To Your Continued Success In 2008

As another year (2007) counts down to the new (2008), all of us at Independent Marketing Group would like to thank all our Associates (active and inactive) for joining our organization.

Our goal for 2008, is to become bigger and better than we were in 2007. We want all our Associates around the world to live long and prosper; not only in 2007 and in 2008, but for each everyday of your life on earth.

May GOD (YHVH) continue to bless us, you and your families and our businesses, so that we may be a blessing to many; not only in our respective countries, but to others wherever they may be.

How To Get More Hits To Your Website

Website Traffic Generation Tips

By: Mike Leinweber

You need to attract people to your website if you want your site to become successful. Website traffic is the technical term for the number of people who visit your website. Obviously, the more traffic your site attracts, the more successful your website will be.

Website traffic can be improved by simply considering several important things. First and foremost, you will need to have a website that people will want to see.

Hence, it is important to understand your targeted traffic.

Who is your targeted audience? Once you know that, start building a website with good attractive content. People will then be more likely to visit your site. The originality of your website is a major factor in determining the amount of website traffic that it will attract. You are not very likely to get traffic if your site doesn't offer something that other sites don't offer. You are more likely to get website traffic if your site is unique in some way and provides something that cannot be provided anywhere else.

A third suggestion would be to keep your web site up to date. You need the data on your web site to be current and relevant. This means writing material which won't get dated, or adding items constantly to keep it fresh. Both strategies are actually a good idea, because you want to have return traffic as well as new customers. The best strategy to keep visitors coming back is to continually update the site news so that there is always something new to read each time.

Another thing you need to do is make your site easily accessible. Keep in mind the keywords that people will search for. If you use these, it will be easy for other people to find your site. If there are links to your site on other sites, people can find your site that way.

Building a website should be worth your while, as long as you're going to the trouble. The number of people visiting your site will increase by simply following these few tips. This is the way to spread your message effectively.

If you're planning to start a new website, one thing to ask yourself is how you will attract visitors to your site. The term for the number of people who visit your site is website traffic. For a number of reasons, it is good to maintain a high traffic site. Think about who your targeted traffic is that you want to draw to your site. Consider your audience. Who's on the other side of that computer screen? The originality of your website is another factor to consider if you want to get traffic. Quality content goes a long way in getting people to visit your site.

For IMG.Ws Associates that market online, why not visit Mike at Click Cafe. Click Cafe's URL is http://www.clickcafe.biz/

How To Avoid The Google Slap

IMG.Ws Associates don't stoop to less than honorable methods and/or means to market and/or sell your product/s, service/s and/or information. When you try to beat or cheat the public, you will always lose. There is a reason for this. People want to do business with people they can trust.

When you use unscrupulous means to market or sell you are telling everyone you are untrustworthy, unethical, unreliable and have a criminal mentality; rather than a business mentality.

On our web pages, we always combine ads and content. Because of our marketing philosophy, we do not use adwords or any other Internet based marketing service.

We build our markets, the old fashioned way - By Hard Work. We want you to succeed online the right way. Don't be afraid of WORK. Honor your commitments and do what is right all the time. In the long run, you will win. The following email we received from Mike Leinweber, will help you avoid problems with Google and any other online marketing service.

Avoid Problems
By:
Mike Leinweber

The Google Slap: It's become one of the most dreaded phrases in an Internet advertiser's vocabulary. Google charges high premiums for links which lead to sites with low or no content. The price is determined by a quality score, so if your site is simply a list of links with no content, or poor content obviously thrown together to avoid high prices, you'll be paying through the nose for those clicks - up to $10 in some cases.

This recent attempt to improve the quality of links has many advertisers wondering how to avoid the Google Slap. To work around the Google Slap without losing hard-earned cash, improve the quality score of your website by adding content. To avoid frustrating visitors to your website, the additional content should pertain to the links on your website. A word soup of keywords and meaningless fluff is not adding value. Instead, content must be relevant, compelling, and preferably unique. Users who are rewarded for visiting your site, are more likely to return again and again.

If you have advertising and content combined on your site you will be considered in violation of Google's terms, so it is very important to separate the two. You may require an email address prior to allowing full access to your site, how to avoid the Google Slap in this case is the provision of preview content, which allows the user to know what providing their email address will get for them.

Another way to improve your rank on Google is to place links to your page on popular websites, thereby increasing the number of visitors to your own site. When doing this, by mindful about how to avoid the google slap, which can happen if you link to ad-only web pages. A wonderful way to avoid the Google Slap would be to place a link to your page on a place like a traffic exchange. Having problems with using google?

That is not uncommon for those just getting started with online advertising. Becoming well acquainted with Google's terms of service is crucial, because it will allow you to avoid unexpected advertising costs while taking advantage of the moneymaking opportunities that internet marketing provides. The internet is full of sites claiming that they can tell you how to avoid the google slap.

