A Simplified Staffing Business Model.

In much the same way Amazon and eBay have helped many get their start in starting, developing and running an e-commerce business, this same help is now available in starting a staffing business.

There are now well over two million third-party sellers on Amazon. The infrastructure that is on Amazon and eBay is plug_ and_ play for all who try and claim their stake on these selling platforms.

With this in mind, the traditional route for those seeking an opportunity to start their own staffing business included the need for a large capital infusion, a payroll system, access to high-cost worker's compensation insurance and many other costs that were prohibitive for most to enter the industry.

For many who do have the resources to enter the staffing industry, they often turn to high-cost franchise staffing companies who enjoy a large slice of earnings for the lifetime of the business. This relationship can grow strained over time and at some point the operator may feel they are contributing more to the franchise than the franchise is contributing to the operator. When this occurs, the separation from the business can grow messy and can even end in litigation.

The simplicity of both Amazon and eBay and their policies are a big draw for many who are looking to sell products online. There are no long-term agreements or costs that can easily cripple a new business. Being able to be flexible in a new venture is always a great asset and both these platforms allow for it.

This flexibility platform is now available in the world of staffing and has over 150 firms using this unique business model to grow impressive sized businesses with many reaching over a million in first-year billing. With over half a billion under management in less than 10 years in operation, one can see this is becoming a great alternative to going it alone or entering into a long-term agreement with a franchise.

What you get on the platform:

Worker's compensation insurance with no liability to the operator.
An unlimited funding source for all payroll and client billing.
A complete back-office for all management and personnel needs.
Access to professionals with over 40 years of staffing experience.
With all the boxes checked, this platform can be summed up as the Amazon or eBay of the staffing industry. If mitigation of risk is high on your list for starting a sustainable, prosperous business there are few options that can match what is now available.
At Employers Logic, we are dedicated to helping passionate people get their start in the staffing industry. If you are in need of a single source solution for jump starting a staffing business, reach out today!

Article Source: Simplified-Staffing-Business 

Ways to minimize the shipping costs.

Most businesses fail to realize the excessive costs involved in shipping and that may be one reason for their lower profit margins. Higher overheads on shipping make logistics a costly affair for them, hampering the overall efficiency and profitability of the businesses. 

As a business maker, you might be losing out competitiveness with your peers in the market. So, the first and foremost thing you can do is minimizing the shipping costs of your products with some effective ways, benefitting yourself as well as your customers. Apparently, you can redistribute the costs saved in shipping by offering them some discounts to your customer on the final prices. This will obviously help your business win the trust and confidence of buyers and tempt them to keep coming back for your products. So, what are the major ways you can cut down your shipping costs? Find it out below.

Optimizing the packaging resources

The packaging resources or materials are the crucial part involved in distribution logistics where there are immense scopes to save costs. A major portion of the shipping costs constitutes the costs of packages. Yet, most of the times, we receive products packed in too many covers, but that may be needless for the type of the product delivered. So, if the distribution companies take an effort to consider their fragility or non-fragility to decide the type of packaging, costs will reduce.

Reducing the size of packages

Generally, all the packaging and distribution units have one moderate size of package for any product, regardless of what it is, how small or big it is. So, there may be too many fillers needed to pack small products and that raises the expenses automatically. Besides, the fillers are just wasteful materials after the products are unpacked. Appropriate size of packing is hence necessary not only for saving costs but also for reducing wastes.

Time to consider warehousing and storage services

Sometimes entrusting the role of warehousing and storage to a third-party service provider can help businesses in reducing the overall expenses involved in shipping products to the customers. They have the best or optimized ways of storing the products, being specialized in the service. Besides, it provides stock notifications, products that are close to expiry and other crucial information, which helps manufacturers to prevent stock overruns.

Join hands with a distribution company

If your prevailing shipping costs seem too high for your business, it's better you talk to any of the professional distribution partners. They offer the best value to small enterprises by catering to all of their specific shipping needs. However, it's always suggested to go for some market research before choosing a partner service provider to get one whose prices will enable you to  cut down your costs considerably from what you have been spending earlier.

If your business is truly feeling the sting of higher shipping costs and you wish to streamline it and reduce it, then follow one of the above credible ways.

