EverydayChristianFamily.com » Business

How to Get More Out of Life

Jim — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:34:59 +0000

Why Give Presents Willingly!

There is a little known principle – seldom (if ever) taught in school – vital in life to helping everyone succeed. This is a common-sense principle every farmer knows – planting and harvesting! Also known as sowing and reaping, it involves the following:

Planting a seed in good soil at the right time of the year
Watering the area where it is planted
Guarding it from all invaders including insects, weeds (kids in dune buggies) etc.
And waiting patiently (for weeks, months and even years)

Eventually, if the farmer is patient, diligent in protecting it and consistent in his approach, a plant will grow, providing fruit, vegetables or other valuable commodities. This always works and never fails.

For each kernel of corn planted, a farmer gets back 3 ears of corn. On each ear of corn there are at least 12 rows totaling 600-800 kernels. So the farmer gets back 1800-2400 times what he planted in the ground. (That’s a pretty nice return on investment.) Notice, he gets more back of what he planted: corn for corn kernels, grapes for grape seeds and apples for apple seeds. He never gets back grapes when he plants corn, etc. He gets back in kind exactly what he plants.

In our lives we also get back what we plant! When we show love to people, we get back exactly what we planted – IF we are careful to use the same principles of planting:

Giving to a good person
Consistent attention
Protecting our relationships from hard feelings, selfishness and bad influences
and waiting patiently

Notice farmers don’t know which of the seeds will grow into healthy plants, so they plant lots of seeds. Farmers are always looking for more fertile land to plant! Therefore, farmers plantt as many seeds as they have room for on their property. He also invests in – as much big machinery as he can afford to harvest the crop he knows will come in.

Also notice the farmer doesn’t grudgingly plant the kernels, saying “I could have eaten this seed, but nooooooo. I had to plant it. That stinking farm is stealing my seeds.” That’s ridiculous! No! He plants with expectation, hoping it will produce 1800-2400 times their investment. (Heck, even a drug dealer knows to invest in product to sell at a profit.)

In our lives none of us know which seeds planted will produce great and loyal relationships. However, planting and harvesting always works! If we plant good with others, we’ll get back good – 1800-2400 times what we plant. But if we plant anger and bitterness with others, guess what we’ll get back? Yep, anger and bitterness – in huge amounts.

I urge you to consider freely giving genuine concern, smiles, happiness and love to others (patiently) – regardless of who they are. You’ll eventually be delighted with the results.

True concern is patient; kind; endures wrongs done to us; doesn’t envy, show off, brag – Isn’t rude or only concerned about ourselves – Isn’t happy to see wrongs done to others, but is happy to see and hear truth; it bears all things and believes in everyone’s good without weakening. Therefore, I recommend giving good, concern and love to others. If someone has never given to you, give to them anyway, never expecting anything back. However, I promise you, you’ll get an amazing harvest if you are patient!

When we give gifts to others – EVEN THOSE WHO DON’T DESERVE THEM – we WILL get a return on our investment if we follow the common sense principles of planting and harvesting – aka reaping and sowing!

A Lift for Your Monday!

Jim — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 13:03:08 +0000

A Little Jolt for Your Week!

Here’s an interpretive translation of Romans 8:38-39 using the true meaning of the Greek taken from “Sparkling Gems From the Greek” (a daily devotional) by Pastor Rick Renner of Russia.

I have been persuaded, and I remain convinced, that neither death, nor the complications that often arise in life, nor powerful angelic beings, nor even an entire group of high-ranking demonic spirits, nor anything that currently exists, nor anything that could potentially happen in the future, nor any political power, nor anything in the highest heavens, or anything that resides in the deepest depths, nor anything that has ever been created is capable of disconnecting us from the love of God or of putting any distance between us and the love of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

I know you may have made a mess of things in your life – both business wise and personal. However, God still loves you. Therefore, go to 1st John 1:9 to clean yourself up!

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. New King James

But if we confess our sins, he will forgive our sins. We can trust God. he does what is right. He will make us clean from all the wrongs we have done. New Century Version

. . . if we admit our sins – make a clean breast of them – He won’t let us down; he’ll be true to Himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. The Message.

So take action now. Keep your list of sins short! Ask for His forgiveness. Then you can smile, because the greatest power in the universe knows your name and loves you unconditionally. Because of the blood that Jesus shed for YOU, He loves you and will never leave nor forsake you. You can absolutely count on that!

