Neesh Enterprises

Well, according to the UK newspaper, The Times, researchers have now discovered what many of us have known for a long time.
They say, ‘An analysis of the evidence has found that taking the remedy more than halves a person’s chances of catching a cold and shortens the length of a cold by an average of 1.4 days’.
That’s not borderline benefits, ‘halves a person’s chances’, wow.
Anyone that works for themselves probably doesn’t get paid for time off as a result of the cold.
Now, we all know that men suffer much more with colds and have to take much more time off than ladies who don’t seem to be so badly affected.
But, what about those days when we just feel bad because we have a cold? Most of us still go to work. But, can we be so effective or productive when we’re sneezing and coughing all over the place?
That’s not all though, the report goes on to say that if we take vitamin C as well, we can reduce our chances of succumbing to the cold by a massive 86%.
Most drugs don’t get anywhere near that level of efficacy. So why has it taken until now publish a report like this? Not that I’m a cynic but I think it might be something to do with the fact that drugs companies are enormous money machines and have immense power within the media. Maybe, just maybe, they’d like us to be kept in the dark on this one.
Now, I don’t sell any of these supplements, so I have no interest in this other than being one of many people (most of the population I guess), who’d like to get colds less often. I’m lucky, I only get maybe one a year, but I know others who get quite a few and no doubt it affects their earning capacity quite a bit.

Something to think about?

The full story is here:
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article1980481.ece

I can’t answer the first part of that question, but I can answer the second with a very firm ‘yes’.
If you are in business, particularly sales, then you need to know about this.
By explanatory style we mean how you explain the events that you experience.
For example, say you’ve just left your laptop on the train. The train departs the station and then you realise.
Maybe you’ll swear a little (or a lot) and you’ll probably try to explain or give a reason to yourself why it happened. Think about it for a moment, if it happened to you, what might be a likely reason for it happening? (It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a laptop, or don’t use trains, just imagine the scene).
What reason would you give?

• ‘It was that stupid kid’s fault, tripping over me and distracting me’,
• ‘I’ve just bought the thing, I’m not used to remembering to pick it up’,
• ‘Not again, I’m so forgetful’,
• ‘I’m just so pathetic’.

Can you see how these reasons differ? Or how some of them are similar in some respects? Admittedly, this is rather an extreme example to illustrate the point; typically the answers can be a little more subtle.

Explanatory style is said to have 3 attributes:

Personal

Permanent

Pervasive

Returning to our list of excuses The first reason wasn’t personal; we’d blamed that kid. It wasn’t permanent either; it was an isolated incident. It wasn’t pervasive; it was a very specific event.
The second reason is similar except that it is rather more personal, it was clearly our fault but we can see that it’s not going to be a permanent situation and won’t necessarily affect other parts of our life.
The third reason is certainly personal, and we are also implying that we are normally like that so it is permanent. But, pervasive? Not really we are only saying that we are forgetful.
Finally, ‘I’m so pathetic’, is personal, permanent, and pretty much pervasive too. If you think like this then really, you should try and do something about it.

So why does it matter how you explain things to yourself?
Not surprisingly, research has discovered a connection with our explanatory style to depression. If we tend to explain bad events in a personal, permanent and pervasive way then we are pessimistic.
The reverse is true when considering good events. If we’ve just won a race and we are an optimist, then we’d likely say that we’re better than the others. A pessimist might say that the others had an off-day or that we had a lucky break, or the favourite was injured.

What has this got to do with business?
In almost all cases it is far better to have an optimistic rather than pessimistic explanatory style. Some jobs call for a more cautionary outlook. If you are involved in assessing risks, or in the security or fire industry for instance. By and large though, being optimistic will serve you much better than not. Some jobs: telesales, insurance sales, and countless others, demand an optimistic outlook. It is what produces the required persistence that leads to success. In fact, a very well researched study involving one of the largest US insurance companies documents how they massively improved their sales staff’s performance by introducing selection tests based on explanatory style.

