Come Equipped To Suggest Other People You Can Connect Them With Or A Client They Should Meet

Business, Communication.

How to build a cross referral network with trusted advisors to market your law practice - the key to advertising your law firm is building long - term, and influential associations, meaningful with strategic referral sources( srps) . For example, if your law firm targets small business owners, some of the potential SRPs would be: accountants, chambers of commerce, financial planners, community leaders, CPA, local bankers' s, commercial real estate agents, and payroll processing companies just to name a few.

Strategic Referral Sources are people who already have a relationship with the people that you want as clients. - here' s one great tactic we have used with great accomplishment: set up a cross - referral network. Step Choose a group of professionals you would like to network with. Here' s how to do it. This may consist of non - competing attorneys, financial planners, accountants, business brokers, etc, commercial bankers. Step Write a letter of introduction and overview.

Gather their names, phone numbers, email addresses, and mailing addresses into a database. - here' s a sample to get your juices going. "hello, i' m attorney jack smith and i' m with a local law firm and as you' ve noticed the economy is experiencing some ripples in it. We are looking to connect with other experienced, trusted advisors and create a local cross referral network. We know the competition for qualified service advisors is getting more and more extreme with more people entering the field. Over the last fifteen years we' ve been practicing law, we have focused our practice on working with small business owners and high net worth individuals on estate planning, wills and trusts and asset protection. We are not looking for any kind of a payment for facilitating this connection, but we would like to officially invite you to join us and see if this is something that you would like to be a part of.

Through a series of breakfast meetings and private meetings at our office, we' re going to construct a cross referral network with a limited number of other professionals who are committed to growing their practice and to sending each other cross referrals. - for more information give us a call at this number or visit our website to learn more about our law practice. " step send out the letter to at least 30 to 40 qualified professionals and then have your staff follow up with a phone call. Be sure to set the model during the meeting. As people respond invite them to either a small breakfast meeting at your office or a one - on - one lunch with you and your partners. Come equipped to suggest other people you can connect them with or a client they should meet. As the old saying goes, givers get. They will follow your lead so be sure get them going in the right path.

Step The fortune is in the follow up. - in your email and letter outline three or four ways the two of you can start sending referrals immediately or recommend people you would like to introduce them to. Immediately after the individual meetings send a thank you email and a letter about 3 days after that. Step Meet with them on a monthly basis. Phone calls are better, but nothing beats meeting your referral sources once a month. Emails are good.

Once you start connecting with several people get them together and facilitate the connection. - building a cross - referral network does not happen overnight, but with this law firm marketing strategy our clients have been able to start generating new referrals within just a few short weeks. - - - - - - - - - - http: //www. You want to be seen as the hub to which all the spokes are connected to each other. LawFirmMarketingMistakes. com

It Is In This" Uniqueness" That We Are All The Same

Business, Communication.

Four simple questions that will make or break your business - here are four questions for you: do you find it challenging to answer the question, "what' s your unique selling position( usp) ?" do you talk about the features of your product or service verses addressing the benefits by answering( before they ask) "so what' s so good about that? " do you discount your actions or accomplishments with statements like, "oh that, it was nothing" ? If you answered yes to any one of those questions - keep reading. Do you believe it is vanity to think you are something special - that you have a talent or gift unique to you and no one else can do exactly what you do?

In business it' s important to highlight those things that set you apart from others in your industry. - i had a revealing dream wherein i was hanging out in an old shanty looking at photos of several of our female relatives and they were in full dress green marine corps uniforms. In the past 30+ years I' ve worked with hundreds of individuals, in many different arenas, getting them to see how they are" unique" . I remember thinking, I know this person and she hadn' t been in the Marines, so I asked when she had enlisted. Hmmm. The person I was talking with answered me" she went in just a few years ago" . The problem was she was a grandmother.

In reality, none of my female relatives served in the military. - i woke up reviewing. Yet, going through these, there I was dream pictures looking at them as Corporals' and Sergeants' doing things that I, a Former Marine had done myself. The" oh that was nothing" statement when someone delivers a compliment. The dream was about the desire to discount what I do. There have been times that I was extremely uncomfortable with the question" what makes you unique" . Often times in the discomfor of expressing our uniqueness we fall back to these template driven statements - the elevator speech, or Audio Business Card, that sounds like one of these: "Hi I' m Jane/ John Doe and I am a therapist/ coach/ chiropractor. " OR. " Hi I' m Jane/ John Doe and I paint houses/ design websites/ teach computer skills. " OR. " Hi I' m Jane/ John Doe and I sell health/ skin care/ home care products( by brand name if they feel the brand is a strong hook) ." We then proceed to tell every feature our product provides.

