Will You Add? - Business

Starting A Business Can Be The Most Mind-Numbing, Demanding Task In The Universe-A Place For Help...
Are you thinking about going into business? A new business idea is an exciting, hope filled time where people can see themselves reaping the rewards of a good idea and hard work. Things like financial independence, new cars, nice homes and the like and cash…lots and lots of cash. But thinking about success at the beginning of a new business venture is much like thinking about standing on the moon holding a flag. Easy to think, not so easy to do. To get to the moon you need one hell of a plan, engineering teams, scientists, computers, industrial facilities and tremendous amounts of human capital and effort and the financial resources of a nation. If you don’t have all these ingredients and more, you will never get to the moon no matter how much you believe you can do it. The bottom line--you have to have the skill, the equipment, the people and the money to do anything of any significance in business. And many, many people lack one or more of these requirements when they venture off towards success in business.Being in business for yourself is one of the hardest things you can do to make money. Why? For starters, as an under-capitalized entrepreneur without the resources to hire a staff, everything thing that has to be done in your business will probably be done by you. You are going to have to conceptualize your business, create a startup plan, setup the bank accounts, setup the place of business whether home-based or off site. Every deta

s. For example, nobody will object to your price unless buying from you interests them. If buying from you doesn't interest them, they don't care how high you price your product or service. For a while I dated a woman who was really into interior decorating. One day she excitedly dragged me down to the Orange County Design Center to show me a couch covered in kidskin. The leather was as soft and as supple as anything I'd ever felt. As I sat there, she said, "Isn't that a wonderful couch?"

I said, "No question about it, this is a wonderful couch."

She said, "And it's only $12,000."

I said, "Isn't that amazing? How can they do it for only $12,000?"

She said, "You don't have a problem with the price?"

"I don't have a problem with the price at all."

Why didn't I have a problem with the price? Right. Because I had absolutely no intention of paying $12,000 for a couch, regardless of what they covered it with. Let me ask you this: If buying the couch interested me, would I have a problem with the price? Oh, you had better believe I'd have a problem with the price!

Objections are buying signals. We knew in real estate that if we were showing property, and the people were "Ooooing and aaahing" all over the place, if they loved everything about the property, they weren't going to buy. The serious buyers were the ones who were saying, "Well the kitchen's not as big as we like. Hate that wallpaper. We'd probably end up knocking out that wall." Those were the ones who would buy.

If you're in sales, think about it. Have you ever in your life made a

Successful Business Marketing
Successful Business Marketing means different things to different people but the bottom line is that whether you are marketing a product, a brand, the business itself or anything else, your success will depend on having a plan - and following it.Every now and then in marketing, as in life, a series of unplanned or unexpected events take place and voila! – you have an unexpected but successful outcome. For example, a mysterious foreign millionaire takes a liking to the plastic gizmo your factory produces and you suddenly land an export order worth millions.That is NOT successfull business marketing! It's nice to have it happen but it's not wise to count on for your future prosperity!For sustained successful business marketing, you must have a marketing plan in place. And not just any old marketing plan that is looked at once a year and then stashed in the bottom draw to gather dust while the companies marketing efforts stumble from one disjointed attempt to the next.Successful business marketing depends on having a simple, functional yet effective marketing plan in place against which all marketing efforts and marketing spend can be measured. In this way, irrespective if you are a one man home-based business or the next Microsoft, you ensure that your marketing efforts are coordinated and focused on your outcome.Unfortunately, a simple yet effective marketing plan is not that simple to come by. Traditionally a marketing

One of the most frustrating situations you can run into is trying to negotiate with the person who claims that he or she doesn't have the authority to make a final decision. Unless you realize that this is simply a negotiating tactic that's being used on you, you have the feeling that you'll never get to talk to the real decision-maker.

