The 5 C's

Success in the market place is determined by a positive perception of you and your company. What perception does the consumer have? How are we guiding the client's perceptions of our business? There are 5 distinct attributes for creating a positive image and perception.

1. Character
Would you refer business to a financial planner who has been known to cheat his clients but is well educated and knowledgeable? Character is the sum total of one’s values and beliefs. It expresses itself through one's behavior. Character is what we do when no one is watching. Best way to determine one’s character is by observing their behavior.

Are you acting with integrity and honesty in all matters?

2. Competence
Would you listen to the recommendations of a dentist who is quite charming but seems to be dated in techniques, philosophies and expertise? Your client is measuring your competency based on your knowledge, expertise and ability. Customer's expect a real estate professional to have extensive market knowledge as well as technology and internet marketing skills.

Are you knowledgeable and are your skills up-to-date?

3. Confidence
How would you feel if you were placed on a project with someone who had strong character and education but lacked confidence in many situations? Confidence comes from having a strong conviction and belief in what you are doing. Experiences both successful and unsuccessful help build your confidence. Clients are attracted to people who exude confidence.

What are your beliefs and convictions as a business ownerl?

4. Credibility
Would you consider going to a friendly and honest doctor who failed his exam three times and just recently opened his door for business? An business owner who is believable and reliable is considered credit worthy. Dependability is important for establishing your crediability and offering your client a sense they are safe within your capable hands.

Do you follow-through; are you reliable in even simple matters?

5. Congruence
We have all had the experience of paying for a service that was inconsistent or unpredictable: such as going to a hairdresser to cut or color your hair, ordering the same dish in a restaurant, or even setting a date with a friend. Congruence is when all aspects of you and how you do business are consistent and harmonious. Congruence creates safety and trust for the client.

Do you have consistent systems in place to provide safety for your client?

March or Die

We are entering a phase where many organizations will stumble – and some may require a complete overhaul. A portion will not make it, but for others the experience will unleash new vigour, new ambitions, new talents.

In 20 years in business, I have realized that all businesses and industries are cyclical, and that boom and bust comes to virtually every company. It is human nature to become exuberant at the top and depressed at the bottom – such a rollercoaster is the essence of life itself. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that in general I prefer the company of those who have highs and lows, rather than someone whose mood is flat and unchanging. Those dull spirits remind me of entropy, and all life is engaged in a perpetual battle to resist that.

When times are good and money is easy we misallocate capital. This leads to waste and an eventual reckoning. As the wheel inevitably turns and conditions deteriorate, so credit tightens, companies fail and assets are recycled. This is an irresistible sequence of events.

Markets and exchanges are merely mechanisms which reflect the temperament of man. Witnessing and taking part in such upheaval can be traumatic. Take the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the forced sell-offs of Merrill Lynch and HBOS. For the staff, their families and other stakeholders, this classic example of economist Joseph Schumpeter’s “creative destruction” is hardly something to be celebrated. Here is a sudden and jolting realignment of resources. Overnight, venerable institutions are destroyed and new ones spring up to fill the gap.
But this process of renewal is at the heart of capitalism. Inefficient and misguided organizations disappear and ultimately more productive ones arise.

The lesson is that all organizations must reinvent themselves periodically or die. The market is a great leveller. Even the mighty are humbled, or as The Tiger Lillies’ marvellous song “The Crack of Doom” says, “Every empire turns to dust”. Of course, value is destroyed in the violent process of reordering but without such a threat, which institution would ever undertake the painful restructuring that is part of staying relevant and competitive?

I for one choose to reinvent and march. And you?

Women Entrepreneurs

Richmond, VA (Grassroots Newswire) October 1, 2008

According to the International Franchise Association (IFA), women have founded 23 franchise systems in the United States, and the number of women-owned franchises continues to climb. Within a 10 year span, women-owned franchises increased nearly 17percent according to the International Franchise Association reports. In addition, women, in general, put a strong emphasis on networking, and building and maintaining positive workplace relationships, the Association said. And women are more willing to consult with experts, employees, and other entrepreneurs. Want to learn more >>>