Your Business Coach Blog

AKRIS INC Acquires B to B Connect Franchise

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Contact: Ron Finklestein
Phone: 330-990-0788
Email: info@yourbusinesscoach.net
Fax: 330-865-6922
Web Site: www.akris.net

AKRIS INC Purchases Popular Business Networking Franchise For Stark and Summit Counties

Northeast Ohio B2B referral organization expands reach to generate lucrative sales leads for members in Summit and Stark Counties

Akron, Ohio, June 23, 2008 - - AKRIS, INC., The Business Success Experts in Akron, Ohio announced today its intention to expand its organization by acquiring a BtoB Connect franchises for Stark and Summit Counties.

Announcing details of the new franchise, Ron Finklestein, Founder and President of AKRIS INC., said, “I have acquired significant new business by being a part of the BtoB Connect group in Akron. When the opportunity came up to acquire this territory, I jumped at the chance to grow my business using this exciting model.”

Jim Hornyak, Co-Founder and Vice President of BtoB Connect said, “The exploding demand for the services of a B2B group vs. B2C group is what inspired us to create BtoB Connect, and has now prompted us to introduce BtoB Connect as a franchise nationwide. We are excited to have Ron Finklestein as our second franchise owner.”

Laura Leggett, Co-Founder and President, notes that, “Ron Finklestein has been involved with BtoB Connect since the prototype days in 2003, which makes him uniquely qualified to show other B2B professionals how to grow their businesses through personal referrals. We could not be happier that Ron is our second franchise owner.”

Finklestein plans to use this opportunity to grow his Business Mastery Advisory Board (www.businessmasterynow.com) and he is quick to point out that a BtoB Connect franchise is truly unique because ownership doesn’t require abandoning his other business or career interests. The power of this franchise is that it can feed a continuous stream of qualified business referrals to AKRIS INC. and other BtoB Connect member, making it a key component of our business development activities.”

To learn more about how you can learn more and benefit from this powerful concept (with no monetary investment required) please attended a 90-minute overview, July 18, 2008 at 11:30AM – 1PM, at 3700 Embassy Parkway, Montrose, as Ron, Jim and Laura roll out this opportunity to interested individuals. There is no charge for this event but registration is required. To register for this event: http://www.yourbusinesscoach.net/calendar.html

About BtoB Connect:

BtoB Connect is a business-to-business networking group with the mission to dramatically condense the sales cycle and eliminate the high cost of cold-market business development by providing high quality personal referrals to business owners and sales professionals calling exclusively on other companies. BtoB Connect is specifically designed to generate highly qualified business referrals for business people.

About AKRIS INC:

AKRIS INC (www.yourbusinesscoach.net) is a business coaching and consulting firm that inspires, educates, and motivates business people to action that leads to successful results.

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The High Cost of the Law of Unintended Consequences

Sun, 22 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The High Cost of the Law of Unintended Consequences

For four years I did a conference where I invited business owners to tell us what they right in their business. We picked the top 12 stories and these successful business owners were given an opportunity to tell their story to up to 300 conference attendees.

While promoting the last conference, I sent faxed invitations to business owners who I thought would enjoy the positive press and would be interested in promoting their company to 300 people.

Several asked that I remove them from the list and I did so.

Four of them engaged a lawyer and filed a law suit.

Apparently there is a law that says you cannot fax someone unless you have written permission. This puzzled me especially since the names and fax numbers came from a public list I acquired from Reference USA.

The law states you cannot sell a product or service via fax without written permission (there is more but that is the highlight).

Since the fax I sent invited the business owner to a networking event where we could talk with them about their story and the role the conference would play in helping them grow their business, we were not in violation of the law.

The Cleveland based lawyer filed the lawsuit for a Cleveland based heating and air conditioning company. Apparently this lawyer only files lawsuits when people receive an unwanted fax. As I talked with people about this law suit I Learned I am not the only one he has extorted money from. His reputation is less than stellar.

I am sure this lawsuit was not the intent of the fax law and our law makers really should fix this law to prevent this abuse.

According to my lawyer, the lawsuit is “legalized extortion” but her suggested it is best to settle the suit because of the cost of going to court and the difficulty in counter-suing.

It cost a lot of money and time to run this conference to promote good news in NEO. It cost a lot of money in legal fees to settle this law suit.

It is hard to plead “not guilty” when I clearly broke the law – even though I did not know the law existed. Sometimes we try to do something positive and it backfires. The backfire is what I call the law of unintended consequences.

There are two lessons to be learned: 1. Continue trying to do good but have a good lawyer. If you need a good lawyer let me know, I have more experience than I care to admit and I would be willing to share the names of the people who helped me. Asking a question to your lawyer before is always easier that dealing with a suite after the fact. 2. It doesn’t say much about our business owners if they cannot pick up the phone and ask to be taken of the list. To file a stupid and frivolous lawsuit to raise money is the ultimate in stupidity. The business owners who filed suit should be taken to the woodshed. It took a while to get my PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) back but I did. The essence of the second lesson is to trust your lawyer and stop worrying. Worrying does not good. All the sleep I lost did not change the outcome of the suit.

I will not reveal this company in this post and I suspect he has more problems that receiving a fax he does not want. He apparently has little disregard for his business or his business reputation to get involved in this nonsense. The other four who had their name on this lawsuit did not do their business a favor.

I was bummed for a while about this law suit. I am over it now but I am saddened that our business community has to waste time, energy and money over something this stupid. If you read this and you were one of the business people who filed this suit, know that I feel really sorry for you. You must be in a lot of pain (personal & business) or you are just a nasty person. To get involved in this law suit and associate with this lawyer who specializes in extortion makes me sad that you live in NEO. NEO deserves better that what you have to offer – as a person and a business.

Tell me your thoughts.

Ron Finklestein

330-990-0788

info@yourbusinesscoach.net

Delegation vs. Abdication.

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Are you confused?

I was working with a member of my Business Mastery Advisory Board on some issues about her business and inconsistent attendance at her board meetings.

As we talked it became apparent to both of us that we did not know what success met to this individual.

Her conscious mind wanted more money. She associated having more money as a way of having to work less so she could spend more time with her daughter.

Her subconscious mind was telling her that the more you work the less time you will have to spend with your daughter.

So she would work really hard and build a book of business then drop out of sight for a while wonder how she got so busy. What we came to understand was that she had a hard time delegating because of some situations that occurred in her past so she felt she had to do everything herself.

As a result of this discussion we did two things that got her focused and clear. The first was to create a delegation process so she felt comfortable. Many people confuse delegation with abdication. Delegation is knowing the who, what, where, when, and why of the delegation process so there is no confusion. Abdication is delegation without follow through.

The second thing we did is help her prioritize what she needed to work on and what could be delegated. Two months after this discussion we talked and her stress level has dropped, her work load has dropped but she has more business.

The big benefit to her in being involved in the Business Mastery Advisory Board is that she had someone to hold her accountable. Through this accountability process she has made major changes in her life and business.

To Your Continued Success,
Ron Finklestein
www.businessmasterynow.com
330-990-0788
ron@akris.net

Is NEO Ohio Different

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Having traveled to 15 different cities in about 20 days over the last month I had a great opportunity to see how other cities are dealing with the economic issues that are in the news.

I was surprised to find that other cities were doing much better than Cleveland and NEO.

In Glen Falls, NY, I taught a class on how to deal with difficult people based on the books The Platinum Rule for Small Business Mastery (www.amazon.com).

It was a small class (20 people) as classes go and that is what made it interesting.

One kitchen design company sent three people because business was so good they were having some customer services issues with the influx of new business and they want to know how to deal with people.

In the same city there were other companies that were growing and hiring new people. They were in customer service and wanted to help the employees deal with difficult people over the phone.

There was a minister in the workshop who was experiencing significant growing pains and he needs help in dealing with some of the challenges that surfaced as a result of growth.

The same thing in Framington, NM. Some many people have migrated there over the last few years that it was difficult to get a reasonably price apartment.

In Florida, where the housing market really took a dip, the 85 people in my workshop were talking about the opportunities they were seeing in water treatment, customer service and other service areas.

I get back to NEO and I read about Dimora accusing the Plain Dealer of being pro- republican. I read that municipalities were filing law suits against each other for companies moving down the street (Hudson and Macedonia) and a Cleveland union wanting paid for work it did not perform.

I did not see any of that nonsense in newspapers in the other cities I visited.

I am coming to one conclusion: NEO is different. Our divided government structures (50+ municipalities), our need to protect our turf (Dimora) and our entitlement mentality (Cleveland Union) is causing problems.

Other cities are dealing with difficult economic issues. What I read in other local newspapers were intelligent articles about important issues.

