Did you know that few of us say “yes” or “no” clearly?  Someone asks us to do something we don’t want to do and we demand how about it like demented children, instead of saying “yes” or “no”.  And while I believe that usually, if we don’t want to do it, we should say so, I also realize that there are other factors. 

It may be an emergency, or a relationship thing or some other thing that causes us to vote against ourselves.  But for the most part, the reason we don’t say appropriate yes’s or no’s  is that we have not established the boundaries necessary to assert ourselves the way we really want. 

We kind of joke about it when we say, “What part of ‘No!” didn’t you understand.   Careful establishment of our boundaries, boundaries being what we will not allow others to do to or for us, create a platform for clearly saying “Yes” or “No.” 

Standards, on the other hand, being the normal expectations we have for our own behavior, will predispose us to a “Yes” or  a “No’  before we are inquired of. 

Both Standards and Boundaries, thus give us a way of being clear about what we agree or disagree to do.  Start with yourself and then do it with others.

“Saying yes and no clearly builds confidence and rids us of the misconception that we are powerless.”
                                           —Marsha Sinetar

Coach                     http://cli.gs/ueyNNE

Are you getting what you need from the local chamber of commerce?  Do you wish your words spoken at the chamber could also serve to improve your company website’s search engine visibility?  You are NOT alone!

Bear and I created PortlandBusinessCommunity.com to be a FREE supplement to your chamber of commerce experience.  If you attend a chamber for any of these reasons:

1. Find new customers
2. Improve business operations
3. Build a stronger tie to the community

Then you should ALSO publish on PortlandBusinessCommunity.com

How does it work?

Simple, when you gain insight from a chamber meeting and wish to share it with Google, Yahoo or MSN; then sign on to PortlandBusinessCommunity.com, Create an Article, and write about your new idea.

If you wish to give kudos to someone from the chamber who has helped you AND you would also like Google, Yahoo, and MSN to take note of your words; then sign-on, create an article, and write your kudos (providing links to your friend’s/customer’s website as well as your web site.

If you want to expand your recognition as a “helpful” industry expert on Google, Yahoo and MSN; then sign-on, create an article, and teach the more than 80,000 readers what you know.

If you are like me, then you’ve already paid your annual chamber membership dues.  It is time for your words at the chamber to help you be found on Google, Yahoo and MSN.  Join PortlandBusinessCommunity.com (IT IS FREE!!!), write you elevator speech, comment on other articles, and publish your own words.  Now THAT is business networking.

Ed Bejarana
BusinessBlogging.net
a division of Zenith Exhibits, Inc.

Co-founder of PortlandBusinessCommunity.com

I have the profound pleasure of working as a fishing guide. My job is all about having fun! Only lately, I have been robbing myself, of the joy and passion of the sport.

Anytime you turn a hobby into a business you face that risk. It is a common problem when someone is a good technician or tradesman, but lacks business knowledge and experience. But I have had other businesses in the past and I enjoy business.I simply set my standards too high.

I have been fish most of my life. When I was younger, it was some very special times of  family bonding with my father. We sort of learned to fish together. When He could no longer go out, I continued to learn on my own. But I always remembered Dad!

You can learn more about our relationship by viewing my story, “I had a great Dad!”.

As my skills improved, I continued to catch more fish, because I understood why they attack and what were the best conditions.

I have always been someone who required a lot from myself. My Dad said, “Try to be the best, at whatever you do.” He had good intentions, but his words also produced disappointment, when I knew, I was not the best.

We tend to catch lots of Trout on my trips, but when we don’t, I tend to be disappointed. Not with them, but myself. I set my standards too high. The truth is, no one can compel fish to strike at bait or a lure. That is the choice of the fish. We can only provide the best opportunities.

Your situation may be somewhat different, but are you struggling with maintaining you passion for your work? I would love to hear your story.

See You At The Dock!

Ken Bear Cole
Fishing with Bear.

Many medium and large companies are members of Business associations, which hire political lobbyists to promote their particular industry. But what about the small business owner, they certainly can’t afford a lobbyist. Who will help them?

Small business owners tend to look to Chambers of Commerce and Networking groups. But do they work? Some will say absolutely, while other come and go.

