At one time I read about Jack Welch’s six key rules in Forbes magazine. Jack Welch was the CEO of General Electric for 20 years. He was instrumental in leading General Electric into a higher level of dominance in the marketplace. Let me share with you the real estate application to these six rules.

1. Face reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to be. This rule has a few key components for REALTORS®.

A. Today is the only reality you have. What are you going to do today to generate new business and provide higher levels of service to your customers? Last week, last month, last year is in the past. If you plan to be a successful person you must focus on the future and take one more step today.

B. Too often you don’t look your financial reality in the face. Financial reality is line 36 on your tax return. It doesn’t matter what you gross in commission or how many millions of dollars of sales have you made. Your business is contained on line 36 of the 1040 form. Don’t get sucked in to the gross income show.

C. Reality is some of the numbers in your business. You need to review these numbers monthly.

• Gross income
• Numbers of listings and sales
• What you make per hour (Gross income ¸ hours worked)
• Cost per transaction (Expenses ¸ units sold)
• Number of listings that expire
• Percentage of buyer sides versus seller sides
• Where the business is coming from (i.e. referral, open house, sign call, and ad calls)

You have to know the reality of your business at all times to make sound decisions.

2. Be candid with everyone. Tell the truth to all people you work with. Tell the sellers they are over priced. Be truthful with the buyers if they expect too much. Tell them if the property they are searching for will be bought before they even hear about it. Don’t hope the news will get better with time. Deal with the problem or issue now.

3. Don’t manage…lead. Leadership is a lost art. Anyone can manage…few people lead. Managers are a dime a dozen. Leaders are a priceless commodity. Work to develop your leadership ability. You have to be able to lead prospects, clients, staff, and other Agents. Work on your leadership skills today.

4. Change before you have to. We are living in an economic time where change is a constant. Our only choice is to change or get out. There has been much change in real estate in the last 24 months. Here’s the question: is change going to slow down or speed up? Your answer to that question and application of your answer will cause you either to be in real estate or out of it in the next 24 months.

5. If you don’t have a competitive advantage, don’t compete. Many Agents and companies in the new millennium will have little competitive advantage. When they realize this fact, they will be forced to compete via price. Work to develop your competitive advantage. Increase your level of service to your prospects and clients. Don’t assume because you may have a competitive advantage now that you will enjoy one in the future. People and companies have to work constantly to maintain their competitive advantage.

We have the competitive advantage over all other real estate coaching companies. I can assure you we are not sitting on our laurels. We are constantly creating new services and tools that help our Agents increase their revenue, profits, and quality of life.

6. Control your own destiny or someone else will. You can’t rely on your company, broker, or staff to shape your success. They are all looking to you to create your own success. The most successful Agents realize that their success or failure is contained in their attitude, daily disciplines, plan for the future, and their implementation. The market has little control over your success. You can make money in any kind of market conditions.

If you place your destiny in other hands, you will receive what they have planned for you. Most of them have very little planned for you. They are never going to be focused on your success like you should be. There will be mentors and coaches who will help you tremendously during your life, but you are the one who needs to implement your plan for success.

If we all applied these six rules by Jack Welch, we would dramatically improve our life and income. Start the process with step one today.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dirk_Zeller

When I was a newbie in the internet business, “how to make money online?” is the question I kept asking around and looking for the answer either from online and offline. I believe many of the beginners who are interested to earn money from internet have the same question, but not every of them find their answer correctly. You may find the answers saying that making money on internet is an easy task, everyone can do it and make money fast; but in reality, it is not. That’s why most of beginners who have tried their fortune in internet business tend to give up at last. How a beginner can successfully make money online? You definitely want to know if you are interested in to earn money from internet.

As a beginner to the internet business and to be successfully making money online, first of all you need to understand what the actual concept of online business, and how it works so that you can set correct expectation when you start the business. There are many books available online and offline that you can read to enrich your knowledge about how to make money online and what you should expect from it and how to success in the business.

In fact, the formula to success in internet business is simple, but unfortunately not many are able to follow the formula successfully. Statistic shows that 95% of beginners of the online business have failed to make any money from internet. Some of them even making a loss because they have spent more money in advertising and marketing on their business than the money earn from the business. Most beginners of online business have a miss mindset about making money online, they treat it to be a “get money quick” scheme and hope to make money overnight or within very short period of time without putting efforts. As a result, they are disappointed and quit because they did not earn the money as expected.

At school, you learn the knowledge through the guide of your teachers; whereas, at internet world, you can learn to make money from internet marketing gurus. Copy the success from the other people will help you to reach your success within the shortest path. There are many eBooks about how to make money online written by famous internet marketing gurus who have succeed in their online business which you can follow to achieve your success faster by avoiding the common mistakes made by most online marketers who have failed in the business.

