Biz issue 5

ISSN:2141- 5994

VOL 2. NO 5 | 2014

BUSIN SSI

THINK. BELIEVE. BECOME

Human and Institutional

Brands:

The Base of Meta Branding

By Charles O’Tudor

VOL 2. No 5/2014

Note: The Brand Called You Alfred Ade-Iimakinwa

Editor-in-Chief

Alfred Ade-Ijimakinwa

Editor

Valentine Okolo

Associate Editors

Theophilus Umoru,

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Executive Contributors Benjamin Kwentua, Rachel Hill,

Do You Want To Do Great Work?

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Are You Complicating Things

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Human and Institutional Brands: The Base of Meta Branding

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Photography

Kayode Kasum, Aborishade

You Can Make Your Time Count

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Subscription/ Distribution Manager Advert Manager

Uchenna Osondu

Ursula Jorch

Carrrie Greene

Charles O’Tudor Andrew Horton

8 Ways To Develop Great Listening Skills Amy Torres

Making Your Suggestion Scheme Make Sense Ron Kaufman

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5 Simple Steps to Build Winning Corporate Culture

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How To Communicate Value

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Gary Bradt

Richard Zeoli

The Three Most Important Rules of Business

Denny Durbin

Graphic/Design

Augusta Onwusanya Anselem Ohasuru

Graphics/Page Planning Print Production Adsnique Consults Ltd.

Why You Should Create A Business Plan Gene Sicilliano

Warwick Merry, Joshua Zerkel, Nathan Jansch, Mitchell Osak, Ayad Mirjan, Fabrienne Fredrickson, Ezinne-Kufre-Ekanem, Ron Kaufman, Stephine Frank.

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Website

Victor Osare

Board of Advisors

Charles O’Tudor, Chief Olujimi Olusola III Chris Parkes

Business IQ is published by Tri-planetary Solutions 2014 Tri-planetary Solutions.

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Note The Brand Called You “A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well”—Jeff Bezo

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here I was in front of a client who concluded that my hair was too bushy—a look that threw me into the thirties where Wole Soyinka was born. Although I share a strange look; wearing glasses and keeping plenty hair like this veteran writer,—I write too, what a coincidence—I was from the seventies, born shortly before the era of Personal Computer.

On this particular day that my client referred to me as more archaic—her choice of word—than those from the baby boomer generation, I'd not visited the Barber's Shop for three months to give my hair a special treat—I always give it a special treat every two weeks. And Gillette Fusion ProGlide (manual or powered by battery) had not touched my beard in three weeks. I wasn't grooming my beard to banish Sarwan Singh from the Guinness Book of Records, rather it was the early stage of BusinessIQ transition from hard copy to digital magazine and I was lost inbetween, bearing most of the transition burdens on my slender shoulders.

business and self.

Creating a unique brand for your business and self is a very important part of this age or else you will soon extinct from the earth's surface like the dinosaurs. So, look at your social media photos, profile and graffiti, once again, from a different perspective. Are they helping or ruining your brand? Would they help you get your next job or get you fired from the present one like that top executive who was fired (his wife divorced him too) because a silly friend posted the nude picture of him and his secret girlfriend, on a private beach, on Facebook? Or are they damaging your reputation like that of the girl who was booted out from a Christian University for dancing butt naked in the dorm? Her silly friend who secretly recorded and posted the video on social media was expelled too. Are you sure your next tweet or post will not be misinterpreted by your virtual friends like that of Nikki (I choose to call her Nikki). Many thought she's a sex worker because she posted pictures of herself in bikini, on Facebook, with the tag “Hot Chocolate. Hot me!”

Of course there is nothing wrong with that except for the fact that she is a darker version of Kim Kardashian. You know what I mean?

She pitied and kicked against my unkempt look, saying I look like Wole Soyinka. Now, that was not a coincidental statement because the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature Winner is one of my most respected icons and mentors. My afro hair (not as plentiful as the veteran's) and for-the-funof-it glasses were patterned after his look; a subtle way of introducing the Me-brand in the business world.

When next you are leaving your signature on social media, creating the brand called “You,” make sure it is setting the path for your next big job or business breakthrough. Or else, you will be misunderstood and may end up ruining the reputation you have built over the years.

Now you need to understand that the business terrain had shifted from the big names, like Coca Cola, Pepsi, Nike, Levi, Beauty Shop, Starbucks, and McDonalds who once owned exclusive right to image branding because they have the money to create the awareness. But thanks to Social Media, like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and etcetera, it has become very cheap for you as an individual to create a brand around your micro

Alfred Ade-Ijimakinwa is the Editor-in-Chief, BusinessIQ magazine online. He is, also, the Founder of businessiqnetwork.com, the fastest growing online library for entrepreneur. He is the author of the best selling book‘Turning Idea into Business’ To reach him, email: info@businessiqnetwork.com

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Do You Want To Do Great Work?

Courage: Doing great work takes courage. It takes courage to move through the discomfort of doing unfamiliar things, into areas where you don't feel confident. It also takes courage to bring your authentic ideas to life, to put them out into the world, to stand behind your great work.

By Ursula Jorch

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More than anything, I want to do mediocre work."

Said no one, ever! Part of valuing yourself and what you offer in your work is that you want to do high quality, and even great, work. And why not do great work? It's the most fulfilling, most meaningful, and usually the most productive in terms of your income and your contribution in the world. Great work is not only a good idea. It's an accessible reality for you in your business. So how do you do great work? Skipping down the road to great work has its challenges, so here are 7 convergent features to get you on the path:

Discipline: Building the emotional maturity to do what is necessary to realize great work.

Sometimes, doing great work is, well, work. That can mean doing things you don't love, or at least, finding ways to define and delegate what you don't love. It can also mean concentrated effort over time. Unlike one of the dictionary definitions of discipline, this is not a punishment! It is a part of your character that you can put into play to create what you want to create. Honing and building that character trait for your high purpose serves you and your business well.

Mastery: Getting really good at what you do. Mastery requires commitment to learning and growth, and being fully engaged in your process over an extended period of time. You develop the skills, the experience, and the expertise. You reach a point where the mechanics are not something you have to think about. Rather, you use the mechanics as tools to do something greater.

Perseverance: Tied right in with discipline is perseverance. All great work has its challenges.

Perseverance means you work through those challenges to find solutions that serve your higher purpose of great work. Another aspect of perseverance is focus. Questioning every day

Comfort with discomfort: To do great work, you are going to have to get uncomfortable. There is no way around it. The good news is, once you embrace that, it gets easier.