Don’t get me wrong. NEO is my home and I am proud to live and do business here but we make it so hard. I run Business Mastery Advisory Boards for small businesses (www.businessmasterynow.com) and I am surprised about how the discussion keeps moving to how to do business outside NEO. I recently read a NEOSA survey that local IT companies are doing well with 50% of the business coming from outside NEO. I find that strange with the glut of IT talent that companies have to go outside the region. I would think there is more than enough business in NEO.

If you are from NEO and are reading this post please share your thoughts.

To Your Success
Ron Finklestein
www.businessmasterynow.com
ron@akris.net
330-990-0788

Dealing With Difficult People

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I have not posted to this blog in over a month. I have been traveling around the country delivering a workshop on dealing with difficult people.

I want to share some observations with you about what I learned and observed.

First, some observations about the people who attended the Dealing with Difficult People Workshop.

There are three types of people who attend this workshop. The first type includes people who are not happy with their relationships and they find certain people and their styles hard to deal with. They want to reduce the stress associated with certain people.

The second type are the difficult people themselves and they know they are difficult and they want do things differently (or they attend because their boss told them too.)

The third type is the one that interests me the most. They are difficult and they come to the Dealing with Difficult People workshop because they are asked to as part of ongoing continuing education. The managers who send them hope they will understand that they are difficult and change their behaviors as a result of what they learn. These individuals are easy to identify because they try to take over the workshop. After all, they think they know the material better than me. I find this interesting because the material is based on a book I coauthored called The Platinum Rule for Small Business Mastery (available on amazon.com) and it discusses different behavioral styles, their strength and weaknesses and how to build on personal strength and it provides suggestion on minimizing weaknesses. It is the foundation of much of the business coaching and consulting I do to grow revenues, create and maintain a competitive advantage and provide accountability to my business owner clients.

I had four individuals from the same company (all IT professionals) challenge me during one seminar and I explained to them why people typically come to the seminar. They fell into the last category (managers asked them to come and did not tell them they were difficult). They realized their manager was sending them a message about how difficult they were. Once they realized why they were they were at the workshop they became model students.

I find it interesting that people are sent to a workshop and not told why. As a manager, I find that people can be difficult when they do not know the rules. They can also be perceived as difficult because the rules (for this style) are made to be broken. Let’s call this “It is easier to ask for permission than forgiveness” behavior style. For this type of individual that are primarily concerned with results – sometimes results at the expense of relationships. A simple adaptability strategy would be simply to understand others have different priorities and they can get more done with honey and not vinegar.

I will be talking more about the different behavioral styles in future posts. I can assure you they will not be so far apart.

I am doing a "How to Deal With Difficult People" workshop on 9/9/08 in Akron, Ohio from 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. If you want to learn more contact me at the number below.

In my next post I want to talk about some variances I observed in the economy in different parts of the country.

To Your Continues Success

Ron Finklestein
Inspiring, leading and motivating others to action that leads to successful results. www.businessmasterynow.com
330-990-0788
ron@akris.net

God and The U.S. Post Office

Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I received this email from an associate. It is a very different kind of post nthan what I usually put on my small business blog but this email touched me deeply and I wanted to share it with you. I have no way of knowing where it my have originiated (or if it is true), but if it is true, there is a beautiful soul working in the dead letter office of the US postal service.

Ron Finklestein
www.rpfgroupinc.com

Enjoy

Our 14 year old dog, Abbey, died last month. The day after she died, my 4 year old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to play with balls and to swim. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her. You will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith.

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith, and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.

Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith'...in an unfamiliar hand writing. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies'. Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbeyand Meredith and this note:

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you.
I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much.
By the way, I'm easy to find, I am wherever there is love.
Love,
God

Dear Meredith,
Abbey arrived safely in heaven.
Having the picture was a big help. I recognized Abbey right away.
Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in, so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

A Cutting Edge Way to Increase Your Business Knowledge, Easily and Affordably!

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I was recently selected to conduct webinars with other business professionals. I am proud of this association and wanted to share some of the details with you so you could captialize on this opportunity as well. With this opportunity you can experience high quality business training from the comfort of your office or home.

If you have any questions please feel free to call me. My phone number is 300-990-0788. My email address is ron@akris.net.

Thanks for reading - Ron Finklestein

A Cutting Edge Way to Increase Your Business Knowledge, Easily and Affordably!

April 21, 2008, Minneapolis, MN – Business Expert Webinars (BEW), an international community of business experts, comprising best-selling authors, award-winning speakers, and business gurus, announced its launch today with more than 100 speakers and 700 live business education webinars that begin airing in May 2008.

“We are using webinar technology to deliver business eLearning,” said Lee B. Salz, President and CEO of Business Expert Webinars. Topics include all genres of business –sales, networking, public relations, marketing, real estate, human resources, entrepreneurship, management and many others. Visitors interested in participating can view the extensive schedule and sign up for webinars at

http://www.businessexpertwebinars.com?afflink= bewrfinklestein040208

. Each webinar is taught by a live presenter on the phone and is supported by a presentation delivered over the Internet.

“People are frustrated with the free webinar offerings where the price of admission is a sales and marketing pitch. Either the entire webinar is an infomercial or the content is delivered at a high-level in the session and concludes with, ‘if you really want to know how to do this, buy my CD, DVD, book, etc.’ Thus, they aren't really free," said Salz.

Business expert and author of "Selling to Big Companies," Jill Konrath, said, "What attracted me to deliver content with Business Expert Webinars was that the experts pick very specific topics and go deep into the subject matter. This is strictly business education. Participants come away from BEW webinars with actionable information they can implement immediately. It is a great way for adults to learn valuable information inexpensively, without leaving the office.”

About Business Expert Webinars

Business Expert Webinars is an international community of business experts that comprises best-selling authors, award-winning speakers, and business gurus. For more information, visit BusinessExpertWebinars.com.

I refuse to participate in a recession

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I refuse to participate in a recession

I have not written a post in a while because I have been on the road. I recently made a road trip around the country doing speeches and teaching seminars and workshop on how to deal with difficult people. It is amazing to me how people are the same wherever I go.

During this trip I must have talked to 300 people from all walks of life. These individuals were located in New Your State to New Mexico and I heard the same story again and again – my business is good.

I talked to kitchen designers in New York and they were having their best year ever. They are hiring and they attended the workshop to be more effective in dealing with customer related issues that happen when you redo a kitchen. I talked to business consultant who were doing well. The consultants who were doing well were very clear on their value proposition. The ones that did not have clear value proposition were not doing so well.

Even the bail bonds people (in el Paso) I talked to were having a good year (OK that might be an stretch. But I think that might be more localized to El Paso and the border issues they deal with.)

Every city I was in the headlines in the paper promoted a recession. Tell that to the nursing supervisor in Albuquerque who could not find a reasonably price apartment. Though housing processes are dropping is some parts of the country it is not doing so everywhere.

Tell that to a minister who is rebuilding a church after a fire. Money is tight but people are giving to what is important to them.

Tell that to a training company who is doing project management training. She is so busy her company is doing two classes a day; one in the morning and one in the evening. What I am seeing is not what is being reported.

Why is that? I am not sure but I do know good news does not sell newspapers (especially in an election year.)

My business is doing well. People are slower to make a decision but they are deciding. I had three great opportunities surface in the last 24 hours.

How much is election year hype and how much is it expectations. Does the expectation come before the actual recession or does the recession generate the expectations?

If you are clear on your value proposition and you have an effective marketing campaign in place I would think you are doing ok.

Have I changed my behavior – sure, especially when it comes to driving. I try hard to make sure the trip is necessary and the business cannot be handled over the phone. I recently drove to Canfield (50 miles each way) and the trip cost me about 15 dollars in gas. I am not driving less as much as I am being more purposeful. I also see the strong potential in high gas prices: more green technology, more alternatives, and more opportunity for some creative entrepreneur.

I have seen an increase in my grocery bill but I still have to eat. The good news is that I being forces to eat differently (more healthy) because of the cost. I find that a great opportunity to change my behavior for the better. I am not eating out as much. I am selecting less processed foods when I do eat out. I dropped 12 pounds over the last 8 weeks. If it takes higher food prices for me to be more selective how can that be totally bad?

I figure if I look hard enough I can find something good about in just about any situation. I refuse to buy into the recession. I refuse to buy into the negative beliefs about the economy. My thought is that I can change my behavior, adapt to the situation and still grow my business.

Maybe if enough of us don’t buy in the recession, maybe there does not need to be one.

Ron Finklestein

330-990-0788

ron@akris.net

11 Actions you can take to Grow your Business During Tough Economic Times

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

11 Actions you can take to Gorw your Business During Tough Economic Times

Create a Strategy . The first action you must take is to create a marketing plan. You must get clear on who is your best customers, where to find them, what problems you solve and why they should buy from you. This does not require a long document but clarity in thinking. All eleven actions are documented in 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales. The book is available on Amzon.com.

