STRATEGY
Radical Resolutions for Winning in 2009
If it’s a struggle to keep resolutions, try these ideas for
maximizing your potential and managing your life.
WITH THE DRAMATIC changes in our economy and in our society, it’s
no wonder that many of us are asking ourselves, “Now what do I do?”
while looking for more order and certainty in an uncertain world.
The new year brings the opportunity for change. For many of us, it’s
the time to think about resolutions. Often these resolutions are the
same ones that we make every year or the ones we only stick to for a
few weeks.
If it’s ever been a struggle to create what you want most in the new
year or to keep to your resolutions, consider that your goals and
the strategy to achieve them may not serve you best.
Resolution is defined as, “The process of reducing to simpler form.”
Which brings us to the paradox of resolutions: Instead of
simplifying our lives, we wind up dumping more tasks, goals or
projects on our “to-do list” thinking that by achieving more, our
lives will be more fulfilling and successful in the new year.
To make and keep your resolutions with the least amount of effort,
start with upgrading your attitude and your strategy to achieve
greater results. To begin, here are 10 resolutions that will enable
you to maximize your potential and manage your life.
1. Quit Tolerating. To attract new and better opportunities
and results, first clear out what’s clogging up your life to create
the space for the better stuff to show up. List the things you’re
putting up with that limit productivity, cause stress and waste time
and energy. Then determine what needs to happen to eliminate these
tolerances. If you no longer accept being dragged down by unwanted
events, problems or other people’s behavior, you’ll stop wasting
time-managing situations that shouldn’t be there anyway.
2. Play Your Game. The best game to play is the one where you
make up your own rules. If you’re encountering resistance in
reaching some goals, chances are it’s either something you really
don’t want to be doing, an old goal that may not serve you any more
or you’re operating from someone else’s agenda! Take the time to
discover what YOU truly want by aligning your goals with the
priorities in your life rather than the “shoulds.”
3. Create a Winning Routine. Busy with tasks that consume
you? Feel that you’re fighting the clock? Design a weekly routine
that complements your goals so you can focus on the activities that
support your objectives and enhance your lifestyle. This includes
planning for the unplanned as well. Develop a healthier relationship
with time by underpromising on personal/professional deadlines so
that time becomes your ally instead of your adversary.
4. Have Fun. Let’s face it; this isn’t our practice life! Are
you doing the things that bring you the most joy? Find time every
day that’s yours. Shift your binoculars around to magnify your
achievements rather than what you didn’t do. Otherwise, when’s the
big payoff?
5. Deepen Your Learning. While we attract what we need to
learn, we often resist the lessons. If similar problems keep
reappearing, we missed the lesson. To accelerate success, learn from
every experience and person in order to grow and move onto a new and
better path.
6. Expand Your Vision. What does your ideal life look like?
The fact is, we never grow past what we feel is possible. Let go of
your current perceptions that are inhibiting your ability to explore
greater possibilities and achieve more. Clarify what success looks
like in every area of your life (career, relationships, health,
environment, etc.). It’s a lot easier to create something great when
you know exactly what you’re looking for. Besides, it’s your canvas.
What masterpiece do you want to create?
7. Transcend Your Beliefs. The Korean War memorial says,
“Freedom is not free.” This holds true for our thoughts as well. Old
limiting beliefs often keep us prisoner, preventing us from creating
greater successes. Your outlook determines your outcome. So if you
believe, “The past is responsible for the quality of my life today,”
“Success requires sacrifice,” or “This is as good as it gets,”
consider challenging these assumptions and replacing them with
healthier ones that would better serve you. Upgrade and direct your
beliefs without them controlling you. (Otherwise, we’d still believe
that our flat Earth is the center of the universe.).
8. Do Complete Work. You don’t have to achieve every
resolution at once. Instead of stopping and starting something, pick
one thing you want to change, create or finish and commit to seeing
it through to completion. Then move on to the next project.
Otherwise, consider that you may be an adrenaline junkie and love
the rush associated when working on overdrive. To prevent sporadic
results and a pile of unfinished projects, get off the adrenaline
train and start creating the momentum that produces consistent,
long-lasting results.
9. Focus on the Present. Although planning for the new year
is productive, during our quest to achieve more we often lose sight
of what is occurring today, preventing us from enjoying the hidden
gifts or treasures that are already present in our lives. Keep
focused on what is occurring now as opposed to what happened
yesterday or what will be in the future. Live for today while
planning for tomorrow.
10. Fear-less. Every year we want more but fear prevents us
from taking risks, so we continually produce similar results. Since
fear is the negative assumption of the outcome, shift your focus
towards the positive outcome or what you DO want to manifest,
instead of what you are looking to avoid.
