The Price Is Right, but Maybe It's Not, and How Do You Know?

When Apple dropped the price of its iPhone by a third after only two months on the market, even its most loyal buyers complained bitterly, forcing CEO Steve Jobs to apologize and offer a partial rebate. According to Wharton faculty and analysts, the iPhone episode reflects an evolving marketplace where innovation, fierce competition and globalization are changing strategic approaches to pricing. Meanwhile, pricing is gaining new interest as management looks for ways to increase revenues after years of focusing their attention on downsizing and cost-cutting.

http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/1813.cfm

This video has people curious ...

Finding the Right Business Partners

- By Vicky Therese Davis, William R. Patterson, D. Marques Patton

One of the major challenges facing entrepreneurs and business leaders is finding the right business partners. Great care should be exercised when selecting associates because the right choice can bridge gaps and assist in the execution of your business plan. The wrong choice can harm the reputation and earnings of your company.

One should consider the following when forming strategic alliances:

FIND BELIEVERS IN YOUR MISSION
No one will champion your cause like a true believer in your vision, products, and services. Align yourself with those who comprehend the magnitude of what you are doing and will offer wholehearted support to your endeavors. Those who align themselves with you solely for monetary gain will often carry a short-term perspective that will conflict with your long-term business strategy.

ACTIVE PARTNER VS. PASSIVE PARTNER

Another consideration is: Are you looking for an active or passive interest holder in your business? Do you seek someone who will be involved in the day-to-day management of the company? Many entrepreneurs opt for passive partners to avoid having them encroach on the management of the business. If you elect active partners, it is important that they share the same vision, objectives, and ethics as your associates.

SMART MONEY VS. SILENT MONEY

When pursuing financial partnerships, you have several options. You can choose investors that will solely provide financing, or you can partner with funding sources that will also offer guidance and help in strategic planning. Silent money could be the right choice if you have a seasoned management team and desire total creative control. However, if in both cases you will surrender the same amount of equity, it makes more sense to partner with investors who are well connected and may also offer advisory services.

COMPLEMENTARY SKILL SET

Your ideal operations partner will have a complementary skill set. They will strengthen your areas of weakness and allow you to compete effectively. Their affiliation will most importantly shorten, or eliminate altogether, the development time necessary in particular areas. Your resources will not have to be spent acquiring expertise in areas where your partner is already adept.

ALLIANCES

Your ideal partner should also be in a position to help you form strategic partnerships. This person/organization ought to be able to help you align yourself with people who can assist in growing your business. Strategic partnerships can also bring about needed political affiliations.

GROWTH AND EXIT STRATEGY

A major point of contention for many partners is the company's growth and exit strategy. Some parties may be content as the owners of a small business, while others seek to franchise or even go public. All parties should be in agreement on how they plan to access the equity of the company, rather it be by salary and dividends, or a substantial liquidity event. The right partner can ease the road and multiply the profits of your business. Whether you're looking for investment funds, advice, a complementary skill set, or helpful associations, choose this relationship wisely.

About the Authors: Vicky Therese Davis, William R. Patterson, and D. Marques Patton are co-authors of the acclaimed business and personal finance National Bestseller, THE BARON SON: VADE MECUM 7. Vicky Davis is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Indulgence Jewelry Corp. William Patterson is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Warcoffer Capital Group, LLC. D. Marques Patton is President and Chief Operating Officer of The Warcoffer Capital group, LLC. To receive their breakthrough book and over $3,631 in FREE bonus gifts, visit: http://www.baronseries.com

Small Business, Big Clients

Don't fear taking on giant corporations as clients and business partners. Everyone benefits when Goliath hires David.

Does size matter? It's a cheeky question, but also a valid one.

As a small company, can you take on a large corporate client and serve them just as well as--if not better than--a big vendor can?

Michael Fallone can offer a resounding "yes" to that question.

After all, he and his co-founder, Doug Bartow, 39, and just four employees developed the design and creative foundation and executed many of the elements for the Harry Potter & the Deathly Hollows U.S. marketing campaign.