When I was president of the real estate company in California, I used to have salespeople coming in to sell me things all the time: advertising, photocopy machines, computer equipment, and so on. I would always negotiate the very lowest price that I could, and then I would say to them, "This looks fine. I do just have to run it by my board of directors, but I'll get back to you tomorrow with the final okay."

The next day I could get back to them and say, "Boy, are they tough to deal with right now. I felt sure I could sell it to them, but they just won't go along with it unless you can shave another couple of hundred dollars off the price." And I would get it. There was no approval needed by the board of directors, and it never occurred to me that this deception was underhanded. I and the people with whom you deal see it as well within the rules by which one plays the game of negotiating.

So when the other person says to you that they have to take it to the committee, or the legal department, it's probably not true, but it is a very effective negotiating tactic that they're using on you. Fortunately, Power Negotiators know how to handle this challenge smoothly and effectively.

Your first approach should be trying to remove the other person's resort to higher authority before the negotiations even start, by getting him to admit that he could make a decision if the proposal was irresistible. This is exactly the same thing that I taught my real estate agents to say to the buyers before putting them in the car, "Let me be sure I understand, if we find exactly the right property for you today, is there any reason why you wouldn't make a decision today?" It's exactly the same thing that the car dealer will do to you when, before he lets you take it for a test drive, he says, "Let me be sure I understand, if you like this car as much as I know you're going to like it, is there any reason why you wouldn't make a decision today?" Because they know that if they don't remove the resort to higher authority up front, then there's a danger that under the pressure of asking for a decision, the other person will invent a higher authority as a delaying tactic. Such as, "Look, I'd love to give you a decision today, but I can't because my father-in-law has to look at the property (or the car), or Uncle Joe is helping us with the down payment and we need to talk to him first."

One of the most frustrating things that you encounter is taking your proposal to the other person and having her say to you, "Well, that's fine. Thanks for bringing me the proposal. I'll talk to our committee (or our attorney or the owners) about it and if it interests us we'll get back to you." Where do you go from there? If you're smart enough to counter the Higher Authority Gambit before you start, you can remove yourself from that dangerous situation.

So before you present your proposal to the other person, before you even get it out of your briefcase, you should casually say, "Let me be sure I understand. If this proposal meets all of your needs (That's as broad as any statement can be, isn't it?), is there any reason why you wouldn't give me a decision today?"

It's a harmless thing for the other person to agree to because the other person is thinking, "If it meets all of my needs? No problem, there's loads of wriggle room there." However, look at what you've accomplished if you can get them to respond with, "Well, sure if it meets all of my needs, I'll give you an okay right now." Look at what you've accomplished:

1. You've eliminated their right to tell you that they want to want to think it over. If they say that, you say, "Well, let me go over it one more time. There must be something I didn't cover clearly enough because you did indicate to me earlier that you were willing to make a decision today."

2. You've eliminated their right to refer it to a higher authority. You've eliminated their right to say, "I want our legal department to see it, or the purchasing committee to take a look at it."

What if you're not able to remove their resort to higher authority? I'm sure that many times you'll say, "If this proposal meets all of your needs is there any reason why you wouldn't give me a decision today?" and the other person will reply, "I'm sorry, but on a project of this size, everything has to get approved by the specifications committee. I'll have to refer it to them for a final decision."

Here are the three steps that Power Negotiators take when they're not able to remove the other side's resort to higher authority:

Step number one-appeal to their ego. With a smile on your face you say, "But they always follow your recommendations, don't they?" With some personality styles that's enough of an appeal to his ego, that he'll say, "Well, I guess you're right. If I like it, then you can count on it." But often they'll still say, "Yes, they usually follow my recommendations but I can't give you a decision until I've taken it to the committee."

If you realize that you're dealing with egotistical people, try preempting their resort to higher authority early in your presentation, by saying, "Do you think that if you took this to your supervisor, she'd approve it?" Often an ego-driven person will make the mistake of proudly telling you that he doesn't have to get any body's approval.

