Profitability Channel

I used to dream about strategic planning. I thought it sounded so exotic. Imagine knowing exactly where you would be in two years, five years, ten years. Big important companies did strategic planning and I longed to be just like them.

On the other hand I didn’t quite get it. Imagine knowing exactly where you would be in two years, five years, ten years.

I did not realize strategic planning requires a different mindset from day to day operations. It means using peripheral vision rather than the dead on focus required to keep on top of sales numbers and vendor relations and employee retention.

Now I get it and I also understand how easy it is to put that strategic plan into a drawer and forget about it until next year. It feels better taking action than thinking about something that’s a little surreal--like the spot you plan to be standing on in August 2010.

Strategic planning is easier after experience. Relationships of all sorts offer perspectives you may have never considered. Sometimes the best ideas come after looking at blogs and websites on topics totally unrelated to business issues. Creativity kicks in and, who knows, you might discover your well-planned spot isn’t where you really want to be. Now that’s a strategy worth pursuing!

Most of us have special interests or activities that we enjoy and consider to be “our thing.” From baking and crafts to fitness, music, and writing, the things you do in your spare time that bring you joy and fulfillment can actually be valuable marketing tools. Social networking is a highly effective way to promote a business, form strategic alliances, and gain new clients--all of which contribute to a company’s bottom line.

By investing in your employees’ personal interests, your company can potentially be exposed to a whole new market. People that participate in activities with your employees will learn about your products or services in a no-pressure environment, and will be more inclined to pass that information along to their colleagues and associates. With little or no monetary investment, your business can be promoted by the best sales team around…your very own staff – the same people who know and understand your business and are happy to be a part of it.

Here are a few tips to get everyone motivated:

• Get to know your employees and learn about their special interests and skills

• Organize a company sports team or leisure activity that’s connected to the community and allow employees to take leadership roles

• Think outside the box and conceptualize a creative way to discuss, display, or illustrate your business model that would be effective in a social setting

• Educate your staff to ensure the company message is consistent and accurate

• Encourage ALL of your staff to join in on the activities and have fun!

June 19, 2007(Atlanta, GA )
“Cover Stories,” a weekly internet broadcast about business books, will debut today on iBusinessChannel, part of the Ribbon network.

The first show will be a live broadcast with Michael C. Donaldson, author of “Fearless Negotiating” (McGraw-Hill). Donaldson, an ex-Marine and competitive gymnast, is now a top entertainment attorney in California. His book, subtitled “The Want-Wish-Walk Method to Reaching Agreements That Work,” has received rave reviews from the likes of Mary Buffett, Harvey McKay (“Swim with Sharks”), Tom James (Raymond James Financial) and Tom Ortenburg (Lionsgate Films).

The program will air live at 10:00 AM (EST) on Tuesday, June 19th. Viewers can watch the program from any computer with an internet connection using http://ibusinesschannel.com/program_detail.php?ep=1181 Donaldson will be interviewed by host and Atlanta media veteran Karin Koser.

Producer Jennifer Colter says the debut of “Cover Stories” will prove that the series has considerable potential. “Internet broadcasting is a perfect medium for this type of programming. If a viewer happens to miss the broadcast of any program, she or he can retrieve it at any time by visiting our website. This means the programs are not only educational and entertaining as broadcasts, they also become a resource.”

Colter says Donaldson sets the tone for the type of guests viewers will be seeing – and learning from – on upcoming “Cover Stories” programs. “They will be highly-successful people who have written bestselling books that are of immediate interest to our audience.”

Colter says she is actively pursuing guests for upcoming shows. “If you’ve written a business book that breaks new ground, and you’re going to be in or near Atlanta, we want to hear from you,” she says. She can be reached at jcolter@ontheribbon.com or by calling 678-969-2785.

“Cover Stories” is a program on the iBusinessChannel division of Ribbon: The Internet Broadcasting Network. Ribbon hosts several other channels, including iRealEstateLink.com and WorldCapitalLink, and produces and airs such programs as “Ask the Expert,” “Profitability,” “Es Su Casa,” and “CEO Moms.”

All “Cover Stories” programs are taped at and broadcast from Studio 415, the Ribbon Network’s production facility, located in Norcross, GA, just north of Atlanta.

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