Can I improve my explanatory style?
Yes, you can.
Of course this short piece can only scratch at the surface of this fascinating subject. If you want to learn more (including the insurance company research) and also learn how to improve your explanatory style and hence optimism, then get hold of a copy of the excellent book Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman.
If you’d like more direct help on how to improve your performance, then get in touch.

I came across this the other day in a book published a few years ago.
It’s a short story describing a very bold but effective sales meeting.
It may not be a strategy many of us would think of using, but it’s a fantastic example of very canny selling; not for the fainthearted though.

The salesman in question is Bill Kessler who at the time was manager of the transportation division of Velcro USA.
Bill had flown to Europe to meet the chief engineer of a car manufacturer (a huge market for Velcro).

The chief engineers’s greeting was ‘We have no need for your product’.
Bill replied ‘Fine’. He shut his briefcase and prepared to leave.
The engineer was stunned by this, ‘You’ve flown all the way from America just to see me, aren’t you going to try harder for an order?’
‘No point,’ Bill replied. ‘If you don’t use Velcro you’ll either go broke, and why would we want to do business with a company heading for bankruptcy? Or you’ll be taken over by a Japanese company. We already do business with all of them anyhow.’
‘Hmmmm,’ said the engineer, ‘perhaps we should start again.’
A substantial order followed.

This strategy, known as ‘Closing the Bag’, can be very effective in returning a client to reality and removing their natural sales resistance. Use it with care.

The story comes from a book titled ‘Winning New Business, How to deliver Successful Sales Presentations’, by Dr David Lewis. Loads of useful tips for anyone with anything to sell. Not sure if it still in print but there are cheap used copies on Amazon, etc.

It’s very important when starting a new business venture to keep costs down as low as possible.
So, isn’t it nice to get something really useful for free? Especially when it’s this good.
OpenOffice offers a real alternative to costly office software. It is absolutely free, very capable and compatible with the industry standards.
You can run it on Windows (do you still use that?) or a Mac or any major platform.
Further info on the Neesh Enterprises Resources page.

It’s always nice to be able to give something of great value. Yes, give.
This is a fantastic book by one of the greatest business writers: Seth Godin.
Seth explains how, in this age of such rapid information exchange, good ideas can be spread extremely quickly.
This is very relevant for anyone selling anything, be it a product or a service.
You can buy the book in hard copy from Amazon, but on my main site you can download the digital ebook version absolutely free; no strings attached. And don’t worry, it’s is completely legal.
Download the Ideavirus by Seth Godin

This is just a quick one.
I’m always happy to pass on useful recommendations.
I recently needed to get some business cards printed quickly, just some simple ones. Sat in front of the computer, I just did the normal Google search — I think it was for business cards — and up popped CardsMadeEasy.com, top of the list.
I designed them online in just a few minutes and paid for them.
They arrived today, and very nice they are too.
What is also nice is that they actually have someone there to answer the phone if you need it.
So there we are, they’ll probably never know of this recommendation, but I’m quite happy to give them a little free publicity; they helped me out, maybe they could do the same for you too.