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whether you are doing the right thing is counterproductive. Decide what you're going to do by breaking down your great work goal into individual concrete short-term goals. Start with the first one. Stick with it until that step is done. Then see where you are with your great work goal.

called to do. Great work is creative in its essence.

Nurturing your creativity to allow ideas to come into your awareness is key to the ongoing formation of great work. Leave space for ideas to come to you by stepping away from the everyday, being in nature, or being silent.

Fail, and fail again: All great work includes failure. Creating great work is an exploration of you, your capabilities, and the work itself. That involves some trial and error. Do what you feel is best at the time. If it fails (and sometimes it will), feel what you feel around it, find the gifts and learning in it, and then move on. That last part is especially important.

If you indulge too much in the feelings, you will lose motivation and your energy will become bogged down. Keep your energy moving.

I've had my own journey with great work. It's absorbing, stimulating, and at times, frustrating and challenging. When I am able to achieve it, it's a great joy, and totally worth it. You have it in you to do great work. I wish you well on your own journey.

Creativity: Great work results from the alchemy of your authentic energy with what you are being

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Ursula Jorch, MSc, MEd, mentors entrepreneurs starting their businesses and seasoned entrepreneurs in transition to create the business of their dreams. Her coaching programs provide knowledge, support, clarity, inspiration, and a community of likeminded entrepreneurs to empower you to reach your goals. Visit: www.workalchemy.com

AFRICAN REFUGEES FOUNDATION CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS Ajibulu-Moniya Gallery Plot 49, Babs Animashaun Extension, Surulere, Lagos.

Tel: +234-1-5850962, +234-1-8023548482

Are You Complicating Things

By Carrie Greene

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was at our local Whole Foods Market for a networking meeting. I drank a cup of tea (I'm not a coffee drinker) as a small group of us talked about our businesses and exchanged ideas. After the meeting we said our goodbyes. I grabbed my empty cup and went to toss my trash. That's when things got confusing.

Was my empty cup plastic since it had a plastic lid on it?

I wondered if it was compostable because of the tea bag.

Was it co-mingled? All I could think of is that this “should” be so easy and it was so difficult.

Recycling is important, but I'm telling you it took me over a minute to figure out where to toss my cup and I'm still not sure I got it right. Talk about over complication!

We do this in our businesses every single day. We take something as simple as tossing a used paper cup and turn it into a complex project. And you know what, it's me too. We try to figure out the “best way” to do something and end up over complicating it so much that we don't do it.

Here is something I did. I needed to make a bunch of sales calls to fill a program. I had my assistant compile lists of people I had met at events, people that had joined previous programs or purchased products, people who had heard me speak, and more. Lists, lists and more lists.

I looked at the lists and froze. Who should I call first,

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what should I do?

You know what; it really wasn't that hard. All I needed to do was pick up the phone and call someone, anyone at all. I had taken a straightforward need and overcomplicated the solution so much I was lost. Don't get me wrong; I love systems. I love signs and reminders. I love having a set of rules to follow so that I don't have to think about what to do and recreate the wheel each and every time.

Systems should make things easier. The system that Whole Foods created made it harder for me.

The system I tried to create for myself made it harder for me. When you set out to create a system you need to consider two things. First, what you really want the end result to be and second, who the system is for.

What I wanted was a simple list of people with phone numbers to call. I wonder what Whole Foods wants? It's clear that they want the trash sorted, but who is the system for? I'm thinking this system is really for their employees; however, one result is confusion for at least one of their customers—me. I'm not sure what their intent was;

however, if it was solely to help their employees, then it is a fine system.

Here are four steps for you to consider as you create systems in your business.

Step One: As you go through your day look at places where systems would help you. Consider things you do regularly or areas that you are having trouble getting a handle on.

Step Two: Take a moment to decide what you want the end result of that system to be.

Step Three: Outline the steps that need to happen to get you there.

Step Four: Now the important part; work the system a few times and observe. Does it still make sense? Are you getting the results you want? Are you getting consequences that you didn't expect or it is not working for you? Does anything need to be tweaked or changed entirely?

So take a moment and ask yourself where you are going to put systems in? What systems do you already have that are more complicated than they need to be? What are you going to do to simplify things? The decisions are yours to make.

Carrie Greene is a speaker, author and business coach. She is a business strategist and productivity expert for entrepreneurs. Carrie helps entrepreneurs get clear on what they want and create simple and straight-forward plans to get there. She is the author of "Chaos to Cash: An Entrepreneur's Guide to Eliminating Chaos, Overwhelm and Procrastination. Visit: www.carriegreenecoaching.com

Address: Abuja: Plot 43b, Lobito Crescent, Wuse II, Abuja PortHarcourt: 356 Evo Road, GRA Phase 2, Portharcourt Phone: 09 870 3866: 0805 152 0919 Website: www.yutees.com

Human and Institutional Brands: The Base of Meta Branding

By Charles O’Tudor

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he idea of nation branding which in brand terminology is called Meta branding, is not exactly a new phenomenon. History is replete with nations that have undergone phases of Meta brand development and evolution. The strategy has always been revolutionarily. By focusing on their strengths and not their weaknesses, they emerged as a virile nation brand.

However there is an underlying consistency in the processes of Meta branding. Meta branding is an embodiment of several complex elements, possibly including other brands such as leaders, people, the institutions, and their resources. We can never brand when we don't value our people, for it is upon the profiles of strong human and institutional brands that a Meta brand is built. Nelson Mandela as a man simply re-branded South Africa by his exemplary life, visionary positioning, and belief in higher purposes. African-American history is incomplete without the mention of Martin Luther King Jnr. Please ask President Barack Obama.

strong Meta brand through art; architecture, poetry, science and philosophy produced from their own people, and became a cardinal reference point for modern civilization. Same goes for Egyptians which brings top of the mind recall for its classical architecture—the pyramids, and thus emerging one of the most enduring and admired nation brands till date. Today, examples abound of nations who have since come to the realization that re-branding their national identities is beyond the frontiers of surface and aesthetical learning.

First, let's take a look at country like Spain. For years, the country had been confronted with the challenge of presenting a distinctive identity of what it means to be “Spanish” to the world. While it could be said that the country had national image, same was trapped in the maze of distortion, bringing the national image beneath the economic and sociocultural realities of the Spanish nation. The perception of Spain was felt to be anachronistic, focusing too much on its identity as a tourist destination and on outdated stereotypes. For instance, in Europe, Spain had been identified with sunlight, beaches, and fun. In the United States, the word “Spanish” is confused with “Hispanic” owing to the colonial and cultural ties of the latter to the

Nose-diving into history, a study of the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, engages us on a cerebral journey to the world of Meta branding. The Greek nation re-branded by focusing on their strengths and managing their weaknesses. They developed a 11

Sassanid and Abbasid empires. Not forgetting that it was Iraq that one of the first bodies of laws in human history—the Hammurabi's code, was crafted, the country can focus on these strengths to build an exciting and enduring national brand identity capable of accentuating its brand equity.

