Apple Hits Grand Slam!

Those who know me know that I like my cell phones! It should not come as a shock to learn that I finally broke down and purchased the iphone. I resisted as long as I could (and longer than my family imagined), but in the end, the curiosity got the best of me. I have to say, it was a revealing experience. Many news reports detailed long lines and activation hassles; I experienced no such trouble.

My boys and I bought the iphone at the local apple store. Despite moderate Sunday traffic we managed to get in and out of the store pretty quickly. apple has set sales up to be a relatively painless experience. You buy the phone and activate it by hooking it up to your computer at home Their music software, (iTunes), takes care of the rest. I must admit, it was really cool and took less than 10 minutes when we got home. It was intuitive, easy to follow. And there were no complications.

More importantly, the cell phone buying experience wasnt like the normal trip to the wireless store that Ive experienced before, Ive written about wireless carriers before Often, the buying experience is far from fun, and returning to a store to fix a problem has the same kind of dread as going to the dentist. To hit the Grand Slam with your customers (and associates) it is essential that you motivate the buyers and make buying from you fun. Get this right and your customers will return again and again.

Here are a few tips to help you motivate and make it fun for your customers and associates.

1) keep things simple!
By creating a simple activation procedure that customers can do in the comfort of their homes, apple greatly enhanced the retail experience. After spending 10 minutes activating my new iphone, I dont understand why it should take so long in a wireless store. Watching paint dry is more exciting than a trip to the wireless store, unless, of course, Catherine Zeta Jones is working the register.

2) Avoid demotivating policies!
Many times I have watched disinterested, unmotivated associates dutifully enforce ridiculous rules and policies. The most ingenious part Apples strategy is the activation process so that problems that might crop up take place in the customers home! Imagine if it was taking place at the apple store. Instead of helping eager customers hand over $500 for their new devices, Apples associates would be helping people sync their address books. You choose what seems like more fun!

3) Generate a light atmosphere!
Just walk into an apple store and you will know what I mean. The stores are bright (the lighting is perfect), and there is music playing throughout. The apple associates always seem to be enjoying their work. I realize that ones enjoyment at work has a lot to do with the product being sold and how popular it is; however, theres more to it. apple works hard to remove obstacles that might otherwise impede their associates enjoyment. For example, lines at check-out are stressful for both customers and associates. Apples associates have little hand-held devices that act as cash registers for those paying with credit cards. This makes things go very smoothly.

For many years, I was the President and owner of one of the countrys most popular wine stores. I always tried to maintain a light mood as I knew the companys psyche would rise and fall with my own attitude. It wasnt always easy; however, I always tried to maintain an easy-going style. apple has hit the Grand Slam with their easy, delightful process. now, if you will excuse me, Im loading some Barbra Streisand on the new phone!

Please see The Price Wasnt Right at: http://www.grslamresults.com/articles/?id=50

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How To Find Out If You Are Making Money In Your Yoga Studio Business

One of the major challenges that many studios face is dealing with finances. This doesnt necessarily mean just paying the bills, but knowing exactly how much money you made each month. Not just that you have money in the bank, but knowing what your expenses were and how much profit you made.

Perhaps you do this already, using QuickBooks (or something like it), and every transaction is entered, categorized and reconciled. At the end of the month you generate a profit and loss statement and examine your expenses and revenue to determine where you made money and where you lost money.

If you dont do this, you might wonder, Why should I care, as long as Im making money? Good question.

The goal is to determine where you really make money, and where you dont. Then, do more of whatever you do that makes money, as well as change or eliminate the things that dont make money.

For example, do you know exactly how much you made from classes this month as opposed to last month? Maybe youve done some advertising these numbers will tell you if it was worth it or not.

For example, suppose you find that for the past 6 months, you average of $5,000 from selling memberships per month, after paying instructors. Then, one month you spend $1,000 to do some radio advertising. At the end of this month, you again look at your profit and loss statement and see that you made $7,500. You made an extra $2,500, but the advertising cost $1,000, so in reality, your increase in profit from radio advertising was only $1,500. This tells you that it is worthwhile to use radio ads.