Over the years I have realized that I was NOT unique in that" discomfort" . - and even the slowest elevator isn' t enough time to get. e v e r y t h i n g. in. I' ve done this too. I know. In truth, our reaction is, "So what? " You provide" quality service" , "excellent products" . . . and so do a thousand other people. In Deepak Chopra' s book, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, he writes that the 7th Spiritual Law is the" Law of Dharma" . We still have avoided the key element - what makes YOU unique for promoting that product.

In short, that law says when you combine your unique talent with service to humanity you make full use of the Law of Dharma. - this wealth is manifest in various ways including health, relationship, spirit, and financial. Your actions, coming from a place of your unique talent( s) bring about wealth. My friend, a well, Chellie Campbell - known author on creating weath, could be classified as a Financial Coach. Looking deeper into her USP, Chellie helps thousands with her unique, insightful and heartwarming approach to money, different than any other financial coach. If you saw her as just that you' d miss the mark.

She is abundantly successful today by being honest and totally" Chellie" down to her gold and jeweled tennis shoes, in addition to serving others with her" USP" . - it is not ego( edging god out) to move through life as if you are unique. It is not vanity to know that you are special. Even Christ said" Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. " Somehow, I like many, along the way others, massaged that statement into the idea that I am to abase myself. I am not advocating the" glorification of man" just that we were told to let OUR light/ work shine. I must be sure that others see every good thing I do as a" work of God" and every bad thing I do as a result of my humanity or" humanness" .

In that simple act - God is glorified. - spend some time today, tomorrow or as long as it takes, getting to know what makes you unique. It is in this" uniqueness" that we are all the same. What is it that you have to offer, from the inside out, that makes you different from everyone else? When you do that first - all of the beauty and success you desire will be yours.

This Will Go A Long Way Toward Getting The Right People Behind Your Invention

Business, Communication.

How to get the right people behind your invention - all inventors have, at one time or another, pined for" the right people. " be they investors, distributors, programmers, writers, butchers, architects, bakers, personnel is a, or candlestick makers crucial ingredient to the success of any invention. In this article, we' ll walk you through finding and keeping the personnel you need to make your invention a hit.

But getting the right people behind your invention is a road more easily mapped than traveled. - the task can essentially be divided into two categories: investors, and everybody else. In addition to advertising your desperation, this is a mistake for standard business reasons. Investors( and how big a slice of future profits to give up for any personnel) Some inventors are so desperate for investment capital or key personnel that they offer irrationally high percentages of future profits for those people to come aboard. John T. To put it briefly, if you are paying 50% interest or 50% of your profits to your silent partners, you are an incompetent businessman.

Reed, Harvard Business School graduate and real estate guru, explains why: "At Harvard Business School, one of the lessons we learned was that one' s cost of capital was an indication of one' s competence as a businessperson. - some successful investors would protest that was how they got their start. I know some of them. I don' t doubt it. But it was still a dumb move and the investors in question are lucky such terms did not blow up in their face and ruin their reputations before they got started. " If you are a competent, accomplished person in your area of expertise, you should not be giving up half of your future profits for an investor to fund you. Unfortunately, many naive or beginning inventors fall into this trap because they lack startup capital or believe they must do whatever it takes to attract X person to their operation.

The same goes for other personnel you need. - instead, use a different approach. However, if this cannot be done, you should approach investors after you have a proof - of - concept of your invention. The best route is normally to forgo outside investors altogether and bootstrap your invention with savings or small loans from friends or relatives. If at all possible, you should try to get some cash flow going before seeking outside capital. The website Anti Venture Capital explains why this helps you to attract investors later: Pretend for a moment that you are a venture capitalist or angel investor. Try to drum up some kind of sales or progress with whatever you have accomplished so far.

Two founders visit you about separate deals. - one entrepreneur answers that he has been able to finish his business plan as well as find a means to generate cashflow which is being used to move the main project further along. You ask them each what progress they have made in the 3 or 6 months that they have been working on their respective projects. Now he needs more money to fully capitalize on this developing opportunity. Which entrepreneur would you be more impressed by if you were the investor? The other entrepreneur can only point to the" great" business plan he' s polished to perfection over the past 6 months and the" great" opportunity lying before him.