Sanjay Nandy is a senior marketing executive working at https://smart-delivery.com/ Service Inc. one of the largest Dallas courier services providers that have been offering businesses with eminent packaging, storage and distribution services for years. With over 25 years of experiences, the company is also serving businesses in Minneapolis with courier services and expanding operations in Houston.

Article Source: ?Want-To-Cut-Down-Shipping-Costs?-Here-Are-The-Ways

How to get more consulting clients.

For many business owners, the desire to get more clients translates to how best to market themselves. However, getting new clients is much harder than continuing to serve existing clients. This article considers how to attract more business from existing clients while simultaneously reaching new clients. The former is a question of service delivery while the latter is a question of marketing.

The Question of Service Delivery in Your Consulting Business

In continuing to serve existing clients, you want to ensure that you keep adding more value to existing services. Like beauty, value is in the eye of the beholder: Your customer.

You can find new ways of serving existing clients by surveying them to find out what they like and appreciate as well as what they currently find dissatisfying, frustrating or annoying. Based on your customers' answers, you will know how best to tweak your offering so as to incorporate more of what they like and appreciate as well as less of what they find dissatisfying, frustrating or annoying. If you are new to consultant business then read further.

You may also tweak your offerings based on what you have found your customers to like, value and appreciate over the years. In some instances, it is a simple matter of changing some minor detail that is inconsequential to yourself, but highly meaningful to your clients. In other instances, it is a matter of providing additional and more comprehensive offerings that dovetail with existing services. In so doing, you become a one-stop shop. Learn how to-become a consultant.

Finally, you may be able to reach your existing customers more effectively by offering your existing services across a range of platforms. Thus, if you provide face-to-face, one-on-one consultations, you may consider extending your offerings into a public speaking or training (face-to-face or online) environment. Similarly, you might also consider extending your offerings into the printed word (such as subscription-based newsletters, special reports, downloadable e-books or printed books). If you are already providing training or public speaking, you could extend your offerings further by providing CDs and DVDs of your work.

The Question of Marketing for Your Business

There are many ways to market your consultanting business. The method you choose may reflect your personal taste. It may also reflect your availability, as well as the degree of comfort you have with the range of marketing methods available to you. Whatever methods you use, you will want to ensure that they dovetail well with one another.

1. Websites: Your website should reside at the core of your marketing initiatives. Ideally, any other marketing initiatives you engage in should direct people to specific pages on your website. The specific webpage that potential customers are directed to will depend on where they found out about you (and hence, the offerings they will be most interested in). You will want your website to be easy to navigate, professional and consistent with your business brand.

2. Newsletters: Newsletters can be a revenue stream if you make them available via subscription or membership schemes. They are also a valuable marketing tool. So much so, that there are many businesses who specialise in the provision of newsletter proformas and/or content in return for a fee. However, newsletters are most effective when they are developed based on your own expertise and use a unique style that is consistent with your business brand. You will want to produce your newsletters on a regular basis, be it on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis. As a marketing tool, you could make previous issues freely available on your website. You can also hand out previous issues to your current and prospective clients where applicable to their needs and interests.

3. Social Media: The range of marketing options under social media is quite extensive these days, including: Facebook, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube. Social media is most effective as a marketing tool when you select the one or two platforms you most enjoy using and regularly post on them. You will want to use your social media platforms as mediums by which you point followers to specific pages within your website.

4. Networking: Networking is one of the simplest forms of marketing. It is also the most useful if you are able to join several networks where your prospective clients may be found. Networking is most effective when you begin by asking prospective clients about themselves. In so doing, they feel valued and will likely reciprocate by asking you about yourself. Be sure to bring plenty of your business cards so that you will always be able to provide one of your cards upon request. You will also find it invaluable to provide prospective clients with tips as well as introduce them to the right people. Kind deeds are always favourably remembered. If you are able to obtain your prospects' contact details, you can place them on your mailing list to receive complimentary copies of your newsletters.

5. Articles: Articles are a great way of showcasing who you are and what you can do for potential customers. You will want to provide valuable information on a range of topics your current customers are most interested in. You will also want to place your articles in a range of different platforms and do so on a regular basis. Some might appear on your social media channels. Others might appear on your website. Others still, may be submitted to other websites or magazines that your potential clients frequent. For those articles that are placed outside of your website, you will want to include links back to specific pages of your website.