Be Consistent . You must be consistent in your message and brand throughout all your marketing activities. Otherwise potential customer can get very confused. Most people do not lose an opportunity to the competition; they lose the opportunity to complacency of the prospect. When the prospect gets confused they do nothing. Be consistent in your message.

Use Press Releases . Let the world know what you are up to. Use press releases to target specific locations. Write the press release with a unique angle that makes it easy for reporters and other readers to read your message. There is the possibility for a huge return for minimal investment.

Create Controversy . Take you message, your story and build some controversy so it is interesting to others. Take something that everyone is talking (newspapers, magazines, industry blogs, etc) about and incorporate that into your message.

Write Articles. Writing articles is one of the easiest and least expensive ways to get your name out and increase visibility. There are hundreds of sites looking for articles. The key is to write about what your prospects what to hear about, provide value and have a clear call to action.

Networking for Referrals . The quickest and fastest way to get new business is to ask for it; especially from your existing customers. They know your products and services so pick up the phone, take them out to lunch and ask them if they know anyone who they would introduce you to who could use your products or services.

Create Your Business Mastery Advisory Board. Create your own advisory board. Many business owners think they can go it alone. You can’t and the sooner you realize this the faster you can the result you want. It is all about people. If you do not test your message with your peers and see what works, you are wasting, time, energy and money.

Generation Leads . Use Teleseminars and Webinars as a marketing tool so people can find out what you are about. These can be free or paid. The key is to provide value so people listening want to engage you. The beauty of this approach is people who are interested in what you are promoting naturally opt-in to listen to your story.

Use Electronic Newsletters. Electronic newsletters are a great way to stay in touch with your audience. They opt-in so you know they are interested. Having someone buy your products and services is as much need as it is timing. Your name (product) needs to be top of mind when they need something. A newsletter can do that for you.

Speaking Before Groups. Public speaking is one of the best approaches to generating new business. You need to be professional and provide value but where are you going to get an opportunity to have 100 people pay to listen to you talk about what is important to you and how it can help them. If you are afraid of speaking, get trained. There are many different organizations to help you.

Create an Event . Create and event and make it a party. People are social animals who love to be involved and find deals. You can do a grand opening, grand reopening, anniversary sale, holiday sales or any one of 100 reasons to have a party and invite people into your business.

What to do next to Grow your Business

I had a consulting company hire me to help them grow their business. All I did was bring them back to what they did successful to grow their business. Effectively, they got selfish. This resulted in a 35% year over year growth rate.

I worked with a patent agent and he had a 150% return on his investment. We got him focused on who his idea customer is. By simply getting clear and targeting his ideal client, he had his best month ever. I worked with an Information Technology company and we reduce his time to make for a specific product by 800%.

I worked with a telephony company and took a service they provided to their existing customer at no charge and help them turn this into a product they use to expand their market.

It is all about getting clear: your market, your customers, your product, your services and taking action. If you are thinking about taking action you are already too late. It is not about thinking, it is about doing. If you don’t know how, hire someone, read a book, call someone who will share with you his experiences. Take ownership for your situation and take action to move forward.

Ronald Finklestein , President of AKRIS, INC, is a small business success expert, business coach, consultant, speaker, author, and trainer, and has published three books, 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales, Celebrating Success! Fourteen Ways to a Successful Company and The Platinum Rule to Small Business Mastery. Ron’s client have increase sales 35% year over year, experienced 150% return on investment, opened new markets and created new products that have transformed companies. Finklestein is available for coaching and consulting, speaking engagements, workshops, and seminars. You can contact him at ron@ronfinklestein.com or (330) 990-0788. Sign up for his newsletter at http://www.businessmasterynow.com. All the books mentioned above are available on www.amazon.com.

Does Roxio Care - Do They Exist - So much for customer service

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Does Customer Service Exist for Roxio?

I upgrades to Vista SP1 because of problems. Roxio (used to burn CD/DVD) stopped working. It came installed on my computer when I purchased it.

I spent hours on the Roxio web site trying to get help. All I got was frustrated. They have this cute icon called ask roxey and they should dump it for all the good it does.

I finally found an email address and asked for help. Here is the email I sent.

I am running roxio that came preinstalled on my HP notebook. The computer was purchased directly from HP.

I restored the software from the recovery disk but to no avail.

The Roxio banner easy creator 9 comes up and it never goes beyond that. I let it run for 3 hours and it takes 50% of the CPU cycles.

Reinstalling the software from the control panel does not fix the problem.

I am running vista SP1 32 bit.

Here is the email I got back -

Dear Customer,

Registration Support can not assist you with Technical/Customer Support Issues.
The following are your options for getting in touch with support.
1. Self Service Tools
There are a number of tools you can use like our virtual agent Roxann, our searchable knowledgebase and our discussion forum where you can post questions to your common challenges. They can all be found by going to http://support.roxio.com.
2. E-mail/Webticket Support
To e-mail support or service, you can visit the following link.
http://selfserve.roxio.com/
Login with your registered email address and password.

3. Phone Inside Sales for pre-sales questions, please call 1-866-280-7694.

4. Premium Paid Support is available for $1.89/min at 1-866-434-9871 (Monday - Friday, 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., EST - excluding Roxio holidays).
Truly a canned email. No concern for the customer. The products they list on the web site is not the product installed on my computer.

They would do the world a favor and sell the company to someone who cares about the product and the customer experience.

Eight hours later I am no closer to knowing how to fix the problem. At least I downloaded some open source that works.

For you business owners hiding behind the web please note these kinds of blog posts cannot be good for business. Remember it is the customer that keeps you in business.

Thanks Roxio for wasting my time energy and money. Thanks HP for putting crappy software from nonresponsive vendors on the PC you sold me.

Ron Finklestein

info@yourbusinesscoach.net

When to Separate Business From Personal

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

WHEN TO SEPARATE BUSINESS FROM PERSONAL

Opening your own business is just a mixed bag of emotions and often an incredibly hard lesson in reality. Much of what is encompassed during the initial start up phase of a small business is a trial and error process. Every entrepreneur starts out with the best intentions and an overabundance of ambition. A business plan has been crafted and parts have already begun to be implemented. There is a general excitement yet a lofty fear of the unknown. Constant worry about whether you are doing anything right is a daily occurrence.

However, as you begin to grow confident and your business picks up speed, you begin to more clearly see what is necessary to make the business work. No amount of planning can ever fully prepare you for daily life as a sole proprietor. It is an experience you need to live every day and learn from every minute. As a relatively new business owner myself, I thought I could impart some of my own trial and error learning to other new start ups who have concerns all over the map about different aspects of business.

In the beginning, I just couldn’t see how I could ever separate my business from my personal things. As a work at home mom, you can often find me working on the floor next to my young child playing or contemplating the next article topic while making dinner, separating any aspect of my work and business life seemed ridiculous to me. I had concerns about being able to maintain a consistent income, worried about how tax season would play out, and dealing with day to day life of my family. It was a little bit frightening, partly frustrating, and highly thrilling to get started.

As I began to find clients and consistent work, I started to find the confidence I needed to tackle bigger business matters. I became ruthless about income and expense tracking and I slowly began to make sense of what it would take to earn a good living. In the beginning, keeping finances separate was not much of a concern. Any payments I received went directly in to my personal bank account to cover the bills. It was recorded but at that point, it was not divided into any particular category other than income. When things began to pick up and I was making a profit that exceeded my personal expenses, I finally had some money to put back into my business. I opened a paypal account and began to use it for business reasons more than personal but still did not separate the two entirely. Then the end of the year came along. The first year I would be responsible for my own taxes. What a wake up call, sorting through expenses for 12 months and having to double the work because not everything was separated.

Since that time, everything I have related to business is a separate entity from my personal finances, including credit cards, paypal accounts, and bank accounts. While I am still just as responsible for all of the bills, I have at least placed a clearly divided line that will help me sort and account for all things financial. Along the way, I have also come to understand a lot more about what it takes to stay in the game. This was not something I could have learned, or believed, from any other source. If I could sum it up, do not waste precious time worrying about the right and wrong details of your business, pay attention to the daily lessons you are learning in real life and use what you have learned to make things move forward more effectively.

******

Tisha Kulak is a writer for Creditorweb.com, where she writes about and responsible credit card use. http://www.creditorweb.com/categories/business-credit-cards.html

I recently entered a Toastmaster Speech contest

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I recently entered a Toastmaster Speech contest.

Having been a public speaker for years, this was the first time I tested myself again others in the speaking profession. I decided to enter after receiving positive feedback from people at events where I have spoken: chambers, business associations, business presentations, etc.

It was an uncomfortable, exciting and scary experience.

The speech topic was Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway.

I chose that topic because that was exactly what I was doing: feeling the fear and doing it anyway. Besides, it was supposed to be a motivational speech and I needed something I could work with.

The first challenge was to get through the club contest. I did that.

The second challenge was to get through the area contest. I did that.

Now I am competing at the district level and I am up against some very tough competition.

