Recently I presented a business development training session at a conference. The audience were managers from all across Australia. I gave them a 2-minute break and asked them to get up and talk amongst themselves.

When we resumed I asked how many of them made a point of meeting someone they didn\’t know. One lonely hand went up in the air. Only one!

This was particularly important as the conference workshop was about building effective business relationships.

The moral of the exercise was that we naturally gravitate towards people we know and like. And it is easy to stick with our current network of clients, colleagues and industry contacts.

It can get scary when we have to meet new people.

But – from a business development perspective – it is extremely selfish when we are not brave enough too reach out to people we don\’t know.

It is selfish for us to avoid engaging with people with whom we may be able to develop a mutually beneficial relationship.

I have spoken with many clients and training delegates who are reluctant to meet new people. They feel a bit awkward and unsure of themselves.

Does that sound like you too?

In many cases this reluctance is based on self-centred feelings such as:

They wont like me. I wont know what to say. I\’m no good at small talk. My business in new, and I\’ll look like a beginner. They will think I am boring. It feels weird talking to a stranger. They all seem to know each other. I\’ll be the odd one out.

It is ironic that most people feel the same way, and could easily comfort each other. Yet everyone keeps to the safe relationships they already know.

So, in our efforts to stay within our comfort zone we act selfishly and do not fully explore new opportunities.

This can be the kiss of death to a service business. Especially for new businesses or those that are trying to expand into new areas. Meeting new people is critical to the success of the organisation.

By meeting – and fully engaging – with new people (prospects, industry partners, or referral sources) we open the doors to:

Learning about other businesses. Learning about new opportunities for us. Learning how others achieve their goals. Learning how not to do something. Learning what to do from those who are more experienced. Learning that we can cope with expanding our comfort zone. Learning how to be more successful.

One of the greatest challenges for service providers, professionals, business owners, and new sales people is to have the confidence to strike up new relationships.

You owe it to yourself and to your business (or to your employer).

The tools you will need include:

Active listening skills. Flexibility and patience. A true interest in the diversity of other people. A good dose of self-awareness, to control your natural communication urges. A well rehearsed self-introduction; elevator pitch; 30-second introduction; or, audio logo (whichever you prefer to call it). Acceptable social etiquette skills. The discipline to ensure you follow up after the initial contact.

For those who muster the courage, and learn the necessary skills, a whole new world of possibilities and success awaits you.

Stuart Ayling runs Marketing Nous, an Australasian marketing consultancy that specialises in marketing for service businesses. He helps clients to improve their marketing tactics, attract more clients, and increase revenue. For additional marketing resources, including Stuart’s popular monthly newsletter, visit his web site at www.marketingnous.com.au

There is an old axiom that goes along the lines of “it is not what you save, but what you earn.” While this commonly refers to personal savings it could also be applied to the business world as well.

Hmm. Perhaps when applying this saying to the business world it should be amended to the following: “It is not just what you save or what you earn it is also how much liability you protect yourself.”

Yes, as much as we are loathe to admit it, there is always the possibility of a business being sued.

A bad as such a situation could be it is still far better to have your business sued than to find yourself personally sued. This is why setting up a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) is so important as it is a tremendous means of protecting your personal assets.

Remember, if you are the Sole Proprietor of the business you are responsible for all actions and debts of company.

That means you and you along PERSONALLY are left holding the proverbial bag if a bad situation arises…even if that situation was out of your control.

Needless to say, this is a lot to risk in a litigious landscape and that is why an LLC remains a better option.

In a nutshell, a Limited Liability Corporation allows all or some of the business owner’s personal assets to be protected in the case of legal action.

This is a critical form of protection because if a lawsuit is filed the business owner will not lose his or her savings or home. (Again, amassing wealth also includes protecting what you already have)

With an LLC, any negative or punitive judgment will be levied against the business entity. Now, this does not mean that an LLC gives an individual carte blanch to be negligent as a company that is on the wrong side of a liability decision may find itself in bankruptcy or a host of other legal problems.

But, there is a huge difference between a business bankruptcy and personal bankruptcy. Again, the reason you are going into business in the first place is to amass wealth. So, why would you not seek a method of protecting your personal wealth?

