-This book is about how a leader can unleash human potential through the use of reward and recognition.
-A simple profound lesson: Be kind to everyone, everyone is having a hard day (must always assume everyone’s having a hard day)
-Carrots means effective rewards and recognition
-We traditionally spend most of our time worrying about our products or our customers or our bosses’ whims, and very little time worrying about what’s really important: the people who keep our business going-our faithful employees.
-Top performers aren’t the only ones who care about recognition. Carrot can improve profitability and productivity within your entire work team by leaps and bounds.
-Leaders must not only understand the necessity to encourage, inspire and reward that top 20 percent, [they must] be sure that the high-performance70% is always energized to improve and move upward.
-Managers are often convinced that employees would put good wages and job security t the top list. They were wrong. Number 1 on the employees lists was feeling appreciated. Number 2 was feeling “in” on things. In fact, when employees felt recognized and involved, they were much less likely to worry about money and job security.
SEVEN SHORT WAYS TO BULID COMMITMENT
1. No Pain, no Gain
-Giving your 1st carrot to an employee might make you feel a bit out of place. And actually, that’s good. It means you’re gaining around. The truth is, most managers are seriously out of practice in presenting employee rewards and recognition. And that’s too bad, because managers are the only ones who can.
-To effectively manage people, you must give a piece of yourself. You must truly listen, encourage, and be an important part of your employee’s work experience.
Challenge: spend a few minutes thinking about your team. Are there members you never publicly recognize? Why not?
2. Carrots Improve your eyesight
-Noticing and recognizing the right behaviors is the key to strengthening employee relationships in any economy. As your workforce shrinks and you need to do more with less, keeping quality employees becomes even more critical. As a manager, it’s you job to recognize and bond your most valued people to your company. And you must also help direct and motivate your core performers.
Challenge: Carefully think about what will you recognize in your team. At your next staff meeting, recognize one person for living one of these behaviors. Keep this tradition going by recognizing one person in every meeting. Encourage your workers to do the same. Make sure to tie recognition to your company’s goals and values.
3. Pick your Carrots wisely
-Remember the saying “Money can’t buy everything”? Well, it’s true. Don’t wait until you can offer an employee a raise or promotion. Real thanks is its own reward. In numerous surveys of work satisfaction, top on employee lists is “feeling appreciated”. In fact, when employees feel recognize and involved, they are much less likely to keep asking about money. There are some relatively simple things you can do that will earn big returns. For example, remember your employee’s birthdays and work anniversaries; find out what inexpensive rewards they value (eg. Few hours off to spend with their kids). Walk around your department every day, talk to your people and than them-sincerely and often.
Challenge: When you hire your next employee, say: “I know you are going to do great things, and I want to know how to reward you.” Then spend 10 minutes learning about his or her interests. Maybe he likes fishing (half a day might be a great reward), or reading (a book). Make a note of these interests and then use those interests to determine what day to day rewards you can offer. Not only this will give you great ideas for recognition, it will show that you have interest in them as a person.
4. It’s all in the presentation
-Expressing appreciation in general, unspecific terms, fails to communicate what the person did right and often appears insincere. Instead, when giving praise, describe the great behavior, why it was helpful and say thanks. It’s that easy.
-Praise and recognition must be specific to have an impact. General praise like “You do great work” can actually have the opposite effect, leaving your employees wondering, “Does he have any idea what I really do around here?” In private and public recognition moments, specific praise links individual accomplishments to company goals.
For example, “Joe, I noticed the way you handled that customer complaint. Great work. As you know, we value quick resolutions of problems as one of our core strategies. Types of recognition: Verbal praise (Thank them for specific actions that help achieve your department goals), Informal rewards (Free lunch, spa trips, movie-should be typically presented at least once a month to the people who created the most value) and
Formal rewards (company milestone awards to performance and service awards – 40 percent of their workforce receive a formal award for outstanding performance at least once a year).
Challenge: Come up with a fun tradition that you can start for your employees. Some managers recognize employee accomplishments with sets of walking the talk. Whatever the tradition, keep it going and keep it fun.
5. Keep your eye on the harvest
-Focus recognition on the kinds of behaviors that make your team and company better. When you are strategic, your employees will understand that recognition is not popularity contest but an important tool to move people toward specific goals, make employees more efficient and make work groups more productive.
-You must not only develop values and goals, but you have to live them. You also must recognize those on your team who embody those values. In short, you have to put your carrots where your mouth is. Stop talking about how important the values are, and start recognizing progress towards them.
Challenge: Check with your HR department to find out when you next employee will receive his service award. About a week before, spend a few minutes preparing remarks and asking coworkers to speak. Make this employee’s day special, and your investment in time and energy will come back to you tenfold.
6. Make formal milestones worth remembering
-Make the most of your company’s formal corporate wards-service, safety and others-with a powerful roup presentation. Presenting a formal award doent have to be a burden, it can be an opportunity to bond an employee to you and your team and to reinforce your goals and vision. All it takes is a little preparation, sincerity an specificity.
7. Keep on going
-Recognition means most to an employee when it’s sincere an spontaneous. Some form of recognition should occur at least every seven days. So if you wait until a year-end party or an annual review, you are waiting too long to recognize and are probably losing people along the way.
Challenge: Close the book- and call in your first employee!
*Neglect can be a poisoned apple. Recognition is the elixir that will spark better attitudes and performance. So take a look in the mirror and ask yourself how you can recognize your employees for their efforts, than them often, and reward their achievements. You can awaken them from their anger and apathy and they will fall in love with their jobs again. And chances are, you’ll work together happily ever after.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
50 Simple Ways to Save the Earth Go Green, Live Rich
David Bach & Hillary Rosner
______________________________
In this day and age, being green can mean that you will have greens (dollars). It actually pays to go green as more and more people areconsciously taking the effort to make this earth a better place to live in,not only for themselves but for their children and the future generation ahead of us.
The book presents the following opportunities to the reader;
* To adopt any of the 50 ways to live greener, OR
* To use the 50 ways to beneficially improve ones personal or company bank statement
The steps to understanding a green life is simple:-
1. Knowing how you impact the earth - Calculate it
2. Driving with a conscience - Is your car necessary?
3. Think of the energy we use up - Are you wasting electricity?
4. Think of the resources we waste - Where do our water go?
5. Live within a 'green ' environment - Is your home efficient? Have you made the right choice?
6. Spending wisely ; Shop responsibly - Green and fair-trade doesn't necessarily spell 'expensive
7. Use back resources sensibly - Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
8. Incorporate 'green' into your family values - Raising a family the green way
9. Go green at work - We can save heaps here - Electricity, Paper, Water, Waste
10. Save up lots from living green - Make 'green' give you green (dollar)
Several green ways which we can easily adopt to help make a difference:
Fuel Economy - Maintenance is important. Keeping the engine, tyres and body in good condition may save you a lot of money. The best is still car-pooling or public transport. Cars lose its values over the years and
are never a wise investment. Only when it is absolutely needed then get one, but choose and maintain sensibly.
Save up on electricity - Unplug or turn off switches for appliances that are not needed. Households makes up 20% of our yearly energy needs. Do an audit, or a simple experiment on energy consumption at home and you would be surprised at the difference in expenditure when you make an effort to cut usage.
Plant trees - Surprisingly the shade that a tree provides from the sun can help you save up from using up energy for air conditioning. It works the same for winter months when trees become a wind breaker hence cutting on heating bills.
Spending Wisely - Buying in bulk, buying fair trade and bringing your own bag when you go out shopping may save you money. Several large supermarkets in Sabah have adopted the 'bring your own bag' policy for a certain day, but the process will soon upgrade as people become more and more aware. Buying
in bigger bulk means using lesser packaging, hence less space wasted. Eating sensibly can also help make the earth greener; less meat, more vegetable. Vast tracks of rainforest around the world are cleared to make
space for livestock rearing due to increasing demand. Eating less meat, ensures that demand could be controlled, hence a cooler earth.
Start a culture that Reduce, Reuse and Recycle - Paper, bottles and cans can be recycled by ourselves, if not by an authorized recycling outlet. Your old junk at home could very well be treasure for others, open up a Yard Sale and see how much money you can make just from selling your old stuff.
Do we need junk mail? - Inform companies to immediately stop sending you junk mail as it is a waste of paper. Why not take the modern approach of sending in promotion by email?
Do something 'Green' with your family - Have a healthy outdoor activity to open up the eyes and mind of your family members. It is the first step to appreciating the beauty of the natural surrounding and also a great way of strengthening family ties.
Bag your lunch - You can save tones of money when you bring your own lunch from home. Reusable containers are the best. No Styrofoam box please. A quarter of the human litter actually comes from food packaging and cigarette butts.
Goals
Author: Brian Tracy
Introduction:
It is very important to initiate your own success. Any plan is better than no plan at all. There are hundreds of thousands, and even millions of men and women who have started with nothing and achieved great success following all these principles. If being implemented with the right steps, all your
Goals could be achieved successfully.
Chapter 1: Unlock Your Potential
This chapter teaches you to imagine the inborn ability you have to achieve any goal that you could set for yourself. It also require you to identify you real purpose in life in terms of personal, careers, health etc. If there’s anything you want to change about it, what would it be? Then, it also triggers the reader’s mind regarding things that often in their conversation. What do we want most of the time and what price will we be willing to pay for the goals that are important to us. Last but not least, actions towards all the answered questions above can be analyzed.
Chapter 2: Take Charge of Your Life
The author emphasized on letting the reader to identify their biggest negativity in life. Be responsible on each task you are involved in and stop making excuses, instead, keep progressing. He also teaches readers to let go of any grudges that act as a setback and just keep moving forward.
Chapter 3: Create Your Own Future
Be different in solving any problems and think in a wide range of perspective. Be more specific regarding your goals. Each steps counts to make any dreams a reality. Aside from that, one’s should have a perfect calendar and design it from January up to December having to say that you are not set to any limitations at all. What will you do? All in all, make sure you are the one who creates your own future. How you want it to be? How you want your life to look like? It all depends in your own bare hand.
Chapter 4: Clarify Your Values
Identify your values and your relationships with others. This will help you towards achieving your goals. For instant, if you are no longer alive in this world one day, how would you want people to remember you? By doing these, you will strive to do your best and perhaps have the initiative to change the life path you are currently having.