6. Public Speaking and Authoring: Authoring and public speaking reflect two additional ways of showcasing your talents. In some instances, they may act as separate revenue streams. Once again, you will want to speak and write to topics that reflect your area of expertise; areas in which you would like to attract new business. It is then a matter of offering to speak to these topics in networking groups, professional meetings, conferences and workshops. If space permits, you can also host presentations on your own premises. If you have authored any books, be sure to highlight their presence as part of your presentation. Once again, you may also draw attention to the presence of your website. You may also want to invite back-of-room sales after the speaking event.

Do you want to know more? Be sure to look at some of my other ezine articles. You will also find more articles on this, and related, topics on both my websites:



Article Source: How-to-Get-More-Consulting-Clients

How to triple your sales in instant.

Set high goals.

I think this is one of the most important points, often underestimated.

The only way to be successful in your profession and in life in general is to have measurable goals.

I want to give you a little advice: Do not underestimate the power of setting ambitious goals:There are so many people who will probably underestimate you, like your boss, your family and so on...

Do not listen to them and expect from yourself more than anyone else can expect and you will be surprised at the results.

Be unreasonable, as Tony Robbins says unreasonable men and women rule the world, remember: You have been given just a small amount of time in this world, use it to maximize your potential and you will never regret it, I promise you.

Understand the difference between price and value.

I see it every day, the average sales person is terrified by the price, often using it as an excuse to justify the fact that he has not reached his goals, but the average sales person is destined to fail miserably sooner or later.

The sale is based almost entirely on the impression that we and the product we are selling does to our customer.

Here is the definition of the word "impression" from Google dictionary:

"feeling, or opinion about something or someone, especially one formed without conscious thought or on the basis of little evidence".

Now we can sell something even without evidence, the top salesman can sell anything to anybody based on an impression but your goal should always be to sell something of value that you would buy for yourself or to your family.

This is also important when our customers are comparing prices: The only reason why a customer is still comparing your product to others is because inside his mind the price and the value of the product (the impression the customer has of the product or service you are selling as far as how effective is going to be in solving his / her needs) are on the same level or the price is actually higher than the perceived value (that's how you can lose a sale).

There are several strategies you can find to show that your product or service is far superior to the cost of the product and to increase the chances to close the sale and I will talk about those in my next articles.

Study your product: You need to know your product inside out: what are the benefits that your product offers?

Write down at least 10 benefits and think about how those benefits can solve your customer needs.

The more you know about your product and the more you understand the benefits that your product can offer, the easier the sale is going to be.

Make sure you really believe in what you're selling.

Another reason why so many sales people do not sell is that they do not really believe in their product or service.

The only way to sell your product or service is to love it, to be convinced that your product is the best solution to your customer's needs.

What is the easiest way to believe in your product? Buy it and use it. This will show that you actually walk what you talk.

Know your product.

Knowing your product should be mandatory before you can start selling, but unfortunately it is one of the most common mistakes in sales.

Professionalism and experience in your field are two basic and fundamental skills for those who work full-time in this profession and the more you know the product, the more you have the opportunity to respond adequately to customer questions or objections.

Practice.

Many sales people know everything about their product, have a clear idea of the sales process but they still can't succeed and this is linked to the fact that they don't practice each day or they try to create shortcuts in the sales process.

When I was still in Italy I had an English professor who knew all about English grammar but if I had brought him to London, he would probably not be able to interact in a normal conversation with the locals and the same happens with many sales courses: the materials are high quality but the sales people don't practice what they have learned.

I have attended hundreds of sales courses and most people just put into practice what they learned for the first few days / weeks / months and then back from where they started.

I Invite anyone who is beginning in this field to find a role model and to practice as much as possible without having fear of making mistakes, I repeat: there are no magic shortcuts or buttons in this profession, the only way to succeed is to act and practice what you've learned.

Think outside the Box.

This is a used and abused phrase.

Many times it's easy to fall into regular mechanisms and conversations but if you really want to be competitive in your industry you have to think differently compared to how most of your competitors think, you have to create unique ways to attract the attention of your prospects, you have to make them unique in their eyes.

Do not assume. Always ask questions.

Never ever assume what a customer is thinking, this is one of the easiest ways to fail.

One of the most important aspects of successful sales people is knowing how to listen, knowing how to open your ears and at the same time knowing how to close your mouth.

Mostly if you keep your ears open, your client will tell you exactly how to sell him/ her a product, just listen and ask him as many questions as possible to understand what he wants exactly.