Most small business need more then just a lead on a potential customer. They are also in need of valuable information on bookkeeping, marketing and management of assets. Sad to say, that information has been missing from Chambers and Networking associations.

That is why the Free Service of Portland Business Community.com was formed. It is a group of small to medium business people, who are willing to share information and ideas, without a sales pitch.

We want to do so, utilizing 21st century technology, which will make all of the information searchable on the Internet. Your information is also able to be linked to your website, which will increase your visibility on search engines. You can also add photos and links to supporting articles. Check out my “Elevator Speech” on the site.

Can’t write? I doubt that, but I understand if you prefer to start slowly. The site has a new category called “Elevator Speeches.” I am sure you are familiar with the term. It’s that 90 second commercial you use at your Chamber of Commerce and Networking events. Well now you can post it on Portland Business Community.com and the world can view it. Remember to add a link back to your site, along with a photo or logo.

You can also use Facebook and Twitter to spread the word about your goods and services. Find a good URL shortening service and you are on your way to driving quality traffic to your website.

I am sure that some of you have even more good ideas of how to build credibility and traffic to your website. Please share some with me in the comments section of the article.

Ken Bear Cole
Fishing with Bear LLC

Six Practices to make your life easier and better.

1. Relax each day, sometime during the day and do something totally unrelated to what you are working on, taking a walk, reading a book, doing Tai Chi, etc. On a larger s scale, take a short vacation, a free weekend, a trip, a cruise, a whatever. Just heal your heart, head and spirit by supporting them.

2. Know what you are giving your life too. Is it healthy for you physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Is what you are pursuing worth it?  Take a day and think about this. Go somewhere you won’t have to answer or talk to anyone. Leave your cell phone, or if you can’t, then leave it in your car an walk at least a half mile away. If you can hear it, you not far enough away.

3. When you are working, work. Computer games, working on you website compulsively only hinder. Look for ways to delegate work that will empower others. Another thing, work reasonable hours/

4. Know what is first in your task list. And remember that there will still be stuff on that list when you quit, retire, or die. Nobody finishes their “do list”. Remember time is unmanageable, so you have to learn to manage yourself.

5. Learn your top five values and major in them. Tell yourself. Tell your coworkers. Tell yourself. Tell your boss, Tell yourself.

6. Develop an environment which is trouble free. This means hiring the right people, who are talented, and highly competent.  It is all about relationships.

 Coach   http://cli.gs/ueyNNE

Offer proof to your prospects.

It’s not enough to say that you solve problems – you have to show that your customers are getting results from your business.

Testimonials are one of the most powerful and cost effective selling tools you can implement in your arsenal of marketing. Why? Because you are offering evidence to your prospects from their peers attesting that your services/products actually work.

Testimonials offer proof that you are the real deal. People receive a lot of information and they are often skeptical. But, they will be much more inclined to buy from you if you show examples of their peers who have achieved positive results. These third-party endorsements work to sell for you – even when you are not around.

Here are some ideas and opportunities to obtain new testimonials:

1. Write down the praise: Whenever one of your customers gives you a compliment in person or via e-mail, thank him or her and then ask if you can use their comment as a testimonial. Make sure he or she understands that you will be using it in your marketing materials.

2. Create a website link: Another easy method to help you collect testimonials is to include a link on your website that lets people click on it to give their feedback. “Click here to let me know what you think.” Put this link next to testimonials you’ve already placed on your site to provide other examples.

3. Offer an incentive: Periodically you can have a “testimonial drive.” Send out an e-mail and offer an incentive for your customers to provide a testimonial. Depending on what type of business you run, it could be a coupon, discount, free services, and so on.

4. Make it part of your sales cycle. As you wrap up an interaction with a customer, ask him or her for a testimonial.

5. Ask your “star performers” for testimonials. Almost every business collects raving fans. These are the individuals who buy every book you sell, the customer who you see in your store three times each week, or that individual who gets an incredible result from using your offerings. Make a point of asking these individuals to give a testimonial.

You’ll find that incorporating the power of social proof into your marketing arsenal will help you easily close sales. Often, a person will review your testimonials and be prepared to buy before you’ve even met. The reward of collecting testimonials is always worth the effort!

