August 18th, 2009
The eyes are the window to the soul. As far back as the statement’s orgin’s in the bible Matthew 6 22-23, the eyes export and import information that stimulates a reaction. A well postured man walks into a room using good eye contact, he immediately gains power and is clearly communicating to everyone in the room that he is there to communicate. He will either communicate interests, disinterests, gain feedback, express feelings or influence others. Similar to the animals in the jungle, the lion will quickly focus on his interests to satisfy his hunger.
The eyes have it and that is why eye gaze studies are becoming more and more important to companies with a large Internet presence. On a given website, visitors will view the search bar and menu options spending less than 30 seconds before deciding to continue or move awat from a website. Large marketing firms now are investing in research to learn more about eye gaze studies and the link between social and search as is used to advertise on Facebook.
In studies, regarding the difference between the sexes’ eye contact, women establish more frequent eye contact than their male counter parts. Men established more mutual eye contact while listening and speaking. Research also concluded that both sexes look more when speaking to a female than a male. This leaves some speculation that women are more attentive, demonstrative and participative.
Eye gaze studies are crucial to companies with a large Internet presence. On a given website, visitors will view the search bar and menu options spending less than 30 seconds before deciding to continue or move off a website. Business owners are continually challenged seeking ways to increase click throughs once their visitors arrive without visual overload.
Research has demonstrated that the eye tends to navigate to the middle of the top of the page and top of far left panel on the Facebook. Most immediately look at wall updates and announcements then navigate to the far right for highlights then venture upwards viewing any personally interesting advertisements. Facebook members tend to find great value in the ability to communicate quickly and easily to family, friends and use it as a networking too. Because of this friendly relationship with Facebook, advertisements are not seen as intrusive as they were on Myspace causing a decrease in membership.
It has been found that 25% of females between the ages are Facebook members. Below is a listing of visitors by website:
Facebook Twitter You Tube
Monthly Traffic 91.2 21.9 71.3
% of People 18 – 49 62% 75% 59%
% of Men/Women 44/56 45/55 50/50
The intensity of visual interests provides valuable information to all those with interests in development. The eyes of the buyer and those we wish to influence. The story is told and absorbed by our eyes. The passionate communication the provide an incentive to react or walk away.
Some researchers into consciousness believe that fixational points of interests are placed where important cognition thinking takes place. Marketing researchers, use eye-gaze systems while conducting marketing research on consumers, similar to those used to develop technology for those that are physically challenged allowing them to turn on lights, talk via a specialized computer or move. They learn about the power of influence on the brain and the motivation for the brain to react.
Like a great hunter, the eye lines up the animal of interest to the center of the retina creating a target of interest. Consumer research concentrates on (1) the scanning pattern across a scene indicating what features are noticed first and second (2) the amount of time on the item of interest (3) the time that it takes before first seeing the item and focus on detail, and (4) fixations measuring the amount of time that the individual’s eye moves from one specific location to another.
Maintaining the visitor’s interests requires a careful balance answering the “what’s in it for me” question, providing intriquing information and an incentive to do business with you in 30 seconds or less. If you have ask yourself what motivates you when you visit a website or when you find yourself captivated by an advertisement, you will learn more about how to capture the eye of your visitors.
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August 8th, 2009
It pays to encourage people to spread the word about your business.
Q: How important is it to offer some type of incentive for people who give me referrals?
A: Everybody loves referrals, and one thing I’ve learned is that they also love to be recognized for giving referrals.
In a survey I conducted with Robert Davis (published in our book business Business By Referral), incentives were found to be one of the most important methods of generating referrals for successful business professionals. Incentives can range from simple recognition, such as a thank you, to monetary rewards based on business generated. Nearly one-quarter of all respondents in this international survey considered incentives an effective generator of referrals.
Creativity is the key to any good incentive program. People just naturally like to help each other, but especially when they know their efforts are successful. Let your contact know when a referral he or she has made comes through and be as creative as you can.
I’ve heard many novel ways businesspeople reward those who send them referrals. A female business consultant sends bouquets of flowers to men. A music storeowner sends concert tickets. A financial planner sends change purses and money clips.
I know of an accountant who thanks those who successfully refer a client to him by paying for a dinner for two at an exclusive restaurant located at least an hour drive from their homes. This approach firmly plants the accountant in the minds of his referral sources: They won’t be able to use it right away, because the distance requires that they plan for it. As the date approaches, because it has been planned, they’ll be talking about it (and probably about the accountant). Later, when the referring party runs into someone else who might need an accountant, who will he recommend?
