by Aaron Boyce (www.abworkshopsarethebest.com)

1. Creative – You must be creative and innovative. Things just don’t happen magically. Successful marketeers make things happen. When things go wrong, and they will, your creativity is the one thing that can make every right again. Here’s where the cliches come into play. “Think outside the box”. Make lemonade out of lemons”. Well, someone in marketing came up with those ideas.

2. Sharing – Success breeds success. And there is enough success for everyone. Therefore, successful marketeers are never greedy or stingy with their ideas. Instead we share with others for the good of the community. We share with others for the good of our fellow brothers and sisters (all over this land).

3. Patient – A good marketing plan is not developed overnight. Nor is it implemented overnight. Nor will it work overnight. And you won’t get rich over night. Patience is a virtue. Have a cup.

4. Good Natured – Ho, Ho, Ho is the catch phrase of one of the greatest marketeers of all time, Santa Claus. That dude has sold trillions of dollars worth of toys, jewelry, clotting, etc. since like forever. My mama told me that you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. I didn’t quite understand why I wanted to catch flies at all. But I did understand the concept – be nice to everyone and they will be nice to you. That is effective marketing.

5. Daring – Are you willing to jump out an airplane without a parachute? Neither am I. A successful marketeer takes calculated risks. They will jump out the airplane but only after they pack the chutes themselves. The phrase “that’s not the way we do it” has no meaning to the marketeer. We truly understand that it is virtually impossible to prove that something cannot be done. The only thing you can prove is that it hasn’t been done yet.

6. Organized – We like to see how things will turn about. Although it might seem to the casual viewer, based upon our workspaces, that we are disorganized but it is far from the truth. For our plans to work, timing and precision must be included in our plans. A true marketeer can be counted on for their reliability, timeliness, and planning.

7. Community Active – We care about the community in which we live, in which we serve. We give back to the community because it is the right thing to do, not because it makes for great P.R. By the way, it makes for great P.R.

8. Bargain Hunters – Just cause we have money doesn’t mean we want to spend it. And the successful marketeer has worked with many a cash challenged organization and knows how to design and implement a low cost marketing campaign.

9. Crazy – Just a touch of insanity helps. After all, when everything seems to be falling apart and you still are smiling like a Chesire Cat, what does that make you???

Aaron Boyce, founder of ABworkshops, national columnist for examiner.com, and author of four publications, travels across the country spreading his message of success through self-motivation and self-awareness. A stutterer since the age of nine, Aaron had overcome the pain of rejection, humiliation, and self-loathing to become a powerful, motivational, and dynamic speaker and trainer on the issues of small business development and marketing. His message, <successful people make life happen for them; they don’t let life happen to them>, has informed, inspired, and entertained thousands of motivated people nationwide. You can reach him at: aaron@abworkshops.com; www.abworkshopsarethebest.com; toll-free 1-866-745-6966.

In this article excerpt, I’d like to discuss what a “selling system” is, give you an outline of a selling system that always works and point out a fundamental mistake that many small businesses make in their sales process which, if done properly, can really explode your sales.

According to Michael E. Gerber, author of the classic business book “The E-Myth“, a selling system is a fully orchestrated interaction between you and your customer that follows 6 fundamental steps:

Step 1) Identify specific benchmarks (consumer decision points) in your sales process
Step 2) Script the words that will get you to each of those consumer decision points successfully
Step 3) Create all the different materials that will be used with each script
Step 4) Memorize each benchmark’s script
Step 5) Deliver each script in identical fashion
Step 6) Allow the system to do its work, while you communicate more effectively by observing, listening, hearing, acknowledging, understanding and engaging fully with the prospect.

Now, until you actually try to build and implement a sales system that follows each of the steps listed above, you won’t understand just how powerful and effective the selling system really is or just how much detail goes into making everything work in a completely seamless way.

Now, I can’t cover all 6 steps here … that’s way beyond the scope of this article. What I do want to elaborate more upon, however, is Step 1 - Identify specific benchmarks (consumer decision points) in your sales process.

There are four specific benchmarks, or consumer decision points, in the selling system that always works.

The first benchmark is the Appointment Presentation. The purpose of this important phase of the sales process is to get an appointment with a potential new customer for your business, product or service.