Now, let us come back to the home front, The Oxford Advanced Learner's dictionary defines a nation as a group of people with the same language, culture and history, who live in a particular area under one government. First, Nigeria by definition faults the definition of a nation; the processes of amalgamation by Lord Lugard under the British Colonial rule in 1914 which brought the southern and northern protectorates under one umbrella despite their glaring dissimilarities in culture, language history and religion was at its best a mismatched matrimony. One of our nationalist fathers, Chief Obafemi Awolowo wrote in his book, “Path to Nigerian Freedom”, that “Nigeria is not a nation but merely a geographical expression. The word Nigerian is merely a distinctive appreciation to distinguish those who live within the boundaries of Nigeria and those who don't.” in this statement, he reveals a challenge we face as a nation, which is also the base of Nigeria's existence that is our ethic nationalism. The fact remains that singular move of amalgamation launched us as a dynamic nation of nations, to begin the journey to nationhood. We are somewhere in this journey.

former. However, today, the story is altogether a brand new narrative as Spain is taking bold steps to create and solidify a consistent national image that is in synergy with the political contributions of its various institutions and the people who run the famous Spanish brands that set standards throughout the world. In the light of this, it is beginning to exploit the possibilities of using its popular culture resource as embodied by personal brands as Hollywood icons Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas as well as its world famous Real Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona football clubs.

The Netherlands is one country that has undergone an interesting process of attempting to create a unique brand identity amid the various misleading aspects of the brand Netherlands. While there have been several nomenclatural disparities as to whether the country's name is Netherlands, the Netherlands, Holland or the Low Countries, and whether all these names refer to the same country, the striking similarity of the country's flag to that of other nations presents another critical issue. Furthermore, the national flag comprising of blue, red, and white stripes is not sync with the orange color historically associated with the Netherlands. Ironically, orange is the corporate color of the most renowned Dutch brand—the ING banking group. Hence, this has thrown up the serious challenge of ING becoming an international ambassador for brand Netherlands in the same way that Nokia represents Finland. In the wake of this deepening identity crisis, experts have advised that for brand Netherlands to evolve an enduring Meta brand in the eyes of the world, it should explore ways to align the Dutch brand essence with the success of its global commercial brands.

We cannot rebrand Nigeria without an accurate perception of history. The process of rebranding implies that there was an already existing brand, thus the involving processes are lot more tedious as some form of therapy is involved. Nigeria's history is one that is garnished with slavery, colonialism, imperialism, incessant military interregnum, civil war, electoral corruption—all intervening with the delicate processes of our odyssey to nationhood.

Quite interesting is the idea of re-branding a country like Iraq. Decades of Saddam Hussein's tyrannical regime and his subsequent deposition left the country completely disconnected from the rest of the world with virtually no tourism, inexistent diplomacy relations, little or no presence in international affairs, and no economic relationship with any country other than the export of oil. With all the image crisis and identity collapse, the country stands a great chance of projecting a strong Meta brand when viewed from its rich historical heritage—a product of its individual brand components. For instance, Iraq is home to many cultures, from the Akkadians to the Assyrians and from the Babylonians to the Parthians, as well as the

Like Nigeria today, ancient Greece was bedeviled with its fair share of challenges; political and social alike. Jealousies in competences, treason, conspiracies and counter conspiracies were the order of the day. We have navigated through the years when the military, like the stealth of a tiger pounced upon us unawares. Despite eight military coups, 30 months of no-victor-no-vanquished civil war and 12

countless political turmoil we have known, it still stands tall. This is one of our greatest miracles as a nation. If we can survive this and achieve unity, then we can win in our fight against corruption and take our spot among the world's top 20 economies from 86th position we currently occupy. Then we can rebrand successfully and enjoy the traffic of tourists and foreign investors. I believe that most Nigerians have reached some sort of consensus that we are better off together than apart. But the real challenge is on how we can utilize our differences and take advantages of it and how we can co-exist peacefully, irrespective of our religious, geo-political and tribal divides. This is where the journey to nationhood beings.

that the future of the entire black race hinges on Nigeria.

Proceeding on the pathway to Meta branding, what are the positive instrument we can use to rebrand? We have people both at home and in Diaspora, like Professor Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe, Emeka Anyaoku, Emeka Emeagwali, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Gamaliel Onosode etcetera. What roles can they and their intellectual efforts play? For instance, the Greeks and Egyptians may have branded in the past by building structures that became tourists' sties, but tourism alone cannot build a Meta brand effectively. Take names like Galileo, Socrates, Plato, out of Greek history and the whole Meta brand crumbles like a pack of cards. If the culture of the leaders and people are wrong, the product of the Meta brand would fail. In the book “The Trouble with Nigeria� Achebe argued that the trouble with Nigeria is simply and squarely a failure in leadership. There is nothing basically wrong with the Nigerian land, climate, air or anything else. The Nigerian problem is the unwillingness or inability of its leaders to rise to the responsibility, values, selflessness, and the challenge of personal example, which is the

The greatest quality on earth is the willingness to become, and Nigerians have this in abundance. It is called the can-do spirit. It is that will or spirit, which is determined to excel in all circumstances; call it the will to win. Sadly, many Nigerians have misconstrued this can-do spirit. What seems to be readily available is the wrong expectation, the wrong means. But also, when there is a will there is a way.

This concept that a will works when nothing else will, holds true. Often when there is such a will can either find a way or make a way. I share the sentiment 13

hallmark of true leadership. There is thus a demand for true and distinctive leadership due largely to the dearth of leaders who will awaken this change. Imperatively, we have many rulers but few leaders. A catholic nun from Albania left for Calcutta in India to live among the poorest of the poor. She gave them food, clothing and shelter, and hope to live again. She became known globally as Mother Theresa. A black man said no to racism and discrimination of Blacks in America.

That man was Martin Luther King Jnr. Nelson Mandela fought against apartheid in South Africa.

Mahatma Gandhi envisioned a new India.