One realtor I met in Northern California told me that for almost six years, he offered a $100 finder’s fee to anyone giving him a referral that resulted in a listing or sale. Yet during that time, he had only given away about a dozen finder’s fees. He decided it was time to try another kind of incentive.
Since he lived on a large parcel of land in prime wine country, he had begun growing grapes in his own vineyard. A thought soon occurred to him: Why not take the next step? He began processing the grapes and bottling his own special vintage wine. After the first harvest, he had a graphic artist design a beautiful label, which he affixed to each bottle. He told all his friends that he did not sell this wine; he gave it as a gift to anyone who provided him with a bona fide referral.
He gave away dozens of cases in the first three years-half the time it took him to give away a dozen cash finder’s fees. Yet each bottle cost him less than $10 to produce. This special vintage wine makes him infinitely more money than giving away a handful of $100 finder’s fees.
It sometimes amazes me, even now, how something as simple as a bottle of wine can be such a powerful incentive for people to give you referrals. But the explanation is really quite simple: It’s special. A bottle of wine that can’t be bought can be worth 10 times what it cost to produce when it’s traded for something as valuable as a business referral.
Remember, finding the right incentive is a big challenge-especially if you want to score big by building word-of-mouth business. To make it easier on yourself, get opinions and feedback from others who have a significant interest in your success.
Don’t underestimate the value of recognizing the people who send you business. A well-thought-out incentive program will add much to your word-of-mouth program.
Ivan Misner is the founder and CEO of Business Network International (BNI), which has more than 2,900 chapters throughout the world. He is also the author of five books, including his New York Times bestseller, Masters of Networking, as well as Entrepreneur Press’ forthcoming Masters of Success.
The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, not of Entrepreneur.com. All answers are intended to be general in nature, without regard to specific geographical areas or circumstances, and should only be relied upon after consulting an appropriate expert, such as an attorney or accountant.
Tags: corporate incentives, incentive, incentive program, incentives
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July 4th, 2009
Five signers were captured by the British as traitors,
and tortured before they died.
Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned.
Two lost their sons serving in the Revolutionary Army;
another had two sons captured.
Nine of the 56 fought and died from wounds or
hardships of the Revolutionary War.
They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes,
and their sacred honor.
What kind of men were they?
Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists.
Eleven were merchants,
nine were farmers and large plantation owners;
men of means, well educated,
but they signed the Declaration of Independence
knowing full well that the penalty would be death if
they were captured.
Carter Braxton of Virginia, a wealthy planter and
trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the
British Navy. He sold his home and properties to
pay his debts, and died in rags.
Thomas McKeam was so hounded by the British
that he was forced to move his family almost constantly.
He served in the Congress without pay, and his family
was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him,
and poverty was his reward.
Vandals or soldiers looted the properties of Dillery, Hall, Clymer,
Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge, and Middleton.
At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr., noted that
the British General Cornwallis had taken over the Nelson
home for his headquarters. He quietly urged General
George Washington to open fire. The home was destroyed,
and Nelson died bankrupt.
Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed.
The enemy jailed his wife, and she died within a few months.
John Hart was driven from his wife’s bedside as she was dying.
Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields and his gristmill
were laid to waste. For more than a year he lived in forests
and caves, returning home to find his wife dead and his
children vanished.
So, take a few minutes while enjoying your 4th of July holiday and
silently thank these patriots. It’s not much to ask for the price they paid.
Remember: freedom is never free!
Fourth of July has more to it than beer,
picnics, and baseball games.
Tags: corporate incentives, corporate reward, employee rewards, incentives, reward, rewards
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June 22nd, 2009
Two economists–one for and one against the stimulus–sound off on why small businesses are getting a bad deal.
Often, economists can only agree to disagree, and on the subject of the economic stimulus, they are particularly divided. In fact, a few weeks before the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law, 200 leading economists lent their signatures to a full-page ad in The New York Times and Wall Street Journal decrying the proposed legislation. That same week, a letter supporting the bill was sent to Congress–also signed by approximately 200 venerable economists.
But when Entrepreneur spoke with Raymond Keating, chief economist of the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council, and Jeff Rosensweig, professor of international business and finance at Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business, about the stimulus (Keating is against and Rosensweig pro), they thought in common: there should be more done for small business.
