It’s not easy to remain focused and motivated at work. There are many distractions and comforts that call to you. But if you can resist them, the benefits are many. You’ll get your work done during the hours you planned to work, and you’ll have time off with friends and family afterwards. This improved work plan may also bring a better balance between work and home.

Did you know that the tone of each day is set in the first hour? When you set your goals in advance you will have a more productive start to each day. Write up today’s work plan the night before. Break the next day down into manageable steps and work your plan step by step.

E-mail usually offers us new priorities and other peoples’ urgent requests. It’s a good idea to aim to get one priority task done before checking your e-mail, and you will start the day more on track.

The second step to better focus is to identify what your particular distractions are – so that you can catch yourself when you start to procrastinate. Once you identify your own distractions, you can use them as rewards to motivate you to remain focused on your work. It can help move you forward, even through distasteful tasks.

The third step is to structure your time to allow you to indulge yourself, after you’ve worked in a focused manner. We benefit by knowing that a reward is coming. These pleasures can help us to stay motivated.

If others are working for you and they finish a task on schedule, you may encourage them to take some time off. You might even treat them out to lunch. We deserve the same rewards. We must plan time for our own rewards.

What is your favorite distraction? Mine is reading in the sunshine. There is a spot in my garden, that allows even pale sunshine to warm me. I can stay there for hours. Which is why I’ll take a timer with me when I decide to read for an hour.

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 ”I found a cure for the plague of the 20th century, and now I’ve lost it! – Dr. Robert Campbell/Sean Connery, Medicine Man (1992) – Cinergi Pictures

Today, two things seem to define who you are…your significant other and your computing device. One is (hopefully) permanent, the other changing.

Hint – the device is the one that should change more frequently. 

You can (and probably do) have several devices.  They don’t seem to mind when you prefer one over the other or when another enters your life.  Try that in your personal relationship and it will go over like a lead balloon!

We came to that epiphany when our son just had to have one of those new tablets for school and other stuff. That was the same line he used when he “needed”:

• A new notebook
• A new smartphone
• A new netbook

None of the devices eliminated any of the others. Be Prepared.

When our son heads for school, out with friends or goes anywhere, it looks like he’s packing for a three-day trip.  They all go into his backpack…just in case. Our – his, yours, mine – fascination / lust / commitment has very little to do with the device, rather what it allows us to do. You can thank or blame the chip manufacturers (ARM, Intel, others) for helping companies cram their computer chips into more and more systems, devices, things.

They’re Everywhere – The chip industry is working diligently to cram their processors into everything.  The best way to predict where we’ll see the next big advance is to see where they are focusing their development assistance efforts.  Soon we’ll be there. Source – IDC

Making the right device decision isn’t as easy as Dr.

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This week, I wanted to address a question that I get asked by many small businesses. How much information is appropriate to give away for free?  

Most of us get asked to give away a fair amount of information – from information that we choose to provide (like this article) to people contacting us and asking us to answer questions for them to people blatantly meeting us and picking our brains. 

So, what’s ok to give away for free and what’s not? 

Well, the answer is that it’s very much up to you and your business. What’s ok to give away in my business isn’t necessarily right for your business and vice versa. 

I have tried both extremes – giving away lots of free information and then not giving anything away at all. What I can tell you is that not giving anything away at all definitely doesn’t work for me and neither does giving away too much.  

What’s important for me is that I create boundaries which I’m happy with, but if people go beyond these, then I will crack down on them pretty hard. 

My boundaries are that I will write articles and make these available on my website and on other resources; I will happily produce a free newsletter for people and then I will create free resources for people to download off of my site. I will also answer questions for people as long as they don’t take me very long and provide free consultations. 

But, these ‘free’ things do provide me with a benefit – articles get people visiting the site and hopefully downloading free information; newsletters result in people booking onto the workshops and so on. 

That’s quite enough for me – thank you very much. Anything else I do expect people to pay for and I think that’s fair enough.  

However, I do not like people abusing these boundaries.