If you like article post share it with your friends and family!

Remember: Sharing is caring!



Article Source: How-To-Triple-Your-Sales-In-An-Instant

The millionair booklet: Becoming super rich.

I have the read The Millionaire Booklet, by Grant Cardone about 25 times. Why? My 10x Goal is to build a $250 million dollar empire that will help build up the communities I grew up in.

Grant Cardone says millionair is the new middle class. The middle class is dead. To have financial prosperity you have to be rich. You need money to fund your goals, help your community, and give to your causes. Understand this is not about greed or self-indulgence.

Becoming Super Rich

Becoming super rich is about reaching your financial potential and helping others. Those museums, hospitals, and recreational centers for youth do not get built by the poor. Scholarships and grants are not handed out by people who are in debt and living paycheck to paycheck.

You becoming Super Rich is about setting up your family for financial prosperity. It's about building wealth that will leave a legacy. It's about you giving and helping elevate peoples lives. It's about funding your church or community activities.

Here are the 8 Steps of the Millionaire Booklet:

Step One: The Millionaire Decision

You must decide to become Super Rich. Commit now and put your stake in the ground and say, "I am going to be very, very, very rich one day". Your decision and your consistent commitment to that decision is the most important thing you can do for your financial future.

People spend more time on deciding on what to wear, where to eat, and who to watch on TV than they do with their finances. They are satisfied with the middle-class lie. They are comfortable. Comfort is the enemy of progress. Put away the notions of, "Just Enough", "Getting By", "I am doing better than they are".

Step Two: Do The Millionaire Math

First, decide to become super rich. Then you have to do the math. The truth is most people will earn one million dollars in their lifetime. If you work a stable job for 20 years at $50k per year. You would have earned $1 million dollars. Sell your home plus your retirement savings and you could come in contact with a million dollars.

What will it take for you to earn a million dollars now? You must do the math. That means you have to find a vehicle that could get you to one million. Is it your job, real estate, sales, your business? Will you need a promotion? Can you add other income streams that are symbiotic to what you are doing now?

Step Three: Increase Income

You get rich by increasing your income. It's not by saving or investing. You increase income first. INCOME IS KING. Income is your only way to start building wealth. Nothing ever replaces income. It's the road to wealth. Star athletes and entertainers go broke because after their contracts or movie roles end they fail to produce income.

There are several ways that you can produce more income now. Get a second job, sell all of that stuff you don't use, get a side hustle, start a business with your skills, or find a way to increase your income from your primary source.

Increase your income in increments. You are not going to go from $2500 per month to one million dollars over night. If you are making $2500 per month make your new target $3000. When you hit that target make $3500 or $4000 your next goal. Keep going. The key is to save your increases (Step 6).

Step Four: Who's Got My Money?

Simple... Who has your money? To increase your income you need people with money or access to money. Find people who can pay you for your services. Your new mantra is, "Who Has My Money?" Spend less time with broke people and spend more time with people who can increase your income. Find a need, fill it, and then get paid for it.

Step Five: Stay Broke

You heard me. Stay Broke! Do not increase your expenses as your income increases. Have a monthly cashflow plan. Know how much money you are spending each month. People get raises every year and still, they are in a financial crisis. Cut back on your expenses and expand your earnings. Don't occur anymore debt unless that debt can increase your cashflow.

Staying broke does not mean being poor. It means maintaining a budget that will help elevate you to becoming super rich.

Step Six: Save It All

Save to invest, Don't Save to Save. Investing money (from increased income) is how you get to the super rich. The reason why I was able to save $10k in six months from a new income stream is because I saved my all my income surges, tips, and bonuses. I stayed broke as in step 5 and I socked away all my income increases.

People never create wealth because they never invest enough in a deal to payoff. When your income increases in increments save all of your surges, bonuses, and any extras that come in. Stay broke and save the rest for a big deal. This also gives you time to learn how to find big deals. I label my sacred account "Big Deal".

Step Seven: Multiple Flows of Income

First, you increase your income. Then you find ways to add multiple flows. The simplest way is to find symbiotic ways to increase your cashflow. Where can you find other cashflow streams at your current job? Are their opportunities that you are missing in your current business? Expand your product line, offer more services, get more tips, or go after your bonuses.

