The Tak Team Blog

The world of business startups is rife with option. You can take on a franchise or start your own business from the ground up. each approach has its pros and cons.

The world is rife with franchise opportunities.Your local town center is probable full of franchises. Franchises are typically founded on a tried and tested business model. When you buy into a franchise, many aspects of the business including marketing are taken care of off. There are many different franchises available. Some will give you the business name, equipment and everything you need for start up, others only give you the basics and you still have to buy or lease a location, purchase equipment and the inventory you will need.

Some key drawbacks of buying a franchise however are that they are typically inflexible in terms to making it your own, and you must pay for the privilege up front. Visit the Key Mergers website for more information or if you would like to f you would like to buy a business or even to sell one.

Building your very own company from the bottom up however means that you can grow the business organically over time, you can limit your initial outlay and you can be as creative with the direction of your business as you like. Depending on how novel your new enterprise is, it is possible that your will have a steep testing curve and will have to make all of your own connections.

At the end of the day, the rational for choosing whether to buy a franchise or start a business from scratch are dependent on what your want to get out of the enterprise. There is no one size fits all advise.

In the marketplace, different firms take different strategy stances. This is but natural. As long as their situational designs and consequently their specific requirements of strategy differ from each other, they will evidently follow different strategy stances. One firm may find it appropriate to have a direct confrontation with the market leader; another may find it appropriate to keep aloof for some time from the heat of competition; the third may find it relevant to chalk out a strategy of sheer survival. It is essential to understand that there is no universally valid strategy stance. It is so because the various firms do not share the same situational design.

Companies draw relevant elements and forge unique strategies to suit their unique situational design and relative position in the industry. Broadly, these strategy stances can be classified under three heads- offensive/ confrontation strategy, defensive strategy and niche strategy.

Offensive strategy, also known as confrontation strategy, is as the name indicates a strategy of aggression/confrontation. A firm that is not presently the leader, but aspires to leadership position in the industry, usually employs an offensive strategy. The crux is that the firm adopting an offensive strategy automatically assumes the position of the challenger; the leader, mostly, is its target of attack.

A defensive strategy is usually employed by the leader who has the compulsion to defend his position against the confrontation of powerful existing competitors or strong new entrants trying to dislodge the leader from his topmost position. The leader’s concern is, how best can I defend my position? The leader cannot assume that its position in the industry is safe and its job easy. It has to maintain constant vigilance and defend its position against the attack of the challengers, because in any industry challengers keep appearing.

A firm practicing the niche strategy neither confronts others nor defends itself. It cultivates a small market segment for itself with unique products/services supported by a unique marketing mix. These segments will be too small to attract big competitors. Normally, smaller firms with distinctive capabilities adopt a niche strategy.

Strategy provides detailed information on Strategy, Business Strategy, Strategy Games, Marketing Strategy and more. Strategy is affiliated with Strategic Planning Info.

How many times have you heard:

• “You’ve got to drop your price by 10% or we will have no choice but to go with your competition.”

• “You will have to make an exception to your policy if you want our business.”

• “I know that you have good quality and service, but so do your competitors. What we need to focus on here is your pricing.”

• “I agree that those special services you keep bringing up would be nice, but we simply don’t have the funds to purchase them. Could you include them at no additional cost?”

Every time you hear statements like these, you’re in the middle of a difficult sales negotiation. How you handle that negotiation will determine whether or not you close the sale and how profitable that sale will be. In order to give you a real edge every time, I have listed below some key points taken from my sales negotiation training seminar.

Don’t Believe Everything You See and Hear

Part of a good salesperson’s skill is to learn to read people and situations very quickly. However, when it gets down to negotiating, you have to take everything you see and hear with a grain of salt. Buyers are good negotiators, and thus they are good actors. You may be the only person who has what she needs, but everything she does and says, from body language to the words she uses, will be designed to lead you to believe that unless she gets an extra 10% off, she’s going with the competition. Be skeptical. Be suspicious. Test, probe, and see what happens.

Don’t Offer Your Bottom Line Early in the Negotiation

How many times have you been asked to “give me your best price”? Have you ever given your best price only to discover that the buyer still wanted more? You have to play the game. It’s expected. If you could drop your price by 10%, start out with 0%, or 2%, or 4%. Leave yourself room to negotiate some more. Who knows - you may get it for a 2% reduction. You might have to go all the way to 10%, but often you won’t. A little stubbornness pays big dividends.