As I have mentioned several times before, and now for emphasis, every great nation rose on the profiles of strong human and institutional brands consumed by higher purposes. Imagine America without its strong institutional brands as the FBI and CIA. Imagine a country like Tibet without a strong personal brand embodied in the Dalai Lama. Near Keystone, South Dakota, USA is a monumental granite sculpture of the heads of former United States Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. Known as Mount Rushmore and sculpted by Gutzon Borglum, the memorial attracts approximately two million people annually. The impact in tourism of such strategic projection of some of the country's most remarkable human brands has been revolutionary. The qualification of Greece as a nation that did so well in Meta branding depended on the intellect of the men of old and the ability for modern man to build on those achievements and discoveries to better today's life and existence. We need to focus energy on the youthful population of

Nigeria. There cannot be an effective branding process without the involvement of the youthful population. Their idealism and unadulterated zeal will drive it like a new found religion. We must key into the emerging young and strong brands like Chimananda Adichie and her likes.

Greatness is not men of great talents. Even so, great nations are not nations with great potential but nations with value for potential. A United Nation 2005 report on the assessment of the quality of life in 177 countries of the world put Nigeria in the 158th position, while Norway for the fifth time running, occupied the first place. The secret of the Norwegian government lies in its value for the life of the individuals who constitute the nation; not just their health and education, but their general welfare. The greatest potential I see in Nigeria is not the untapped resources but this critical mass of young people all around us. This is our greatest gift as a Nation and our best strategy will be built around this formidable force. Investing in young people will promote social and economic growth. Young people have the power to drive development. Young people are not only the future. They are the bed rock of the present. The strengths of human and institutional brands are the beauty of enduring Meta brand. BRANDARISE. Charles O'Tudor is widely celebrated as the Boss of the Intern, the first ever business reality TV Show in Nigeria. He is the visionary behind BRANDARISE, a social emancipation initiative anchored on the philosophy that when individuals rise, their communities will rise and ultimately the nation will rise. He is the Founder and Principal Consultant at Adstrat Consortium.

Visit: www.adstratcom.net

“Brands rise and fall like empires. Research has proven that the battle for the psyche of the target audience is mostly fought, lost or won at the point of purchase. Top of the mind recall invariably comes to bear at the point of decision making, with the key attribute being brand differentiation.� —Charles O'Tudor

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YOU Can Make Your Time Count

By Andrew Horton

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he two most valuable assets you possess are your time and your health and they can never be locked away in a vault for safekeeping. In fact in most cases their true value rarely gets appreciated, until they are depleted. Remember that both your health and your time are the raw materials, which create your life.

You can either choose to use them wisely or waste both of them. With enough neglect, you can even destroy both altogether.

You have so much potential pent up inside of you, that even if you could live for 100 lifetimes, you would not be capable of depleting it. So of course if we were immortal, there would be no need to set goals, design an effective set of plans or to prioritise. We could just go along with the flow and wait for things to come to us.

There would be no need to worry about any squandered time. We could accomplish everything we needed to accomplish at our leisure. Everyone would eventually manage to make something of their lives, even if it was just by chance. As you know, all you have available to you in this life, is a limited supply of both time and health, so it is your responsibility to make the most of both. You have a responsibility to make the most of what you have, whilst you are on this beautiful earth.

laughing and creating. What could bring more meaning and fulfilment into your experience than that?

To truly make the most of every day, you must be conscious and present at all times, where you control your habits and choices. To be fully selfactualised, you must invest time to exercise, make healthier food choices and ensure that you look after your health. Make time to relax, listen to great music, enjoy cultural, family and artistic activities and ensure that you get sufficient sleep. This will enable you to tackle each new day with vigour and passion.

Every one of us has 86400 seconds a day or 168 hours a week. No matter who you are, this never changes. If we all have the same amount of time available, then why do some people get so much more done each week? It is not because scientists have found a way to invent a few more seconds each week to give to super achievers or because the super-rich have found a way to buy more time. No, it is simply because some people are able to get so much more from their available time.

Of course there is no time like the present so start right now and begin to look at your life from a fresh perspective. Become aware once again and as you travel through your day, regularly stop and ask yourself this question “Is what I am doing in this moment, important to my health, wellbeing and purpose in life and is it for the greater good of all concerned?” Ensure that you can always answer this question, in the affirmative and you will have discovered the path towards truly mastering and enjoying your precious time on this planet.

Queen Elizabeth I of England, the richest, most powerful woman on earth of her era, whispered these final words on her deathbed: “All my possessions for a moment of time!” Time and health are indeed the two most important facets of your life. How are you using or abusing yours?

The secret to get the most from your time is to stop worrying about all the things you want to do, but are unable to do, for whatever reason that may be. Instead find ways to do all the things you can do. Stop looking back over days spent spinning your wheels as you run on that never ending hamster wheel of discontent. All time wasted is gone forever, never to be seen again.

Invest your most valuable possession into living,

Andrew Horton is one of the most sought after Motivational Speakers and Sales Training experts in South Africa. You can trust him to deliver a motivational message that will reenergise your team and help them to ignite the fire of inspiration in their bellies once again. To r e a c h A n d r e w , e m a i l : andrew@andrewhorton.co.za

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8 Ways to Develop Great Listening Skills

possible to become a great listener? Yes it is. Let's look at 8 ways you can develop great listening skills.

By Amy Torres

Be interested. Many people think listening means keeping quiet until it is their turn to talk. But true listening is a selfless act. Listening means giving your thoughtful attention to another person. This attention is non-judgmental, open-minded, respectful and curious.

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ave you ever been talking to someone who is looking around the room while you speak? Or who interrupts you to say something on a completely different subject? Maybe you were confiding in a friend who seemed distracted and when you accused her of not listening, she said indignantly, "I was listening!" and to prove it she parroted back the last phrase you had spoken.

Listening is receiving. We are receiving the trust and vulnerability of another person. To be a receiver, let yourself be a blank canvas for the other person.

Allow your friend to toss out ideas, feelings, contradictory thoughts, and whatever else is coming up. Let her be upset or illogical.

There is a difference between listening and technically hearing what is said. Hearing what is said takes short term memory—it only indicates that on a surface level you took in their words but didn't join emotionally with the person speaking to you. Men tend to be better listeners than women because generally they can tolerant silence better. Women are better listeners than men in that they are more comfortable sharing emotions. Men need to learn how to be more emotionally available and responsive. Women need to learn how to be supportive through their presence rather than talking too much. Becoming a better listener means becoming a better person because it cultivates emotional maturity and generosity. Is it

Indicate you are listening with subtle cues. Let the person know that you are interested by nodding your head, murmuring "hmmm," and softly echoing a word or short phrase here and there.