However, simply acquainting yourself with google's terms and conditions is the best first step. For anyone trying to run a lucrative online business by advertising on Google, learning these basic rules is well worth the time and effort. Google charges high premiums for links, which lead to sites with low or no content. This recent attempt to improve the quality of links has many advertisers wondering how to avoid the google slap.

So how do you workaround to the Google Slap without sacrificing your hard-earned cash? Participation in link exchanges can also improve your google rankings. Trading links with high traffic websites can increase traffic to your website. Avoid linking to pages with just advertisements but no real content. The beginner may have some problems with using google. But if you obey google's rules and regulations, you will not be loosing money.

To get more exposure for your product/s, service/s and/or information, why not try Mike's Traffic Exchange - Clickcafe.Biz

Understanding Marketing

In previous posts, you learned that businesses are established in order to satisfy a need or a want. It does that by producing a good or a service for a group of people whom we call a target market.

For profit oriented organizations, it is essential that you produce or have access to sufficient quantities of the product so as to meet the product or good cost of production and earn a reasonable profit.

If this can not be done, the business will suffer and, ultimately, will not survive.

What Is Marketing?

The process of raising people's awareness for your product, service or information through proper strategies to enable them to buy it, in exchange of, usually, cash or credit that will provide a profit for you, is the essence of Marketing. For non-profit organizations, the objective of the exchange is not to gain profit, but to obtain customer satisfaction.

Marketing comes from the word "Market."

A ‘Market’ is "a group of potential customers with similar needs who are willing to exchange something of value for the various goods and/or services you are offering." For a more detailed discussion of Markets and Marketing go back to the Information Warehouse and review your Effective Sales, Sponsoring & Recruiting Market. Click here to review.

This means that "Marketing" is a process by which two groups of people (the customers and the sellers) who have needs to be satisfied, are willing to try to satisfy those needs by exchanging products (goods or services), ideas and/or information for monetary or non-monetary returns that include monetary or non-monetary profit. This can be done face-to-face at some physical location (or through someone in the middle) that links buyers and sellers living apart.

The Five Concepts Of Marketing

In order to carry out your marketing activities, which are needed to achieve the desired exchanges with the target market, you have several alternative concepts that can help guide your activities: The production concept, the product concept, the selling concept, the marketing concept, and the societal marketing concept.

These concepts have developed throughout the years in parallel with the continuous development in the concept of business itself. They still hold as optional strategies that you can use at any time depending on the marketing situation you are encountering.

The Production Concept

This concept holds that consumers will favor those products that are widely available and low in cost.

The Product Concept

This concept holds that consumers will favor those products that offer the most quality, performance, or innovative features. Both of the above concepts are old ones. They were developed at a time when companies focused on the production of a few specific products, if not only one. Management would think in the following way, "If we can make it, it will sell." Or, they might say "How could they (customers) know what they want before they see the product?"

The Selling Concept

This concept holds that consumers, if left alone, will ordinarily not buy enough of the organization’s products. By 1930, mass production was under way and companies had more production capabilities. Competition started to appear stronger than before. Companies now had the ability to produce similar but cheaper products.

To answer the problem of how to beat the competition and win more and more customers, was resolved in the adoption of the selling concept where more emphasis was placed on selling the product (no matter how) by undergoing aggressive selling and promotion efforts.

The Marketing Concept

This concept holds that the key to achieving organizational goals consists of being more effective than competitors in integrating marketing activities toward determining and satisfying the needs and wants of target markets.

This concept started a new era of understanding marketing and business. It involved, for the first time, customers. Entrepreneurs (including marketing ones) have started to realize the importance of knowing what consumers think and what their wishes are (in tems of their products).

Rather than making whatever product/s that are easy to produce, or getting stuck on one product without taking into consideration customers' needs, entrepreneurs have now started to incorporate the needs of their customers in their daily business decision making.

Marketing activities have now started to revolve around its newest focus: the customer. This new marketing concept is now based on four main ideas: The target market, customer needs, integrated marketing, and profitability.

The Societal Marketing Concept

This concept holds that the organization’s task is to determine the needs, wants and interests of target markets and to deliver the desired satisfactions more effectively and efficiently than competitors in a way that preserves or enhances consumer's and the society's well-being.

This is the fifth and the newest concept of marketing. It focuses on the well-being of the individual and the society by taking them into consideration when marketing activities and efforts are being made. It calls for a balance between the company's profits, customer satisfaction, and society's interest.

What Is A Product?

From previous posts, you learned that products are offered by organizations to satisfy certain needs or wants of customers. Products can be physical and tangible (seen and touched) items called "goods," or, they can be virtual (generated by computerized or electronic means) or intangible (can not be seen and touched) items such as "services, or it can be a combination of both.