Remember what Billy Graham said, “Read the Bible. Work hard and honestly. And don’t complain.”

This is going to be a wonderful week!

Writing Great U.S.P.s & Elevator Pitches

Jim — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:17:51 +0000

How To Organize Your Words To Bring Businesses Gold

The value of a strong Unique Selling Position (or Proposition) and 30-second elevator pitches shouldn’t be underestimated. Vital to a company’s initial success, both separate it from competitors in the mind of prospects. Of course if competition already has these in place, a business may have to play catch-up!

Here’s an example of a fictitious company to help sharpen clarity on this subject. Let’s pretend you are want to buy mustard. Obviously, you can find it in many places.

Large chain grocery stores that sell 80% of what is sold
The neighborhood convenient food mart or gas station
Specialty meat markets
George’s

Speaking for myself, I’d get mustard from a familiar place where I’m in the habit of shopping.

Where would you choose and why? I’m guessing “George’s” would be your last choice, because you don’t know what George’s is – there’s no “Outside Perception”. Is it a dress shop? A donut shop? A gift shop? Who knows? Nothing against George, but we are all too busy to find out what “George’s” is!

For George to survive he must separate himself from competition. He could hire a marketing firm and lawyer spending $30,000 and months of time registering “Condiments R Us”, designing a new logo and changing his signs, labels, letterhead, aprons, etc. or for a fraction of the cost he could develop a USP in just a few carefully-chosen words. These explain the (hidden) Inside Reality of his business, letting the public know it through free listings and normal advertisements.

This information will then become George’s Outside Perception? Let’s create a USP so we know what George’s is.

Unique Selling Position or Proposition

“George’s” – Mustards For Health Conscious Connoisseurs

Elevator Pitch

Next, a short elevator pitch must be written separating “George’s Mustard” from the competition. (An elevator pitch is a short description of a company that can be delivered is a short amount of time – i.e. as an elevator travels between 2 floors or while waiting in a grocery line.)

Most are unaware that mustards found in grocery stores are grown using pesticides, then mixed during processing with preservation chemicals. In fact some jars found on shelves can be over 7-years old. Yes, the mustard your child eats may have been made, before he was born!

But George’s organically grown mustards have been hand-picked with in the past month, then selected for taste, color. Ground daily –using organically grown – no pesticides, no chemicals. George’s has the largest, healthiest, freshest, most tasty collection in the entire Midwest. Please stop by for a FREE sample of any of our 112 varieties from Swiss Mocha Dujon to Missouri Wine Poupon.

Think! Has your perception of George’s changed? What’s different? It’s the power of a strong USP and Elevator Pitch.

Conclusion

Possibly your company is one of the “George’s” of the world – laboring hard, but never quite able to break out. If you don’t currently have a strong, simple USP or an effective elevator pitch (2 minutes), take time to develop them, make them part of all your advertisements and all visual representations of your company. You may even teach them to all your employees, so they can more effectively tell people who they work for and actually become mobile advertisements.

For strong advice for business owners to help save money on advertising go to: http://everydaychristianfamily.com/4-traps-to-avoid-for-successful-ads/

(Edwards Business Associates helps businesses by developing effective USPs, elevator pitches, phone scripts, Ads, business plans and other Strategic Marketing tools to separate your company from the competitors so prospects will search you out and accept no others – regardless of price! Are your current marketing pieces making you money or wasting it? You can know with a FREE 20-minute evaluation of an Ad, letter, brochure or yellow page entry, contact us. No Hype – No Pressure!)

The End of Marketing As We Know It –Book Review

Jim — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:24:30 +0000

A Marketing Book for the 21^st Century

Want to succeed in business in the 21^st Century? Time to reorient your brain toward profit! What worked in the past bears little resemblance to what will work now. “You cannot bank on yesterday’s success” states Sergio Zyman. Former Chief Marketing Officer for Coca-Cola in

The End of Marketing as We Know It by Sergio Zyman is one of the very few books you’ll own that provides new insight to increase business every time you read it. It provides cutting-edge thoughts that apply to marketing, advertising, selling and managing equally. (With my significant experience in all these areas including B-2-B and retail, I found this book applicable and fascinating.) I heartily recommend this volume.