Author Wendy Maynard co-owns Kinesis, Inc., a Portland-based web design, branding, and marketing firm. She is a marketing strategist and social media consultant.

Hi All,

You may notice on the right side bar we now have an Elevator Speech grouping.  It is our goal to provide YOU, the local Portland Business Owner / Operator, a valuable resource you can use to:

1. Reach more customers
2. Build more search engine visibility
3. Develop new relationships
4. Improve your business

This site is FREE for you to use and now you can add you Elevator speech for ALL to read.  At this point we will show the last ten elevator speeches in the site bar.  Clicking on “Archive for Elevator Speech” will take you to a list of all elevator speeches.  Soon we will add a “Most Popular Elevator Speech”.  These presentations can be of a more direct selling presentation, since they will only appear in the blog space “if” a visitor clicks on the title.

To add your elevator speech, first you must register an account on this site.  Complete your user profile with a real name and working eMail address.  Once your account is approved, then you simply create a “New Post” and select the “Elevator Speech” category for your article.

Any Elevator Speech published in a category OTHER than “Elevator Speech” will be unpublished.

If you need help learning how to use WordPress, please call Ed Bejarana at (503) 709-1454.

Bear and I are developing a WordPress / Business networking meeting.  Look for more information to be forthcoming in July.

Thank you for your participation.  With your help, this site has reached the 70,000+ hits mark.  We now have over 450 unique visitors per week, clicking on almost 5 pages per visit.  Please continue to support our sponsors, for it is their modest $25 per month ad that pays for the operation of this site.  If you are interested in purchasing an ad space on this site, please contact Ed Bejarana at (503) 709-1454.

Ed Bejarana
BusinessBlogging.net
a division of Zenith Exhibits, Inc.

Sometimes it seems like the bad economic news never ends.

• Unemployment is rising.
• Bankruptcies are rising.
• Foreclosures are rising.
• Housing prices are plummeting.
• Stock prices are set to tumble.
• Banks and brokerages are failing.

You know this, you are a finance and real estate professional.

You may know doom is on the horizon, but what are you going to do about it! How are you going to help your clients navigate these murky economic waters?

Millions of Americans are spiraling deeper and deeper into individual financial chaos and they are doing nothing different than they did in the past.  As a finance professional, your customers will be turning to you for answers.  Do you have the answers?

Join Market Chaos Solutions for our FREE economic conditions discussion and Q&A session this June 25, 2009 from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at the Benson Hotel on SW Broadway in Portland, Oregon and we’ll discover the future together.

Conventional wisdom indicates a recovery commencing at or about the fourth quarter of 2009. Our forecast indicates the opposite. Although we may see periods of recovery due to government attempts to resuscitate the economy, the long-term economic trend is downward.  Similarly, some will be fooled by short term movements of inflation, but in reality we will continue in a deflationary period for a number of years.  Certainly by 2010, our economy will get substantially worse and plunge into a spiral of declining GDP, job numbers and stock prices, followed by a collapse in commodities – creating a unique economic reality not widely embraced by many.

Our Keynote speaker is Brian J Hoshowski, MBA.  Drinks and appetizers will be served starting at 5:30pm. Come network with other finance and economic professionals and mingle with investors and gain valuable insight into the new economic patterns.  Space is limited, click HERE to RSVP or call our office at (503) 244-2692.

Market Chaos Solutions provides professional training and practical solutions for individuals who want to capitalize in a down market.

How many times have you heard of a friend that is in the hospital or has past away due to a heart attack or stroke?  The discussion quickly turns to reasons why.  “Well, they were really overweight” or “They’ve been on medication for quite some time”, or, in my estimation the worst comment, “They just wouldn’t do what the doctors were telling them”.  That last comment seems to be an indictment that this medical condition was completely preventable.  The reality is it isn’t.   We all know people that take great care of their body and still end up with a life threatening illness.  Truth is, we all have a terminal situation called “life”. (more…)

Among the many combinations of topics that people are hesitant to discuss are Religion and Politics,  Religion and Money,  Religion and Relationships,  Religion and “Name Your Topic of Interest”.  It seems that many people are reluctant to link Religion with just about any area of their life in a conversation and yet it is most likely the single most influential element of our existence. (more…)