Products that are considered "goods" can be stored and produced away from the customer; while those that are considered "services" can not be stored and they are often produced in the presence of a customer. The United Arab Emirates is an open market. It contains local and international products. Each product must have a specific target market that it is aimed at.

ATarget Market is a group of customers who are segmented from the total population due to the similar characteristics, buying habits and behavior and whom the company wishes to contact regarding the product.

The Marketing Mix

Your marketing mix will always involve making decisions concerning the 4 Ps - Product, Promotion, Price and Place of introducting products, services and/or information to the general public.

First: You have to make decisions on the Product: The decisions you have to make here should reflect the needs of the targeted group. What are you offering your customers and in what shape or form are you offering it?

Second: You have to make decisions on Promotion: The decisions you have to make here are concerned with how and with which methods you are going to tell your potential customers and your target market about your product. Promotion includes:

A. Personal Selling

B. Word of Mouth

C. Mass Selling (Publicity and Advertising)

D. Sales Promotion

You will have to make promotional decisions on whether you want to use one kind of promotion or a blend of more than one.

Following is a brief description of each tool:

A: Personal Selling: Personal selling is a very costly tool to promote your product but in some types of businesses it is the most important one. It involves direct communication between sellers and potential customers in the form of a telephone interview or face-to-face meeting.

B: Word of Mouth: Word of Mouth is based on the reputation of your product and how people perceive it to be. Word of mouth is what people tell each other and talk amongst themselves about your product. It is free of charge but you can not rely on it on its own. A bad quality product or a company with a bad reputation can be destroyed by the word of mouth of its potential buyers, even before it is officially introduced into the market.

C: Mass Selling: Mass Selling is the means to communicate with a large number of potential customers at the same time and it consists of: Advertising & Publicity; Advertising is a "paid form of nonpersonal presentation of ideas, goods or services by an identified sponsor," while Publicity is unpaid.

D: Sales Promotion: Sales Promotion involves the use of leaflets, brochures, coupons, signs, special offers, discounts, and samples, etc., It is important to realize that the best way to promote your product is to choose a Promotional Mix (a combination of more than one promotional tool) that best suits your potential customers, your own promotional budget and the availability of enough resources.

Third: You have to make decisions on Price: The decision you have to make here is: what is the right price for this product?

Finally: You have to make decisions on the Place: The decisions you have to make here should reflect how you are going to provide the product to the target market. You have to deliver the product at the appropriate time and location keeping its quality intact.

Every IMG.Ws Associate, in your effort to develop a marketing strategy, has to design a specific Marketing Mix for the targeted customers you are seeking. To do this, you have to develop a product or have access to a product, service or information that is appealing to a certain target group.

Then you must find a way to deliver your product, service or information and reach your group’s place. You can let your targeted customers know about your product, service or information by using one or more of the promotional tools discussed in this blog and, last but not least, a price will have to be set to reflect the buying ability of the target market.

As an IMG.Ws Associate, the marketing strategy of your business; either online or off line, should reflect the decisions you have made concerning the Marketing Mix that best represents you, your company and product or service to the market you have identified that needs, wants or you can use what you have to offer.

Understanding Maslow's Heirarcy Of Needs

Maslow's "Heirarchy of Needs" was essentially developed from a paper written by Abraham Maslow in 1943 entitled: "A Theory of Human Motivation".

It was partly based on concepts and ideas from Kurt Goldstein's organismic theory of personality. Maslow eventually expanded his observations or conceptualizations to include what he learned from studying innate curiosity that is present in the vast majority of human beings.

Even though Maslow's "Heirarchy of Needs" has been largely debunked over the years, it is still being used, because many believe it is true.

In fact, it is the basic underpinning of business developmental philosophy within the highest levels of the world's largest and leading corporations. As an entrepreneur or small business owner, you are also at the highest level of management within your enterprise. Therefore, understanding Maslow's "Heirarchy of Needs", should help you develop a more comprehensive and realistic business and self management philosophy.

The reason why we have included Maslow's work in our monthly blog series is because you may have been exposed to Maslow's philosophy without even realizing it. As stated previously, the fundamental principles described in Maslow's "Heirarchy of Needs" is still widely used throughout the Western world and the global business community. You can review Maslow's "Heirarchy of Needs" at Wikipedia.Org .

Since many in the academic, business and government community believe motivation is an internal process through which human wants, needs and desires are satisfied, it is important to know what systemic process is being used to encourage self motivation.

When given a certain job, one is expected to do the best he/she could. Unfortunately, people vary in the way they perform their duties. Some are more willing to do a good job than others. Some are more encouraged to produce a quality work than others.

Understanding how to make people work at their best, how to motivate them, has always been a challenge. In business, motivated employees are key links to improved product quality that results in greater productivity and higher levels of customer satisfaction.

