Press the Flesh

It’s so easy, isn’t it, to use social networking, email, a website (or two or three), blogs, online ads and articles to “get the word out” about our businesses?  We can now quite literally go to work in our PJs and fuzzy slippers and no one is the wiser.  Our customers become depersonalized email addresses or photos on a website or Facebook profile.  If we phone at all, we most often interface with one another’s answering machines.

I am loath to admit that I am old enough to actually remember doing business face-to-face.  You know, shaking a client’s hand, smiling, exchanging news about our families and having a real conversation – statements made or questions asked and responded to.  It seems, however, that personalization has gone the way of the Edsel.  Dinosaur that I am, I like to see the face and read the body language of the person with whom I’m speaking.  I like to personalize business.

I think that it’s critically important to have as much personal interaction as possible with the good people that are inquiring about my business or want to join my team.  I’m picky.  I want men and women who are motivated and enthusiastic and able to convey that.  I look for people who are articulate and personable – those who posses what Daniel Goleman has termed Emotional Intelligence.  Not necessarily MBA’s or PhD’s, but candidates who can read people well and respond appropriately.  Most of all, I want people who genuinely like and want to help other people.  It comes across – we can all tell when someone really cares about us.

Of course, it is entirely possible to do business on the Internet and do it quite well.  But don’t overlook the power if pressing the flesh.  There are so many effective ways to do this.  You can:

➢    Join your local Chamber of Commerce
➢    Join Meet Up groups in your area
➢    Look into networking get-togethers and attend regularly
➢    Hold seminars or informational meetings about your business
➢    Be a sponsor for a local charity in your business’ name
➢    Host an event for anyone interested in learning about your business
➢    Join local business groups for entrepreneurs
➢    Write an article for an area newspaper or magazine about your business
➢    Submit a press release about your business to a local newspaper

These are just a few ideas to get you going, but don’t make the mistake of neglecting the great exposure you can get on a local level.  After all, some of the very best advertising is by word-of-mouth.

“Get out and press the flesh at conferences, trade shows, and your local industry organization events … Exchange business cards. Some are better at this than others. If you are not good at networking and meeting others then find a partner that it is and ask to go along with him and learn to network.”
Hart Van Denburg, Staff Writer, WDIV

Changing the world…one person at a time.

http://wealthplan4now.com

 

Lessons From My Father (and Grandfather)

I was fortunate to have had my worldview and values shaped by two wonderful men: my father, who was a physician in the days when office visits were $15.00 and payment was not always monetary, and my beloved grandfather, an insurance salesman, fly fisherman and the model after whom I have patterned my life.

The approach of Father’s Day brings me back, each year, to the lessons they taught me, each in his own way, about life and its peculiarities, humor and drama, and about business, with all of its challenges and joys.

My father had his own practice for most of his life, technically self-employed I suppose, but doctors are notoriously disinterested businessmen and he was no exception.  First and foremost, he was a healer; the money was a nice add-on.  Nevertheless, he did well and spent joyously and generously on family and friends – to the point that I remember my mother grumbling because ”Daddy needs me to loan him the money for taxes – again.”  So, lessons I learned from my father were not watch-your-pennies lessons – he had an accountant, a lawyer and an investment advisor for that.  They were those of generosity, of the pure joy that comes from giving to others in any form you can, of soaking every last drop of fun, humor, happiness and gratitude out of life.

Just as though it happened yesterday, I remember sitting next to him in his car as we drove home from rounds at the hospital (I used to go with him and wait at the nurses’ station just so we could spend some time together).  We were stopped at a traffic light when he turned to me and said, “Live every day as though it were your last.”   Not knowing where that thought had come from, I just mumbled the obligatory, “Okay, Daddy,” but that simple statement was the essence of my father.  For as long as I was conscious of knowing him, he did just that.  And in that car, at that light, on that day neither of us knew that in a little over a year’s time, he’d be gone.  He was 57.