How many of us, when thinking of making a profit on property, think of renovation and refurbishment?
Obviously, if we can improve something, it should be worth more than it was before.
However, it is easy to place too much emphasis on the things we can do to squeeze every last bit of profit out of a sale. The consequence of this is that we get too wrapped up in improvements, often spending money needlessly. We update kitchens and bathrooms to such an extent that they no longer suit the house or the neighbourhood. The house we sell has a maximum market value that is ultimately determined by its surroundings and not by cost of its improvements.
What if we stop for a moment and go right back to the time before we bought the property, and, instead of thinking about the eventual sale, we consider the purchase? Perhaps another question will illustrate the point: would you rather buy a house at 30,000 below market value or sell at 30,000 above? Think about it for a moment. If you can make your profit at the time of purchase, rather than at the time of sale, you are in for a much safer and more comfortable ride.
It takes a tremendous amount of work and money to significantly renovate a property and hence make a profit. In comparison, just a little more time spent on research, leg work, or negotiation, can produce equal and very often greater rewards, and much quicker too.
If we can buy at a good price then we don’t need to go to extreme lengths to improve the property. Avoiding this means we avoid the risk of actually pricing our property higher than the local market will stand.
A bargain price doesn’t necessarily mean that the property concerned is in need of lots of tender loving care. Very often the price of a property says more about the vendor than the property itself. Is the vendor desperate to sell? Are they not bothered or simply incapable of presenting their property in its best light?
Given the choice, it is much easier to sell an average property for an average price than an above average property for an above average price.
Here’s an example to really drive home the point.
Our example houses are in a row of terraces next door to each other. The average selling price of such properties in this location is 200,000.
Property 1 is of reasonable standard, structurally sound, but a little dated. It is for sale at 190,000 and looks like the ideal redevelopment project.
Property 2 is similar but looks a little more tired. The owner keeps 3 dogs and it smells like it too. The kids have been drawing on the wall paper, there’s dirty washing over the stained carpets, The agent advises the vendor (who is keen to sell to finalise her divorce arrangements) to put it on the market at 170,000.
Our target profit for our project is 30,000.
Both properties will need redecorating and new carpets all around. If this is done to a good standard then they will be better than the other houses in the terrace and we could probably sell each for 210,000. Our target of 30k means that Property 1 will need more money spending on it especially in the bathroom and kitchen to increase its value. We reckon 5k spent here will push the value to 220,000, some new windows and landscaping the garden adds another 5k to the spend but will push value up more.
Property 2, if sold now, will realise our target, so we put it on the market.
Two months later Property 2 is sold for 210,000, and allowing for legal expenses, redecorating and carpeting costs, we made 30k.
Property 1 is still on the market, we get quite a few viewings but they are uncomfortable with our asking price of 240,000 for a terraced house here, even though the house looks wonderful. Four months later (with Christmas approaching) we take an offer of 225,000 and pocket the 15k profit, it has been hard work though.
Amazingly, it is a very typical example of trying to make the profit on the sale rather than the purchase.
What would you rather do?

One of the great challenges that face the solo worker is that of actually getting through the day having done all that we intended, without going off on some wild journey of distraction.
Most people (especially me) are familiar with the feeling of excitement and determination that greets each new day. However, something — and I’m still not sure exactly what — often knocks us right off course. The result? Well, we usually end up with an entertaining, interesting hour or two (or usually more) with nothing to show for our time. But, as we all know, time is money; do we ever put a value on these wanderings, these self-indulgent activities? An hour spent looking for that elusive CD on Amazon or eBay and trying to save a couple of pounds, costs us a great deal more.
What is your favourite distraction: aimless internet exploration? Sandwich making? Daytime TV? (please,no). Reading that unputdownable book? Nattering to friends on the phone? Or good old fashioned daydreaming? My favourite is picking up a guitar and even searching the web for chords for a song I’ve just heard on the radio.
If you dare, keep a distraction diary, or rather, a working diary. When (if) you start your working day, write the time in a diary (not your usual appointments diary). When you stop, for whatever reason, even a comfort break, write the time again. When (eventually) you resume work, write the time down again and also what you were doing.
Be honest, it’s no good writing that you were planning your business trip when you were actually planning your weekend of golf in the sun — yes, I know, they can be the same thing. Do this throughout the day, and at the end of your day — make it the second to last thing you do before you pack up — do some simple addition and put the total work and total play (because that’s what is usually is) at the foot of each page. I started off this paragraph with the statement ‘if you dare’ for good reason. This is a very revealing exercise, a brilliant habit to get in to, but also a real statement of intent; you won’t look back. I won’t be the first or the last person to have been completely amazed by the outcome of this: the realisation that you could be putting so much more money in the bank if you cracked the whip a little more.
I said that the totalling should be the penultimate thing you do before you finish work. So what is the last? It is simply a list for the next working day: things you must accomplish the following day. This list can be written in your new distraction diary (ok, we’ll call it a working diary), at the top of each day. If a task is too big for a day then still list it and detail the progress you must make on it that day. For example if you are writing a book, determine the quantity you’ll do (words, chapters) or if you prefer the time you’ll spend writing (honestly). Those items on your list must be ticked, carried over to the next day (if unavoidable), or removed (deemed unnecessary), but never ignored.
The very act of analysing and planning your days like this will increase your performance without you doing anything else. However, when you see what you’re really doing during the day, you’ll also want to be more proactive in making changes. There might be a pattern of behaviour that you’ll expose, and the likelihood is that you’ll have to spend a while to break the habit; remember it takes about 3 weeks to make or break a habit (no, smoking is not a habit, not in the typical sense anyway).
To recap (with a list).