Why We Buy – A Book Review

Jim — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 20:04:16 +0000

The Science of Shopping

has never been so splendidly communicated than as in Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping--Updated and Revised for the Internet, the Global Consumer, and BeyondWhy We Buy by Paco Underhill and published by Simon & Schuster. This book eloquently highlights problems, solutions and the “whys” of shopper motivation without self-aggrandizement, but simple, practical studies in behavior motivations of buyers.

With so much information to present, it is a wonder that it is organized so well in 19 chapters. As an avid highlighter (so I can brush up on my knowledge base at a later date) I recommend this volume should be purchased NOT just read on a Kindle or a Nook but a permanent addition to a library.

Frankly, the information is so valuable, because it was gained from the research of Envirosell, Inc. it should be read in high school English classes rather than books on man’s baser instincts. It will help college-bound students immediately become more valuable to potential employers as they work their way through school. (Even with my significant experience in B-2-B and retail, I found this book fascinating.)

What’s best about the information given is that it is applicable in so many other situations. Real-life examples are taken from studies at banks, US Post Office, C-stores, pharmacies, supermarkets, discount stores, department, computer, automotive, internet, hardware and others. As I worked through this book I found it opened my mind also creating other solutions to business problems.

Mr. Underhill explains Retailing 101/s 3 aspects: design (the premises), merchandising (the store’s insides), and operations (what employees do). He continues with other salient points that will increase sales in any retail environment.

1) Why and how to create add on sales for major products (cross selling)

2) How to place products so they get more attention

3) How to better compete with web retailers

4) The dreaded “butt-brush” factor

5) The importance of quick service and check-out procedures

One story of special interest was how one retailer got rid of teenagers that were loitering in the parking lot at night. Hiring a security guard was too expensive and would cause many more problems, so a smart practical solution was found. “It began piping the smooth, suave sounds of Mantovani through the loudspeakers. No more loiterers.” This is an example of simple, common-sense solutions identified in this book.

Another question that was answered in my mind was “why must I listen to poorly performed and insipid rock music in stores?” (Ever notice how many times the word “Baby” is used the lyrics of today’s music?) Mr. Underhill mentions that while teenagers flee easy listening music as if it were anthrax, older shopper will tolerate just about anything.

Here are a few additional areas that are covered:

1) How to create specific selling environments for men and women

2) How to make it easier for older customers to shop

3) How to make it easier for larger people to shop

4) How to create and position signage so it is actually seen

No matter your retail environment exposure as a shopper, employee, manager or owner, Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping--Updated and Revised for the Internet, the Global Consumer, and BeyondWhy We Buy – The Science of Shopping will help you modify your behavior to get more out of the experience.

No related posts.

Lies

Jim — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 17:29:40 +0000

Lies Should Be Declared Illegal

As Product Manager, Sales Manager and finally Director of Sales and Marketing, I’ve been blessed with getting to know thousands of people. I enjoyed most those who combined honesty with mental toughness.

Dave was a solid businessman who distributed sound equipment and musical instruments from his office near Hartford, Connecticut. While many believe salesmen are dishonest, Dave although long passed away, was an example of a diligent and honest entrepreneur. Here’s a letter he sent me just before his death.

LIES

Lies Should be Illegal

When a lie is told, someone might believe part of it.
And should that person be told later that he believes in a lie,
that person must defend his belief.
Or, expose himself as a fool.

Vulnerable, stupid.
Some of that lie must be true, he says.

The lie becomes a structure. Strong, built with anger and deceit.
And soon the current of culture becomes diverted,
abstract, defended by laws, created by strong people,
so far from the original lie that
their character becomes imbued with the elation of having developed something good.
Good for all the people.
Needing to be defended, with weapons, and the lives of young men.

David Tamarkin
The Tamarkin Company

Although we’re all aware of the 10 Commandments, in his writing Dave exposed 2 key things that God Hates – Lies and Pride!

Pride forces one to defend himself lest be exposed as a fool. (Let a man meet a bear robbed of her cubs, rather than a fool in his folly. – Prov. 17:12) According to Proverbs 6:17-19, here are 7 things He hates:

#1 Pride
#2 Lies
#3 Murder
#4 Plotting Evil
#5 Eagerness to do Wrong
#6 A Liar in Court
#7 Sedition – Someone who tries to separate family members and friends

Isn’t it interesting that God’s word mentions Pride and Lying even before Murder? While we think Murder is the worst wrong a person can commit, God is very serious about lies (even little white lies) – and pride! (Temper is what gets most of us into trouble. Pride is what keeps us there.)