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Domino’s Pizza is one of the most recognizable brands in the world, and the company now offers a fantastic opportunity to run your own business with the sort of backing you want. Franchise openings are available in all U.S. states except Texas, Maryland, Virginia, New Jersey, and New York. You will receive extensive training and support and would be running a business that rarely fails. The basic information is right here, but please request additional information to ensure that you do not miss out on this amazing franchise opportunity.

About Domino’s Pizza

One of the most recognizable brands around, Domino’s Pizza is easily the top pizza delivery company in the world. Its sales in 2008 alone topped an amazing $5.5 billion. This figure takes all global sales into account. The fast-food outlet was founded in 1960, and it has enjoyed overwhelming success ever since. As a result of its franchising, there are currently 55 countries featuring at least one of the 8,600 Domino’s Pizza outlets, and its influence is growing.

Domino’s Pizza is primarily a takeout and delivery business, effectively selling more than a million pizzas every day. With a strong core menu, proprietary recipes and profitability beyond your wildest dreams, you can claim a share of the profits and reap the business rewards, too!

A Business Franchisee’s Dream

Domino’s Pizza is a dream franchise for individuals who desire to run their own business for the very first time, or who are anxious to add to their existing business portfolio.

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Advertising Consultants is currently offering a business opportunity that may just be too good for you to pass up. With financing assistance, training, and support available to all entering into a partnership with them, Advertising Consultants certainly offers a very appealing and potentially lucrative package.

About Advertising Consultants
Advertising Consultants is a prestigious and established firm that has been in business for over a decade. It has an excellent reputation for providing clients from all industries with advertising and marketing solutions to fulfill all needs as they arise. Although the business was previously run from one office, it has been such a roaring success that it is now expanding via franchising.

Advertising Consultants provides a whole range of services, including all 20 of the following:

• Brochure design
• Magazine advertisement
• Business cards
• Media buying
• Copywriting
• Newsletters
• Corporate identity
• Press releases
• Custom folders
• Promotional items
• Direct mail
• Radio commercials
• Flyers
• Sales letters
• Full service printing
• TV commercials
• Internet marketing
• Website design
• Logo design
• Website hosting

How Can You Benefit From This Franchise?
The benefits of working with Advertising Consultants are amazing given the level of the business and the level of profit as well. They are certainly unique in terms of the nature of the business and the fact that you would effectively own an advertising agency by grasping this major opportunity. The benefits include:

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Elect Home Care is a premier, non-medical care company that is currently looking to expand. As such, there are amazing business opportunities available in the form of a franchise. If you invest in one of these franchises, you will enjoy complete training and support as well as extensive benefits unmatched elsewhere. Be sure to check out the details below and then ask for additional information today to find out how to apply.

About Elect Home Care
Elect Home Care was established in Memphis, Tennessee, where it began as a small business within the senior care sector. However, it billed more than $1 million within its first year, and the company’s management team quickly spotted a major opportunity. Offering in-home care to any individual who needed it, they turned to specialization in senior care and found that their client numbers soared to an incredible level. Now, demand for such care is increasing by the day and the company has planned for rapid expansion across the United States. When you look at demographic figures that are related to the care market, you will see why they have decided to make this move now.

The population of seniors is growing at an incredible rate, and that number will only increase. For example, the population of people 85 and older is expected to rise by more than 150% within thirty years. As such, Elect Home Care is perfectly positioned to capitalize on that, and you could derive financial benefits along with them.

In-Home Care And Franchisee Benefits
Elect Home Care has extensive benefits attached to it for all franchisees running their own business within the brand.

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The American IRA and 401(k) Retirement Plan Rollover Franchise Service offers a fantastic service for anyone seeking to invest in a franchise or other similar business opportunity. Franchisees that need to raise capital quickly use this valuable service to free up funds that they have invested elsewhere. While applications are not accepted from Alaska or Hawaii, they are welcome from every other state.

