In these times of tight revenue streams marketing has become more important than ever. Many misunderstand marketing or abuse the science behind human behavior to exploit others. They believe it is the art of convincing people to buy things you want them to have. Convincing them to spend money on items they do not need. This is not how to build a sustainable business or brand.
Marketing should be instead about finding out what people want and/or need and then educating them on how they can obtain these items or services. This will create sustainability. People speak of identity and branding and yet fail to address integrity and authenticity which in business are as if not more important. Would you rather have large sums of money money one time or multiple streams of sustainable cash flow because you are solving a need?
The question at hand is what sort of business are you running? What are its core values?
Just as a good consultant looks for what their client needs and find a way to supply them a good marketing or sales person does this with the good and services they source.
Never try to be what someone else wants or think you should be
Treat everyone with respect as your equal
Stay only where you are wanted
Leave quietly when told to
Be courteous to everyone
Treat people not how you want to be treated but pay attention and treat them as they want to be treated (example - rewarding someone with opera tickets who likes fishing or a country western concert) aka knowing the difference between giving someone what they want and giving them what you want them to have
Listen to people more than you talk
Let your yes be your yes and your no be your no
Remember: Those that matter will accept you and those who do not it is their loss not yours - this is a lesson I learned early in life and was reminded twice today once was a conversation I had with my close friend about a joint negative experience he and I both had recently.
Why: Because regardless of what you do people will see you not for who and what you are but for who and what they are. As such it is best to just be yourself and remain authentic because it is far better to be rejected for who you are than accepted for who you are not.
This is an abused and often misunderstood word. Often people confuse respect with conformity. Allow me to explain - too often than not when people say they respect you what they mean is the like how much to conform to their ideals and ways of doing things - they do not really accept you they in fact only appreciate the efforts you are making to please them so it is a selfish statement depending on how it is used and by whom.
What is respect then - in its simple terms it is acceptance of others and yet before a person can accept others they must be willing to make peace with and accept themselves. Allow me to use some examples:
Did you know in many Asian cultures it is customary to use the family name first and the given name second?
Did you know historically in European cultures the middle name was not given to you at birth but was bestowed on you based on an attribute you were thought to personify at your baptism?
Did you know in Indian culture you tribal name was given to you after your ceremony of passing and accepted into the tribe and that to many native American is an insulting term many prefer instead to be called first people?
Did you know that in African culture many people (like Irish clans, first people and so many others) are divided into tribes and that like European have some that are considered Royal or Noble lineage?
Now let me ask some other questions:
Do you show enough respect to learn basic words in the native languages of others if nothing else at least how to properly say the name of then country?
Germany - Deutschland
Brazil - Brasil
Japan - nihon or nippon
China - zhōng guó
Spain - España
Well you get the idea - so here is the million dollar question - are you truly treating people with or respecting them or rather are you merely telling them conform to my expectations of you because I am selfish, opinionated, narrow and close minded to attempt to understand you?
Additionally if you make no effort to understand and respect them why are you shocked when no one reciprocates and respects you?
I will close with these thoughts:
Respect - to hold in esteem or honor, to show regard or consideration for, to refrain from intruding upon or interfering with, to relate or have reference to.
Conformity - compliance or acquiescence and action in accord with prevailing social standards, attitudes, practices, etc
Are you accepting them and working to understand who they are and what makes them unique and special or are you instead attempting to make others you you with accept yours as the only true and correct way or thinking, living, acting and existing?
So how does this apply to business?
As a business owner are you listening to and accepting what your clients and customers are telling you they need or are you attempting to force them to conform you your expectations and ways of doing things then ending up disappointed when they show you neither respect or loyalty?
Does your business exist to provide a service to your clients and customers or do you believe your clients and customers exist to service you?
We have all heard the saving the truth shall set you free.
This has been an interesting week. Was in a conversation with a friend who told me they are doing work which they believe is beneath them. I shared that there is no such thing as honest work that is beneath you and shared that almost 15 years ago I worked a part time and even cleaned toilets to pay bills as a degreed engineer and that my mother who was a certified and licensed teacher used to clean building with my grandmother to earn extra money to make up the difference. So often we place value on the wrong things and I believe we should be humble enough to appreciate the fact we have our health and the ability to do any work. While I hate this recession I think if we as a society relearn that simple truth we would have made much progress because the obsession with easy money or finding new ways to exploit instead of serve (greed) is much of the reason for our current dilemma. We have lost sight of some important core characteristics:
Fidelity
Respect (of self and others)
Integrity
Self control
Diligence
Accountability
Patience
Empathy
Courage
Scholarship
Self Sacrifice
Today I was getting gas and spent about an hour talking to a young man who was telling me how his girlfriend committed suicide yesterday and how he had to cut her down.