Keith Rosen is the executive coach that top salespeople and managers
call first to build their team and boost their sales. A best-selling
author, Keith has written several books including, Coaching
Salespeople into Sales Champions. Inc. magazine and Fast Company
named Keith one of the five most influential executive coaches.
Contact Keith at www.ProfitBuilders.com or
www.CoachingSalespeople.com, 516-771-1444 or info@profitbuilders.com
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T R E N D S
Understanding the cautious consumer
Consumers are no longer trading up, but rather trading down. To
cater to frugal customers, you have to understand them and be
creative in meeting their needs within penny-wise ways. A recent
study by the Zandl Group gives a sneak peak into the minds of
today’s 21- to 39-year-old consumers.
Consumers are increasingly adopting a do-it-yourself (DIY) mentality
to save money. They are cooking rather than eating out, making
coffee at home and skipping Starbucks, doing their own home repairs
and renovations, and creating their own entertainment at home.
Many are turning to online exchanges for financial relief. At
Craigslist.com, cautious consumers sell/buy/barter everything from
furniture to electronics to haircuts. PaperBackSwap.com provides a
platform for people to exchange books. And Couchsurfing.com connects
budget travelers with home owners willing to offer free
accommodations.
Consumers are also saving money by sticking closer to home. They are
gravitating toward locally-owned bars and restaurants, which are
often more low-key and laid-back with less expensive food and
drinks. Weekends away and expensive family vacations are being
replaced with “staycations” at local parks, lakes and beaches.
Source: Entrepreneur, December 2008
More young workers choosing hourly jobs
A new group of young workers is emerging: They are 18- to
29-year-olds who prefer to be career hourly workers rather than
salaried workers.
A new survey by SnagAJob.com found that 40% of young people want to
maintain careers as hourly workers, while 41% want traditional
salaried positions. Even young people with college degrees are open
to the idea: 25% of those workers expect to remain hourly workers
throughout their careers.
Hourly jobs are gaining prestige as more young people accept the
fact that nonsalaried work can offer rewarding career paths. In
fact, many current hourly workers report high job satisfaction
levels. According to the survey, 37% of hourly workers expressed
positive feelings about their jobs, and another 16% described
themselves as “fulfilled” by their careers. In contrast, only 25% of
career hourly workers are “frustrated.”
What do they like the most about hourly work? Thirty percent said
their co-workers are the best thing about their current jobs. They
also cited flexibility, pay, official benefits and interaction with
customers as positive aspects.
It’s likely that many new hourly workers will find positions as
retail salespeople, registered nurses and customer service
representatives.
Source: Trend Letter, December 2008
Cutting labor costs without layoffs
A growing number of employers, hoping to avoid or limit layoffs, are
introducing four-day workweeks, unpaid vacations and voluntary or
enforced furloughs, along with wage freezes, pension cuts and
flexible work schedules. These employers are still cutting labor
costs, but hanging onto the labor.
Companies taking nips and tucks to their work force say the economy
plunged so quickly in October that they do not want to prune too
much should it just as suddenly roar back. They also say they have
been so careful about hiring and spending in recent years —
particularly in the last 12 months when nearly everyone sensed the
country was in a recession — that highly productive workers, not
slackers, remain on the payroll.
At some companies, employees are supporting the indirect wage cuts —
at least for now. The downturn hit so hard, with its toll felt so
widely through hits on pensions and 401(k) retirement plans and with
the future so murky, that employers and even some employees say it
is better to accept minor cuts than risk more draconian steps.
Source: The New York Times, December 22, 2008
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N E W S
The diminishing importance of the logo
Which is more important in an ad, your logo or an image that
represents your product or service? Martin Lindstrom, author of
Buyology: Truth and Lies About Why We Buy asked this question as
part of a three-year neuromarketing study conducted with Gemma
Calvert from Oxford University. Their research suggests that your
logo may not be as important as you think.
In one experiment, smokers were shown subliminal images that had no
overt connection to cigarette brands — a red Ferrari, a cowboy on
horseback, a camel in the desert. Next, they were shown explicit
images such as the Marlboro Man and Joe Camel, the Marlboro and
Camel logos, and branded packs of cigarettes.
Using MRI scans, Dr. Calvert compared the responses to the two
different types of images, and discovered more activity in the
reward and craving center of the brain when subjects viewed the
subliminal images than when they viewed the overt images. In other
words, the logo-free images associated with cigarettes triggered
more cravings among smokers than the logos themselves or the images
of cigarette packs, a result that was consistent for both Camel and
Marlboro smokers.
The study suggests we should move on from the logo and begin to
develop components — color, shape, sound, smell — whose indirect
signals tell a story about the brand without the logo. Such
components engage the consumer in figuring out who’s behind the
message and, most importantly, speak to the subconscious mind. You
won’t find a logo on the front of an iPod, yet its iconic look is
enough for you to know what brand it is.