About American IRA and 401(k) Retirement Plan Rollover Franchise Service
The American IRA and 401(k) Retirement Plan Rollover Franchise Service provides an essential service for motivated and driven individuals who are looking to free up capital to help them fulfill their dreams. In fact, it is an essential service if you have money tied up in a retirement savings plan and do not want to borrow in order to raise the funds needed to start or run your own business.

The American IRA and 401(k) Retirement Plan Rollover Franchise Service can help you to free capital from any of the following retirement savings plans:

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Corporate Cleaning Group is a market leader within the cleaning industry, and it has now made available a fabulous franchise opportunity. They offer the complete package, including training, support and financial assistance, in addition to long-term stability and profitability.

About Corporate Cleaning Group
Corporate Cleaning Group is a major player in the corporate cleaning industry, as the name clearly suggests. Offering a wide range of janitorial and cleaning service solutions to a vast array of businesses, Corporate Cleaning Group has made a name for itself based on high quality, reliability, and friendly service. After extensive development, they currently specialize in the medical, educational, and church cleaning niches. This has allowed them to gain an identity away from the vast majority of other cleaning services, most of which tend to provide all-round services and subsequently get lost in the shuffle. These three niches have provided many opportunities for the company and have made it highly profitable and appealing to prospective entrepreneurs.

Corporate Cleaning Group has done a lot of hard work to put the parent company where it is today, as a market leader and an innovative business. This has effectively paved the way to make your fortune as part of an established and reputable company, with some other major advantages for you.

Your Corporate Cleaning Group Future
Corporate Cleaning Group has a whole host of benefits available for those looking to invest in a franchise opportunity. The first benefit comes as a result of the development the company has already done, because you will not find yourself swallowed up by the market or be forced to do all that research yourself.

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With an estimated $800+ billion in funding available for the entrepreneur annually (even in bad times), you may think that venture capital and R&D partnership firms would be falling over each other to fund the latest wave of scientific and technological proposals. Wrong.

Venture capital companies such as R&D Funding Corp., Early Stages Co., Mayfield Fund, Asset Management, and others receive an average of 100 of technology and service/support proposals each month, even when the economy is “less than desirable.”

Unfortunately, instead of paving the way for funding, the proposals are often more detrimental than helpful. The sad truth is that the majority of the business plans presented are not just badly written, they’re very badly written. That makes the evaluation – finding the winners – even more difficult.

Pyramid Your Plan
The business plan should be presented to potential investors in the same manner that products and services are presented to potential customers–quickly and effectively.  A simple way to accomplish this is with a pyramid-style presentation.  It starts with a tight, action oriented summary and expanded sections toward the base.

After you get through the legalities and disclaimers, themost important part of your plan is the executive summary.  This one- to two-page summary clearly states what the company is going to do, what the market potential is, how the company plans to achieve market penetration, the time period involved, the product/service plans, the amount of money needed and how that money will be used.

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During my more than 20 years in building up companies in Europe I have come to this conclusion

• Do not to sell the American way, but respect that people like to take their time and want to know you. So don’t be aggressive – be dynamic. Don’t plan more than two business meeting per day: one in the morning and one in the afternoon. There is of course some exceptions to this rule, like Germany where you have quite agressive in order to succeed, but that is a subject for another article. However, apart from that all other points are valid.

• Don’t try to sell in the English language, learn the country language if you are serious about starting a business. You can learn that in 3 months if you are committed, and translate all sales material into proper Italian. You must show respect for your host country and its culture. Your new language skills do not have to be perfect just understandable.

• Don’t brag about your products or services neither in writing or at selling in person. It will only turn potential customers off. Let the qualities of the product/services speak for themselves. Talk about advantages of your products/services based on real facts.

• Don’t start selling before you have reliable market information (= up-to-date market research) about that particular market in your product area.

• Don’t start market your products/services before you have a strategy with goals measured in time and money based on reliable market research.

• Don’t forget the the three TTT: Things Take Time

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Just like a real estate broker helps you buy a house, a franchise broker helps you find a franchise. While franchise broker services were unheard of till the last decade, broker networks are used by more than 50% of all franchisors and account for at least 10% of franchise sales.