So, don’t let a false word ever come out of your mouth.

I miss Dave and his principles and clarity on moral issues. Don’t you wish those you know refused to lie?

If you’d like to read more on the issue of business ethics, just click here: http://everydaychristianfamily.com/a-godly-principle-would-you-buy-this-barrel-of-apple-juice/

Encouragement!

Jim — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 21:54:00 +0000

You are Poised for Success!

You are created by God for success! Don’t let anything deter you! Remember: You are only the believer. God is the Performer! For success, attitude is as important as ability!

Spectacular Failures Who Became Winners

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. – Thomas Edison

- Lucille Ball was dismissed from acting school for being too quiet and too shy.
- US Grant failed as a soldier, farmer, in real estate then 8 years later became President of the U.S.
- Decca Recordings turn down the Beatles.
- Colonel Sanders was 65 and nearly bankrupt before he started Kentucky Fried Chicken.
- Universal Studios refused Clint Eastwood work, because he had a chipped tooth, talked to slow and had a big Adams apple.
- Henry Ford went broke 5 times.

All these companies went bankrupt 3 times – Quaker Oats, Pepsi Cola, Borden’s, Aunt Jemima and Wrigley Gum.

After backing up another quarterback in college for 4 years; getting cut by the Packers and being 3rd string quarterback for the Rams, Kurt Warner became the Super Bowl’s MVP and one of the best NFL quarterbacks of all time!

Never, never, never give up – Winston Churchill

Persistence

Press on.
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education alone will not; The world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.

Calvin Coolidge – President of the United States

– Newt Gingrich, Ex-Speaker of the US House of Representatives said
“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”

In Everything Give Thanks and Be Grateful

Consider this short summary of the life of one man who knew the importance of a thankful heart:

- When he was nine, his mother died.
- Though he loved books, he received little formal education.
- His sister died in childbirth.
- At age twenty-four he found himself deep in debt when a store he invested in failed.
- When he was twenty-five the woman he loved caught fever and died causing him to sink into deep depression.
- Three years later he proposed to another woman and she turned him down.
- At thirty-four he lost the nomination for U.S. Congress.
- Only one of his four sons lived to adulthood: one died just short of age 4, one at age 11, one at 18.

Who was this man? President Abraham Lincoln. In 1863 he asked Congress to establish the annual celebration of Thanksgiving. In spite of his failings, his sorrow, his depression, his disappointments, he chose to express gratitude to God and led a nation to do the same.

What’s your “In spite of . . .?” It doesn’t matter what it is: hurt, pain, sorrow, depression, loss, disappointments, or anything else. You can choose to have a thankful spirit.

“Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865)

Ancient history is filled with common people who were failures at the beginning or failed along the way.

Noah was a drunk;
Abraham was too old;
Isaac was a daydreamer;
Jacob was a liar;
Leah was ugly;
Joseph was abused;
Moses had a stuttering problem;
Gideon was afraid;
Sampson had long hair and was a womanizer;
Rahab was a prostitute;
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young;
David had an affair and was a murderer;
Elijah was suicidal;
Isaiah preached naked;
Jonah ran from God;
Naomi was a widow;
Job went bankrupt;
John the Baptist ate bugs;
Peter denied Christ;
The Disciples fell asleep while praying;
Martha worried about everything;
The Samaritan woman was divorced, more than once;
Zaccheus was too small;
Paul was too religious;
Timothy had an ulcer… AND
Lazarus was dead!

The next time you feel like GOD can’t use YOU, just remember… If all these people can succeed – SO CAN YOU!

Don’t pray for an easy life, but to be a stronger person. Don’t pray for tasks equal to your powers, but pray for powers equal to your tasks. – (Adapted from Phillips Brook – 19^th century pastor)

So, find then speak out scriptures that pertain to your situation and just watch things turn around.” – Pastor Jeff Perry

(Here are a few scriptures to get you started:
- I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. - Phil 4:13
- I have no lack. And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. – Phil 4:19
- But with God all things are possible. – Matt 19:26b
- If God is for us, who can be against us. – Rom 8:31b
- Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. – Hebrews 13:8)

With Jesus you have a great lawyer pleading your case before God. When you mess up, just confess your sins to him and He is faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you from EVERY wrong! God loves the humble, but resists the proud!

