Thursday, May 10, 2012
Julie Klein just posted a new blog titled May I Have Some Change?.
Verb: Make or become different.
Noun: The act or instance of making or becoming different.
My company is on the verge of a few big changes. I don’t yet know what they will be, but they have announced that it will be “game changing.” This is not new for my company. I joined the company when the network marketing arm of the business was only a few months old, and there have been many changes since. So far, all the changes have been to help affiliates earn more money.
What is different from our “normal” changes is that a beloved member of our executive staff has left the company. He left by choice, and for reasons totally unrelated to the company, but he is still gone.
I have been speaking to a few people about the changes, and I have discovered that, as one of the Leaders in the company, managing change means managing people’s fear. Everyone reacts to change – both good and bad – differently. For some, it just “rolls off their back,” while others have what appears to be irrational fear of what is coming.
The perspective from which each individual sees change is what makes the difference between whether the changes simply flow and combine with what we have done before or those that make people fearful. To successfully manage change, from the perspective of the employees, it must be introduced clearly, defining exactly what the changes are and how they will benefit the company.
Fear of the unknown can often cause resistance to change. Everyone must understand how the changes will affect them and the company as a whole. The degree to which people will resist change is determined by whether they expect it to be good or bad and on how the change will impact each person.
As a Leader of a large team, it will be my job to address their resistance and fear and help team members learn and understand the changes to enable them to accept them.
Change in the workplace is not so different from changes in our lives. In the (hopefully) not-too-distant future, I will be moving to another state. Although it is my choice, I am still a bit fearful of what changes may occur before, during and after the move. I’m not a young woman. Will I be able to make new friends? We will be moving from a large home to a smaller one (that we have not yet chosen). How difficult will it be to adjust to less room and far less storage space? I’ll be moving from a home where my nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away to a neighborhood where homes are very close together. Will it feel claustrophobic?
I am excited and looking forward to the changes in my company, and I’ll do whatever I can to calm any anxiety those on my team may have about them. I am also awaiting the change of residence with a positive attitude, laced with just a hint of apprehension. Once adjusted to the changes in my professional and personal life, I am certain I will be better for them.
If you would like information about my company, please contact me through my website.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
We Love Our Pets
We love our pets. For
most, they have become part of our family.
We will do most anything for them.
We take our pets on vacation with us; sleep with them; and we
are broken hearted when they pass. We give our four-legged family members gifts
at Christmas and often include them in family events.
Scientific
studies have shown that some animals seem able to detect upcoming earthquakes,
storms and impending disasters, predicting their arrival. Scientists and animal
lovers suspect that many animals have something like a “sixth sense” about storms
and natural disasters. It isn’t something
that can be tested in a lab, so it is difficult to prove. It may be their incredibly
keen hearing, or perhaps they feel vibrations that humans are unable to detect.
If you are a pet lover, you likely don’t need proof. You simply believe it.
The most common household pets, of course, are dogs and cats. There
are about 78 million dogs in the United States alone, and 39% of U.S.
households own at least one dog. And 33%
of households in the U.S. have at least one cat, totaling about 86 million
owned cats in the United States. (I was
surprised to learn that there were more cats than dogs.)
With all the love and attention that
we give our pets, it isn’t surprising that
Americans spend an average of
$600-$900 for food, supplies, medical care and
training for our dogs and cats
each year. Many believe that pet
insurance can
reduce those costs, however, Consumer Reports writes: “Overall, we found that the
pet (insurance)
policies we analyzed were not worth the cost for a generally healthy
animal.”
This is where Pet Care Savings
Programs come in. At participating
veterinary
practices, you can shave 25% off your veterinary medical
services. The discount
applies to office
visits and exams, vaccines and shots, elective procedures (i.e. dental care),
surgery, hospitalization and more.
All companion animals are included
in savings programs, and there is no exception for “pre-existing”
conditions. Unlike insurance, savings
programs have no annual no annual limits, no
deductibles and no waiting periods.
In addition to veterinary care,
discount plans offer up to 35% (sometimes more) off grooming, pet food, training, boarding and
myriad pet supplies at participating merchants.
Xpress Healthcare offers one of the
best Pet Care Savings Programs available.
It even includes Lost Pet Recovery Service. Each pet receives an ID
tag with a unique number and a toll free 24/7 number. If your pet runs away, they will do
everything they can to return him home.
If you would like to reduce your pet care expenses,
I invite you to join Xpress
Healthcare’s Lifestyle Select plan for only $19.95
per month, no matter how many
pets you have in your home. And, when you join Lifestyle Select, you’ll
get some
extra savings, because the plan includes discounted roadside
assistance, LifeLock® ID
Theft protection for your entire family, discounts on
legal services and more!
We truly do love our pets, and we will do whatever
it takes to keep them safe and healthy. Since
we are going to continue doing so, we might as well save some money at the same
time.