What are your thoughts on the stimulus package?
Keating: I’m against it because if you really want to get entrepreneurship and investment moving again, you need tax relief that’s not targeted and temporary. Investors and entrepreneurs need [permanent] changes that will really improve the profitability of taking risks in the expansion or startup of businesses.
On the spending side, I think most entrepreneurs understand that these resources the government is tossing around…don’t materialize from nothing. The economy would benefit from leaving those resources in the private sector rather than putting dollars in the hands of politicians and their appointees to decide where they are going to be spent.
Even economists who think this is a good idea will acknowledge that it’s just an effort to throw as much money as you possibly can at the problem and hope that something good comes out of it. Is it better than nothing? Yes. Is it enough to really get our economy moving? I would say no. It falls way short.
Rosensweig: I’m for it, but with caveats because of its approach to small business. Without a stimulus, I fear our economy could slide into the abyss. I spend a lot of time speaking with business owners, and I just don’t see a lot of growth occurring. No one is hiring to offset the downsizing.
In normal times, I wouldn’t like to see a lot of government spending, but these are far from normal times–we need anything that can create jobs. I also think it’s important to balance tax cuts with spending increases, and there is some of that in the stimulus.
What are these caveats?
Rosensweig: What worries me is that the tax breaks for small business are temporary. Small business has been ignored in the bill, and I think the criticisms of many of us did lead to a better focus on small business, but I still think the package could go further in letting small business immediately expense all their capital expenditures and making that more permanent so that entrepreneurs see less risk. People are held back not just by the uncertainty of the economy, but also the uncertainty of tax policy.
Have you seen the impact of any “stimulus” yet?
Keating: Unfortunately, there probably won’t be an impact for the average business owner. There’s a lot of talk around about how this money’s going to be spent wisely, but what generally happens is a great deal gets wasted.
From an economist’s perspective, you just have to understand the incentives at work: If you’ve got a business owner trying to keep things afloat, they have every incentive to keep a close eye on things and keep costs under control and to make the best investment they possible can. If they fail, they get punished and they go out of business.
In the public sector the incentives are completely different. In the public sector, it’s not your money; it’s somebody else’s money. The spending is driven by political and special interests. You’re not going to get the best bang for your buck by any means. And the other thing is, when you fail in the public sector, it seems you usually wind up getting more money for it!
Rosensweig: The stimulus hasn’t hit yet. I’m not seeing jobs created here, even in a top 20 business school. We’re very worried about our graduating students getting jobs, and people who have job offers are having them rescinded. In past years, most of our students already had a job lined up [before graduation]. After making a big investment in an MBA, it really hurts. And it’s even worse at the undergraduate level.
But the stimulus still costs taxpayers.
Keating: Yes. For most entrepreneurs and small business owners, the benefits are going to be nil. But a good number of them are going to see taxes increase from the proposal President Obama has put forward. You just have to worry about how we are going to pay for all of this spending and debt.
Rosensweig: It’s costing almost all American taxpayers, even the ones who are getting the tax cut in the stimulus bill. That’s a tax cut now, but the gross federal debt is going to go from $11 trillion now to $18 trillion in four to five years, and that means there’s going to be a lot of interest paid down the road.
Small-business owners will face a two-edged sword. On the one hand, I want serious tax cuts for small business so they can help get the economy growing. But on the other, many have taken risks and worked hard enough that they won’t be the pit bull getting tax cuts, and later on they’re going to be paying more income taxes, more social security taxes, maybe even sales taxes or consumption taxes.
But it’s the best we can do right now. I think the only thing worse … is what President Hoover tried to do, which was to balance the budget at the time of a deep recession. That was a very effective way to fall out of the recession and into the Great Depression.
What measures do you think could improve the bill?
Keating: I think we would have some certainty if our elected officials said, “Those tax increases that are looming at the end of 2010? Forget about those. The tax measures that were passed earlier this decade are permanent.” That would be number one. Then make estate taxes go away, bring tax rates down for businesses and make expensing [allowances] an option for all businesses.
Rosensweig: I think we need some way to stimulate job creation in the private sector as well as the government. For example, we raised the minimum wage–which is good–but the minimum wage could make it hard for some people starting a business to hire unskilled workers. There should be ways to [help] an entrepreneur in a bad economic environment subsidize the difference between the worth of an unskilled worker and a decent minimum wage for a hardworking person.