In addition to the personal protection available via an LLC there are other additional advantages as well. For example, an LLC is not a corporation and this means it is not required to pay corporate taxes.

As such, transforming your business ventures into an LLC may be sincerely beneficial.

It is highly advised to check out your local Secretary of State office and explore the formation of an LLC.

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“The ethics of a business are whatever the top-dog says they are.”

- Bryce’s Law

INTRODUCTION

We hear a lot these days about the deterioration of ethics in business, e.g., graft,

corruption, cheating, favoritism, skimming money, etc. This has resulted in a public

relations nightmare for business. If consumers do not trust a company, its a matter

of time before it goes out of business. This is supported by recent studies that give

evidence there is a correlation between business performance and ethical practices

(see the Institute of Business Ethics).

Basically, the Institute’s study suggests there are long-term benefits associated with

enacting an ethics programs. Such studies and recent corporate snafus (e.g., Enron)

are impetus for companies coming to grips with ethics in the workplace.

There are essentially two considerations for devising an ethics program in

business; first, knowing what your ethics are, and, second; implementing them

in a consistent manner.

INTERPRETING ETHICS

There is little point in my telling you what is ethically right or wrong. You already

have an interpretation of this. But let us understand what influences our interpretation

of ethics; our interpersonal relations with others, such as our family, friends, neighbors,

fellow workers, as well as the media. Ethics is learned more than it is taught. It is based

on observations of the conduct of others, people we like and respect as opposed to those

we do not. It is then up to each of us to interpret these perceptions from which we will

base our conduct and behavior. The point is, we act on our perceptions, however accurate

or inaccurate they may be. Another influential factor are our own human frailties of

competitiveness, love, greed and ambition. But then again, this goes back to

interpersonal relations.

Let us recognize that ethical behavior is interpreted differently from person to person. What

one person may consider right or wrong may be different for the next person. The objective

in business is to implement a uniform form of behavior thereby instilling consumer

confidence in a company overall.

IMPLEMENTATION

Writing a corporate code of conduct is in vogue today as a means of articulating the

ethics of a business. Such codes are proudly displayed on web sites and in corporate

brochures more for public relations than anything else. True, they are useful for

disciplining an employee for an infraction of the rules, but I do not see them as an

effective way of implementing an ethics program. Understand this, regardless of what

the code of conduct states, the ethics of a business are whatever the top-dog says they

are. Too often I have seen companies say one thing, then act another, e.g.,

Enron.

Printed codes of conduct are nice, but we have to recognize that it is one thing to

enact legislation, quite another to enforce it. As stated earlier, ethical behavior

is based on observations. Regardless of what a code of conduct says in print, ethical

behavior is based on the relationship of superior and subordinate worker

relationships. If a subordinate observes an indiscretion by his superior, in all

likelihood it will be emulated by the subordinate. This phenomenon occurs

top-down in the whole corporate chain of command. If it breaks down anywhere

in the corporate hierarchy, it will become visible to the subordinate layers and

potentially create a “trickle-down” effect. This means the boss has to be a role

model for ethical behavior; they must “walk-the-walk” as well as “talk-the-talk.” If

they do not, it will not go unobserved by their subordinates. Managers, therefore,

should avoid the “do as I say, not do as I do” phenomenon. They must lead by

example. Anything less is sheer hypocrisy and will inevitably lead to changes

in behavior.

It is simply not sufficient to issue platitudes as to what is and what isn’t ethical

behavior. The manager must follow-up and assure ethical behavior is implemented

accordingly. In other words, we shouldn’t just “desire” truth and honesty, we

must “demand” it. If one person gets away with an indiscretion, others will surely

follow. As such, when writing out a code of conduct, be sure to stipulate the

penalties for its violation.

The success of a business ethics program is ultimately measured by how well it

becomes ingrained in the corporate culture. As we have discussed in the past,

corporate culture pertains to the identity and personality of the enterprise. All

companies have a culture; a way they behave and operate. They may be organized

and disciplined or chaotic and unstructured. Either way, this is the culture which

the enterprise has elected to adopt. What is important is that in order for an employee

to function and succeed, they must be able to recognize, accept and adapt to the

culture. If they do not, they will be rejected (people will not work with them).