This demonstrates that you have something tangible. - professionals with special skill sets. It also lets you keep your dignity when negotiating terms rather than begging them to accept half of your future profits. Of course, inventors don' t just need money to get their invention off the ground. So how do you bring such people into the fold? They also need people with certain special skills to create the invention in the first place.

The most common response is to promise the personnel in question a share of future profits. - the most effective way to get the right people behind your invention is to pay them to help you. While this is acceptable practice( as long as it is not an egregiously high amount as discussed earlier) , it is not the most effective way, either. Not the answer you were looking for? Pretend that you are an experienced professional with a valuable skill. (If you are inventing things, you probably are such a person. ) Now pretend that someone you don' t know is asking you to work on a project you' ve never heard of. Well, look at it from a realistic standpoint. That by itself is probably enough to make you a little uncertain.

At this point, your well - honed skepticism should kick in and dissuade you from doing the deal. - but then, to top it all off, they ask you to work for free, with no base pay, on the hopes that it someday pays off and you can collect when it does. Your time is simply too valuable. The inventor explains his idea to you in a way that sounds persuasive and enticing, and also offers to pay you! However, imagine a different scenario. It might not be a huge amount, or even what you could get at a salaried job someplace else. When a person sees someone put his own sweat, and tears into, blood something, it just feels easier to trust them.

But the sheer fact that you will be compensated for your labor will, make you more, naturally confident about the project and being a part of it. - therefore, you should either save some money or use a small loan from friends or family to pay the personnel you want. When you have some money saved up, it is time to place ads for the personnel you need. Of course, you can still sweeten the deal by promising them future equity in addition to their base. The industry you are in will dictate exactly how to go about doing this. You might try help - wanted ads in the paper, or even Internet resources like Craigslist.

If you are creating a new kind of garden hose, you might want, for example to advertise for engineers in a lawn and garden trade journal or magazine. - the idea is to offer something of tangible value to the people you want. This will go a long way toward getting the right people behind your invention.

The Answer Simply Is Yes - If You Are Running A Business You Will Have To Give Your Clients A Point Of Contact To Be Succesful

Business, Communication.

Are 08xx numbers the way forward? - are 08xx numbers the way forward for businesses and sole traders. With a point of contact comes trust and building of rapor. The answer simply is yes - If you are running a business you will have to give your clients a point of contact to be succesful.

Lets just take a look at the different types of 08xx you can obtain for your company and the benefits of them. - it has been proven that infact the 0800 number raises queries by more than 40% . Firstly the all mighty toll free 0800 and 0808 codes, this shows your clients that you mean business as you are willing to pay for there calls. There are distinct disadvantages of using this sort of toll free number such as if you are getting a high volume of calls per day it may cost you a small fortune. Next we will have a look at the 0845 code this again offers an ore of professionalism for your business, it shouts out to potential customers" Look at us" , the main advantage to a 0845 number over the previous 0800 is that it costs you less to maintain aswell as offering your clients cheap call rates. This can be easily avoided though by finding a reputable low priced company. The disadvantage of this sort of number is that some clients may well think that it is a premium number, as there is a wide range of confusion with 0845 numbers.

You can also avoid the hassle of changing your number when area codes change and best of all they are super easy to get setup, you wont need any special tools or equipment. - to summarize both of these are great for your niche and if you are running a call centre or accepting incoming calls in any form then an 08xx is a must for your business and may well give you a little push over your competitors. Just find yourself a company that will setup your account and get the calls diverted( most companies are now also offering free setup) and your ready to go. Premium numbers are something to be wary of when setting up your business lines as it will make clients feel as you are trying to avoid them calling by charging them high rates - It may infact reduce sales by upto 60% by having a premium line in place as clients will also feel that if they have a problem with there product they will have to pay excessive rates to get advice. Premium Numbers. So finally the three main tips are to Find a good reputable company that offer good rate both yurself and the clients and try to avoid obtaining a premium line.

The Other Person Never Feels Heard. Because You Are So Quick To Disagree

Business, Communication.

The 12 blocks to listening - there are twelve blocks to listening. Others are held in reserve for certain types of people or situations. You will find that some are old favorites that you use over and over.

Everyone uses listening blocks, so you should not worry if a lot of blocks are familiar. - comparing. This is an opportunity to become more aware of your blocks at the time you actually use them. Comparing makes it hard to listen because you are always trying to assess who is smarter, and more emotionally, more competent healthy, whether it is you or the other person. While someone is talking, you think to yourself: Could I do it that well? Some people focus on who has suffered more, who is a bigger victim.