This is both exciting and scary. It is exciting because to reach this level implies I have mastered – to a certain extent – some public speaking skills. Scary because I realize how much I have yet to learn. Exciting because all my years of hard work are paying off; scary because I know I have years of hard work left.

The important thing was that I did not let my fear hold me back. Never having been in a speech contest, I created all kinds of scenarios in my mind and none of them were very flattering. I continue to learn that FEAR simple means False Evidence Appearing Real. My mind creates more obstacles for me than reality ever could. When you begin to understand that is it easier to feel the fear and do it anyway.

To your continued success,

Ron Finklestein

www.ronfinklestein.com

330-990-0788

ron@ronfinklestein.com

How to Create Negative Buzz for Your Company

Sun, 23 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

How to Create Negative Buzz

Earlier in the week I wrote an open letter to The Akron Beacon Journal (ABJ)

In essence it said, I am writing an open letter because nothing has changed after four phone calls over the last six months. The ABJ thinks they are doing me a favor by dropping off unsolicited newspapers in my driveway, street, sidewalk (and wherever the paper lands). It is wrapped in bright oranges plastic and you can see it up and down the street (after the snow melts); sometimes for weeks on end.

Less than a day after writing this post I received a call from the ABJ saying I would not receive any more papers. I modified my original BLOG post to reflect that piece of news.

The next day I received another newspaper. Can you believe it?

I was speaking with another blogger and he mentioned he was having the same problem the ABJ. He lives in Eastern Summit County so I now know it is not localized to West Akron.

Can you imagine how many people the ABJ is alienating; the silent majority who just pick up the trash that is left on the side walk?

One local newspaper started to do the same thing the ABJ was doing. All I did was send the editor an email asking they remove me from their delivery. This delivery practice stopped immediately. Why can not the ABJ understand this simple practice?

The good news it is a great example of creating negative buzz for your company.

Sincerely,

Ron Finklestein

An Open Letter to The Akron Beacon Journal (ABJ)

Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

An Open Letter to The Akron Beacon Journal (ABJ)

I am writing an open letter because nothing has changed after four phone calls over the last six months.

The ABJ thinks they are doing me a favor by dropping off unsolicited newspapers in my driveway, street, sidewalk (and wherever the paper lands). It is wrapped in bright oranges plastic and you can see it up and down the street (after the snow melts); sometimes for weeks on end.

Because it is rainy or snowy, many times the paper is not readable. I am of the firm opinion they are littering and they should be fined for each newspaper that sits on the street. We have a do not call list, a do not fax list, why not a no ABJ newspaper list?

Because it is not at my door or in my paper box, I do not know it is there until I am either leaving or coming back from an appointment. Sometimes, when it snows, I may not know it is there until the snow melts enough for the orange plastic to be seen.

These "drops" as they are called have been sponsored by the Cleveland Zoo and the Cleveland Art Museum. Do they actually think I would visit these otherwise fine organization under these circumstances? In case I am not clear the answer is a respounding NO!

I called them (ABJ) and told them if this is the service I get and I am not a customer, what will happen when I am a customer. Will I be ignored even more (like that is possible).

It is not uncommon to see these orange plastic bags in the street for days (and sometimes weeks) on end. People are not going to walk out in the cold and wet weather to pick them up. I usually stop the car and reach out to get the paper on my way in or out of the driveway. The paper is usually wet and I do not want it in my car but I like it less on the street.

If anyone has any contacts at the ABJ, please let them know that this West Akron resident does not want a paper that is not accessible, wet, timely or otherwise inconvenient to read. Nor do I like to see my neighborhood street lined with this orange plastic litter.

What really makes this so ironic is that I like the paper; but the service sucks (hear that SUCKS) so much I will not order it. I want to order the paper but I won’t. Any company that will not listen to me when I am not a customer will probably not listen to me if I become a customer. How is that for order prevention at its best?

If anyone has a meaningful contact at the ABJ and they can stop this littering, please have them call me at 330-990-0788. I really do want off their list.

Sincerely,

Ron Finklestein

Update on this post. Two days after writing this I received a call from ABJ and they tell me this practice will stop - at least at my address. Stay tuned and if anything changes I will let you know.

The Power of Focus

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Power of Focus

I was at a basketball game last week (Cleveland Cavaliers.) After the game, as I was walking to the car, I was really focused on where my feet landed. It was icy and I did not want to fall.

I almost ran into a police officer who was directing traffic for cars leaving the parking garage.

He looked at me and said (rather sarcastically) “don’t you see the other people waiting?”

I said “Actually, I didn’t. I was watching where I was walking so I do not fall.”

When he realized I was not being an idiot and trying to ignore his authority, he was very polite and let me pass.

As a business coach and consultant I realized right then the value of focus. I always knew of and taught about focus but I really understood focus.

Focus allows you to stay clear on the desired outcome. It allows you not to be distracted. I was so focused on not falling that I did not see the other people to my right – no more than 5 feet away. That can be both a blessing and a curse; a blessing because it allows for great achievement; a curse because you might miss other opportunities or situations that would suggest a different path.

I like what Henry Ford said. “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.”

So how can you become focused and stay focused? It is easy to talk about and hard to implement. Simple put you must decide what is important to you and stay focused on the desired outcome. Some call it a goal, some call it being focused, some call it tunnel vision, some call it discipline, but you must decide what you want.

There are many systems for setting goals. Jim Rohn, jack Canfield, and Stephen Covey all discuss systems for setting goals. They discuss the different between a goal and a dream.

Let me suggest some things I do and maybe the will help you if you implement them.

1. Get clear on what you want and set a specific date you will make it happen

2. Get an accountability partner and have them hold you accountable

3. Be honest with your accountability partner.

4. Create a group of people you meet with regularly that can help you with objective feedback. Provide others the same objective feedback

5. Make it a priority: your accountability partner, your advisory board, your goal

6. Pay someone to hold you accountable to help you achieve success. Why pay them? Because of they don’t perform you can fire them.

Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788

info@yourbusinesscoach.net

How to Change Your Life

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Imagine if you would a team of high powered executive who meet monthly, trying to decide if they could really trust each other.

After 3 years of being together, meeting monthly, to solicit help and feedback of important issues we face in our business, we did not know if we could trust each other with our deepest secrets, or wildest dreams.

What do you do? What brought this on?

We decided to take a 2 day off site business retreat to get clearer on what we can do to drive our business and professional performance to a whole new level. Below are some comments from the participants:

I learned a great deal about myself, trust, perception of people, the value of focus, misconceptions, the power of questioning, personal/work balance, the value of constructive dialog and risk. The key for me is so what do I do with the information and the group so generously provided?

Then the question in my mind is how we all learn how to be authentic in order to help others and be our true selves, not just the persona and person the world wants us to be.

Agreed on the points from the various emails today. When I floated the idea for this extended get together back at our November advisory board meeting (www.businessmasterynow.com), I was uncertain as to the reaction it would engender. When the reaction from all of you was so positive and the interest in participating so strong, I got a bit nervous about the actual event, particularly because we had such a loose agenda. However, in the days leading up to the retreat, it occurred to me that we have a group that’s been together and evolving for a long time and that I should just trust in the group and enjoy the ride.

What a weekend. The sense of community among us was palatable, the sense of purpose and genuine desire to help each other was so American, and the outcomes for me were very powerful.

I personally value the input that I received (personally and professionally), and it has put me into some very intense and positive ongoing reflection about my path and a plan for that determined path. I look forward to continuing to grow our relationships and mutual impact for and with each other.

I know it's repetitive but please accept my sincere thanks for permitting me to share in the honesty, respect, and integrity that I witnessed Sunday and Monday. Very few people will be lucky enough to have an experience such as this in their personal or professional lives.

I also want to thank the group. I learned a great deal about myself, trust, perception of people, the value of focus, misconceptions, the power of questioning, personal/work balance, the value of constructive dialog and risk. The key for me is so what do I do with the information and the group so generously provided?

What was interesting about the conversation is that there was a fair amount of time focused on each individual. I suppose that Ron would call this selfishness. However, the interesting thing is that most of the group was focusing on themselves so they can be more productive for others. So maybe the issue is that it is OK to analyze your impact and then move on to thinking about the wellbeing of others.

One other thing I learned from the weekend is that as I played back the tapes of the weekend in my head, I learned that many times I create judgment without knowledge and I apologize if I gave opinion without enough knowledge. That is the risk of a 360 like we did. We need to look at the feedback as insight and perception, not, in many cases, deep knowledge. The question in my mind is how we all learn how to be authentic in order to help others and be our true selves, not just the persona and person the world wants us to be.

All the above comments came from members who attended the retreat. There we eight of us and we asked only three questions of each other and the group:

1. Who are you

2. Where will you be in 10 years

3. What is holding you back

Day one each person reflected on and answered these three questions about each member of the group. During day two each people had an opportunity to reflect on the comments and respond to the group what they were going to do with the info.