From a business perspective, there are many reasons why people work. They all stem from the fact that people have so many differing needs that need to be satisfied and fulfilled. People work to satisfy those needs, or some of them, through a hierarchical process that determines, according to Maslow, which needs are considered more important than others. Below is an overview of Maslow's "Heirarchy of Needs".

Maslow categorized human needs into five kinds:

Physiological

Safety

Social

Self-esteem (Ego) and...

Self- Actualization.Self Actualization

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

According to this theory, every need becomes active or aroused only when the lower need is reasonably satisfied. Following is a brief description of each level of needs:

Physiological Needs: The lowest level in Maslow's hierarchy. It contains the basic needs for food, drink, shelter and rest. Once these needs are satisfied, they no longer motivate the person's behavior.

Safety Needs: The next higher level needs become the ones that motivate. These are the needs for protection against danger or deprivation and the need for security.

Social Needs: These needs will become motivators once the physiological and safety needs are reasonably satisfied. These are the needs for affiliation, friendship, belonging and giving and receiving affection.

Self-Esteem Needs (Ego): These are the needs that people have for self-confidence, independence, achievement, recognition, and appreciation.

Finally, Self-Actualization Needs: These needs are the highest level of needs in Maslow's hierarchy. They begin to motivate the person's behavior only after all the previous levels have been reasonably satisfied. This level is about the need to become someone you know you are capable of becoming. And the need that motivates you to do special things. The needs at this level are rarely satisfied as you always aspire for new things.

The Significance of Maslow's Hierarchy

People's needs are important to know because it is an unsatisfied need that creates motivation. People's needs are so different and it is vital to identify those ones that are not satisfied, if motivation is sought.

As businesses become more aware of the importance of motivation, new methods are introduced by these businesses to take into account the needs of employees to enjoy work, display their creativity and feel a sense of achievement and responsibility.

Many theorists argue that designing jobs with workers' needs in mind will increase quality, productivity and will reduce absenteeism, turnover, and production cost. Job enlargement, job rotation, job enrichment and team working are examples of such job design methods that incorporate employees' needs.

What is currently motivating you to build and develop your business? What motivated you to become an IMG.Ws Associate? It may be some of these needs as expressed by Maslow, or you may have entirely different reasons for doing what you are doing to increase your income or improve your lifestyle.

Answers to these questions are important for two reasons:

1. Right reasons or good reasons almost always lead to success and personal growth, even if you fail initially.

2. Wrong reasons or bad reasons almost always lead to failure and personal depravity.

That old adage "Know Thyself" is still true..

Understanding Business Management

Previously, we identified a lack of business management skills as one of the reasons why so many fail in home based businesses. In this post we are going to identify some of the key elements of effective business management.

In order to save time and provide our Associates with the best possible information on this topic, we are going to use a course written by Omar A Badran on business fundamentals.

Since there are so many people that would like to own and operate a traditional business, we have chosen his course because of its simplicity.

We are not going to include illustrations or graphics because we can not accurately reproduce them and the text editor at this blog does not allow bitmap reproductions. In addition, they would take up unnecessary space.

Lets begin. Any business can not operate without people. These people, whom we call employees, could be either part of the Management team (Managerial employees) or part of the working force (Non-managerial employees).

All managerial employees perform basic functions. The five management functions are Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Leading (or Directing) and Controlling. It is useful to classify management work into these five functions as they provide us with an organized way to describe many of the important activities they do.

Planning - The management function that involves setting goals and deciding on which methods to use to achieving them.

Organizing - The management function that involves arranging the resources of the business in such a way that its activities systematically contribute to the business's goals.

Staffing - The management function that involves recruiting, selecting, appraising, training and developing employees.

Leading (Directing) - The management function that involves providing the motivation and leadership that is necessary for ensuring that the firm's employees do their jobs and accomplish their goals.

Controlling - The management function that involves ensuring that activities are providing the planned results.

Managers, therefore, are involved in certain activities, associated with each function, which could be identified as follows:

Planning:

Setting goals.

Deciding for the future what is needed and what might happen.

Making decisions on the best methods to use to accomplish certain tasks or goals.

Identifying what steps, and how many steps, are needed to do something.

Organizing:

Delegating some of their work to other employees.

Giving each employee a distinct task to do.

Coordinating between departments and between people.

Staffing:

Recruiting or helping in recruiting employees to the organization.

Selecting the right person for the right job.

Appraising their employees' performance within a period of time.

Providing the right guidance and environment to help employees in their career development.

Designing and providing training sessions and workshops the employees to help them acquire new skills and to update their existing knowledge.

Orienting the employees about the organization (Who is who, location of departments, job information, policies, regulations and special instructions of how to do certain tasks.

Leading (Directing):

Using different styles of leadership to direct their employees to do the required work.

Guiding their employees, speaking on their behalf, and setting good example.

Motivating their employees to do their work.

Handling grievances and conflict between employees.

Controlling:

Designing control systems to ensure that employees are doing their jobs as expected and that their work behavior is acceptable.