Chapter 5: Determine Your True Goals
Determined the 3 most important goals in your life now and figure out the things that you will like to do the most which will bring you pure satisfaction. If you are able to figure out all these, the rest of the steps which are ways to achieve it will fall into places as well. Learn to tap on the right things to get the right results that you want.
Chapter 6: Decide Upon Your Major Definite Purpose
In this chapter, readers are required to list down 10 of their goals in present tense and choose which one that will bring the biggest positive impact out of all. Be sure to write down each action towards your ultimate goal and for each action, do it immediately. Other than that, determine the price that needs to be invested for any additional work, time and commitment to achieve the goals, then, get busy on paying those prices.
Chapter 7: Analyze Your Beliefs
Visualize and act as if you were one of the most competent people in your field, how would you think, act and feel differently from today? Identify the way you would manage your finance and all the self-limiting beliefs that would hold you back. Aside from that, take every valuable lesson that teaches you the true meaning of failure or triumph and turn it into a motivational guidance for your future.
Chapter 8: Start at the Beginning
Determine the reality aspects of your current situations relative to your goals and figure out the timeline or where exactly your position is. Do a complete financial analysis of your life including how much are you earning today, what are you worth and are you enjoying the area you’re involved in. Determine as well your skills and how exactly you earn per hour. Analyze how you can improve your worth and what you need to do to increase your income. Last but not least, imagine your life in a perfect way and visualized what would have happened if your vision would come onto reality.
Chapter 9: Measure Your Progress
Determined the most important part of your job as it affects your income and set a minimum measure of a specific amount for daily, weekly and monthly saving and investment. Be discipline towards your own goal. Try achieving even a small goal each day.
Chapter 10: Remove the Roadblocks
Identify your major goal and determine the main reason that is holding you back from it. Figure out your greatest fears and doubts that blocks you from your own success. Define your best solutions for your problems and make a plan to overcome them. Do it little by little until you see results.
Chapter 11: Become an Expert in Your Field
Determine the things you react positively in terms of your job and determine your weakest key area on your job as well. Take actions on analyzing these two things and work on it. Determine the additional knowledge in your field that could help you out. Dedicate yourself to a lifelong learning. Read, listen to audio programs, attend courses and seminars, and put what you’ve learned onto actions as
quickly as you can.
Chapter 12: Associate with the Right People
Make a list of important people in your field, personal life and even organizations and create relationship with each of them. Tap onto opportunity of expanding your social business circle. This will be good in terms of communications and influential aspects.
Chapter 13: Make a Plan of Action
List out your priorities in life and those that will help you getting closer to your goals. Figure out How much time and money you need to achieve your goals and whether your resources are enough to do so. Revisit and revise your plan regularly but be prepared for any changes.
Chapter 14: Manage Your Time Well
Make a list of everything you would like to be, do or have in the months and years ahead. Analyze your list and select those items that can have the greatest possible consequences on your life. Make a list of everything you have to do the next day the evening before. Let your subconscious mind work on your list while you sleep. Begin immediately on your most important task and then discipline yourself to concentrate single-mindedly on this one task until it is 100% complete.
Chapter 15: Review Your Goals Daily
Get yourself a spiral notebook this very day and write down 10-15 goals that you would like to achieve in the foreseeable future. Create a set of 3x5 index cards with your goals written out in the positive, personal, present tense to carry with you wherever you go. Discipline yourself to rewrite your goals every day, without reviewing your previous list, until you become absolutely convinced that achieving your goals is inevitable.
Chapter 16: Visualize Your Goal Continually
Project forward and imagine that your life was perfect in every respect. What would it look like? Whatever your answer, imagine this picture regularly. Continually feed your mind with clear, exciting, emotional pictures. Remember, your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions. Invest the time regularly to create exciting mental pictures of yourself and your life exactly as you want them to be. Then, have complete faith that your pictures will materialize exactly when you are ready.
Chapter 17: Activate Your Super Conscious Mind
Select your most important goal, your major definite purpose, and visualize it clearly, over and over, with complete confidence that it will materialize at exactly the right time for you. Begin the daily practice of solitude and meditation. During this time, just let your mind relax and float from subject to subject until exactly the right answer to the right question pops into your mind. Try to solve your problem with single-minded concentration, and it that doesn’t work, get your mind busy elsewhere. At exactly the right time, the ideal solution will emerge from your intuition or appear in your life. Your super conscious mind works for you in direct proportion to your complete trust and confidence in it. Practice letting go on a regular basis and wait patiently until exactly the right answer comes to you, at exactly the right time.
Chapter 18: Remain Flexible At All Times
Regularly ask yourself the question, “What do I really, really want to do with my life?” and then make sure that your current goals and activities are in harmony with your answer. Be completely honest and realistic with your life and goals. Resolve to see the world as it is, not as you wish it were, or could be. What changes does this practice suggest? Be willing to admit, in each area of your life where you experience stress or resistance, that you could be wrong, or that you have made a mistake. If the situation has changed, or you have new information, be willing to change your mind and make a new decision based on the facts as they exist today. Refuse to persist in a course of action that does not make good sense. Look into each problem or obstacle you face and seek the valuable lesson or benefit it contains. Should you change your direction or course of action based on new information or experience?
If so, do it now.
Chapter 19: Unlock Your Inborn Creativity
Select your most important goal and write it at the top of a sheet of paper as question. Then discipline yourself to generate 20 answers to that question, and implement one of those answers immediately. Approach every problem systematically by defining it clearly, developing possible solutions, making a decision and then implementing the solution as soon as possible. Think on paper. Write down every detail of a problem or goal and look for simple, practical ways to solve the problem or achieve the goal. Identify the best and worst things that could happen to you in the months ahead. Determine what you could do to reduce the effects of the worst outcomes and maximize the benefits or likelihood of the best possible outcomes.
Chapter 20: Do Something Everyday
Develop a higher tempo of activity. Practice tight time planning. Imagine that you only had half the time available to get the job done and work with a sense of urgency all day long. Continually ask for more responsibility, and when you get it, complete the task quickly and well. This one habit will continually open doors of opportunity for you. From now on, resolve to get up one hour earlier and get going immediately. Work through lunchtime and coffee breaks. Stay an hour later to get caught up and ready for the next day. These additions will double your productivity and put you onto the fast track in your career.
Chapter 21: Persist Until You Succeed
Identify the biggest challenge or problem facing you today on the way to achieving your biggest goal. Imagine that it has been sent to test your resolve and desire. Decide that you will never give up.Think back over your life and identify the occasions where your determination to persist was the key to your success. Remind yourself of those experiences whenever you face difficulties or discouragement of any kind. Resolve in advance that, as long as you intensely desire your goal, you will never give up until you achieve it. Look into every problem, difficulty, obstacle or setback for the seed of an equal or greater benefit or opportunity.
Introduction:
It is very important to initiate your own success. Any plan is better than no plan at all. There are hundreds of thousands, and even millions of men and women who have started with nothing and achieved great success following all these principles. If being implemented with the right steps, all your
Goals could be achieved successfully.
Chapter 1: Unlock Your Potential
This chapter teaches you to imagine the inborn ability you have to achieve any goal that you could set for yourself. It also require you to identify you real purpose in life in terms of personal, careers, health etc. If there’s anything you want to change about it, what would it be? Then, it also triggers the reader’s mind regarding things that often in their conversation. What do we want most of the time and what price will we be willing to pay for the goals that are important to us. Last but not least, actions towards all the answered questions above can be analyzed.
Chapter 2: Take Charge of Your Life
The author emphasized on letting the reader to identify their biggest negativity in life. Be responsible on each task you are involved in and stop making excuses, instead, keep progressing. He also teaches readers to let go of any grudges that act as a setback and just keep moving forward.
Chapter 3: Create Your Own Future
Be different in solving any problems and think in a wide range of perspective. Be more specific regarding your goals. Each steps counts to make any dreams a reality. Aside from that, one’s should have a perfect calendar and design it from January up to December having to say that you are not set to any limitations at all. What will you do? All in all, make sure you are the one who creates your own future. How you want it to be? How you want your life to look like? It all depends in your own bare hand.
Chapter 4: Clarify Your Values
Identify your values and your relationships with others. This will help you towards achieving your goals. For instant, if you are no longer alive in this world one day, how would you want people to remember you? By doing these, you will strive to do your best and perhaps have the initiative to change the life path you are currently having.
Chapter 5: Determine Your True Goals
Determined the 3 most important goals in your life now and figure out the things that you will like to do the most which will bring you pure satisfaction. If you are able to figure out all these, the rest of the steps which are ways to achieve it will fall into places as well. Learn to tap on the right things to get the right results that you want.
Chapter 6: Decide Upon Your Major Definite Purpose
In this chapter, readers are required to list down 10 of their goals in present tense and choose which one that will bring the biggest positive impact out of all. Be sure to write down each action towards your ultimate goal and for each action, do it immediately. Other than that, determine the price that needs to be invested for any additional work, time and commitment to achieve the goals, then, get busy on paying those prices.
Chapter 7: Analyze Your Beliefs
Visualize and act as if you were one of the most competent people in your field, how would you think, act and feel differently from today? Identify the way you would manage your finance and all the self-limiting beliefs that would hold you back. Aside from that, take every valuable lesson that teaches you the true meaning of failure or triumph and turn it into a motivational guidance for your future.
Chapter 8: Start at the Beginning
Determine the reality aspects of your current situations relative to your goals and figure out the timeline or where exactly your position is. Do a complete financial analysis of your life including how much are you earning today, what are you worth and are you enjoying the area you’re involved in. Determine as well your skills and how exactly you earn per hour. Analyze how you can improve your worth and what you need to do to increase your income. Last but not least, imagine your life in a perfect way and visualized what would have happened if your vision would come onto reality.
Chapter 9: Measure Your Progress
Determined the most important part of your job as it affects your income and set a minimum measure of a specific amount for daily, weekly and monthly saving and investment. Be discipline towards your own goal. Try achieving even a small goal each day.