Read On >>>

Conference Networking Tips

Conference Networking Tips: Make Yourself Useful

9 ways to stand out at an event

Who Owns You? Finding a Balance between Online Privacy and Targeted Advertising

On November 6, Facebook outlined a strategy to integrate more targeted advertising into its popular social networking website. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg saw the new initiative as an opportunity for users to refer products to each other and allow friends to share information as they shopped online and visited other websites. The system, called Beacon, was also intended to lead to more relevant -- and profitable -- advertising through precise targeting based on a user's buying habits, social circle and geography. But on December 5, after receiving numerous complaints, Zuckerberg issued an apology and changed the way Beacon operates. The whole incident, according to Wharton experts, raises questions about privacy, marketing tactics and what consumers can expect in the future.
http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/1865.cfm

Current events

Millionaire Mind Evening

"Money miracles can occur when we get out of our own way," says Eker. "The problem is, by ourselves, we can never see what's holding us back from reaching our full potential. Einstein said it best, "you can't solve a problem with the same mind that created it." The information in this course is extremely powerful! If you learn the strategies and use them, your financial life will change forever."

The next free evening will be on Tuesday Oct 30 2007 at Seattle, WA.

Further Information

For more events, visit the Pivotal Business Events page

Your own Super Niche

To Find a Niche: Focus!

Many entrepreneurs think that selling to the widest possible market is the likeliest path to success. The problem is that the "take all comers" approach is not very effective as an overall marketing strategy; marketing becomes expensivewhen everyone is a potential prospect.

Today's small businesses share a fiercely competitive playing field. Combined with information overload, this means that it's harder to stand out when you have a generic message. If you are merely a "management consultant," a humble"business coach," or a nondescript "financial advisor," you risk fighting it out over price with competitors who offer identical services to yours. To rise above the fray, you need a compelling business message aimed at the right people. You need to cultivate your own Super Niche.

Read the whole article

Business quote for the week

Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.

- Peter F. Drucker, 1909-2005, Austrian-born Management Consultant and Author

More quotations on the Pivotal Quotations pages

What's been missing

The Missing Element in Entrepreneurial Success

What your competitors don’t know that will catapult youto extreme business success

I'd like to introduce you to a leading transformational teacher who is creating enormous success with the life coaches and entrepreneurs she’s working with – her name is Sharon Wilson.

Sharon is on the forefront of teachers today that are sharing what the “Missing Element” is. Her clients report amazing successes beyond logical explanation.. and I know you will agree with us – even now, when we're all recognizing that the landscape of business is definitely changing.

Sharon has agreed to do a complimentary (this means FREE!) teleconference call on this very “Missing Element” – the call happens on Thursday Oct 18th, at 8 p.m. – 9pm ET /5:00- 6:00 p.m. PDT.

She’s calling it “The Missing Element in Entrepreneurial Success.” I know you will be motivated by what Sharon has to say. If you’re looking for elemental strengths to add to your growing business success, I strongly encourage you to get involved in this call.

You can experience Sharon’s powerful coaching and learn an amazing tool that can begin to help you right now to make what she calls “vibrational shifts” to get results beyond logic too! Just register for the free class and you can get access to this amazing session today.

Simply sign up for her free teleconference here:

http://www.coachingfromspirit.com/cfsi/AttractionRevolution/Registration/index.cfm?af=3958
http://www.coachingfromspirit.com/cfsi/AttractionRevolution/Registration/index.cfm?af=3958

We expect at least 1000 people on this call so sign on now! With your free registration, you will also receive an additional gift from Sharon – her 7 day e-course, “Success From Spirit,” which normally sells for $79.95. Sharon Wilson has a lot to share, and I know you’re going to learn something of significance.

Creating a Power-Packed Headline

By Clayton Makepeace

Every part of your sales message is important. Your opening is crucial. Your presentation of product benefits ... of proof and credibility elements ... of the offer and premiums ... of your guarantee ... and of your closing "ask-for-the-sale" copy are all critical.

But of all the things you do to produce a sale, nothing equals your headline when it comes to pushing response through the roof. In my 33 years in this business, I've seen great new headlines produce 25%, 35%, even 45% lifts in response and ROI.

