In this Issue
INSIDER book club
The Inside Advantage: The Strategy that Unlocks the Hidden Growth in Your Business
Robert H. Bloom
Robert H. Bloom has discovered that every enterprise has at least one strategic asset-one existing strength-that can form the foundation for future growth. He calls this an Inside Advantage. This strength usually lies unrecognized in an activity the business is currently performing or in a concept or an idea that the business already owns. Finding this hidden potential and becoming well known for it will grow the business.
This strategy reflects Bloom's 45 years of experience in growing businesses and brands of every size and type, including famous companies such as Southwest Airlines, T-Mobile, T.G.I. Friday's, Zales, Nestlé, and L'Oréal, as well as not-so-famous B2B firms, not-for-profit organizations, and start-ups.
Mastering the Complex Sale
Jeff Thull
In today's turbulent and volatile marketplace, even the most experienced professionals are struggling with the rapid commoditization of their complex, high-value solutions. The complexity of the problems to be solved and the competitive threats we face are increasing at an alarming rate. At the same time, your customers are wrestling with mission-critical decisions and evaluating solutions that all sound the same and come packaged with a high degree of risk and a low probability of success. Your success demands an exceptional strategy and precise execution that must clearly set you apart from your competition.
notableQUOTES
"The difference between getting somewhere and nowhere is the courage to make an early start. The fellow who sits still and does just what he is told will never be told to do big things."
“I never had a goal to not make money, although I’ve met that goal on occasion.”
“You need to figure this out about your sales person—Can he sell? Will he sell? There is a big difference. There’s a big difference and the more important of the two is “Will he sell” lots of people have the talent to sell but won’t for a variety of reasons.”
"The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes."
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Providing Better Business, Richer Life for 25 Years!
Inner Circle has been helping business owners make better decisions, make them faster and implement them with greater confidence since 1985.
To commemorate our anniversary, we designed and launched a new website, will be hosting our first edition of the Insider Webinar Series on June 24th and will be celebrating with our franchisees at our Annual Symposium August 20th-21st in Minneapolis, MN – where Inner Circle was founded.
Please stay tuned to our Insider Blog, Facebook Fan Page, LinkedIn Profile and follow us on Twitter for ongoing updates on our 25th Anniversary celebration!
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Member Profile
The Marketing Firm That Almost Forgot to Market Itself
Circle helps Member get focused, actionable – and balanced.
Who is making sales and marketing a priority in your business? All too often, this is just one of the many ‘hats’ the entrepreneur wears – and it’s commonly tossed aside for the fireman’s cap. Hands down, it’s one of the most frequent topics in Circle meetings across the country and Inner Circle Chicago Member, Mike Santoro, recently turned to fellow Members for some real world suggestions to improve sales for his firm, Walker Sands Communications.
To read the full Member Profile, please click here.
from the INSIDERS
Articles & Excerpts from Inner Circle Franchise Owners' Books & Blogs
What Keeps Us From Doing the Life Planning We Should Be Doing? - from blog by Paul Riecks, Owner Inner Circle Mid-Atlantic
...All of these products and services require the buyer to do at least a minimum of life planning-thinking about the future, providing for themselves and/or their families and employees after they are no longer around. Or, they require considering life after work or after controlling a business they built, nurtured, suffered with and then exulted in its success. It’s hard to imagine a logical argument that can be lodged against doing the planning. Yet people avoid it like the plague. Why?
To read more, please click here.
What Is Business Sustainability and How Market Perceptions Are Changing - from blog by David Mischler, Owner Inner Circle Chicago
Sustainable business development, which seeks to optimize resources without sacrificing business results, is an important, upward trend. There is a growing understanding of the concept among consumers, business leaders and government at all levels.
To read on, please click here.
from the INSIDER BLOG
Becoming More Accountable, Part 1
Courtesy of Dave Mischler, Owner Inner Circle Chicago, as freatured in Business Week.
Accountability has always haunted business owners. Employees have someone to report to, someone to push them for results and most important, someone to hold them responsible. Business owners typically have no one to answer to but themselves.
To read more, please click here.
INSIDER poll
How have you forecasted your business' revenues for 2010?
- An increase over 2009
- A decrease from 2009
- Flat year over year
- Unknown - too unpredictable
Please click here to cast your vote.
About Inner Circle International
Each Inner Circle is a peer group of 8-10 individuals who own and operate growing companies, most with revenues between $1M and $50M. The Inner Circle meets once a month for three hours with a proprietary format that focuses on each member as a person and as a business owner.
Group members provide one another objective, high quality professional counsel as well as direct, no-holds-barred insights. Members are committed to supporting each other’s unique visions, and that is what makes Inner Circle important for those who belong. Our members hold each other accountable to their stated goals and cheer them on to becoming more and more prosperous.
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