It’s the time of the year when we are thankful for many things–our health, family and friends and our business opportunities. We also need to remember our customers who have helped us along the way. A mailed thank you card is one way to stand out from all the rest. Not an email, not a text but an old fashioned thank you card! And get it mailed before the Christmas rush. Thank your customers today and while you’re at it– thank your employees too!
Dian Lusher—DYNEL, Inc. www.dynelinc.net
November 12th, 2011 in
Uncategorized |
No Comments
Decades of research and training have provided me insight into what it takes for people to feel prosperous and to be prosperous. Facilitating a 4 session series on Prosperity and noting the successes of a room full of participants has once again affirmed the steps to Prosperity.
Here are a few simple tips:
- Clearly define prosperity for yourself—career, money, relationships, health, etc.
- Write it down
- Speak it to someone
- Plan on what it will take to get you there
- Write it down
- Include obstacles in your path and how to deal with them
- Affirm your ongoing progress
- Congratulate your success and move forward!
- Sounds simple and easy? So why don’t more people follow these steps. It takes discipline and a “never, never, never give up” attitude!
Based on the results of my recent group and many others, Prosperity is within your grasp!
“The only place success comes before work is in the dictionary.”–Lombardi
Dian Lusher-DYNEL, Inc.
www.dynelinc.net
September 12th, 2011 in
Uncategorized |
No Comments
On the Northshore and everywhere, the opportunities to tell people about you and your business are everywhere. Make sure your promotion materials are current and have plenty of business cards, brochures, flyers, etc.
Here are a few ideas in my neck of the woods and I bet you can find similar groups in your area:
• Chamber events—STW Chamber, STE Chamber, Hammond Chamber, Madisonville Chamber, Ponchatoula Chamber
• Professional Groups-Professional Women in STW and Tangi, Northshore HR Group, Homebuilders Assoc., BNI groups and others.
• Don’t forget the civic groups-Rotary, Kiwanis, VFW, Neighborhood Assoc. and others.
• I hope you are involved with a non-profit or two: Children’s Advocacy Center, Youth Services Bureau, Habitat, STARC actually whatever you have an interest in—there’s a group.
• And I know you’re involved with your church! Men/Women’s groups, Youth groups, Bible study, etc.
People do business with people they know, trust and like. Give them an opportunity to know you and you will find there are opportunities everywhere!
Dian Lusher-DYNEL, Inc.
Communications and Management Training
www.dynelinc.net
Often wonder if where you are is where you’re supposed to be? Are you on the right path? Doing what you’re here for? Here’s a quick checklist to see if you’re on the right path:
- Do I feel energized at the end of the day?
- Have I accomplished any of the tasks of the day?
- Do I awake in the morning happy to go to work?
- Do I speak happily about my work to others?
- Am I involved in my community?
- Do I look for opportunities to serve others?
- Do I smile a lot?
- Do I feel happy?
If you can answer yes to most of these questions, you’re probably in the right place for now. However, being in the right place for now doesn’t last forever. So continue learning and evaluating yourself. It’s never too late to be who or what you could have been!
Dian Lusher-DYNEL, Inc.
www.dynelinc.net
Blog from Seth Godin who says now–right now–is the best time to transform your life. Here’s how.
Are you serious about transformation? I’m not talking about polishing yourself, improving yourself, making things a bit better. I’m talking about the reset button—a reinvention that changes the game. That means an overhaul in what you believe and how you do your job. If you’re up for that, then right here, right now, you can start. How?
Do work that matters.
Those four words are available to anyone; they’re available to you if you want them. The economy just gave you leverage—the leverage to make a difference, the leverage to spread your ideas and the leverage to have impact. More people have more leverage (more chances and more power) to change the world than at any other time in history. What are you going to do about it? When?
Here are seven levers available for anyone (like you) in search of reinvention.
1. CONNECT
Social media is either a time-wasting, woolgathering, yak-shaving waste of effort, or perhaps, just maybe, it’s a crack in the wall between you and the rest of the world. It’s a choice that’s up to you.
If you’re keeping score of how many followers you have, how many comments you get or how big your online footprint is, then you’re measuring the wrong thing, and you’re probably distracting yourself from what matters.