Why are heads so important? Two reasons:

Read the whole article

Improving Business with Better Service

By Daniel Kehrer

Some businesses that are clueless on customer service stumble because they remain in the tech dark ages. Customers expect quick answers. You need to provide them online, via recorded phone messages and now more than ever by
e-mail or cell phone. Tech-less businesses can still provide good customer service, but it's a lot more difficult

Read on ...

Just for fun - the Machiavelli personality test

Machiavelli personality test
Are you a cutthroat or a pussycat? Find out, if you dare.

This item comes to you from the Pivotal Just for fun pages

WHAT ARE YOU COMMITTED TO?

What do you think of when you hear the word commitment?

Perhaps you picture a loving husband caring for his invalid wife.

Maybe you envision a business owner who puts her resources and reputation on the line to lead her company through a crisis.

Perhaps you see a dedicated teacher who spends hours of his own time tutoring underprivileged children.

Or maybe the scene that comes to mind is one of a group of soldiers who willingly enters harm's way to protect their countrymen.


These are all wonderful examples of commitment. But have you considered the fact that individuals who act in less admirable ways also are committed? People who watch the clock at work are committed to making it through the day so they can go home. People who spend most of their free time in front of the television are committed to taking life easy. People who cheat on their income taxes are committed to beating the system.
Do you understand what I'm saying? When it comes to living a life of significance, the vital question isn't, "Am I committed?" It's, "What am I committed to?"

Click here to read the complete article.

Imagination Engineering: your toolkit for business creativity

Imagination Engineering: Your Toolkit for Business Creativity (Paperback)
by Paul Birch

One of the most difficult questions facing managers and executives today is how to manage creativity. They must constantly re-create the fundamental nature of their businesses. This book provides an excellent review of some of the best cutting edge creativity technologies, as well as many useful new tools. The authors have outlined their practical processes into stages and each stage provides tools or activity exercise, an explanation of the techniques of the tools, and practical examples.

Coaching Millions

Some coaches are making millions.


You can make more too.


"Coaching Millions" shows you step by step how to leverage your business growth.

A simple six step process to:-- Help more people -- Make a lot more revenue-- Live your ultimate lifestyleBrian Tracy called "Coaching Millions"

".. the best single book ever written on how to be successful in coaching"

I'm also recommending that anyone not yet using coaching as the ultimate high ticket information product get a copy. Even if you "know it".. this book contains simple explanations you can use in training others and leveraging any business.

I've joined with dozens of others to help author Milana Leshinsky tell the world about this wonderful book. We have each donated a gift.

Do this today.. Go to:
http://coachingbestseller.com/

Why marketing should make the user manuals!

From Creating Passionate users ......

Why marketing should make the user manuals!

Why do so many companies treat potential users so much better than existing users? Think about it. The brochure is a thing of beauty, while the user manual is a thing of boredom. The brochure gets the big budget while the manual gets the big index. What if we stopped making the docs we give away for free SO much nicer than the ones the user paid for? What if instead of seducing potential users to buy, we seduced existing users to learn?

Read on ...

More on Marketing

How to read a businss book

For most of us, when we want to improve at something, we read. And this is no less true for those of us in business or in leadership positions in organisations. And, of course, there is a plethora of books to choose from. In fact, according to a report from Fast Company, 5,301 titles "claiming to be about business" were published last year, up 30 percent from three years ago.

And for those of us who are busy, but want the answers NOW, it can be frustrating trying to absorb all of the information available. Fast Company has some answers.

Check out the article How to Read a Business Book.

scarcity

So what's scarce now? Respect. Honesty. Good judgment. Long-term relationships that lead to trust

Excellent! - from Seth Godin of course - a great post emphasising just how important this side of business has become.

One of the comments added to the list - O
"originality". And, of course, that's where Seth's power comes from!!

The Joy of Budgets

One of those small moments that transform life happened several years ago when my accountant made the simple statement that "Your budget decides the size of your dreams."

At the time, Rick had no idea what that would mean to me. We were talking about taxes or whatever, and he threw it out, and we moved on.

But I've never forgotten it.

When I teach my class on personal finances (The Road to Riches), I often hear people talk about how "hard" it is to budget at home or at work. Folks, nothing could be further from the truth!