Everyone can start an online business easily. In fact, you can start to make money even without having any website, but as I said earlier to be successful in making the amount of money that can replace your day job income, it is not an easy task. You need to work on it smartly such as copy the success of other online marketers; and put the efforts to work it out by implementing some proven success strategies for online business.

Summary

Everyone can successfully make money online if they do it right. You can only do it right if you understand the online money making concept correctly and know what to expect from the online business.

Author: Scott Bamboo

About the Author:

Scott Bamboo is an author from http://www.clickbankblueprint.info. His website provides useful information and resources for those who are interested to make money online.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Make Money Online – the Right Concept for Beginners

Worsening unemployment, reduced availability of credit and our static housing market all combine to keep the economic environment subdued. Certainly, during this period, UK retailing has had to
cope with lots of difficulties.

However, perhaps the recession’s most insidious impact lies in its brutal assault on trust and confidence. Indeed, where occasional fragments of good news do emerge, our misgivings often remain.

Yet, against international comparisons, British retailing is one of our most advanced, innovative and resilient sectors. Our 2.8 million employees comprise 11% of the total UK workforce, delivering sales in excess of £287bn last year.

The sector has no shortage of dynamic and charismatic leaders – not only at the top of companies but in our stores in cities and towns throughout the country.

And many retailers give personal time and other resources to community involvement, often seeking to address education, social inclusion or other needs in local neighbourhoods. So it’s unsurprising that stories about retail and retailers feature every day in the news – there’s a lot going on across our sector.

So why doesn’t retail have a more positive image as an employer? Time and again, employment within our sector is described in faintly disparaging terms. The interpersonal and planning skills associated with successful retailing too often are imperfectly understood.

Yes, working in retail is demanding. At times, considerable physical effort is required. Standards and goals tend to be specific and measurable. Most of our staff do not operate in quiet offices, but constantly can be accessed by customers and other visitors to our stores.

Yet here, too, is the enjoyment and opportunity. Independent surveys affirm that retail staff generally enjoy the natural human experience of face-to-face communication, particularly in seeking to provide high quality service to customers, or by “going the extra mile”.

Equally, personal fulfilment is gained from being part of a dedicated team. Many long-term friendships arise from working with colleagues or customers in a retail environment. Our sector can meet our staff’s personal skills and career development aspirations. Some superb formal training programmes are supplemented by ongoing practical coaching and mentoring from knowledgeable and experienced colleagues.

The route to store or area management is tangible and provides a considerable degree of autonomy. Similarly, entrants to our sector can explore prospects in buying or merchandising, logistics or supply chain, marketing, HR, finance or IT.

We already have a number of trade associations that are well-equipped to communicate opportunities in retail and to support learning and development initiatives. So let’s spread the good news a little more confidently and let’s encourage our colleagues to provide active support – not least by our own participation.

• Leo McKee Chief executive, brighthouse

Author: Rodrigo Prose
About the Author:

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Retail is a positive place to be

As a consultant, I’ve deliberately avoided making too big a deal about this recession we find ourselves in because.

First it doesn’t help a great deal to dwell upon problems when really you ought to be thinking about solutions; and secondly, you’re probably hearing plenty about it from everyone else.

I’ve been getting a lot of emails and calls from business owners who are having an extremely bad time of things at the moment. Everyone, it seems, is asking the same question: “can you help me survive the recession?”

Hmm. Well, first thing I’ll say is this is a hell of a time to ask. The time to be looking for new business is when you’re busy, not when things are rapidly going creek-wise and paddleless. But, there’s no point in worrying about what you can’t change. You can’t change the wind, but you can change the set of your sail. The economy is like it IS, so deal with it in that way.

So, let’s do what I always find it’s best to do with any threat and that’s to face it squarely: there is some pretty bad stuff going on all over the world right now, the economy is dire, it’s probably going to get worse, and just what can we do about it?

Well, let me ruffle a few feathers and annoy a lot of people by saying right upfront I actually don’t believe it needs to be that much of a big deal for us. There are some very powerful things we can do to not just survive this recession but actually to thrive and come out the other side in an even better position than we were going into it. But, does it mean we can just carry on doing things the same old way we’re doing them now and perhaps have been doing them for many years?

No, it doesn’t.

We’ve had it pretty easy until recently, and we could afford to be complacent about marketing and getting new business through the door.
But now things have changed, and if you don’t change with them, then you’re going to have a rough time of it, even to the extent you might go out of business.

So we need to ask ourselves some pretty tough questions: exactly what challenges are we facing? What can we do about them? And how can we still think ‘big’ and grow our businesses and grow our profits, regardless of what’s going on around us?

First, look back over the last few downturns we’ve weathered, and notice something interesting. Notice while there were a lot of businesses struggling, and indeed there were a lot of businesses actually going out of business… there were a few, perhaps 1% or 2% which did very well indeed. Believe me, this wasn’t down to luck.

