"Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results."

Willie Nelson

Singer-Songwriter http://amplify.com/u/b10pxf

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."

Harriet Tubman

1822-1913, Abolitionist http://amplify.com/u/byt3i

Reaching your business goals in 2011

Are you on track?

Amplify’d from www.floodlightconsulting.com

The first quarter of 2011 is over and we are well into the spring. .

This is a great time to review your business goals for the year and your results for the first quarter of the year.

Are you on track?

I’ve had many discussions with business owners and entrepreneurs in small to medium sized companies and some are struggling to find new leads, close sales, and grow their business. In fact, some are losing market share or seeing sales decline, and aren’t sure what to do. When I ask if they’re experts in their field or whether they have a plan, I get all types of answers from, “I’m not sure what to do”, to, “I’m not smart enough”, or even worse, “It’s the market’s fault”.

If you’re not an expert in your field and fully confident of your products and services, then your customers and potential customers will sense your weakness and not be motivated to purchase from you. Read more at www.floodlightconsulting.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/by957

"The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen."

Frank Lloyd Wright

1867-1959, Architect, Writer and Educator http://amplify.com/u/by5tm

Million Shoe Mission - Soles4Souls

We need your help – Sponsorship Support – Soles4Souls

Amplify’d from www.floodlightconsulting.com

As the owner of Floodlight Consulting it’s important that every year my wife Donna and I connect with the community and the generosity of its people.

Last year I became a Sponsor of the Soles4Souls campaign and it was one of the most uplifting experiences of my life.

From this  small Canadian city Kelowna, we were able to help the local charities and then also assist the people in Haiti with such a simple donation as a pair of shoes.

We were able to gently touch the lives of 40,000 souls.

This year we have expanded the Soles4Souls campaign and with the help of the Sunrise Rotary of Kelowna we are once again collecting shoes up and down the valley.

*The funds raised are for the operation of the campaign and 50% of the fund will be used to purchase shoes in your name. You will also be listed as a sponor on our website http://www.soles4soulscanada.com Read more at www.floodlightconsulting.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bxz5l

"What is the difference between an obstacle and an opportunity? Our attitude toward it. Every opportunity has a difficulty, and every difficulty has an opportunity."

J. Sidlow Baxter

1903-1999, Author and Theologian http://amplify.com/u/bx487

In the last few weeks we discussed how to define a great Mission Statement and we covered the importance of a great Vision Statement. This week we will focus on your Company Values.







Values:Strong values will be those which actually operate in practice. Your company values underpin the vision and the mission. No business is value-free and it is important to be explicit about those values that are essential to the business achieving its vision. If values are not made explicit, then the values of the most dominant people are likely to be those which actually operate in practice.



If you do not define your company values, the company will be adrift without proper direction.



Four key questions to define your Company Values:



What are the values that are important to you as the business owner?

What are the values that will be important to your team members?

What are the..........



http://www.floodlightconsulting.com/2011/03/24/how-to-define-your-company-values/ http://amplify.com/u/bwf41

PVR Means – Persistent Video Recollectio

Interesting post by Ted Farr dealing with branding in the changing world of technology.. Don

Amplify’d from tedfarrmedia.wordpress.com

Stopped being an “early adopter” of new technology years ago. The speed of change is so fast that the big dollars for new and improved today will be affordable dollars in a matter of months, maybe a year. Paid $950 dollars for the first front loading Sony Betamax back in the day and that was wholesale. By the time it finally broke down, the latest VHS machine was around $200. Today the DVD player has become disposable. Under $100 dollars for better than decent. It breaks, throw it away and buy another.

TV commercials might be even more effective. In the pre PVR days, commercial breaks provided that 3-4 minutes to check another channel, hit the fridge, get another cookie, chat about the last segment, play with the dog, anything but pay attention to the commercials. But they got me. Dammit! Fast forward means I have to pay attention in order to hit the play button at just the right time. Fast forward is actually fast. 30 second commercials fly by, no sound, no advertising claims, no bad jingles, no stupid story lines. But hold on! I am remembering words on screen that are there just long enough to be an impression, a logo that is sharp and colourful and well defined. Got me to thinking. Not an original thought I hope. If I were to produce a 30 second tv commercial right now, I would want to make sure the message is strong in fast forward. How many more of these quick messages do you see because you are watching more episodes of more shows. Read more at tedfarrmedia.wordpress.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bw7mz

Oil Prices rising

Amplify’d from money.canoe.ca

Oil price tops $116 as Libya airstrikes continue

Oil prices rose by $2 a barrel on Monday as a wave of U.N.-mandated airstrikes on Libya and proliferating unrest in the Middle East fanned concerns about oil supply from the region.

"With the nature of the external military involvement becoming clearer, there is a further escalation of the situation, and the damage to infrastructure might be larger, keeping Libya out of the oil market for longer," said Amrita Sen, an analyst at Barclays Capital.

"The market is very headline driven and we don't know what the next headline from Libya or Japan will be," said Olivier Jakob, an oil analyst at Petromatrix.

"The main question for the oil markets is how long production outage could last ... We could end up by having two countries or a protracted civil war. We assume Libyan oil exports will be zero for the next six months," said Mike Wittner, Head of Commodities Research at Societe Generale. Read more at money.canoe.ca

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bvw2r

On Line Coupons

My clients are finding that this is a great marketing tool. Most are reducing their traditional marketing costs and spending the money with this new service.