He told me about the note they found of how life was no longer fun. He also told me about how for $200 and some change the Doctor cut her off from her medicine. This made this think about how important the quality of the people we associate with are and how they can literally mean the difference between life and death.
What are the characteristics of the people you associate with and do they challenge you to reach your potential or do they enable your continued dysfunction. Do you associate with people who work to create mutually beneficial relationships or people who look to exploit you for their own gain at your expense.
He recanted how she was tired in her notes and how life was no longer fun, there was no joy in life. She had what many consider the american dream her own house, a good job, and could do what she wanted and yet that was not enough so what was missing?
Also, to a lessor degree can some of what we see here be attributed to why some people succeed and others continue of paths of self destructive behaviors?
the part I like the best because it ties back to business is
Maturity & Leadership
Leadership is more than a desire to delegate tasks. If your confidence provides orientation for unconfident followers, and if your decisions are beneficial, you will be respected. Soulwork coaching can help you accomplish family, team or organizational goals. Soulwork can help you:
maintain a clear vision that encourages people to align with you
create an environment where people want to be responsible
clearly describe what is necessary for quality performance
transfer responsibility to the people who do the work
develop individual capability and competence
set an example and challenge people to continually learn
Pardon the rambling but here are the questions:
how have your relationships past and present affected the current quality of your life and are they moving your closer to or further away from your goals?
Are you better off long term from having known this person?
Are they better off long term from having known you?
Have the quality of their life or business improved from having associated with you and visa versa?
When setting your goals since you cannot achieve them alone have you answered the WIFM question with regards to how it will affect others?
So often integrity, honor, trust and many other character attributes are not discussed with respect to business - only profit, wealth and the bottom line and yet without this foundation no business can be sustainable.
What is the greatest assest you can have in business?
Some would say money, others would argue knowledge and I would differ.
There is not one thing I believe rather there are two
Your compassion
Your honor
Let me explain - it is only in compassion that you can possibly understand that your customers and employees come first and that your employees are investments to be developed to grow to their full potential. As for honor it is your word, your reputation, people knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt you will life up to every aspect of your word.
From these trust and respect are developed and without these no business can be sustained long term. If you do these things you will most likely stand out from the crowd!
Some people confuse integrity with hinesty they are not the same. Yes, there is some overlap yet they are actually two differrent concepts.
Integrity has to do with structures and processes. An incomplete or improperly structured foundation in a buiilding lacks the structural integirty to support whe weight of the building which will be placed on it at a later time. As such this applies to life and business. Allow me to explain - a business without the proper contolls and balances will soon collapse just as will the life of a person.
Would you built a skycrapper without first designing it and making sure the access for plumbing is in place as well as the concrete is properly reinforced with rebar? Then why would you attempt to run a business without ensuring these same sort of process controls are in place?
If you have integrity, nothing else matters. If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters. -- Alan K. Simpson
If I were to ask you what attribute is the most influential in regard to the success of a business, would you know immediately which one is the most important? Based on my many years as a business owner and entrepreneur, I have discovered that at the very top of the list is the distinguishing quality of integrity. Without integrity at the helm of a company, a business is usually short-lived. In fact, when business integrity is present throughout the deepest layers of a company and not just at its surface, it becomes the heart and soul of the company's culture and can mean the difference between a company that succeeds and a company that falters.
The Internet's Immeasurable Impact on the Marketplace!
The importance of integrity has always existed among the business community, but in recent times has been shown as falling short. It is the Internet's immeasurable impact on the global marketplace that is now making the expression of integrity, reliability and credibility extremely important. Furthermore, the consequence of global competition means that customers will simply not consider a company that shows any less than the highest level of integrity. Since there is a wealth of competitive companies easily available and accessible via the Internet, there is in fact no need to accept anything less than the best.
Where Does Integrity Start?
In an effort to build upon a foundation of integrity, the first requirement would be to establish excellent rapport with clients. Based on many years of study, the best and most practiced method for achieving rapport is by way of Relationship Marketing. Just as it sounds, Relationship Marketing is founded on the single and most critical characteristic, known as "Integrity." However, achieving true integrity with clients often leaves many an entrepreneur bewildered, grasping for techniques and strategies that guarantee their futures. But integrity is not something that can be grasped and then simply used. Integrity in its essence must be so ingrained within the nature of an individual, its company and the team members, that it remains steadfast no matter what. Without question, others sense it and find it very attractive.
The True Nature of Integrity!