A highly recommended product that can help you get more sales appointments is Sales Scripts Pro. Sales Scripts Pro is a ’step-by-step’ scripts tool training tutorial that can help anyone get more sales appointments using a scripts tool when making sales calls. The great thing about the Sales Scripts Pro sales scripts tool program is that it can help turn any person in your business into a cold calling sales expert and help your business expand very quickly.

The second benchmark, is the Needs Analysis Presentation. The purpose of this phase of the sales process is to help you uncover your prospect’s needs. This is done mostly through listening and by using specific tools and processes like a Needs Analysis Questionnaire.

Once you have identified your prospect’s needs, you then move on to the next stage of the selling process … the Solutions Presentation. This is where you present your solution. If you or your sales person has done the job right during the previous benchmark, then you should know exactly what your prospect’s needs are and how your particular solution can help your prospect meet their needs.

And if you follow the 6-step selling system outlined earlier and deliver the right solution presentation using the right tools and scripts that you have developed as part of completing Steps 2 and 3 when building your selling system, then your prospect should move through to the Decision Confirmation stage, where, hopefully, you will have addressed all of their questions, concerns and objections and they are now ready to make a decision to purchase your particular product or service and become your new customer, or recruit (if you are selling a business opportunity, for example).

Now, here’s where many sales people make a fundamental mistake that can significantly impact their sales results …

To read the rest of this article, please go here: Selling System

The organized way to deal with all paper that crosses your hands and/or desk is to:
1. Have it placed at a designated tray, basket, shelf or drawer.
2. Spend the time you need to look into what the paper commands of you and, when done with it;
3. Place it in either a file, put it in a filing basket to be filed, put it in an out basket, or simply throw it away.

This type of paper flow system will organize you in a heartbeat and will prevent finding assorted pieces of paper everywhere throughout your home. As soon as you receive a piece of paper, you put it in its allotted place. From this, you will create a peaceful work area. You will automatically know where to go to get your paper and where to find paper that you need.

The same system can be applied to reorganizing a disordered environment. You can tackle a room, a closet, or a drawer by first organizing it and then taking a look at how it got that way in the first place. Here is where the new system comes into play. You need to be able to maintain the order you have applied to it for later so that the same mess does not just develop all over again.

The more time and effort you put into being organized, the less time you will need to apply to organizing later.

You will have to acquire the necessary “tools” needed to create good order.

Having good order is the building block to being better organized.

Check out the discount and specialty stores for great tools to organize. They are inexpensive and work well. If you find your bedroom is hard to keep organized then look around for something to solve your problem. The moment you find the right tool, you can begin to put things into their proper place.

There is no easy way around trying to get your life in order and be better organized. It takes time and effort on your part. The more tools you can apply to your disorganized messes, the easier it will be to maintain order. Once you find the right approach, it will be easy to keep the same momentum going.

Use a system to organize every area of your life. Go from room to room in your home and apply tools to simplify messy problems. You will be so glad you did!

For more advice, check out these home organization articles
House Clutter Tips
Organize Home Tips
Declutter Your Home Tips

I manage a small video and video game rental store in a small town. It was always my dream to open this shop, and I finally did it when I was 26 years old. And that was a long time ago. To put it into perspective, I now need reading glasses. So I have been at this a long time. And having a business like that in a small town is not easy.

There is a very limited number of customers, the nearest place to buy videos is over an hour away, and the savings with which I began this store is long gone. My day begins at six o’clock in the morning. I shower, get dressed, eat, and head to my store. I open it six days a week from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm, closing on Wednesdays so I can drive to the city to shop for videos, video games, some small general merchandise, and of course food and such for myself.

I originally had two employees who worked for me, but I can no longer afford them so I work all day myself. The problem is that there just aren’t enough people in my town. I have many regular customers who will rent a movie or two almost every day, but the sad truth is that with rent, utilities like electricity and water, the mortgage on my house, and the staggering cost of videos, it takes a lot more money to survive than I can squeeze out of this area.

I have spent all of my enormous savings paying the bills and now I find myself skipping lunch most days and eating ramen, rice, and pancakes because those foods are very cheap. I am frequently sick, probably due to not getting healthy enough food. But I can’t close the store when I’m sick because that’s 50 or 100 dollars lost.

So why do I keep doing this? It’s simple: I love it. I love the joy families’ get when they find a movie they can all enjoy. I love the expression on a child’s face when their parent tells them they can pick a movie by themselves. When they bring it up and put it on the counter, they feel so big and so proud.