Amplify’d from www.imediaconnection.com

Drive Consumers with Online Coupons

In order to tap into this demand for coupons you need to determine what consumer behavior you want to reward, and then figure out a suitable reward. Here are a few generic examples that achieve various business objectives: Read more at www.imediaconnection.com

 

See this Amp at http://amplify.com/u/bvw0w

"It's the little things that make the big things possible. Only close attention to the fine details of any operation makes the operation first class."

John Willard Marriott

1900-1985, Entrepreneur and Founder of Marriott Corporation http://amplify.com/u/bvvza

The Malarkeys latest release just in time for St. Patrick’s Day - Right as Rain



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzzrTosVBFI http://amplify.com/u/buylk

"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude."

Cynthia Ozick

Writer http://amplify.com/u/buaux

"We all have to start with ourselves. It is time to walk the talk. Take the journey of making very difficult decisions. Start removing things from your life that are not filling your cup and adding things that bring joy in to your life."Lisa HammondAuthor of Dream Big http://amplify.com/u/bsljb

"Everybody is like a magnet. You attract to yourself reflections of that which you are. If you're friendly, then everybody else seems to be friendly too."Dr. David HawkinsPhysician and Lecturer http://amplify.com/u/bs03e

The most important resource of a business today is it’s people. This is increasingly meaningful not merely as rhetoric but also in practice.If we depend more and more on fewer people and if the loyalty of these people, particularly managers, can no longer be assumed but rather must be earned and retained, then clearly we need to be concerned about how we utilize them, develop them and resource them.We also need to consider the opportunities for rewards, promotion and success which we provide. If changes depend upon the people who implement them one must be concerned to ensure that those people possess the necessary skills. If those same people are motivated by challenge and opportunity then we must provide that as well.If we are to bring people together effectively, then we must adopt managerial styles conducive to learning, to development, to creating and to ........ http://amplify.com/u/aqiav http://amplify.com/u/brnpd

"The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication."Cecil B. DeMille1881-1959, Film Director and Producer http://amplify.com/u/brgz6

"The secret of joy in work is contained in one word - excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it."Pearl Buck1892-1973, Winner of both the Pulitzer and Nobel Prize for her writing. http://amplify.com/u/brbb5

TIPS TO SUCCESSFUL PRICING STRATEGIES Part 1 of 5 http://amplify.com/u/aqnip This is a great series of articles by Andrew Gregson of Pricing Strategies that I will be posting on my website over the next few weeks. DonAlways when I begin my speeches or my workshops, I tell the participants that I cannot instruct them to price their widget at $4.95. Rather, I plan to teach my audience advanced ways of thinking about pricing and several methodologies to help them make informed and intelligent pricing decisions.Don’t follow the crowd!For most small businesses, the everyday pricing regime starts with checking the competition’s rates and prices, and then following the crowd. This is even the recommended strategy in many popular guides for small business.During the days of prohibition, 25 of Chicago’s top bootleggers were rounded up in a surprise raid. During their arraignment, the judge asked the usual questions, including the occupation of each suspect. The first twenty-four were a http://amplify.com/u/bqniw

"You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear. Do it! Develop an appreciation for the present moment. Seize every second of your life and savor it. Value your present moments. Using them up in any self-defeating ways means you've lost them forever."Wayne DyerAuthor and Speaker http://amplify.com/u/bqji3

The most important resource of a business today is it’s people. This is increasingly meaningful not merely as rhetoric but also in practice.If we depend more and more on fewer people and if the loyalty of these people, particularly managers, can no longer be assumed but rather must be earned and retained, then clearly we need to be concerned about how we utilize them, develop them and resource them.We also need to consider the opportunities for rewards, promotion and success which we provide. If changes depend upon the people who implement them one must be concerned to ensure that those people possess the necessary skills. If those same people are motivated by challenge and opportunity then we must provide that as well.If we are to bring people together effectively, then we must adopt managerial styles conducive to learning, to development, to creating and to articulating/communicating vision.............read more http://amplify.com/u/aqiav http://amplify.com/u/bqiaw

"Plenty of people miss their share of happiness, not because they never found it, but because they didn't stop to enjoy it."William Feather1889-1981, Writer http://amplify.com/u/bqh7z

"One half of life is luck; the other half is discipline - and that's the important half, for without discipline you wouldn't know what to do with luck."Carl Zuckmeyer1896-1977, Writer and Playwright http://amplify.com/u/aqbnk

"I am determined to be cheerful and happy in whatever situation I may find myself. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition."Martha Washington1732-1802, First American First Lady http://amplify.com/u/aq7ff

Build Your Business – Defining a great Vision Statement http://amplify.com/u/aptbz So you need to ask yourself a few key questions:What is the purpose of your business? Does it represent your core values as a person? Does everyone who works with you know what your Vision is? A Vision statement is usually the first part of a three-part statement of purpose. The second part is the Mission statement, which is a concrete and localized statement of intent. Finally, the third part is the Values statement, describing the values that are important to the running of the business and that are implicit in the vision and mission of the business. (Mission and Values will be covered in the next few articles.)This week we will focus on the Vision statement.A lot of Entrepreneurs struggle with coming up with a vision and when they do write one, it usually sounds like their primary aim in life, the end goal.Here is a simple and easy guide to follow:Vision: the ideal destination. It is where the busi http://amplify.com/u/aptpx