tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860Fri, 30 Aug 2024 15:59:16 +0000SmartPlanInteractive Print Bookcustomer service2D CodesFacebookTwitterWriterssmart site$3 Billion 2010 Ad Spend14922D Codes in a Book3 Google SecretsAT-TAssumeAssumptionsAuthorsBook SalesBusiness ModelsBusiness PlanBuying Own PressBuying PowerChristopher ColumbusConstant DollarsCopycat wordsEZ NumbersEgo TripsFirebrandFools GoldFree DictionaryGatekeeperGoogleGreedGreenInvestorsJargonJeffery RosenthalLead InvestorLocal SeminarsMedia Copy Do'sNeedlerOWNOpportunityOprahPODPayPalProactiveQR CodeQR CodesRemainder IndustryRomeSMART CODESSocial MediaTelephone know howThank YouTragedyTucsonWrite Business PlanYellow Pagese=mc2eBooksjob experincemillionaire oddsopportunutyparking spaceroundaboutseerself-servingselfishsmartsitesoftware developmentstage 4 terminal cancertechno-addictionFeaturing SmartPlan | an Interactive Printed Bookhttp://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)Blogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-9050304599034798859Fri, 11 Nov 2011 14:47:00 +00002011-11-18T07:55:41.045-08:00stage 4 terminal cancerNot sure if anyone ever reads my posts but need to say, if you do, thanks.  About four months ago I became ill with an invasive pain in my side.  After tons of tests, nothing seemed to be wrong.  Not one to "milk" feeling less than healthy, I finally dismissed the pain. By September 16, I was in emergency and surgery followed.  I have stage 4 terminal cancer with 3 or sohttp://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2011/11/need-to-say-goodbye.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-302504289055782666Fri, 09 Sep 2011 14:23:00 +00002011-09-09T07:23:59.766-07:001492Christopher ColumbusInvestorsLead InvestorOf course it is! Everyone knows that except for this one numskull who keeps insisting it isn’t. He’s so insistent that it took him over a decade to raise enough capital to buy the ships he needed to prove it. Contrary to popular myth, some researchers claim it wasn’t the sale of Queen Isabella’s jewels that financed Christopher Columbus. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella actually acted as lead http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2011/09/world-is-flat.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-340312146719846033Sun, 21 Aug 2011 21:30:00 +00002011-08-21T14:30:33.207-07:00SMART CODESSmartPlanYellow Pages There’s a person behind every Yellow Pages ad we see. Think about that. The ads don’t mysteriously appear one day. And I’m not talking about the designers who made the ads possible. I’m talking about the real people behind the ad from the solo-entrepreneur to the corporate conglomerate. Someone somewhere in time had to imagine the idea and take action to turn that idea into reality. Ultimatelyhttp://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2011/08/whos-behind-yellow-page-ads.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-931796677576090777Tue, 28 Jun 2011 22:46:00 +00002011-06-28T15:46:54.312-07:00OpportunityTelephone know howThe first thing you need to do, if you really want to miss an opportunity, is install a computer telephone answering system. And to seal the death of any opportunity slipping through the cracks, make sure the system is state-of-the-art, like in: "Press 2 for our company directory."  Then it’s mandatory to program into the computer to ask the caller to spell the first 4 letters of the http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2011/06/sure-fire-way-to-miss-opportunity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-4692194078913287729Fri, 10 Jun 2011 16:26:00 +00002011-06-10T09:26:05.589-07:002D CodesBusiness Plane=mc2QR Codese=mc2 is one of the most famous math formulas of all-time. But suppose it wasn’t famous. Suppose it was brand new and just starting to make its rounds in the math circles of this world. How would any outsider recognize its value? They wouldn’t.  Business is like that. If we don’t have a background to recognize a new idea someone is presenting, we miss its value and the “opportunity of http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2011/06/emc2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-1087194551238212215Thu, 05 May 2011 19:06:00 +00002011-05-05T12:06:01.643-07:00job experinceopportunutyWhere’s all the experienced hiding? Ever tried to get past the receptionist? What about the so-called gatekeepers who guard the decision makers along with their jobs? What happens if opportunity knocks and no one answers the door?  And companies wonder why they grow at a nit’s pace or why their competitor got the contract. Hiring someone with “10 minutes worth of experience” may be http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2011/05/10-minutes-worth-of-experience.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-2650085379573942234Sun, 27 Mar 2011 18:48:00 +00002011-03-27T11:48:47.804-07:00Ego TripsNeedlerThis morning I watched an interview between an internationally recognized CEO and a famous news anchor. Throughout the interview, and given her interview style on occasions, she needled the CEO in one way or another placing him on the defensive. He handled it well despite his being annoyed—an undercurrent that was observed more so than displayed. It made me wonder: What’s the point of needling http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2011/03/needles-are-bad-for-business.