“The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd; indeed, in view of the silliness of the majority of mankind, a wide-spread belief is more likely to be foolish than sensible” ~ Bertrand Russell


And how do you tell?


In the wake of the death of Michael Jackson, once again, the news is full of the boy/man who has spent an inordinate amount of time in recent years living down his reputation.

It is this reputation, or at least the way that it seems to have been gained, that leads me to write this blog.

With Michael Jackson's sudden death, we've seen an avalanche of tributes and outpourings of support and messages of rememberings and replays of videos and songs on the internet. In amongst these, of course, have been those who apparently are holding fast to their opinions of what this person was like. And their dislike is obvious.

Like we witnessed during the recent US election, and just as we watched the different sides of the 'pro' Vs 'con' sides of the "Should we be in Iraq" debate, some of the more heated and vitriolic comments come from people who it would seem, have arrived at their opinions, without any real consideration for the context and without any facts or appreciation of the overall implications that such opinions must create.

We know, and have seen time and again, how the media can create a story - create as in completely fabricate - in some cases, and at other times so twist the facts as to render the correct version of events impossible for the remote observer to acess.

We view our tabloid heroes as though we know them. We don't. We are treated to media stories that exploit every news opportunity, real or fictional, and are swamped with slices of information that may or may not be correct, but are peddled about as though saying them will make them true. We sneer at the paparazzi who carve out a career by invading the privacy of others, even as we - some of us- give in to the irresistible compulsion to buy their cheesy magazines and leer at the photographs they have taken. Discriminating between what is true and what is fallacious seems to have become a moot point. If it titillates or lets us pass judgment on someone who is just media fodder for our entertainment, then that's all that matters.


Objectifying people in this way, can easily become a habit. We see a series of 30 second grabs on the TV and we think we 'know' this person in the spotlight. We know who they are, what they do, what their sins are, and what their punishment should be.


Do you form your opinions in this same rapid-fire way? Do you stand back and make some effort to objectively separate what you know, and has been verified, from the emotions that you feel when you read or see some of this news?

Are you open to discuss your opinion, or do you just want to blurt it out without any thought to the consequences of what it says about you, as well as the person of whom you hold this opinion?

Do you keep an open mind so that you can revise your opinions as new facts emerge?

Perhaps the single greatest wish that I have in this regard, is for you who read this, and as you read this, consider perhaps if you have jumped to conclusions about people in the past, without real scrutiny of those opinions... Consider what it might be like to to move toward a position where you are able to be a little objective ... Even when the topic is emotionally compelling... and allow yourself to observe without jumping to an opinion straight away.

Just observe.

Notice what you notice.

Question what else this information you are noticing might mean, if you looked at it from different angles.

Notice yourself noticing the information.



Think about the information and ponder, "If what seems to be, is so, what would have to be true, in the mind of that person, for those actions to make sense?"

Then perhaps we may arrive at a place with some scope for understanding and a position of compassion.

Good things can come from a place of compassion.

Good things rarely come from a place of derision and hatred.


What's your opinion?










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It would be nice in a way, to think that time stands still. That what worked in the past will work now and just doing what we always did will keep working for us. Unfortunately whether we like it or not some things change.

Just ask the people who made their business in manufacturing button hooks for lace-up boots that were once the rage. Maybe not since they are long gone, along with the sulky makers and the cars that needed to be hand cranked to get started. Remember audio cassettes and video tapes? Now there was an industry. Replaced by CDs and DVDs and now they are in peril from download.

Some things of course, don’t change. Being well organized in your business will never go out of fashion. Which doesn’t mean being inflexible, but does mean approaching your business with the respect that it deserves. It means taking the right actions for the right reasons. Nourishing the business as necessary, in the form of scheduled marketing, and repeatable quality standards in delivery of services and product, which means good procedures and policies – written down and followed.

Whether you have noticed or not, your market is changing. Your customers are changing and the way they do business, the way they want to do business, has changed. Time is precious for your customers and many of them do their shopping research online.

They want answers when they want them, even if it is 2am and when they look for someone to help them from their plight – whatever it is – they want to be able to find the local business that can help them to do that. If they are looking for something that is in your field, then you bet you want to be there online for them to find, and get all the information they need to satisfy their interest. You want to be found and you want to be sure they have all they need to be able to use your business if they can, to satisfy what is important to them at this time.