My grandfather was a survivor of all five major campaigns of World War I.  He began his insurance career in the West, when wearing a gun was more of a necessity than a statement in support of the NRA. He was tough.  He was also the most honorable person I’ve ever known.  I never once heard him utter a negative or critical word about anyone.  He paid his bills as soon as they arrived in the mail.  He took gifts of freshly caught fish or vegetables from his garden to neighbors who he knew were struggling to make ends meet.  As a little girl, he held me in the safety of his lap on his porch during storms and taught me not to be afraid of thunder and lightening, but to wonder at their power and raw beauty.  He taught me the names of our native birds and how to hold very still for a very long time to earn the trust of a chipmunk that lusted after a peanut balanced on my knee.  He warmed my small, winter-cold hands in his great big warm ones and made hot chocolate to warm me on the inside, too.  He never failed to make room for me, in his heart, his life and his home.  I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he loved me, that he valued me.

I was fortunate enough to have had this dear man’s physical presence in my life into my twenties, but he is still with me every second of every day.  I base each decision I make on the values he exemplified. I base my interactions with everyone I have contact with on his.  I have done my best to model those values for my own children, to teach them kindness, a reverence for nature and above all, to be honorable.

The life lessons from my father and my grandfather have taught me, more than anything, what is really important.  My father used to quote Robert Louis Stevenson’s “The world is so full of a number of things.”  It is more so every day (Stevenson had no idea!), but to define the truly important things in our lives, those without which we could have no quality of life, brings us home, brings me to the lessons of my father and grandfather.  Thank you both.  I love you.

http://carolgearhart.com

 

Pete Peterson On Wall Street Bonuses

Several months ago, I published a blog, “That Oh-So-Touchy Wall Street Bonus Issue”, that addressed the enormous bonuses paid to Wall St. executives whether or not their companies were doing well. I quoted studies that gave good, hard evidence that extrinsic reinforcement of this nature is rarely a reliable or long-term motivator, not to mention really annoying to a lot of genuinely hard-working people who have never seen a bonus in their lives.

ABC’s Good Morning America had an excellent interview with Pete Peterson this morning, in which he blasted those huge bonus recipients as “ungrateful schmucks”. The following link is to a Bloomberg.com article written about this stance and his upcoming book, The Education of an American Dreamer: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=a1hlBfI6ZInE.

For Pete Peterson’s bio, visit the Peterson Institute for International Economics at http://www.petersoninstitute.org/institute/peterson-bio.cfm.

Visit http://carolgearhart.com

 

Recession Haiku

Let’s have some fun…seems that there’s precious little of it these days. Haiku is an ancient form of poetry that uses 17 syllables (5/7/5) in three lines. I’ll start, then please consider unleashing your inner Basho and adding your own in the ‘Comment’ section.

Investments are gone

Nothing is in my checkbook

What do we do now?

 

Out Standing In The Network Marketing Field

Leadership 101: Be outstanding in your field! Do whatever it takes to sharpen your marketing skills – whatever they are – so you stand out, so people take notice, so you establish yourself as a leader.

 

The Toy As Market Indicator

Last week, both Forbes.com and The New York Times reported on a trend among toy manufacturers spawned by the upcoming summer movies based on action characters.  Hasbro already has toys in production to pair with the summer releases of X-Men Origins: Wolverine, G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra and Transformer: Revenge of the Fallen to name just a few.  As Mattel and Disney have an alliance, my bet is that they will manufacture toys of the characters in Up, the Pixar fantasy about a crotchety old man and a huge bunch of balloons.

The toy manufacturers, savvy businesspeople that they are, clearly have their eyes on trends and the market.  This is not news – the first toys produced of movie characters (that I can remember) were those based on the original 1975 Jaws.  It seemed that as soon as the movie came out, every kid on the block had a bloody-toothed plastic shark in hand. (What parents let those children see Jaws??) These raptors of the deep were followed in 1977 by a toy for every known Star Wars character.  And they sold like crazy – still do.

Clearly, it pays to keep one’s fingers on the pulse of the economy by being vigilant about trends.  These days, sadly, the faltering job, real estate and stock markets, though more of a fact of life than trends, are hard to miss.  These frightening economic indicators are kicking us all in the butt.  One of the smartest moves we can make in this market is to reduce our dependence on any one of these three areas.  A trend is emerging that’s based on the faith people have lost in investment advisors.  We want to take 100% responsibility for our own investments and finances, both short- and long-term.  Who isn’t tired of investment firms taking a percentage of every transaction in your name?  Who hasn’t heard of someone who lost a bundle in the last year at the hands of an incompetent investment counselor who didn’t get them out of the market when the “trend” became clear.