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-1689138397816929045Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:08:00 +00002011-03-21T09:08:08.110-07:002D Codes in a BookBuying Own PressMedia Copy Do'sHow many “I’s” are there in your first paragraph? Does your company begin its media copy by telling us who you are? Why should we care? Time upon time again, self-serving email newsletters cross a prospect’s desk and no one in that company’s marketing department has bothered to mention how a customer will benefit! Hmmm, maybe that’s too simple so here’s an analogy. When you’re interviewing http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2011/03/count-your-is.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-7935471975731242380Sun, 20 Mar 2011 18:22:00 +00002011-03-20T11:25:19.737-07:00AssumptionsFirebrandInteractive Print Book I bought a picture frame yesterday that came to so-many dollars and 60 cents in change. Telling the cashier, “I think I have the 60 cents,” I reached into my coin purse and retrieved a handful of change. The instant the coins were fully displayed on my palm, the young clerk leaned over and, with her elbows perched on the counter, began counting my change—for me! Stunned, I didn’t have time to http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2011/03/assumptions-are-firebrands.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-6724413819823628198Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:21:00 +00002011-03-10T11:21:58.263-08:002D CodesInteractive Print BookSmartPlanI have ZERO tolerance for pushy, freeloading, brain pickers who are just plain lazy. They USE others to GAIN knowhow instead of investing the time it takes to internalize knowledge and make it their own.  As someone pointed out recently, these are the same people who were brought up by parents who’s “NO” really meant “YES” if you nag long enough. This unbecoming trait becomes an ingrained,http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2011/03/lazy-people.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-1126631929479218172Sun, 23 Jan 2011 19:46:00 +00002011-01-23T11:46:24.604-08:00PODRemainder IndustryCIROBE: The Chicago International Remainder and Overstock Book Exposition or CIROBE is an annual tradeshow for the bargain book trade. Closed to the public, it is the industry’s preeminent tradeshow taking place every October in Chicago.  HOW IT AFFECTS PUBLISHERS AND AUTHORS: It is an industry plush with success and plenty of worldwide business, an entrepreneur’s dream and an author’shttp://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2011/01/whats-cirobe.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-9171652143207488762Mon, 10 Jan 2011 19:32:00 +00002011-01-10T11:32:27.042-08:00Fools GoldRomeTragedyTucson When tragedy strikes like it did in Tucson, Arizona several days ago, we take notice, blame and morn. What we don’t seem to do is acknowledge we’ve been promoting violence for decades! Society has slowly grown from love of country, moral respect and knowing when to draw the line to vulgarity, gluttony, thinking crime’s charismatic, and using our bodies for entertainment. One is noble and the http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2011/01/fall-of-rome.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-1388179209765069360Sun, 02 Jan 2011 16:54:00 +00002011-01-02T08:54:39.680-08:00GreedOprahOWNSmartPlanExcluding natural disasters, accidents or war victims, beggars were everywhere this past year. All of them beg to support the “poor me” mindset. That is, I can do what I will and guilt-trip you to “save” poor me. Beggars, of course, include governments, corporations, nonprofits, professional beggars, beggars who don’t know any better, and the down trodden. Empathy is justified at times – or nothttp://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2011/01/greed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-7929337394266147882Tue, 07 Dec 2010 22:10:00 +00002010-12-07T14:10:35.571-08:00Facebooksmart siteSmartPlanTwitter It’s not that I’m a contrarian; I’m too busy. Despite 500 million users and climbing, it’s also too early in the game to know if Facebook, Twitter and other social nets have legs. Legs? Having legs means the business model is so strong, viable and doable that it’s built on a firm foundation—e.g., eBay. Learn the importance of a business model with legs. Get your copy of How to Develop a http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-dont-do-facebook.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-1677810121524073092Thu, 25 Nov 2010 16:52:00 +00002010-11-25T08:52:08.717-08:00customer servicesoftware developmentIt isn’t possible to appreciate the enormous value of Einstein’s theory unless you’re a math whiz. The same is true for any discipline within every industry. Solutions abound but you have to be listening. And furthermore, you must recognize what you’re hearing.  Case in point: In searching for a software development answer targeting the book publishing industry, I was referred to a http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2010/11/emc2.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-8102128868415088150Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:02:00 +00002010-11-08T13:06:38.877-08:00parking spaceroundaboutself-servingselfishOur local library has two parking lots. The one adjoining the entrance is a beautifully landscaped roundabout with traffic flowing to the left in order to access the 10 parking spaces. As I entered the lot several days ago, I saw one vacant parking place near the exit of the roundabout. This meant driving around to the left to the empty space.  Just as I was 3 parking spaces away, another http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2010/11/questions-from-roundabout.