Step Eight: Repeat, Reinforce, and Hyperfocus

Wash, rinse, and repeat. Following these steps will get you on your way to the super rich and having you earn a million dollars sooner than you thought possible. Pick up The Millionaire Booklet, by Grant Cardone.

Charles Fitzgerald Butler, is an author, entrepreneur, and expert in internet marketing. Charles has a passion for helping people start and run successful home businesses. You can partner with Charles and start building multiple income streams from your home. Charles' goal is to help all who partner with him achieve cash flow and profits from their business.

Marketing, leadership, and a business blueprint are essential in your success.



Article Source: The-Millionaire-Booklet:-Becoming-Super-Rich

Affiliate marketing building a strong relationship.

The internet has no borders, affiliate marketing is a worldwide business. Anyone can enter the online industry, the only requirement is to have a good internet connection. An essential part of business success is having a strong network. In this article, we will talk about how you can find the right people to work with and why it's important to build a strong relationship with them.

How to find the right business partners

Doing business online means that you can have partners all over the world. If you decide to do business in affiliate marketing, the first thing you should do is find a stable and reliable company to convert your traffic or ads with. Finding a company that suits you best requires some research. One of the most useful things you can do is to connect with people who are already experts in what you intend to do. All you really need to build a good network is the willingness to meet new people. There are a number of options that you can do to find the right and reliable contacts. We explain three below:

1. Search on Google

Searching on Google is an obvious way to find different companies to work with. Read the websites of the companies you have found carefully and decide whether it if it suits your goals. You can usually sign up for free at the company platform and once you have an account, look around in the control panel and determine whether you can work with it. An example of a reliable platform with a 24/7 support is Traffic Company. This CPA network has a variety of tools build into their control panel, that has been developed and continuously optimized for the needs of their users.

2. Ask questions on forums

Forums mostly have a wealth of independent information. This is the place where you can ask anything about the business and about the experience of other people with the companies you had already found. On the other hand, you can ask people on forums what they're up to and how you can help. That strengthens the relationship and makes it mutually beneficial. Some examples of forums where you can find a lot of information about the industry are AffiliateFix, Affpub, GFY, Stack That Money,Affpaying, Ynot and many more.

3. Visit events

One of the best ways to grow your network is to get out of the office. Meeting partners in real life and shake hands usually have a positive influence on the business relationship. But with an internationally oriented network, most of your contacts will not be around the corner. Luckily, there are various events that gather people from around the world to meet existing and new contacts in real life. Which is great, because then you can meet several partners in one trip. The European Summit is an example of such an event that attracts affiliates, media buyers, advertisers and publishers from all over the world. The upcoming edition of TES Affiliate Conference (14 - 17 September 2018) is located in Prague, Czech Republic.

Good partners stick together

Only the best platforms offer you a dedicated account manager, who wants you to grow and will support your growth. Once you found one or more partners to do business with, it's important to keep the relationship warm and close. Successful partners embrace change and growth, knowing that this attitude benefits them both individually and as a team.

Article Source: Affiliate-Marketing---Building-Strong-Relationships

How to start a career when you over fifty.

Former Employer

If you loved your job before retirement, it is best to contact your former employer and request them to hire you as a part-time employee or a consultant. Since employers hate losing skilled and experienced employees, there's a strong possibility that they will re-hire you. This will enable you to renew contact with all your old colleagues and coworkers.

Retailing

Many seniors start their own small-scale retain business. If you have an attic full of books, have collected antiques over the years or any other saleable item that is cramping up space, you can set up a small retail store and consider selling these items. With the advent of e-commerce, you need not open a store either. Simply put up the items on eBay or Craigslist and watch your business grow. Social media marketing is also an important and budget tool.

Consultancy

Retired seniors with specialized experience and/or advanced degrees often become consultants. This allows them to share valuable knowledge and experience with others and work at their own convenience. There are many companies that actively seek retired finance professionals, lawyers and computer programmers to act as consultants for short-term projects.

Temp

Temporary jobs provide an opportunity for you to work at your own leisure. These may include general office jobs, such as customer services, order processing and bookkeeping. Typical assignment duration can range from one day to a few weeks. Look for the local job postings in your area that seek temporary employees and apply at your earliest.

Home-Based

Some small businesses seek professionals who can work from home. These include accountancy outsourcing firms, bookkeepers and content writers (freelancers). If you have experience in any of these fields, you can work from home for any of these businesses. All you'll need is a laptop and a high speed internet.