Monday, May 7, 2012
I Don't Need ID Theft Protection
I had a space at a bazaar on Saturday and was shocked at
how many people who stopped by my table told me they do not need ID Theft
Protection! (One of the products I sell
is LifeLock™ Identity Theft Protection.)
Some people had poor credit, and they said, “They can have my ID.” Others had no credit cards, so they believed
they were safe from ID Theft.
Do they not read or listen to the news? A report released by Javelin Strategy &
Research revealed that identity fraud increased by 13% in 2011. Over 11 MILLION adults became victims in the
United States alone.
This same report found revealed that those who use social
media and mobile devices are at higher risk than those who do not and had
higher incidents of ID fraud. (The report provides no proof of direct
causation.) And, 7% of smart phone users were victims of identity fraud. Although
we’ve been warned repeatedly, we are placing too much personal information online.
You need not own a credit card to have your ID
stolen. A thief can use your personal
information and get a credit card in your name.
You may think you are safe, thinking without your social security
number, it is not possible. You would be wrong!
Your social security number and all the personal data a thief needs is already
in various databases that may be breached at any time. Unfortunately, this is
not uncommon.
Lost or stolen wallets, checkbooks or credit card
accounts, corrupt businesses or employees and breaches of consumer data are other
ways thieves “become you.”
I recently spoke with a woman who was an ID Theft victim
in the mid-1990’s. She is still – today -
receiving bills and phone calls from creditors demanding payment for accounts
she never opened.
Possibly the worst identity theft, is stolen health
records. Without too much difficulty, a thief can acquire your health insurance
card number, go to a hospital and have surgery – say having their appendix removed. Years later, you get appendicitis. Since your medical records say you have no
appendix, they don’t consider appendicitis, possibly endangering your life. Health-related ID theft is one of the newest
and a common form of fraud.
Please, no matter whom you are, where you live, whether
or not you have credit cards, sign up for Identity Theft Protection now, today,
before you forget!
LifeLock™ has a million dollar guarantee if you become a
victim due to their error, and it is rated among the best ID theft protection
programs available. When you purchase LifeLock™
directly from them, you’ll pay $10 per month per person. With Xpress Healthcare’s Lifestyle Select
program for only $19.95 per month per FAMILY, you’ll get LifeLock™ for your
entire immediate family, PLUS you’ll receive discounted roadside assistance, reduced
pet care costs and legal services and more.
Feel free to go to http://ibourl.net/XpressSavings
to join Lifestyle Select. Even if you
select another ID theft protection program, register today!
I Cannot find the Time
How many times have you said that? I have said it, and I’m sure nearly everyone
has. We certainly must not be looking in
the right place, because “time” has not gone anywhere.
For entrepreneurs, scheduling our days can make the
difference between success and failure. For
those who work their business part time, they simply cannot work their business
whenever they have a few minutes “to spare.”
For those working a full-time home business, if our time isn’t well
organized, we may never get to high-priority tasks.
It is very helpful to have a schedule of what days we plan
to work, how many hours we plan to work on those days, and at what time we will
start and finish working each day. In
addition, we’ll likely be more productive if we schedule the various tasks we
plan for each week.
For example:
Monday, Wednesday Friday – place online ads for one hour,
beginning at 4 PM.
Monday through Friday – spend one hour participating on
IBOToolbox, beginning at 3 PM.
Daily – Call all prospects received within the past 24 hours,
beginning at 5 PM.
If we plan our days, treat our business like a job where we
are expected to start and finish at a particular time, we will accomplish more
and be more successful. Many business
owners treat their businesses more like a hobby to do whenever they can squeeze
in an hour or two. It is unlikely they
will ever succeed with their business.
Time is ours to spend however we wish to do so. We must “make” the time to do the many tasks
required to maintain and grow a business.
If we are really serious about what we are building, we should never be
unable to “find the time.”
Friday, May 4, 2012
The West End Fair
I live in a small city, with no other cities of any size
within 90 miles. For the first time, I am setting up a display of my business
at a local event, The West End Fair. I attended this fair the first year it was
held nearly a decade ago when they had only 30 people participating and a very
small crowd in attendance.
I sell memberships for different discount plans
(dental/health/pet care & more). I
don’t sell a physical product to demonstrate or display. So, preparation has been interesting. Although I know there will be nearly 100
“vendors,” I have no idea how many visitors will be attending, and I certainly
have no way of knowing how many will stop at my table.
That said, how many brochures shall I bring? How many flyers shall I print, etc? I normally work an entirely online business,
so I have no idea how local people will even respond to my services. Not only is this a small city, but it only
exists because we have a military base here (who do not need my health
services).
I have, therefore, been printing and preparing for three
days. Will 50 flyers be enough? I hope so, because I’ve decided that’s what
I’m bringing, 50 for each of my plans.
My husband helped me design a really nice tri-fold display
board. I plan to raffle off a couple
small prizes, and I will use the entry forms to acquire contact information for
interested prospects.
If this event goes well, there are a couple others coming up
in the area. I hope to come home with
several referrals. So, wish me good
luck, my friends.
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
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