Attuning and matching. A good listener usually makes eye contact, but might also sit companionably side by side and gaze straight ahead, allowing the talker privacy and intimacy at the same time. Attune yourself to the person talking to you by noticing the degree of eye contact they are making 17

with you and match them. For instance, if the person seems self-conscious and looks down or away a lot, drop your gaze as well from time to time. This way, she will feel accepted rather than scrutinized. If she is animated and leaning towards you, lean towards her. Pick up on her rhythm, her body language. Psychological research has found that people feel understood when we use the same gestures they use. This helps them to feel safe and relaxed.

Wait for an organic pause. Try not to interrupt; it's an amazing gift to provide enough space for someone to let it all out. When there is a lull and the person seems to have unburdened themselves that will be the time to speak.

When I was a student in Gestalt psychotherapy training, I would eagerly jump in while clients were still talking and a fellow student told me that I wasn't waiting for the "organic pause" that natural breath between spoken thoughts that opens the door to another voice chiming in. I came from a cultural background where we were used to interrupting each other's interruptions, and it wasn't unusual for five conversations to be going on at the same time. Even if this is acceptable socially, it doesn't work when someone really needs a shoulder to cry on, or in a work situation, if a colleague needs to resolve professional issues.

Acknowledge and empathize. Good listening is not complete silence. When the time comes to speak, briefly reiterate to the person what you heard them say. For example, "It sounds like you are really upset with your boyfriend for having lunch with his ex. If I were you I'd feel the same way." or "I know you really wanted that promotion and I don't blame you for feeling it was unfair that the new guy got it." By reflecting back to the person what they said in their own words, you are acknowledging you heard them accurately. And by saying you might feel the same way, you are putting your foot in their shoe and empathizing with them. The emotional tone of what you say should be responsive rather than reactive. In other words, while you are listening take note of what is coming up for you and put it on a back shelf. Sort out what is useful for the person who is confiding in you and, for now, keep your own emotions and opinions to yourself.

Don't give unasked advice. Most of us have not been listened to in the way I'm describing, so we are not used to listening to someone else this way. We may consider ourselves very nice people and have all kinds of good

ideas for the person speaking to us about their problem. What we don't realize is that offering solutions before a person has expressed their upset feelings doesn't work. Do you want to be told what to do while you are venting?

Make an offering. After acknowledging and empathizing, you have the option of offering something more. It can be something simple like, "How can I help?" or "Would you like some feedback from me?" Chances are your friend feels relieved and solutions are starting to form within her now that she's cleared a space inside herself.

Don't be surprised if your good listening facilitates her having a revelation about herself or the situation. She may tell you that you have done more than enough already! If she does want feedback, this is your opportunity to share your experience and offer advice. Timing is everything; wait until you are invited.

What's in it for you? Great listeners are receivers; they receive trust, they are in an honoured position in that way. They help people sort out their thoughts and feelings. Listeners offer solace and consolation. They celebrate and appreciate good news or achievements. And in the process, listeners receive the gratification of being there for someone else. Listeners have cultivated patience to wait until another person has talked themselves out and have discovered that people often find their own answers to their struggles. So listening develops faith in us that people have an inner intelligence and we don't have to be mini-gods and fix everyone's problems by jumping in and talking too much or too soon. By developing great listening skills, we provide a mirror that reflects back to the person speaking what is inside of them, and that is powerfully rewarding for both of us.

A m y To r r e s i s a G e s t a l t psychotherapist, interfaith minister and yoga instructor. She has developed the Language of Love, Harmony & Beauty, which is a form of emotionally responsible communication. For more i n f o r m a t i o n , v i s i t : www.amytorresacim.com

Harvey Mackay

Making Your Suggestion Scheme Make Sense

By Ron Kaufman

M

the mindset of staff, who, for years or even generations, were trained to “keep your mouths shut, lay low, just follow orders“? How can you encourage your frontline staff to open their minds, explore new ideas and share their best recommendations?

arkets today demand greater innovation.

Changes are coming faster than ever before and your competitors are ever more nimble.

Customers have rising expectations. You need new ideas, better processes, more innovative products and services, and more effective ways to build strong future with those customers.

Market research, research and development, customer focus groups and surveys are valuable tools for innovation. In the current economic climate though, it is time to revisit the “Staff Suggestion Scheme” – a lowcost yet effective technique when done right. Companies can no longer survive with staff members who expect management to provide “all the right answers“. Today, companies require a steady flow of ideas and solutions from those who are closest to the processes and the customers, those with their “ears to the ground“.

The “Staff Suggestion Scheme” is a time honoured process of wooden boxes and pre-printed forms for staff to write out their ideas and submit them for management consideration. Many companies have tried this approach, but few can report real satisfaction with the number, consistency, or quality of staff contributions. Even fewer can report widespread enthusiasm for their “Suggestion Schemes” at all. Here are six ideas you can implement right away to make your suggestion scheme more effective:

To maintain an adaptable and responsive organization, you must develop a culture that actively solicits input and recommendations from every level of your staff. Most leaders and senior managers are more receptive to this approach than ever before. But how can you transform

Respond to all written staff suggestions immediately (within one week) and in writing: Be candid. If the answer is no, say so. If the answer is yes, state when staff will see implementation. If the answer is maybe, explain the issues involved 19

and give a date for further reply. And stick to it.

Nothing builds trust and credibility faster than making new promises and keeping them.

One exception: do not reply to obscene or abusive suggestions. A strong company culture has no place for such destructive “input”. Your best response is not to reply.

Respond to suggestions publicly, for all to see: Usually, when one staff member writes, she speaks what is on the mind of many. Reply openly on a designated bulletin board, in a weekly printed update, or by electronic mail. Thank the writer(s) for their query or contribution. Include staff names on suggestions to be implemented.

Give an award, prize or monetary incentive for best suggestions, and give it right away: Many Suggestion Schemes invoke a multi-step process for evaluation and eventually granting of an award. First, the suggestion boxes are emptied (sometimes only once a month). Second, a Committee sifts and sorts for “realistic” submissions. Third, a Management Committee appraises the freshness, viability, cost savings or increased revenue from each suggestion.

Fourth, someone in “Senior Management” decides upon the amount of reward to be given to the appropriate staff members. And finally, an actual awarding of the “prize” is conducted.

thinking, recommendations for the future direction of our business.

Make a big event out of awarding your suggestion scheme prizes: Some companies use lunches, staff teas or monthly meetings to award prizes. One company makes up large, special “dollar bills” for each winning suggestion. In the centre is the face of the staff member who contributed. In the corners is the amount of money his or her suggestion earned.

And surrounding the portrait is a description of the suggestion itself.

The cycle time for this process is usually four weeks or more. In some cases the senior management review is only conducted once a quarter. What is your company's cycle time for awarding prizes to a staff suggestion? Would you be inspired if you had to wait that long?