Now you are probably asking yourself, what is the true nature of integrity? There are in fact some very basic principles that surround the qualities of business integrity. At its core, integrity begins with a company leader who understands the qualities of integrity which then filters down throughout the company into every department and every member's approach and attitude.
In recent research performed by the Institute of Business Ethics- an organization which is among the world's leaders in promoting corporate ethical best practices, it was found that companies displaying a "clear commitment to ethical conduct" almost invariably outperform companies that do not display ethical conduct. The Director of the Institute of Business Ethics, Philippa Foster Black, stated: "Not only is ethical behavior in the business world the right and principled thing to do, but it has been proven that ethical behavior pays off in financial returns." These findings deserve to be considered as an important tool for companies striving for long-term prospects and growth.
The following 7 Principles of Business Integrity are the basics of integrity and a good starting off place to consider. By integrating each of these principles within a company environment, the result will be nothing short of a major rebirth of the enterprise.
Principle #1 Recognize that customers/clients want to do business with a company they can trust; when trust is at the core of a company, it is easy to recognize. Trust defined is assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of a business.
Principle #2 For continuous improvement of a company, the leader of an organization must be willing to open up to ideas for betterment. Ask for opinions and feedback from both customers and team members and your company will continue to grow.
Principle #3 Regardless of the circumstances, do everything in your power to gain the trust of past customer's and clients, particularly if something has gone awry. Do what you can to reclaim any lost business by honoring all commitments and obligations.
Principle #4 Re-evaluate all print materials including small business advertising, brochures and other business documents making sure they are clear, precise and professional; most important make sure they do not misrepresent or misinterpret.
Principle #5 Remain involved in community-related issues and activities thereby demonstrating that your business is a responsible community contributor. In other words, stay involved.
Principle #6 Take a hands-on approach in regard to accounting and record keeping, not only as a means of gaining a better feel for the progress of your company, but as a resource for any "questionable " activities; gaining control of accounting and record keeping allows you to end any dubious activities promptly.
Principle #7 Treat others with the utmost of respect. Regardless of differences, positions, titles, ages, or other types of distinctions, always treat others with professional respect and courtesy.
While it is most certainly an integral and positive step for a small business to recognize the significance of integrity as a tool for achieving its desired outcomes, that is only the beginning. What must truly be recognized for true success is that while certain precise universal principles lead to business integrity, it is in the overall mindset of the company and the unfailing implementation of these key elements that an enterprise is truly defined. A small business that instills a deep-seated theme of integrity within its strategies and policies will not only be evident among customers, associates and partners, but its overall influence cannot help but to result in a profitable, successful company. By recognizing the value of integrity, and following each of the aforementioned 7 principles for achieving integrity, your success cannot be far off.
Robert Moment is a business strategist and author of It Only Takes a Moment to Score found on Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. Robert shows entrepreneurs how to turn ideas into wealth, how to avoid becoming a statistic and have FUN !
What is Twitter? Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length which are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers). Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends or, by default, allow anybody to access them.
So many people offer so many different pieces of advice on schemes and tools to use to get a large following.One person will say use auto responders and another automatic feeds. Friends, these are all schemes, the best and most effective way to get people to follow you on twitter can be summed up as follows:
Be authentic
Write about things that interest you
Post articles and topics of interest to you
Respond to people who post something of interest to you
Seek out other people who write about things you are interested in
The thing to remember about twitter is like any other social networking tool (and it is a tool) no different than a phone is that this is a true democracy. People have a choice to follow or unfollow you at any time based strict on whether what you post is of interest or not.
I personally have people follow and unfollow me daily. Some because they loose interest and others because I process too much information for them to handle and still others because I may write something that upsets, offends or challenges something causing them to step out of their comfort zone – not something everyone can do.
Remember this – if you are interested in something, someone else may also be interested in it. Some may have a serious interest and others may have a passing interest.
Also by being authentic I mean write about what interests you. In my case my streams deals with:
Government
Technology
Blackberry
Business
Law and Ethics
Business Development
Wealth Creation
Finance
Anime
SciFi
Rndom things that catch my fancy like the 1967 Chevy Firebird or a quote I read or someone elses words, etc
So you are getting started – are there tools you can use other than the web interface. Yes, one I personally like is tweetdeck for your computer. Because it lets you create and track keywords or interest. The ones I track are
Mutual friends
@lspearmanii
Direct messages
Wealth Creation
Surveillance
Minority Business
For your phone there are many applications that exist. Instead of my trying to list them all here are some places to look:
If you have any questions feel free to comment and I will answer here because others may also have the same question.