According to Wikipedia, franchising is the practice of using another firm’s successful business model. What this means is that you approach a successful business such as Wal-Mart, for example and build a store to distribute their goods. While traditional methods of obtaining franchisees depended on a long screening process conducted by the franchisor and approaching franchisors through trade shows, franchise brokers have changed this to some extent. But why should you really hire a franchise broker?

The first reason is the most interesting – franchise brokers offer a free service. They are paid by the franchisor for getting them a qualified lead, one that they do not require to pre screen.

Second, the broker can match your skills against the available opportunities.

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CD One Price Cleaners is offering individuals who possess determination and drive an amazing opportunity to run their own business. With financing available along with training and support, its franchises are incredibly appealing to all budding entrepreneurs. If you live in Illinois, Indiana or Wisconsin, review the details below, and immediately request further information on how to apply further.

About CD One Price Cleaners
CD One Price Cleaners is a growing brand owning more than 30 superstores that offer highly affordable dry cleaning and laundry services to everyone who needs them. The company has experienced tremendous success and established a solid reputation for quality, which goes a long way to explaining why their locations are so popular with people within their service area. It may also explain why their brand awareness is growing exponentially. By receiving same-day service for one set price, every customer knows exactly what to expect and has no unpleasant surprises when returning to collect clean clothes. This attention to detail has much to do with why the company has been so successful and is looking to expand quickly.

Today the dry cleaning and laundry industry is worth $9 billion annually, which may come as a surprise to many people. Although revenue is high, there are relatively few chains because most companies operating in this field are oftentimes family-run businesses. As such, there is pent-up demand for a high-quality chain outlet within the existing markets. CD One Price Cleaners can fill that gap with their low prices and large range of services. You can capitalize on their success by owning a CD One Price Cleaners franchise and running your own store.

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Driveway Impressions, a leading home improvement brand, has recently opened up an amazing opportunity for bright and seriously motivated people to join the company under the franchise openings now available. The corporation provides full and ongoing training and support for all franchisees as well as huge potential within a growing market niche. Applications are now being accepted and if you are eligible and want a brilliant start in business, then check out the details below.

About Driveway Impressions
Driveway Impressions is a business that is part of the growing home improvement industry and expects to benefit from the billions of dollars being spent there each year. The company offers a choice of beautiful decorative solutions for your driveway, so you can finish off your home in the best way possible. With proprietary and innovative techniques, such as the StreetPrint decorative asphalt system, Driveway Impressions can impress clients with marvelous work, and captivate franchisees with great profits. After all, anything that enhances a homeowner’s curb appeal in a major way is both impressive and popular.

Driveway Impressions is the only company of its kind in the home improvement industry, so you can enjoy this opportunity while knowing that you are the only provider of such services in the area of your choice. They do not offer stamped concrete or brick but rather a more decorative but equally durable solution. The company is unique and it is expanding.

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Canine Dimensions In-Home Dog Training is currently looking for qualified individuals to join the franchise to help facilitate a major expansion. The company offers ongoing training and support as part of the package.

About Canine Dimensions In-Home Dog Training
Canine Dimensions In-Home Dog Training exploits a major segment of the pet industry, which has grown exponentially in the past few years. $30 billion is spent annually in the United States on pets, with a substantial amount of that being spent on training. As a result of commercial ventures and celebrity dog training shows, many dog owners know that they can call on professionals to provide their pets with training. This has led to an explosion in the dog training niche.

There are over 68 million pet dogs in 40 million homes in America. Canine Dimensions In-Home Dog Training offers expert dog training that is very convenient. Many dog owners do not have time to fit dog training into their busy lifestyles, which is why the experts at Canine Dimensions In-Home Dog Training visit them at home. This allows the owner and pet to bond, encourages good dog behavior and does not inconvenience either the owner or the pet. Why not claim your share of the huge profits that this franchise business can generate?

