How To Use Your Personal Network For Business?
December 3, 2007
By Ajith Guptha
There are lot of people who will use their personal network for business. They will get the help of a friend or family member when they desperately need a sale. Also, with the personal network you have tons of people trying to boast your career by having your business cards passed out, and also by having your family and friends put in a good word for you.
First to use your network you have to be a good person. This means that you have to be good and honest about your sales. You will also find that there is a lot of integrity needed for a network to work for you. This means that when someone does you a favor, you give him or her something in return as a favor. When you play the system with honesty and without promising anyone anything special, you will be able to pocket a lot of commission from your sales.
Not only will you want to work on your character, but also the way that you present your business. This means that when you promise to do something you do it with complete honestly. You will find that there is a lot of ways that you can represent yourself as a person with good character, however, make sure that you keep the representation of yourself in a positive light.
In addition, you don’t want to burn bridges ahead of time. You don’t want to do or say anything that might hurt your connection with the network. You will want to treat everyone with respect and thank him or her always for his or her aid with gratitude. The only thing is that sometimes your network might lead you to bad leads or dead ends. This may mean the worst for your sales number if you try to go after a bunch of leads that go nowhere. In suggestion as to not waste your valuable time, you will want to catch up on every lead and let them mellow into something prosperous before you go to pursue them. You may find that you have a guarantied sale, or you may end up having a sale that leads to nowhere, but you will want to learn how to pick the successful leads from the unsuccessful leads.
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When Leading Change, Don’t Manage Time - Invest it in People
October 19, 2007
Time management is a grand idea when dealing with the things in your life. It’s all about organization, efficiency and getting things done. As a tool for leading people through change, however, it misses the mark. In fact, when leading change, the last thing you want to do is manage your time. Instead, invest it in the people with potential to become change leaders themselves, and the returns you get may surprise you. Following is an incredible story that illustrates the point.
A few years ago I became upset when a player on the NFL’s Carolina Panthers beat up a teammate and subsequently was suspended for one measly game by the team. I felt this punishment was too lax (after all, the attacked teammate ended up in the hospital) and wrote an angry letter to the teams’ owner, Jerry Richardson, expressing as much. Mr. Richardson not only acknowledged my letter after I figured it would end up in the trash but he went one giant-step further. He offered to come visit my thirteen-year-old son, who was a big fan of the team’s, and me, along with the star player in question, wide receiver Steve Smith.
They made the two-hour drive each way from team headquarters to my home and stayed with us for three hours. I learned that day that Steve Smith is a good man who made a bad mistake and was willing to learn and take responsibility for his actions. I admire him greatly for that. From Mr. Richardson, I learned the power of a leader being personally invested in future leaders who can make a difference.
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If Nobody Loves You, Create the Demand - Podcast CG018 with Dr. Joel Freeman
October 1, 2007
According to the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation (an organization that promotes entrepreneurship & education) there are approximately 10 million Americans involved in starting a new business at any given time. With that reality in mind, millions of people will take their first courageous steps on the road to self-employment—only to lose their footing when they encounter unexpected obstacles in the path.
Leadership Podcast 018 : Joel Freeman, Author of If Nobody Loves you, Create the Demand.
The statistics don’t lie: an estimated 75 percent of new businesses will fail. The overwhelming majority of those will close up shop within the first six months. Clearly, the mere possession of a great idea, product or service does not ensure a successful outcome. In his new book, If Nobody Loves You, Create the Demand, author, international conference speaker and business coach Dr. Joel Freeman provides the skills and tools necessary for individuals aspiring to create a new business on a limited budget.
In this podcast, Joel talks about how to effectively get publicity for your business. He also talks about Trips With Dad, which is his philosophy of keeping family close. Go anywhere in the world that your child chooses at age 15. This will increase closeness and bonding in the family, giving more of a peer feeling to the relationship.
Find out more from Joel at www.WorkHardWorkSmart.com
Joel Freeman is a truly gifted communicator with a knack for finding the memorable stories or quotes to illustrate his points. His humorous and conversational style makes this book a quick, enjoyable read. If Nobody Loves You, Create the Demand is the essential resource for people who truly desire to see their entrepreneurial dreams take flight.
Leadership - Building With People
July 30, 2007
From my earliest days in Sunday school, I have remembered the words that a wise man builds his house upon the rock and the foolish man builds upon the sand. For 50 years, I thought this probably sound advice for someone about to build a house. It never dawned on me that it might have some other application until I heard the following quote from Peter Drucker. “The task of leadership is to create an alignment of strengths in ways that make weaknesses irrelevant.”
That statement unlocked doors in my mind and with it came the realization that success really does come from building on strengths. All too often we focus on problems (weaknesses = sand) and struggle to overcome them when in fact, we would be much better off focusing on what is working (strengths = rock) and building on them.
Over the course of my career, I have had a variety of bosses. Most tried to fix me. I did have one boss who stood up before the whole sales organization and told them he had complete faith in me. I didn’t realize it at the time, but my boss motivated me in a way that I would have walked through fire for him.
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