Business - How To Be a Successful Businessman

By Peter Venero

As a business owner, the responsibility for the success of your organisation falls on your shoulders. With the markets in the delicate state it's in, wouldn't it be nice if you were one of the businesses that was not affected? Here are 8 Business New Year Resolutions that will help you succeed at enjoying that rainbow at the end of the storm.

1. I will Promote and market my business. This is important if you want to seperate yourself from the competition. Focus on value added benefits and the bargain your particular products and/or services offer.

2. I will focus more on customer service. People are looking for the personal touch from local businesses. Don't disappoint them. Make an effort to know your customers and their needs.
3. I will communicate more with my customers. It is your customers that should come first. Treat them well and stay in contact with them - and they will return. There are many ways to do this. It can be as simple as a printed newsletter sent out once a quarter, an e-mail message reminding them about your new and improved services, personal telephone calls to your best customers, or improving your web site.

4. I will upgrade my technology. You've been putting it off too long. It's time to start using the Internet and other new technologies to your advantage to improve your business. We'll be go over some handy tips in fourth-coming installments.

5. I will work more efficiently. Can you identify three things you can do to be more efficient and effective in your current job? Are you spending too much time on e-mail, for example? Too much time returning phone calls? Does it interrupt your work too frequently? Sometimes, those job inefficiencies are not very obvious. However, if you can specifically identify them, then those inefficiencies can be eliminated and you can become more productive. This can increase work satisfaction as well.

6. I will increase my working network in and out of my immediate area and inside and outside my company. Could you use getting to know more people? Can you meet more people not just to say hello, but to find out what they do, how they do it and what skills they use to be productive? Let them know about your traits, abilities and interests, too. Ask yourself if you can you interact with them to mutually benefit both your jobs. Can you include them in your circle of contacts so that you can call on them when you need a favor, a contact, or a reference? The reverse should be true as well.

7. I will re-evaluate my business model and business plan. It might be time, in light of the economic situation,to look closely at your products and services to better focus your resources and target your promotions.

8. I won't get stressed out! Do whatever it takes to keep yourself healthy and sane in the New Year. Enroll in a calming yoga or metaphysical class. Remember, your customers count on you to be there for them. They are, in a real sense, like an extended family. So, exercise, eat wisely, and stay focused.

Have a happy, healthy and most prosperous 2009.

Peter Venero has been doing business online since 1999. Peter also runs his own consultancy Creatiq http://www.creatiq.com in Sydney, Australia where he works directly with small business owners on improving their own online business in areas such as selling online, strategy, technology and design and getting more clients.

By Jon L Iveson

Budgets are really tightening. Layoffs have come in droves. In fact, as I write this article, it was announced that more than 50,000 layoffs occurred yesterday. Tension is high on all fronts. And uncertainty is clearly dominating the minds of most people.

Staying positive doesn't mean you ignore current reality. It means operate with optimism and hope despite the negatives of the current bleak reality. You face the brutal facts of the situation but you never lose faith. It is more than the passive hope that comes with going to bed and praying that the nightmare will be over when you wake up.

Now is a time to focus on the right basic fundamentals and look for opportunities to test new inspired and leveraged action to create your new reality. The world economy is going through a dramatic change right now and will never be the same again. So, passive hope only puts you further behind when things do get better. You must use these times to sharpen your strategies, skills, and tools!

If you study history, you'll find that a lot of people and organizations made a name for themselves and grew their businesses during tough times. In fact, Allstate Insurance now has a commercial speaking about its roots from The Great Depression Era. The key for these successful people and organizations was their focus on thriving while others merely tried to survive.

You can do the same things right now to thrive if you stay positive (and have effective strategies for staying positive), fight back fear (and have effective strategies for fighting back fear), and take initiative in the right areas.

Here are five ways to thrive during these tough times:

1. Don't actively participate in the Recession
Businesses and people that thrived during past recessions focused on "forward movement" regardless of the market conditions. They remained optimistic, worked smart and hard and took action in a forward direction. They did what was necessary to deal with their reality decisively and quickly so that they could spend their best energy on forward movement. They left for others to allow fear to paralyze them.

2. Increase Marketing
During recessions, there is far less competitive clutter in the marketplace. People and organizations need to cut expenses and thus pull back on marketing activities and initiatives. There is a great opportunity to build your brand, expand your presence and gain market share during a recession. You might have to re-evaluate your market strategies and how you direct your funds but you can get creative and focused in building awareness, relationships and trust in the marketplace. People will buy from those who they trust. In fact, trust is a very big part of the buying process during tough times.

3. Get Innovative
Great ideas, innovations, and new business ventures are born during tough times. In fact, the boundaries and constraints of tough times help to get thriving people and organizations really focused on transformation. During booming times, it is much easier to dismiss transformational change and innovations. Allstate, GE, Disney, Microsoft and many other successful companies were all born during recessions.

4. Focus on Talent and Strengths
There is no better time to attract, get, and keep the best talent in the marketplace. Over 1 million people were displaced from jobs in 2008. Not all of these people are low performers. There are many talented, high performing people looking for opportunities. Make finding talented people a daily goal. It is also a good time to re-align people and jobs to better fit their strengths and those of the company. If you do these two things, you'll position yourself well for when the market rebounds.

5. Be Audacious and take Inspired Action
The Empire State Building and the Golden Gate Bridge were both built during the Great Depression. And as I said earlier, Allstate, GE, Disney, Microsoft were all born during recessions. They were a result of people setting audacious aspirations during tough times. Not all aspirations will be achieved fully but people and organizations with audacious aspirations, visions, and goals who take inspired action will be many more times likely to have a brighter future than those that don't set their sights high. Add an optimistic attitude and hard work to the equation and you just might be surprise how this current recession became such a great blessing!

About the Author:
Jon L. Iveson, Ph.D., The Champion's Coach, is a Gazelles Certified Coach who helps individuals and companies produce champion results and build champion relationships. Assess how ready you are
(http://www.learningtobeachampion.com/assessments/thechampions.htm) or your company is (http://www.learningtobeachampion.com/assessments/winningcompanies.htm) to "Thrive during Tough Times."