Setting standards of work to know how exactly one has to do one's work.

Observing employees' work.

Measuring employees' work performance.

Meeting with employees to see how work and performance could be improved.

In order for any business to function, it needs an internal structure that shows who is in charge, who makes decisions, who carries out the decisions and how decisions and information are communicated. The structure will establish the formal relationship between the people who will be working together within the business.

Knowing the answers to all four questions above would provide a clear idea about the relationship between the employees (Managerial and non-managerial) and between the different departments (the different areas of specialization’s) that are existing within a particular organization.

In order to clearly see this formal relationship, and to see how the business is organized, one could represent this formal structure by means of a simple diagram called an organizational chart.

Each business (or organization) has its own specific structure. As the relationship between people and/or departments differs from business to business due to the different nature and culture of each business, hence the existence of different graphical representations or different organizational charts.

An organizational chart provides an easy way to understand the structure of a business. You will discover that in organizations, fewer people are found at the top, representing top management and middle management, while the more you travel downwards, the larger the numbers of employees are.

The more levels found in an organizational chart, the greater the height of the chart. Such organization is a tall organization. A flat organization is one with much lesser organizational levels, probably one or two only.

In general, the greater the height of the organizational chart, the smaller the spans of control of its managers. The span of control refers to the number of individuals a manager supervises.

Establishing departments in organizations is the most common method of establishing formal relationships between individuals. Establishing departments, also known as Departmentation or departmentalization, could be done in different ways depending on the most suitable structure design the Management of the organization thinks would best help in achieving organizational objectives/goals.

Three such ways to establishing departments are by Function, Geography and by Product.

By Function:

Departments here are established to perform specific tasks. There are six basic business functions that organizations could do: Personnel (or currently known as human resource management), Finance, Purchasing, Production, Marketing(including Sales) and Research & Development.

By Geography (Territory):

Departments can be established according to the location in which business is done (i.e. according to the geographical market area).

By Product:

Departments can be established according to the goods and services produced especially if the business finds it difficult to coordinate between the many different kinds of services and business functions.

Next - Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs

Falling For The Work Smart Not Hard MythThe Number 10 Reason Why So Many Fail In Home Businesses

The biggest myth circulating in the business community today on and off the Internet is this notion of working smart not hard. In modern technological and industrialized societies people rarely work hard when compared to societies that have little or no industrial or technological development.

In their misguided and uninformed attempt to amass millions by working smarter not harder, thousands of business-minded individuals began to believe that working smarter meant using more technological aids. Others, began to believe working smarter meant cutting corners, reducing learning curves or entering into a battle of wits with potential customers.

A small, but growing, number began to believe working smarter not harder meant scamming potential entrepreneurs with pyramid schemes, junk moneymaking programs or crash and burn business ventures that were designed not to last. Others began scamming their customers.

Naturally, some of these people earned some money, but in the end they all eventually failed. Well, you ask, "What does working smarter not harder really mean?" It means you have to grow intellectually, psychologically, spiritually, emotionally and sometimes physically to meet whatever challenge you are confronting. This translates back into that four letter word no one likes or wants to hear...work.

Working smarter also means you have to grow in knowledge, wisdom and understanding in order to succeed in your endeavor. For some this means using more technological aids to help their business/es grow. For most, it means solving problems for others. A select few will have to use their ingenuity to design and develop new products and/or services.

For others it will mean replacing old concepts and procedures with new methods and/or techniques in order to realize greater profits or save more time or minimize physical or intellectual effort. Many will need to gain greater understanding of their market, market trends and/or the needs, wants, or desires of a targeted group of people. All this requires work and when you engage in this kind of work professionally or personally, you are truly working smarter not harder.

Part IV: Principles That Can Help Your Personal Growth And Development

5 Principles of Attraction for the Entrepreneur

By: Katie Mattson

Some things come to us naturally. For instance, breathing is habitual, eating is a necessity and sleeping is a needed rejuvenation from a hard day. We seldom think about how we perform these activities. For most, they are effortless.

Similarly, each of the Principles of Attraction could be accessed with lucid, internal reflection. Fortunately, with our busy lifestyles, others have helped us by sharing them in cohesive thoughts.

In starting, or maintaining, a business they can be used to propel us forward. All in all, there are 28 Principles of Attraction (Copyright © 2005 by Coach U. Inc. www.coachu.com) available for you to utilize in demanding a fantastic future.


Below you will find five to begin working with. Keep in mind that these start in your personal life first and then spill over into the business world. Unless they are well practiced and ingrained into who you are, they will never translate successfully or authentically in business. Creating a vision is the first principle of attraction for the Entrepreneur.

Principle #1:

Creating a vision allows you to see what is coming, which means you don’t need to create a future

Instead you are creating an intention and becoming really clear about what you want and how to get it. The theory behind this is that once you state your intention, it begins to manifest itself.