On the other hand, digital media can offer you a chance to make real connections, earn permission and gain insights from people you’d never have a chance to interact with any other way.
If you can reach and (far more important) touch or change people, you gain in influence, authority and power. We were isolated; now we’re connected. The typical individual didn’t have the time or the money or the connections to be heard just a few years ago. Today, the door is wide open but only for people who can touch others.
Shepard Fairey made a poster of Barack Obama. The Internet helped it spread. The poster connected one supporter to another, became an icon, a freely shared ID badge and ultimately a parody. And in the center of the spread was the artist. While Fairey didn’t make a penny selling the image, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that he connected, and that connection gave his art leverage. He’ll never need to look for work or revenue again. It will find him.
We grew up isolated. The future is connected. We grew up unable to have substantial interactions with anyone except a small circle of family and co-workers. Now we can earn the right to interact with just about anyone. I think this changes everything—if we let it.
2. BE GENEROUS
The new economy often involves trading in things that don’t cost money. There’s no incremental cost in writing an essay, composing a song or making an introduction. Since it doesn’t cost money to play, we have the ability to give before we get.
The generosity economy rewards people who create and participate in circles of gifts. Not the direct I-gave-you-this- you-give-me-that, give-and-get of a traditional economy, but instead the tribal economy of individuals supporting one another.
Tribes of talented individuals who are connected, mutually trustful and supported by one another are in a position to create a movement, to deliver items of value, to move ideas forward faster than any individual ever could.
Derek Sivers built CDBaby.com from a bedroom start-up to a multimillion-dollar seller of independent music. Under his watch, he was selling more music from more artists than anyone in history. The secret? He spent virtually all of his time supporting the artists. The software he developed, the posts he wrote, the systems he instituted—they were gifts, generous contributions from Derek to the artists he worked with. In return, the artists built a thriving community, one that couldn’t help but turn a profit.
3. MAKE ART
Art is an original gift, a connection that changes the recipient, a human ability to make a difference. Art isn’t a painting or even a poem; it’s something that any of us can do. If you interact with others, you have the platform to create something new, something that changes everything. I call that art.
Art is the opposite of trigonometry. Art never follows instructions or a manual or a boss’s orders. Instead, art is the very human act of creating the uncreated, of connecting with another person at a human level. What we’ve seen is that more and more markets will reward art, while putting out compliant work to the lowest bidder.
Kathy Sierra does art when she teaches us about user interfaces, and Mary Anne Davis does art when she pushes the edges of what pottery can become. Art feels risky because it is. The risk the artist takes is that you might not like it, might not be touched, that you might actually laugh at the effort. And it’s these risks that lead to reward.
4. ACKNOWLEDGE THE LIZARD
That cringe you just felt when I wrote “laugh” is the sign of the lizard. The lizard brain, that prehistoric brain stem that all of us must contend with, doesn’t like being laughed at. It’s the part of our brain that worries about safety and dishes out anger. Being laughed at is the lizard brain’s worst nightmare. And so it shuts down our art.
Author Steven Pressfield calls this shutdown “the Resistance.” The Resistance is the little voice in your head that keeps your head down and encourages you to follow instructions. The Resistance lives in fear and doesn’t hesitate to shut us down at the first sign of possible derision or the first hint that we might be ostracized. The Resistance is the voice complicit in brainwashing, because The Resistance is easy to arouse. When your teacher threatens you with (insert social punishment here) if you don’t do your work in school, you do the work. The Resistance wins.
What artists over time have figured out is that the Resistance is the sole barrier between today and their art, that the act of genius required to produce original and important work is crippled by the Resistance. Ignoring the voice of skepticism is critical if you want to create art.
And so, we acknowledge the Resistance. We hear the voice of the lizard brain, and we recognize that it’s there. Then we stand up, walk to the podium and do the work anyway. We acknowledge the lizard, and we ignore it.
5. SHIP
Scarcity creates value. People pay extra for things that are hard to get, while things that have a surplus go cheaply. That’s basic economics.
So, what’s scarce?
The ability to ship.
If you can get something out the door while your competitors cringe in fear, you win. If you’re the team member who makes things happen, you become indispensable. If you and your organization are the ones (the only ones) that can get things done, close the sale, ship the product and make a difference, you’re the linchpins, the ones society can’t live without.