Read the whole article

How much growth is reasonable?

Here's an UNREASONABLE idea...Paul Lemberg explains how you can grow much faster.



http://unreasonablepromo.com/



In his new book.. "Be Unreasonable" Paul will show why you may not want to do what is reasonable.



Paul uses these strategies to help business get amazing growth results.



Now he will show you how unreasonable strategies can bring you unprecedented success. Real-life case studies of successful and unreasonable business people:



BE UNCOMPROMISING by sticking to your goals no matter what.



BE DEMANDING by expecting more, not less, from everybody.



BE CRITICAL by changing old systems that just don't work.



BE OUTRAGEOUS by creating your own Business Brain Trust.



BE PREPARED for real success on your terms.



-- Our UNREASONABLE offer --I have joined with dozens of other authors to help Paul tell the world about"Be Unreasonable" by giving this unreasonable offer:



http://unreasonablepromo.com/



There is ZERO COST for this offer and thousands of dollars extra

gifts when you order the book today.



It is unreasonably good.



http://unreasonablepromo.com/



PS. When you begin to think about what can happen when you experience this rapid acceleration, you will want to join us in sharing this with the world. Forward this message to anyone that wants to get more out of business and life.



http://UnreasonablePromo.com

Six Sanity-Saving Scenarios to Turn a Massive Breakdown into a Powerful Business Breakthrough

There I was. Depressed, frustrated, and overwhelmed. Despite my best efforts to have a smooth running ship and organize my event, I realized I had a significant breakdown in my process. I admit, it wasn’t the end of the world, but come on, I teach this stuff! It was one week before we went live on our new program, we were preparing the workbooks for production, and I realized, no one ordered the right tabs! Yikes!

It got me thinking how a client of mine had shared a great story about their direct mail marketing campaign. A lot of money had been invested in buying a list of qualified candidates. But every step of the way there was breakdown in the process – the guy who formatted the list didn’t set it up right, the assistant didn’t have the proper envelopes, and they had no postage when they needed it. My client laughed as he told me this, but I knew he was frustrated!

Well, I’ve learned over the years that a breakdown means that something very valuable is happening – I have new insight into how I can improve my process, my attitude, or my belief so that problem never happens again.
Let’s look at a few examples of how breakdowns can occur in our business or life.

Read the whole article

Re-imagine

Re-imagine! (Hardcover) by Tom Peters

"We're in a new business climate and we'd better make some big changes. And what changes does Peters propose--or, shall I say, demand?
Try these on for size:
* Basing all business (from the smallest department to the biggest megacorp) on projects and the professional service firm model, thus increasing value.
* Embracing branding and design--and providing experiences to Clients rather than just products and services.
* Charging after new markets: Boomers, seniors and--especially--women.
* Relentlessly pursuing talent, especially among (again) women.
* Rebuilding education to prepare young minds for the new world they will soon face."

Author, provocateur, and business visionary Tom Peters is recognized around the globe as one of the most influential and revolutionary management gurus of the last century. The author of more than 10 best-selling books on innovative business practices, including the groundbreaking In Search of Excellence, Peters gives more than 100 major seminars each year and serves as the chairman of Tom Peters Company.

Amazon

Find in a Library

Tags: tom peters, business, success

Looking to Make a Sale or Get Promoted? Emotions Will Help Determine the Outcome

High emotion contributes to great opera. It does not, however, serve us well when making judgments about others. This is the argument advanced in "Feeling and Believing: The Influence of Emotion on Trust," a new paper by Maurice E. Schweitzer, Wharton professor of operations and information management, and Jennifer Dunn, a PhD student in the department.

The two researchers conducted five experiments to determine the influence of emotional states -- happiness, gratitude, anger, and guilt -- on trust. Each experiment confirmed that incidental emotions (emotions from one situation that influence judgment in a following, unrelated situation) affect how willing we are to trust others. For example, our anger over a speeding ticket is likely to affect how we judge someone later in the day.

The researchers conclude that despite feeling we are rational beings who make clear, lucid judgments, in reality we all walk around in a sea of emotions that are likely to influence how we act in both business and social contexts.