Source: Advertising Age, December 1, 2008
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T I P S
- If you’re burdened by a project that’s been on your to-do list
for ages, maybe there’s a deeper reason than lack of time for not
getting to it, suggests Julie Morgenstern in her book, When Organizing
Isn’t Enough. Consider the emotional significance the project has for
you and whether you’re ready to let go of an outdated rule or role. Then
do one of three options: delete it completely, delegate it or do it on a
greatly diminished scale. You will be rewarded with time and energy for
projects that are more relevant to you.
Source: www.yudkin.com
- When customers face emotional decisions, they seek a more
personal connection with salespeople. New research shows that while
customers making rational decisions (Is this the right IRA for me?)
tend to prefer expert information providers, customers making
emotional decisions (How do I start on this new restricted diet?)
tend to prefer benevolent professionals. So if decisions about
choosing your product involve some emotional difficulty, train your
salespeople to focus on being empathetic and kind.
Source: www.marketingprofs.com
- White papers are still king among buyers. A new survey
shows that white papers (authoritative reports that address customer
problems and offer solutions) are the number one way b-to-b buyers
evaluate potential solutions. In fact, 59% of participants said that
for evaluating solutions, they rely on white papers more than
newsletters (51.8%), trials (46.2%), product literature (40.7%),
articles (38%), webcasts (47.7%) or case studies (25.7%). To
increase effectiveness of white papers, be concise and keep your
tone educational.
Source: www.techtarget.com
- Never heard back from a prospect after giving a proposal?
Prospects rarely take the time to call to let you know what happened
with a project you didn’t get. Here are some ideas for staying in
the game: Leave a final message. Put some closure to the process
with a voicemail message such as “I haven’t heard from you so I
don’t know what happened with the proposal, but it looks like it’s
not going to happen in the time frame we discussed. We’re still
interested in pursuing this project, if and when you are. I will
touch base again in a month.” Then a month later, call to see how
it’s going. They may have chosen the low bidder and are getting what
they paid for. You might be the perfect solution to their problem.
After that, don’t drop out of sight — let your marketing kick in and
stay in touch with your email newsletter or other ongoing marketing
tools.
Source: www.marketing-mentor.com
- When advertising in more than one publication, make sure
each ad message is specifically targeted to each publication’s
readership. Your headline may change depending on the medium in
which the ad is placed. For example, readers of a cooking magazine
will most likely respond to different benefits than readers of a
parenting magazine.
Source: www.targetmarketingmag.com
- Lower health insurance costs by utilizing smaller networks.
Most health insurance companies have both large and small provider
networks. The healthcare providers in the smaller networks provide
healthcare for deeper discounts than the larger networks. When you
opt for the smaller networks, the insurance company passes along
those savings to you through reduced insurance premiums, ranging
from seven to 20% depending on the insurance carrier and the nature
of the network offered. Keep in mind that your employees might find
that the network doesn’t include some of their providers. However,
if it comes down to using another provider versus not having health
insurance, employees usually accept the smaller network.
Source: blog.inc.com
- Discounts may rule right now, but it doesn’t mean you
should rush to the bottom like everyone else. After all, not all of
your customers want the same thing and not everyone is a
deal-seeker. Customers are spending more carefully and the
perception of “value” — that the customer will receive a high
quality product or service at an attractive price — can be just as
important. If you are spending your money more wisely, why waste it
on poor quality product that is “cheap.” Security is also important.
Why would a consumer purchase a product from a company that might
not be around to help with warranty or service afterward? Reassure
customers that you’re sticking around.
Source: www.chiefmarketer.com
- Can videoconferencing replace face-to-face contact?
Probably not. When researchers from Boston University and Penn
State’s Great Valley campus surveyed doctors who attended
presentations in person or by video, the video attendees were twice
as likely to base their evaluations of the meetings on the speaker
rather than the content. They were also more likely to say the
speaker was hard to follow. Why? Our brains gather data about people
before turning to what they say. In person, we do this quickly. But
speakers are harder to “read” on screen, so we focus more on them.
Source: www.businessweek.com
- Motivate your staff throughout the year by organizing
fun, educational or inspiring events. Some ideas: Employee
Appreciation Day (March 6) — write a sincere, personalized note to
each employee; National Fun at Work Day (April 1) — hold silly
competitions to build camaraderie; National Employee Health &
Fitness Day (May 20) — provide health education and screenings;
Leave the Office Earlier Day (July 1); Thanksgiving — just before
the holiday, gather to share things you’re thankful for at work.
Source: www.briefings.com
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