These “dollar bills” line the wall of the staff lounge and company cafeteria. The result is popular group recognition for winners and a “culture building” impact that keeps the suggestion scheme going strong. At the end of the year, give recognition to the volume of suggestions received, the winners who have been rewarded, and the changes enacted as a result. Then, pose a challenge to everyone to double the volume of suggestions in the coming year.

Try this approach: Dedicate $1200 (or your local equivalent) to the project. Give the money away in $100 increments every month for one year. Each month, give $50 to the best idea, $20 for the second best idea, and $10 each to the 3rd, 4th and 5th best suggestions. In the first months, few may believe that you will give out the money in a timely manner, and possibly only a handful of staff will participate. But no matter how small or meager the suggestions, give out the money anyway! As soon as employees (staff) realize you are serious, the boxes will be filled with suggestions.

And, if the quality of ideas warrant, double your cash prizes, too. Four winners a month last year? Increase it to eight winners per month next year. If the ideas are good, it's certainly worth your investment!

Most of all, implement. Act upon what your staff suggests. Nothing demonstrates your commitment to this approach better than a staff suggestion recognized, rewarded and immediately put to work.

Establish different categories for your awards: Clear categories can help staff focus and generate new ideas. Here are examples of categories you can use: Ideas that can be implemented immediately, ideas for getting closer to our customers, suggestions for cost savings or increasing revenue, new ideas focusing on a chosen theme for the month, ideas that most dramatically challenge the current paradigm of your

Ron is a regular columnist at Bloomberg Businessweek. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Uplifting Service and 14 other books on service, business and inspiration. Ron has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and USA Today. Visit: www.RonKaufman.com for more information.

20

Why You Should Create A Business Plan

By Gene Siciliano

W

e all nod knowingly when anyone talks about the importance of vision, mission and business planning—and then most of us go back to what we were doing before the interruption. As it happens, I often ask small business owners if they believe business planning is an important management tool. I don't think anyone has ever said "No." But when I follow up with the question, "Do you have a current business plan?" only one in 10 answers "Yes." This will not surprise 90 percent of those reading this article, I'm sure. But why is it that most business owners (in my admittedly unscientific surveys) see the value in business planning and then almost universally forego it?

Could it be because business planning is seen as: ? Not very easy? ? Not very much fun? ? Not guaranteed to produce what we want? ? Not on the list of things we got into business to do?

Have I missed any of your personal favourites? The truth is that business planning is not as much fun as creating your own business. And it's certainly not guaranteed to accomplish anything, unless we actually do something with our business plans, which of course means more work. Business planning wasn't on my list of reasons for starting a business, either. But want to know something? It works. And that goes a long way in my book toward making up for its shortcomings in the fund department. If it does in yours, too, then read on.

Four Reasons to Plan: We have all agreed that business planning is important, but why is it important? After all, that's a pretty big idea to accept on faith. I believe there are four powerful reasons to create a written business plan: Clarity: The ability to see exactly where you are going is greatly enhanced by the simple act of writing it down. Unless you have extraordinary conceptual capacity, you will only know what you

business plan makes huge goals somehow seem not only manageable, but even achievable.

Where Do You Start? I believe you start with a personal value-based vision statement, followed by a congruent and carefully formed mission statement. Together, these should be the foundation of your business plan. So what is the difference between a vision statement and a mission statement? Do you need both? I have for many years used a plain language definition that goes like this: ·

Your vision is how you want the world to

be. · Your mission is your contribution to making it that way.

want your business to look like by writing it down.

Include all the details you can think of to enhance the picture. Some people are gifted with that kind of vision without ever picking up a pencil, but for most of us the picture needs to be more concrete. The more detailed the description of the end result, the more easily you will recognize what you must do to get there.

Roadmap: When you are travelling to a place you have never visited before, you probably need a roadmap to help get you there: to recognize which roads to take and which ones to avoid because they lead in the wrong direction. Your business plan serves the same purpose in getting you to your business goals, which is another “place” you have never been to before. It's much easier to avoid wrong turns when your best path is laid out for you in writing.

Communication: Many of the people you meet—employees, colleagues, customers, family members and friends—will be instrumental in helping you achieve your goals if you tell them what you want to achieve. There is great value in having an easy, concise way to tell others what your goals are and how they can assist you. Making it up along the way will send confusing signals to those who support you, rather than helping you concentrate the power of their support in a common direction.

Empowerment: Often we hear people speak of their dreams and goals in a way that tells us they want to achieve them, but they don't really believe they ever will, or even can. A clearly defined business plan will reveal a series of small, achievable steps along the path, and you can actually begin to see how they fit into your grand design. Accepting the possibility of success a step at a time is much easier for most of us and can be the most important key to achievement. Your written 23

When you look at it this way, it's easy to see that you should include both in your thought process.

Whether they evolve as one statement or two is unimportant. What is critically important is that together they are the first step in your business planning process. About now you might be saying to yourself, "Sure, all I have to do is decide what I'm going to do with my life. And after lunch I'll just zip over and solve the Iraq and Afghanistan situations. Give me a break here!"

Hold on, now! I'm not suggesting that you only get one shot at this. In fact, everyone's mission statement will evolve over time, even if they are right on target, because the world changes and where we are in it changes too. However, each change in you mission and vision statements should be carefully considered, firmly adopted, and then acted upon.

A good business plan represents a sizable piece of work. A life devoted to building a business without a plan is considerably more work, however, and usually for considerably less reward. By contrast, a business plan that truly guides you in the direction you really want to go brings daily rewards. Add up the value of greater work satisfaction, the rich experience of a balanced life and a successful business that is meeting its goals. And unless there is a hole in your bucket, you will have earned some very large profits along the way, and you will have had a heck of a good time doing it.

Gene Siciliano, CMC, CPA, is an author, speaker and financial consultant who work with CEOs and Managers to achieve greater financial success in a dramatically changing economy. His bestselling book, "Finance for Non-Financial Managers," (McGraw-Hill, 2003) is available in bookstores and online.

Visit: www.GeneSiciliano.com

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5 Simple Steps to Build Winning Corporate Culture

By Gary Bradt

I

masks dysfunctional behaviour.

f I asked your employees, “What is it like to work at your company? What kind of place is it?” Their answers would largely describe your company culture. How would your employees answer? Would you like what you heard? If not, a leader's responsibility is to change it.

A winning company culture is simple and emphasizes three areas: serving the customer, growing the business, and developing employees. A losing culture is confusing and complex, places customer needs behind those of the company, and emphasizes personal gain over team achievement.