I receive some great feedback and some that was less than flattering. I am grateful they would share so openly about my strengths and weaknesses. They were right about my weaknesses. I started paying more attention after the retreat and notice the same thing they told me.

I am now on a personal mission to change that.

Thanks Folks.

Everyone should do this. Getting feedback from seven of your peers is the fastest way to change your life. It is unfortunate that more of us don't do that. The results as so empowering.

To Your Continued Success,

Ron Finklestein
www.ronfinklestein.com
330-990-0788
info@yourbusinesscoach.net
www.49marketingsecrets.com

AKRIS Announces Franchise Model to help small business

Wed, 06 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

PRESS RELEASE

For More Information
Contact: Ron Finklestein
Phone: 330-990-0788
Fax 330-865-6922
Email: info@yourbusinesscoach.net

Popular Business Mastery Advisory Board ™
Announces Growth through Franchise Offering

AKRIS INC Business Mastery Advisory Board changes the face of small business nationwide

Akron, Ohio, January 1, 2008 - - AKRIS INC, with the creation of a new company called RPF GROUP INC, announced it is expanding by offering The Business Mastery Advisory Board ™ www.businessmasterynow.com franchises to qualified individuals. The announcement marks the beginning of its expansion from a northeast Ohio-based Company to a national franchise operation.

Announcing details of the new franchise, Ron Finklestein , President and Founder of RPF GROUP INC said, “My first Business Mastery Advisory Board was created over three years ago. It was created to solve my problems as small business owner. As we defined and clarified that process, the board kept growing. That is when I knew I had something different. The exploding demand for affordable, trusted advisory services for small business owner is what inspired us to create Business Mastery Advisory Board, and has now prompted us to introduce Business Mastery Advisory Board as a franchise nationwide.”

Finklestein continues: “Most advisory boards either do not have a structured process that works and is affordable or they require way too much time, energy and money. We’ve structured the Business Mastery Advisory Board to do one things others advisory boards don’t do – meet business owners right where they are and help them achieve their goals through a living process that took over three years to develop. The results we are getting are incredible.”

Don Philabaum, President of Internet Strategies Group and long time member of the Business Mastery Advisory Board had this to say, “If you are looking for others who believes in your vision, care for you as a whole person, goes to bat for you when you need it, continues to nudge you to follow through on your commitments and pull no punches when you need a push, join the Business Mastery Advisory Board. Professional athletes, corporate titans, spiritual gurus, all have advisors. You can't compete in today’s market without advisors. You owe it to your dreams and your success to rely on the 360? degree view your advisors provide.”

According to Finklestein “The typical franchise owner of Business Mastery Advisory Board are either professional service organizations looking to add a new product to an existing suite of products or a business executive who is looking to start his own business using a proven model.”

“We’ve done our homework. The first group was started in 2004. We tested different formats and implemented improvements based upon feedback from members. The Business Mastery Advisory Board helped create marketing and sales strategies, introduce new revenue streams, advised clients on buying and selling companies, and more. The format has now been implemented tested and refined through the use of over 10 board implemented over the ensuring three years.”

Finklestein is quick to point out that a Business Mastery Advisory Board franchise is truly unique because ownership doesn’t require abandoning other business or career interests and it does not require costly overhead just to get started. Instead, the power of this franchise is that you can grow into it or make it your core business. With the surge of entrepreneurialism reaching an all time high, the need for affordable, objective, practical feedback has never been higher.

The Business Mastery Advisory Board franchise offering will be monitored by Franchising Unlimited, a 29 year-old Canfield Ohio firm that has worked with over 555 companies (including several among the Fortune 500) and have sold over 3400 franchises.

Dave Hillman, senior partner of Franchising Unlimited states “we look forward to working with Mr. Finklestein and his company. We are excited by the many individuals who already expressed interest.”

The Business Mastery Advisory Board is different from other business advisory boards. For instance,

You are not dependent on a business coach, accountant, lawyer or other advisors. You are working directly with your peers.
Unlike other boards, meetings are held monthly for half a day. Our focus is on you and your organization. The board members help you grow to a new level not take your time, energy and money.
Your peers hold you accountable for doing what needs to be done.
We allow no more than 12 to a group. This ensures you receive the quality attention you need and deserve to be successful.
Though we have members from many different sized companies, our focus is on businesses with less than $10M in revenue. These are typically the ones that need it the most but do not have the resources of larger company.
Most importantly, it is affordable for the small business owner.

About AKRIS INC:

AKRIS INC is a business coaching and consulting firm whose mission is to inspire, educate, lead and motivate business owners to action that leads to success results. The implementation of the Business Mastery Advisory Board is another step in fulfilling our mission.

Contact Info

For more information about the Business Mastery Advisory Board visit www.businessmasterynow.com, e-mail ron@akris.net, or call 330-990-0788.

Individuals interested in visiting a Business Mastery Advisory Board Meeting as a guest or to request a franchise offering circular to secure a new franchise of their own may contact:

Ron Finklestein
CEO
RPF GROUP INC
330-990-0788
info@businesscoach.net

====== END===========

Selfish is good - It is OK to Be Selfish

Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As many of you know I have written three books on business: Celebrating Success! Fourteen Ways to Create a Successful Company, The Platinum Rule for Small Business Mastery and 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales. All are available on Amazon.

I tell you this because I am working on my fourth book. I have not given it a title yet but the essence of the book is that there are nine behaviors successful people do to be successful and the book describes these nine behaviors and discusses how to implement them in your life.

The first behavior drives the other eight. I call the first behaviors Selfishness, which I define as intelligent self interest. The blog post is an excerpt from this chapter. Please give it a read and email me any comments. The email should be forwarded to ron@ronfinklestein.com.

Just be warned, it is a fairly long post.

Good Reading!

“Well, I know they've always told you/
Selfishness was wrong/
Yet it was for me, not you, I came to write this song/” Neil Peart quotes (Canadian Drummer for the band Rush b.1952)

Selfishness. When I talk of selfishness many people get upset, angry and sometimes they are vehemently opposed to this concept. Before you decide this is a foolish idea, take a minute and open your mind to a new definition of selfishness and how it can help you achieve new levels of success.

Before we go much further, let me define selfishness: “Intelligent Self-Interest.”

When the word intelligent was originally introduced into the English language, its original meaning was “to understand” (The Oxford Dictionary of Word History, 2002). Knowing this, it is easy to define selfishness as “understanding your self –interest or understanding what is important to you.”

Pay attention to this concept and it will change your life. I don’t make that claim lightly. I implemented what I write about here and my life is very different then what I expected.

I am talking about the use of selfishness as it leads to success, a fulfilling life, great and loving relationships and abundance. I am talking about success. My definition of success is even easier to understand and I devote a good part of the book talking about success and how to achieve it. We will talk about success later. But first I want you to understand selfishness is a great idea that should be embraced and developed in your life.

There are three types of selfishness. The first I call “childish selfishness”. I define this as the kind of selfishness we exhibited as children where everything is mine, mine, mine. I am reminded of a cartoon called Calvin and Hobbs. Calvin is a five year (approximately) old boy and he has his friend, Hobbs, who is a stuffed tiger that shares every aspect of his world. In one particular cartoon, Calvin is making a get well card for his mother who is not feeling well. One the front of the card it says “get well soon.” When you open up the card it says “because my bed is not made, my clothes need washed and I am hungry.” This is a great example of childish selfishness and it is funny, but you can see how this type of selfishness will cause problems. This is not the type of selfishness I am discussing or promoting.

The second type of selfishness I define as “self-sacrificing selfishness.”It is placing others above yourself as a means to self-sacrifice. If you are placing others before yourself, you are doing yourself a great disservice. When I was first exploring this concept of selfishness, I sent out an article in my newsletter. (To subscribe, go to www.ronfinklestein.com). I received a very quick response from an associate who took me to task. He said “I am a Christian and I follow the teaching of Jesus. He (Jesus) was the most selfless person ever born, so selfless he gave his life for us. How can I embrace the concept of selfishness when I embrace the concept of selflessness that Jesus teaches?”

My response to him was as simple as it was direct: “Jesus was the most selfish person ever born. He knew exactly what needed to be done and he committed his every resource to achieving his goal, even alienating the most powerful men of his time, associating with tax collectors, prostitutes and others with unsavory character. He did what was required to achieve his goal. If this is not selfishness, I don’t know what is.” A short while later I got his reply. He said “I see your point. In trying to give so much of myself, I am not fully devoted to any one thing and all things are suffering. I need to get more focused and selfish.” This is not the kind of selfishness I am discussing either. When others come before your goals, nothing good gets done. You meet people who have all the right intentions but nothing gets done. Would Thomas Edison have accomplished so much if he was not clear on what he wanted? Would Henry Ford been so successful if he had not been so focused? Would Walt Disney been successful in building Disneyworld if he lacked selfishness? This is not the selfishness I am suggesting we embrace. It is not the selfishness of self-sacrifice. No, you must do well before you do good!