So many great friends are made talking about the latest movies. Especially the new technology films that incorporate special effects. We discuss the theatrical contact lenses those experts in Hollywood used.

It’s not a business where you imagine a great sense of satisfaction from making other people happy. I’m not healing people or building them a home. I’m not saving lives or saving property. But I do enrich the lives of the people who walk through my doors. And being in a small town, I know most people who come in by name. I can greet them and talk about their lives, what’s going on with their children or siblings, or hear about their troubles and help them get through it.

I love the energy and excitement older children and teenagers show when I have the coolest new video game or latest trend in stock and they can take it home right then and there. There is nothing more rewarding than this, in my mind.

It is not the most glamorous job a person can have, and it’s very hard to make ends meet from this little shop. However, I would not trade it away for anything. This is my true joy in life and I will always be thankful for realizing this dream.

By Aaron Boyce - AB Workshops

Successful companies understand that good employees equal good business. A company that employs good employees need not worry about large amount of shrinkage to the inventory, they need not worry about the loyalty of their staff, and they need not worry that the employee will try to hurt them or hurt their business. Instead a good employee who is fully vested in the company will work harder, work smarter, and work faster because they truly appreciate the company and the management for which they work. In my book, “Seize the Opportunity… and other marketing strategies”, I mention that it’s always important to surround yourself with helpful people. Well, who is management surrounded by everyday other than their employees? Therefore it makes sense to ensure that your employees are intelligent, resourceful, ethical, and open to the idea that your success is their success and their success is yours. But where do we find such wonderful employees? There are two answers to that question; 1. Hire employees intelligently with these qualities in mind and 2. Develop your current employees, any new ones, with these qualities in mind.

Let’s start with the first one. Would you find it strange that a major retailer, one of the largest in the world, hires its employees with the belief that these employees will indeed be bad employees? Would you believe that they actually plan for these employees to steal from them, be disrespectful to them and their customers, and generally do a bad job. In fact part of the plan, uses the “revolving door” concept, that is, the employees are so unimportant that they are willing to hire them, train them, and fire them when they don’t like the job they do. And even though this retailer is large and successful, their track record on employee satisfaction and employee development is quite abysmal. Maybe their budget is large enough to be able to handle such costly turnovers, but to small businesses with less than 100 employees, one bad employee could be a death knell. So with that in mind, it would be wise to hire with a keen vision of your future success. Instead of your top job requirement being experience, since we all know that experience does not necessarily equal excellence, take a look at who they are today. Mandate the use of a resume and look at it thoroughly. Asked them questions about their resume. Are they able to back it up with words. How do they walk in the room? How are they dressed? Can they communicate well with others? Do they look at you when they speak? Do they smile? Asked them questions about your company. Can they answer them? Do they seem to care about themselves? Do they seem to only care about themselves? Do they understand the words pride and integrity? Can they indeed do the job they say they can do, and if not, can they be trained? Let’s not place such great emphasis on experience and education; remember Bill Gates dropped out of college. See if this makes sense - instead of experience, look for excellence. Instead of asking how long, ask how well.

As for the second answer, it only makes good business sense to develop the employees that you wish to surround yourself with. Training for example. Now, I know that many small companies do not have large budgets for training. But I also know that there are many professionals that would be willing to come in and do a workshop for a small stipend or sometimes for free simply because they wish to give back to the community. There are also professionals who will do it for free so they can obtain speaking experience. Find those professionals and invite them to speak to your employees for an hour or two. Topics could include customer service, sexual harassment, communication skills, diversity, business ethics, etc. Mandate that all employees attend all if not most of these seminars. Include a certificate with each attendance. Also include light refreshments and beverages. There will be a small cost, but the larger picture is that you’ll have well-trained employees, who are able to do their jobs. Another good way to develop quality employees is to allow them the ability to make the workplace feel like home. I don’t just mean their desk, but rather, from the front door to the back door. Within reason, give your employees the access how the place looks, smells, and feels. Let them develop some feng shui of their own. You will be amazed how happy an employee is when they see that they had a hands-on experience in how their workplace looks.

In my workshop, How to Develop Quality Employees, I include 10 other great examples of how we can ensure our company, but more importantly ensure our customers and clients, the benefit of happy, satisfied, and efficient employees. And folks, that is money in your pocket.