Hey, my kids are so much brighter. - mind reading. You cannot let much in because you are too busy seeing if you measure up. The mind reader does not pay much attention to what people say. He is trying to figure out what the other person is really thinking and feeling. In fact, he often distrusts it. She says she wants to go to the show, but I will bet she is tired and wants to relax.

The mind reader pays less attention to words than to intonations and subtle cues in an effort to see through to the truth. - she might be resentful if i pushed her when she does not want to go. If you are a mind reader, you probably make assumptions about how people react to you. She thinks I am stupid. I bet he is looking at my lousy skin. She is turned off by my shyness. Rehearsing.

These notions are born of intuition, and vague misgivings, hunches, but have little to do with what the person actually says to you. - you do not have time to listen when you are rehearsing what to say. You have to look interested, but your mind is going a mile a minute because you have got a story to tell, or a point to make. Your whole attention is on the preparation and crafting of your next comment. Some people rehearse whole chains of responses: First I will say, then he will say, then I will say, and so on. When you filter, you listen to some things and not to others. Filtering.

You pay only enough attention to see if somebody is angry, or if you, or unhappy are in emotional danger. - one woman listens just enough to her son to learn whether he is fighting again at school. Once assured that the communication contains none of those things, you let your mind wander. Relieved to hear he is not, she begins thinking about her shopping list. If she seems happy as she describes her day, his thoughts begin wandering. A young man quickly ascertains what kind of mood his girlfriend is in.

Another way people filter is simply to avoid hearing certain things - - particularly anything. threatening, critical, negative, or unpleasant. - judging. It is as if the words were never said: You simply have no memory of them. Negative labels have enormous power. You have already written them off. If you prejudge someone as stupid or nuts or unqualified, you do not pay much attention to what they say.

Hastily judging a statement as immoral, fascist, hypocritical, or crazy means you have ceased to listen and have begun a knee - jerk reaction. - dreaming. A basic rule of listening is that judgments should only be made after you have heard and evaluated the content of the message. You are half listening, and something the person says suddenly triggers a chain of private. associations. Hearts is a great game, and there have been many great nights of playing the game. Your neighbor says she has been laid off, and in a flash you are back to the scene where you got fired for playing hearts on those long coffee breaks.

And you are gone, only to return a few minutes later as your neighbor says, I knew you would understand, but please do no tell my husband. - everyone dreams - and you sometimes need to make herculean efforts to stay tuned in. You are more prone to dreaming when you feel bored or anxious. But if you dream a lot with certain people, it may indicate a lack of commitment to knowing or appreciating them. Identifying. At the very least, it is a statement that you do not value what they have to say very much. In this block, you take everything a person tells you and refer it back to your own experience.

You launch into your story before they can finish theirs. - they want to tell you about a toothache, but that reminds you of the time you had oral surgery for receding gums. Everything you hear reminds you of something that you have felt, or suffered, done. Advising. You are so busy with these exciting tales of your life that there is no time to really hear or get to know the other person. You are the great problem solver, ready with help and suggestions. However, while you are cooking up suggestions and convincing someone to just try it, you may miss what is most important.

You do not have to hear more than a few sentences before you begin searching for the right advice. - you did not hear the feelings, and you did not acknowledge the persons pain. Sparring. He or she still feels basically alone because you could not listen and just be there. This block has you arguing and debating with people. In fact, a lot of your focus is on finding things to disagree with.

The other person never feels heard. because you are so quick to disagree. - you take strong stands, are very clear about your beliefs and preferences. Look for one thing you might agree with. The way to avoid sparring is to repeat back and acknowledge what you have heard. One subtype of sparring is the put - down. For example, sally starts telling Joe about her problems in an English class. You use acerbic or sarcastic remarks to dismiss the other persons point of view.

Joe says: When are you going to be smart enough to drop that class? - when he tells rebecca, oh please, she says, not the tv routine again. Jake is feeling overwhelmed with the noise from the TV. The put - down is the standard block to listening in many marriages. A second type of sparring is discounting. It quickly pushes the communication into stereotyped patterns where each person repeats a familiar hostile litany.

Discounting is for people who cannot stand compliments. - what do you mean, i was totally lame. Oh, I did not do anything. It is nice of you to say, but it is really a very poor attempt. The other person never feels satisfied that you really heard his appreciation. The basic technique of discounting is to run yourself down when you get a compliment.