What I mean by that is that … the actual entrepreneur who hires people should get a subsidy because there could be a gap between what employees need to be paid and what the entrepreneur can pay. Obviously that subsidy should go away in a couple years of being on the job because the person can learn and become more productive and be able to justify earning the wage, but the main thing is to build up work habits.
I think another option … is for the government to provide a lot of free retraining of displaced and downsized workers so that they can [learn] the specific skill sets that an entrepreneur might need. So a business owner can go into their state’s Department of Adult Education and say, “I can grow my business if I can find people who can do X. If you can find people and you train them at your expense, I’ll hire them.”
What is the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council doing to push for changes?
Keating: We’re working on all fronts to get the word out and lay out the economics of the situation, the impact that it’s going to have on small business, entrepreneurs and investors and try to make the case of what does work and what doesn’t work.
We raise questions about some of the concerns we have about the President’s budget and [economic policy]. Should we be raising taxes on capital gains or should we be looking to provide tax and regulatory relief so entrepreneurs can grab and build businesses and create jobs?
How open is the administration to amending the legislation to allow for some of these improvements?
Keating: In the short run, these measures will not come to pass. But I think it’s critical that these ideas stay in the policy mix. When we see that our economic recovery is lackluster and we’re losing our competitive edge in so many areas, people are going to hopefully come to realize … what we’re trying right now isn’t working. Then they’ll ask what we should do, and having these ideas in the debate means people can say, “That makes sense.”
Rosensweig: I think the administration is very open to changes. President Obama knows that someone of his race being elected will leave a wonderful legacy, but that he will ultimately be judged on whether the economy turns around; and therefore he is open to doing whatever it takes. Personally, I think he’s open to learning more about the small business job-creation machine that has promoted the American Dream.
When the stimulus finally plays out, what do you hope will happen?
Keating: I think there’s an “at-the-very-least” scenario. The best case is that the stimulus doesn’t do any damage. There’s just a massive increase in size of government, and that tends to not go away.
I do expect that even with a lot of problems, the economy will start to recover late this year. The problem is it’s going to be a recovery that doesn’t feel like much of a recovery, and there’s still going to be some real problems going forward: higher spending levels on the proposed budget, looming tax increases, questions about cap-and-trade in energy policy, healthcare. Unfortunately, the list is far too long.
Rosensweig: I’m hoping that we can go back to roughly where we were, which is with most investment decisions and most job creation and most of the price-setting in the economy done by the private sector.
However, the shenanigans on Wall Street mean there’s going to be more regulation for the foreseeable future. The important thing is that the government steps in because it’s needed, but then gracefully steps out of this when the economy is growing again. The U.S. can only succeed in this century driven by private-sector initiative.
What I’m afraid now is that the business cycle and production are L-shaped. We’re coming down very rapidly. Let’s say we hit the bottom in the fourth quarter. I don’t see a rapid rebound–more of a muddling along the bottom, slowly rising in 2010, and well below average growth in 2011. This means continued strain on entrepreneurs and those heavily indebted, and it also means the job market is going to be a very difficult place for jobseekers for quite a number of years.
Do you have a parting message for readers?
Keating: Sometimes people like to separate entrepreneurs and small-business owners from investors and capital markets. It’s critical not to do that because for small business owners and entrepreneurs, the biggest challenge they face is access to capital.
They need those investors willing to take the risks and put up the money to help their businesses to start up and grow and create jobs and all those things we want to happen.
If people with resources to make investments are seeing signals on all fronts that there’s a major shift in [big] government … it just feeds the uncertainly and turns around and affects small business.
Rosensweig: Every economist … knows that what makes the American economy go is the job creation thanks to entrepreneurs. I think one thing that might appeal to President Obama and Congress is that small business is a great and fair creator of opportunity for diverse Americans. Women and minorities have often had great opportunity to grow and to help their families … and to get started on the capitalist American dream.
I think if the Obama administration and the Democrats in Congress realize that, they’ll realize that small business is a way to reach their social goals as well as their economic ones.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/money/article201932.html#ixzz0JDAlfAR9&D
Tags: corporate incentives, incentive, incentives
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June 12th, 2009
Flexibility of the little guy is king during a recession. Small companies and entrepreneurs have an opportunity to be flexible and move quickly. Large companies with multiple layers of decision makers and share holders are not able to move as quickly reacting to swift changes in theirs communities.