Chapter 10: Remove the Roadblocks
Identify your major goal and determine the main reason that is holding you back from it. Figure out your greatest fears and doubts that blocks you from your own success. Define your best solutions for your problems and make a plan to overcome them. Do it little by little until you see results.
Chapter 11: Become an Expert in Your Field
Determine the things you react positively in terms of your job and determine your weakest key area on your job as well. Take actions on analyzing these two things and work on it. Determine the additional knowledge in your field that could help you out. Dedicate yourself to a lifelong learning. Read, listen to audio programs, attend courses and seminars, and put what you’ve learned onto actions as
quickly as you can.
Chapter 12: Associate with the Right People
Make a list of important people in your field, personal life and even organizations and create relationship with each of them. Tap onto opportunity of expanding your social business circle. This will be good in terms of communications and influential aspects.
Chapter 13: Make a Plan of Action
List out your priorities in life and those that will help you getting closer to your goals. Figure out How much time and money you need to achieve your goals and whether your resources are enough to do so. Revisit and revise your plan regularly but be prepared for any changes.
Chapter 14: Manage Your Time Well
Make a list of everything you would like to be, do or have in the months and years ahead. Analyze your list and select those items that can have the greatest possible consequences on your life. Make a list of everything you have to do the next day the evening before. Let your subconscious mind work on your list while you sleep. Begin immediately on your most important task and then discipline yourself to concentrate single-mindedly on this one task until it is 100% complete.
Chapter 15: Review Your Goals Daily
Get yourself a spiral notebook this very day and write down 10-15 goals that you would like to achieve in the foreseeable future. Create a set of 3x5 index cards with your goals written out in the positive, personal, present tense to carry with you wherever you go. Discipline yourself to rewrite your goals every day, without reviewing your previous list, until you become absolutely convinced that achieving your goals is inevitable.
Chapter 16: Visualize Your Goal Continually
Project forward and imagine that your life was perfect in every respect. What would it look like? Whatever your answer, imagine this picture regularly. Continually feed your mind with clear, exciting, emotional pictures. Remember, your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions. Invest the time regularly to create exciting mental pictures of yourself and your life exactly as you want them to be. Then, have complete faith that your pictures will materialize exactly when you are ready.
Chapter 17: Activate Your Super Conscious Mind
Select your most important goal, your major definite purpose, and visualize it clearly, over and over, with complete confidence that it will materialize at exactly the right time for you. Begin the daily practice of solitude and meditation. During this time, just let your mind relax and float from subject to subject until exactly the right answer to the right question pops into your mind. Try to solve your problem with single-minded concentration, and it that doesn’t work, get your mind busy elsewhere. At exactly the right time, the ideal solution will emerge from your intuition or appear in your life. Your super conscious mind works for you in direct proportion to your complete trust and confidence in it. Practice letting go on a regular basis and wait patiently until exactly the right answer comes to you, at exactly the right time.
Chapter 18: Remain Flexible At All Times
Regularly ask yourself the question, “What do I really, really want to do with my life?” and then make sure that your current goals and activities are in harmony with your answer. Be completely honest and realistic with your life and goals. Resolve to see the world as it is, not as you wish it were, or could be. What changes does this practice suggest? Be willing to admit, in each area of your life where you experience stress or resistance, that you could be wrong, or that you have made a mistake. If the situation has changed, or you have new information, be willing to change your mind and make a new decision based on the facts as they exist today. Refuse to persist in a course of action that does not make good sense. Look into each problem or obstacle you face and seek the valuable lesson or benefit it contains. Should you change your direction or course of action based on new information or experience?
If so, do it now.
Chapter 19: Unlock Your Inborn Creativity
Select your most important goal and write it at the top of a sheet of paper as question. Then discipline yourself to generate 20 answers to that question, and implement one of those answers immediately. Approach every problem systematically by defining it clearly, developing possible solutions, making a decision and then implementing the solution as soon as possible. Think on paper. Write down every detail of a problem or goal and look for simple, practical ways to solve the problem or achieve the goal. Identify the best and worst things that could happen to you in the months ahead. Determine what you could do to reduce the effects of the worst outcomes and maximize the benefits or likelihood of the best possible outcomes.
Chapter 20: Do Something Everyday
Develop a higher tempo of activity. Practice tight time planning. Imagine that you only had half the time available to get the job done and work with a sense of urgency all day long. Continually ask for more responsibility, and when you get it, complete the task quickly and well. This one habit will continually open doors of opportunity for you. From now on, resolve to get up one hour earlier and get going immediately. Work through lunchtime and coffee breaks. Stay an hour later to get caught up and ready for the next day. These additions will double your productivity and put you onto the fast track in your career.
Chapter 21: Persist Until You Succeed
Identify the biggest challenge or problem facing you today on the way to achieving your biggest goal. Imagine that it has been sent to test your resolve and desire. Decide that you will never give up.Think back over your life and identify the occasions where your determination to persist was the key to your success. Remind yourself of those experiences whenever you face difficulties or discouragement of any kind. Resolve in advance that, as long as you intensely desire your goal, you will never give up until you achieve it. Look into every problem, difficulty, obstacle or setback for the seed of an equal or greater benefit or opportunity.
Customers For Life
By Carl Sewell & Paul B. Brown
Book “Customers for Life" is devoted to teaching the businessperson of today ways in which they can turn one-time buyers into customers for life. He states that every customer has the ability to be worth 332,000 dollars to your business if you can keep them for life. Mr. Sewell is the number selling luxury automobile dealer in the country. He started from the bottom and manipulated his automobile business into a 250,000,000-dollar business. In his book he explains the things that he has found to work for his business in great detail so that you may also apply them to your business. He has given his philosophy, strategies and procedures for accomplishing this in his excellent book.
For motor car dealerships, this book is compulsory reading. For other owners of closelyheld businesses, it is mandatory reading.
The entire book revolves around these 10 commandments to customer service:
The Ten Commandments of Customer Service
1. Bring 'em back alive. Ask customers what they want and give it to them again and again. Do not try and guess what the customers want, just ask them. They are more than willing to tell you. You should make it easy for the customer to tell you what they want by giving them a short questionnaire. Most importantly, you do not want to pester the customer; if you bother the customer, they are not going to be happy.
2 Systems, not smiles. Saying please and thank you does not ensure you'll do to make customer happy but you must have the right system .
3. Underpromise, overdeliver .Customer expect you to keep your word. Exceed it.
4. When the customer asks something, the answer is always yes. When a customer asks if you can do something for them, the answer is always yes, providing the request is somehow related to your business. Even if you cannot figure out immediately how to do what they ask, the answer is still yes. Do not charge extra for things that a friend would do for another friend, you will more than make up the money in future business. Help your customer. No matter what business you are in, customers like to have a number
to call after hours .
5. Fire your inspectors and human relations department. Every employee who deals with clients must have the authority to handle complaints (to a point). Inspectors make people sloppy. If you know that someone is checking your work, you may be less likely to check it yourself. Having a human relations department allows you to become out of touch with your employees and your customers.
6. No complaints? Something's wrong. Encourage your customers to tell you what you're doing wrong. 96% of unhappy customers never say anything, they simply do not return. You need to encourage your customers to speak their minds so that you can get
7. Measure everything. Baseball teams do it. Football teams do it. We should do it too. Counting the number of things we sell is one way of keeping score. It gives us overall picture. We should know exactly how we’re doing, so we can find out where we should improve. The only way we are going to find that out is by measuring everything that we possibly can.
8. Salaries are unfair. Pay people like partners, offer them a piece of the profits for their department. Give your employee some incentive to overachieve and most usually will. This will lead to larger profits, better efficiency, and greater productivity in your overall business. It will also make the employees feel important.
9. Your mother was right. Show people respect. Be polite. It works. Every impression is important. Good manners never hurt anyone. Make extra effort. Do little things. Hold doors for people .. people will appreciate it. Think how much you appreciate it when it’s done for you .
10.Japnese them- Learn how the best really do it, make their systems your own. Then improve them. Borrow idea from the best , it is quicker. Given enough time, you’ll be able to figure out just about anything.
-We should actively search for new idea to borrow, organize field trips to go look for new ideas. If see idea you like, ask about it , people love to talk about their business or idea.
Overall we have implemented this in Borneo Eco , however we are still doing our very best to be perfect where it is a journey and no one can ever be perfect especially in their system, I like this book because it so easy and every chapter has the check list what we should do . I strongly recommend this to be read by everybody not only TC but accounts department as well.
Beside all this there is some part that I don’t agree like customer always right and what ever it is we must always say YES! I did mentioned I don’t really agree about this statement unfortunately we are in the industry that customer always right and it is our job to make them smile, because believe it or not our
pay cheques actually paid by them . Last but not least their smile is our GOAL!
Book “Customers for Life" is devoted to teaching the businessperson of today ways in which they can turn one-time buyers into customers for life. He states that every customer has the ability to be worth 332,000 dollars to your business if you can keep them for life. Mr. Sewell is the number selling luxury automobile dealer in the country. He started from the bottom and manipulated his automobile business into a 250,000,000-dollar business. In his book he explains the things that he has found to work for his business in great detail so that you may also apply them to your business. He has given his philosophy, strategies and procedures for accomplishing this in his excellent book.
For motor car dealerships, this book is compulsory reading. For other owners of closelyheld businesses, it is mandatory reading.
The entire book revolves around these 10 commandments to customer service:
The Ten Commandments of Customer Service
1. Bring 'em back alive. Ask customers what they want and give it to them again and again. Do not try and guess what the customers want, just ask them. They are more than willing to tell you. You should make it easy for the customer to tell you what they want by giving them a short questionnaire. Most importantly, you do not want to pester the customer; if you bother the customer, they are not going to be happy.
2 Systems, not smiles. Saying please and thank you does not ensure you'll do to make customer happy but you must have the right system .
3. Underpromise, overdeliver .Customer expect you to keep your word. Exceed it.
4. When the customer asks something, the answer is always yes. When a customer asks if you can do something for them, the answer is always yes, providing the request is somehow related to your business. Even if you cannot figure out immediately how to do what they ask, the answer is still yes. Do not charge extra for things that a friend would do for another friend, you will more than make up the money in future business. Help your customer. No matter what business you are in, customers like to have a number
to call after hours .
