Many small businesses forget why they are in business; to make a profit. So many times the small business will worry about how they look in the eyes of the landlord or mall that they are in. They spend so much time doing this and place such a high priority on it that they forget about what is best for them.
Trust me you can do more for your landlord by making a profit and paying them on time and you can do more advertising to attract customers to the mall. The more traffic your company brings in the more synergy everyone gets. Make money first and that means bringing in customers, that will keep the mall management happy, believe me.
So, manage your Service Business for profit and not for the Land Lord? Now then let us look at an example here and case study. A mobile car wash makes a deal with a Regional Mall; Like the Galleria, Mall of America location. The Mobile Car Wash heard that a Mall in Houston is getting good reviews from customers to the Mall Management and thus believes this will be a good business location to wash at.
Well regarding; good reviews to Mall Management, look your goal is to make money, make a profit and what the mall management thinks about the amenities of the service is friggin irrelevant. Make Money first, do quality and move those cars, just like turning tables at a restaurant; total efficiency. Forget about the Mall its self, you are a liability to them, but a marketing tool too.
It is a win/win, customers telling the mall they were pleased will occur if you concentrate on your fundamentals, stay efficient, have customer service and Make Money. Did I mention the part about MAKING MONEY> that is why you are in business, do not forget you must make money.
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In my earlier article “Setting Financial Goals - Part 1″ I identified the 4 simple steps to setting up achievable financial goals. I mentioned that your financial goals should be broken down into smaller more manageable goals and then written down to help you visualize them. This article expands upon that information.
Writing your goals down has an additional effect besides allowing you to properly focus in on their success. In some cases you will discover that some of your goals are unfortunately so broad focused that they are unobtainable. However, don’t despair, as you will also be able to identify the smaller more tightly focused and thus achievable goals very quickly and easily. When writing down your goals don’t be afraid to dream about riches or retiring early in life just be realistic in your expectations.
Goals are more easily obtainable when they are broken down into separate steps or categories based on time frames. When you place a time frame on your goals you are programming your mind to subconsciously motivate itself to succeed in fulfilling your goals. There are 3 time frames that are generally recommended for goal setting. They are short-term goals (within 1 year), intermediate goals (3-5 years) and long term goals (5 years or longer).
A short-term goal generally takes one year or less to achieve, based on the date the task is needed, the total estimated cost, and the required savings. An intermediate-term goal is the type of goal that can’t be accomplished overnight but doesn’t require many years to accomplish. Examples might include buying a car, getting an education or paying off your debts like credit cards. Normally an intermediate-goal is anywhere from 1-3 years. Finally a long-term goal is a goal that requires an extensive time commitment (5 years or longer) in order to get accomplished or fulfilled. Examples of long-term goals might include college education for a child, retirement plan or purchasing a home. Whatever the case, these goals generally require longer commitments and often more money in the end.
As we stated before you will need to accurately identify what your financial goals are in order to have them come true. You will need to identify the necessary steps that need to be taken in order to achieve your goals. Examples of such steps include the following:
Start placing 5% or 10% of your paycheck in a savings account.
Educate yourself on different investment strategies such as IRA’s, stocks, mutual funds and various other personal investments. There are many more and all can assist you in short and long term goals.
Make a budget for yourself that leaves you with some extra money (remember the 5% or 10%) and stick to it.
Take every opportunity to use coupons. It seems like small savings, but when added together you could save 20-30 dollars at each trip to the grocery store.
Shop around for bargains and do not live outside of your means.
Work with a credit counselor to get help in lowering your monthly expenses and get rid of your debt.
These are just some of the things that you can do in order to realize your financial goals. If you truly set your mind to it and visualize the successful completion of your goals you will find that they are more attainable in the long run.
Timothy Gorman is a successful webmaster and publisher of Best-Free-Insurance-Quotes.com. He provides insurance information and offers discount auto, life and home insurance that you can research in your pajamas on his website.
Other websites operated by Tim
Cellular-Phone-Solutions.com - Free information and resources regarding cell phones and cell phone plans.
Military-Loans-Online.com - Which provides free money saving loan quotes on all of your loan needs to include home equity loan information.
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We are taught how to sell; to negotiate and read a spreadsheet but in all our training, we are not taught to listen. Surely, you might say, listening is something we do instinctively and yes we do but do we actually hear? Are we listening properly?