Get Something in Return for Your Added Value

What if you discover that the buyer wants to be able to track his expenditures for your products or services in a way that is far more detailed and complex than is standard for your industry? What if your account tracking system is set up in a way that you can provide that information at essentially no cost to you? Often the salesperson’s overwhelming temptation is to jump in and say, “Oh, we can do that. That’s no problem.” Before you do, however, think about your options. You could throw it in as part of the package and try to build good will. Or you could take a deep breath and try something like, “That’s a difficult problem that will require some effort on our part, but it’s doable.”

In the second case, without committing, you’ve told the buyer it is possible. You may not be able to get him to pay extra for it but you may be able to use it as a bargaining chip in resisting price concessions. Which way you choose to go will depend on who your customer is and on the situation. However, you do have options.

Sell and Negotiate Simultaneously

Think of selling and negotiating as two sides of the same coin. Sometimes one side is face up, and sometimes the other side, but they are always both there. This is particularly true in your earliest contacts with the buyer. The face the buyer sees is that of a salesperson demonstrating features and benefits. The hidden face is that of a negotiator probing and seeking out information that may be invaluable later should issues like price, terms, quality, delivery, etc. have to be negotiated.

Be Patient

Finally, and most important, be patient. Sales is a high energy, fast moving business. Patience is one commodity that is in relatively short supply, but if you’re impatient in a negotiation, you’ll lose your shirt. If I’m negotiating with you and I know that you’re impatient, I will hold out just a little longer, no matter how desperate I am to make a deal with you. As long as I know you’re in a hurry, I’ll wait.

So be patient. Take the time that you need, don’t rush to give in, don’t show your anxiety, stay cool and don’t panic. Negotiation is a process and a game. Use the process and play the game. You’ll be astonished at the difference that it makes!

(c) Michael Schatzki - 2004. All rights reserved.

About The Author

Michael Schatzki is a master negotiator who, for over 20 years, has provided sales negotiation training seminars and coaching for thousands of people in the U.S. and globally. More than 75% of Mike’s programs are for satisfied, repeat customers. The Negotiation Dynamics(r) system really works. Check out all of Mike’s articles at http://www.NegotiationDynamics.com. Mike can be reached at (888) 766-3530.

Mike@NegotiationDynamics.com

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.

One of the useful methods of valuing ideas is to analyse whether the firm, team or individual responsible for turning an idea into a commercial success has the required fit.

Fit with the firm can be measured in a number of ways:

a) Does the idea have a strategic fit with the company? It may be a great idea but if lacks strategic fit, its development and commercialisation may cause long term problems. In this case there are three choices: drop it, license it or create a joint venture.

b) Does the firm have the technical expertise to make it work? If not where can it be found? What is the cost of importing the technical expertise?

c) Does the organisation have the business competencies to make it work? These include competencies in marketing, new product development, the ability to manage widely diverse and scattered employees and facilities. Again, is the idea big enough to justify the expense?

These topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com.

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

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You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com.

This article relates to the Ethics in the Workplace competency,
commonly evaluated in employee surveys. It gives examples of how
employees and customers consider ethical behavior and sound
values an integral part of your organization. This competency
covers a variety of topics like customer treatment, employee
professionalism, and expected/acceptable organizational
behaviors. At a high level, this competency will investigate the
standards by which your employees treat your customers,
co-workers, and the organization itself.

This short story, Work Ethics and the Customer, is part of
AlphaMeasure’s compilation, Tales from the Corporate Frontlines.
It provides a view from the customer’s side of the counter that
might inspire you to rethink the old phrase “the customer is
king”.

Anonymous Submission

I work in a back office environment. The front lines of customer
service are far away, so I don’t think much about the ethical
matters involved in providing good service.

All of that changed recently, when I found myself on the
customer side of that check out terminal (formerly known as a
cash register), and in dire need of help.

I was shopping for a USB computer keyboard to attach to my
computer. I needed that type, and only that type, and I needed
it that very day. I visited four different retail stores, all
large chains, and had four noteworthy experiences that left me
thinking about ethical behavior.

