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Further
Reading ...
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When to call it quits - Kara Kelso
When to call it quits by Kara Kelso http://www.momsezine.com It's been said many time before that the only way to fail is to quit. While this is true, some times we need to take a step back and ask ourselves if our efforts are really worth it. But...
How to Start and Suceed with a Home Business - Jim Johnston
No matter who you are, remember everyone starts from ground zero as far as experience is concerned. Building a home business is no different. One will have to lay the foundation first of all which will consist of choosing a product or service,...
AUCTION TIP: Make the Most of Your eBay "About Me" Page - Chuck Smith
One of the most important, and least-utilized, features on eBay is the "About Me" page. With your About Me page, you can promote yourself as a seller, promote all of your auctions, and show off your eBay Feedback ratings. This provides...
Building Relationships....Priceless! - Livvie Matthews
Building Relationships....Priceless! Copyright 2002 Livvie Matthews There are many things you can and will do along the way to building your business, but few things will have the impact on your business as that of building your relationships. ...
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Integrity is the Best Tool to Get What You Want
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Written By:
Shel Horowitz
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As a child, you probably heard, "to thine own self be true." But what does that really mean? When the newspapers are full of cheating and lying business owners, politicians, and academics, does it really make sense to maintain your integrity?
To me, the answer is a clear, unwaffling YES! Without your integrity, you really don't have a business or a career—just a waiting game until you world comes crashing down around you.
But fear of being caught isn't the reason to live your life with integrity. The real reasons are that it helps you get to where you really want to be, and lets you feel really good about yourself.
Sometimes, integrity involves taking risks. Here's an example from my own career:
A graphic artist and I were at a pitch meeting to produce some materials for our local Board of Realtors. The organization had registered a very obscure domain name that only had meaning for them.
The "safe" thing to do would have been to nod our heads and continue the conversation. But when we heard the domain name, the graphic artist and I exchanged looks, and we started telling the organization why the domain they’d picked would be a marketing disaster. I told the executive director to imagine giving out that name on the radio, and to look at a name that would reinforce the group’s identity and message.
We went out on a limb; this was a free consultation during a meeting to pitch for business, and if someone was really attached to the name, we might never have gotten the job. But we all brainstormed a bunch of better domain names—and then a few months later I got a call from the president of the largest real estate firm in the service area. He had been impressed at that meeting and came to me to rewrite the firm’s entire collection of a dozen or so brochures—a - continued below ...
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very juicy assignment. By advising the client that its course was strewn with obstacles, I had put myself in the position to receive a much, much larger assignment, one for which I was not competing against any other copywriters.
Over and over again in my life, I've achieved or drawn closer to my goals by turning down work I didn't feel good about, refusing to compromise with my core principles, treating others with respect, and expecting high standards of others. I've even had to educate a few clients about plagiarism as I refused their assignments.
Arthur Andersen, the founder of the accounting firm that was driven out of business by integrity failure, lost a major account after refusing the company’s request to engage in exactly the sort of unethical accounting that later brought down his company—early in his career, when he wasn’t sure he could meet his next payroll. He told the client that there was “not enough money in the city of Chicago” to change his mind. Too bad his successors didn't understand this!
Copywriter and consultant Shel Horowitz has started an international campaign to change the business world--to create a culture of ethics and cooperation: http://www.principledprofits.com/25000influencers.html. His most recent books are Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First and Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World (both award-winners). For more on ethical, cooperative business practices, please visit http://www.principledprofits.com To discuss your next marketing project with Shel, write to mailto:shel@principledprofits.com, call 800-683-WORD, or visit http://www.frugalmarketing.com
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| _Additional Resources ... |
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Home Office Tips (Part 1) - BB Lee
Home Office Tips by BB Lee(C)2003 Tip One: Welcome To Part One In A Series Of "Home Office Tip Articles." Most will find the following Home Office Tips very practical and effective if they take them into due consideration, and use these basic...
Beyond Blossoms Gives Online Flower Shops a Facelift - Josh Grossman
At Beyond Blossoms, a New England based flower company featuring European style fresh flower bouquets, business is blooming. With its newly redesigned website (http://www.beyondblossoms.com) the up-and-coming company is challenging larger...
Like It Or Not, You Have A Score To Settle! (Part 1 Of 2 On Credit Scoring) - Www creditandyou com
Just when most people finish with school and can stop worrying about test scores, there’s a new kind of scoring that enters the picture. It’s called credit scoring. And, its impact on your financial future can mean more to you than a college degree....
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