Michael Gerber, author of The E-Myth, argues that this is the most important step. His book outlines the importance of knowing what you want and the type of lifestyle you want to create. From there, he suggests you build your business to fit your ideal lifestyle before your life has no choice but to surrender to your business needs. Sounds like a good plan, right?

Remember to have a big vision. Michelangelo says: "The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it." You deserve the best this world has to offer. The question is – will you be courageous enough to make it happen?

In order to follow your vision, you have to be committed. When you work toward what you really want, you are far more likely to achieve your goals. If you find yourself missing the mark, take ownership. Stop making excuses and stop blaming other people. Look inside, evaluate if you really want it and then figure out what you need to do to get it. Our second principle is about how to get past the hurdles that pop up along the way.

Principle #2:

See how perfect the present really is…even when it clearly is not

Some days you just can't win and everything seems to go wrong. Imagine this: you wake up to a seemingly normal day until your shower is cold, your coffee doesn't taste right, your dog is pulling the stuffing out of one of your couch cushions and your car dies on the way to work. Perfect moments, huh? Admittedly, sometimes it is hard to see our lessons.

One wise business owner once shared that they thought these moments served as the Universe testing our commitment to our goals. By forcing us to stop and face reality instead of barreling forward uninhibited towards our goals, we have to re-evaluate if we really want it bad enough to keep going. Each moment serves as a lesson and it is up to us whether we listen or not.

Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles and co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, came up with this equation for success: Event + Reaction = Outcome. Depending on your reaction to a particular event determines your outcome. You can choose to let an unfortunate incident ruin your day, or you can learn your lesson from it and go on with your day unaffected. Maybe it serves as a reminder that you need to slow down, maybe it's a reminder to get organized or to be more patient. Whatever the lesson, listen up and make the most of it!

Principle #3:

Become irresistibly attractive to yourself

By living authentically according to your purpose, your vision and your choices, you become a magnet for others who have similar viewpoints. Personally, this means you surround yourself with people who understand you and can help you fulfill your needs. In business, this means you are attracting your ideal clients.

Have you ever thought about your ideal client? What if you were working with people everyday that you loved working with? It can happen! By knowing yourself and what type of people you enjoy being around and work best with, you can start attracting those personality types to you. Try to decipher whom you know that inspires and challenges you. Seek out those types as you move forward.

We tend to attract people who are similar to ourselves, who make us feel safe. Remember to add some to your list who really challenge you as well. Once you are comfortable in your own confidence, you will exude a personality that people want to be around. Soon, you can't help but draw others in who want to be around you! Once you've become irresistibly attractive to yourself, then you can market your talents shamelessly.

Principle #4:

Market your Talents Shamelessly

Take a moment and write down 2 talents that you are most proud of. What made those two come to mind immediately? How can you (or do you?) utilize those skills each day personally and professionally?

Whether we are selling a service or a product, most of the time we are really selling ourselves. As we are the face and the voice, our customers must relate to us. If you are embarrassed or unclear about your true talents, you can’t sell them personally or professionally. Once you are clear about your skills, you can use them to your advantage.

We each have a challenge everyday to be our best. Often, we don’t measure up. Be it fear that we are not important enough, that we don’t deserve it, or that someone will say the dreaded word “no” to us, we are afraid to be brilliant. If we choose to allow this fear to take over, we do a disservice to ourselves and to others.

By making that choice, you deprive the world of knowing how truly amazing you are and what a truly amazing product you have to offer. If you don’t feel that way about your product, perhaps you are selling the wrong thing! Our final and most important principle is to eliminate delay.

Principle #5:

Eliminate Delay - Time is expensive

"I believe life is constantly testing us for our level of commitment, and life's greatest rewards are reserved for those who demonstrate a never-ending commitment to act until they achieve. This level of resolve can move mountains, but it must be constant and consistent. As simplistic as this may sound, it is still the common denominator separating those who live their dreams from those who live in regret." -Tony Robbins

All of your yesterdays have past and tomorrow might not exist, so why waste today? Start with the thing you fear most. By tackling the big objects first, you free up your mind (and your nerves) for more opportunity. Often, the fearful tasks are not as bad as the imagination creates them to be.

It’s also important to take care of any little tasks that you are tolerating. Each day those tiny “need-to-do” tasks take up room in your mind. Creating an abundance of time by clearing out the small tasks allows for more freedom and less stress. Be intentional about taking care of things as they come up.

Once you have more time, you can dream up bigger goals to add to your vision. This brings us back to Principle number one, which will continue to grow and change. Don’t waste any more of the time you have to market your talents and show the world what you have to offer. Dream big, don’t let your head get in the way and create time to fully go after everything you want. You deserve it!