So Young or Old – Rich or Poor – Continue to press on! I know it’s tough, but You can do it! God didn’t make any losers!

Turning Problems into Opportunities – Part 2

Jim — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 15:20:39 +0000

FREE Opportunity Implementation Technique

For Fred reaching his goal seemed impossible, but adding the following simple action steps made it reachable. But it’s the same with any goal; “Yard by yard, it’s hard; but inch by inch, it’s a cinch.”

Hopefully, you’ve read Problem Solving Process – Part 1 and may have even created your own SLCO chart. Here are the next processes I showed him. But before continuing, I had to explain goals, objectives and strategies, so he could write them:

Goal It had to be reasonable but big. (Too large a goal might be; “I will be the #1 brand in the world.”) Fred’s big goal was just to bring his idea to market. (After this goal is met, he could set a new higher goal.)

Objectives Fred needed 3 large accomplishments in place to reach his goal. He needed to write them as statements of accomplishment.

Strategies These are rather simple step-by-step actions to help achieve an objective. (How do you eat an elephant? Answer, 1 bite at a time!)

Fred had his final destination (goal) in mind, so he needed to begin analyzing his opportunities to see which should be implemented and which should be junked or delayed.

WRITING OBJECTIVES
There are 2 ways to decide upon an objective: First, make positive statements to be in place for the goal to be reached. The other is to organize opportunities from 1^st to last with the last usually becoming your objective. In either event there should be very few – 2 to 4, because it’s difficult to concentrate on more. (Fred came up with 8, so we had to combine several into one large objective statement.)

SELECTING OBJECTIVES FROM OPPORTUNITIES
Fred needed to identify which of the many opportunities could help him reach his objectives. Separating them into 3 synergistic groups (design, transportation/funding, sales); he put each opportunity in logical sequence. Each had a final outcome toward the goal. These became his objectives.

Most other opportunities got added under the appropriate objective as strategies (step by step actions). Some missed in-between steps, so we added these as strategies (also adding to the opportunities list).

Below was his list of items relating to making presentations for funding.

-          Drive to city E
-          Make presentations to 3 qualified companies        F
-          Save lunch $ to buy hotel, gas & parking A
-          Call 15 companies for appointments C
-          Check auto for safety    B
-          Make appointments with 5 companies D

The final step in this group was to make a presentation to 3 qualified companies – his objective we rewrote it as “I will make a presentation to 3 qualified companies by X date.” Each of the other activities became strategies to help him reach his objective. (Remember, he had 2 other objectives with strategies as well.)

Here’s how each was written including 1) who would do it; 2) a cost estimate; and 3) a due date (completion). But I couldn’t just let Fred set an arbitrary date. He needed to get those involved to commit to a cost and date when their part could be finished. Below is one of his objectives with strategies.

Objective	Strategies	Who	When	How Much
By 9/1 I will make presentations to 3 qualified companies	-Save lunch $ to buy gas/parking -Check auto for safety -Write a strong presentation -Get list of 15-20 Cmpies -Call 15 companies -Make 5 appn’ts -Practice presentation -Drive to city -Make presentations	Me - - George Me - Beth Ann - Beth Ann Trisha Me Me Me	June1 - - June 15 June 15 - June 15 - July 1 July 15 July 15 Aug 10 Aug 10-12	$0 - - $75 $0 - $0 - $10 $10 $0 $60 $350

IMPLEMENTATION
Achieving a goal takes focus and determination. Thus far all we had was “planning.” Unless he put his plan into action it was just wasted time – so much hot air!

Fred knew completing his strategies would assure completing his objectives. Completing his objectives assured reaching his goal. Nothing should stand in the way – NOTHING! That means holding everyone to their promised date. This is serious as a heart attack. If you don’t hold everyone responsible, they’ll blow it off and if you reach your goal, it may be too late!

At the 1^st meeting neither George nor Beth Ann had even begun, while Fred was way ahead of his deadlines. Although Fred tried to hide it, he was very disappointed. All knew it. Although I had warned him, he was unprepared for so much resistance from his trusted team. The problem was when he originally presented the idea, the participants casually assigned dates and costs. Not their top priority, they really didn’t commit to meeting them.

Now, he had to make up the time by squeezing everyone’s time frame. To help him for the rest of the project, I recommended casual visits with participants between meetings to check on the progress of specific assignments. If there were roadblocks, he should help remove them. Each was reminded the importance of completing the project on time.