Owning one’s own business, now particularly an Internet business, is about the best layoff insurance I can think of.  Mattel can make plenty of money manufacturing toys in response to blockbuster movies.  We can make plenty of money owning a business that has as its base an integrated online system that’s paired with a top-notch financial education and planning program to use ourselves and provide to clients for their own wealth creation.

http://wealthmgmtgroup.net

 

Baskin Robbins’ Good Example

The LA Times reported today that the ice cream giant, Baskin Robbins, will be selling scoops, at selected stores, for only 31 cents tonight to honor firefighters, both past, present and future.  This struck a personal chord with me as my beloved South Carolina just lost 19,600 acres and 70 homes to a brush fire, and several years ago, nine heroic firefighters died in a huge blaze in a local furniture store.

American businesses do step up to the plate.  Generosity of spirit tops the list of things we can be proud of in our business sector when, lately, the media has fed us an almost overwhelming amount of negativity.  Corruption, skimming and greed seem to predominate the news, so it’s refreshing when I read about the big-heartedness of a company like Baskin Robbins.

As a business owner, part of my mission is to give back to my community in ways that genuinely make a difference.  After all, isn’t it our communities that support our businesses?  I’m not referring to just local communities here, either.  I am part of an international company and have found that fellow network marketers, in general, support goodwill efforts both here and abroad with unprecedented generosity.

If you are already donating a part of your time and/or money to a charitable organization – wonderful!  If not, however, please consider doing so.  There are so many good causes to choose from and they all need our support.  Just start with one – think about what really matters to you, where your heart lies, and find an organization that is a match.  I love children and dogs, so my charitable time and money go to Make-A-Wish and a local no-kill animal shelter.  I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to know that I, and my company, can help to cheer a sick child or save a sweet dog.

Make the commitment.  Be a Baskin Robbins.  Today.

 

You Might Be Rich!

MSNBC’s Dateline wants you to be rich (Move over, Mr. Trump and Mr. Kiyosaki!).  There are apparently billions of unclaimed dollars out there just waiting to jump into your pocket.  Manna from heaven.

Now, if you are one of the fortunate people to profit from this windfall, have you thought about what you’re going to do with all that lovely money?  New car?  Trip to Hawaii?  Fix that aging water heater? When cash is spent, for good reason or pure frivolity, it’s gone.  Forever. So, how about using that money to make more money?

There are plenty of ways to accomplish this – smart investing for one, or by owning a successful business that creates both immediate profit and residual income.  Consider for a minute the enormous advantages to owning a business that includes in its product base the educational tools to teach you how to be an ‘enlightened investor’ as well as providing an online business system that is fully integrated with your financial education and management product.  Now, this makes sense.

After watching my retirement savings and the value of my real estate holdings disappear last fall, I knew that I needed to do something, and do it quickly, to re-establish my financial security.  I decided to, essentially, invest in myself.  In November, I founded the Wealth Management Group as a vehicle to help people create wealth through education, wise investment strategies and the opportunity to own their own business doing the same thing as I.

I am, once again, on solid financial footing and am enjoying watching my business grow through the knowledge I’ve gained with a first-class, three level financial product and top-notch company support.  I “might be rich”?  Heck, I am rich…in so many ways, not the least of which is through my business.

This kind of success doesn’t just happen to the lucky few.  It can be yours just as it is mine.  All you need is about $100 in start-up money, a corner of your house to turn into an office and determination to live your life in prosperity and financial security.  Visit my website, Wealth Management Group, and find out how you can end your money concerns forever.

 

Why Not?

“You see things and you say, ‘Why?’  But I dream things that never were, and I say, ‘Why not?’ “
George Bernard Shaw

Network marketers are unconventional by definition.  We defy the norm by working from our homes, by refusing to bend to the whims of an employer, by steadfastly insisting on our freedom and happily accepting the risks and consequences of that insistence.  As I stated in an earlier article, we are the new face of non-traditional employment.

All that exhilarating bucking of convention, however, doesn’t mean that we don’t occasionally find ourselves stuck in the same old ruts as anyone else who works for a living.  Using creativity to find new solutions to old problems is something at which, I believe, we are inherently great. It’s in our nature – we are think-outside-of-the box people.  Some of us know this about ourselves, and others need a gentle nudge to realize their potential for innovation. It’s a mindset thing; it’s problem solving with the end goal being new ideas that are elegant in their simplicity.