Your customers are looking online to find you on Google and guess what? That’s not the only place they are looking now. They are seeking advice from the people around them and online more and more that is the people in their social networks. Need a good mechanic? Ask your network. Need a new accountant or a pool repaired? Social networks, like Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, review sites, you name it, they are checking it out. They are finding who is there, and they are finding who has been recommended... and who has been rubbished for their lack of service.

But you probably know this already. As a business owner, you probably do the same thing yourself. The question now is how are you responding to this change in your market, within your business? What are you doing to meet your customers in the new marketplace? How do you let them find you online and what steps have you actively taken to meet their enquiries and respond to their needs?

The tools are available to help you monitor the word that is out there about your business, and to help you spread the good word about your business. It isn’t something to take lightly and it isn’t something to ignore if you want your business to be flexible and able to prosper in the new economy. Databases for marketing, social media, sms text messages and VOIP, inventory management and advanced point of sale technology, online identity and reputation management, recruiting methods are just some of these new tools.

If you have not taken steps yet to address this side of your business, and how that fits with the overall management of your business, then now is a great time to review your direction and plan for the future that is now.

If you have taken steps to move with the times, please do add your comments and share your thoughts so others in local businesses who may still be struggling with these concepts may learn from your experiences too.


@lindyasimus

Business Planning Now includes Online Business Development



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Recent news scandal of a less than savoury incident involving the Cronulla football team on a tour to NZ seven years ago has raised the topic of what is acceptable behaviour in sport, but more widely in the community. The reports have been revealed what is coyly described as ‘consensual sexual encounter’. Well so far as it was stated originally, the consent extended to the single man named and now paying some price for his public infidelity, and his involvement in what turned out to be something other than a simple one night stand.

Specifically, it turned into something other than this, when eleven team mates and various hangers-on decided to get in on the act.

So far, Matthew Johns (the one with the consent remember – from the 19 year old woman if not his wife...) has taken the hit for the team. Well that’s the point is it not? Team bonding and all that means that the team is the thing and you don’t ‘rat’ on your mates. Where that fits insofar as the mates letting Matthew Johns take responsibility for their involvement to alone face the consequences, is however understandable it may be, cowardice. Were it the case that Matthew Johns had in mind that the other members would enter the room then that would seriously compound his error and compromise his integrity even further. If he did not invite them in then it becomes even more shameful that they leave him alone to bear responsibility for their actions.

This specific case aside, it does beg the question ...What has happened to the standards that were once an easy measure for individuals to gauge their behaviour and actions? Where are the role models that will teach boys to be men of integrity? How does it come to pass that in this age of supposed enlightenment that women are still treated in this manner and more to the point, believe at some level that there is any reason to submit to such bullying? Consent? Really? Just supposing it were true the young woman did have poor judgement in this case, still yet that does not alter the fact that each and every man in that room had his own decision to make, and it would seem, each had little respect – or reason to have respect - for themselves, or anyone else in the team. Without question it is safe to assume that none of the men in that room would have been happy for their mother or sister to be treated the way that they treated that woman. So what possibly constituted the difference in their mind between she – and the women they would protect from such treatment in the normal course of events?

Beyond this sorry incident, is the broader question of what value we place on standing up and doing the right thing for the right reason. How different might this story have been had someone brought some positive leadership to the group.

In discussing this with a client this week, he related a story about travelling on an inter-city commuter train, packed with people just doing their best to endure the journey with as little friction as is possible in a train packed with commuters. A young man decided to inflict his loud opinions and blaring music on the rest of the passengers. One man requested that he be considerate and turn the music down. The youth returned the request with a hostile gesture. Minutes later the youth has moved down the aisle to where my client sat. He took this opportunity to upbraid him and let him know in no uncertain terms, that the passengers and he needed to be considerate one of the other and that his cooperation would make it a much better trip for all concerned. He motioned to the man who had asked for the music to be turned down, what he’d like to do with the music now. The man remained silent. Nobody on the train said a single thing to support him. Apparently then, all the passengers were consenting to being bullied.

In Australia we have had the notion of a fair go, and an expectation of reasonable behaviour as we live-and-let-live. Has that been a fantasy of the imagination? Has this really been worth nothing... or have we just turned our back on this concept as being worthy of keeping in our present age?