As of today I’m happy to report that Fred accomplished what seemed like an impossible task. His team did it in a relatively short number of months! He celebrated by taking my wife and me to the nicest restaurant in the St. Louis area. Currently, he is still negotiating with 2 of the companies to finally bring his idea to market.

and FINALLY . . .
For his and possibly your next project here’s what I suggest. “Head off” any problems before they arise:

1) Casually drop in on participants to see how they are progressing.

2) Offer to help clear-up roadblocks by

a) Putting pressure on those presenting roadblocks
b) Offer to switch the responsibility/opportunity to someone else.
(This will light a fire on all but the laziest people.)

3) Schedule brief group meetings weekly to track progress. Each team member reports on what was accomplished and roadblocks. Put the emphasis on BRIEF (20-30 minutes at most)!

4) Have a small, congratulatory “smile-fest” during your meeting at the completion of each objective.

In any event DATES MUST BE MET or all is lost! Managers must stay on top of the project, or projects will have little importance to the rest of the group. Team members must complete these projects along with all else they “have on their plate.” Then you’ll accomplish far more that you ever thought possible.

Problem Solving Process – Part 1

Jim — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 22:01:50 +0000

FREE Marketing Problem Solving Technique

My friend Frederick had a burning desire to accomplish his business goal. He would dream about it and wake up in the middle of the night, playing it over and over in his mind. For years it drove him a little crazy. He didn’t know whether it was attainable or not. Finally, he shared his idea with me. Drawing upon my 20-years consulting experience, I offered him some help based on 2 simple and FREE techniques.

In this 2-part series I’ll share exactly how we addressed his dream project in less than 3 months – mostly thinking and planning – to get him moving. After we finished Part 2, he was ready to bring to market his idea, knowing the cost and the timing. It’s hoped that this technique will help others solve their complex issues.

Fred had already completed the hardest part – a well thought-out goal. But his mind was constantly bombarded with the same ideas over and over. His brain was clogged worrying about forgetting his ideas and nuances. What he needed was an organized approach to clear his mind, so he wouldn’t forget them and develop them at a later time. So, I introduced him to a modified technique called S-L-C-O.

S-L-C-O is short for Strengths, Limitations, Conditions and Opportunities.

SLCO categorizes every pertinent item about a goal, so nothing is forgotten. This efficient tool allows this information to be updated, identified and considered thoroughly at a more convenient time.

At our first meeting we drew this table on a blank piece of 8-1/2 by 11 paper. (The table is drawn by orienting the paper sideways, then dividing it into 4 columns. Each column had a title (left to right); 1^st column – STRENGTHS; 2^nd – LIMITATIONS; 3^rd – CONDITIONS and 4^th – OPPORTUNITIES. (See the example below.) Later, we made it into a neater and easier-to-manage EXCEL spreadsheet and reentered the information there.

Column 1 – Strengths

Under Strengths we listed every positive relating to his goal. It included traits, talents and abilities as well as other strengths including financial, experience, friendships, relations etc. Two items began this long list. Fred was a terrific engineer and exceptional in math.

Column 2 – Limitations

Sometimes, thinking about our weaknesses serves to discourage us. There is good news, however. You can take most of them and turn them into strengths. It’s like turning the sourness of lemons into lemonade! So, Fred faithfully wrote down all his negatives, limitations and weaknesses. For example as a salesman, he was very uncomfortable. He told me “I couldn’t sell a life jacket to a drowning man.” Being brutally honest, allowed us to turn each into an opportunity.

Column 3 – Conditions

There are some facts of life or not easily changed. For example it’s not easy to export products overseas. (Some may be too hurtful to consider, but can be reworded to make them neutral.) In Fred’s case his place of business was very cluttered, but he didn’t feel it was a negative. So, we listed it as overcrowded working conditions.

Column 4 – Opportunities

Now for every entry in the first 3 columns, we listed at least one opportunity. For example since he was a terrific engineer with many engineering resources available, we listed these as opportunities. Because he was a poor salesman we listed several opportunities: Hire a full-time salesman; Hire a retired salesman part time; hire an independent sales person who would work 100% on commission; and on and on.

In the first 5 minutes, here’s how Fred’s SLCO looked.