And he is right, you did not. 1Being Right. - you cannot listen to criticism, you cannot be corrected, and you cannot take suggestions to change. Being right means you will go to any lengths( twist the facts, make excuses or, start shouting accusations, call up past sins) to avoid being wrong. Your convictions are unshakable. This listening block is accomplished by suddenly changing the subject. And since you will not acknowledge that your mistakes are mistakes, you just keep making them. 1Derailing. You derail the train of conversation when you get bored or uncomfortable with a topic.

This means that you continually respond to whatever is said with a joke or quip in order to avoid the discomfort or anxiety in seriously listening to the other person. 1Placating. - another way of derailing is by joking it off. Right, Right. I know. Absolutely. Of course, you are.

Yes. - incredible. Really? You want people to like you - so you agree with everything. You want to be nice, and supportive, pleasant. You may half - listen just enough to get the drift, but you are not really involved.

You are placating rather than tuning in and examining what is actually being said.

Everyone Speaks

Business, Communication.

The effective executive - there is no argument that today' s executive is effective to the degree that he or she is able to communicate with other people. The" exec" must present himself or herself as a role model, as well as convey the message of the corporation, or department, company.

The executive has to be able to speak to other people - - one - on - one or one - on - many - - in terms other people appreciate, in ways that move and motivate them, and in words and tones that are credible and non - menacing. - some people may be" born speakers, " others may have" learned on the job. " but everyone feels the need to do it better - - examine the basics of public speaking and match performance to changes in the audience' s moods, and markets, expectations. Our results prove it. Everybody can learn to make a better impression and communicate better. For the last dozen years I have been conducting a popular - - and powerful - - course for the Canadian Management Centre. Originally I worked with Peter Urs Bender, Canada' s leading public speaker and the author of Secrets of Power Presentations.

It is called" Effective Executive Speaking" but I do not present all by myself. - peter devised the course and then invited me and george torok, a dynamic speaker and business consultant, to continue to deliver it. The three - day course is offered at various times throughout the year. (Customized versions are also delivered on site. ) It regularly attracts company founders, executives, presidents, department and division heads, and mid - level managers. For the last six years, George and I have been holding forth. There is an air of excitement when we first meet as a group. Then we divide the group into two and meet in different rooms.

George and I review basic principles. - members speak on self - selected topics, and issues chosen, assigned subjects at random. Everyone speaks. There is immediate, hands - on feedback. Everyone responds. Individual presentations are recorded on video tape for private viewing. We offer tips for immediately improvement and insights to ponder.

We believe there are two reasons why people enroll in our courses. - they want to deal with this residual fear. First, prior to making a presentation, the men and women feel nervous, child, uncomfortable - like, or shy. Second, however well they, they realize that speak, they will have to speak more easily and more persuasively in the future than they have in the past for career advancement. Do you feel nervous when called upon to speak extemporaneously? So there is genuine incentive to improve. "Effective Executive Speaking" has proven to be helpful on both fronts. Are you spending too much time preparing your presentations?

How well do you handle hostile questions? - can you think on your feet? Do you overuse PowerPoint? How are you dealing with" the sweats, " thick tongue, mental confusion, beating heart? Is your audience aware of your nervousness? Do you feel there are more effective ways to present your ideas?

By the third day, members of the group speak with greater ease and increased confidence and effectiveness. - how do professional speakers and communicators do it and how can i learn from them? They have learned techniques to use every time they speak. George Torok and I, as co - course leaders, offer general principles and specific practices to teach people the skills necessary to be effective communicators. They know what to look for( in themselves and in others) and they know how to improve. George has extensive experience as a business consultant.

My own approach is to recognize and capitalize on individual strengths of body, and mind, voice, and to suggest new and better ways to present information and to motivate listeners. - with peter urs bender he wrote secrets of power marketing.

What Are Values

Business, Communication.

How values make or break your business - do you know the number one reason people leave their jobs? It' s not because they did not get the corner office or because they were passed over for that much - deserved promotion. It' s not because of money or the company dress policy.

Most people who jump ship do so because they just cannot stay one moment longer at their place of work and honor their own deeply held business or career values at the same time. - what are values? People might be able to happily get by with less money, but they cannot work for long in a situation that violates a deeply held core value. The word values is tossed around a lot, but what are values? They are the core philosophies we hold sacred. Values go beyond beliefs.