The article, recently published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, stems from Schweitzer's ongoing interest in negotiation, where trust plays a critical role.

Read on ...

What Customers Want from Your Products

Marketers should think less about market segments and more about the jobs customers want to do. A Harvard Business Review excerpt by HBS professor Clayton M. Christensen, Intuit’s Scott Cook, and Advertising Research Foundation’s Taddy Hall.

With few exceptions, every job people need or want to do has a social, a functional, and an emotional dimension. If marketers understand each of these dimensions, then they can design a product that's precisely targeted to the job.
In other words, the job, not the customer, is the fundamental unit of analysis for a marketer who hopes to develop products that customers will buy.

Read on ...

Behind the Magic

How do stellar sellers work their magic? From the first cold call to closing the deal, discover the top sales secrets of some seriously successful salespeople.

Read on ...

Speech Technology and your business

Malcolm Gladwell will be speaking at the Speechtek conference.

Speech Technology at the Tipping Point
9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Malcom Gladwell, Author - The Tipping Point & Blink

The market for speech technology topped the $1 billion mark in 2006, up 100% from 2 years ago. As adoption of speech systems increases in all parts of our lives, from our computers to our cars to customer relationships, it is clear that speech technology is at the tipping point. Hear from Malcolm Gladwell, who coined this phrase, about how he sees ideas, behaviors, and patterns moving through a population in much the same way as an epidemic. He posits that ideas can become contagious and reach a tipping point, just as a virus reaches critical mass. Learn what it takes to start a social epidemic and create change and how to push speech technology, and your businesses, toward the tipping point.

Malcolm Gladwell has an incomparable gift for generating value by interpreting groundbreaking research in psychology, sociology and neurology and applying it to business. In 2005, Time magazine named Malcolm one of its 100 Most Influential People. He is the author of two New York Times #1 bestsellers. Gladwell’s first book embedded the concept of The Tipping Point in our everyday vocabulary and gave organizations new tools for understanding how and why change happens, and how to create positive epidemics of ideas and behavior. In Blink, Gladwell analyzes first impressions—the judgments we make unconsciously and instinctively—and he explores how we can master this important aspect of successful decision-making.

Branding Ph.D.: The Secret to Becoming the Top-of-Mind Expert on Your Topic So Prospects, Media, and Publishers Call You!

span style="line-height: 1.2">When you hear “futurist,” who do you think of? What about “marketing expert,” “leadership guru,” “motivation authority” or “customer service specialist”? Would you like to be on the short list for your expertise?What are you known for?

If you’re ready to be one-of-a-kind instead of one-of-many, you’re ready for this teleseminar.

There are hundreds of speakers, authors, consultants and trainers on the subjects of leadership, sales, motivation, customer service, conflict resolution and communication. What are you saying that’s different? What are you offering that hasn’t been heard before? How are you standing out in the crowd of “experts” on your topic?

Sam promises no platitudes. This is not Branding 101, this is Branding Ph.D.

You will learn:

• the “Triple A Approach” for mining your experience to identify how and where you're original


• how to corner a niche by creating your own niche


• the secret to coming up with a trademark-able brand that helps you build a business empire


• how to create the Next New Thing by creating a Eureka Moment


• Contra-Brand: the power of introducing something that flies in the face of current wisdom


• to “ink it when you think it” so you tap into your “Intellition” (intelligence + intuition)


• to capitalize on POP! Culture so you are perceived as current and contemporary

Discover for yourself why Sam’s techniques have helped hundreds of infopreneurs catapult their career and income, and why her book on this topic POP! Stand Out in Any Crowd has been endorsed by Jeffrey Gitomer, Ken Blanchard, Mark Sanborn, Joe Calloway, and Seth Godin. As 4-time Pulitzer nominee Fawn Germer says, “You don't have to be a creative genius to use Sam’s techniques; however, using her techniques can make you a creative genius.”

---

Details:

• Date: Tuesday, July 31


• Time: 7:00 pm Eastern (6 pm Central, 5 pm Mountain, 4 pm Pacific)


• Length: 60 minutes


• Cost: $25

Register or order the CD or MP3