Our stock markets today are proof positive that smaller healthy companies have the agility to survive. Stock values of big companies continue to fall while smaller company stock begins to soar. It is a good time for entrepreneurs because the rules are changing and their audience is growing because investors that once looked primarily at the big companies now have the incentive to look at them.
Not everyone has the same experience during a recession. For example a 3 percent drop in aggregate income does not mean that peoople’s salaries with drop by 3 percent. Unfortunately, some will lose their entire paycheck, others will remain the same remaining at the status quo and then there are the fortunate few who will gain.
If you look back to during the 80’s when we experienced our last deep recession you will find that many prosperous companies were born during those years. Those that dreamed of their own business, a new product or service had a perfect time to test fulfill their dreams because many were unemployed themselves. Their incentive? Their passionate desire to jump in and give it a go.
The meaning of an entrpreneur is one who takes risks to create a business. An individual who looks for opportunities amongst the weeds. It is not easy but these times do present opportunity to act immediately on ideas and win.
If one looks around you will see that practically everything is on sales. Airline ticket, furniture and even Botox. If an entrepreneur wants to open a store, rent is more affordable then ever, if you are needing employees people are looking for work at lower wages and more businesses are considering marketing collaboration relationships.
Entrpreneurs are helping us to round the cycle to better times ahead.
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May 18th, 2009
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February 11th, 2009
Many people long for a better life. In fact, I think it is innate to humans to desire a better life. Wherever we are at, we look beyond and dream of a better place. That is good, and that is not so good. It is good because the dream is alive and we can see, even if it is far off, a better situation for us, our families and our businesses and communities. So why is it not good? It is not good because it is not yet a reality! A dream is no good if it is only a dream. Sure a dream can make you feel good, but long-term, if you don’t pursue it and make it a reality, it will cause you frustration more than anything. But there is hope!
I’m talking about the day your life really changes. The day that your dream begins to become a reality, and not some pie in the sky wish. This is the day life turns around for you, the day things begin to get better and you begin to fulfill your purpose, mission and destiny! When is this day?
It is the day you make a decision!
The key to changing your life is to make a decision, and then to act upon it. And once acted upon, to follow-through consistently until your dream becomes a reality.
So the decision is the key? Yes it is. Every dream begins as a thought. “I would love to have my own business, to be free to run my life and earn as much money as I want to and take as much vacation time as I want.” Good dream, isn’t it? Probably a dream that most of us have. But there it is, a little electrical impulse bouncing around inside our head. Does that do us any good? Only if it becomes action! And it only becomes action if we make a decision.
Let’s carry this example out. What are the decisions to be made here? Well, there are a few I can think of. One would be to quit your job. You can’t go into business for yourself until you quit your job (or your current boss will be quite upset!). Decide to do it and schedule an appointment with him or her. Walk in and quit! Another decision is to go get your business license. Schedule the time, go get the papers, fill them out, pay the money and register with the State. Bingo, you’re in business!
You must decide what you must do to make your dream a reality.
Then you must act upon those decisions. If you do not act, your dream becomes a pipe dream, a non-reality.
When you have acted, you must follow through. Continue to follow your plan, day by day, carrying your dream to completion.
Here is a practical exercise to get you moving:
What is your dream? It could be in any area of life: Work, family, finances, health etc.
What is a decision you have to make to get yourself MOVING in the right direction? This should be action oriented not philosophical in nature. For example it should be “I am going to resign on March 1st,” not “I’ve decided that being in business for myself would be more fulfilling.” That is an idea, not a decision.
Next, pick a day you are going to do it. Pick a time. Be specific.
Next, do it!
Next, begin the process of continually following-through.
Next, enjoy yourself; you are pursuing your dream! It may be hard but it will also be the most fulfilling and rewarding time of your life!
“The history of free men is not written by chance, but by choice – their choice.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
Decide, Act, Follow-through. The day you do will be the day you change your life – for good!
Made for Success Quote and Commentary
“Be ready when opportunity comes…Luck is the time when preparation and opportunity meet.” — Roy D. Chapin, Jr.
Chris’ Commentary:
Sooner or later, your “break” will come. You will get your chance. The question is not whether or not opportunity will knock or if the door will open, but whether or not you will be thoroughly prepared to knock back and blow through that door! You certainly don’t want to have to tell your opportunity to “hold on for a minute while I go get ready!” I hate to tell you this, but opportunity can be an impatient suitor. If you can’t or won’t dance, he will find someone who will.