5. Fire your inspectors and human relations department. Every employee who deals with clients must have the authority to handle complaints (to a point). Inspectors make people sloppy. If you know that someone is checking your work, you may be less likely to check it yourself. Having a human relations department allows you to become out of touch with your employees and your customers.
6. No complaints? Something's wrong. Encourage your customers to tell you what you're doing wrong. 96% of unhappy customers never say anything, they simply do not return. You need to encourage your customers to speak their minds so that you can get
7. Measure everything. Baseball teams do it. Football teams do it. We should do it too. Counting the number of things we sell is one way of keeping score. It gives us overall picture. We should know exactly how we’re doing, so we can find out where we should improve. The only way we are going to find that out is by measuring everything that we possibly can.
8. Salaries are unfair. Pay people like partners, offer them a piece of the profits for their department. Give your employee some incentive to overachieve and most usually will. This will lead to larger profits, better efficiency, and greater productivity in your overall business. It will also make the employees feel important.
9. Your mother was right. Show people respect. Be polite. It works. Every impression is important. Good manners never hurt anyone. Make extra effort. Do little things. Hold doors for people .. people will appreciate it. Think how much you appreciate it when it’s done for you .
10.Japnese them- Learn how the best really do it, make their systems your own. Then improve them. Borrow idea from the best , it is quicker. Given enough time, you’ll be able to figure out just about anything.
-We should actively search for new idea to borrow, organize field trips to go look for new ideas. If see idea you like, ask about it , people love to talk about their business or idea.
Overall we have implemented this in Borneo Eco , however we are still doing our very best to be perfect where it is a journey and no one can ever be perfect especially in their system, I like this book because it so easy and every chapter has the check list what we should do . I strongly recommend this to be read by everybody not only TC but accounts department as well.
Beside all this there is some part that I don’t agree like customer always right and what ever it is we must always say YES! I did mentioned I don’t really agree about this statement unfortunately we are in the industry that customer always right and it is our job to make them smile, because believe it or not our
pay cheques actually paid by them . Last but not least their smile is our GOAL!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
THE HEART OF A LEADER.
AUTHOR : Ken Blanchard.
THE KEY TO DEVELOPING PEOPLE IS TO CATCH THEM DOING SOMETHING RIGHT.
Catching people doing things right is a powerful management catching people doing things wrong. But I remind them, effective praising must be specific. Just walking around saying, Thank for everything is meaningless. If you say Great job to a poor performer and, Great job to a good performer, you sound ridiculous to the poor performer and you denominate the good performer. This principle can also help you shine at home. It’s a marvelous way to interact with and affirm the people in your life.
PEOPLE WHO PRODUCE GOOD RESULTS FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES.
These days, everything our company does is focused on helping people produce good results. When people produce good results, they feel good about themselves because they know they have done a good job, and they have something to show for their effort. An effective leader will make it a priority to help his or her people produce good results in two ways.
1 ) Make sure people know what their goals are, and
2 ) Do everything possible to support,encourage,and coach them to acropolis those goals.
Yours role as a leader is even more important than you night imagine. You have the power to help people become winners.
FEEDBACK IS THE BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS.
People are motivated to do things that provide them with feedback on results. Feedback is important to people. We all want to know well we’re doing. That’s why it is essential for an effective performance review system to provide ongoing feedback.
Too often managers save up negative information and unload it all at once over a minor incident or during the annual performance review session.Others’’Whitewash’’ performance review and act like everything is okay when it really isn’t. When people are attacked or not dealt with truthfully, they respect for organization and pride in their work.
CREATE RAVING FANS SATISFIED CUSTOMERS ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
What are raving fan customers? These are customers who are so happy about the way you treated them that they want to bang about you. In essence, they become part of your sales force.
If you don’t take care of your customers, somebody else is ready to take your place. Let’s face it; you may not get a second chance. In fact, alienating customers can earn you a reputation for no service that can stymie the toughest sales team and most savvy advertising campaign.
NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! GIVE UP.
Winston Churchill is the greatest speaker of the English language. Write down everything he says. He will make an unforgettable speech.
When Churchill walked out to give his speech, he peered over the top of his glasses and said. Never!.Never!.Never ! Give up! With that, he sat down. Many students were disappointed, but the headmaster felt this might have been one of Churchill’s greatest speeches. It’s keeping your commitment and making your actions consistent with your word. It’s all about walking your talk
TAKE WHAT YOU DO SERIOUSLY BUT YOURELF LIGHTLY.
A tendency toward grimness and can stifle an organization’s environment and its creativity. You can tell right away when you visit a company where no one is having any fun people look like they are running around with tight underwear on. They are longing to lighten up, but they have no permission. .
Toady’s leaders must relearn the value of a smile or they will be unable to fire up the ability of their people to find real enjoyment in their work.
So start thinking smiles until you become a smile millionaire. People will be glad to see you coming.
LIFE IS WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU WHILE YOU RE PLANNING ON DOING SOMETHING ELSE.
Observing successful people over the years, I’ve noticed that they don’t let disappointments stop them. When one door closes, they look for another to open.
I went off to Cornell university intent on getting my degree and becoming a highly paid salesperson. All the vocational preference tests verified that as my best career choice.
So how you might ask did you become a writer and teacher? That’s a story, but along the way I learned to live by this rule. Keep your head up and look for the next opportunity.
CHOOSE WORK YOU LOVE AND YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE.
For most people, there’s a big difference between work and play. Work is something you have to do. Play is something you choose to do. This will help you find what it is you enjoy so much that you lose track of time when you're doing it. But why shouldn’t life be about doing what you love? If you’d enjoy what you’re doing, how can you be really good at it?
NEVER PUNISH A LEARNER.
A friend of mine called me about house training his new dog. When he has an accident on the rug, he told me, I plan to shove his nose in it, pound him on the butt with a newspaper, and throw him out the kitchen window into the backyard.
How do you think that will work? When a learner makes a mistake, be sure that he or she knows immediately that the behavior was incorrect. Place the blame on yourself by saying, sorry, I didn’t make it
clear. Then patiently redirect by reviewing the assignment. If possible, demonstrate what a good job looks like.
TAKE TIME TO IDENTIFY CORE VALUES.
I denitrifying the core values that define your organization am one of the most important functions of leadership. The success of failure of this process can literally make or break an organization.
For example, let’s look at Disney. This organization has identified four values for its theme parks. They are safety, courtesy, the show (being in role, whether it’s being Mickey Mouse or a ticket taker), and efficiency. Not only have they identified their values but they have also carefully ordered them.
Remember that rules can be imposed but values cannot. Bring everyone into the process early.
WALK YOUR TALK.
Without some method of locating gaps between values and behavior, identifying and communicating core values will do more harm than good.
This means that it is vital for organizations and their leadership to walk their talk. They must make every effort to become living symbols of their organization’s value system.
The good news is that once core values have been set in place identified, communicated, and impacting behavior they become the boss. Just remember though, this is an ongoing process a journey without a finish line.
PURPOSE HAS TO DO WITH ONE’S CALLING DECIDING WHAT BUSINESS YOU ARE IN AS A PERSON.
I once heard a story about Alfred Nobel, the originator of the Nobel peace prize. When his brother died, Nobel got a copy of the newspaper to see what was said about his brother. He was shocked to discover that a dreadful error had been made.
The paper had confused him with his brother and the obituary He was reading was his own. As a young man,Aifred Nobel had been involved in the invention of dynamite, and his premature obituary elaborated on the terrible death and destruction this powerful force had brought into the world.
You life is yours to design. Make it all it can be!
Powerfully challenging and deeply inspiring, The Heart of a leader will enable you to develop the courageous heart of a true leader, to master the key attitudes and actions needed to impact lives around you, and to enjoy the profound wisdom that only Ken Blanchard can deliver.
THE KEY TO DEVELOPING PEOPLE IS TO CATCH THEM DOING SOMETHING RIGHT.
Catching people doing things right is a powerful management catching people doing things wrong. But I remind them, effective praising must be specific. Just walking around saying, Thank for everything is meaningless. If you say Great job to a poor performer and, Great job to a good performer, you sound ridiculous to the poor performer and you denominate the good performer. This principle can also help you shine at home. It’s a marvelous way to interact with and affirm the people in your life.
PEOPLE WHO PRODUCE GOOD RESULTS FEEL GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES.
These days, everything our company does is focused on helping people produce good results. When people produce good results, they feel good about themselves because they know they have done a good job, and they have something to show for their effort. An effective leader will make it a priority to help his or her people produce good results in two ways.
1 ) Make sure people know what their goals are, and
2 ) Do everything possible to support,encourage,and coach them to acropolis those goals.
Yours role as a leader is even more important than you night imagine. You have the power to help people become winners.
FEEDBACK IS THE BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS.
People are motivated to do things that provide them with feedback on results. Feedback is important to people. We all want to know well we’re doing. That’s why it is essential for an effective performance review system to provide ongoing feedback.
Too often managers save up negative information and unload it all at once over a minor incident or during the annual performance review session.Others’’Whitewash’’ performance review and act like everything is okay when it really isn’t. When people are attacked or not dealt with truthfully, they respect for organization and pride in their work.
CREATE RAVING FANS SATISFIED CUSTOMERS ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
What are raving fan customers? These are customers who are so happy about the way you treated them that they want to bang about you. In essence, they become part of your sales force.
If you don’t take care of your customers, somebody else is ready to take your place. Let’s face it; you may not get a second chance. In fact, alienating customers can earn you a reputation for no service that can stymie the toughest sales team and most savvy advertising campaign.
NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! GIVE UP.
Winston Churchill is the greatest speaker of the English language. Write down everything he says. He will make an unforgettable speech.
When Churchill walked out to give his speech, he peered over the top of his glasses and said. Never!.Never!.Never ! Give up! With that, he sat down. Many students were disappointed, but the headmaster felt this might have been one of Churchill’s greatest speeches. It’s keeping your commitment and making your actions consistent with your word. It’s all about walking your talk
TAKE WHAT YOU DO SERIOUSLY BUT YOURELF LIGHTLY.
