by aligning with proper
partners.

Develop Your Plan

Alliances succeed with good planning. Whether you are
looking to join email marketing campaigns, or perhaps a new
product launch, a strategic alliance must have a clearly
developed plan. Within your plan, you must clearly define
several elements:

-Goals of the strategic alliance

-Specific marketing plans

-Analysis of cost sharing

-Defining the success of the relationship

-Encouragement of formal communication

-Marketing plan management details

Once a business and strategic alliance plan are in place, a
proactive search for alliance partners can then be
implemented. In order to create a solid strategic alliance,
the first step is creating an in-depth strategic plan.

----------------------------------------------------
Christian Fea is CEO of Synertegic, Inc. A strategic
Collaboration Marketing consulting firm. He empowers
business owners to discover and implement Integration,
Alliance, and Joint Ventures marketing tactics to solve
specific business challenges. He demonstrates how to create
your own Collaboration Marketing Strategy to increase your
sales, conversation rates, and repeat business.
Contact: christian@christianfea.com
http://www.christianfea.com

Caring For Old Stock Certificates

Caring For Old Stock Certificates
Scripophily is the collecting of antique bonds and stock
certificates. Enthusiasts vary widely in how they take care
of their documents. Some actually just stack them together
in a folder or drawer (cringe). Others treat them like the
irreplaceable historical artifacts and works of art they
really are.

If you spend time and money acquiring collectible
certificates, you should know how to care for them to
retain their appeal and value. Here's how:

o Sleeves - Clear semi-rigid holders are the best. The
documents can be handled and stored without them being
bent, rolled up or "dinged," yet they are easy to inspect
and admire. Since most certificates were folded at one
time, semi-rigid sleeves have the added benefit of tending
to flatten and smooth out any fold remnants. Sleeves
should also be non-reactive chemically.

o Gloves - If you want to handle certificates outside of a
sleeve (as when inspecting with a magnifier), put on a pair
of non-powdered, non-latex exam gloves. Powdered versions
leave a powder residue and latex causes an allergic
reaction in some people. Exam gloves are very inexpensive
and will keep skin oil, finger prints and other chemicals
off of the paper and printing.

o Intermingling - Certificates vary in the chemical makeup
of the paper and inks used, as well as the elements that
have been deposited on them over time. To prevent these
various materials from interacting with each other,
certificates should always be kept one certificate to one
sleeve. Besides, you normally want to be able to see both
sides. Many certificates have writing, signatures,
transfer records or stamps on the reverse.

o Elements - Always keep paper documents away from
excessive heat, light and moisture. The key word is
excessive. Normal room temperatures, lighting and humidity
are fine.

o Display - Collectors that have certificates special to
them in some way, and people who give, or have been given,
a certificate, often like to display them for others to
see. A common way to do this is to mount and frame them
for wall display. As with any artwork, you should avoid
using tape or glue to mount them and use non-reactive
matting. Also don't place them over a furnace vent, by a
window that allows direct sunlight or near a humidifier.

o Repair - Pros: Some people feel taping together fold
splits or erasing pencil marks helps to preserve and
restore something that otherwise might end up in the trash.
Cons: Others believe antique items should remain precisely
as history created them and "repairing" opens up a
Pandora's Box with the potential for misrepresentation.

What you do with your possessions is certainly your
prerogative. Regardless of which camp you fall into,
though, if the certificate is conveyed to another person,
you should always make clear its condition and what you
have done to it.

Collectible bonds and stock certificates are not so
delicate that you can't enjoy touching or showing them.
After all, many of them have survived a century or more
already. Just take common sense care of them and maybe
they'll last another hundred years.

----------------------------------------------------
Larry Crain is a collector, author and dealer in
Scripophily (the collecting of antique stock certificates).
Visit http://www.RealStockCertificates.com/ for images,
values, more articles and research tools for old stock
certificates. Visit
http://www.RealStockHistories.blogspot.com/ to research old
company and industry historical information.