PROSPECTING, PRODUCTION AND PROFITS

Most small businesses reflect the personality of their
owner, and that is both their strength and, too often, their
weakness. Specifically, some entrepreneurs love to sell more
than they care about details of production, while others
focus so much on perfecting their products, they starve for
customers.
The key is balance.
If you are not prospecting every day, your business will
eventually stall. Yes, repeat sales and word of mouth are
vital, but in the end, business grows because new customers
hear about you and decide to buy. As Mary Kay Ash said,
"nothing happens until somebody sells something," and you
can't sell without prospecting.
Marketing, promotion and publicity are essential, and some
business owners relish this part. It comes naturally and
they love it. They naturally go "where the action is."
Networking comes easily to them, and selling is "the name of
the game.” Good for them!
Except when they neglect the details of delivery. In the
end, what you sell has to be produced, packaged and
delivered on time, on budget and in excellent condition.
Some sales people forget that, and it comes back to haunt
them.
Other business owners get caught up in the operational
details, forgetting that if the phone doesn't ring, no one
is going to buy their magnificent goods and services.
The key is balance.
You need prospects in order to sell, and you need superior
production in order to deliver. When the two are balanced,
profits soar.  

8 MONEY SAVINGS TIPS YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT

Here are 8 uncommon money saving tips. Try them all or pick the ones you think would work best for you in these tough economic times.

Money Saving Tip #1
Get Excited About Saving Money
The first step is to get excited about saving money! Learn about the benefits of being frugal. Perhaps even learn how to become frugal yourself. Just ask any frugal person. Most of them will enthusiastically give you all the reasons why and then give you 10 ways to save money.

Money Saving Tip #2
Chart Your Monthly Expenses & Create a Budget
You can find many ways to save money once you get visibility of where your money is going. You cannot do this until you chart all your monthly expenses. This means making a list of every place you spend money during a full calendar year, and beyond if necessary to account for everything.

You can do this by creating a personal budget on a spreadsheet or a sheet of paper. Once you have all your monthly expenses listed on the left and your expenditures entered into each month of the year, you can look for ways to reduce your expenses. In cutting expenses on things that you have control over, researching items for possible rate reductions, and negotiating lower prices on other things you are in effect creating a personal budget.

Money Saving Tip #3
Shop for Better Insurance Rates
It's a good practice to shop for better rates on your health, auto, and home insurance every couple of years. Some of you are going to immediately become concerned about how things will play out with your agent. If you found out through your research that you are paying much more per year with your current agent than what you could get with another reputable company, would you allow blind loyalty to stop you?

Once you shop around, learn more about your options, and then give your agent the opportunity to look for ways to reduce your premium; s/he may meet or exceed what you discovered during your research.

One of the best ways to reduce your insurance rates significantly is to increase your deductibles. If you haven't been in an accident in 10, 20, or even 30 years, you've spent a lot of extra money for the so-called peace of mind of having a low deductible. If you are a careful driver who rarely if ever gets into an accident and you have enough money in the bank to cover a higher deductible, you should look at increasing your deductible.

When it comes to health insurance, changing your deductible is a completely different matter. It all depends on your age, health, medical needs, career status, and financial position. It's important to check rates every couple of years, however, as premiums and coverage can change significantly between companies.

Money Saving Tip #4
Shop for Better Telephone & Cable or Satellite Television Rates
Telephone and television services are very competitive industries. Consequently, they are constantly changing their rates and offering new packages and specials. It's worthwhile to do a little research to find out if you're getting the best deal. Some companies offer a lot of free stuff just for switching over to them, so sometimes it won't cost you anything to make the change. You've got to ask the representative about current specials when you call though. And don't be afraid to ask them how they can sweeten the deal if you are switching from another company or setting up service for the first time.

There are many ways to get much better long distance rates than landline telephone companies' offer. There are 1010 numbers, Internet based telephone service providers, and even prepaid long distance cards that offer good deals.

I used a 1010 number for many years without any problems. I think the rate was 5 cents a minute plus a small connection fee and taxes. When you make a long distance telephone call using a 1010 number the charges are added to the bill of your existing landline telephone service provider.

Money Saving Tip #5
Eliminate Premium Telephone, Television, and Internet Services.
How many of the extra telephone services, like call waiting and caller ID, do you really need or use? Look over your telephone bill and drop the services that you don't really need or use. And do you really watch all 900 television channels?

Cable Internet providers often try to sell you on upgrading your service to a "faster speed" on the basis that it will greatly enhance your online experience. Those faster speeds only benefit you when you are downloading or uploading a file and how often do you do that? When you are just surfing the Web doing normal things like processing email, reviewing your bank balance, paying your bills, buying a product, posting comments, or working on your website(s) there will be little if any noticeable difference with the higher speeds. So why pay extra for it?

Money Saving Tip #6
Shop Dealerships for Vehicle Maintenance & Repairs
It is often assumed that factory authorized dealerships charge the same amount for scheduled maintenance, repairs, and even accessories. This is not true. The amount dealers charge for scheduled maintenance can vary significantly. The amount they charge for repairs and accessories can vary greatly!

When you need a scheduled maintenance, repair, or accessory, call around to at least three (3) dealerships in your area even if one of them is a considerable distance away.

Also, only allow the dealer to do what is recommended by the factory as shown in your owner's manual. Also, do not automatically agree to "dealer recommended" additional services. In most cases, you do not need them. Your service advisor may use various tactics to get you to do these extra services, so be on your toes. And don't be afraid to ask questions.