The second step is to get their commitment that they'll take it to the committee with a positive recommendation. So you say, "But you will recommend it to them-won't you?" There are only two things that can happen at this point. Either she'll say, yes, she will recommend it to them, or she'll say, no she won't-because . . . Either way you've won. Hopefully, you'll get a response similar to, "Yes, it looks good to me, I'll go to bat for you with them." But if that doesn't happen, and instead they tell you that they won't recommend it because, you're still ahead, because any time you can draw out an objection you should say, "Hallelujah" because objections are buying signals. For example, nobody will object to your price unless buying from you interests them. If buying from you doesn't interest them, they don't care how high you price your product or service. For a while I dated a woman who was really into interior decorating. One day she excitedly dragged me down to the Orange County Design Center to show me a couch covered in kidskin. The leather was as soft and as supple as anything I'd ever felt. As I sat there, she said, "Isn't that a wonderful couch?"

I said, "No question about it, this is a wonderful couch."

She said, "And it's only $12,000."

I said, "Isn't that amazing? How can they do it for only $12,000?"

She said, "You don't have a problem with the price?"

"I don't have a problem with the price at all."

If you're in sales, think about it. Have you ever in your life made a b

Workplace Gap
In your workplace, are you a manager with a smart group of people and they aren't responsive to your ideas or suggestions? If you are then there you are experiencing a workplace gap.You know where you are at this point in your life but there is a gap between where you are and where you want to be? Sometimes the presence of this gap is so strong you can almost feel like a physical gap. In the case of a workplace gap, the feeling can be just as tangible. You know the people you have working for you are smart and resourceful. That is why you hired them in the first place. But for some reason you can’t seem to “manage” them. They run into difficulties and you don’t know how to help them. When you try, they seem distant, frustrated a just a bit annoyed that you are “bugging” them.You gathered all sorts information, knowledge, skills and tools throughout the years to help you out with this. You took courses, asked a mentor and perhaps even have a degree in some area. It’s as if you were given all the information of a particular culture, went for a visit and found out that you ended up in the wrong country. When did all the rules changes?I personally believe that the role of the manager has completely shifted and changed with the explosion of available knowledge. Anyone can access any information they need to do whatever they want. Sometimes this is a good thing and sometimes this is not so good.Let’s take a look at the “good” part.

other person's resort to higher authority before the negotiations even start, by getting him to admit that he could make a decision if the proposal was irresistible. This is exactly the same thing that I taught my real estate agents to say to the buyers before putting them in the car, "Let me be sure I understand, if we find exactly the right property for you today, is there any reason why you wouldn't make a decision today?" It's exactly the same thing that the car dealer will do to you when, before he lets you take it for a test drive, he says, "Let me be sure I understand, if you like this car as much as I know you're going to like it, is there any reason why you wouldn't make a decision today?" Because they know that if they don't remove the resort to higher authority up front, then there's a danger that under the pressure of asking for a decision, the other person will invent a higher authority as a delaying tactic. Such as, "Look, I'd love to give you a decision today, but I can't because my father-in-law has to look at the property (or the car), or Uncle Joe is helping us with the down payment and we need to talk to him first."

2. You've eliminated their right to refer it to a higher authority. You've eliminated their right to say, "I want our legal department to see it, or the purchasing committee to take a look at it."

Here are the three steps that Power Negotiators take when they're not able to remove the other side's resort to higher authority:

I said, "No question about it, this is a wonderful couch."

She said, "And it's only $12,000."

I said, "Isn't that amazing? How can they do it for only $12,000?"

She said, "You don't have a problem with the price?"

"I don't have a problem with the price at all."