Does it really, not matter at all, how we behave to one another?

I for one, hope not.

As our society moves away from the two parent home, we see more and more children raised in homes without a male parent. The examples that the parents set, in what the children absorb about how relationships work, how people treat each other would seem to be changed now, compared to the past. Many things that would have been frowned upon, are now found to be commonplace. The old rules are thrown out, but what are the new rules?

We’re learning something now of what the former Cronulla football team regards as reasonable behaviour. It isn’t pretty.

In America, many are fond of a question WWJD – What would Jesus Do.

My question to you, is What Would You Do?

What are the things for which you are prepared to stand up? Even when they are difficult.

Especially when they are difficult.

A quote to which I subscribe says:

“What I am is the result of all the choices I have made or allowed others to make for me. What I choose is what I am”

Choose well.

What do you think?





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Four months into my Leonard Cohen obsession, kicked off by seeing him in Australia in concert in the Hunter Valley under the stars at Bimbadgen Estate, I am just now begining to find the words to relate the impact of seeing him perform in this recent tour.

Actually, the impact is unfolding as I have learned more about Leonard Cohen than I ever knew before the concert. While I had liked him well enough before the concert, I'd really only known his very old songs and his voice on those had never really quite "got there" for me. Perhaps it was the primitive recording methods of the late 60's or that his voice had not fully matured or perhaps a combination of the two.

So I went to this concert willingly, and looking forward to seeing the performance, but really clueless as to what it would be like but wishing to keep my good friend company and enjoy this beautiful day in a lovely part of the world with one of the world's preeminent personalities in the world of poetry and music.

Without expectations as such, still any vestige of measure about how good the concert might be was surpassed in short order and from the first step on the stage and the swell of the audience and good spirit directed toward Himself as the musical notes began, set the tone for a performance that literally transported an entire audience.

This aging man, his voice deeper and more resonant than ever captivated each and every person there. From the elderly reliving the songs from their hip (perhaps misspent?) youth, to the children of this group who attended. A spread of ages amazingly broad.


Authenticity is a concept that we see bandied about as desireable quality and yet our examples that splash across our TV and movie screens belie the value of self acceptance. The contrast as we view Leonard Cohen large on the two giant screens at either side of the stage, the camera's zooming into capture his face in unforgiving closeup reveals a man whose vanity lies in the presentation of his thoughts and striving for some kind of impeccability in what he does. Not hiding from reality and pretense of youth, by surgeon's knife and botox. He wears his years with good humour and resignation, perhaps. He has earned the scars and shares them with us. The songs personal and intmate and letting us into the place that is the external representation of his internal landscape. He is no remote 'star'. He is one of us and we appreciate that humility. And we appreciate the marvellous talent that he brought together to create this remarkable presentation of his life's work. And his generosity in sharing the stage and edifying all who made the performances so remarkable, including his band members, but also those responsible for the wonderful sound and the visuals that were to find their way onto the DVD from the London concert.


There are lessons for us all in what happened during this, and each and every other concert that has occurred on this tour. This tour that began as a fighting back, after Leonard Cohen's financial stability was undermined by the very manager he entrusted to safeguard his interests. In the aftermath of the embezzlement that resulted in the loss of some $5million and the resulting court case that vindicated his claim and awarded him damages in excess of the original theft, but with little chance of collecting, at the age of 74 this man, whom many like to portray as being a master of gloom, does what he needs to do and heads back to work. "Back on Boogey Street" and "Just Paying The Rent... In The Tower Of Song". Some strange way to bring this light into all our lives. Go figure. Just be grateful.

And perhaps Leonard Cohen is grateful too. How many of us have the chance to see how profoundly loved we are by so many around the world, whose lives we have touched. What price that experience? Certainly a rare and precious thing. And a reminder to us of how fleeting life is, and how fast time flies, so there is no time to waste. No time to put off creating our own pieces of unique art that will form our own body of work during our life.

No time to waste chasing unattainable perfection, for in Leonard Cohen's words:

"Ring the bells that still can ring.
There is a crack...a crack, in everything.

That's how the light gets in."



So what are the lessons? This will be a topic for another post.

Lessons for us as individuals.

Lessons for us in how we approach our business.


Halleluljah.




Video - Where Is My Gypsy Wife Tonight?