A tendency toward grimness and can stifle an organization’s environment and its creativity. You can tell right away when you visit a company where no one is having any fun people look like they are running around with tight underwear on. They are longing to lighten up, but they have no permission. .
Toady’s leaders must relearn the value of a smile or they will be unable to fire up the ability of their people to find real enjoyment in their work.
So start thinking smiles until you become a smile millionaire. People will be glad to see you coming.
LIFE IS WHAT HAPPENS TO YOU WHILE YOU RE PLANNING ON DOING SOMETHING ELSE.
Observing successful people over the years, I’ve noticed that they don’t let disappointments stop them. When one door closes, they look for another to open.
I went off to Cornell university intent on getting my degree and becoming a highly paid salesperson. All the vocational preference tests verified that as my best career choice.
So how you might ask did you become a writer and teacher? That’s a story, but along the way I learned to live by this rule. Keep your head up and look for the next opportunity.
CHOOSE WORK YOU LOVE AND YOU WILL NEVER HAVE TO WORK A DAY IN YOUR LIFE.
For most people, there’s a big difference between work and play. Work is something you have to do. Play is something you choose to do. This will help you find what it is you enjoy so much that you lose track of time when you're doing it. But why shouldn’t life be about doing what you love? If you’d enjoy what you’re doing, how can you be really good at it?
NEVER PUNISH A LEARNER.
A friend of mine called me about house training his new dog. When he has an accident on the rug, he told me, I plan to shove his nose in it, pound him on the butt with a newspaper, and throw him out the kitchen window into the backyard.
How do you think that will work? When a learner makes a mistake, be sure that he or she knows immediately that the behavior was incorrect. Place the blame on yourself by saying, sorry, I didn’t make it
clear. Then patiently redirect by reviewing the assignment. If possible, demonstrate what a good job looks like.
TAKE TIME TO IDENTIFY CORE VALUES.
I denitrifying the core values that define your organization am one of the most important functions of leadership. The success of failure of this process can literally make or break an organization.
For example, let’s look at Disney. This organization has identified four values for its theme parks. They are safety, courtesy, the show (being in role, whether it’s being Mickey Mouse or a ticket taker), and efficiency. Not only have they identified their values but they have also carefully ordered them.
Remember that rules can be imposed but values cannot. Bring everyone into the process early.
WALK YOUR TALK.
Without some method of locating gaps between values and behavior, identifying and communicating core values will do more harm than good.
This means that it is vital for organizations and their leadership to walk their talk. They must make every effort to become living symbols of their organization’s value system.
The good news is that once core values have been set in place identified, communicated, and impacting behavior they become the boss. Just remember though, this is an ongoing process a journey without a finish line.
PURPOSE HAS TO DO WITH ONE’S CALLING DECIDING WHAT BUSINESS YOU ARE IN AS A PERSON.
I once heard a story about Alfred Nobel, the originator of the Nobel peace prize. When his brother died, Nobel got a copy of the newspaper to see what was said about his brother. He was shocked to discover that a dreadful error had been made.
The paper had confused him with his brother and the obituary He was reading was his own. As a young man,Aifred Nobel had been involved in the invention of dynamite, and his premature obituary elaborated on the terrible death and destruction this powerful force had brought into the world.
You life is yours to design. Make it all it can be!
Powerfully challenging and deeply inspiring, The Heart of a leader will enable you to develop the courageous heart of a true leader, to master the key attitudes and actions needed to impact lives around you, and to enjoy the profound wisdom that only Ken Blanchard can deliver.
501 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY
AUTHOR : PAMELA DONALD
This book is actually giving us many ideas and tips that we can use specially at the recession time. It teaches us about how to give ourselves occasional treats out of the money we’ll save by adopting these 501 suggestions for living better on less.
A). Home Maintenance.
1 . Equipment
— Protect them by rubbing the metal parts with a coating of petroleum jelly then rolling up in brown paper. Label the package.
— Ladder- the wooden ‘combination’ type is probably the best investment as it can be used as simple steps or a triple extension, or converted into scaffolding and used as a pair of trestles to support a plank.
— Hiring equipment – Ask about weekend rates when hiring tools. They often work out at only fractionally more than a daily rate –enable you to get maximum use of the tools.
2 . Materials
— Don’t buy plaster to fill tiny holes and cracks – use toothpaste instead. When set hard it can be sanded down, if wet finger hasn’t done a good job of smoothing it previously.
— Don’t use an expensive anti-condensation crystals to absorb the moisture. Just use a salt or charcoal. To dry out a damp room, divide 900g of coarse kitchen salt among four tins and place each one in a corner of the room. When the salt is saturated with moisture, dry it out by sitting the tins on a warm stove. The salt is ready for use again when dry.
3 . Painting
— Cheap brands of paint are actually a false economy as you will usually need more of the paint to get good coverage. Buy the best you can afford and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for preparing the surface
beforehand.
— To increase coverage and make paint go on better, stand the tin upside down for a few hours at room temperature before using. Make sure the lid is on securely first. Enamel paint will thin down and so go further and give a better porcelain-like finish if the tin is left in a bowl of hot water for half an hour.
4 . Cookers and Hobs
— Bicarbonate of soda can be used as a ‘sealer’ on a newly cleaned over. Spread a light film over the surfaces using a damp cloth to make cleaning next time.
— Stains on a ceramic cooker top will respond to a soaking in hot vinegar. Leave it for at least 10 mins before wiping off. Repeat as necessary.
— Cooker tops will be easier to clean if salt is sprinkled on spills as soon as they occur.
B). Dealing with the tradesman.
1 . It really does pay to have a knowledge of DIY skills, whether you intend to do the job yourself or get someone to do it for you.
2 . Find a good honest tradesman, preferably by word of mouth and stick to him.
3 . Although it is normal to be asked to pay something in advance for materials, never pay-up front for labor. Have the work priced item by item and pay as you go along, then if for any reason you wish to discontinue
their services, you both know exactly where you are.
C). Saving energy and recycling.
1 . Don’t keep switching fluorescent lights on and off when you leave the room if it’s only for a short time. These lights use more energy to relight than to stay lit for short periods.
2 . Domestic appliances-to switch off electric cookers before the end of cooking time. This is not recommended for bread, cakes and other items where cooking items and temperatures must be exact, but works well for roasts and casseroles.
3 . You’ll cut the cost of running your freezer by 10% if you defrost it regularly (at least twice next a year). To make defrosting easier next time, after defrosting and cleaning and before filing it up again, rub glycerin on
the inside surfaces.
4 . If you use a variety of battery-operated tools and equipment, invest in nickel cadmium rechargeable batteries which can be recharged up to 1,000 times (equivalent to around 4 years) as opposed to ordinary zinc chloride type which have a life span of 100 hours.
5 . Listening to a battery-powered radio for just two hours a day costs you forty times more than if you plugged it into mains electricity.
6 . Don’t throw away the plastic mesh bags used to package supermarket fruit. Roll up and use as scouring pads.
7 . Use dampened newspaper to clean windows with.
8 . Newspaper can be turned into environmentally friendly plant pots which can replace the more expensive peat variety.
D). Shopping on a budget.
1. Do the shopping list.
2. Forward planning is the key to big savings.
3. Buy an own-brand products.
4. Only go food shopping on a full stomach so you won’t pile up the basket with extra mouthwatering snacks.
5. Chicken portion are more expensive to buy per an pound than the whole chicken and boneless, skinless fillets are the most expensive of all.
6. Economize by buying washing-up liquid in large economy sizes. Decant into smaller containers for ease of use.
7. When deciding which type of appliance to buy it’s worth considering the running costs as well as the purchase price.
8. Never buy any item where the cost of a repair is out of all proportion to the amount you are being asked to pay. Also check whether you can still get spare part for it.
So, basically what I’ve learned from this book were how to reduce or eliminate bills and manage / organize my homes. This knowledge will revolutionize the way people look at money; for instance nearly everything can be recycled. For e.g; use soda-pop can tabs for picture hanger, make a coffee table from an old window, door or board and so on. This books is actually will also help to do a bit for the environment by resourcefully making the best of what we have and not cluttering our life with waste.
This book is actually giving us many ideas and tips that we can use specially at the recession time. It teaches us about how to give ourselves occasional treats out of the money we’ll save by adopting these 501 suggestions for living better on less.
A). Home Maintenance.
1 . Equipment
— Protect them by rubbing the metal parts with a coating of petroleum jelly then rolling up in brown paper. Label the package.
— Ladder- the wooden ‘combination’ type is probably the best investment as it can be used as simple steps or a triple extension, or converted into scaffolding and used as a pair of trestles to support a plank.
— Hiring equipment – Ask about weekend rates when hiring tools. They often work out at only fractionally more than a daily rate –enable you to get maximum use of the tools.
2 . Materials
— Don’t buy plaster to fill tiny holes and cracks – use toothpaste instead. When set hard it can be sanded down, if wet finger hasn’t done a good job of smoothing it previously.
— Don’t use an expensive anti-condensation crystals to absorb the moisture. Just use a salt or charcoal. To dry out a damp room, divide 900g of coarse kitchen salt among four tins and place each one in a corner of the room. When the salt is saturated with moisture, dry it out by sitting the tins on a warm stove. The salt is ready for use again when dry.
3 . Painting
— Cheap brands of paint are actually a false economy as you will usually need more of the paint to get good coverage. Buy the best you can afford and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for preparing the surface
beforehand.
— To increase coverage and make paint go on better, stand the tin upside down for a few hours at room temperature before using. Make sure the lid is on securely first. Enamel paint will thin down and so go further and give a better porcelain-like finish if the tin is left in a bowl of hot water for half an hour.
4 . Cookers and Hobs
— Bicarbonate of soda can be used as a ‘sealer’ on a newly cleaned over. Spread a light film over the surfaces using a damp cloth to make cleaning next time.
— Stains on a ceramic cooker top will respond to a soaking in hot vinegar. Leave it for at least 10 mins before wiping off. Repeat as necessary.
— Cooker tops will be easier to clean if salt is sprinkled on spills as soon as they occur.
B). Dealing with the tradesman.
1 . It really does pay to have a knowledge of DIY skills, whether you intend to do the job yourself or get someone to do it for you.
2 . Find a good honest tradesman, preferably by word of mouth and stick to him.
