Born to Run

Business owners and Bruce Springsteen fans, check out the book “Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes and the Greatest Race the World has never seen” by Christopher McDougall. It will stretch your imagination, improve your stamina, help you sprint past obstacles, increase your appreciation for different running (your business) styles and remind you of just how glorious it can be to achieve great things.

This story of Mexico’s Tarahumara Indians, whose lifelong activity of ultra-running (more than 100 miles at a time, sometimes as long as 48 straight hours) in perilous conditions, will amaze you. And their climactic interaction with some of the most elite ultra runners in the U.S. will really have you huffing and puffing… with sheer joy.

This story reveals scientific evidence that the human race was meant to run – to outlast prey through superior endurance and despite inferior speed and that the introduction of the running shoe by Nike in the 1960s has led to a staggering injury rate for the reason that the supposed protection these shoes offer actually condition runners to not follow nature and do harmful things to themselves.

Business success is not a marathon but an ultra-marathon. You can survive on a minimum diet if it’s the right food (the right team, the right products, the right strategies). You can overcome great obstacles such as heat stroke (intense competition), dehydration (running out of cash) and getting lost (lack of a good business road map).

The camaraderie and shared values of the elite US ultra-runners with these tribal people makes me think of the value of a strong industry – competitors yes but with a healthy regard for the rights of others and an underlying knowing that a strong industry is better for all.

Your ultra-success can be found when you commit yourself to finding the hidden trails, learning the smooth motion of the Tarahumara runners and enjoying the journey.

Business owners like us, baby we were born to run!

Building & Turbo Charging Your Sales Team

Frustrated with your Sales team or lackluster results? Are you constantly thinking about sales training in your local region? Stop settling for sales performance that isn’t generating significant earnings.

You CAN set a higher bar, strengthen your sales team, your sales processes and drive higher sales in a matter of months! This straightforward PowerPoint presentation,“Build & Turbo-Charge Your Sales Team”, gives you a practical step by step checklist on what to do to make it happen.

Rank your current status A, B or C on each item. If you score an “A,” keep up the good work, if you score a “B,” focus on it & figure out how to do better. If you score a “C,” get some help re-engineering it or out-source it. Sell more right NOW! I’m allergic to long sales cycles… and you should be as well.’

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Using a Strategic Consultant For for Your Strategic Planning

The use of a strategic consultant & strategic planning plays a very important role in determining the success of a business. It is the systematic planning and guiding of the company in such a way that target goal is met within predetermined time limits. Strategic plans are ongoing plans that have to be changed according to the current needs of the business.

Businesses feel the need for an external consultant for strategic planning at times. This is because an objective third party view is always useful to ensure the success of the plan. An external consultant can create an excellent strategic plan without prejudices of any kind.

When Are External Consultants Needed For Strategic Planning:
Businesses need an external consultant for strategic planning when strategic planning has never been done before, when a previous plan failed to have an impact, lack of adequately skilled personnel to draft the plan, when members lack facilitating skills and when there is mistrust about the accuracy of plan drafted by an insider etc.

The external consultant will have to serve as the main guide for the strategic planning process, has to have to ability to do research and analyze the information gathered and plan a course of actions that will guide the business to achieve its goals faster. External consultants add to the productivity and continuity of the planning process.

External consultants for strategic planning process can be hired because the business lacks a qualified person to do the planning or he can be hired to be the expert providing the business knowledge or skills that it lacks or to work in collaboration with the business providing guidance and leaving the rest to be carried out by the qualified staff.

Before hiring an external consultant for strategic planning, decide on the amount you are ready to spend, talk to different consultants, ask them to submit a proposal about the work needed to be done, time frame to do it in and the costs incurred. Be sure to have a list of deliverables, a projected date of completion, forecast of costs to be incurred and means of evaluating the planning and analyzing the results, make clear who the consultant will report to and figure out how the contract can be terminated by either part.

The external strategic consultant should be qualified and should be able to research and analyze the information gathered as well as suggest ways to improve business and fight competitors such that your business will have an edge over them. He should have the ability to convey his plans and steer the business in such a way as to save time and money. Though expensive, the need for hiring external consultants for strategic planning can work out for the benefit of the business.
There are firms that offer their products as well as service to help run a successful business.

Alexander Gordon is a writer for http://www.smallbusinessconsulting.com