Part-Time

If you're looking for a low-stress job that carries a light responsibility and allows you to stay active, then a part-time job is just what you need. Several retail positions, sales-oriented jobs, children services and teaching assistant jobs need part-time employees, irrespective of their age and gender.

Community

Many senior retirees are looking for jobs that allow them to give something back to their community. These jobs tend to pay very little and are often seeking unpaid volunteers. There are several animal shelters, religious organizations and Peace Corps that accept older individuals, in a good health, to work for them. Peace Corps also allows a legally married senior couple to work and serve together.

Coach

This is a viable option if you've had a career in sports or served as a corporate trainer. After retirement, you can serve as a coach for your local team or conduct seminars and workshops on motivation and leadership.

Patricia Payne is a senior Writer. she is a story teller, a foodie and looks forward to anything adventurous. He is a Health Care Blog writer with experience in writing on any topic that catches his fancy.he has experience of 6 years in Content writing field. Patricia Payne is Currently Working with Home Care Assistance of Tucson, a Home Health Care Company.

Article Source: How to start a career when you over fifty.

Entrepreneurial mind frame.

Entrepreneurs make up only about 15% of the working population in the US. Far fewer actually succeed than those who attempt to become self employed business people and venture out on their own. So what makes people decide to take the entrepreneurial path, when so few actually make it a reality?

Is the American dream a possibility for anyone, or, does it take more than most to become a successful entrepreneur? 
The success of an entrepreneur does depend on their mindset. A large percentage of business owners will quit in their first five years in business. What is needed is the fortitude and belief that goes with attaining success.

Entrepreneurs are risk takers and dreamers. The difference between the dreamer and the entrepreneur though, is that the entrepreneur takes actions based on their dreams. They persist through the hardships and never give up! Many entrepreneurs start with an idea. Their success is determined by their belief that they can create something greater than simple monetary success. Often, it is about creating something which will benefit the world.

James Dyson, for example, came up with the idea of the bagless vacuum cleaner. Despite multiple set backs, over 5000 prototypes and not being able to get any manufacturers or distributors to accept his idea, he persevered. It was over a decade after his initial idea when his concept came to fruition. Even then, it was after a lot of difficulties and hardship due to the vacuum replacement bag industry, which was worth £100 million in the UK.

In Simon Sinek's book 'Start With Why', he suggests that the biggest companies in the world are so because of their "why?" - their reasons for building a business in the first place. In all cases, it wasn't just to make money, or make technology better, or some whimsical ideology.

The Wright Brothers, for example, became known as the pioneers of the first manned flight. But their competition was much better funded and well connected - Samuel Pierpont Langley had worked at Harvard, had a number of powerful connections, including Andrew Carnegie and Alexander Graham Bell. The War Department funded his project with a $50k grant, a seemingly massive advantage to the unconnected Wright Brothers who had no money or influence. However, their passion and devotion to change the world with this new technology drove them to attain the first flight in history in 1903.

Desire for material things and monetary wealth can only carry someone so far. Unless you have a goal or passion which is bigger than that, you may lose the momentum and fail to maintain your enthusiasm for any length of time.

The entrepreneurial mindset is one which taps into your purpose. Without a purpose driven goal or aim, it can't take long before disillusionment kicks in. With a mindset which takes into account a larger purpose, entrepreneurs can build huge businesses because they 'saw' a vision of what they wanted to create. If the purpose is greater than the obstacles which lie in the path of attaining it, no amount of setbacks will stop you from achieving your goal.

On the other hand, if you set out to do something and something gets in the way and stops you, your initial reason, (your "why?"), may not have been strong enough to endure all the battles along the way.

Entrepreneurial mind frame (or mindset) therefore, must be aligned with both your vision, your values and your purpose. If your values are not in alignment with your purpose and vision, you'll come up against road blocks which will stop you from achieving your goal.

Tim Halloran is a stuntman, martial artist and online business owner. https://tim-halloran.com/entrepreneurial-mind-frame

Article Source: Entrepreneurial-Mind-Frame

Will courage make you a great leader?

If you lack courage, does it mean you will never be a great leader? In the US, it appears that common sense says courage is a profound part of being a great leader. As a result, aspiring leaders go about their day to demonstrate their courage to the world. However, when you look at many of the most effective leaders, perhaps it is not courage that informs us of their greatness.