I have both observed and managed projects and people over many years and the fact that never ceases to amaze me is the number of errors that occur, simply because people do not listen attentively. When something goes awry - maybe the loss of a customer or an inability to close a sale - we try and analyse what went wrong when often, it can be attributed to a breakdown in communication and failing to listening.
It is easy to identify the individual who is not listening. They may fidget, doodle or gaze out of the window but sometimes it is more subtle. They play the game and appear to be paying attention but observe closely and you will spot the tell-tale signs: they do not ask questions nor repeat back statements that confirm their understanding of the address.
Active listening is an enormously important skill and should not be under-rated. Without active listening there is potential for vital information to be misunderstood or even completely missed. So how do we become Active Listeners? In order to develop the skill, one needs to understand the concept and learn to apply the principles.
Most people believe there is only one type of listening: in fact there are at least three types; the first of which is:
Cosmetic listening - this is ‘pretend’ listening. It’s how you listen to what is being said when really, you’re doing something else like reading the paper or watching TV. Cosmetic listening gives the impression that you are listening to the other person. And we all do it. How many times have you found yourself in conversation with a member of your team who has come to seek advice or discuss a situation only to find your eyes drawn to a Report you still have to review or a message to return a ‘phone call? If you’re clever you can convey the message that you’re hanging on their every word and make encouraging sounds but in reality, you are somewhere else. When you are in cosmetic listening mode it is impossible to ask relevant and meaningful questions because you just don’t have an adequate grasp of what is being said.
the second is:
Conversational Listening - As the name suggests, this listening occurs when you are engaged in conversation and follows a pattern of listening, thinking and responding. This is the most common type of listening as it occurs spontaneously when we converse on a topic of mutual interest. We are engaged; we are ‘in the moment’ and listening attentively and thinking about what is being said in order to formulate a response however, if the topic is of less interest or importance to one of the parties, the listening breaks down.
With both cosmetic and conversational listening “Are you listening to me?” is a question which is frequently posed. You can identify people who are cosmetic or conversational listeners since they are likely to ask irrelevant questions that do not relate to the discussion or else they will ask a question the answer to which you have already covered. Children are great at cosmetic listening!
Whenever I have been involved in delivering training and seminars, I have found it remarkable how many people listen only cosmetically, particularly in interactive sessions. A question is posed and the delegates either look at you blank or answer in a way which exposes their inattention. A classic example of this was portrayed in an episode of ‘The Office’ when during a session, the Trainer asks about daydreams. Clearly Gareth’s mind is elsewhere since when Tim asks him “Fantasy Gareth. What’s yours?” he replies “Two lesbians probably”. You get the idea!
Recently, I was asked to sit-in on a very important project meeting; it lasted some three and half hours and after it finished and the Chairman left, some members of the team sat around exchanging information because they openly admitted they were not listening properly. When you have project meetings like this the projects usually fail to achieve the goal and the interested team members, the ones listening, become demotivated.
Some years ago, I was asked by a Recruitment Agency, to assist them in advancing their business from Secondary to Primary Supplier status with their major Clients. A brief was devised and it was agreed that I should, as an observer, accompany the Representatives on their Customer Sales Visits.
One visit took us to carton manufacturer whose business apparently, the Agency had been chasing for years. I sat quietly throughout the meeting and listened. At the end, we left empty-handed and my colleague lamented that yet again he was unable to secure the deal. I ask him what it was that the customer wanted and he regaled me with a list of admirable staff qualities such as loyalty, reliability, punctuality etc. I stopped him dead: “And?” I asked. He looked at me blank.
OK, I had the advantage since it wasn’t me that was delivering the pitch and pushing for the business but I had written down what the business owner had said. “I don’t want to be ’sold to’”. He just wanted someone to help him staff his business. He felt his other suppliers did not understand his staffing needs because all they recommended was that “You need more staff”.
Taking this information on board, we did a speculative visit a few days later. There was no hard sell. We explained how we would like to do business with his Company and asked him how things were with both the staffing and the business. Through Active Listening we had identified his needs and the Salesman left with three vacancies to fill and the promise of further business which quickly increased.
the third type of listening is:
Active/Deep listening (Master Listening) - This can only be undertaken with a clear mind - you must silence all the mental chatter in order to focus on what is being said. Put out of your mind the ‘phone call you must return or the groceries you must pick up on the way home. Active listening requires great concentration. Give your complete attention to what is being said and record the fact, whether mentally or by making notes.