Video Hallelujah (droning voice on the soundtrack is not from the band!)



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Affiliate marketing is often mentioned as a great way to make money online. Many times the suggestion is that this is a way to make money with no effort. Not so! Like anything worth doing, your success in building sales will need some concerted effort from you! So make it something of which you can be proud.


Articles are a great way to enhance and improve your affiliate business. To do this, you should be submitting articles to article directories. Many times visitors become buyers through the article links. When using article submission you need to regularly submit articles to websites – article directories, ideally, two or three articles every week.

Write good copy for your affiliate website. If you are not good at writing, consider using professional article and content writers. Professional writers can deliver you good quality articles that are optimized with proper keywords, and this should let you in turn get more traffic to your website. Quality articles rank better and get you much more traffic compared to only keywords and poor quality articles. Hiring help is one way to get top quality web content for your website. Consider hiring a Virtual Assistant. A VA can do many of the repetitive tasks in your marketing and offer help with submissions of your site. This can save a lot of your time while ensuring that more articles are being submitted.

Make use of forum marketing – Discussion boards are a great place to promote your website. However, you must earn credibility so act in an ethical manner and add value to the forum. Make sure that you post about affiliate website in relevant forums that are in some way related to your program. The links that you provide in forum postings help in a great way to produce you more leads. For this method to be productive you need to make sure that you regularly post answers in forums, as many times a day as possible. NEVER spam your host network.

Use of Social Bookmarking and Social Networking sites –Facebook, MySpace, or YouTube and the many other social networks out there are a great way to become noticed and ways to promote your business and affiliate site thoughtfully, is simply limitless. With social networking your efforts are multiplied, but you must be very careful and definitely No spamming! If you think something you are going to post might be spam it probably is! Rethink your method.

Blogging – Writing a good blog increases the opportunity for you to selectively promote your affiliate products. Remember that blogging successfully means you need to be providing quality content and good information. That’s how you can increase the traffic to your affiliate website, your blog and make additional sales.

Search Engine Submissions – Submit your website links to search engines. Remember to submit your website not only to the search engines, but to quality directories such as Yahoo! Directory, Google Local etc. Such directories will provide high quality backlinks to your website and increase your chances of ranking in the search engines. That provides you with a good traffic flow to your website.

Press Letters and Releases – Research writing Press Releases and learn how to write good content to submit for publication.

If you want to earn money online, become a learning monster for all things Affiliate. Do your homework. Use quality products and be proud of the business that you build. Despite the terrible examples you might have seen online, an affiliate business need not be a venture offering products of low quality and low value.

Now take pride in your work.











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Forgiveness is an interesting topic.




A year or two back we had a thread on a Facebook group about this
that cemented my relationship with one of the members who had
been Pro-Forgiveness. A remarkable young man he posted about
his abusive relationship with his father and how he had been he felt,
forced to deal with forgiving his father for his own peace of mind, and
to make good his life and focus on positive things that were within
his control to do. He wrote of how he had looked at himself in the
mirror one day and said "Enough!". And he forgave. For himself, he
forgave those who had caused him pain. Which is not to say that he
condoned what they did... but he forgave them anyway.

This young man passed away just a few months after he posted this
story.

The notion of Forgiving can be very emotive for many of us,
simply because it does not happen in isolation. Our regard for others
with whom forgiveness may be an issue can be complex. It can
harbour identity issues about

who they are
who we are
what it would mean if we forgave them
what it would mean if we stopped feeling bad
what it would mean if we 'let them get away with it'
what it would mean if we forgot our grievance
what it would mean if we did not have that experience
what life would be like now if we started over without that pain

Essentially, forgiveness is the often just the first step.
After forgiveness, what then?

What will we do differently?
How will we view life now?
What actions will we take now?

One of the presuppositions of NLP, is this.
"People are doing the best they can with the resources available"

What this speaks to, is that we have resources that we need to do
whatever it is that we need to do. Sometimes we have trouble
believing that, because we are overwhelmed or just plain don't know how
to access those inner resources.

Sometimes we have to forgive ourselves first, in order to gain the
use of our own resources, that we need to consider forgiving others.


An interesting topic for sure.