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-9007005709025826029Tue, 02 Nov 2010 17:58:00 +00002010-11-02T10:58:15.709-07:00$3 Billion 2010 Ad Spend If you’re reading this, you already know authors are responsible for their book sales. This means, it really doesn’t make any difference whether your publisher is a worldwide conglomerate or you published your book. There are some differences but not many. SPEND WISELY: We can learn a lot from political ad campaigns by translating their ad-spend analytics. For instance, politicians in the USA http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2010/11/what-political-ad-campaigns-teach.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-1520877517340841878Tue, 26 Oct 2010 01:21:00 +00002010-10-25T18:21:29.979-07:00seerBy the time we “see,” really see, the next generation comes along and kicks out the “seer”! Learn how to become a business force and seer. Get your copy of How to Develop a SMARTPLAN for Your Business from your favorite bookseller. It’s the first-ever interactive printed book that instantly links you to videos, webinars, podcasts or whitepapers where you will learn more.http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2010/10/to-really-see.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-4394306277526619156Wed, 20 Oct 2010 15:15:00 +00002010-10-20T08:15:04.744-07:00AssumeBusiness ModelsSmartPlanWrite Business PlanOne of the biggest mistakes business owners and corporate bigwigs make is to formulate assumptions based on their viewpoint and experience! This human fallacy, more than any other, is the root cause of businesses missing the mark or worse yet, failing altogether. The 3 worse assumptions are: Assuming everyone is telling the truth Assuming everyone is on the same page Assuming a market “To http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2010/10/what-3-business-assumptions-kill.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-3807605908323568855Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:44:00 +00002010-10-05T09:44:18.730-07:00Copycat wordsGreenProactivesmartsiteSocial MediaBusiness leans on understanding product lifecycles—the word product meaning any and everything we use or sell. When this cycle is fresh it’s almost imperceptible but as it gains momentum, other companies, and people too, produce their own version of the thing. But, and here’s the rub, too much of any one thing or a type of thing always dilutes its value and produces a has-been. Here are three http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2010/10/three-copycat-words-to-avoid.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-3032605026070139290Fri, 01 Oct 2010 17:50:00 +00002010-10-01T10:50:39.148-07:003 Google SecretsFacebookGoogleSmartPlanTwitter SOCIAL NETS: Sites are only a phenomenon as long as users use them! And users only use sites if they think they benefit in some way. Depending on popularity alone isn’t a long-term sustainable business model, Twitter and Facebook included. Google, on the other hand, has been a sustainable business phenomenon because it kept its core business model. What’s that? • Users have always needed http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2010/10/3-success-secrets-google-used.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-1842852972761634149Wed, 08 Sep 2010 17:34:00 +00002010-09-20T09:38:30.864-07:00customer servicesmart siteI was about to toss a few brightly colored silk flowers but decided to put them in 6-inch container and set them on the balcony. That was easy enough and besides, my workstation overlooks the balcony. Bright flowers attract birds and if I set the small container in a large dish filled with birdseed, I thought,—ta-da birds! Within an hour a humming bird came to check it out and just as quickly http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2010/09/how-to-turn-off-customers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-2862019734547277707Sat, 04 Sep 2010 00:25:00 +00002010-09-03T17:25:32.199-07:00Jeffery Rosenthalmillionaire oddsSmartPlanHarvard-educated, Jeffery Rosenthal, a statistics professor and the author of Struck by Lightning, points out the odds of your becoming a millionaire in 2010 are one in 115! Those are very good odds. Are you ready? Visit www.smartsite.com and discover the first ever INTERACTIVE PRINTED BOOK—SmartPlan with INKandLink and Look Inside on Amazon.   Pick up your Free copy of Lame http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2010/09/millionaires-what-are-your-odds.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-8023839089410527427Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:34:00 +00002010-09-02T12:51:19.581-07:00GatekeeperOpportunity knocks everyday but with a gatekeeper from hell you’ll never know. Here are 5 intangibles to look for so you don’t get duped. Lacks experience in your industry  Lacks business maturity Lacks a business frame of reference to evaluate potential Egocentric - thinks "me" most of the time  Controlling - self-serving Traditionally, companies put the least experienced and http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2010/09/gatekeepers-from-hell.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18373860.post-7613993640367870023Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:08:00 +00002010-09-01T12:08:11.630-07:00Customers are not “things” you pitch. They are prospective-loyalist you benefit! Entrepreneurs need to check their mindset at the front door before they plan to put a key in it. Circumventing business failure is simple with knowhow and the right mindset! Visit smartsite.com and discover SmartPlan with INKandLink then pick up your Free copy of Lame Brain: A Dictionary for the Technically http://lynnmanningross.blogspot.com/2010/09/customers-are-not-things.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Lynn Manning Ross)0