Active listening when practiced, imparts a greater understanding of what is being communicated and can help to form an insight into both what is being said and what is not being said. It is as important for the for the Manager as it is for the Salesman or Receptionist as failing to listen actively precludes one from being able to ‘dig deeper’ and gain further information. As an example: you may ask a question and receive a satisfactory response but recognize that it is limited and merits development. The Active Listener will sense any reticence and can then pursue the line of enquiry in order to elicit more information. When listening actively you will find maintaining a dialogue easier as each exchange can be expanded upon by the use of the open enquiries: What? When? Who? Why? and How?
To be skilled at Active Listening it is necessary to take control of one’s own worry, fear anger, grief, individual bias, prejudice and verbal clutter and to conquer any inclination one might have toward world-weariness, preoccupation and inattentiveness. By employing Active Listening we ensure our language is neither controlling nor judgmental. The spoken word of the Active Listener is therefore deliberate and questions should be asked in an even tone with measured speed and a degree of warmth. For example; “How can we work together to make this project succeed?” delivered calmly and with sincerity, creates a powerful question to which hopefully, the Manager, Customer or Staff member will give great thought to before answering and because you are focused on their response, you are much less likely to find random thoughts entering your head and thereby avoid involuntary outbursts such as: “I think that’s rubbish” or “You’re just moaning again” which would destroy the interaction completely.
We all know the frustration of not being listened to so
How do we learn to listen actively?
The first step is to assess your own listening skills.
Engage in a brief conversation with an associate or ask them to read a passage from a book or magazine then, summarize the exchange or narration. During this exercise, observe and note the number of times you allow your mind to wander or your attention to be distracted. Review your findings, evaluate the efficacy of your comprehension and identify any areas in which you could improve.
Here are some tips for improving your listening
1) Look directly at the person with whom you are talking and maintain eye contact
2) Remain relaxed
3) Suspend judgment
4) Think in pictures - visualize what the person is trying to say
5) Allow the other person finish their words before responding - it demonstrates respect
6) Clarify any point upon which you are unclear
7) Be aware of body language and watch for facial expressions, body movements and posture
Learn to summarize the exchange in order to reinforce and confirm your understanding
Over twenty years in business and consultancy, educated to degree level in business and finance. Currently working as writer and life/performance coaching.
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Just today my partner Russ and I sat down to hash out a nagging frustration. It took a little bantering back and forth [not without some rise in emotional tension I’ll have you know] until we got at the heart of the issue.
Unmet expectations!
Stop and look back at the last time you were frustrated with your life or business partner. Odds are it was because he/she did not meet your expectations.
Expectations of…
- Leaving the toilet seat up or down
- Making the bed
- Meeting you at the restaurant on time
- And so on.
These expectations can be small or large, simple or complex, pertinent or absurd; the point is that somewhere in your head you expected something different to happen than what did happen.
So, most every time you find your level of frustration on the rise it is because your partner acted contrary to one of your myriad expectations. Now that you’ve become more or re-aware of this what can you do about it…besides hoot and holler?
The first step is to identify what the expectation is
For example: My husband expects that we arrive at least 15 minutes early for meetings where we are the speakers, as he likes to greet attendees and take our position behind the podium in a timely manner. When for some reason I get caught talking with someone outside he gets perturbed.
Now before we had a dialog about this and how important it is to him I didn’t have a clue. The same holds true for how he and I squeeze the toothpaste!
What are your expectations with your life partner regarding…
- Taking out the trash [who does it and when, every day or only when it reeks to high heaven?]
- Being intimate
- Raising your children
- Getting the oil changed
- Balancing the check book
- Hanging out with members of the opposite sex
And with your business partner what are your expectations regarding…
- Time and effort put forth
- Taking time off
- Doing the work neither of you much enjoy
- And the list goes on.
Once you have identified which expectation is being stomped on address it with your partner [when you emotions are in check] and find out what his/her expectations are around the same issue. At times you’ll find that your partner doesn’t care and readily does it your way, and other times he/she has opposing expectations [like the proverbial squeezing the toothpaste scenario]. If that is the case you have some work to do.
Where do our expectations come from?
Our expectations generally are spawned during our childhood years. I recall when our daughter was about five years old and she came home from visiting our neighbors rather concerned and said, “Jason’s mommy and daddy are mad and his daddy went away. Mommies and daddies must stay together.” Her expectation was [and still is now that she is 26 and married] that couples work it out.