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Best Results Working With Your VA




Whenever someone in business thinks about hiring some help, it often follows a process something like this:


1 They don't get stuff done that needs to be done. (This can continue for a LONG time!)

2 They are pushed to a point of hiring someone and can't avoid it any longer

3 Obsess for a long time, wondering how they will pay for it

4 End up putting on the first person that turns up to help (even if they have no appropriate skills)

5 Discover the surprise that things get done which used to be left undone

6 Wonder how they got along without help

7 Continue like that not knowing how good (or how bad) it's really working (no way to measure)



In every case I've seen, getting help has resulted in the ability to do more and scale the business in a way that doing everything oneself, just doesn't allow. It doesn't matter what business you are in, it works just the same.


So what does the other side of this look like?


It happens that I've quite a few Virtual Assistants (VAs) in my network and
so I know that while they are willing to do what they do and help where they
can, making that happen with the people who really need what they do, isn't always that straightforward.

Really, what the clients often need, is a coaching session first - to determine what, out of that mess of ideas they have spinning around their head - it is they need help to do.


It is very easy to get what you want when you know what it is.

Knowing precisely What You Want, on the other hand, can be devilishly difficult!

Knowing what you need, will depend on the outcomes that you want to achieve.



These desired outcomes we want, have to fit within a broader context and that means understanding:


Where you are now.

Where you want to be.

How to get there.


Again, it seems simple. And it is.

It just isn't necessarily easy.

Well, it can be easy... if you know how.


So here it is -


If you think you need help, you probably do.

If you think you don't need help... you probably do.



Of course, that depends if you really are growing a business.

If you are just playing at it, you probably don't need help.


So if you are looking to hire help, be very clear on what it is that you
want to achieve as a result, then work backwards from there.


Tips For Starting With Your Virtual Assistant


Be clear on what you want done.

Don't expect your VA to tell you what you need done.
That sets up a bad dynamic and puts you in a passive position
and that's NOT what you want to be as you run your business.
Be Active and take responsibility for your results.


Be clear on what skills the VA possesses

Don't hire a bookkeeper to do your multi media presentations.
And please don't hire your web designer to do your books!

Since you are only paying for what gets done, then think about what roles you need help in.

Some category example:

BackOffice: Accounting and book work, typing, transcription

Front Office: Customer relationship management, social media

Scheduling Concierge: Calendar management, travel arrangements, co-ordinating personal stuff.

Events management: Setting up conferences and the like

Marcom Production: Marketing and communications production. Brochures, presentations, advertisements etc


Web: design, blogs, affiliate programs, shopping carts set up and the like.

Make your VA an integral part of your action plan.


Organize your business and your marketing efficiently,
and ensure that your VA's work adds to your efficacy
and your ability to meet your business goals.


Write down your Action Plan and your VA's Duties

Get those ideas out of your head and onto paper. While the
ideas live only inside your head, they are worthless!
Be clear with them what you expect Your VA to do, and
if you need to, how you want them to do it. Make sure they
have the competencies to be able to fulfill that requirement.
Make sure you have been SPECIFIC with them!


Communicate!

Give clear instructions. Give good respectful feedback.

Have a process for managing performance of the VA and
be accessible when you are meant to be accessible.
Don't hide and withdraw if they do something not to your
satisfaction. Get the communication channels open and
be honest. Expect honesty from them. But don't tolerate
over familiarity or disrespect.




Do What You Say You Will Do.


Return calls or emails. Your VA is not your mother!
It isn't the job of a VA to run after you, so don't
act like a kid who needs a wet-nurse!

If you tell the VA that you will do something in
preparation for what they need from you to go on with a task,
DO IT!.



Budget For Your VA

This is an essential part of your business. Make sure
you have budgeted the funds for your Virtual Assistant.
This is your responsibility so attend to it and don't make
your VA wait for payment, you will get no loyalty that way.
Don't end up being the deadbeat client on the next Twitter message you see.




Monitor Your Progress

Make sure you measure just how far you have come since you
started using your VA. If you have been using them for some
months, you should be able to see how your business has
benefited and be able to track the capacity you have in
your business now as a direct result of that activity. Check
this every week and every month and review formally at regular
intervals. Don't let this just coast, make every week count.



There are some ideas to get you started. Simple, and if you need help to do it right... Get it!










Thinking Of Getting A Business Coach?
Lindy Asimus
Design Business Engineering
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