On he first visit, I asked an obviously available (he was
playing a video game) sales person how I could tell the
difference between PS2 and USB port keyboards as the display
models cords were embedded into the rack. His response was -” I
just know from working here”. Okay. Not unethical, but not
helpful either. Well, which one is cheapest, I asked. He showed
me a $70 keyboard. I left the store.

At the next stop, I saw no keyboards, so asked a sales person
(once she was off the telephone making plans for the evening.)
“Oh, she said, the only ones we have come with the computers.” I
thanked her and went home. The rest of this odyssey would have
to wait.

At home, I called another chain store, navigated the voice mail,
and asked the clerk if they had USB keyboards in the store and
for the cost of the lowest priced model. After a quick click and
a short silence, he told me of course, they are $24. Great, I
was on my way. It was Saturday evening and the store was packed.
I found the keyboard section, and stood there amazed. He had
outright lied. The lowest priced model was $80. There was
nothing remotely near $24. The few clerks on duty were swamped.
I found one available in another department and told him about
my situation. He was genuinely sympathetic and suggested that I
visit the nearby superstore on the hill. I thanked him and left.

There my journey ended. I found my keyboard, after hours of
searching, amid opened boxes (apparently some of them lied, too)
in a crowded aisle in the electronics department of a store
selling every product imaginable. I was exhausted. No wonder
people shop online.

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© 2005 AlphaMeasure
Employee Surveys, Inc. - All Rights Reserved

This article may be reprinted, provided it is published in its
entirety, includes

the author bio information, and all links remain active.

————————————————————-

We must never forget that the most powerful communication isn’t what you say, it’s what you do. What counts, in the final analysis, is not what people are told but what they accept. It is this concept of the role of communication in industry that characterizes effective leadership. - Frank E. Fischer

The majority of people who are considered excellent conversationalists will tell you that they spend far more time listening than speaking. They also ask questions of clarification, making sure they fully understand what is being said before contributing their own thoughts about the topic. This as you may know is easier said than done. It takes practice, practice and more practice.

Chances are when you are participating in a conversation you are listening from a defensive posture to interject you views at the expense of the other individual. Part of the reason for this is that we are emotionally bonded to our views. Believing in your views is a good thing except when the evidence suggests that they are not correct. Don’t be so possessive of your views that you will not change them in a heart beat when presented with contrary evidence.

The best way to ensure that you are listening completely is to imagine that your mind’s inner voice is a tape recorder. As the person speaks repeat everything that is said in your mind’s inner voice. This process helps you in a variety of ways: you are not going to interrupt the conversation prematurely because you are repeating what is said in your mind, you are increasing you understanding of the issue because you first hear it, then repeat it.

The next step is to ask questions of clarification or check for understanding. Once the question is asked start the process all over again. Continue this process until the other person has finished. Once you fully understand the other person’s position or point of view you can begin to present your view.

This process takes time however the long term benefits are that you will be considered a leader who is trustworthy, understanding, supportive and accepted by the people who you supervise and your supervisors. You will immediately distinguish yourself as a leader worthy of being followed.

There will be times, when it is not possible to have a two way conversation, to gather ideas, suggestions and options. One way communication should be reserved for emergencies, deadlines, directives and after you have considered all the views, options, and suggestions of your team to make the final decision.

The final outcome is to make far more good decisions than poor judgments. If things do go wrong, bring your team together to review how the poor outcome could have been avoided and prevent it from occurring next time. Some may call this process quality improvement and others call it an after action report. It doesn’t matter what you call it; the process is what is important.

Your success as a leader depends on how good a listener you are and the quality of your questions. You may think that as a leader you should control the conversation and wonder how that can be done when you are repeating everything that is said in your mind and asking clarification questions. Think of it this way when you ask an informed question based upon what you have heard and repeated aren’t you really determining the direction of the conversation?

Active listening, mentally repeating what is said and asking clarification questions is a win, win process for everyone involved.

Kenneth E. Strong, Jr., MS, is co-founder 0f http://www.greateststrategies.com a web based community devoted to educating, supporting and developing life-long learners.

Mr. Strong has been a Health Care executive for 30 years. Mr. Strong received a Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration from Providence College and a Master of Science in Health Care Administration from Salve Regina College He has had articles published by the American Geriatric Society and has spoken on a variety of topics for the American College of Health Care Administrators and the New England Not-for-Profit Providers Conferences. Mr. Strong has also served as Adjunct Professor at Stonehill College. He is also an evaluator for the Continuing Care Accreditation Commission and a certified Retirement Housing Professional. He is certified by Walden University as an online instructor and certified by Langevin Learning Services as an Instructional Designer/Developer and Master trainer.