Strengths	Limitations	Conditions	Opportunities
-Great Engineer -Outgoing -Wife Support -Use CAD at work -Unique idea - - - -etc.	-Bad Slsmn -Stealing idea - - - - - - - -etc.	-Overcrowded work conditions -People don’t like change - - - - - - -etc.	-Hire a great salesman -Hire retired salesman -Hire Independent Sales Rep -Do all eng using company tools -Build prototype in basement -Have co. vendors evaluate -etc.

Tips I provided to help him.

1- Keep the SLCO handy and immediately add all new information or thoughts when available.

2- Have a sheet of paper handy at his bedside to write down his thoughts during the night. That curtails fear he would forget fresh ideas he had during the night. Then worry free, he could simply roll over and go back to sleep.

3- Don’t get discouraged by the negatives.

When we finally finished Fred’s SLCO table, he identified 34 Strengths; 23 Limitations; 25 Conditions; and 82 Opportunities. Naturally, we wouldn’t use all these opportunities, but they easily made up for the puny number of his Limitations, giving us many directions to help him make his goal a reality!

But how were we going to sift through all these opportunities to help Fred reach his goal? That’s the subject of Part II – which should be available soon.

Turning Problems into Opportunities – Part 2

How to Understand Males – A Tongue-in-Cheek List

Jim — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 21:25:29 +0000

The Husbands’ Guidelines

Recently, a wonderful, humble, married lady who had been married over 30 years told me; “I’ve just never understood my husband.” We’ve never resolved several issues. Then we laughed, because we knew there is an eternal divide between the sexes. Actually, it is more of a misunderstanding of how each other thinks!

Ladies say to their man, “You always say that.” He’ll reply, “when did I ever say it?” She’ll reply, “It was on our 14^th date. I was wearing . . . and you said the same thing!” They guy complains, “but that was 22 years ago.” To which she’ll reply, “Yes, and you’re still saying it!”

This makes perfect sense if you are a lady. But if you’re a guy . . . well, reasoning like this leaves us speechless! Besides, we can’t understand why you go to the bathroom with 6 others, then complain, that the line was too long. (Isn’t it obvious? You took the line with you!) Are you having a party in there? Can you imagine us saying to our buddies, “Hey Fred, wanna go potty with me?” NO!

A pastor from Australia once observed:

“Men are like a huge chest of drawers.” We encounter an issue. Deal with it. Stick it in a drawer, close it and forget about it. Then we open the next drawer to handle a new problem. (In other words we forget all about the first issue and move on to the next.)

Whereas – “Women are a ball of string!” What was done to them remains on that string FOREVER.

FINALLY, A LIST OF DISAGREEMENT RULES MEN CAN AGREE UPON – Anonymous

In the “battle of the sexes,” we always to lose because you make the rules! So, before you try to change us again, here’s rules we think are fair.

A. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an
argument. In fact all comments become null and void after 7 days.

B. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry . . . we meant the OTHER one!

C. Men ARE NOT mind readers. We really don’t know why you’re mad.

D. You can either ask us to do something, or tell us how you want it done. Not both! If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

E. Learn to work the toilet seat. You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don’t hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

F. Sunday sports. It’s like the full moon or the changing of the tides. As the Beatles said, “Let it be.”

G. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

H. Crying IS blackmail.

I. Just ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one:
Subtle hints do not work!
Strong hints do not work!
Obvious hints do not work!
Just say it!

J. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

K. Come to us with a problem ONLY If you want help solving it. That’s what we do. (Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.)

L. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

M. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

N. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. “Peach” for example, is a fruit, not a color. “Pumpkin” is also a fruit. We have no idea what a “mauve” is.

O. If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing,” We will act like nothing’s wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

P. If you ask a question you don’t want an answer to – Expect an answer you don’t want to hear.

Q. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine . . . Really!

R. Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, huntin’, fishin’ or golfin’.

S. You have enough clothes.

T. You have too many shoes.

Thank you for reading this. Yes, we know, we’ll have to sleep on the couch tonight; but did you know we really don’t mind? It’s like camping.

Please understand: this is tongue in cheek. I’ve never read this list to a husband who hasn’t laughed hard, because many of these have been common friction points ours or other’s marriages.

For more topics for men see

Revenge is sweet. If you’d like to read what ladies expect from a guy, so to; http://everydaychristianfamily.com/dating-courting-advice-tips-for-guys/