What is Courage? One definition says it is the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc. without fear. Bravery is often synonymous with courage. Another definition says: to have courage of one's convictions, to act in accordance with one's beliefs, especially in spite of criticism.

On the surface, this sounds like a complete logical formula for leadership. It is possible for a person to spend their day seeking ways to face difficulty, danger and pain in a way that others believe they are qualified to be the leader. Or they think they have to pontificate their beliefs to convince others they have strong convictions. For example, a vegetarian may believe they have to convince others that being a vegetarian is the best diet. If that vegetarian can convert a portion of the people who will listen, they can be seen as a leader. If they are criticized, that may validate the need to show more conviction in order to prove they are the best candidate for leadership. Yay vegetarians!

For some of you, it may be traditional to leave the room when your vegetarian friend starts to rant about why vegetarianism is the best diet. For others, you politely nod your head as you take a bite out of your perfectly cooked and seasoned filet mignon.

In the workplace, many people consider themselves leaders. Yet, they have the same behavior as the vegetarian. In the worse case, the self-proclaimed leader is the person who believes they have to be the smartest in the room. In that case, they may use intimidation to demonstrate their power and intellectual prowess. And when criticized for not listening to their direct reports, they believe they have to overcome criticism with courage. While I wish this were an exaggeration, it happens too often. Because that person is known for confidence and courage, they are promoted to boss - the faithful leader.

On the other hand, in Jim Collins' book, Good to Great, he talks about, what he calls, a level five leader. A level five leader is someone who empowers people and develops other leaders. When that leader retires, the company remains on an excellent path to long-term success. In Collins' book, his research showed that level five leaders built companies that rose from good to great. And the greatness continued after that leader left. The irony is he never classified level five leaders as courageous. They were seen as humble people with great communication skills and great listeners with an open door policy.

Furthermore, Collins' noted the charismatic leader with great courage often created a culture of "yes-men". People just followed what the leader said. If the leader was not available, people were uncomfortable making decisions. And when that leader retired, the company underperformed.

With that said, while courage can surely make you look good to the masses, it doesn't mean you are an effective leader. Perhaps the greatest leaders have been people who had no desire to be the smartest in the room. They had a vision they stood for. That vision became a platform for others to shine. For others to shine, it would be imperative for the leader to give a voice to everyone. That way new ideas are discovered and vetted.

If you observe closer, you may find the best leader to be a person committed to building a legacy that can only happen with the help of others. More importantly, the leader is willing to put their butts on the line and be responsible for everything. While being responsible could appear to be courageous, the most responsible leaders know they have to take care of their people. As long as a leader takes care of the people, the people will take care of the company. Therefore, you may find that the greatest leaders are people who stand for a vision, their people and assume responsibility no matter what happens.

In other words, courage is about the leader who looks good. Encourage is about taking care of others to ensure they look good.

What do you think? I would love to hear your feedback. And I'm open to ideas. Or if you want to write me about a specific topic, connect through my blog www.turnaroundip.blogspot.com.

Article Source: Will-Courage-Make-You-a-Great-Leader

Top universal sales closes.

If you are to become proficient in closing the "sale" you will have to become knowledgeable of the many different types of sale closes. First of all, a good salesperson must understand this fact; products and services are sold, not bought and top salespeople always plan their closes in advance. Shooting from the hip is not a practiced art of top salespeople.

Here are two questions that you must be comfortable asking your customers:

1. Does this make sense to you thus far? 
2. What questions or concerns do you have for me right now?

These two questions without a doubt will get you the furthest in the sales process than any other questions by causing the customer to share what they do or don't understand. Most objections from a customer are due from the customer not understanding the value they will obtain by possessing the product or service you present them.

The following is a list of proven closes used by some of the top salespeople in the sales profession:

1. Invitation close: "Mr. or Miss. Customer why don't you just give us a trial run to see if our products or services are to your liking. You have nothing to lose but being a satisfied customer."

2. Preferance close: Give the customer several choices between prices and/or products. No one likes to be pushed into a corner. By offering choices to the customer it gives the customer the illusion that they are in control of the transaction. Always know that the person who is asking the most questions is in control of the conversation. So, ask away!

3. Secondary close: You will want to keep the customers mind on your products or services and bring up as many reasons why the customer may find value in owning or using the products and services you have to offer. In many cases, a customer's attention may wander. If this does happen to you, it is imperative that you get the customer concentrating back on subject at hand.