Some leadership teams attempt to create culture by acting as wordsmiths, spending untold hours carefully crafting vision, mission and values statements. That's unfortunate, because in the end culture is not created by words plastered on the wall or carried around on laminated cards, but rather culture is defined by actions on the ground.

Culture can be consciously created by company leadership, and should be. Below are five steps that will help you consciously create or redefine your company culture. Remember, complexity equals confusion. If your culture is easy to describe, it will be easy to create.

It's what leaders do, what they inspect, what they reject and what they reward that ultimately shapes company culture. It is not that words do not have a place in creating culture; they most certainly do. But a winning culture is defined by words so simple and basic a child can grasp them easily, and an executive can explain them quickly. And, in a winning culture, a leader's words and actions are aligned. What leaders say accurately reflects the way things are. In a losing culture, words and actions are misaligned. “Happy talk'

Define 3-4 guiding principles that define who you are as an organization. It is the job of senior leadership to define in simple terms what your organization is all about. One of my clients, a consulting group, had a culture marked by mistrust and destructive internal competition. New leadership came in and succinctly defined what the new culture would be and termed it something like this: We are one national practice; we consider our 25

customers in everything we do; we grow our people; and we are committed to each other's success. Rather than worrying about printing these words everywhere, leadership set about making them a reality.

principles. For example, my client developed a leadership development experience focused on selfawareness and personal responsibility. Over the next two years, all 250 senior leaders came through, and then a similar experience was created for the next level of management down. Don't try to get everyone through at once. In fact, it's best to spread attendance and participation out over an extended period of time.

Each new class then becomes a renewable source of energy and focus around the guiding principles.

Attendees return to their respective offices and help re-energize and refocus everyone else. In this way, rather than becoming programs of the month, these leadership experiences became an enduring tool to reinforce the fundamental message and desired behaviors behind the guiding principles.

Use the principles to guide every business discussion and decision going forward. Words are meaningless unless they spur new behavior. Once you have defined your guiding principles, use them to guide all of your business discussions and decisions. I constantly heard my client above refer to their guiding principles in all their gatherings, large and small. I heard them say things like: “Since we are one national practice, it makes sense to do “x.” Or, “Will this course of action serve our customer, or will it only serve us?” And, “Since we are committed to each other's success and growing our people, maybe we should let this individual or that group take the lead on this sales call,” etc. They used their words and good intentions to drive positive behavior shifts, which in the end drove a positive culture shift, which led to better business results.

Expect resistance, but stay the course with passion and patience. Changing culture means changing people, and that takes time. Expect some cynicism, skepticism and resistance at first. For example, when people first attended the leadership program described above, many came in with a jaundiced eye. They had seen this sort of thing come and go before. But over time, as more and more people came through, including senior leaders who came back to help facilitate later sessions, more and more bought in. This became especially true when attendees saw the leadership principles and values that were discussed in the classroom being lived out on a daily basis in the field. In fact, the program became so popular over time that complaints went from “Why do I have to attend this stupid course?” to “Why did I have to wait so long to get in?” More importantly, the culture in the organization at large changed, and with it, the business did too.

Build the principles into all your people performance and management systems. The old saw is true: people tend to do what is inspected versus what is expected. Simple words and good intentions are not enough. You need to make sure that your people and performance management systems measure and reward behaviors consistent with your guiding principles, and discourage if not punish the opposite. Leadership actions here are key. If employees see company leaders act in accordance with the principles and yet go unrewarded, or worse, see leaders defying the principles and getting perks and promotions regardless, you are done. There has to be consistency between what you say and what you do, and alignment between your words and your actions. Also, begin screening for and hiring people who share your values and who naturally adhere to the principles. And, for existing employees, create processes to indoctrinate and immerse them in the new ways of thinking and behaving. As John Kotter has shown us, constantly repeating the simple change message via all available means and venues is key to ingraining it in the culture.

A Final Word: If I have made creating a winning culture sound simple, that's because it is. Don't muck it up by making it more complex than it needs to be.

Largely as a result of following all five of the simple steps I've outlined here, the organization I've described enjoyed unprecedented business success over the next several years. You can do the same. Take the ideas I have shared here, bend them to your will, disposition and specific circumstance, and you will be well on your way to creating a winning culture marked by new behavior and better business results.

Create a 2-3 day leadership development experience that reinforces the behaviors and values consistent with the principles, and insist all senior leaders attend. Once again, words alone are not enough to drive lasting behavior change. You have to constantly reinforce your words with action. One way to do this is to create an experience based leadership development program that reinforces the values and behaviors consistent with the guiding

Dr. Gary Bradt is one of today's most popular speakers on the leadership circuit, addressing corporate audiences around the world on the issue of change and success. His clients include IBM, General Motors, American Express, General Electric, eBay, FedEx and NASA.

26

How To Communicate Your Value

By Richard Zeoli

T

he term “self promotion” often carries a negative connotation – and with good reason.

No one enjoys associating with someone whose solution to every problem starts – and ends – with the letter “I”. At the same time, unless others know what you do – and can do – chances are they will never realize they need your services. Instead of approaching this topic as “Me: 101,” however, let's take a different approach and focus on how to communicate your value to those with whom you come in contact.

opportunities, but with countless other qualified professionals jockeying for these same positions, it's not what you know that counts; it's what others know about you.

How can you advertise 'you' to the world without earning Sir Lancelot's “C'est moi” reputation?

Simply put: communicate a comprehensive value “package” of which you are one component – albeit a catalytic component. Below, I've outlined the three communication components constituting this approach, and the good news is that it works whether you are searching for a job, hoping to move ahead in your current position, soliciting new business clients, or working to expand your network of business and professional relationships.

Particularly in these tough economic times, making yourself memorable to employers, potential employers, clients, and business and networking associates is more vital than ever. You might know that you are ideally qualified for certain positions and 28

So, let's dive in and examine how to turn self-

promotion into value-communication while advancing your career.

Communicate Your Capabilities: This is more than providing a laundry list of education, skills training, and professional experience. Anyone can type up a resume – and have it subsequently trashed because it looks exactly the same as 1,000 other resumes. A better way to communicate your capabilities is to do so in terms of achievements and accomplishments.

For example, if your vocation is IT sales and you closed a multi-million dollar deal with a major corporation, you might say you had the opportunity to work with a leading corporation to provide needed IT capabilities while at the same time helping your company set a new sales record (if, indeed, this was the case). And if you made the sale as part of a team, be sure to give credit where credit is due: “I had the honor to work with a highly talented sales team to seal the biggest sales agreement in company history.”

recommended). But let's face it, the real question the employer or client is asking isn't “What can you do?” It's “What can you do for me?” And a better way to communicate your value is to find out first what your audience's goal is and then share how you can help him or her reach that goal.