Shipping is difficult because of the lizard brain. The Resistance doesn’t want you to ship, because if you ship, you might fail. If you ship, people might laugh at you. If you ship, you might be held accountable for the decisions you made. The key to the reinvention of who you are, then, is to become someone who ships. The goal is to have the rare skill of actually getting things done, making them happen and creating outcomes that people seek out.
Michael Dell ships. So do Oracle CEO Larry Ellison and former Xerox CEO Anne Mulcahy. Quieting the lizard, acknowledging it and then ignoring it—it’s the only way.
6. FAIL
And a key part of shipping is the ability to fail. The reinvention the marketplace is demanding is one that includes the ability to fail, often and with grace.
The old economy was based on factories and institutions, things that took a long time to build. No one at Buick or the Metropolitan Opera was interested in failure. It took too long to create these institutions for them to relish the idea of growth through failure.
Today, though, the only way for organizations to grow is to ship—to ship risky things, to create change, to make art, to change people. And yet, shipping risks failure.
You must be willing to fail. I hope you’re up for that.
For generations, artists tried to feign nonchalance. There’s even a word for it: sprezzatura. It’s an Italian word, defined as “a certain nonchalance, so as to conceal all art and make whatever one does or says appear to be without effort and almost without any thought about it.”
We need a new word now, one that means the opposite. It’s the obvious and supreme effort that goes into creating art, challenging the lizard and fighting the Resistance—and opening yourself to failure.
7. LEARN
And yes, here’s the seventh pillar, the key to the other six.
School used to exist so you could learn a trade. You apprenticed then you worked the rest of your life in the same job, in the same town, in the same factory, doing the same work.
Ha.
Dream on. Only lighthouse operators have that luxury today, and when was the last time you met a lighthouse operator?
To bring the school-as-event mindset to work today is to court certain failure. School isn’t over; school is now. School consists of blogs and experiments and experiences and the constant failure of shipping and of learning.
You already took a first step. You read something that challenged you to think differently. The path to reinvention, though, is just that—a path. The opportunity of our time is to discard what you think you know and instead learn what you need to learn. Every single day.
Dian Lusher–DYNEL, Inc. www.dynelinc.net
It seems common sense but unless you live and breathe marketing all day, everyday, maybe some basic marketing tools just aren’t on your radar. This article is all about some practical marketing ideas that you can implement today.
Here is the list of top 5 must haves in your marketing tool kit.
1. A description of your ideal customer
Why? Because then you don’t waste time and money focusing on customers that aren’t going to buy off you and don’t really want your service or product. Profile your ideal customer in detail. Understand their needs and wants. Write down their problems, issues and challenges. Write down what solution they are seeking to this problem. This will help with the next tool.
2. Create a One page sheet on your product or service
Give prospects a taste of what to expect. It doesn’t have to say everything you provide, but it must give them enough information to want to learn more. What do they get when they work with you? What are the results? If you meet someone and they want to know more about your product or service, what do you give them?
3. Be the expert
Create some educational information that will be useful. Not only does this improve your credibility but provides the prospect with a chance to taste your service. It could be an article, some tips, a template or some advice. Be a resource and educate your potential buyers.
4. Provide the proof
It is not enough to say what you do: you need to prove it. Have some testimonials, success stories and customer quotes to back up your promise to potential clients that put them at ease.
5. Create a relationship
You need to capture potential customer names so you can start to build a relationship. You need to create a sign up form on your website (maybe to your top tips of the month). You need to collect business cards at a networking event. You need to refer people to be referred. Start networking and building relationships. Networking is all about looking to see how you can help first. Ask questions and build real relationships, be it online or face to face.
These tools might seem very simple but we bet you can improve your marketing tool kit today. As small business consultants we work with many small businesses that for so long have either had a random approach to their marketing effort, where they don’t know what actually worked, or they have gone for the silver bullet and put all their resources into Internet advertising. Neither approach works.
The funny thing is, a simple organized approach to marketing is the best and most effective and it doesn’t have to cost the earth or be too time consuming. Sometimes the best marketing comes from the simple insights of just asking for feedback. Tweaking your service or deliverables could make the world of difference to your customers. So our bonus tip is: ask questions. Call your customers and ask is there anything you could be doing better. You never know till you ask and it might just lead to some more business.