If you're in sales, think about it. Have you ever in your life made a

Resources for Entrepreneurs
So, you've decided you want to start your own business. You have a novel product to sell or an expert service to deliver. You're sure of your abilities to produce products or deliver services. But you're a little intimidated by the other rolls you must learn as a small business owner: salesman, marketer, accountant, human resources manager and more. Luckily there are a number of excellent resources for beginning entrepreneurs to learn the ropes of owning their own business. Among the wide array of resources available, the two that are most constantly cited by small business owners as the best available are the United States Small Business Administration and local Chambers of Commerce.The Small Business Administration has offices in most parts of the country. Although getting face-to-face assistance has become a bit more difficult in recent years due to budget cuts ordered by the Bush administration, the Small Business Administration also has a website packed with helpful information, forms, tutorials and online courses. Small business owners can count on the Small Business Administration for accurate information on laws affecting small businesses, tax and social security information and small business statistics.The Small Business Administration's sister organization, the Service Corps of Retired Executives provides mentoring and in-person courses for small business owners. The Service Corps of Retired Executives was created by a group of re

tuation.

2. You've eliminated their right to refer it to a higher authority. You've eliminated their right to say, "I want our legal department to see it, or the purchasing committee to take a look at it."

Here are the three steps that Power Negotiators take when they're not able to remove the other side's resort to higher authority:

I said, "No question about it, this is a wonderful couch."

She said, "And it's only $12,000."

I said, "Isn't that amazing? How can they do it for only $12,000?"

She said, "You don't have a problem with the price?"

"I don't have a problem with the price at all."

If you're in sales, think about it. Have you ever in your life made a

An Entrepreneurs Guide to Job Hunting
Entrepreneurs are the heart and soul of any free economy. If not for the individuals and small businesses taking on the corporate conglomerates with little more than their creativity and agility, we would all be overpaying for a poor selection of products – while the profits line the pockets of corporate executives and investors. The salary gap between the executives and everyday workers is constantly growing, and the average forty hour work week is gradually expanding closer to fifty or more for many workers.With the increased cost of living, many people are forced to work jobs that they are miserable in just to pay their basic living expenses. The entrepreneur has a new emerging problem: how do you work 40+ hours per week and still find the time to develop your own business? Following are some tips for anyone that wants to escape the rat race and start their own business:1) Don’t choose a job based on pay. That’s right - pay is not the most important thing. You should take a job to gain the skills you will need to operate your business. Look closely at what your future business will demand from you. Which parts are you not quite comfortable with? Have trouble approaching people or speaking in public? A sales job may be just the ticket for breaking those fears.2) Choose a job that is not overly demanding of your time. You will need time to develop your own business and that isn’t possible if the only time yo

Here are the three steps that Power Negotiators take when they're not able to remove the other side's resort to higher authority:

I said, "No question about it, this is a wonderful couch."

She said, "And it's only $12,000."

I said, "Isn't that amazing? How can they do it for only $12,000?"

She said, "You don't have a problem with the price?"

"I don't have a problem with the price at all."

If you're in sales, think about it. Have you ever in your life made a

Business Opportunity Leads - The Convenient Truth
I always find it sad when I bump into someone and find out that they just lost their job. That is always unsettling. I can't help but empathize with their situation. However, what I don't get are the folks that tell me there is nothing out there. Nothing out there for whom? Are they truly out there looking for business opportunity leads, or have they just given up? You see, when it comes to searching for jobs and gigs, the entire market has changed.Have you evolved with the times? It's fairly easy to tell whether you have or not. In fact, one simple word says it all. The Internet. The World-Wide-Web is where you should be browsing. In my opinion, this is the only way to scout out work now days. That whole business of searching through newspapers and looking high and low for "Help Wanted" signs is a part of the past. In this modern-day world of technology and convenience, you should be turning to your PC or Mac for business opportunity leads.Some of the best places to surf for business opportunity leads are Monster.com and CareerBuilder.com. If you are in need of a job or career, these are the sites to visit. All you have to do is punch in your field of work and location. This will set you well on your way to finding an ideal job. I don't care what type of work you're looking for.You may be interested in a few business opportunity leads of your own. Have you ever pondered starting your own business? It could be home based. This way you

I said, "No question about it, this is a wonderful couch."