Action Point: What would be your “dream opportunity? Write it out. Now write out what you can do to be thoroughly prepared when you get the call. Write out what you can do to quicken the speed by which you will get your opportunity. When the pitch is thrown, you want to hit it out of the park!
Tags: corporate incentives, point rewards, rewards
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February 9th, 2009
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be motivated to achievement by such a lofty goal as benevolence? I must confess, however, that in the early years of my struggle to succeed, my motivation was a lot more down-to-earth. My reason for succeeding was more basic. In fact, it fell into the category of what I like to call “nitty-gritty reasons.” A nitty-gritty reason is the kind that any one of us can have — at any time, on any day — and it can cause our lives to change. Let me tell you what happened to me.
Shortly before I met Mr. Shoaff, I was lounging at home one day when I heard a knock at the door. It was a timid, hesitant knock. When I opened the door I looked down to see a pair of big brown eyes staring up at me. There stood a frail little girl of about ten. She told me, with all the courage and determination her little heart could muster, that she was selling Girl Scout cookies. It was a masterful presentation — several flavors, a special deal, and only two dollars per box. How could anyone refuse? Finally, with a big smile and ever-so politely, she asked me to buy. And I wanted to. Oh, how I wanted to!
Except for one thing. I didn’t have two dollars! Boy, was I embarrassed! Here I was — a father, had been to college, was gainfully employed — and yet I didn’t have two dollars to my name.
Naturally I couldn’t tell this to the little girl with the big brown eyes. So I did the next best thing. I lied to her. I said, “Thanks, but I’ve already bought Girl Scout cookies this year. And I’ve still got plenty stacked in the house.”
Now that simply wasn’t true. But it was the only thing I could think of to get me off the hook. And it did. The little girl said, “That’s okay, sir. Thank you very much.” And with that she turned around and went on her way.
I stared after her for what seemed like a very long time. Finally, I closed the door behind me and, leaning my back to it, cried out, “I don’t want to live like this anymore. I’ve had it with being broke, and I’ve had it with lying. I’ll never be embarrassed again by not having any money in my pocket.” That day I promised myself to earn enough to always have several hundred dollars in my pocket at all times.
This is what I mean by a nitty-gritty reason. It may not win me any prize for greatness, but it was enough to have a permanent effect on the rest of my life.
My Girl-Scout-cookie story does have a happy ending. Several years later, as I was walking out of my bank where I had just made a hefty deposit and was crossing the street to get into my car, I saw two little girls who were selling candy for some girls’ organization. One of them approached me, saying, “Mister, would you like to buy some candy?”
“I probably would,” I said playfully. “What kind of candy do you have?” “It’s almond roca.” “Almond roca. That’s my favorite. How much is it?” “It’s only two dollars.” Two dollars. It couldn’t be! I was excited. “How many boxes of candy have you got?” “I’ve got five.”
Looking at her friend, I said, “And how many boxes do you have left?”
“I’ve got four.” “That’s nine. Okay, I’ll take them all.”
At this, both girls’ mouths fell open as they exclaimed in unison, “Really?”
“Sure,” I said. “I’ve got some friends that I’ll pass some around to.”
Excitedly, they scurried to stack all the boxes together. I reached into my pocket and gave them eighteen dollars. As I was about to leave, the boxes tucked under my arm, one of the girls looked up and said, “Mister, you’re really something!” How about that! Can you imagine spending only eighteen dollars and having someone look you in the face and say, “You’re really something!”
Now you know why I always carry a few hundred dollars on me. I’m not about to miss chances like that ever again.
And to think it all resulted from my own embarrassment, that when properly channeled, acted as a powerful motivator to help me achieve.
How about you? What nitty-gritty reasons do you have waiting to challenge and provoke you into change for the better? Look for them, they are there. Sometimes it can be as simple as a brown-eyed girl selling Girl Scout cookies.
Tags: corporate incentives, incentives, motivate customers, rewards, sales promotion
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February 7th, 2009
Self-Discipline really encompasses nearly everything in life. Do you remember in school when you were given 30 days to write a term paper? Did you start it that first night?
Most of us didn’t. Instead, we thought about it every night. “Got to get moving on that ratty project. But I’ve got almost a whole month left–it can wait.” As time goes by, worry about getting a failing grade looms larger in our minds. At first the pain of starting the term paper is greater than our concern about the failing grade, so after a week we still haven’t started. Two weeks go by. What are we doing every night before we go to sleep? Worrying about that F. “I better start. Tomorrow I’ll get moving on it.”
