In this age of business scandals, it’s crucial to remember that businesses based on ethics and quality actually work better. With that in mind, here are ten easy resolutions to inspire your business to achieve a very profitable 2008.

1. I will base every aspect of my business on honesty, integrity, and quality.

2. I will make sure every employee, from janitor to CEO, is trained to view every interaction with a customer as a key step in the marketing process, and to always give the customer respect and
attention.

3. I will train and empower every employee to let the customer go away feeling good about the entire interaction.

4. I will stand behind my products and services. It is better to refund the money and create a positive buzz.

5. Understanding that it costs an average of five times more to bring in a new customer as to keep an existing one, I will see that the entire organization exceeds customer expectations.

6. Recognizing that my competitors can be my strongest allies, I will initiate at least one joint venture (after all, if FedEx and the Postal Service, Apple and IBM, and General Motors and Toyota can cooperate, surely I can too).

7. If my company is not the best answer to prospect’s needs, I will refer that prospect to the company that can best serve.

8. I will devote business resources to make the world a better place.

9. I will volunteer on a community project, and set up incentives for my employees to volunteer on the projects of their choice.

10. I will base decisions on the Abundance Principle that there is enough to go around, and not on market share.

11. I will reduce my firm’s use of water and energy, and reduce my family’s use at home, and inform others of the easy changes I’ve made.

12.

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Figure 1 - “Look, I’m all about loyalty. In fact, I feel like part of what I’m being paid for here is my loyalty. But if there were somewhere else that valued loyalty more highly, I’m going wherever they value loyalty the most.” – Dwight Schrute – The Office, ABC-TV

Seriously… Tim Berners-Lee had no idea how huge his concoction was going to be when he first unleashed the Web on the world. Like the Internet itself, all he wanted to do was make it possible for researchers to share/update information with other researchers. Somewhere along the way, it got “a little” outta’ hand! Well, not really. There’s just a little chasm between boomers, Gen Xers, Gen Yers.

There’s also a little chasm between C-level execs, marketing/communications, workers. There’s little to no chasm between work and home. In “the company”:

• 93% own a cellphone, compared to 78% of industrial country adults
• 85% have a desktop computer, compared to 65% of all adults
• 61% own a laptop, compared to 39% of all adults
• 27% own a Blackberry, iPhone or similar device, compared to 13% of all adults

For the most part, all generations, work levels agree that these and other technologies have had a positive effect on their productivity.

Figure 2 - Technology Helps – Regardless of the generation, company personnel feel that today’s advanced technology has helped them become more productive in their jobs. Source – Kelly Services

They use their computers, use email and most even use an Internet browser. The majority (90%) believes the new technology; new software helps them perform better, faster. C-level executives see the social networking tools as a means of achieving marketing/sales success, but don’t think it’s for use by everyone.

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How many business cards have you gathered since you’ve been in business? I’ve seen business owners with hundreds if not thousands of business cards stored in card boxes, in jacket pockets, stapled to diaries and contact details scribbled on bits of paper. 

Are you the same? Do you have hundreds of business cards lying around in various places?  

I’d like you to ask yourself a question…how effective are these business cards for you at the moment? 

A few years ago, I was in the same situation. I had piles of business cards. In fact, I remember I had to go out and buy two more business card boxes because I just did not have the space to hold them all. 

But I didn’t actually do anything with them. They were just sat there looking at me.  

Occasionally, if someone asked me for some contact details, I’d go through them quickly to find the right person, but rarely found the card I was looking for. 

Then I began to realise the power of contacting past contacts and it dawned on me that I would actually need to do something about my business cards. So, I painstakingly sat there and typed them all out onto a database on excel. 

Just putting these contacts somewhere made it possible for me to do something with them. For instance, I could: 

• Touch base with these contacts to find out how they were getting on.
• Make notes and colour code excel to show what was happening with each person.
• Find people quickly and easily.
• Produce reports and statistics if I needed to. 

The most important difference though was that I was able to follow up with people and start to build a relationship with them. Because I could touch base with people properly, I found it had a dramatic difference on my business and got me new customers. 

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About 6 months after I started in business, I remember attending a sales course. I had one specific question and to my utter frustration, it wasn’t answered on this course. You see, I had been attending a lot of networking events and the favourite question there is “so, what do you do?” 

My problem was that I didn’t know how to explain what I did so that everyone quickly and easily understands and wants to know more. 

I eventually overcame this problem, through reading books and attending more courses and of course, practice. But I hope my tips in this article can help you overcome this quicker than I did. 

Let’s start by looking at what happens what someone asks you what you do.  

Most people (if we’re truly honest about this) don’t care about what YOU do. They only care about what their business does. However, they have to ask this question because 1) they’re being polite and 2) they want to find out if you’re a potential customer for them.  

And once they leave the networking event, they’ll go back to thinking about what’s for dinner, or when they need to pick the kids up or their next meeting.  

So, the only way what you say to them is going to stick in their head is if you talk about THEM. Agreed? 

Now, the next time you go to a networking event, just pay attention to what people say. It will usually go something along these lines “I do this….”; “in my business, we do…” etc. All most business owners talk about is THEMSELVES. 