People often report feeling as though they were born with these values. - every business has a core set of business values. Every individual has a core set of personal values he or she brings to work. The optimum business situation is when these sets of personal and business values overlap, blend and morph into what I call shared values. And whether you are in alignment with them or not - whether you own or work in a business that reflects them or not they affect your every thought, word and action. Whether you are consciously aware of them or not, your personal values constitute your ideals, and shape your being - indeed they are your being. I am the best example of how values - or rather a conflict in personal and business value - helped to shape my behavior and decision - making.

The nature of the business demanded too much time and dedication. - i sold my thriving business, not because it was a failure - financially speaking, it was wildly successful - but because i was not able to keep that business and honor my own value of personal freedom. Once I realized this, no amount of money could make me stay. I have a friend who was teaching in a toxic( for her) school situation. Sometimes values are in conflict, but the stronger value always wins out. When she was hired for the job she was thrilled to get any public school teaching job, no matter the school or philosophy.

She learned the hard way about the importance of shared values. - she did not think about whether or not this school was a good" fit" for her value - wise. Without really realizing it at the time, my friend held two values: a strong work ethic that included always delivering her very best, and professional freedom to be innovative in her delivery of her best. While other teachers would welcome such structure, my friend found it stifling. From the get - go my friend was scrutinized frequently and expected to adhere to rigid planning and assessment tools. To avoid the pain of poor performance assessments, and to adhere to her value of performance excellence, she tried to conform to the school' s expectations and squeeze in some innovative teaching where she could. The result of all this value - clashing?

Still, she grew increasingly unhappy because in conforming, she was forced to sacrifice her freedom to" plan creative activities in the classroom without getting caught" thus making her feel sneaky violating yet another one of her dearly held values, namely honesty. - her performance and self - esteem plummeted. But, there was an upside to all of this. By year' s end, much as she loved teaching, she had no choice but to pack up her books and bulletin boards and hand in her resignation. When she scheduled new job interviews, my friend was quick to ask about school procedures and policies. Eventually, my friend landed a new teaching job with lots of freedom built in.

No longer willing to sacrifice her value of freedom for any teaching position, she came from a position of strength. - she felt a renewed sense of passion for her profession, and learned a valuable lesson on the value of seeking shared values in the workplace. Well, let' s pretend you' re scouting for a new job. So, how does this information about values in the workplace impact you? Like my friend, you' d be wise to come to any interview knowing your own values and then asking questions to see if your prospective employer' s values, and those of the business you are considering joining, are in line with yours. If you value professional freedom, you might ask about the company' s review and evaluation process. For example, if you know you value time with family, you might ask about the company' s flextime policy.

If you take a job whose values are in conflict with yours, you are asking for trouble. - then as you interview employee candidates, you can ask particular questions crafted to discover whether or not each candidate' s values align with yours and those of your company. Conversely, if you are the employer interviewing prospective workers, you want to be clear on your own values, your business' values and the expectations that grow out of those. Avoid direct( DUH! ) questions, such as, "Do you value respect and hard work" Instead, ask your candidate to indirectly reveal his or her values by telling you about three people he or she most admires and why. You can then attract to your business those people whose values are most in alignment with yours and those of your business. Since we most often admire in others the positive traits and qualities we hold sacred in ourselves, you will gain some insight into each candidate' s core values. If you are a business owner, your business values are your company' s invisible CEOs.

They guide your decisions. - whether you realize it or not, your values help manage every aspect of your business. They help determine if your business is viable and valuable. How closely your business is aligned with your own values, and how closely your employees' values follow suit, determines the degree to which your business will fly or flop on all fronts. When you create a business that is in alignment with your values - and when you bring people on board who are in harmony with those values - your business has the best chance of meeting your personal and financial goals. A strong sense of shared values allows you to initiate meaningful actions based on mutual agreement instead of spending all your time managing the fallout caused by not honoring them. In my company I insisted that every individual - vendors, customers, employees - treat each other with same courtesy and respect with which they would treat a guest in their home.

One last example. . . - during the hiring process, i always spoke about my company' s values. Our motto was" People first! " I honed in on this value before exploring any technical expertise or skill the candidate brought to the table. I was always looking for that" respect value" . Without this shared value, our working relationship would have been doomed from day one. The payoff for consistently knowing and acting from this and other shared values was that we enjoyed long term relationships with employees, clients and customers, vendors that stretched 25 years or more.

With the respect piece missing, we would not be happy with their performance and attitude, and they would not be happy trying to fit in with us. - we had corporate contracts that lasted 15 and 20 years, a time period unheard of in the contract dining services industry. Try using this value based approach next time you bring someone on your team.