3 . Although it is normal to be asked to pay something in advance for materials, never pay-up front for labor. Have the work priced item by item and pay as you go along, then if for any reason you wish to discontinue
their services, you both know exactly where you are.
C). Saving energy and recycling.
1 . Don’t keep switching fluorescent lights on and off when you leave the room if it’s only for a short time. These lights use more energy to relight than to stay lit for short periods.
2 . Domestic appliances-to switch off electric cookers before the end of cooking time. This is not recommended for bread, cakes and other items where cooking items and temperatures must be exact, but works well for roasts and casseroles.
3 . You’ll cut the cost of running your freezer by 10% if you defrost it regularly (at least twice next a year). To make defrosting easier next time, after defrosting and cleaning and before filing it up again, rub glycerin on
the inside surfaces.
4 . If you use a variety of battery-operated tools and equipment, invest in nickel cadmium rechargeable batteries which can be recharged up to 1,000 times (equivalent to around 4 years) as opposed to ordinary zinc chloride type which have a life span of 100 hours.
5 . Listening to a battery-powered radio for just two hours a day costs you forty times more than if you plugged it into mains electricity.
6 . Don’t throw away the plastic mesh bags used to package supermarket fruit. Roll up and use as scouring pads.
7 . Use dampened newspaper to clean windows with.
8 . Newspaper can be turned into environmentally friendly plant pots which can replace the more expensive peat variety.
D). Shopping on a budget.
1. Do the shopping list.
2. Forward planning is the key to big savings.
3. Buy an own-brand products.
4. Only go food shopping on a full stomach so you won’t pile up the basket with extra mouthwatering snacks.
5. Chicken portion are more expensive to buy per an pound than the whole chicken and boneless, skinless fillets are the most expensive of all.
6. Economize by buying washing-up liquid in large economy sizes. Decant into smaller containers for ease of use.
7. When deciding which type of appliance to buy it’s worth considering the running costs as well as the purchase price.
8. Never buy any item where the cost of a repair is out of all proportion to the amount you are being asked to pay. Also check whether you can still get spare part for it.
So, basically what I’ve learned from this book were how to reduce or eliminate bills and manage / organize my homes. This knowledge will revolutionize the way people look at money; for instance nearly everything can be recycled. For e.g; use soda-pop can tabs for picture hanger, make a coffee table from an old window, door or board and so on. This books is actually will also help to do a bit for the environment by resourcefully making the best of what we have and not cluttering our life with waste.
Hire & Keep the Best People (Brian Tracy)
Book Summary
The critical constraint on the growth and success of your business, or any business, is ability to attract and keep good people. In order to have a responsible employer on your business or any business you must hire and keep the best people. Here are the twenty-one ideas to help you to become better at hiring and keeping the people you need to make your business success.
1. Make selection of your top priority.
Hire the right people to work with you. Take the time to hire an employer. Simply because 95 percent of the people of the success of any enterprise is determined by the people chosen to work in that enterprise in the first place.
2. Think through the job.
Take sufficient time to think through the job carefully. Hire people for what they have already done successfully rather than for what they think can do it if given a chance on your play role. Skills and the most important is hire people that has personality characteristic of ideal person for the job and how well he or she will fit in with the rest of the team.
3. Write out the job description.
Write a list of all the qualities and the skills that the ideal job candidate would have. Use the list as a guide to hire a new employer that you really need.
4. Cast a wide net.
Most important and fastest growing source of job candidates is the Internet. Most employers today requesting job applications to be submitted via Internet rather than by mail. Other than that, ask your staff, friends, personal contact, customers, suppliers, and from newspaper. Contact community colleges and search the people that you need as an employer at your company.
5. Interview Effectively.
There are sequences of question we need to ask the candidates. We should start with work experience, skill level, career aspirations and lastly habits and attitudes towards his or her future. However, fast personnel decisions are almost invariably wrong decisions.
Proceed slowly and be patient.
6. Look for the Best predictor of Success.
Self selection seems to be powerful. Self selection happens when candidates after interviewing with you and other companies, concludes that he or she really wants to work for you. Beware of those candidates who play you off against another prospective employer.
7. Probe past Performance.
The rule is that you should hire based on proven past performance only. Hiring means you are purchasing the ability of that person to achieve specific results. It뭩 good to ask them to describe the exact steps and process they went through to get the results claimed on their resume.
8. Check Resumes and References Carefully.
We must check and validate of the candidate뭩 background. Be sceptical about reference letters they can be often deceptive. One of the best question to ask the candidates former employer would be 밯ould you hire this person back again today if he applied for a job with you?�if the answer is yes, it is a good sign.
9. Practice the law of Three.
Always interview 3 minimum candidates, having 3 level of interview, interviewing the candidates in 3 different locations and lastly when the candidate is hired, he or she must be interviewed by 3 managers or potential co-workers.
10.Make the Decision Properly.
Need to consider the corporate climate/culture and the people mix in your company. Review your thoughts and feelings with other people who will be working with this person. Ask for their insights and opinions.
11.Negotiate the Right Salary.
Good rule to follow 밎ood people are free� They contribute more in dollar value than you pay them in salary and bonuses. The amount you should pay largely is determined by the potential contribution of the employee, not some arbitrary rules in the marketplace or in your industry.
12.Start Them Off Right.
The time and attention you invest in a new hire at the beginning will give tremendous payoff. Take time to explain them about the company뭩 mission and vision and values. Explain them about your products and
services.
13.Start Them Off Strong.
The key is to start them off with lots of work to do. This makes them excited in their job. Provide lot of opportunity for feedbacks and discussion about their work. Be prepared to take the time to teach them on their new job.
14.Solve Problems Quickly.
When something goes wrong, we should call the person and deal with the difficulty promptly. Two main causes for problems ei lack of direction and lack of feedbacks. Ensure no miscommunications between
the employees happen.
15.Improve Performance Professionally.
Job descriptions and requirements are very vital. We should explain clearly to them of what she or he is expected to do. Set measurable standards of performance. Never assume understanding, do ask for
repetition of the job we delegate. Practice frequent feedbacks and inspect what you have delegated to the.
16.Assume the best of Intentions.
No matter what happens or how it appears, always assume that the other person is doing the very best he can. Resist the temptation to become angry, impatient or judgmental.
17.Satisfy Their Deepest Needs.
We need to create an environment, physical and emotional, where people feel safe, secure, valuable and respected. People want to belong to an organization or support a cause. They want to feel that what they are doing makes differences in the world.
18.Practice Participatory Management.
The more you involve you staff, at every level and every decision, the more motivated and enthusiastic they will become. This way you can use to build a high-performance team.
19.Make Them Feel Important.
In every interaction with every single person, we should respond to this basic human request. We should always be looking for ways to make people feel important and valuable as parts of your team.
20.Create A Great Place to Work.
Build a high-trust working environment. This allows people to make honest mistakes without criticizing them or making them feel bad. This way people can learn and grow by trying things and making mistakes. Majority of employees have family and responsibilities of some kind involve children or parents. When problems or emergency arises, employees should know that they can take time off from work to respond to the need quickly.
21.Focus on Your People Continually.
Morale does not rise in an organization; it filters down from the top. As a leader, we are the person who is more responsible than anyone else when it comes to hiring and keeping the best people and then shaping them into a high performance team.
The critical constraint on the growth and success of your business, or any business, is ability to attract and keep good people. In order to have a responsible employer on your business or any business you must hire and keep the best people. Here are the twenty-one ideas to help you to become better at hiring and keeping the people you need to make your business success.
1. Make selection of your top priority.
Hire the right people to work with you. Take the time to hire an employer. Simply because 95 percent of the people of the success of any enterprise is determined by the people chosen to work in that enterprise in the first place.
2. Think through the job.
Take sufficient time to think through the job carefully. Hire people for what they have already done successfully rather than for what they think can do it if given a chance on your play role. Skills and the most important is hire people that has personality characteristic of ideal person for the job and how well he or she will fit in with the rest of the team.
3. Write out the job description.
Write a list of all the qualities and the skills that the ideal job candidate would have. Use the list as a guide to hire a new employer that you really need.
4. Cast a wide net.
Most important and fastest growing source of job candidates is the Internet. Most employers today requesting job applications to be submitted via Internet rather than by mail. Other than that, ask your staff, friends, personal contact, customers, suppliers, and from newspaper. Contact community colleges and search the people that you need as an employer at your company.
5. Interview Effectively.
There are sequences of question we need to ask the candidates. We should start with work experience, skill level, career aspirations and lastly habits and attitudes towards his or her future. However, fast personnel decisions are almost invariably wrong decisions.
Proceed slowly and be patient.
6. Look for the Best predictor of Success.
Self selection seems to be powerful. Self selection happens when candidates after interviewing with you and other companies, concludes that he or she really wants to work for you. Beware of those candidates who play you off against another prospective employer.
7. Probe past Performance.
The rule is that you should hire based on proven past performance only. Hiring means you are purchasing the ability of that person to achieve specific results. It뭩 good to ask them to describe the exact steps and process they went through to get the results claimed on their resume.
8. Check Resumes and References Carefully.
We must check and validate of the candidate뭩 background. Be sceptical about reference letters they can be often deceptive. One of the best question to ask the candidates former employer would be 밯ould you hire this person back again today if he applied for a job with you?�if the answer is yes, it is a good sign.
9. Practice the law of Three.
Always interview 3 minimum candidates, having 3 level of interview, interviewing the candidates in 3 different locations and lastly when the candidate is hired, he or she must be interviewed by 3 managers or potential co-workers.
10.Make the Decision Properly.
Need to consider the corporate climate/culture and the people mix in your company. Review your thoughts and feelings with other people who will be working with this person. Ask for their insights and opinions.
11.Negotiate the Right Salary.
Good rule to follow 밎ood people are free� They contribute more in dollar value than you pay them in salary and bonuses. The amount you should pay largely is determined by the potential contribution of the employee, not some arbitrary rules in the marketplace or in your industry.
12.Start Them Off Right.
The time and attention you invest in a new hire at the beginning will give tremendous payoff. Take time to explain them about the company뭩 mission and vision and values. Explain them about your products and
services.