Here’s the question: what did they do differently?

The answer may surprise you. Because you’re going to find the biggest single factor determining your success or failure in the recession is your attitude, or ‘mindset’. The most important thing these successful business owners did was decide not to knuckle under to the recession. They decided to succeed, instead.

Now, this might sound like a bunch of hippy, New Age woo-woo rubbish, but it’s not. I’m not talking about affirmations or ‘The Secret’ or anything like that at all. If you want to read a highly entertaining and deeply insightful bit of real scientific research on this, I recommend Richard Wiseman’s ‘The Luck Factor’.

Basically, good and bad things happen to us all in roughly equal measure, and the difference between so-called ‘lucky’ and ‘unlucky’ people isn’t what happens to them so much as what they pay attention to and remember. If I can sum it up, I’d say ‘you get more of what you focus on’. See, when you’re surrounded by bad news in the papers and on the television, when almost every conversation you have revolves around the dreadful state of the economy, something happens to you: you inevitably get drawn into all the negativity and unconsciously accept all this doom and gloom as being an unavoidable truth.

Consequently, most business owners are approaching this recession with the view they’re going to ‘just hang on’ and weather the storm. I tell you now: if that’s you, then that’s the BEST you can hope for. We rarely exceed our goals and expectations. As the old saying goes, ‘if you want to hit an eagle, aim for the moon; aim for the eagle and you’ll hit a rock’.

So, the very first thing you need to be thinking about is setting some ambitious and positive goals (and remember I am not taking about tree-hugging here), and so instead of thinking in terms of just ‘hanging on’, think in terms of doubling or tripling your profits in the next 12 months. OK, so you might not actually hit that particular moon, but you will no doubt bag a few eagles in the process.

Once you set this goal for yourself, your brain, which has evolved to be an incredibly powerful pattern-matching and goal-seeking piece of equipment, will start looking for ways to achieve what you want.

OK, once you’ve set your goal, what now? What about those opportunities I mentioned? Well, the chief one is linked to what I just shared with you about people’s expectations.

Your competitors are worrying and fretting and setting their sights on just ‘getting by’. That means their actions and strategies are all aimed at just ‘getting by’. And that’s the best they can hope to achieve. But really, the customers out there still buying are just as scared by this recession as everyone else, and they want to be buying from someone bold and confident.

They want leadership and certainty. If you have set ambitious goals and are acting congruently with your words, then that’s what you offer them. Following on from this, you’ll notice in their fear and panic, most of your competitors will have curtailed their marketing and dropped their prices.

This is great news for you. First, because low price is almost never what really interests us; and secondly, if they aren’t marketing and you are, then you appear to be the only game in town.

Of course, now’s the time people start to complain and whine about how ‘expensive’ marketing is. Fooey. Not so. Some of the best and most effective marketing you can do is completely free, or as close to free as makes no difference. And don’t make the mistake of thinking in this case ‘free’ means ‘cheap and nasty’.

Think on it: how much does a recommendation from a friend cost, and how effective is it? You see my point, yes?

You may have noticed clients have changed their habits a little, but that’s OK. I’ve noticed it in my own business for sure: more clients than ever, but the jobs tend to be smaller and my clients more frantic.

That’s not my ideal situation, but it’s easy enough to cope with and cash flow has increased quite nicely, even though I’ve substantially raised my fees (because I get results and people are happy to pay whatever I ask – there’s a lesson in there for every business).

In short: I’m busier now than I’ve ever been.

So, pull your chin out of your chest, straighten your back and get out there and GET MARKETING!

The new entrepreneur may soon feel like they are in over their head trying to keep up with all the aspects of running a successful business. For many individuals who came from a corporate work background, it can be shocking to suddenly have complete responsibility for every part of operating a company. In particular, many former executives new to owning a business may have been used to delegating many of the more tedious tasks to underlings. The pressure to have to take care of everything on your own may be shocking! For business owners who find themselves in this position they may be able to benefit through outsourcing. This article will present a brief overview to opportunities available through outsourcing.

Business owners looking to offload some of the workload have numerous opportunities available via subcontractors. Without getting into a discussion of the dynamics that make outsourcing a viable option or the ramifications, suffice it to say the differences in wages in foreign countries relative to the U.S. make it possible for business owners in North America to pay foreign workers much less than having the work performed here. Like many aspects of business, the decision on whether to outsource certain tasks comes down to the cost for you to complete the task yourself versus your ability and willingness to pay to have the work done for you. Some of the frequently outsourced tasks include schedule management, article writing, business promotion, sales, and numerous internet related services.