A week before the term paper is due, the F is getting larger–but it’s still not quite large enough to offset the pain of working at preventing it. All of a sudden there are only three days left before it’s due, and at last the F looms larger than the pain of working on the term paper. So we start.
As you lay it out you begin feeling some enthusiasm. “This isn’t bad. I may get an A if I do this and do that.” When you walk in with your paper you’re happy, but you wasted 27 days worrying about starting. In other words, you operated at a deficit emotionally for 27 days when you could have been in the profit column the whole time. Move into the emotional profit column right now; starting today, get your priority tasks and actions handled promptly. Plan your actions, then act on your plans. Apply this determination to every area of your life and it will make an enormous difference in your income, growth rate in business as well as your satisfaction and growth rate personally.
The portrait of a man who was being called the Whiz Kid on Wall Street appeared on the cover of a national magazine many years ago. He was one of the first to put a conglomerate together, and some of the federal laws affecting business in the early ’70s came about because of the trends that his creativity set off. At the time he was 42; he was running one of the largest industrial combines in the country, the conglomerate he had built himself. So the magazine had assigned a journalist and a team of researchers to do an in-depth report on this entrepreneur.
One of the researchers went to the small city the dynamic executive had left 15 years earlier. A few items turned up there about an alcoholic with the same name who had been sleeping on park benches at that time. The researcher passed this information along, and as the journalist was concluding his interview with the Wall Street powerhouse in his plush office, the journalist laughed and said, “Believe it or not, a man with your exact name was sleeping on park benches and getting ousted by the police when you lived in your home town. I guess the poor guy was a real wino. Isn’t that something?”
The president looked up and smiled. “That was me,” he said.
The reporter was flabbergasted. “This can’t be. You’re kidding.”
The president of the conglomerate leaned back in his leather chair and shook his head. “I’m not kidding. The wino sleeping off drinks on park benches was me.”
The journalist stared at him for a moment and realized that the man was telling the truth. He also realized that now he had a whole new story. When his apologies were waved aside, he said, “I have to ask, what made you change?”
Listen to what he said because so many people fit this mold: “When I was sleeping under newspapers in the park 15 years ago, I knew that someday I would do what I’m doing now. I was just waiting until I was ready to start.”
Do you know how many people are like that? “Well, next year’s my year. I’m going to get to work then. You just wait and see–right after the first of the year I’m gonna start shaping up.” But, of course, the time to get going never quite comes for most people. They have good intentions, but are lacking the two most vital components of any good deed: the motivation to begin and a strategic plan to keep them moving forward.
You see, by not beginning, you’re not risking failure, but you’re also confining yourself to the level of success you currently have. If you’re happy with that, fine. If not, make that plan and get fired up!
If your potential for greater success is nagging at you, don’t wait. Time is flying by so fast. Start today to achieve the greatness you know is within you.
Tags: corporate incentives, increase sales, rewards
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January 14th, 2009
4 simple ways to have your best year ever
By Norman Vincent Peale
Ralph Waldo Emerson suggested that one should write on his heart that every year can be the best year he ever lived. I’ve put together a very short list of things you can do to realize Emerson’s promise.
1. Start “in the beginning.”
The first four opening words of the Bible—”In the beginning, God…”—will see you throughout the year. In all things, remember God at the start of each day, each project at work, each challenge you face, and you will have a wonderful time in the new year.
2. Practice the art of forgetting.
Man is what he remembers, but man is also what he forgets. One of the healthiest things a human being can do is to become a master of forgetting. Whatever you do, don’t lug around your resentments, your hates, your frustrations, your disappointments, or your regrets into the new year. Forge ahead! It is a great art to know how to forget. Drop it, skip it, let it go. Whatever it is, start anew.
3. Take hold of the new year and shake the life out of it.
Drop the ”T” off “forget” and forge ahead. Live a day at a time and take it as it comes. Live a day at a time and live on the basis of easy does it. Don’t get too worked up about things. Just take them as they come.
4. Expect great things and put your life in God’s hands.
Have high hopes, have great dreams, have great belief. See visions and believe in them. Believe that life is good and that it’s going to be better. You know something? You are very likely to get just what you expect.
Tags: corporate incentives, recognition program
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