She said, "And it's only $12,000."

I said, "Isn't that amazing? How can they do it for only $12,000?"

She said, "You don't have a problem with the price?"

"I don't have a problem with the price at all."

If you're in sales, think about it. Have you ever in your life made a big sale where the person loved your price up front? Of course not. All serious buyers complain about the price.

Your biggest problem is not an objection, it's indifference. I would rather they said to you, "I wouldn't buy widgets from your company, if you were the last widget vendor in the world, because . . ." than have them say to you, "I've been using the same source on widgets for 10 years, and he does fine. I'm just not interested in taking the time to talk about making a change." Indifference is your problem, not objections.

Let me prove this to you. Give me the opposite of the word love. If you said hate, think again. As long as they're throwing plates at you, you have something there you can work with. It's indifference that's the opposite of love. When they're saying to you, like Rhett Butler in Gone With the Wind, "Quite frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn." -that's when you know the movie is about over. Indifference is your problem, not objections. Objections are buying signals.

So when you say to them, "You will recommend it to them, won't you?" they can either say, yes they will, or no they won't. Either way you've won. Then you can move to step three:

Step Three: The qualified "subject to" close. The "subject to" close is the same one that your life insurance agent uses on you when he or she says, "Quite frankly, I don't know if we can get this much insurance on someone your age. It would be "subject to" you passing the physical anyway, so why don't we just write up the paper work "subject to" you passing the physical?" The life insurance agent knows that if you can fog a mirror during that physical, he or she can get you that insurance. But it doesn't sound as though you're making as important a decision as you really are. The qualified "subject to" close in this instance would be: "Let's just write up the paper work 'subject to' the right of your specifications committee to reject the proposal within a 24-hour period for any specifications reason." Or, "Let's just write up the paper work 'subject to' the right of your legal department to reject the proposal within a 24-hour period for any legal reason."

Notice that you're not saying subject to their acceptance. You're saying subject to their right to decline it for a specific reason. If they were going to refer it to an attorney, it would be a legal reason. If they were going to refer it to their CPA, it would be a tax reason and so on. But try to get it nailed down to a specific reason.

So the three steps to take if you're not able to get the other person to waive his or her resort to higher authority are:

1. Appeal to the other person's ego.

2. Get the other person's commitment that he'll recommend it to the higher authority.

3. Use the qualified subject-to close.

Being able to use and handle the resort to higher authority is critical to you when you're Power Negotiating. Always maintain your own resort to higher authority. Always try to remove the other person's resort to a higher authority.

Key points to remember:

Attempt to get the other person to admit that he could approve your proposal if it meets all of his needs. If that fails, go through the three counter gambits:

Appeal to his ego.

Get his commitment that he'll recommend to his higher authority.

Go to a qualified subject-to close.

If they are forcing you to make a decision before you're ready to do so, offer to decide but let them know that the answer will be no, unless they give you time to check with your people.

If they're using escalating authority on you, revert to your opening position at each level and introduce your own levels of escalating authority.

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When it comes time to resign your employment position, you'll want to do it in a manner that is professional, courteous, and in a way that moves your career foward - especially if your resignation may be one that is unexpected or will likely create a counter-offer that you don't want to entertain.

I am going to introduce you today to a concept that if you understand and implement, will be the deciding factor of your financial success in your life. Like all great knowledge, this one is also dangerously simple, and that's why most people don't get it! The concept is called Leverage!

One of the most difficult sections to write in a business plan is the proforma and financial sections. After all it is most difficult to what exact costs you will incur or what level of sales volumes are actually achievable. So often businesses are faced with excess government controls at all levels which take thousands of dollars in fees, additionally legal fees, delays and lawsuits often ensue and slow the project.

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Will You Add? - How to Negotiate When the Other Person Tells You that They Don't Have the Authority to Decide

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