To contact me, e-mail me at Aaron@abworkshops.com or visit my website at www.abworkshopsarethebest.com. You can also speak to meet at my toll-free number, 866-745-6966 extension 6.

Learning the Ropes Under Jeannene Tedesco In any industry, it’s hard to find someone willing to be your mentor. It seems even harder in the marketing and promotions world since everyone is fighting to get customers and their money. However, Jeannene Tedesco, in New Brunswick, New Jersey, is one professional who isn’t afraid to set aside time to help newcomers to the marketing world.

Many team members at various companies have spoken about how Jeannene Tedesco has personally taken them under her wing and introduced them to the world of marketing and promotions. As an affiliate with Tedesco’s global marketing companies, employees do the face to face meetings with clients. This gives everyone a chance to work directly with clients and get a look at the marketing world that few do.

Jeannene isn’t afraid to break down the barriers between supervisor and employee. In fact, she works hard to promote an atmosphere that brings everyone in the office together regardless of title or position. Many supervisors see the invisible line of responsibility as one that cannot or should not ever be crossed, but Jeannene regularly steps across over this boundary. She can regularly be found with other company members chatting over coffee before work or during breaks. Another tradition of Jeannene’s is to hold semi-regular dinners at local restaurants as a way of getting team members to socialize outside of the office and get to know each other on a personal basis.

Gaining experience from working under Jeannene Tedesco is only one of the great benefits you’ll get as a team member with her company. The company offers competitive wages and plenty of room for promotion, both within the company itself and with other affiliates. All of this combines to create a work place with everything: a great atmosphere, a great mentor, a great salary, and plenty of places to go.

Jeannene Tedesco has years of experience in the marketing world, and she knows more than just textbook information. She knows all the little tips and tricks that it takes to survive in such a cut-throat industry, and she’s more than willing to share them with anyone who asks. Some mentors may claim to want to help others but then rarely have the time. Jeannene Tedesco, however, is more than just talk—she’s ready to take her personal time to help guide others.

Are you a business owner or an office manager? See time management at work. If you are, it is your responsibility to make sure that your company is making money. Unfortunately, a company cannot profit from employees who do not know how to make good use of their time. Whether you notice an increase in employees socializing on the clock or an increase in personal computer use, it is important that you put a stop to this behavior right away.

As important as it is to know that employees with poor time management skills may have a negative impact on your company and its profits, you may be unsure as to how you should proceed. Your first impulse may be to terminate the employees who are causing the most problems or the most profit loss. Of course, this is more than possible to do, but there are other time management steps that may prove just as successful. To help you get started, a few of these steps are highlighted below.

If you notice multiple employees in your office wasting company time, it may be in your best interest to hold time management at work training. This training can be put on and organized by you or other well performing employees or you can use the services of an outside company that specializes in time management and organization in the workplace. Time management training should involve outlining the importance of proper time management, tips should be shared on how work time should be spent, and consequences should be laid out for those who continue to waste their time, company time, and money. Read more at time management.

Time management software is another way to reduce the amount of money lost due to employees who just can’t seem to manage their time correctly. Time management software programs come in a number of different formats, so be sure to find a program that has features that you and your staff members can benefit from. These features should include automated updates, messages, and reminders on important deadlines, desktop computer calendars, office wide communication at the click of a button, and so forth.

The use of rewards is another way that you can work to improve the time management of your office employees. Although we often associate rewards with young children, adults are likely to produce better results when those results are noticed. Be sure to comment on employees who perform well at the office or meet all deadlines. You can implement an employee of the month program or offer pay raises to those who make the best use of their time.

As much as employees who perform well and improve their time management at work need to be rewarded, those who don’t need to be called out. One of the many reasons why office workers waste time is because many know or feel that they can get away with the behavior. Be sure to first give warnings if you notice an employee of yours who is socializing as opposed to working or if an employee of yours regularly turns in their projects late. Termination can be used as a last resort.

As a recap, employees who waste company time can put your business at risk. As a business owner the last thing that you want is to see your company fail or lose profits. If you are not a business owner, but rather an office manager, it is still important that you take action immediately. If you do not, you may end up taking the fall for the employees who just can ít seem to properly manage their time at work. View time management.