Danielle MacInnis-Australian /Dian Lusher-DYNEL, Inc.-USA
www.dynelinc.net
check out my convention character Nola
at www.nolapresents.com
Nea Joy says “As children many of us hyped the statement, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.’ Clearly, it doesn’t take long to realize that words have far more weight than we want to realize.” They influence thoughts, feelings, actions and states of mind. Even little words often have big meaning.
Think about it. Whether you want to land your dream job, improve your friendships, save your marriage or retain your employees; the words you choose can make all the difference—words like the ones below.
1. Thank you- Because every single one of us longs to feel appreciated, words of gratitude make the heart sing. Thank you, I appreciate you, I’m grateful for you—these words are food for the soul.
2. I forgive you-
We all screw up. Unintentionally, we may hurt our friends, children, co-workers, and others. Words of forgiveness heal the heart by lifting the crippling burden of guilt.
3. I love you-
Quite possibly the greatest statement of all, nothing compares to, “I love you.” These words reflect the purest, most natural gift known to mankind: love. The only thing that beats saying the words I love you is showing love through action.
4. I was wrong-
Few words have the power to ignite the flame of forgiveness like the unselfish, courageous admission of wrongdoing. When we’re hurt, we know that the past can’t be changed; yet acknowledgment of the pain that has been caused goes a long way towards improving the future.
5. You are beautiful-
When we feel ugly inside or out; it means the world to hear that someone else still thinks we’re beautiful.
6. It’s okay-
When we are worried, hurt, anxious or afraid, these words of reassurance help to bring about peace of mind. If you’ve ever cried on the shoulder of a friend, you know how good it feels to have someone remind you that everything is going to be just fine.
7. I understand-
It’s human nature to try to relate to others, so nothing is more frustrating than feeling misunderstood. In times when we feel alone, misjudged or isolated in our beliefs; an understanding friend is much appreciated. We don’t necessarily need others to agree, but we long for someone who says, “I get it. I understand. I see your point.”
8. You’re safe-
When we feel vulnerable and afraid, these words have the power to restore the sense of security and protection that we crave. Fear may disease the mind, but words of safety are a part of the antidote.
9. I admire you-
Having someone look up to you, think highly of you, or aspire to follow in your footsteps is motivating beyond belief. Words of admiration are empowering, as they impart a sense of importance by reminding us that we’re making an impact.
10. I support you-
When making a tough decision, which may or may not be the best, decision; it means the world to know that someone is on your side no matter what. Statements like, “I’ll be there” and “I support you” encourage us to move forward with less fear of judgment.
11. You can do it- When you’re contemplating giving up or battling feelings of self-doubt, encouraging words make all the difference in the world. There’s something about knowing that someone else has faith in you that revitalizes the faith you should have in yourself.
10. You’re the one – These words say -I choose you, you are it for me, you are special. Few things top the feeling that comes with knowing that you stand out in an exceptional way to someone.
11. It’s all about you- Most days in life aren’t all about self, but we never forget the days that are. On occasions like birthdays, graduations and weddings; we thrive in the knowledge that it’s our own special day. It feels great to have unselfish friends who allow your special days to be absolutely 100% about you.
12. I’m here for you-
If you’ve ever needed a shoulder to cry on, you know the power of these words. They remind us that we are not alone, that someone is there to help us through pain, loss, and all of life’s struggles. Even those who appear to have life under control need someone dependable in their corner.
13. Great job-
Great job. Congratulations. Job well done. Whether or not we admit it, most of us delight in others’ recognition of our efforts. Words of praise and recognition inspire us to do more, to work harder and to feel a sense of pride.
14. I miss you-
We can’t always be present with those that we love, yet it means so much to know that we are missed during our absence. This is a way of saying, I love your company and I can’t wait until we’re together again.
15. You matter-
We all want to feel that we are important to someone or something other than ourselves. To hear that you are valued by another person, particularly at times when you feel useless or insignificant, is extra special.
