BNI Riverside Articles

In re-reading a summary of Jay Abraham’s “Strategy of Preeminence” I was struck by his first lesson – that of the need for business people to be leaders in the eyes of their clients. And by leaders he does not mean dictatorial style; he means people who know and understand their clients and are confident [...]

I regularly get requests to be electronically connected with other people via My Website, Plaxo, Ecademy and LinkedIn. In addition people regularly ask for the same at networking functions. The response from one request recently blew me away. He essentially said the following:- • thanks for agreeing to be connected • was I interested in [...]

A recent newsletter caused me to ponder how open many small to medium business people are to change to be creative. The newsletter quoted the example of a menswear store in New York who adapted the US car campaign of “cash for clunkers” by saying that anyone who bought in their old suit would get [...]

Some of the major characteristics of an entrepreneur are their independence and willingness to take risks. They often start a business with nowhere near enough capital, very little experience and a dream of owning a successful business. And their strong sense of independence carries them through. If it needs doing they do it. I have [...]

Many of the better networking groups propose versions of the Golden Rule as a mantra for good networking and relationship building. Statements like “pay it forward” and “givers gain” abound. Yet the Golden Rule is probably the worst way to go about building a good relationship! Take the example mentioned in the book “Truth or [...]

Lead Generation By Brad Sugars & Pam Usher So what is Lead Generation? Lead generation is converting “suspects”- people who have never heard of your business into “prospects”-people who have inquired about your business. At ACTION we have 73 different strategies to generate leads. There are three major rules to follow in generating leads. First, [...]

Predictable Cashflow By Pam Usher There are three keys to creating consistent and predictable cashflow: Strong and Sustainable Unique Selling Proposition: A strong USP is one that cuts through the clutter of our everyday lives. A USP is like a beacon that calls you like an irresistible force. It is the lighthouse that brightens the [...]

Referrals as Lead Generators By Brad Sugars Referrals: Referrals are one of the most powerful lead generators in the world.  It is a cheap and very effective, not to mention, extremely desirable situation when people start spreading the word for you. Obviously this is achieved by offering exceptional value and service, but it can be [...]

Increasing Lifetime Value By Pam Usher There are two aspects to increase the value of your marketing which in turn creates profits in your business.  What are these two sides of marketing?  In short, they are Acquisition Cost and Lifetime Value.  The goal of Marketing in the business should be to reduce the Acquisition Cost [...]

How Many Customers Can You Afford to Lose? By Pam Usher According to the Harvard Business Review, 67 percent of customers who choose a new supplier said they were satisfied with their former supplier!  On an average, most U.S. companies lose half their customer base every five years.  So why would customers who are satisfied [...]