Money Saving Tip #7
Shop for Better Rates on Regular Services like Drying Cleaning, Hair Care, & Vehicle Wash
We all get into the habit of doing business at the same places. The problem is sometimes new businesses open or old ones remodel that offer much better prices, products, and services than the store or individual we've been using for years!

Most of your research can be done by telephone. Just call each of them and ask for their price on the services you regularly buy.

Money Saving Tip #8
Shop for Better Rates on Professional Services
Many people would never consider comparing the fees they are being charged by their dentist, medical doctor, accountant, or lawyer. As the years go by and their fees gradually increase, your dentist or other professional may become the highest priced provider in your entire area.

Also, do not automatically agree to their recommended treatment or service plan. Always ask them to tell you about all the other less expensive options. Then ask them as many questions as you want. Remember, doctors, dentists, and other professionals are business people too.

Choosing a less expense option does not necessarily mean that you will get an inferior treatment or service. It may be just as good or it may suffice for now and meet your current financial situation.

I hope you find these money saving tips useful.

8 TIPS TO HELP YOU FIND THE RIGHT CAREER

Looking for new career ideas? Are you feeling frustrated in your job, but just don't know what else to do? Have you got a good idea of the kind of work you don't want but not a clue about what you do want?

Read on to find out about 8 ways you can explore new career ideas and come up with the elusive answer to your career change challenge.

One of the main reasons people struggle with career change is that they fail to think outside the box. Their ideas are really just more of the same. Here are some ways to help you to begin to think laterally. Start by looking inwards and then focus outwards too.

1. Skills.
Don't just look at the skills you have gained at work, but consider what you do in your spare time too. What talents have you been able to grow through your interests and community work? How could you use these in a job?

2. Interests.
Given that many people fall into jobs in an unplanned way, take time now to think about what you really enjoy doing. Go right back to when you were a kid. What really gave you a buzz? What jobs would allow you to feel that same excitement?

3. Achievements.
What have you done that you are proud of? Again, not just at work. Maybe the part you played in putting on a local drama club production gave you a real sense of satisfaction. What does that suggest about the kind of work that would be satisfying for you?

4. Personality.
Just what makes you tick? Do you know what kind of person you are? Being in a job that fits your personal style is like wearing well-fitting shoes. What kind of work would allow you to feel truly at home?

5. People watch.
Take a look at the people around you, both friends and casual encounters. What jobs are they doing? Look at parts of their job, not the whole thing. What aspects of their work appeal to you and what do you think you would dislike? What does that tell you about the work that would be right for you?

6. Work shadow.
If you have a few ideas that sound interesting, then see if you can fix up to volunteer somewhere where you can get an inside view. Or shadow someone for a day, for an hour or even just meet up with them for coffee and a chat and then pick their brains and dig below the surface of the job to find out more about what is involved. Check whether it would be worth investigating further.

7. Be a career researcher.
Just watch the world with job seeker eyes. There are 100s of jobs out there that never appear in any careers encyclopedia. Be alert to the jobs referred to directly or indirectly when you are reading the paper, watching TV or listening to the radio. See if you can identify a dozen new career ideas every week that you never realized existed before. One of these could be just what you are looking for.

8. Turn off your inner censor.
Just for a while switch off the 'yes, but' voice in your head. Allow yourself to explore ideas uncritically. Open your mind to the enormous pool of possibilities out there and look for something that really captures your enthusiasm. Just what would you do if anything was possible? Once you feel inspired, the 'yes, but' responses are much easier to challenge.

So what are you waiting for? Start exploring today!

THE ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESS

Recently, I've written quite about the quality of living
well. I've talked about simplicity and values, about the
quality of relationships and "walking our talk." And, I
think all of that is vital for a great life! Who would want
money, fame or even power if the cost were a life of misery
and disappointment?
But in the scheme of things, we also have to get things
done. We still have to make some money, achieve some
breakthroughs, make some sales, and be good (very good!) at
what we do!
And so from time to time it's good to step back, take a deep
breath and ask "What, exactly, are the ESSENTIALS for my
success?" Fortunately, this isn't difficult and the answers
are not mysterious.
I think there are a small number of ESSENTIALS for success.
Lots of people have listed them, sometimes coming up with
The Seven Rules, a "Top 10," or whatever. My mentor, Jim
Rohn, often talked about "The Four If's That Make Life
Worthwhile." Jack Canfield's excellent book, "The Success
Principles," lists 64 items, but I suspect that's excessive.
In the end, the essentials that count are the ones you put
in your own words, using your own experience. Every really
successful person has a list, and they stick to it. When
they drift away or get confused, they come back to it. They
depend on it. They build their success by sticking to the
principles, the rules, or the "laws" that have meaning and
clarity for them. To achieve great things, you'll need your
own Essentials for Success.
Here are some of mine:
1. Clarity about Your Desired Result. Most people are
unclear about their priorities and what they truly want. You
should be clear. Define your finish line in specific,
measurable results.
2. What Stands in Your Way? There are always obstacles and
challenges, and high achievers are not surprise or stymied
by this. List the people, places, and things you'll have to
over-come to achieve the success you desire.
3. Have a Strategy. Exactly how will you over-come and win?
What will you have to learn, solve, or eliminate? Who will
help? What's your budget and what's your schedule for
success? Having--and following--a good plan makes everything
easier.
4. Obsessive Determination. Some people call this focus or
persistence or single-mindedness. Whatever you call it,
success requires that you put everything you have into doing
your best. Playing safe or going half-way rarely wins the
prize.
You may have other elements or "bonus-items," but there are
Key Essentials and success requires that we understand and
obey them. Success is not an accident! It is (always!) the
predictable result of doing the right things, in the right
way, at the right time. When we violate the rules, we lose
the game. What are your Essentials for Success?