I find it interesting that all our lives we are told not to be selfish. Yet selfishness is our key to success. Wallace Wattles explains this quite nicely and I quote an excerpt from his book The Personal Power Course :

So you will see that it is a mistake to sacrifice yourself for others; when you sacrifice yourself, you lose the very thing which would attract others to you. Instead of sacrificing yourself for others, what you must do is to make the most of yourself for others. Those who sacrifice themselves for others may win some degree of pity and tender feeling, but they are not loved as are those who make most of themselves. Do not imagine that you can buy love by what you do; you must win it by what you are.

So, in social and neighborhood matters, BE SOMETHING. If you see the need for reform, be a reformer, but do not sacrifice yourself for any reform. You will probably not help the reform by doing so, and you will lose your own life, or all that is worthwhile in life.

The altruism which leads to continuous self-sacrifice is morbid and unhealthy; the altruism which leads one to make the most of himself for others is noble and praiseworthy and is the only kind of altruism which really helps the world. If you are a strong and loveable PERSONALITY, you will be loved by your neighbors and fellow-citizens; but if you throw yourself away for their good, they will only feel contempt for you... there is nothing more selfish than what commonly passes for self-sacrifice. The most selfishly conceited people are generally those who sincerely believe that they are making the largest sacrifices for others. Remember, what wins love is PERSONALITY, and self-sacrifice means the sacrifice of personality. Personality is not developed by the things you do without, but by the things you use constructively.”

The third type of selfishness I call “mature selfishness.” It is the selfishness I refer to throughout this book. The best way to describe this type of selfishness is with a true story. One business owner I met fell on some hard times. He thought about closing his company and filing for Chapter 11 (Chapter 11 is a form of bankruptcy.) This gentleman thought long and hard about what he wanted from life. He talked with his wife, children and employees about what was important. Knowing this gentleman personally, I knew two things about him: 1. His integrity was above reproach. 2. When he gave his word it was his bond. As he thought through what he wanted, he came to this conclusion: he “wanted to be a business owner and he wanted to delivery what he told his customer he would deliver.” He was very selfish in understanding what was important to him and he made it clear to the important people in his life and engaged their support. He risked everything to accomplish both goals. He learned new skills. He created new relationships. For two years, the only food he and his family ate was food they could purchase with a coupon. The children did not get what they wanted for Christmas. The employees worked overtime without pay. It was hard. This gentleman was focus on achieving his desired outcome of being a successful business owner and delivering on his promise to his customers. He was selfish with his time, money, and resource. He only met with people who were interested in buying his product or were potential candidates to invest in his business.

Today, the company is a thriving, successful organization. This is the good kind of selfishness I am writing about. By being selfish, he created a company that solved a need in the market and made things easier for his clients. He created a successful business that provided good jobs to his employees and he created the type of life he wanted for his highest good. By focusing on his highest good he created a very good life for his family and employees. He can now give his children all the things he could not provide in the past. His selfishness paid handsomely for everyone involved. This is my definition of selfishness. His selfishness led to action that created his success.

To your continued success,

Ron Finklestein

ron@ronfinklestein.com

330-990-0788

Trade Show ROI

Wed, 09 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

My Friend, Steve Underation, just published his first book about how to get the most from a trade show.

His book, The Platinum Rule for Trade Show Mastery: The Expert Exhibitor's Guide to Profit-Producing Trade Shows & Corporate Events Increase Profits and Reduce Stress in your Trade Shows and Corporate Events! A few short years ago, there was little need for this book. However, the trade show and event marketplace has drastically changed. Shows and events used to be "a cost of doing business" but are now considered an investment that adds to or subtracts from the bottom line. Today, exhibit and event managers deal with the pressure of shrinking budgets and higher expectations. "R.O.I." is the corporate buzzword for "Show me the money!" So ask yourself this question: "Can I show anyone the money for my trade show investment?"

I strongly recommend this book if you are dealing with how to get the most from your trade show investment.

I am including the amazon.com link if you want to learn more.

http://www.amazon.com/Platinum-Rule-Trade-Show-Mastery/dp/1600373291/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1199814887&sr=8-1

To Your Continued Success

Ron Finklestein
www.ronfinklestein.com
330-990-0788
ron@ronfinklestein.com

Planning for Success in the new year

Mon, 07 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

RESOLVE . . .

The new year is a great time for business owners to review the mistakes of the past year so they can be corrected in the next. Akron business coach Ron Finklestein says he will share a list of common mistakes when he attends a retreat with company bosses this month. Here is a summary of mistakes:

Published on Monday, Jan 07, 2008 by The Akron Beacon Journal
Here is the original Link http://www.ohio.com/business/13493702.html

•?LACK OF SELFISHNESS
Being selfish means asking, ''How do I protect my time, energy and money, so I am only spending them on those things that will take me closer to my goals?''

This kind of intelligent self-interest allows you to make sure your precious resources are being spent only on activities that benefit you and your company.

•?LACK OF OWNERSHIP
Taking ownership means making changes to move forward, changing behavior that is not working, and dealing with the world as it is — not as you want it to be.

This isn't the same as ''being responsible.'' There are too many external influences for you to be responsible for everything that happens to you. Ownership is about deciding how you respond in a situation.

•?NOT MEASURING RESULTS
You cannot manage results, but you can manage the behavior that leads to desired results. Results are always measured in the past. If you are not getting the results you want, change your behavior.

•?NOT TREATING PEOPLE THE WAY THEY WANT TO BE TREATED
Many business owners do not take the time to understand people and how they want to be treated. Recognize that others contribute to your success, appreciate them for that contribution, and give credit where it is due.

Meanwhile, assume complete responsibility for things that are not working, realizing you hired the people, created the strategy or managed the process.

•?LACK OF FOCUS
Many business owners chase all revenue opportunities, even if they are not part of their core competency.

Focus on your desired outcome and ask if what you are doing is taking you closer to that goal.

If not, ask why you are doing it.

•?LACK OF DISCIPLINE, LACK OF PERSISTENCE

Business life is not smooth, but keep your eye on the target. Successful people will find ways to overcome the obstacles.

•?NOT TAKING ACTION

Correct things that are not working. If you do the same thing you've always done, you'll get the same result.

•?TOO MANY IDEAS

People tend to focus on too many ideas. If you are not clear on your goal, the abundance of ideas will just get you farther off track.

To Your Continues Success
Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788
info@yourbusinesscoach.net
http://www.ronfinklestein.com

My Next Book - How you can Participate

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Do you want to be a Part of my Next Book

I have written (or coauthored) and published three books over the four years. As part of my research I have identified the nine behaviors that all successful people implement. I tested and implemented these concepts in my business and with my clients and they work. These behaviors are the foundation for my next book and I am making good progress in the writing process. This book does not have a title yet. The book discusses the nine behaviors successful people implement and asks you to consider a new definition for success and how to achieve it.

I am looking for up to 20 people who will read the chapters as they are written and provide feedback on each of the behaviors. In exchange, I will give each person an autographed copy of the book when it is published and I will put your name in the acknowledgement section of the book. If this is of interest to you, the feedback I am looking for is as follows: you take the time to read each chapter (approximately 10 chapters of 10 pages or less), provide comments, questions, observations, and if appropriate, stories on how you used a specific principle in your business or personal life. I will not guarantee that I will use your story but it will help me better understand the power of a specific principle and how it has been used. If I use your story you will be mentioned in the book. I will use your comments to add or delete specific contents. It will also help me understand if the concepts are easily understandable and applicable. I already have a publisher. If all goes well it will be published within six-nine months, so I am looking to make this happen quite quickly by publishing standards. If you are interested, send me an email at info@yourbusinesscoach.net with the words “success book” in the subject line so I can find your email in all the spam I get.

Ron Finklestein
330--990-0788
www.ronfinklestein.com
info@yourbusinesscoach.net

9 Common Mistakes Business Owners Make (and they are not what you think)

Sat, 29 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Happy new year to you! It is my fondest hope that your next year is your greatest ever.

It has been a while since my last post. I did some traveling and I am working on a new book. 2007 has been a great year for AKRIS INC and I am looking forward to implementing some new initiatives that will help you grow your business. This is not a long blog post so take a few minutes and give it a read. You or someone you know might benefit from the info present here.

My gift to you to make 2008 a great year

As a new year gift to make your new year more productive, I have written a white paper call 9 Common Mistakes Business Owners Make (and they are not what you think). I would like you to have it. There is no cost or obligation. Just go to http://www.ronfinklestein.com and fill out the form. It will be emailed to you.

49 Marketing Secrets (THATWORK) to Grow Sales

My marketing book 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales will be Sam’s Club in Montrose (Fairlawn), Ohio at the end of January. We plan an author signing party and as we work through the details I will send you information.