16. I’m sorry-
When the heart aches; a sincere apology sets the stage for forgiveness and healing. I’m sorry, please forgive me, I apologize—these are all statements that show recognition of the damage caused and a desire to ease the pain.
As you continue with your day, take care to speak wisely and to use those words that you’d love to have spoken in return. Finally, remember something – people don’t know how you feel unless you say it; don’t assume they do!
Dian Lusher-DYNEL, Inc.
www.dynelinc.net
985-264-7967
As a rule, the end of one year and the commencement of yet another are the most perfect times of the year to look back, regroup and prepare to move forward. It is also a wonderful time to look ahead with a clean slate for the year to come. Here are a few suggestions from the world wide web.
Make a New Year’s list - The making of the list generally speaking is the key to a successful list of New Year’s resolutions. For one it becomes much more simplistic to keep up and less time consuming when you can scale down the list with realistic aims. Focus on the most important list aspects to start with then move onto the more challenging list aspects. Keeping to the list is also a crucial point so try to keep your list realistic and achievable. Although you may write several resolutions, only a few make resolutions should actually make the list. Remember a resolution list should not be overwhelming, but instead fun while at the same time presenting you with a fresh start and new challenge.
Go Green - Introduce green living and eco-friendly opportunities into your daily routine and lifestyle. Some of the easiest changes to implement are those that start at home or the office. Use fluorescent light bulbs to bring instant eco-friendly implementation. Recycle and reduce water usage in the home/office will see you off to a grand green start for the year to come. Give discards away to those who can use them.
Get Fit – Healthy eating and living would be a magnificent way to commence the coming year of 2011. There is no time like the present to cut down on bad eating habits and replace them with healthier options. Organic food products where applicable will give the boast to your system. Put healthy snacks in your lounge/kitchen at work. Help your employees get on the road to good health.
Try a New Direction Professionally – The world economy may spell disaster for many, but for others this just might be an opportunity to take on a new and exciting challenge. It seems the thing most people want to change this year, is their job. 84% of working individuals plan to find a new job in the new year, according to Manpower, a job-placement firm. If career changes have been at the back of your mind or on the backburner why not look into the prospects for the New Year of 2011.
How do you make these resolutions happen ? eHow states:
• Be realistic by setting achievable goals. Winning the lottery, for example, is out of your grasp.
• Describe your resolutions in specific terms. Instead of “I don’t want to be lazy,” opt for “I want to exercise regularly” or “I will cut down on my television watching.”
• Break down large goals into smaller ones. For instance, commit to losing weight by resolving to join a gym and improve your eating habits.
• Find alternatives to a behavior that you want to change, and make this part of your resolution plan. So you want to quit smoking but you smoked to relax yourself? What other forms of relaxation are available to you?
• Above all, aim for things that are truly important to you, not what you think you ought to do or what others expect of you.
Read more: How to Make a New Year’s Resolution | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_12077_new-years-resolutions.html#ixzz19buxCqUY
Happy New Year!
Dian Lusher-DYNEL, Inc.
www.dynelinc.net
Happy Thanksgiving!
For the moment, forget social media, networks and online opportunities on how to gain customers. How about showing some appreciation to your customers who are already doing business with you?
Here are 5 simple things you can do to show them how grateful you are for their business:
1. Send them a thank you card after a major purchase. Better if hand written. Along those same lines, send them a birthday card with a coupon. Raise your hand if you get more than a handful of each. Exactly—you will stand out.
2. Make your rewards program simple. Give people what they want by letting them choose among options. Hilton Honors does that by letting you choose among a combination of either HH basis points per dollar spent or a combination of basis points and miles.
3. Use your data base for them, not against them. Select a loyal customer at random and surprise them with a free gift or a discount. Refrain from congratulating your customers for being loyal with yet another sales pitch. Just send the gift.
4. Put a person with a nice smile and a good attitude in your customer service roles – telephone, returns, service, support. Pay them well and you get to keep them, and your customers.
5. Tell your customers how you’ve implemented their suggestions. What better way to communicate with a customer then when you show them you were listening.
In the end there is no better way to say how important your customers are to you, than just telling them. Do that regularly, and walk the talk.
Thank you for reading my monthly business BLOG.
DIan Lusher-DYNEL, Inc. www.dynelinc.net