Great Business Benefits At Canine Dimensions
Canine Dimensions In-Home Dog Training is fast becoming a household name among pet owners. The company has earned a reputation for quality services and that reputation can be a major benefit to you should you become a franchisee.

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There are many reasons why accounts whither and die. Of these, the worst has to be apathy on the part of the sales person. Without periodical attention, the most loyal accounts can drift away to be rescued by a competitor.

“But if the client isn’t one of my most important”, you rationalize, “It’s not worth the time and effort keeping in touch”.

WRONG!

It’s thinking like this that stalls many promising careers and eats away at healthy client bases. If you don’t think that the smaller, less influential customers deserve contact from you regularly think about this:

What about the time and effort you put into getting that client in the first place?

How much time and effort goes into securing new customers?

Have you considered the multiple ways in which you can maintain a link with customers besides regular visits?

Particularly in challenging times like these with longer sales cycles, sales professionals generate more business from the customers they have rather than from new sources. The savvy ones don’t limit their focus on the big accounts only; they develop systems so that they have current information on and regular contact with all of their clients.

This reminds me of a story from a number of years ago –which illustrates the point very well. There was a young man who was selling photocopiers for a major manufacturer and he was very successful – every single month – for the two years I worked with him – he never missed plan – not one single month – through family issues, the birth of a child and a subsequent divorce – never an excuse to fail.

His secret?

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In this article, I’m not going to be teaching you “how to” do something, but rather I’m going to be talking about the benefits of writing and recording “How to” information for your customers. 

Trust me. I’ve reaped the benefit of creating “How to” material 1000 times over. Creating “How to” information: 

• Positions you as the expert
• Gives people the chance to ‘try out’ what you do
• Allows people to get to know you and your views
• Promotes your business time and time again as different people will read and listen to your “How to” 

In fact, I can’t really think of a reason not to create a “How to” for your business. 

Your “How to” can take many forms. It doesn’t have to be long – in fact it can be an article just like this one. Or you can write something longer like an e-book. If you don’t like writing, you can record your “How to” and give it away as a downloadable audio or even put it onto a CD. 

OK – you could possibly argue that creating a “How to” is time consuming, might need a lot of research and may take you away from doing other, more productive activities. 

But, then I would argue back that you probably have most, if not all the knowledge you need to write a short “How to” like this one in your head already. I know I’m very used to writing articles (I write around 1 a week), but once you get into the hang of it, it will usually only take you around ½ an hour to create. 

I would then get my article out on-line (just type in “Free article websites” into Google to find tons of places that you can post your article for free – all with a link back to your website), use it in my newsletter and put it out as a special report to certain customers. 

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Not too long ago, I shared some lunch with Nancy, a relative newcomer to the speaking business. When we got to coffee, Nancy cleared her throat and asked me for some advice about one of her customers.

“It took me some time to land this customer,” she said. “Finally, he agreed to one of my proposals and I completed the assignment and dropped it off along with the invoice. The terms listed on the invoice were fifteen days. “

“I gather he hasn’t paid you,” I asked.

She shook her head. “No, and I’ve talked to him twice. I called him about day 30 and we talked about a number of things, but not the invoice. Around day 45, I called him again and just asked him straight out, “Did you get the invoice I left for you.”

He seemed a bit taken aback but said, “Yes, but in our business, the terms are 60 days.”

Being new to the speaking business and with no collection experience, Nancy accepted his statement and said she finally got paid about day 78.

“Well,” I said to her, “you did manage to get paid?”

“True, but he left me a message yesterday and I expect he wants to talk about another assignment. Other than the fact that he pays late, he’s a good client. What should I do?”

I told here that first of all, a good customer pays their bills on time, as agreed. Secondly, she should use the Cher approach. Her Farewell tour has been going on for a long time and shows no sign of stopping. (Was Sonny part of the tour when it started or is that just my imagination?)

When is it over? In opera they say it ain’t over until the fat lady sings. For Cher, it ain’t over until the thin lady stops singing. It’s her business – her terms.