Some concepts from 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales have been placed on a DVD and will be sold as part of a program called Millionaire Moms. This program is being distributed by a company called Made for Success. Included in this program are: Ron Finklestein, Brian Tracy, Zig Ziglar, and a few other names you will recognize. It is a privilege to have my work included with such notables in the industry. Expect distribution the first quarter of 2008 in Sam’s Costco or other major retail establishments around the country.

The marketing DVD I created for this program is available for $19.95 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. The three segments on this DVD discuss the seven behaviors a good marketers needs to implement and free or inexpensive marketing concepts from 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales. Send me an email info@yourbusinesscoach.net if you want a copy and I will contact you for the specifics payment and delivery address. .

49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) To Grow Sales Now Available Internationally

Sun, 02 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Ronald Finklestein, AKRIS LLC

211 Harcourt Dr., Akron, Ohio 44313
Voice Phone Number: 330-990-0788
FAX Number: 330-865-6922
Email Address: ron@akris.net
Website URL: www.49marketingsecrets.com

Local Authors Has 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales Published Internationally.

Akron, Ohio, 12-3-07 – Author and Business Coach Ron Finklestein has agreed to have his book 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales published by Rave Media of India.

The book was recently displayed at The Hamburg book expos in Germany. According to Bob Erdmann of Columbine Communications & Publications, 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales “was one of the more popular titles. In addition to Rave Media, they were 14 publishing companies in 9 different counties who requested review copies.”

Ron Finklestein, a uthor of Celebrating Success! Fourteen Ways to Create a Successful Company and The Platinum Rule for Small Business Mastery decided it was time to address one of the biggest problems businesses experience: marketing. Says Finklestein “many of business challenges I encounter in my business coaching and consulting practice are marketing problems. Smaller business owners don’t understand marketing, its importance or who to trust. I wanted to create a safe and inexpensive way for business owners to know what works and give them enough information to implement these marketing success tactics in their business. Hence the book 49 Marketing Secrets (that work) to Grow Sales was born. I also wanted to help Akron by promoting successful people that few people know about.”

The book is available on www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com. The price for this soft cover book is $19.95. You can also order it at www.49marketingsecrets.com.

Here is what others had to say about this book:

"The heavy hitters, the shining stars, the bright lights -- they're all here for you in this brilliant and enlightening book. It should be mandatory reading for anyone who loves marketing and profits." Jay Conrad Levinson, The Father of Guerrilla Marketing, Author, "Guerrilla Marketing" series of books, over 14 million sold; now in 43 languages

"Success in business requires a strong vision, a positive attitude and knowing what to do and when to do it. I'm astonished by how many answers this book has to the questions business owners ask all the time. Strong marketing paves the way to lasting success, and you'll find what you need in '49 Marketing Secrets' to get wherever you want to go." Joe Vitale, author "The Attractor Factor" and "Zero Limits"

For additional information on 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales, contact Ron Finklestein or visit www.49marketingsecrets.com. A special thanks to all contributors who shared their knowledge and experience to make this book happen.

ABOUT AKRIS LLC – AKRIS LLC is a business coaching and consulting firms that helps businesses get results. AKRIS LLC publishes books through its publishing imprint Celebrating Success. For a review copy call 330-990-0788 or send an email to info@yourbusinesscoach.net

Title: 49 Marketing Secrets (that work) to Grow Sales

Audience: Business Owners and Entrepreneurs, Marketing Managers

Format: Paperback

Publication Date: 4/1/07

Price: $19.95

Available From: Celebrating Success – a Morgan James Publishing Imprint

Imprint Address: Ron Finklestein, 211 Harcourt Dr, Akron, Ohio 44313

Publishers Address: David Hancock, Morgan James Publishing, 1225 Franklin Ave., Ste 325, Garden City, NY 11530-1693

ISBN: 978-1-60037-248-1

To order or for more information call 330-990-0788 or send an email to info@yourbusinesscoach.net

- END -

Invest In Your Self

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I am writing a report call Nine Common Errors Business Owners Make 9and they are not what you think they are.).

I send this report to a client to review and below is his response. I thought I would share it becuase he hits the nail right on the head.

By the way, if you want a copy of this report send me an email (info@yourbusinesscoach.net) and put "9 Common Errors" in the subject line and I will send it you when it is complete (just a few days).

Contents of EMAIL: My wife asked me if I learned anything from my last business. (She watched a program with entrepreneurs including the founder of Burton snow boards.)

I said: Make people follow the business processes we agreed on. Manage and spend all my time managing people (or hire someone to do it.) Fire those who don't follow the business process or don't have the skill sets. Think of myself and family first, not last

I'm still sorting out what I would do differently. I told her I know that I am not a manager, that I don't have the personality to manage, because I love to create things. So I have also realized that I need to create things, put a system in place and walk away. I have learned that I need to find others who are passionate about a project and partner with them. That way, I'll accomplish more, faster. It's the OPPS thing: One Page Partnerships.

I like your report. I keep thinking banks should sponsor you to do webinars to their small business clients around your philosophy. They advertise for you, bring the customers together, you share with them this concept and give them the white paper etc. Maybe one of the smaller regional banks.

Is there any way you can add at the beginning...

As a business owner your employees expect you to:

· Listen to their problems

· Be their friend

· Understand when they have issue

· Give them a break, then another, then another

· Pay them more each year even when things are bad

· Offer the latest benefits

Your customers expect you to:

· Deliver a product faster, cheaper

Your family expects you to:

· Put food on the table

· Buy the things that they need

· Chauffer from place to place

SO HOW can you do everything well!

You deserve to invest in yourself! Nobody becomes small business owner with everything (skills) it takes to run a business. MANY learn that the business, because of lack of training and knowledge, RUNS their life.

Get YOUR life back. Invest in yourself...

To your continued success
Ron Finklestein
www.ronfinklestein.com
330-990-0788
info@yourbusinesscoach.net

Happy Thanksgiving

Mon, 19 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Thanksgiving Thoughts

As we approach my favorite holiday, I want to personally thank each and every one of you for what you do in your business and personal lives. Whether you realize it or not, as a business owner, your products and services are helping people to achieve their goals and in many cases create better lives for themselves and their family, friends and coworkers.

I especially want to thank my clients and associates who trust me to help them succeed. It is a true privilege to know and work with each of you.

I know how many of you have gone to extraordinary lengths to make your products and services valuable to others. Thank you.

I know how many of you have honored your partnership with your customers and clients for many years. Thank you.

I know how many of you go the extra mile to do the right thing. Thank you.

I know how many of you commit yourself to life-long learning. Thank you.

I know how many of you give selflessly of yourself to help others. Thank you.

I know how many of you have shared your struggles and successes with me. Thank you.

I know how many of you stay in contact with me on a weekly or monthly basis, sharing your path, your goals, your families, your dreams. Thank you.

I know how many of you, like me, share the honor of being able to do this meaningful work. Thank you.

I ask all of you to share this week in Thanksgiving for the wonderful bounty that comes with doing what we do. Have a wonderful Holiday week, everyone!

Ron Finklestein
info@yourbusinesscoach.net
330-990-0788
www.ronfinklestein.com

Book review of 49 Marketing Secrets

Sat, 10 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

An independent book review was done on a book I wrote called 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales. To read the review, please follow the link below.

http://www.authorsreviewed.com/non-fiction/business/49-marketing-secrets.html

If you like the book I would ask that you consider buying the book on 12/3/07 from amazon.com

On of my big hairy goals is to get this book on the Amazon best seller list for business books on 12/3/07. I would appreacite your help in making that happen. To make this an easy decision for you I have some great bonus items to help bribe you to buy the book.

A partial list of bonus items includes:

Free “Totally Motivated” eBook by New York Times Best Selling author Chris Widener.

Attitudes and Behaviors of Successful People (video) by Ron Finklestein

A live speech by Jack Howe called Please Don’t Tell My Mother I Am a Salesman.

14 Tips to Fill Your Prospecting Pipeline by Dr. Tony Alessandra

Five Tips to a Better Business Letter by Deborah Chaddock Brown

Don’t be a Cold Calling Statistic by Laura Leggett

Learn from the masters how to build your business. Listen to these audios, read these documents (PDF and Word) and get ready to be amazed at what you can do to create the business and lifestyle you want. This product regularly sells for $97.00 but you get it as part of your purchase of the 49 Marketing Secrets by Terry Brock.

Terry’s bonus items alone are justification to buy the book!

There are many more and I am adding more each day.

If you want this book and these bonus items just send me an email. On 12/3/07 I will send you an email with all the detail to get this great book and all the bonus items. My email address is info at yourbusinesscoach.net. Just replace the word “at” with “@” and you are ready to go.

I look forward to hearing from you.

To Your Continued Success

Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788

Think and Grow Rich

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Norman Hallett wrote a great blog post. Norman's blog is ThinkAndGrowRichBlog.

