Friday, February 24, 2012

So What is Your Business Saying?

By Christopher S. Musuneggi, VP of Business Development, The Musuneggi Financial Group

The goal for any business owner is to be a leader in their industry. When the business owner leads, clients and customers follow. Many businesses fall short of this goal because they don’t recognize what their business is “saying” to those they want to attract.

Recently a few new businesses opened near our office. One afternoon, my business partners decided they would venture out for a walk and visit these shops.

The first one they came to had a name that would make you assume that it was a store that sold decorative household items. But on entering the store, they discovered it was a women’s accessories store. As they looked around no one greeted them, and the woman they thought to be the owner stayed behind the counter on the phone making plans for the weekend.

Feeling ignored, they finally left still not having been acknowledged; and with the message that customers were really not important there.

The next store they went to was a flower shop and the doorway was blocked by a small gate. They peeked over the gate not seeing any sales person or owner. But they did see two small dogs running around – obviously the reason for the gate. Although they had to assume the owner was trying to keep the dogs in and not customers out, the message it was sending was just the opposite.

They called out “Hello” and the owner finally came out from the back of the building. She told them to move the gate or step over it and come in. When they did the owner laughed and commented that the dogs thought they owned the store. From all indications it was obvious they did.

Recently I needed to call a company to place an order for a piece of equipment for our firm. When the phone answered, the recording on the other end said that no one was available to take the call; but to press 0 if I was in need of immediate assistance. I pressed 0 only to hear a recording that said “0 is not an option.” To say the least I hung up and I called a different company.

So what were these businesses saying? “We don’t want to make it easy for you to do business with us,” or “We don’t want you to think you are important to us.”

If you own a small business and you want to be seen as a leader in your industry you want to rise above the competition. To do this you need to say things to attract your buyers.

So what is your business saying?

To learn more about The Musuneggi Financial Group and how they help businesses make wise decisions with their money while sending the right message to clients and customers, visit their website at http://www.mfgplanners.com/,
or call 412-341-288 for a complimentary consultation.

Securities & Investment Advisory Services Offered Through H. Beck, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC. H. Beck, Inc. and The Musuneggi Financial Group, LLC are not affiliated.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

The Humanity of a Real Book

As a very young child, I remember sitting by the fireplace watching my mom read. She loved books.
From romance novels to history books, my mom read everything.

I would often sit beside her and just watch her turn the pages. She would sometimes read to me, and sometimes let me hold the book and read to her.
Books were in every room of our home. Old books, new books…books with bookmarks in them,
books on bookshelves, in the bathroom, kitchen and even “do-it-yourself” books in the garage.
I love the feel, the look and even the smell of a real book.

Mom died 12 years ago…I was left with her books.

The other day I picked up one her favorites “The Old Man and the Sea” by Ernest Hemingway.
As I skimmed through the pages, I read some comments my mom made (she often did that) and a warm feeling came over me… this book touched my mom, she touched every page, she read every word and now this book touches me.

When I released my book “Pecan Pie” (dedicated to my Mom), I refused to have it published electronically. For the many of you that asked why…I think you now know the answer.

Books are for written for humanity, and nothing can replace the humanity of a real book.


Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order!
"A must read!" Ivan Misner New York Times Bestselling author
BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM  click on link below
Click here to purchase Bob's book 


“Copyright (2-18-2012) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”
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Friday, February 17, 2012

What Ever Happened to... “You Are Welcomed" ?

Just last week, I had someone open the door for me, I said “Thank you!” …his response, “Sure”.

Then the server at lunch brought me an extra napkin. I said “ Thank you”…she replied, “Don’t mention it”.

Next, I dropped my pen at the bank, the person behind me picked it up and handed it to me, I said “Thank you,” he said… “No problem”

“No problem” ?  ... Well I’m glad I wasn’t a problem!

“Don’t mention it” ?… Okay guess what, I did!

“Sure” ? … Sure of what?

When a person says, “you are welcomed” or even “you’re welcomed,” they are basically saying thank you to you for thanking them and responding with politeness.

Leadership lesson?  Yes!
Saying “you are welcomed” is letting the person know that you are thankful to them for giving you the opportunity to help them.

"Leadership is Giving" ---- Sven Goebel

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Saturday, February 11, 2012

No Pain, No Gain

By Darren Hardy, the visionary force behind SUCCESS magazine as its Publisher and Editorial Director.


My dad taught me to snow ski when I was 6 years old. By the time I was eight, I was skiing on my own. At the end of a full ski day, I eagerly announced, “Dad, I didn’t fall once all day!” My dad replied, “If you didn’t fall, you didn’t get any better.” What? This was the opposite response I was expecting and hoping for. The bewildered look on my face compelled him to elaborate, “If you are going to get better, you have to push yourself. If you push yourself, you are going to fall.”

My dad was a former university football coach, so we had a full Olympic standard weight set in our garage. On the wall he had painted, “No Pain, No Gain.” To build bigger muscles, you have to inflict pain on them, literally tearing down the fibers of the muscles and bringing them to the point of failure. That’s actually the goal. Then in recovery, the fibers will rebuild bigger and stronger than they were before. Building a muscle is a lot like the process of building success in life.

I owe much of the success I have been able to achieve to my dad and this philosophy. My dad taught me it was not only OK to [fall], but it was proof you were improving. I never saw setbacks, obstacles, rejection or even pain as things to avoid; rather, they were markers on the journey toward greatness and should be appreciated, even celebrated. – DH

"Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fall in order to practice being brave." Mary Tyler Moore


“It’s not how many times you fall or how many times you get up, the true measure of success is knowing that falling IS NOT failing.” - BG


“Never let a day go by without falling. Several times.” - DH

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Friday, February 3, 2012

The 58-35-7 Rule

A potential client asked me the other day;

“Bob, I heard you prefer face-to-face coaching only, is that true? If yes, why?

“Yes! I answered with sincere confidence and then went on to say…

Most people do not realize that, based on research, it has been established that:
  1. The content (what you say) of your communication is only 7% of the actual message.
  2. Your tone of voice (how you say it) represents 35% of the message.
  3. Your body language (non-verbal) represents 58% of how your total message is received.
So, why face-to-face? Because in order to customize my coaching experience to your needs and goals, I believe, only a face-to-face approach will achieve the required results.
Face-to-face is what I do and what my clients deserve.

 Dan,The Umbrella Man, Barie (a client of mine) said it best, "…I would leave every [coaching session], re-energized and equipped to conquer the business world. "


“Copyright (2-3-2012) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”

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