Your customer wanted your service, I told Nancy, and that means he should be willing to accept your terms, but you need to be clear right from the start.

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Not long ago, Tori, a scheduling manager with one of my favourite clients called me. “I know your usual topic is Accounts Receivable,” she said, “but I was wondering if you also conduct programs on ‘Accounts Payable’? I don’t know the topics myself,” she added,” but how different can they be?”

Well, the short answer, as most of you know, is “A lot!” However, I am always preaching to folks about getting out of our comfort zones and expanding our knowledge, so for a number of different reasons, I accepted the assignment.

There are several hours of work involved for each half-hour in a program, so there was a fair amount of work involved: reading, interviewing, general research and then putting together a program. But in the long run, it was a good investment.

Somebody said that the best way to learn about a subject is to teach it. My knowledge of accounts payable has increased. That is good on its own but it isn’t the biggest benefit. As I have returned to the other side of the collection/bargaining table, my understanding and knowledge of what many of my clients and customers face is going to make me a better trainer and collector.

We often talk about trying to understand the other person’s point of view, but most of the time (me included) it is just talk. We need to go ‘walk-about’ in our customer’s shoes and the very best way to learn about a subject is to teach it.

You may find a benefit too, visiting your dark side. Perhaps it is staff and management of accounts payable you often deal with, but it could be others and you don’t have to teach a course:

1) Go to a seminar on ‘Accounts Payable.’ Embarrassed to tell ‘em you’re in collections? Tell ‘em you’re from a different department and wear a disguise if necessary

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Titans Turf Wars Hurt Us All

“Have you seen what’s happening out there? Have you even bothered to look?” – Andromeda/Alexa Davalos – Clash of the Titans, 2010 (Warner Bros)

Maybe people like Jobs and Schmidt aren’t omnipotent gods, but don’t tick them off.

Adobe insulted Steve back in ’96 when they helped Gates first and wouldn’t do a special version of software for the lowly Mac.

Now Jobs looked down to the apps developers and said, “They need to be reminded of the order of things…”

BAM!!!  he eliminated Flash from their iPhone connection and wouldn’t let it on his tablet.

Of course, he gave a good reason…their stuff is buggy and crashes (a Mac crashes???…OMG!!! )

The Titans can scuffle in the stratosphere, but when they get serious, it makes things miserable for mere mortals.

1984

Jobs started his rise with an ad.

1984 –  The Apple only paid once to play their Think Different ad on a Super Bowl Sunday years ago, but it appeared millions of times since and still lives in the virtual world of the Web.   The theme?  Don’t mindlessly follow the crowd…hhmmm.  Source – Apple

Told everyone to “Think Different.”

For years, life for the Titans was good. 

They’d show us something new, hot, sexy…we’d emote over it and buy it.

Each Titan had his/her own turf.

Things were so smooth, Steve invited Eric over for board meetings. 

Eric was making a ton of money selling cloud clicks, ads.

Steve was making a ton selling things.

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“Nothing happens in this business until somebody sells something.”  Are you a salesperson?  If you are in a small business or a startup I would be stunned if you said no.   I have  been with several companies throughout my business career, small, medium, and a large Fortune 100 company, some as an employee and some as an owner.   My role currently as a business broker is to help people with the process of buying and selling businesses.  How do you find people wanting to buy a business or sell a business – prospecting.  Whats the first thing I do when meeting this prospect – listen.  My job of working with those in the buying and selling of businesses is really really a job of listening.  I recall one of my first jobs out of college I was hired by a Fortune 100 company, and they would send all new employees off to corporate headquarters for 45 days of fairly intensive training.  Training as a salesman / woman for that company involve quite a bit of technical knowledge on their products along with sales / marketing / time management skills.  I studied the technical aspect of this product extensively.  I felt when I got in front of a prospective client I just had to let him know all I had learned about this product without really slowing down to hear what they wanted to know.  It seems a little silly to me now, but then I felt it was my job to tell them all I knew.  Today to me selling is listening to a customers needs and proposing a solution.

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