Napoleon Hill was one of the first people to "put all the pieces together" in terms of how to
achieve success.

It's up to us to understand the principles of success and take action on them.

My latest blog post invites you to watch an 11-minute video on the High Points of "How
To Succeed"...

http://www.thinkandgrowrichblog.com

I think you'll like it!

Sincerely,
Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788
info@yourbusinesscoach.net
www.ronfinklestein.com

4 Steps to Engaging the Prospect

Mon, 29 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Sales and prospecting is simple if you have the right formula. The formula is not always easy but once you solve it, the rest is easier. What is that formula?

A – Attention
I - Interest
D – Desire
A – Action

How does this apply when you are prospecting, sales, marketing or any other areas of your business? Right now, let’s focus on the sales call. I am assuming the marketing is already done and you have a prospect in front of you. If you are looking for prospects this formula works as well.

A – Attention. To grab their attention you want them to focus on the outcomes they will experience as they work with you. If you are selling a strategy get then focused them on the outcomes others have experienced in working with you. For example, if one of the benefits people will experience in working with you is more visitors to the web site, one of the benefits might be a higher conversion rate. The OUTCOME (results) of a more traffic and higher conversion rate is more money, more donations, more people to sell too, etc. You get my point. People usually don’t care how you do things as long as it is not illegal, immoral or fatting, but they do care deeply about the outcomes you can provide.

I – Interest. After you grabbed their attention, you want to create interest. How do you do that? One of the best ways I know is to focus on the pains and how you solved them for others and can do the same things for them. Remember, facts tell and stories sell. Tell stories of how others have been successful in working with you. Using the example above, let’s say you were successful increasing the conversion rate for several other companies. The people who worked with you may have saved their job, received recognition for a job well done or increased the value of the company. You need to find out what is important to them and focus them on the pain they will experience if they don’t work with you. You can also focus on the pleasure they well experience when they work with you. My experience is that pain works better because people will usually do what is necessary to stop and move away from pain. If they are comfortable they may not be motivated to move forward by pleasure.

D – Desire. You got their attention. You got their interest. You helped them understand the pain if they don’t act. Now you want them to understand how you will solve their problems; why they should pick you. If you are a consultant, is it the process you put them through that gets the results? You can talk about the steps you take them through and the outcomes (there is that word again) they will experience at the end of each step. If it is a product, you focus on that; the outcomes they will experience using your product. If you are talking about the process, be sure to tell them how the process works but not the details. Whenever possible, stay away from tactics you will use. Stay focused on the strategy. As a consultant you intellectual property is the value you bring to the table.

A – Action. You got their attention. You created interest. You raised their desire. Now you want them to take action. If you did the first three steps effectively, action is a natural byproduct of Attention, Interest, and Desire. If you have to close, they are not sold. Go back to the Desire step and probe deeper. You have not identified the heart of the problem (or put them in enough pain.) Many times the prospect cannot tell you why they don’t make a decision. They may not know. As the sales rep, don’t assume they see the outcomes of working with you. You know the outcomes. They are as clear as nose on your face. Did you ever see your nose without looking in the mirror? A prospect needs the mirror. Show them again. Don’t assume anything.

To Your Success,

Ron Finklestein
my newsletter: www.ronfinklestein.com
330-990-0788
info@akris.net

Are You a One of The Monkeys

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I received an email that lead me to this story. In a very few words it explains why change is so difficult. At the same time it asks you to take a look at your behavior to see how you are contributing to the success of the team. Here is the link where I found the original article: http://www.iwdp.co.uk/articles/think_outside_the_box.php. This is a powerful story

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself why you do a particular thing in a particular way? Do you just follow the advice of those that have been doing the task the longest without further question?

Consider the following scenario, then consider your position within your company and ask yourself honestly, why?

Let's begin with a cage that contains five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of step ladders underneath it.

Before long, a monkey will go to the step ladder and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the first rung, spray all of the monkeys with cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt to retrieve the banana resulting in another soaking for all five monkeys.

After a few more attempts any monkey making the trip towards the step ladder will be prevented by the remaining monkeys.

Now, remove the water source. Extract one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and heads towards the step ladder; to his surprise and annoyance he is instantly attacked by the other monkeys.

After a second attempt and resulting attack, he is aware of the fact that if he makes his way to the step ladder in order to retrieve the banana he will be assaulted by the remaining monkeys.

Next, remove another of the original team of five monkeys and once more replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes towards the step ladder and is attacked. This time though, the previous newcomer has taken part in the attack with enthusiasm.

Again, replace a third monkey with a new one. The new one makes it to the step ladder and is in turn attacked.

Of the attacking force two of the four monkeys have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the step ladder, or even why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing the fourth and fifth original monkeys, all the monkeys that were aware of the water source and in turn were sprayed have now been replaced.

Nevertheless, no monkey will ever again approach the step ladder.

Why not?

Because as far as they know that's the way it's always been around here; and that's how company policy begins.

So, now you should be considering what you can do to avoid making the same mistakes as the group of monkeys; this is not something that can be instructed to you, this is something that only you can discover relative to your current position within the scenario.

If your team within the company acts in a similar fashion to the monkeys then you are undoubtedly not getting the best from your team, and therefore you are not providing your best to the company.

Do you want the presence of your company to suffer?

Think outside the box

© TiggerOnSpeed, 2005 Gary Stuart Wicks is the Director of Media Services for TiggerOnSpeed Ltd a Somerset based Media, Design and Data Security consultancy. Contact us on 0845 0034 289.

Selfishness is a good thing - really

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Selfishness is good thing. Really it is. It drives our behavior in all that we do.

I recently gave a talk to about 60 small business owners about selfishness and part of the talk discussed the importance of referral partners. I encouraged a referral process that was a two way street: give one get one.

One gentlemen suggested that he gives referrals because it makes him feel good - even if he gets none back. I suggested to him that this was selfishness at it best. Of course he did not agree.

Ironically several people came up to me and asked how to approach referral partners that were not providing referrals back.

So let's hear more about how selfishness is the foundation of success (however you define it).

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/smbceo/blog/2007/10/19/Be-Selfish-Its-OK

Steve Rucinski recently interviewed Ron Finklestein on how successful business owners are selfish and how it is ok to be selfish. The very act of selfishness is what starts the success process.

This short podcast (approx 12 minutes) focuses on what business people, especially small business owners, do to be successful. They understand that selfishness is a good thing but it is only the begining.

Give a listen. It will change how you think about selfishness.

Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788
info@yourbusinesscoach.net

Networking Works

Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The Power of Networking (or networking works)

I recently went to a networking event. It was not one I was planning on attending.

I had a client call and ask me how to get there (he was not sure about the location). While talking to him he suggested I meet him there. Not having anything better to do (my wife was out of town), I decided to go.

When I got there I met the store manager for the local Sam’s Club. This was important to me because I had been trying to get a contact at Sam’s to see if I could get my books sold there. I have two books I am promoting: 49 Marketing Secrets (THAT WORK) to Grow Sales and The Platinum Rule for Small Business Mastery. I thought Sam’s was a good place to sell the books since many members are business owners and both books address problems the business owners face daily. He took the books and said he would get back to me.

I also met some people there. As I usually do when I meet someone, I put their name and email address in an application called hand shake (www.handshakehq.com). The application is free and once you register you can set up email templates for different types of situations. Just enter the individual’s name and email address, select a template, and the recipient receives a nice email. It takes about 30 seconds to do this. I would suggest you check out this web site. It makes follow up easy and simple. It was created by Ron McDaniel, a buzz marketing expert.

About three days after I sent out the email, I received a call from one of the people I sent the email to. We made an appointment to meet. During the appointment, I was able to help her with a particularly thorny problem. As a result, she asked if how she could help me and I told her I was trying to get my books in Sam’s and ask if she could help. My thought was she attended the event, maybe she knew someone I didn’t.

She did (know someone). She told me it was a done deal. I was a bit surprised by her confidence. I gave her a copy of the book to give to her contact. We had breakfast a week later and she said she was meeting with the sales rep from Sam’s and she did not see a problem getting Sam’s to purchase the books.

I received a call about 4:00 PM that same day, and much to my surprise, she said Sam’s was going to carry the both books. Not only that, they were going in 312 stores in the eastern part of the US. WOW!

I told one of my coauthors about the success of getting the books into Sam’s and he introduced me to one of his contacts. This lead to three of my videos being used in a package that will be sold in both Sam’s and Costco’s, along with some of the biggest names in the industry.

The reason I went through this long story is to reinforce the fact that networking works. It works because I helped her without any thought of myself. In fact, I had every right to charge her for the consulting. To paraphrase Zig Ziglar: become a person of value by helping others get what they want. Net time you have an appointment ask how you can help them first.

To Your Success,

Ron Finklestein
info@yourbusinesscoach.net
330-990-0788