Be well and enjoy tweeting – sorry if you were looking for a scheme but I think this method will work best because you will engage people of like minds and interest and actually have conversations with them.
“I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all.”
1892 to 1923
"I pledge allegiance to my flag andtothe republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all."
1923 to 1924
"I pledge allegiance totheflagof the United Statesand to the republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all."
1924 to 1954
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United Statesof America,and to the republic for which it stands: one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all."
1954 to Present
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands: one nationunder God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.
The oath may beswornoraffirmed(in which case it is called anaffirmationinstead ofoath). Although not present in the text of the Constitution, it is customary for modern presidents to say "so help me God" after the end of the oath. For officers other than the President, the expression "So help me God" is explicitly prescribed, but the Judiciary Act of 1789 also explains when it can be omitted: (specifically for oaths taken by court clerks), "Which words, so help me God, shall be omitted in all cases where an affirmation is admitted instead of an oath."[15]
The Constitution specifies in Article VI, clause 3:
"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."
For other officials, including members of Congress, it specifies they "shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation to support this constitution." At the start of each newU.S. Congress, in January of every odd-numbered year, those newly elected or re-elected Congressmen - the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate - must recite an oath:
I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.[16]
This oath is also taken by the Vice President, members of the Cabinet, and all other civil and military officers and federal employees other than the President. While the oath-taking dates back to the First Congress in 1789, the current oath is a product of the 1860s, drafted byCivil War-era members of Congress intent on ensnaring traitors.
I do solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent on me, according to the best of my abilities and understanding, agreeably to the Constitution, and laws of the United States. So help me God.
The outbreak of theCivil Warquickly transformed the routine act of oath-taking into one of enormous significance. In April 1861, a time of uncertain and shifting loyalties, PresidentAbraham Lincolnordered all federal civilian employees within the executive branch to take an expanded oath. When Congress convened for a brief emergency session in July, members echoed the president's action by enacting legislation requiring employees to take the expanded oath in support of the Union. This oath is the earliest direct predecessor of the modern version of the oath.
When Congress returned for its regular session in December 1861, members who believed that the Union had as much to fear from northern traitors as southern soldiers again revised the oath, adding a new first section known as the "Ironclad Test Oath." The war-inspired Test Oath, signed into law onJuly 2,1862, required "every person elected or appointed to any office ... under the Government of the United States ... excepting the President of the United States" to swear or affirm that they had never previously engaged in criminal or disloyal conduct. Those government employees who failed to take the 1862 Test Oath would not receive a salary; those who swore falsely would be prosecuted forperjuryand forever denied federal employment.
The 1862 oath's second section incorporated a different rendering of the hastily drafted1861oath. Although Congress did not extend coverage of the Ironclad Test Oath to its own members, many took it voluntarily. Angered by those who refused this symbolic act during a wartime crisis, and determined to prevent the eventual return of prewar southern leaders to positions of power in the national government, congressional hard-liners eventually succeeded by1864in making the Test Oath mandatory for all members.
The Senate then revised its rules to require that members not only take the Test Oath orally, but also that they "subscribe" to it by signing a printed copy. This condition reflected a wartime practice in which military and civilian authorities required anyone wishing to do business with the federal government to sign a copy of the Test Oath. The current practice of newly sworn senators signing individual pages in an oath book dates from this period.
As tensions cooled during the decade following the Civil War, Congress enacted private legislation permitting particular former Confederates to take only the second section of the 1862 oath. An 1868 public law prescribed this alternative oath for "any person who has participated in the late rebellion, and from whom all legal disabilities arising therefrom have been removed by act of Congress." Northerners immediately pointed to the new law's unfair double standard that required loyal Unionists to take the Test Oath's harsh first section while permitting ex-Confederates to ignore it. In 1884, a new generation of lawmakers quietly repealed the first section of the Test Oath, leaving intact the current affirmation of constitutional allegiance.
The oaths of state and local officials are largely patterned on these. Typical would be the oath taken by all New York government officials:
I solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of New York, (and the Charter of the City of New York, e.g.), and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of (mayor of the City of New York, e.g.) to the best of my ability.(So help me Godis traditionally added.)
Federal judicial oaths
In the United States,federal judgesare required to take not just one, but two oaths. The first oath is this:[17]
I, XXX XXX, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as XXX under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God.
The second oath that federal judges must take is this:[16]:
I, AB, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.
Federal statute specifically says that the latter oath "does not affect other oaths required by law."[16]
Amendment XIV[Privileges and Immunities, Due Process, Equal Protection, Apportionment of Representatives, Civil War Disqualification and Debt (1868)] (seeannotations)