“Why not?” challenges the status quo. Isn’t it just so much more fun and energizing to tap into your creativity to get past the problem and into a solution?  It’s also just the tiniest bit rebellious, too, and doesn’t that feel deliciously wicked?  Although solitary innovation certainly has its place (think Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Henry Ford), problem solving is at its most effective when played as a “team sport”. Dilemmas present opportunities for you and your team to collaborate for a single purpose.  An exchange of ideas and engagement of lateral thinking skills among people of diverse cultures and backgrounds, with one common goal, results most often in empowerment, contagious optimism and innovation.  It is a direct attack on the fatalists who say, “Oh, that can’t be done!” or “We thought of that but just knew it wouldn’t work.”

Toyota’s commitment to the environment is a prime example of the kind of innovation that teamwork can enhance. In researching innovation, I stumbled across a page on the car maker’s website (http://toyotawhynot.com/ – /home) that, with a model of a small community, showcases Toyota’s dedication to environmentally-friendly production. It illustrates, separately and with links to more information, Toyota’s efforts to save energy, preserve public lands, reduce water consumption in its manufacturing processes and develop technology to help keep our air cleaner.  I’ve not seen an illustration quite like that before, and it was elegant in its simplicity and creativity.

We can keep our businesses fresh, endlessly interesting and on the creative cutting edge by keeping in mind that thinking outside-the-box and realizing that we, singularly or as a team, are the engine for innovation.  And I say, “Why not?”

For innovative resources see http://palmettobizpro.com

For further reading:
Leader’s Guide to Lateral Thinking Skills: Unlocking Creativity and Innovation in You and Your Team, Paul Sloane
Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift
On Toyota: New York Times Magazine, February 18, 2007  http://tinyurl.com/dl6h8c

 

General Growth Properties, Inc. – Another Big Canary In the Mine

The announcement that multi-mall owner General Growth Properties, Inc. has sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection is proof positive that even a commercial real estate Goliath can be buried under billions of dollars of ill-conceived debt. In its efforts to grow bigger and faster than competitors, the second largest mall owner in our country has been unable to pull off an out-of-court restructuring to satisfy its $27 billion debt.

General Growth is a Chicago company that was founded by Matthew Bucksbaum and his late brother, Martin, in 1954. What began with a single multi-store center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, mushroomed into a huge commercial venture of over 200 mall properties. Their holdings include the well-known Faneuil Hall in Boston and Water Tower Place in Chicago. The company, with the Bucksbaum family having a 25% interest, is a real estate investment trust, as opposed to the more conservative REITs favored by most developers. According to The Wall Street Journal, “General Growth took a different tack, loading up on short-term mortgages to finance acquisition sprees and counting on the deep lending markets of the real-estate boom for continuous refinancing. Ultimately, that heavy reliance on debt, coupled with the credit market’s unraveling in the past year, led to the mall giant’s downfall.”

Too big, too fast with too much debt is a phrase heard often these days. The factor leading to General Growth’s downfall was the company’s struggle to satisfy its enormous amount of debt in a serious enough recession to have seen capital markets that resembled dry wells. With an extremely high debt-to-asset ratio, General Growth’s financial landscape resembles those of many business- and homeowners today. Loans have come too quickly and easily without the assets or a stable, conservative economy to back them up. We have built a house of cards and are now paying the price.

The bankruptcy will not mean a major sell-off of the company’s properties. Prospective buyers would be hard-pressed to find financing in the present economy, and the sales would lower the values of many malls to a point below what is owed on their mortgages, as several of General Growth’s are. If even a small percentage of their malls were to be put up for sale, the result would be a overburdened market that, without an increase in buyers, would lower prices even further. Simple supply and demand.

These lessons translate well to those of us who are small business owners. I was once told, “Keep it small and keep it all.” Those were, indeed, wise words spoken by a man who amassed great wealth as the owner of a single, vastly successful business. I have been an owner of three primary businesses over the years. I have run them with little or no debt, conservatively and along sound business practices and they have all flourished. Relatively stable economic times had, I’m sure, something to do with that, however, a debt-to-asset ratio that is extremely low is, other than one’s health, the best safeguard a small business can have.

The sheer immensity of General Growth’s debt, with its bankruptcy having far-reaching implications for the retail and commercial real estate arenas, is one more blow to our economy and one more huge wake-up call to all of us.

Internet business resources may be found at http://palmettobizpro.com.