Katie Mattson is the owner and professional coach of Momentum Coaching. Acting as a catalyst, Katie helps her clients create awareness and motivation. She works with individuals and small groups clarify their vision and goals, have confidence to face their fears and strengthen their core abilities to go after what they want in life.

For more information, to request a complimentary sample session, or to sign up for her FREE newsletter, visit http://www.energizeyourmoment.com.

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

Part III: Principles That Can Help Your Personal Growth And Development

You might not want to change the world, but the following principles can go a long way toward changing your life and improving the effectiveness of your business.

7 Leadership Principles That Can Change the World

By: Steve Farmer

There are seven universal principles at work behind every choice, every interaction, every word that is said and every action that is taken. Understanding these underlying principles will help you grow and prosper as a leader and as a person.

1. Fairness

Fairness is a principle that's understood by children everywhere, but as we grow up, we each may develop our own individual concept of what is and isn't fair. On your team, there needs to be a common understanding of fairness, and it needs to be defined, communicated and demonstrated by you as the leader every day.

When you make decisions, be open and honest with your team about how they were made and why. People may be resentful or mistrusting of decisions that have been handed down arbitrarily or without input and explanation.

2. Honesty, Integrity and Trust

The people on your team want and need to trust you. They want to know that you've given them all of the facts and that nothing is being hidden from them. The way to gain that trust is by being honest and living with integrity.

If you meet this need for them, you'll gain their trust, understanding and faith. This can't be accomplished by what you say; it needs to be proven by how you live. When you do make a mistake or a bad decision, disclose it. Don't blame someone else, lie or pretend it didn't happen. Be honest about it and move forward.

3. Potential

Everyone is capable of being and doing more than they are now. Everyone on your team - whether they're a rookie or a subject matter expert - needs to feel that you see his or her potential to grow, acquire new skills and develop.

People look to a leader to evoke that from them, inspiring and allowing them to grow, evolve and fulfill their potential so they're constantly improving and learning new things. Don't restrict their growth by assuming they'll adhere to your predictions of how they'll act, think or talk.

See each person's potential and not their limitations. Assume they're growing and evolving all the time, and this will empower them to grow into the next phase of their development, instead of stagnating where they are.

4. Growth

When you're tuned in to each individual's potential for growth and change, you can help that along, actively supporting the new skills they have acquired that will fulfill their potential. You can accelerate their growth by offering them concrete opportunities such as training and upgrading of skills or connecting them to a business coach or mentor. Growth will occur through both positive and negative experiences, so encourage your team members to try new things and to learn and grow even through failure and mistakes.

5. Respect and Dignity

Respect is difficult to earn and easy to lose. Adopt the "golden rule" – treat people how you want to be treated. Treat each team member with respect and dignity for who they are and for the work that they're doing. Recognize and embrace their differences and diversity.

Earn respect by acting with dignity and showing that you have respect for yourself. Be a role model and hold yourself to a higher standard on a daily basis. Reward people in public and correct them in private. This will protect their dignity and reinforce that they can take risks. They'll know that if they do make a mistake or fail they won't be publicly disgraced for it.

6. Service

"For he that is least among you all, the same shall be great" Luke, 9:48. A good leader not only leads the group, he or she is also a servant to the group - a champion for their cause; someone in their corner that will back them up, support them and mentor them.

It's about not just being a figurehead leader, but being of service, working WITH the team and meeting their needs. Examples include making sure they have the equipment they need to fulfill their roles or helping them to cut through the red tape of bureaucracy.

In his book, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", Stephen Covey advocates that you "seek to understand rather than be understood". Aim to understand the needs of your team members, and to serve them instead of just leading them.

The leader has to create the sense of a team or a family, adopting the mentality that, "We succeed or fail as a team". Leaders who don't understand this are the ones who take the credit when things are good and blame others when things are bad.

In difficult times, teams need to have a leader they can rely on to act as their champion. It is the leader's job to wear the target and shield the team if they come under fire. That may mean taking ultimate responsibility for a failure or mistake, or fighting to keep funds or people.

When the outside world is taking shots at the project, or if there are roadblocks to the project, it's the leader's job to shelter the team, take the shots and get through the roadblocks, so the team can focus on getting the job done, and not get distracted by these outside challenges.

7. Quality

"On my Honor I will do my best". Understand that people want to do their best and put out a good product, no one shows up at work to screw up. As a leader, strive to always exemplify that, "quality is job one".

Establish a culture where going above and beyond expectations is the standard; not just for the products or services you create and deliver, but for how you live and work. "Walk the walk", and exemplify this standard in how YOU live and work, and also in how you lead. Don't cut any corners. Always doing your best is a SACRED PLEDGE that you make to your team.

By recognizing and nurturing these seven universal principles, you'll capture the hearts and minds of everyone that you interact with. We are all looking to have the universal principles of Fairness, Honesty, Potential, Growth, Respect, Service and Quality fulfilled in our lives. If you can fulfill them for your team members, you'll connect at a deep level.