At your next staff meeting consider leading your team through the following discussion.

This lesson is focused on getting people to think in terms of effective leadership. When helping a co-worker, or a customer, employees must understand their role as a leader. The exercise goes like this:

Introduction of the Exercise: (feel free to create your own similar story to support the exercise)

Like many who come from a small town, I was amazed at the number of transients who made the campus of the university I attended their local residence.

At first, the idea of having to walk past many of these individuals was a bit scary. I was not accustomed to being solicited for money or “spare change”.

However, after a few weeks of walking to class and regularly being asked for “a quarter for a cup of coffee”, the experience quickly became routine.

In fact, after a while, if I didn’t see one of the regular panhandlers for a period of time, I would wonder where he was keeping himself.

Certainly, after a brief period, the transients became a small part of my environment, part of my daily experience of college life. Over time, I got to know some of them by name, and they became familiar with who I was.

In any event, one of the most notable transients I became acquainted with was a man by the name of Uncle Ben. Uncle Ben could often be seen dragging a short rope behind him as he walked down the street.

You would think, by watching Uncle Ben, that he was delusional and under the misguided assumption that he had a dog tied to the end of the rope.

Uncle Ben would look back at the end of the rope as he walked, and say - “Come on now boy, keep up.”

Very often someone would witness this questionable behavior as Uncle Ben approached and they would ask simply, “Why are you pulling that rope?”

(At this point, give each team member a short piece of string and ask them to experiment with the “rope”. Pull it back and forth along the table. Then ask them to guess as to what Uncle Ben’s response is going to be. Then continue the story.)

Again, very often someone would witness the behavior as Uncle Ben approached, and they would ask simply, “Why are you pulling that rope?”

Uncle Ben would quickly reply, “Well have you ever tried PUSHING a rope? It doesn’t work very well!” This always made Uncle Ben holler in laughter as he kept walking past the person who fell victim to his humor.

You have to give Uncle Ben credit. Indeed, you can’t very well push a rope.

In conclusion, make this strong point to your group:

By “pulling” the rope, it will follow you anywhere. Try to “push” it, and the rope goes nowhere at all. The same can be said for the art of leadership.

Leadership is the ability to make people want to follow you. They do that when they see that you are willing to work alongside them and take a vested interest in their success.

People will follow you if they feel you know where you are taking them. If they feel you have integrity and truly care about their success.

We must each pull our co-workers with us. We must pull our customers toward us. Otherwise, we run the risk of pushing them all away.

Richard Gorham is the founder and President of Leadership-Tools, Inc. His web site, http://www.leadership-tools.com is dedicated to providing free tools and resources for today’s aspiring leaders. Offering high-quality tools in the areas of Business Planning, Leadership Development, Customer Service, Sales Management and Team Building.

Have you ever had someone ask you to do some thing and then later forget about what they told you to do?

One night, my wife and I had some friends from out of town come by. They were making a road trip out of a company-sponsored event that he worked for and it happened to be in the town we live in.

My wife and I were planning to go camping that weekend and it was great to have them call and tell us they were going to be in town and were thinking about going camping too, after his golfing tournament.

So, in the afternoon our wives went out to reserve our camping spot, and I stayed back to take care of some business and to wait for my friend who was at the golf tournament.

Later that day, my wife called me and asked me to get three items. One, get the dog leash, two, get the Bar-B-Q, and I could not remember what the third item was. I thought about it and I just could not remember what it was.

So, I went about getting other things done. Then all of a sudden not more than an hour later the answer came to me. The third item was firewood! The answer came to me without any effort.

This is a great example of how to accomplish any goal, and that is; when you have stated your goal (intention) and you don’t know what to do next, don’t do anything! The answer will come to you when you just ALLOW it to come to you.

This is so hard for many people. We are so programmed to be doers. We have an inner dialog that is going on inside our head that is telling us DO SOMETHING, work hard, get going, start now and in reality the best thing to do is nothing.

When you feel led to do some thing, then go for it. Full force!

How many decisions have you made that you have regretted later for not having waited for some more time. Sometimes the decision that is made makes things worse.