Take a moment to reflect on some of your expectations; you might just chuckle about where some of them come from. Like the one about the ham…
Mother is teaching her daughter how to cook ham for a holiday dinner. “Mom, why do you cut off the ends of the ham before putting it in the casserole?” Mother stops to think for a moment then says, “Because that’s how grandma did it.” Fortunately Grandma is visiting and is sitting in the front room reading to her five year old grandson. “Grandma, why do you cut the ends off the ham?” Grandma smiles and says, “Why child, because when your mother was young the pan was too small.”
Choose your battles
Depending on the expectation you may want to concede so that in another area your partner will agree to your preference. Determine which expectations are most important to you and which are most important to your partner. Be prepared for some give and take.
Find a better way.
When expectations are in conflict, it is frequently best to sit back and look at what is best for the situation or the relationship. Who takes out the trash may vary according to work schedule and availability. When to take out the trash may be determined by sanitary concerns. When individual expectations clash the fastest way to resolve the concern is to create a totally new expectation that fits you and your life or business partner best.
If you are a workaholic working 16 hours a day and your partner puts in 8hours you need to look at what your business demands and set your expectations to line up with your business plan and goals.
In a partnership, life or business, remember that your expectations may need to be realigned so that they work for the good of the relationship.
Margrit Harris, Your Relationship Expert, provides Helpful Answers to Tough Relationship Questions for life and business.
Business clients include Wachovia Securities, Morgan Stanley and a variety of small business executives. While life clients range from college students to seasoned professionals. Author of StrataTips, practical weekly free Relationship Advice, and the ebook Can [I Make] My Partner Change?. Visit StrataTeam’s estore today.
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In my last article I told about a kid with ADHD symptoms who I was working with in my practice. I taught him to connect his love of hockey with doing science homework, which he was currently getting F’s in because he was bored. He used hockey cards and posters and music to do this and he ended up getting A’s in Science as a result.
That’s an example of someone with ADHD symptoms connecting something they love and something they’re not that excited about together to make it at least a semi-exciting experience.
Today, Stephanie Frank and I are going to going to talk about how to use sensory stimulation with Adult ADHD symptoms–using all five senses–to help focus the brain with Adult ADHD.
An example of this is when I have to do the dishes–something I find extremely boring. It’s hard for me to stand there for more than two minutes. My ADHD symptoms kick in and I wander off. So here’s what I do to stay focused when I do the dishes.
First I make myself a nice pot of coffee (ever noticed how people with Adult ADHD love coffee?). The second thing I do when I want to get a household chore done at high speed is, a technique I started using after we came up with this hockey idea for the kid with ADHD symptoms I was working with: except I use a different interest.
I’m a distance runner. I love running. So, I actually will get in my running clothes, shoes, shorts, and shirt, and do the dishes at high speed while dressed up like a runner. It’s kind of a funny sight, but it works. It works really well–and can work great for anyone Adult ADHD symptoms.
Stephanie Frank explains why this really works with Adult ADHD symptoms:
Stephanie: Let’s talk about why that works with Adult ADHD, Tellman. If you’re focusing on something, you’re probably doing it unconsciously. You’re not even aware of all the things that are happening. Let’s bring that up to the awareness level that people with Adult ADHD symptoms operate at.
The point is that when you want to focus, people with Adult ADHD symptoms have a brain, a body, a mind that works automatically in kind of a multi-tasking sort of a mode. People with Adult ADHD can accomplish many, many things at once, whereas most people without ADHD symptoms have to go from one thing to the next thing to the next thing.
Because you have Adult ADHD symptoms, you like to do lots of things at once. This is because when you sit down and you try to just focus on this one thing, what happens is your brain almost rebels. It shuts down. It gets to that point where it says, “Ugh. I’m so bored. There’s not enough stimulus. There’s nothing going on. I can’t just focus on this one thing because I have such a capacity to do more things.”
The basic premise for getting something done with Adult ADHD symptoms, especially when it’s something you don’t like to do, is very simple, and it’s this: you have to involve multiple senses. You have to involve all your senses.
Tellman said that he puts on a pot of coffee for the sense of smell. Of course, caffeine doesn’t hurt, right? So right there, you can smell the coffee. Then he puts on his running clothes. That’s kinesthetic. That’s feeling in your body. You could also light a candle. That could be a visual sense that doesn’t distract, or it could be a smell too.
You can play music. That is auditory. So, you’ve got your entire body, all your senses involved and being stimulated…and your ADHD symptoms are just soaking it up, actually helping you to focus more…did I get all the senses?