But, as we’ve just established above, the person who you’re talking to doesn’t care about YOU. They care about themselves too. So, when you’re talking to them, you have to only care about THEM as well. 

How do you do this? Well, start by writing down on some paper, all the common issues, problems and frustrations that your customers face.

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Many people make the mistake of thinking that networking is something that only people who work in sales need to worry about. Even though this is a common misconception, the fact is that it just is not true. No matter what line of work you are in, it’s important to cultivate relationships with likeminded professionals that you can help, and who may also be of assistance to you at some point in your career.

How Can Networking Benefit You?

Referrals: Many business and employment opportunities are passed via referral. When you need a new contact, don’t you ask people you know and trust for referrals? You’re not the only one. It’s human nature to seek out those that our friends and colleagues speak highly of rather than people that are unfamiliar to us and to the people we trust.

Resources: There are going to be times that you need to find people to help you locate resources or assist you with projects. It’s much easier to reach out and ask for help when you have existing relationships with people who can assist you, or who know people who can. If you’ve demonstrated a willingness to help others, there’s a much greater chance you’ll be able to find people to pitch in when you need them to.

Reputation: No matter what type of business you are in, having a good reputation will serve you well throughout your career. When you cultivate a strong network of people who know the quality of your work (assuming it is good), your reputation will benefit. Make sure that people come to recognize you as someone who can be counted on to follow through with what you promise and who is willing to lend a helping hand to others.

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1. Networking - Build a network of other people who are influential in your career field. Professional organizations, chambers of commerce, and networking groups are great resources for meeting people who are leaders in your field and community. As you cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with your networking contacts, you’ll likely learn about new job opportunities before they are announced to the general public.
2. Computer Skills - Having strong computer skills is a key to success in just about any career field. People who keep up with the latest software applications and operating systems often have a competitive advantage when it comes to being considered for promotions and getting new jobs. Even if you are very busy, there are a number of options for inexpensive and convenient online training programs that can help you stay on top of the latest advances in computer technology.
3. Professional Licensure - In many fields, there is a huge salary difference between licensed and unlicensed professionals. Say, for example that you work in the office of an apartment complex. Because of your work experience, you might very likely have the skills needed to be a real estate agent or home inspector, and you could boost your earning potential by becoming a licensed professional in one of these fields.
4. Get Certified - When employers are looking at hiring highly skilled professionals, they want to be sure that the candidates they choose do in fact have the skills to do the job. Earning a recognized certification in your field is one of the best ways to prove your skills to prospective employers.
5. Earn a Degree - One of the best ways to help yourself move up in your career is by increasing and validating your knowledge base with a degree.

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If you’re anything like me, there are probably times when you’ve booked onto a networking event and then when the day arrives, you question whether or not to go to it. My reasons are usually around the stack of work I’ve got building up on my desk and I debate whether to stay in the office and plough through it or to make the effort to go to the event.

And I’m obviously not the only one who feels that way, judging by the amount of no-shows that an event usually gets. Nine times out of ten though, I do turn up, partly because once I book something in my diary I tend to stick to it and partly because very often when I do go, it’s worth my while.

Just the other day, I attended a networking event, that to be honest about half way through I was thinking “why did I bother”. But then, the 10-minute speaker stood up. He was excellent and gave me a couple of really good marketing tips that I hadn’t come across before. That in itself was worth my time to go to the event.

So, why is it then that people in generally don’t go to the event? Well, like my reason above, I think the number one reason is probably time – as in something they consider more important on the day has come up and the person has to stay and do that instead.

The second most common reason is probably the “can’t be bothered” excuse. I know I’ve certainly felt like that, or it could be that I’m not in the mood to socialise and be nice to other people.

Other excuses could be that the person is ill or an emergency has happened. I’m sure there are other reasons too. But, you see, that’s where there seems to be a bit of a conflict. I hear business owners say that they want to get more business and yet they will also say that they haven’t got time to go out there and get it – so it comes back to a choice of which one is more important to you.

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Whether you have a new business or one that has stood the test of time, you should create (or dust off) your marketing plan. Developing one doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Investing a little time will yield great dividends. Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Your plan should be a working document, a road map for your business. It should be designed to help you understand and grow your business. I recommend housing it in a three ring binder so you can change and add to it when necessary, include blank note pages, store relevant articles and expand on it throughout the course of the year.

Your marketing plan should include the following:

• List of products and services
• Detailed description of your target markets
• Challenges and competitive analysis
• Budget
• Identification of appropriate marketing vehicles
• Calendar with deadlines and expectations
• Goals; specific and quantifiable that can be monitored throughout the year

PRODUCTS & SERVICES
Your list should include all the services you offer including any you provide free of charge. Note which products or services are new, which will be offered in the coming year, which will be phased out, and those that are unique in the market. You might also want to write a list of products and services that you would like to offer this year or next year to begin the planning process.

TARGET MARKET
Next identify your target market. First, where are they located? Local, regional or national? Then define each target market as specifically as possible. Very often I have clients who say, “Everyone can use my product.” This is rarely true.

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