13.Start Them Off Strong.
The key is to start them off with lots of work to do. This makes them excited in their job. Provide lot of opportunity for feedbacks and discussion about their work. Be prepared to take the time to teach them on their new job.
14.Solve Problems Quickly.
When something goes wrong, we should call the person and deal with the difficulty promptly. Two main causes for problems ei lack of direction and lack of feedbacks. Ensure no miscommunications between
the employees happen.
15.Improve Performance Professionally.
Job descriptions and requirements are very vital. We should explain clearly to them of what she or he is expected to do. Set measurable standards of performance. Never assume understanding, do ask for
repetition of the job we delegate. Practice frequent feedbacks and inspect what you have delegated to the.
16.Assume the best of Intentions.
No matter what happens or how it appears, always assume that the other person is doing the very best he can. Resist the temptation to become angry, impatient or judgmental.
17.Satisfy Their Deepest Needs.
We need to create an environment, physical and emotional, where people feel safe, secure, valuable and respected. People want to belong to an organization or support a cause. They want to feel that what they are doing makes differences in the world.
18.Practice Participatory Management.
The more you involve you staff, at every level and every decision, the more motivated and enthusiastic they will become. This way you can use to build a high-performance team.
19.Make Them Feel Important.
In every interaction with every single person, we should respond to this basic human request. We should always be looking for ways to make people feel important and valuable as parts of your team.
20.Create A Great Place to Work.
Build a high-trust working environment. This allows people to make honest mistakes without criticizing them or making them feel bad. This way people can learn and grow by trying things and making mistakes. Majority of employees have family and responsibilities of some kind involve children or parents. When problems or emergency arises, employees should know that they can take time off from work to respond to the need quickly.
21.Focus on Your People Continually.
Morale does not rise in an organization; it filters down from the top. As a leader, we are the person who is more responsible than anyone else when it comes to hiring and keeping the best people and then shaping them into a high performance team.
other book summary
B USINESS S UMMARIES Li TE
kn o w l e d g e b e s t p r a c ti c e s i n n o va ti o n
The Book On… Improving
Productivity by Fair Means Or Foul
Dr. Tony Miller & Daniel Feiman
Build It Backwards Publishing, 2009
131 pages
GETTING MORE PRODUCTIVITY AT NO EXTRA COST
Here are three things you can do immediately to improve employee motivation and performance:
1. Start the week right. As the leader you need to set the tone. A quick, upbeat briefing on key targets for the week is the best way to get everyone energized and into productive week mode.
2. Engage in Power Coaching. People respond to coaching for many different reasons. Coaching can have the most potent impact on the average group.
3. Get people to start and finish on time. This practice produces great results particularly when coupled with beginning-of-the-week briefings. If you want an immediate, easy way to improve your department’s productivity, you have to get to people to work the hours you pay for.
UNDERSTANDING THE BASIS OF EMPLOYMENT
The employment contract provides the basis for either creating high productivity or generating lots of problems. Current employment law makes it very difficult to alter any aspect of the contractual agreement – the written word always takes precedence – so take care and get the best legal advice when setting up your contract templates.
Clearly describe your objectives and challenges and engage them in delineating the tasks. Give them the authority and accountability to do the work and you will be amazed at the unlocked potential rising from within your organization.
COMPETENCE OR PERFORMANCE
Competence + performance = productivity. High productivity without competence will deliver results but without an essential underpinning of quality assurance and standards, those results can be sustained. Competencies provide us with an assurance of quality and safety, both vital ingredients for sustained high productivity.
PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL – THE KEY PERFORMANCE TOOL
Employees need to know how their past performance is viewed and, more importantly, what is expected of them in the future. Why is it then that everyone seems to dislike the reality of this process? Managers hate it and according to a 2009 Survey, employees consider the performance appraisal a superfluous, paper chasing exercise.
Somewhere along the business continuum, this great idea got hijacked and turned into an administrative nightmare. If we are serious about significantly improving productivity, we need to get the performance appraisal concept back on track and make the process work.
DEALING WITH PROBLEM INDIVIDUALS
With problem employees, you need to fix them or get them out of the company. The challenge is that employment law protects them, your own company policies will favor them, and you will, most likely, become very unpopular as you try to push any of these poor performers out of the organization.
You must be firm when productivty is at stake.
kn o w l e d g e b e s t p r a c ti c e s i n n o va ti o n
The Book On… Improving
Productivity by Fair Means Or Foul
Dr. Tony Miller & Daniel Feiman
Build It Backwards Publishing, 2009
131 pages
GETTING MORE PRODUCTIVITY AT NO EXTRA COST
Here are three things you can do immediately to improve employee motivation and performance:
1. Start the week right. As the leader you need to set the tone. A quick, upbeat briefing on key targets for the week is the best way to get everyone energized and into productive week mode.
2. Engage in Power Coaching. People respond to coaching for many different reasons. Coaching can have the most potent impact on the average group.
3. Get people to start and finish on time. This practice produces great results particularly when coupled with beginning-of-the-week briefings. If you want an immediate, easy way to improve your department’s productivity, you have to get to people to work the hours you pay for.
UNDERSTANDING THE BASIS OF EMPLOYMENT
The employment contract provides the basis for either creating high productivity or generating lots of problems. Current employment law makes it very difficult to alter any aspect of the contractual agreement – the written word always takes precedence – so take care and get the best legal advice when setting up your contract templates.
Clearly describe your objectives and challenges and engage them in delineating the tasks. Give them the authority and accountability to do the work and you will be amazed at the unlocked potential rising from within your organization.
COMPETENCE OR PERFORMANCE
Competence + performance = productivity. High productivity without competence will deliver results but without an essential underpinning of quality assurance and standards, those results can be sustained. Competencies provide us with an assurance of quality and safety, both vital ingredients for sustained high productivity.
PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL – THE KEY PERFORMANCE TOOL
Employees need to know how their past performance is viewed and, more importantly, what is expected of them in the future. Why is it then that everyone seems to dislike the reality of this process? Managers hate it and according to a 2009 Survey, employees consider the performance appraisal a superfluous, paper chasing exercise.
Somewhere along the business continuum, this great idea got hijacked and turned into an administrative nightmare. If we are serious about significantly improving productivity, we need to get the performance appraisal concept back on track and make the process work.
DEALING WITH PROBLEM INDIVIDUALS
With problem employees, you need to fix them or get them out of the company. The challenge is that employment law protects them, your own company policies will favor them, and you will, most likely, become very unpopular as you try to push any of these poor performers out of the organization.
You must be firm when productivty is at stake.
book summary
THE BUSINESS COACH
By
Bradley J.Sugars
There is the secret of success which is the 6 steps to Massive Results. The coach used this program to walk us up the ladder of business growth, as start with a solid base before getting the serious growth, at the mastery Level – getting the fundamentals in place. Once making a consistent base profit, then moved onto the next level – Niche - where to began marketing and focusing on making more revenues at the new higher
margin.
Mastery – the first stage of growing any business is about making sure we deliver profitably, productively and with enough information to make great decisions. We need to start by concentrating on the money first, to find out how well we are in control of our financial situation.
Money Mastery – not only do we need to know my historic numbers, but the ones that will create our future as well. Money Mastery is a fascinating subject, and to master it we need to master each of the four most important areas of money in our business.
Money Mastery consists of four sub topics – Break Even Mastery, Profit Margin Mastery, Reporting Mastery and Test and Measure Mastery.
Break Even Mastery – know how many sales, customers, or dollars, we need to make per day to break even and then to hit our profit goals. How do we know whether we’re breaking even? Then we need to calculate the fixed costs. For example, the rent, electricity, water, wages and the cost of all our basic materials like flour. The coach want us to remember is in business, Profit is King.
Profit Margin Mastery – we can set a budget for profit each day, week or month and implement strategies to get there. We need to break our business down into a simple formula of what the business looks like.
Leads x Conversion Rate = Customers x Number of Transactions x Average Dollar Sales
= Turnover x Margins = Profit.
Think of this way: the margin is based on the selling price, whereas the mark-up is based on the cost price.
Reporting Mastery – it’s vital to know our numbers each day, week and month so we can make decisions for the future. When comes to marketing, we can TEST to see which elements are working and which are not. Then we refer to the activity as Testing and Measuring. That is recording our Key Performance Indicators or KPI’s. For example, we are going to re-measure the average dollar sale. We make a note of every sales, keep it at the cash register and whatever happens it must be filled in after each and every sales.
Delivery Mastery is means of reliably and efficiently delivering what we make or sell to our target market.
Test and Measure Mastery – we can predict our future profits by measuring the Key Performance Indicators in our business or KPI’s. This means we should be doing two things when implementing profit or sales boosting strategies: we need to firstly know what our numbers are before the strategies are started, and then we need to test and measure the results of our strategies as we go along., then we re-design the testing and
measuring sheets to monitor the results.
Delivery Mastery – consistency is more important than brilliance. Stop any leaks, as there is no use filling the tub if the plug is left out. We need to be able to consistently deliver the right quality stock at the right time.
Time Mastery – our productivity and the productivity of our people will determine our success and profitability. In order to grow our business, we need to carve 10 to 20 hours a week out of our busy schedule. Considering that we are probably working 60 to 80 hours, this may be difficult, but shouldn’t be impossible. Once we have some time to invest in team building and marketing, we will see our business begin to grow. Let’s find out where our time is going.
Goal Mastery – Having Clarity around where we are going to where we are driving the business is vital to our success. Start first by writing down our vision to overall ‘thing’ we want to achieve in business. And then the mission statement, this is to show us how we will reach our vision. Once the mission sorted out, we will develop our culture statement. And finally, we need to write down all the Milestone or goals that show us
that we are making progress towards the mission and vision of our business.
Self-Mastery – We must use our internal discipline and the discipline to our coach to keep ourselves focused and achieving. This is all about planning our day and then working our plan.
Mastery is about the first part of the coach’s definition of a business : A commercial profitable Enterprise that works without us.
Niche – Once we are running smoothly at a base profit it’s time to find our market uniqueness and build our marketing and sales machine.
The business chassis is vital to growing our business and if worked well, it with help us multiply our profits. Let’s start with our number of leads. This is the total number of potential buyers that we contacted or that contacted us last year.