Should you do it yourself or pay to have it done? As mentioned above, many business owners and entrepreneurs simply have too many demands on their time to complete everything by themselves. Outsourcing allows you to free up some of your time to focus on revenue producing activities and still get all of the mundane but necessary work finished. Business ownership can be incredibly rewarding but can quickly turn into a 24/7 management nightmare if you are not careful. Begin to track where you spend your time. Try to identify tasks that take up too much of your time. You should have a rough idea of how much your time is worth, and if you are headed in the right direction, your time will become increasingly more valuable. Look for areas where you could pay someone who is less skilled less money than it would cost you. Once you identify a handful of chores that might be candidates for outsourcing, begin to shop around.

You can research available outsourcers by searching on the internet. Several popular websites have helped make the process quite simple. You can post the scope of the project you need completed along with your desired budget. In turn, workers will bid on the project. To help with your selection process, most of the outsource placement websites have a rating system for the workers’ past performance. In addition to only outsourcing the type of work that you might consider too tedious or time consuming, thanks to the difference in pay scale, you may be able to pay for skilled work you may not be otherwise able to accomplish on your own, such as website building, internet marketing, sales – anything outside of your area of expertise.

In summary, for those considering how to start a home business but who feel it may be too overwhelming, consider the benefits of outsourcing. Rather than trying to take on every aspect of running a home business, you have the option to offload some of the workload. Depending on your budget and schedule you may find it beneficial to have time consuming parts of your work performed for you to free up your time. Finally, due to the relatively low pay scale for most foreign outsourcers, you may find you can pay for highly skilled labor you would be otherwise unable to afford. Visit the author’s LifePath Unlimited business website for more help with outsourcing.

Author: Terence Byrd

About the Author:

I’m passionate about business and travel. I’m always looking for new ways to make money outside of a regular job to have more time and money to have fun.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Utilize the Power of Outsourcing In Your Small Business

If you have considered going into business for yourself, there is no time like the present. The rough economy should not be a deterrent. More than one-half of the current Fortune 500 companies were launched in a recession! In fact, the advantages of starting up in this economic climate are significant — a shift in consumer priorities, lower costs on services and products your company will need, cheap but high-quality employees, an inherent emphasis on solid financial management. Heck, nearly 10% of us are unemployed anyway, and spending time developing a great business idea makes far more sense than arm-wrestling a 16-year-old for the one available counter position at Starbucks! Startups in a down economy tend to have a good track record. Although counterintuitive, the environment of a recession offers significant opportunities to go out on your own.

Consumer Changes

Consumers’ attitudes toward spending change. Finding a good value becomes more of a priority. Whatever your business idea, good planning will reveal at least a dozen ways to offer a better value than your existing competitors while still turning a good profit. Most existing businesses that struggle and close in a recession do so because they failed to plan ahead. They do not have appropriate tools in place to identify threats and mitigate damage. A well-planned startup will already be a lean, efficient machine, poised to grab up the market as the competitors scramble to survive.

Consumers’ priorities also change during bad economic times. The “going back to basics” trend is a given when money is tight. This shift always opens the door to numerous industries and niches that may not be as easy to launch in a strong economy. By establishing a customer base now, these startups will be going strong once the economy improves. New business ideas and models emerge from every downturn — pay attention to what you see and hear from others and be creative. The next big thing may be your brainchild!

Startup Advantages

Some experts argue that startups suffer in a bad economy because they are unable to charge enough for the products or services. While you do need to offer a good value to your market, remember that you will be able to find great deals from your suppliers during this time as well. Everyone’s sales are down, so most suppliers are offering better prices, free delivery, better terms or other incentives. And, with nearly one in ten unemployed, it is far easier to find a skilled professional in any field (accountant, webmaster, marketing guru) at an affordable price. Those struggling to find work are happy to join up with a venture with potential — often for far less salary than they would expect from a corporate job offer.

The biggest advantage to starting up in a down economy is the culture your venture will develop. In most cases, a startup during a recession means less capital to launch with which, in turn, leads to more creative, cost-effective methods of dealing with overhead and driving sales. New businesses that find the way to succeed in a tough economy tend to have better financial controls in place. Because they start out watching the pennies, that attitude becomes a standard part of the cultural foundation of the business. A culture of no waste makes it easier to plan ahead for growth and, if necessary, to survive the next recession.

Start Now

If you want to start your own business, start now! Take the time to thoroughly plan your idea by making a virtual road map of your venture. Figure out the best options for every aspect and begin putting the pieces in place for launch. Every business takes time to build profitability, and by starting now, your venture will be well-prepared for explosive growth when the national economy recovers.

Author: K. MacKillop

About the Author:

About the Author-K. MacKillop, a serial entrepreneur, is founder of LaunchX and authors a small business startup blog. The LaunchX System includes step-by-step business startup procedures, small business software & more, to help entrepreneurs start a business. It also includes information on obtaining small business financing.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Business Startups in a Down Economy Are a Great Idea