On the other hand, lets say you only made $5,800 on memberships that month. On the surface it appears you made and extra $800, but after taking into account that you spent an extra $1,000 on the radio ad, you really made $200 less than you had previously averaged.

Your conclusion would be that this type of radio advertising was not a good way to make more money. Yes, you did get more students from the radio ad, but not enough to offset the cost of the ad.

Think of it like a runner timing herself each time she practices the 100-yard dash. The stopwatch will tell her exactly how she did today compared to yesterday or last week. Maybe shes trying to decide if eating before running makes her faster, slower or has no effect. Without the stopwatch, she could feel like she was faster or slower, but not really know for sure.

The same is true for business. When we dont accurately measure profits and expenses, we end up like the runner who says Boy, I felt fast today! Sure, you probably have a good intuitive sense of how the studio is doing. And knowing the exact numbers will allow you to take your studio to a new level.

Doing this kind of analysis of profits can help you earn more and stress less. So often a studio will try the Advertising strategy of the month, randomly trying things to bring in more business, but never really knowing if they earned more money from it.

As you get more experienced with doing this (its actually not hard once you get used to it), youll be able to focus on those things that make money, and change or eliminate those that dont. And remember, as the one who is in charge of running the studio, no one cares more about the bottom line than you do.

I work with many people on this very idea: How to figure out where you are making money and losing money so that you can make your studio more profitable. If you have a questions you would like me to address about this, please email me at coach@CenteredBusiness.com, and I will try to address it in a future newsletter.

Coach Al Lipper
Business Coach for yoga Studios
Destiny: Success
Website: http://www.CenteredBusiness.com
Email: coach@centeredbusiness.com
Telephone: (805) 544-3938

Coach Al Lipper of 'Destiny: Success' helps yoga studio business owners smoothly run and grow their yoga studio. He helps stressed and overwhelmed yoga studio business owners who spend most their time wrapped up in daily business tasks, who can't handle any more clients, or who can't make any more money out of the business. Coach Al helps clients find new yoga business strategies which result in generating more clients, increased profits, and more free time for the yoga studio owner. The amount invested was small compared to the results. Contact him today to discuss your yoga studio challenges at (805) 544-3938 or visit http://www.CenteredBusiness.com

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Yoga And The Good Samaritan

What is Yoga? many students of Yoga will easily answer, "Yoga means union." "union of what?" you may say. Whether you believe Yoga is the union of mind, body, and spirit, or the union of your soul (jiva) with God, Yoga is a life changing method, which has improved peoples lives for thousands of years.

When seeking a Yoga teacher, people are confused about the qualifications. This is understandable, but some of the top qualifications a Yoga teacher should have are tolerance, integrity, and compassion. These are not physical qualities, but would you choose to spend your time learning Yoga from someone who is an unethical brute?

many of us have heard, or read, the Parable of the Good Samaritan. If you are unfamiliar with it, you can refer to Luke 10:25-37 from the New Testament. When the man asks jesus how to obtain eternal life, jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan.

Basically, jesus explains that it is essential for us to help those in need who are around us. It reminds me of the saying, Cant see the forest for the trees. The path toward God is filled with challenges. Even though we may have our eyes on God, people around us need help, and helping others is the path to eternal life.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is scripture worth reading because people often forget who their neighbors are. While we are on this earth, we are all neighbors. Tolerance, integrity, and compassion are your guides toward union.

john 15:12 quotes jesus as saying: This is my commandment to you, to love one another as I have loved you.

Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500, has written many books on the subject of Yoga. He is a co-owner and the Director of Yoga teacher training at: aura wellness Center, in Attleboro, MA. http://www.riyoga.com He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. To receive a Free Yoga e-Book: "Yoga in practice," and a Free Yoga Newsletter, please visit: http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Copyright 2007 Paul Jerard / aura Publications

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