Blog Entries for Ron Finklestein

Finding Wisdom

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I wrote a book along with Scott Zimmerman and Dr. Tony Alessandra called The Platinum Rule for Small Business Mastery. It is available on www.amazon.com. The Platinum Rule teaches us to treat others the way they want to be treated. This is especially important in business (sales, marketing, employees, etc). My daughter (Emily) just graduated from college and was reading the book. Below is theemail I received from her. "A quote on sales I thought you’d appreciate, because it paral [...]

Everyday Leaders - Everyday Leadership

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Below is a great article on everyday leadership. Enjoy.

Ron Finklestein

Everyday Leaders - Everyday Leadership

http://www.ccl.org/leadership/enewsletter/2006/SEPeveryday.aspx?pageId=1750

Leadership can be a high-profile enterprise. Media headlines cast executives and administrators into the spotlight. Managers operating in complex, global organizations are often featured in books, articles and training programs dealing with effective leadership. But leadership more [...]

Using Time as a Sign of Caring

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Using Time as a Sign of Caring
By Dr. Tony Alessandra

Someone who’s frequently late sends the message that he or she does not care aboutthe people they keep waiting. This may not be true, but that’s the message, and it may injure your chance to create rapport. Therefore, our accuracy with time often broadcasts a signal about our priorities, though it may not be the signal we mean to send.

Because time is viewed as such a scarce resource, people we choose to spend [...]

Something not to laugh about

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Something not to laugh about

This is a very different article than is typically posted here. Read on at your own risk.

On November 2, 2006, I held our fourth annual Celebrating Success! NEO Business Conference. The conference is designed to celebrate the successes of small business and have them teach conference attendees what they did right.

The day went well but there were two things that happened that I don’t understand.

The first was a comment on the confe [...]

Goal Setting - Writing Good Goals

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Goals Setting

Here is a brief guide to writing good goods. Good goals are –

Time Bound: It has a date in which the goal is to be achieved

Specific: A good goal must have specific details.

Measurable: All goals must be measurable.

Achievable: Can it be achieved? By achievable I mean something you can and want to achieve.

For example, I know that I could get a job as a manager doing information technology consulting, but I don’t want to, so I [...]

Why Your Goal Setting Fail

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What Can Limit Us from Being Successful?

Bob Proctor talks about why goal setting sometimes fails. Below is a summary of his comments. I believe they are important and if you have problems with the goal setting, this will help you understand why.

1. If you set a goal and it did not work you need to take a look at why this happened. The importance of goal setting was stressed repeatedly. If setting a goal did not work for you, do not stop setting goals, figure out what you did wron [...]

Work Ethic for Business Startups

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Work Ethic for Business Startups

Many people start a business without a clear idea of what is involved. Before starting a business review the following checklist to see if you have work ethic to start your own business.

Are you willing to work more than 8 hours a day and/or 5 days a week to achieve your goal? _____ _____

Do you have thestamina to keep long hours? _____ _____

Can you handle the strain associated with a business? _____ _____

Can you keep multi [...]

In the ABCs of Sales,

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In the ABCs of sales A stands for action.Success starts with understanding what outcome you want and asking the right questions. Success starts with understanding what outcome you want and asking the right questions. The action step simply means that you define what action you want your prospect to take as a result of meeting with you. ;Another way of thinking about is "What is the desired outcome you want?" Is it to sell them on your products or services? Do want to create a referr [...]

Self Analysis for New Business Startups

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Self Analysis for New Business Startups

A special thanks to the Small Business Administration. Some of the questions below came from them. It is strongly recommended that you take The Platinum Rule assessment at http://www.yourbusinesscoach.net/assessments.html. The cost is $49.99 andit could be the best $49.99 you ever spent.

If you already have a business, some of this information may be unnecessary. Go though it anyway, and it will help open your mind to see if there is anythin [...]

The Problem With Sales - A True Story

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Building Better Relationships – A True Story

“We decided we will not be getting insurance through you. I was quite disturbed at what happened at the Trade Show. You are aware that orthodox Jews do not shake hands with the opposite gender. You put my wife on the spot where she had to choose between embarrassing you or making you feel uncomfortable by not responding to a handshake. Joan always does her utmost not to cause discomfort for anyone, Jew or non-Jew. It would have b [...]

Creating An Entrepreneur Mind

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I don’t, as a rule, discuss the product I use. But I found one that I want to share with you. I received a call from Norman Hallett, the developers of EntrepreneurMind about this product and he asked if he could send me an evaluation copy. I checked things out and told him I would use it. As an entrepreneur, I am always looking for different ways to motivate myself to do the things I know I
should be doing to improve my business? I work hard and do not delegate well and I end up doing ev [...]

Are Banks Finally Getting It?

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Are banks finally getting it? A client of mine is very happy with the new program his bank is offering. It is a free program for the employer to offer their employees. There is no cost involved for the company to offer this program to their employees. Some of the benefits are free checks
for the life of the account, no min balance requirements, free companion savings account (no min. balance requirements), free check card, free online banking and bill pay, discounts on loans and line [...]

Electronic Newsletters � Building a Personal Marketing Database

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Electronic Newsletters – Building a Personal Marketing Database By Dr. Tony Alessandra Having a free newsletter or eZine is an essential marketing tool for any business, individual, or organization. Upon first consideration, it may seem like a third-rate marketing ploy, or not worth the hassle to maintain. However, when you create a newsletter, you not only provide your subscribers with valuable information, you also create a mechanism to reach out and touch your subscribers every month or [...]

Sales Made Easy (or the ABC� of Sales)

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As a business coach and consultant I am surprised by the number of business owners who have responsibility for sales but don’t have a clearly defined sales process. There is a six step process that anyone can learn. Like anything else, it takes a bit of practiceto master. This material is not designed for the professional sales person who is out on the street every day, through this is something they can use as well, it is designed for the business owner who needs to sell but does not know [...]

Why an Business Advisory Board is Your Best Friend

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Why The Need For A Business Advisory Board? Successful people understand that multiple minds and multiple experiences are far smarter, effective and efficient that any single mind or experience. Simply put, better decisions are made. Business owners are the primary users of advisory boards, especially owners: Need more salesWant to get their life backAre stressed and feel like they've lost controlof their companyWant to create additional revenue streamsNeed and understand the value of i [...]

Sales Made Easy (or the ABC... of Sales)

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As a business coach and consultant I am surprised by the number of business owners who have responsibility for sales but don't have a clearly defined sales process.

My next several blog posts will describe what I teach my clients and members of my business mastery advisory boards.

There is a six step process that anyone can learn. Like anything else, it takes a bitof practice to master. This material is not designed for the professional sales person who is out on the street e [...]