You can achieve anything together if you can connect at this basic human level, and your team will work harder for you when they feel that connection. And vice-versa, you'll connect and feel supported by your team if you recognize these needs in them and in yourself.

Steve Farmer is a leader in the field of Coaching. As a skilled professional coach, inspirational speaker and author he brings the power of individual coaching to everyday living. In our frequently over stressed and under involved society, he empowers individuals to follow their dreams, achieve more in their current careers, and maintain a balance between their personal and professional lives.

A busy entrepreneur himself, Steve understands the many demands and challenges facing today's busy adults. He also knows that amidst the chaos, people sometimes need support in maintaining both their sanity and a balanced life. With his innate listening and problem-solving gifts, Steve helps individuals find solutions to their difficult problems.

Whether through one-on-one coaching, workshops, courses or keynote addresses, he helps people to better develop their personal talents and skills so that their journey to success and happiness is easier, more rewarding and less frustrating.

Learn more about steve at his website http://www.innovations4life.com

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

Part II: Principles That Can Help Your Personal Growth And Development

In Part II of our series on principles that can help your personal growth and development, we found an article that will help you you realize the importance of your mental and emotional health.

9 Principles To Live By - To Be Mentally And Emotionally Strong!

By Lucy Wong Moi

Here are 9 principles of purposeful living. We ought to know what are best for us by growing instead of just getting by. Listen first before answering, worry less, fear not, let the Divine's will be done, not us.

Do not take problems to bed, do not wallow in self-pity and count our blessings that all of us have plenty.

[1] You should not worry, for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.

Worry is a negative state of mind which deals with the same problem over and over again, yet nothing is solved.

[2] You should not be fearful, for most of the things we fear never come to pass.

Fear is the opposite of confidence. It is also another negative emotion where it deals with uncertainty and loses heart easily. How can one win when one feels defeated even before the game has started?

[3] You should not cross bridges before you get to them, for no one yet has succeeded in accomplishing this. Deal with each problem as it comes, you can handle only one at a time anyway.

Let God's will be done, not ours. What will happen will happen for a good cause. One cannot deal with unseen problems though one can learn to troubleshoot.

[4] You should not take problems to bed with you for they make very poor bedfellows.

Problems are not solved when one go to sleep, be rested proper to have our energies and spirits renewed to stand tall to face all challenges the next day..

[5] You should not borrow other people's problems. They can take better care of them than you can.

There are numerous other people's problems beyond one's expectations and understandings. Learn to tackle our own problems before giving a hand to others. Solve our own problems before minding other people's problems.

[6] You should not try to relive yesterday for good or bad… it has already gone! Concentrate on what is happening in your life today.

There is no use crying over spilt milk. Be geared towards moving a step at a time. 'Yesterday was a cancelled check, tomorrow is a promissory note, Today is ready cash, Use it to the fullest!' That was what people used to say.

[7] You should be a good listener, for only when you listen do you hear ideas different from your own. It is very hard to learn something new when you are talking.

We have a pair of ears but only one mouth. Be patient to speak before understanding. Our mouths serve us best when in accord with inner conscience where Truth dwells..

[8] You should not become bogged down by frustration, for 90 percent of it is rooted in self-pity, and it will only interfere with positive action.

Self-pity is the web that spins miseries and traps oneself with their 'self-dug-pits' or dungeons. Slithering snakes and crawling insects will be your friends while in the darkness of frustrations.

[9] You should count your blessings, never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one!

For every blessings known to you, there are hundreds more that you don't know. Have heart in all you do. Always be grateful in all we have. Gratitude is a virtue for all. Gratitude is a key to peace of mind and heart.

When one seeks to assuage the suffering of others, it is really one's own suffering that one mitigates the relief. When one direct one's attention to the inner-self, which is Truth, one will perceive the same Divinity to be present in all. Thus it makes up these 9 principles to live by.........

Lucy Wong is a health and nutrition consultant. She is keen in sharing the 4 dimensions of health, aiming at attaining total health and happiness for all. She has written many articles on health related issues in her personal column at http://articlesubmission.info Read more about alternative approach of maintaining good health at Health Article Directory where you will discover the secrets of maintaining good health in men, women and teens. Read more from her personal blog.

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

Part I: Principles That Can Help Your Personal Growth And Development

Our next series of post will feature Articles from around the Internet that, we hope, will help all our Associates succeed in their endeavors.

The 7 Principles of Business Integrity

By: Robert Moment

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 best-selling author, business coach, strategist and the founder of The Moment Group, a consulting firm dedicated to helping small businesses win federal contracts. He just released his new book, It Only Takes a Moment to Score, and recently unveiled Sell Integrity, a small business tool that helps you successfully sell your business idea. Learn more at: http://www.sellintegrity.com

or email: Robert@sellintegrity.com