4. Directive close: Let the customer know what the next step is; (plan of action) then guarantee the customer that you will take care of all the details personally, concerning the product or service red tape immediately! Most customers want to be rest assured that the salesperson is competent and in control.

5. Shape angle close: "Mr. or Miss. Customer, if we can satisfy all of your concerns regarding our products or services, what would stop you from doing business with us right now"?

6. Authorization close: "With your authorization here on this agreement" We can get started right away providing you with the products or services we spoke of this evening." People want things taken care of right away. People also want to know the value in what they are about to own or purchase.

7. I want to think it over close: "That's a good idea that you do so." "I know this is a very important decision you are about to make." "Obviously you have a good reason for wanting to think it over?" "May I ask what that reason may be?"

8. Assuring sales close: "When working with our organization you will receive extraordinary service!" "The quality of our products and services are the top in the industry!" "Our organization makes our products and services convenient to our customers!" "You will know the true value and the significance of owning our product's or service's once you see how they work or function!"

There are several keys to being successful in selling. You will want to get serious and decide to follow through with your commitment to be the best at our craft. Next, you will want to identify your prominent skills, so you can become a successful salesperson. You will then want to surround yourself with the best of the best, so you can ultimately become the best.

Taking care of your physical health is very important also. Your health has a lot to do with your demeanor and confidence. Your attitude controls your altitude. So, stay healthy and strive to be the best in all you do. You will want to have a positive visualization of greatness. You will want to see yourself as the very best in your field. You are what you think about all the time. The way you visualize yourself will be the person you will become.

Be careful how you talk to yourself. Talk to yourself positively. You will want to control your inner dialog. Never forget! Positive input = positive output! Garbage in, garbage stays! Never lose sight that the quality of your life will be determined by the depth of your commitment to excellence more than any other factor.

This information is for salespeople that want to take it to the next level in sales. These essential keys have made a difference in my sales career and I know that they will also help anyone that uses them. You can find more essential keys at http://www.drmarkhuddleston.com in "Eluding The Toxic Enemy Within" and "The Essential Keys To Financial Freedom" May you find the information you are looking for. Thanks for dropping by.

Article Source: Top-Universal-Sales close.

How to make connections with linkedin.

LinkedIn is a fabulous online networking tool that can help you grow your connections and business.

The problem is because it's online, there are a lot of lazy people out there who rely on the standard request:

"I'd like to add you to my professional network."

How many times have you received one of these requests to connect from someone on linkedin that you've never heard of before?

They're maddening, aren't they?

I'm not the greatest at remembering names, so I guess there's a slim chance that I may have met them at a conference or networking event.

The problem is, by sending linkedin's generic invitation if you're "unknown" to the recipient, it's probably going to be ignored.

Make it personal

It's my understanding that the only way you can personalise your request is if you click on "connect" from the person's linkedin profile from your desktop or laptop. You don't get the option when using the app.

From my point of view, if you want to connect with me, you need to tell me why.

There are a lot of folks out there that want to make themselves look well connected by sending requests to every Tom, Dick and Harry.

What's the point in that?

linkedin loses its effectiveness as a potential marketing tool if you're connecting to random people.

No. If you want to get the most out of it and want to connect to certain people, give them a damn good reason why they should accept.

How to be personal

It goes without saying your linkedin profile should carry a professional photo of you. Leave the ones of you cycling, running, or dancing on tables for Facebook.

Then you should always start your request with a greeting bearing the recipient's name (spelt correctly).

Tell them how you know them. Perhaps you have mutual acquaintances, follow each other on Twitter, or met at a networking event, conference etc.

Once you've done that tell them why you want to connect with them followed by a short description about what you do.

Finish off with a bit of flattery about their work (not so much that it's creepy or embarrassing) and sign off in a friendly way.

Personally, if I get the generic connection request, it's very unlikely I'll accept (especially if I don't know the sender) and I'm sure I'm not alone.

If you want to make an impact and some valuable connections, put in the effort to make it personal.

Sally Ormond, Briar Copywriting, is a professional copywriter, SEO website copywriter and advertising copywriting with extensive experience in both B2B and B2C markets.

To have a chat about how she can help you send an email to sally@briarcopywriting.com or call +44(0)1449 779605.

Article Source: 

How-To-Make-Connections-On-LinkedIn-The-Right-Way