Tellman: Well, you’re talking about visual, kinesthetic, auditory or hearing, olfactory, and gustatory which is smell and taste. Then, some people would say, “What about your connection with your spiritual life?” Some people would even refer to that as a sixth sense.
You can integrate that too, if that’s your style, and that makes sense to you. Whatever religion you practice, see if you can somehow incorporate that into what you’re doing.
There are lots of very powerful ways to simply connect up things that interest you with what you’re doing, to really make them work for you. Be creative. Use your ADHD symptoms of hyper-creativity and innovation to your advantage on this.
While we’re on the subject, there is another solution people with Adult ADHD symptoms can use for getting those things done that you don’t like to do, and it’s called “outsourcing.”
There are very specific ways people with Adult ADHD can outsource things at home, and things at work, that are taking your time and energy that shouldn’t be. To find out more about outsourcing and other great techniques for Adult ADHD, see below.
Tellman Knudson can help you learn to focus, beat distraction and accomplish your goals. Learn more about Adult ADHD Symptoms and pick up your free newsletter of ADHD practical tips and techniques to make your life better today!
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The first step in planning an agenda is to identify the goals
for the meeting. Properly done, goals have five S M A R T
characteristics. They are:
Specific. The goal must tell exactly what will be accomplished.
For example: During the next hour we will develop a strategy to
increase market share by 10%. This states exactly what the group
will work on. Vague goals can cause you to lose control of the
meeting.
Measurable. This helps you determine if the goal has been
completed. It can be stated as a number (5 ideas, 10% gain, one
decision) or as an achievement (Did we write a strategy or not?).
Achievable. Goals must be realistic for the resources and time
available. For example, most groups could identify twenty ways
to reduce the budget in a fifteen minute meeting. On the other
hand, it is unlikely that a group could develop a comprehensive
marketing plan in 30 minutes.
Relevant. To be meaningful, a goal has to relate to the overall
mission of your business. Otherwise, you may be wasting time.
Challenge each goal with the question, “What happens without
it?” If your answer is “nothing,” cancel the meeting.
Time. Specifying a deadline (e.g., by noon) or a rate (e.g., 3
per hour) moves activity toward completing the task and provides
a criteria to measure progress. Of course, you want to select
realistic times.
As a final check, make sure your goals are so clear that someone
else could use them to run your meeting.
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The Fear of Change has many negative consequences on one’s life. These include all of the following:
1. Perpetuates unfulfilling relationships,
2. Enslaves one in endless self destructive habits,
3. Suffocates one’s creative potential,
4. Leaves one feeling helpless to the whims and expectations of others,
5. Keeps one imprisoned in work that tortures the heart and the soul,
6. Stifles one’s passion for life,
7. Leads to frustration, hopelessness and depression, and last but not least,
8. Leads one to give up on life itself.
Interestingly however how many times have you heard yourself or others say something like, the fear of change protects me from the unknown and thereby keeps me safe and secure? Well if this were true then it would follow that if you are carrying something “on board” that is protecting you in this way, you should not only feel free to try out new things, situations, behaviors, etc but that this would ultimately make you feel confident, carefree and able to fully expand your life in any way you desired.
This however isn’t the case is it? If it was, you wouldn’t have been drawn to this article because it would have absolutely no relevance for you, would it? The fact that you are reading this suggests that you already know that the fear of change is destroying your life. You are probably also becoming aware that the “rationalizations” (see the previous paragraph) you have been buying into do not in any way support the truth about what the fear of change is doing to your life.
There is now a new process called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) which can help you become free of the fear of change once and for all. Yes, you read that correctly! If you want such an experience then please visit the web link below.
Dr. Nick Arrizza is trained in Chemical Engineering, Business Management & Leadership, Medicine and Psychiatry. He is an Energy Psychiatrist, Healer, Key Note Speaker,Editor of a New Ezine Called “Spirituality And Science” (which is requesting high quality article submissions) Author of “Esteem for the Self: A Manual for Personal Transformation” (available in ebook format on his web site), Stress Management Coach, Peak Performance Coach & Energy Medicine Researcher, Specializes in Life and Executive Performance Coaching, is the Developer of a powerful new tool called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) that helps build physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being by helping to permanently release negative beliefs, emotions, perceptions and memories. He holds live workshops, international telephone coaching sessions and international teleconference workshops on Physical. Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Well Being.
Business URL #1: http://www.telecoaching4u.com
Personal URL: http://www.telecoaching4u.com/Spirituality_And_Science.htm
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