• Get a new diary, a day per page is best.
• Each day write down the time you start work and each time you break off or get distracted.
• When you’ve finished for the day total your times: working and distractions.
• Write your list of must dos at the top of the following day.
• Address any behaviour patterns that you are unhappy about.

Probably, most people who work from home, especially those who spend time online, will have considered (or at least been made aware of) the possibilities of trading currencies. Very quickly it has become one of the most aggressively hyped and marketed home-working activities.

Until recently, forex trading (short for foreign exchange trading) has been for the big players only. But now it is very easy for the individual to gain exposure to forex markets. Very often this will be via spread betting (where the trader bets on the movements of a particular currency cross, e.g. GB pound/ US dollar), or by trading ‘lots’ using an online trading account. The new found ease of forex trading has brought an ever-increasing army of people who are keen to sell associated services such as trading accounts and forex trading education.

The attraction of forex trading is high: if you can devise or learn a consistently winning strategy then the financial rewards are high. Indeed, a successful trading strategy has been likened to a ‘money tap’.

However, financial trading, whilst offering potentially huge gains also places the inexperienced trader in very dangerous waters. If a particular deal moves against the trader then the very mechanics that offer the large gains can actually bankrupt a novice (in fact the risk of bankruptcy is not just reserved for the novice).

What if, in spite of learning of the risky nature of forex trading, it still appeals? Well, a little knowledge is certainly a bad thing. So too is spending too much on learning. It is very easy to be tempted by the claims made by various course or seminar providers. But, think very carefully before parting with the extortionate amounts often asked in exchange for knowledge you can get elsewhere.

If the subject interests you, then I believe you can get all the information you need from much less expensive sources. Two in particular, that I recommend are: a very useful book interestingly titled Bird Watching in Lion Country and also a manual called The Affluent Desktop Currency Trader. Aside form these two (which you will have to pay for) there is a huge amount of info available on the web as well as some useful info on our main site www.neeshenterprise.com.

The world of the business opportunity is growing at an ever-increasing rate. Fuelled by the modern desire to want more from life, especially wealth and freedom, people are seeking ways to escape from their corporate environment, their job, and employed status. The rewards are huge if successful; once a winning formula is discovered, it can be used to shape a whole lifetime. All of a sudden, choice and freedom are available. Having such an independent lifestyle can (and usually does) erase much of the stress and depression that exists in the lives of many people nowadays.

Those seeking this Holy Grail can spend a lot of money – often thousands – on ideas, or they can spend an inordinate amount of time devising their own plans.

Yet, it is a strange fact that very few of us who buy, or are given, or invent a business opportunity succeed.

Why is this?

Very often, of course, it is the actual business opportunity or plan that is used. Some exist simply to line the pockets of the writers – not the readers. However, there are countless reliable, proven ways to build a very profitable business that can be run from home. Some people will run with an idea and become very successful and yet someone else, following the same plan, will not. Can the reasons for this be dependent solely on intelligence, experience, gender, race or genes? Surprisingly, no. What usually separates the winners from the losers is attitude and, in particular, the ability, or will, to act. The winners possess fearlessness or, at least, a resistance to the effects of the fear of failure.

The losers, very often manifest this fear into what is known as analysis paralysis: a tendency to keep trying to make a plan exactly right before executing (if we don’t try then we can’t fail). This is obviously a paradox; the very state of inaction produces the failure.

If any blame for ineffectiveness can be levelled at a plan in question, it is in the almost universal lack of emphasis on the importance to act. Action produces results, and from these results we can act again, thereby moving ever close to our destination.

So, if we want to progress with our chosen idea, then it helps to keep in mind that well-known advertising slogan: Just Do It!

Graham Chapman
NeeshEnterprises.com