There has been a lot of talk lately about the "Real Estate Bubble", and a lot of folks are asking the question: "When it is going to burst"? They are saying that the market just can't sustain this level of growth and appreciation much longer, and I heat them say that it is inevitable that it must come crashing down soon. People are worried. They don't think it can last; That whatever goes up, must come down. These folks have been conditioned to...more
Are you spending more time trying to get new clients than actually working with them? If the answer is yes, then these three simple ideas will help you. First, have you ever asked for something and got something different to what you thought you*d asked for? Or have you ever thought you had asked for something and got a blank expression or worse... just got completely ignored? Or even worse, been half-way through telling someone what you do for a...more
It's that time of year again, when all Canadians rush to their mailboxes, their corner stores or their neighbor's houses to read the latest edition of Maclean's Magazine.For those who don't know it, Maclean's is the Canadian equivalent of Time or Newsweek, and the time of year is the annual Top 100 Employers report - the employers who issue more than just a paycheck (although right now a paycheck would be quite a treat!)Being the frugal shopper that I am, I shunned the mailbox and the corner store - no loss, we don't have a corner store in this hamlet - and headed right over to my neighbor's log cabin high up on the summit of Mount Okabingbong."OK, Happy Guy, what now?" came his usual warm greeting. "No, wait. Let me guess. It's the Maclean's 100 Top Employers edition, right?""Right.""And you want to check if your employer is on the list this year, right?" he continued."Right.""And you'll be disappointed that your employer didn't make it on the list, again, right?" he asked."Right. Oh...""Happy Guy, you are a self-employed hermit. You don't have an employer," Mountain Neighbor said."Yes I do. Me. I am my employer, and a mighty good one at that.""What makes you think you...more
I recently received an e-mail from an Internet marketing colleague. Actually, it was a series of e-mails. Everything started out pleasantly enough, he initially e-mailed me to tell me that he clicked on my ClickBank payment link and it wasn't working properly, which I appreciated and thanked him for. But it didn't end there. He immediately...more
If you think you've seen and heard everything there is to say, The NEW Game of Business brings new distinctions and a fresh perspective to the world of business.This slim, easy-to-read soft cover book is so good that it should be required reading in business schools around the world. Every entrepreneur and every company employee, from the janitor...more
With the plethora of big-business entities jockeying for the money of students on the path to becoming well-to-do responsible consumers with a house, car, and 1.5 children, it's often missed that the US Government is the first place to start when planning student finances.Scholarships, traineeships, fellowships, loans: Uncle Sam is nothing if not prolific in the diversity of programs available. For most students, the acroynm FAFSA is their first encounter with the cold hard seriousness of bureaucratic forms, most commonly dealt with before the dreaded and stereotypically cryptic IRS forms such as the 1040.The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is a free form and free service provided by the Department of Education. If you do not fill it in you will not be eligible for federal (government-backed) student loans. However, you will still be eligible for private, or alternative student loans.Almost every school sets its own deadline for when the different forms of financial aid are due. Some may be as early as the second week of January and some have no deadlines at all. It is strongly recommended to check with your own school's financial aid office to find out exactly...more
There are a great many books and web sites devoted to real estate investing out there, but most of them concentrate on one specific area of investing. It's often hard to find a general description of real estate investing, one that lists the various...more
You need to determine what the value of a customer is to your company. Answer the following questions:How much will the average customer spend with you per year?A = _____________If you provide quality service and products, how many years can you...more
ReferralsA substantial part of your business can come from referrals. The key is to provide extraordinary customer service and educate your clients and influencers to this fact. You must actively cultivate referrals; otherwise you're just leaving it...more
Client satisfaction starts with meeting or beating the contractual obligations of the relationship. There are also some intangibles that can help you to over deliver to a client. MeetingsIn most organizations it's easy to deliver additional value...more
Most consultants I've talked to don't spend any time trying to recover inactive clients and it's a big mistake. We tend to magnify the problem we had or just want to move on, but sometimes a simple apology and offering to make things right will bring...more
There is a saying that goes, "The best offense is a great defense". Nowhere is that applied better in the corporate world than in the intelligent use of email. In this age of technology, E-mail is a multi-purpose tool that can be adapted into each...more