So, the simple solution to accomplishing any goal is to; state your intention - write it down, say it out loud, then ask yourself, how can this be done? Then let it go and ALLOW the answer to come to you.

If you have experienced forgetting some thing and then remembering it out of the blue, then you have the power to accomplish all your goals and dreams, and this is what Activate Your Potential Institute is all about; helping you to discover you have everything you need to accomplish every goal or dream you have. You’re that amazing!

Anthony Treas is a life coach, motivational speaker, mentor, and soon to be published author (Nov. 05′). Anthony provides mentor coaching by providing support that allows his clients to discover their full potential. For more information visit: Activate Your Potential Institute

My goal in life is to have no goals. They get in the way of true progress.

Plenty of successful people swear by goal setting. They’re praising the wrong behavior. Brain research tells us that the goals don’t matter–it’s the intention that gets us where we want to go.

Intentions and goals are not the same. Goals tend to be arbitrary and number-oriented, such as the number of pounds lost, amount of money earned, number of hours spent in the gym, number of new clients introduced or new products developed. Intentions are big-picture statements about what fulfills you. It’s a little harder to measure an intention, but the results are more meaningful.

Let’s say you want to lose 20 pounds. How will you feel when you do that? What will your life be like if you are 20 pounds lighter? Establishing an intention requires recognizing what will satisfy you.

You want to lose weight so that you will feel healthy, strong, fit, confident, attractive, and sexy. The number on the scale isn’t what matters most–it’s how you feel each day.

Here’s a weight loss goal: I will lose 20 pounds in five months.

Here’s an intention: I feel strong, healthy, fit, confident, attractive and sexy.

The problem with typical goals is that we tend to get bogged down by our “even though” statements. We tell ourselves that we are going to lose 20 pounds EVEN THOUGH we failed last time, EVEN THOUGH we question our ability to do so, EVEN THOUGH we don’t think we’ll be able to maintain it. Our minds go directly to the negative images and we sabotage our efforts before we even begin!

Here’s a thought: Why not create an intention that will get your brain to work for you instead of against you?

Intentions allow us to picture ourselves–and how we’ll feel–when we are successful. There’s no room for failure in the picture. We focus on the positive and powerful feelings we’ll have.

Intentions are always stated in present tense, as though you are already where you want to be. Instead of saying, “I will be strong, fit, healthy, etc.”, you say, “I feel strong, fit, healthy, etc.” What seems like a small semantic difference is a huge shift in our brains.

The latest brain studies suggest that the most effective way to change our beliefs is to create a mental story of success. We need to picture ourselves as we want to be, and we need to talk about it. Here’s the basic formula: See it, say it, hear it.

Our unconscious brain sees everything in pictures. It does not filter images based on what our conscious mind considers true, likely or possible. It literally does not distinguish between reality and fantasy. Think of the nonsensical dreams you’ve had!

Language is most fully processed in the brain when there is a visualized image to go along with it. These images and words become linked to create our “truth”– at least, according to our brains. And that’s where it matters most.

Say it out loud, and you’re engaging your aural learning skills as well.

By intentionally creating new images through visualization, we literally create our own version of reality, and as you’ve probably learned by now, we tend to live in whatever reality we construct. Our potential is limited only by the mental images we choose to develop and store. It’s that simple–and that profound.

Stop setting goals, and start creating intentions. The secret is to include ALL of these steps:

• SEE yourself in the circumstances you desire. Picture it perfectly.

• Craft a one-paragraph story that you would like to be true, and SAY it in present tense, as though you are describing your life right now.

• Repeat, repeat, repeat. Demand to HEAR that same story every night before you go to sleep.

What’s your intention? Focus on feelings, not numbers. Picture it, and write it down. Repeat it to yourself until it becomes familiar and beloved–complete with favorite parts, great pictures, and a happy ending.

Stop pushing toward goals and start being pulled by your intentions. Let your brain go to work for you.

See it, say it, hear it. You’ll never need another goal!

About The Author

Maya Talisman Frost is a mind masseuse. Her work has inspired thinkers in over 80 countries. She serves up a satisfying blend of clarity, comfort and comic relief in her free weekly ezine, the Friday Mind Massage. To subscribe, visit http://www.massageyourmind.com.

maya@massageyourmind.com