The intuitive manager understands the corporate culture and how to manipulate

it. Changing the Corporate Culture involves influencing the three elements of the

culture: its Customs, Philosophy and Society. This is not a simple task. It must be

remembered that culture is learned. As such, it can be taught and enforced. For

example, a code of conduct is useful for teaching, as is a system of rewards and

penalties. Designating people to act as watchdogs of the culture can also be useful,

but be careful not to create a climate of paranoia. Ultimately, as a manager, you

want to create a culture that promotes the ethical behavior you desire.

For more information on “Corporate Culture,” see:

http://www.phmainstreet.com/mba/pride/eespcc.htm

CONCLUSION

We now live in strange socioeconomic times. 40-50 years ago we

normally had one parent staying home to raise the kids. Now it is commonplace

to find families where both the husband and wife are working and paying

less attention to their children, thereby relegating their parenting duties to

teachers and coaches. In other words, the family unit, which is the basic

building block for learning ethical behavior, is becoming severely hampered.

In business today we have a “fast-track” competitive mentality which does not

encourage a spirit of teamwork but, rather, more rugged individualism. Nor

does it promote employee loyalty. Further, we now live in a society that

encourages people to go into debt, thereby causing financial tensions.

Bottom-line, ethics is about people and trust. Consequently, we should be

sharpening our people skills as opposed to avoiding it. We don’t need more

maxims of how we should conduct our lives; we need to lead by example. As

such, we need more role-models and heroes than we do paperwork.

Let me close with one last thought on how ethics impacts business; there

is probably nothing worse in business than being caught in a lie, particularly

by a customer. Any trust that there may have been before disintegrates

immediately and business is lost. In this day and age, there is something

refreshingly honorable about a person where their word is their bond. Ethics

just makes good business sense.

Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has 30 years of experience in the field. He is available for training and consulting on an international basis.
He can be contacted at: timb001@phmainstreet.com

Copyright © 2006 MBA. All rights reserved.

As you search for coverage for your home. Shopping for affordable home insurance coverage, you would come across a great number of insurance companies promising to offer you the best coverage and at the most affordable rates. Do you just go along wit their claims? Of course not, you find out for yourself. To do this effectively, you need to be very aware of what insurers call EXCLUSIONS.

Exclusions are actually things you can’t claim against. If you do not read and understand the exclusions section of your policy which of course is not very well advertised, you might think you are very covered only to discover at claim time that this was not the case as the claim you want to make falls under this category.

Exclusions are not fixed which is why with every new insurer, you need to know what their own exclusions are. Here we would look at some common ones.

Some common exclusions include: Environmental Factors, accidental damage by pets, external factors and home vacancy.

These environmental factors are sometimes called acts of God. They include, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters. These natural disasters are hardly ever covered and living in areas where any of these is frequent would mean you would not easily get very affordable home insurance policies.

If you have household pets, damages caused by them are usually not covered. Also damages arising from the age of the building and or other insured items are not also covered.  Before claims on damages are honored, your insurer would want to ascertain that it was not done as a result of carelessness.

A very common exclusion is claims made on vacant properties. If you leave your home vacant for a while say a month without anyone caring for it and something happens, your claims would not be honored as you would be dimmed careless and the cause of the damage.

These are by no means an exhaustive list of possible exclusions so you need to make sure you read and understand the exclusions in a home insurance policy and agree with them before taking out a policy.

You can search extensively online to get the insurer that would offer you the type of coverage you need and at the best rate. The best way to do this is to compare quotes from as many insurers as you can. You can easily do this by going to quotes comparison sites and there you would after filling a form, instantly get quotes from several insurance companies. The more quotes comparison sites you visit, the more quotes you get and the better your chances you have of getting a very affordable home insurance coverage.

Here are two very good sites to start your quotes comparison.
insureme home insurance Quotes
Hometown home Insurance Quotes
Chimerenka Odimba is the publisher Several finance based sites.