For example, if you are speaking with the head of an IT sales company, use your past sales success to demonstrate how you can help him or her grow the company's market share and expand its sales territory. Or, if you are chatting with a potential client, illustrate how you can help increase that client's business productivity and profitability. It's been said the key to success is finding a need and filling it. In the same way, the key to communicating your value to others is identifying their goals and demonstrating how you can help them achieve them.

Doesn't that sound better than “I closed this great deal and set a new sales record”? Indeed, it does. Facts melded with humility form a powerful combination.

Communicate Your Vision – In Terms of Others: Perhaps your goal is to be the top-producing IT sales representative in the region. While saying as much might impress some people, it probably will do little to separate you from the hundreds of other ambitious sales reps with the same goal who, incidentally, may be in direct competition with you. A far better way to communicate your vision and make your qualifications more appealing in the process is to convey your goals in terms of others.

Self-promotion does not have to be about selfaggrandizement, and it is possible to advance your career while maintaining humility. In fact, not only is it possible but it is also beneficial. As we said at the outset, no one likes to be around people who view themselves as the best thing since sliced bread. But people do want to associate with individuals who are confident, who want to help others achieve their goals, and who possess the necessary skills and qualifications to do so. So, don't be afraid to let others know what you can do.

But choose to transform self-promotion into valuecommunication by communicating your capabilities, communicating your vision, and communicating your value to your audience.

For example, if you know the way to achieve your goal is to sign on a certain number of major companies and/or corporations as new clients, you might say your vision is to help 20 (or however many) leading corporations maximize their IT capabilities by implementing the systems, software, and equipment that you can offer.

Already, you've shifted the direct focus away from you while still maintaining your role – i.e. your value – in producing the desired results. Are you starting to see the pattern here?

Communicate Your Value to Your Audience: This step builds on the previous two by focusing your communication specifically on your target audience. In other words, pretend you are now interviewing directly with the hiring manager of an IT sales corporation, or you are having lunch with that prospective client whose business would skyrocket your sales figures. You could tell the prospective employer you've sold millions of dollars in IT services and can do it again, and you could tell the client you've installed and configured IT networks for companies far more complex than his (not

Richard Zeoli, author of the 7 Principles of Public Speaking, is the founder and president of RZC Impact, a pioneering communications firm specializing in executive-level 29

The Three Most Important Rules Of Business

By Denny Durbin Both small and large business owners must pay close attention to their modus operandi, especially in these times of inflation, recession and consumer cutbacks.

All indications point to this grim economy being a short window of our lifetime. The key to coming out on top is paying close attention to your customers and making them priority one.

The first thing managers must do in a slow economy is get their priorities straight: Do they choose to keep growing the business or just make sure they survive the downtime? Many wise decisions are not based on net profits alone, but on the future of the business.

Even in times of slow spending, everyone still needs products and services. Sometimes the first thing business owners cut back on is marketing, However many successful managers know how to focus on creative marketing strategies and get creative to get the biggest bang for their buck. The three most important rules in any business are:

Bring them in the door. Whether you have a brick and mortar or a Web site, you have to bring customers in the door to generate revenue. The key here is to be innovative; never try to blend in, you want to stand up and be noticed. It's the edgy innovative things that make people point and start talking about you and your business. If it's a website that you're trying to promote, offer every friend you have something in order to use their e-mail database to send out a couple of e-mail blasts inviting people to check out your site.

If it's a street address, with drive-by customers, you should focus on the curb appeal, signage, landscape, front of building and entrance. Don't try to look like the guy next door, try a brighter sign with giant letters that are easily legible at 45 mph. If you have no customers, have your employees park their cars up front. If you are selling a product that can be displayed on the front sidewalk, carry it in and out all day and keep trying new things to look busy.

Make sure they leave happy, and can't wait to return and bring friends. Your goal should be to turn satisfied customers into loyal customers. You can be happy with satisfied customers, but don't be surprised if they also spend their hard-earned dollars with your competitors, especially when price is involved. Loyal customers, on the other hand, are far more focused on quality and service when deciding where to buy. Loyal customers will literally jumpstart your grassroots campaign by becoming mavens for your business and telling everyone they know of the pleasurable experience of doing business with your company. Essentially loyal customers become a major part of your marketing and sales team and the best part about it is you don't have to pay them; you just have to create them.

Know what business you are in. It doesn't matter what business you are in-- auto, apparel, banking, restaurant, real estate, and the whole gamut of the business world-- you better know what business you are in. You may be surprised, but it's rarely what you think it is. If you are in the restaurant business, and someone asks you what business you are in, your automatic response would be, “I'm in the food business.” The real answer to that question from a savvy restaurateur would be, “I'm in marketing” If you answer you're in the food business, there's a good chance you have a lot of empty seats and a better chance you won't be in any business long. But if you're in the marketing business, there's probably people waiting to get a seat at your restaurant.

Everyone in business should be in the business of marketing. Once you know the three most important rules of any business the next step is to implement them. It's one thing to know what you need to do, it's another to actually do it, and that alone can put you ahead of the competition.

First, it's important you know the difference between marketing and paid advertising. A quick and simple

definition of marketing is anything and everything, nothing too small and nothing too big, that you do to bring customers in the door. These are everyday, common things that you're probably already doing, but now you're going to look at these daily tasks in a whole new light.

In today's fast-paced world it's an ongoing education that every business owner should be enrolled in. New tricks of the trade pop up every day; the difference between a marketer and those who choose to do the same thing every day is the marketer is a risk taker who believes in being innovation and testing new strategies, at the risk of making a mistake. Mistakes are considered necessary steps to success, and truly successful entrepreneurs learn from their mistakes. If you're not learning something every day, you're simply not paying attention.

A good marketing strategy encompasses a wide variety of daily exercises. Some are paid for, some simply involve the investment of time and some forms of marketing cost nothing. A good example is grassroots marketing. This community driven, wordof-mouth testimonials have proven since the beginning of time to be the most valuable form of publicity and marketing. They have great capacity to jumpstart a worthwhile product, topic or cause.

A good mention of your business from satisfied customers goes a long way toward sending you new customers. When you take a step further and convert your satisfied customers into loyal customers, it's a guaranteed home run for your business.

Denny Durbin is an entrepreneur and author of “Lazy Enchiladas, Redefining Success,” which explains firsthand the values of taking risks, assessing success and adding creativity to a career. Denny has created, built and owned more than a dozen diversified and lucrative business.