USP & Guarantee – our marketing needs to convey what is unique about us and why someone should buy from us today.
Marketing rules
1. Marketing is an investment when we test and measure.
2 . Spend more time generating income instead of reducing costs.
3 . Put 50% of your time, effort and investment into distribution and more importantly the other 50@ into sales and marketing.
4 . Test and measure everything.
5 . Buying customers is an investment, so set our marketing budget by our acquisition cost.
6 . Never just chase market share; go after wallet share instead
7 . We are in the profit business.
8 . Establish the long-term view of the value of our customers and know their lifetime value.
9 . Always aim to reduce our acquisition cost and raise our lifetime value.
Leverage – Now that we have great cash-flows and profits it’s time to put systems in place to handle the extra work.
There are four types of leverage;
- Structure leverage
- How to leverage
- Management Leverage, and
- Technology leverage
Structure leverage – getting the right people in the right places, with the right plan, moves our business away from people dependency to systems dependency.
Organisation chart leverage – getting the right people in the right places in the right places starts with knowing what the right places are. A person’s positional contract must clearly state the objectives, goals, responsibilities and accountabilities of the position.
Position contracts leverage – giving people a clear picture of their role helps them achieve more. The system needs to be fair and consistent, and linked with key performance indicators and be taken into account when considering promotions and salary or wage increases.
‘How to’ leverage – now that people know what they have to do, it’s vital to make it easy for them to learn how they should do it.
Routine versus exception leverage – make a list of everything routine and break it into timeframes. Always leave a way for someone to handle the exception.
Flowchart leverage – everything has its place and to make systems work we need to show people where it all fits.
Photograph, document, record and checklist leverage – now that we have a list that fits together we need to get to work and write, record or checklist how it’s done.
People management leverage – managing people is all about time and skill management, and then training. The type of training is depends on what type of business we run.
There are technical, communication skills, supervisory skills, conflict resolution, computer skills, financial skills, management skills, telephone skills, sales skills, first aid and emergency training.
Cycle of business – the owner supports the team, the team supports the customer, the customer supports the business and the business supports the owner and around it goes again.
Team recruitment and induction – recruitment in great companies is about de-selection, not just selection.
Key to a winning is we building a team that achieves more is about 5 key fundamentals.
Strong leadership – we need to be a decisive and assertive leader so our team can have confidence in our direction.
Common goals – we have to have a goal that not only everyone knows and believes in, but one where everyone wins.
Rules of the game – when we give our team a clear set of guiding rules it’s easier to get the job done.
Action plan – when we give our team a clear plan of who does what and by when, it’s easy to commit and start working.
100% involvement and inclusion – each member of our team is responsible for being involved and as the leader it’s our role to include those who are having trouble being a part of the team.
Communication – it’s the oil that keeps the team machine moving and we can never have too much of it.
Synergy – now that everything is coming together it’s time to turn up the volume and make sure that the outcome is far greater than the inputs.
Synergy leadership – as we start to grow faster and faster, cracks will appear, we need to be a problem solver and keep one eye on the future with one eye on the present.
Results – now that everything is running and growing smoothly it’s time to enjoy the fruits of our labour.
The coach shows us how to climb the ladder of success in our work and our life. He shows us how to transform our lives by following his simple and extremely powerful strategies for business and life success.
By
Bradley J.Sugars
There is the secret of success which is the 6 steps to Massive Results. The coach used this program to walk us up the ladder of business growth, as start with a solid base before getting the serious growth, at the mastery Level – getting the fundamentals in place. Once making a consistent base profit, then moved onto the next level – Niche - where to began marketing and focusing on making more revenues at the new higher
margin.
Mastery – the first stage of growing any business is about making sure we deliver profitably, productively and with enough information to make great decisions. We need to start by concentrating on the money first, to find out how well we are in control of our financial situation.
Money Mastery – not only do we need to know my historic numbers, but the ones that will create our future as well. Money Mastery is a fascinating subject, and to master it we need to master each of the four most important areas of money in our business.
Money Mastery consists of four sub topics – Break Even Mastery, Profit Margin Mastery, Reporting Mastery and Test and Measure Mastery.
Break Even Mastery – know how many sales, customers, or dollars, we need to make per day to break even and then to hit our profit goals. How do we know whether we’re breaking even? Then we need to calculate the fixed costs. For example, the rent, electricity, water, wages and the cost of all our basic materials like flour. The coach want us to remember is in business, Profit is King.
Profit Margin Mastery – we can set a budget for profit each day, week or month and implement strategies to get there. We need to break our business down into a simple formula of what the business looks like.
Leads x Conversion Rate = Customers x Number of Transactions x Average Dollar Sales
= Turnover x Margins = Profit.
Think of this way: the margin is based on the selling price, whereas the mark-up is based on the cost price.
Reporting Mastery – it’s vital to know our numbers each day, week and month so we can make decisions for the future. When comes to marketing, we can TEST to see which elements are working and which are not. Then we refer to the activity as Testing and Measuring. That is recording our Key Performance Indicators or KPI’s. For example, we are going to re-measure the average dollar sale. We make a note of every sales, keep it at the cash register and whatever happens it must be filled in after each and every sales.
Delivery Mastery is means of reliably and efficiently delivering what we make or sell to our target market.
Test and Measure Mastery – we can predict our future profits by measuring the Key Performance Indicators in our business or KPI’s. This means we should be doing two things when implementing profit or sales boosting strategies: we need to firstly know what our numbers are before the strategies are started, and then we need to test and measure the results of our strategies as we go along., then we re-design the testing and
measuring sheets to monitor the results.
Delivery Mastery – consistency is more important than brilliance. Stop any leaks, as there is no use filling the tub if the plug is left out. We need to be able to consistently deliver the right quality stock at the right time.
Time Mastery – our productivity and the productivity of our people will determine our success and profitability. In order to grow our business, we need to carve 10 to 20 hours a week out of our busy schedule. Considering that we are probably working 60 to 80 hours, this may be difficult, but shouldn’t be impossible. Once we have some time to invest in team building and marketing, we will see our business begin to grow. Let’s find out where our time is going.
Goal Mastery – Having Clarity around where we are going to where we are driving the business is vital to our success. Start first by writing down our vision to overall ‘thing’ we want to achieve in business. And then the mission statement, this is to show us how we will reach our vision. Once the mission sorted out, we will develop our culture statement. And finally, we need to write down all the Milestone or goals that show us
that we are making progress towards the mission and vision of our business.
Self-Mastery – We must use our internal discipline and the discipline to our coach to keep ourselves focused and achieving. This is all about planning our day and then working our plan.
Mastery is about the first part of the coach’s definition of a business : A commercial profitable Enterprise that works without us.
Niche – Once we are running smoothly at a base profit it’s time to find our market uniqueness and build our marketing and sales machine.
The business chassis is vital to growing our business and if worked well, it with help us multiply our profits. Let’s start with our number of leads. This is the total number of potential buyers that we contacted or that contacted us last year.
USP & Guarantee – our marketing needs to convey what is unique about us and why someone should buy from us today.
Marketing rules
1. Marketing is an investment when we test and measure.
2 . Spend more time generating income instead of reducing costs.
3 . Put 50% of your time, effort and investment into distribution and more importantly the other 50@ into sales and marketing.
4 . Test and measure everything.
5 . Buying customers is an investment, so set our marketing budget by our acquisition cost.
6 . Never just chase market share; go after wallet share instead
7 . We are in the profit business.
8 . Establish the long-term view of the value of our customers and know their lifetime value.
9 . Always aim to reduce our acquisition cost and raise our lifetime value.
Leverage – Now that we have great cash-flows and profits it’s time to put systems in place to handle the extra work.
There are four types of leverage;
- Structure leverage
- How to leverage
- Management Leverage, and
- Technology leverage
Structure leverage – getting the right people in the right places, with the right plan, moves our business away from people dependency to systems dependency.
Organisation chart leverage – getting the right people in the right places in the right places starts with knowing what the right places are. A person’s positional contract must clearly state the objectives, goals, responsibilities and accountabilities of the position.
Position contracts leverage – giving people a clear picture of their role helps them achieve more. The system needs to be fair and consistent, and linked with key performance indicators and be taken into account when considering promotions and salary or wage increases.
‘How to’ leverage – now that people know what they have to do, it’s vital to make it easy for them to learn how they should do it.
Routine versus exception leverage – make a list of everything routine and break it into timeframes. Always leave a way for someone to handle the exception.
Flowchart leverage – everything has its place and to make systems work we need to show people where it all fits.
Photograph, document, record and checklist leverage – now that we have a list that fits together we need to get to work and write, record or checklist how it’s done.
People management leverage – managing people is all about time and skill management, and then training. The type of training is depends on what type of business we run.
There are technical, communication skills, supervisory skills, conflict resolution, computer skills, financial skills, management skills, telephone skills, sales skills, first aid and emergency training.
Cycle of business – the owner supports the team, the team supports the customer, the customer supports the business and the business supports the owner and around it goes again.
Team recruitment and induction – recruitment in great companies is about de-selection, not just selection.
Key to a winning is we building a team that achieves more is about 5 key fundamentals.
Strong leadership – we need to be a decisive and assertive leader so our team can have confidence in our direction.
Common goals – we have to have a goal that not only everyone knows and believes in, but one where everyone wins.
Rules of the game – when we give our team a clear set of guiding rules it’s easier to get the job done.
Action plan – when we give our team a clear plan of who does what and by when, it’s easy to commit and start working.
100% involvement and inclusion – each member of our team is responsible for being involved and as the leader it’s our role to include those who are having trouble being a part of the team.
Communication – it’s the oil that keeps the team machine moving and we can never have too much of it.
Synergy – now that everything is coming together it’s time to turn up the volume and make sure that the outcome is far greater than the inputs.
Synergy leadership – as we start to grow faster and faster, cracks will appear, we need to be a problem solver and keep one eye on the future with one eye on the present.
Results – now that everything is running and growing smoothly it’s time to enjoy the fruits of our labour.
The coach shows us how to climb the ladder of success in our work and our life. He shows us how to transform our lives by following his simple and extremely powerful strategies for business and life success.
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