SMALL BUSINESS LEADER December 2006

Small Business Leader
Marian Banker, MBA, Business Leadership Coach, and creator of the Business Success System.
"Lead Your Business to Success"
ISSUE #88
December 2006

in this issue
**Pre-Launch Discount!**
Feature Article / Lesson
Events
Small Business Leaders' Marketplace

Note from Marian:

Ready or not, year-end is fast approaching? Will you meet your goals?

Before you start planning for next year, it can be extremely valuable to review your past year's actions and results. Doing this assessment helps you build on your successes and learn from your mistakes.

In this issue I've included "The 7 Questi0ns to Ask Before Planning for 2007". I strongly suggest you read the article; then follow through by asking the questi0ns about your own business. I predict you'll be surprised at what you learn.

Earlier this year I joined the Women's Community, http://womenscommunity.com. This is a group of very dynamic business women who believe in and promote win-win partnerships. In honor of all women who own a business, on December 6th, I'll be moderating the Take Command of Your Business Tele-Workshop for Women. Details are at http://primestrategies.com/teleworks hop12-6-06. Denise Trifiletti, Founder and President of Women's Community, will be joining us.

And, of course, if you're ready to apply the Business Success System to your own business, be sure to take advantage of the pre-launch offer of $147 for this amazing do-it-yourself multimedia Course, http://primestrategies.com/business_success. Official launch date is January 1, 2007, when the price will go to $197 Buy n0w and keep that $50 in your pocket.

During this wonderful, and often hectic, holiday season be sure to take at least a few minutes to do something special for yourself. You deserve it.

Marian Banker
Publisher
Small Business Leader

NOTE: We have had to disguise some words in order to keep them from getting caught in the $pam filters. Please bear with us.
--------------------------------------------------

**Pre-Launch Discount!**

Want your own Personal Roadmap to Business Success? Take Command of Your Business with the Prime Strategies Business Success System Course. Gain the confidence to make well-calculated strategic business decisions in spite of challenges and crossroads.

Included is a step-by-step guidebook, interactive tools to organize your thinking and your actions, plus coaching audios to support you as you take each step in the system. It's totally risk f*r*e*e because it comes with a 100% satisfaction *guarantee*.

Buy your copy by December 31st to take advantage of the red-hot Pre-Launch Discount and receive the 4 Take Command Bonuses. Don't miss out! Get the full scoop at http://primestrategies.com/business_success.
--------------------------------------------------

Feature Article / Lesson

The 7 Questi0ns to Ask Before Planning for 2007
By Marian Banker

Before sitting down to start working on your plan for 2007, I suggest you give yourself the advantage of a retrospective on 2006.

A year is actually a long time in business. And often the best prepared plans don't get carried out for a variety of reasons. One of the most frequent reasons is unexpected challenges and new opp0rtunities that come up along the way. When they do, we can easily end up off our planned course.

Since we are always using our Long Term Vision to guide our planning, year-end is the time to review that Long Term Vision against what you've learned during the year. In looking at the past year I find it's helpful to ask 7 specific questi0ns and use the answers as a reference in creating next year's plan. It's a good idea to write the answers to these questi0ns. In reviewing them once completed, you'll be able to see what otherwise might have been missed.

Here are the questi0ns I ask.

1 - What were my 3 Priority Goals for 2006?

If you didn't prioritize your goals at the beginning of the year, do so n0w. If you don't have written goals (uh oh) write them down n0w. If you find this difficult, lack of clear goals could be why you are frustrated when faced with unplanned challenges and decisions.

My number one goal for 2006 was to finish the Business Success System Course and sell 200 before year end.

2 - How close did I come to reaching these Goals? (Use percentage)

Chances are you didn't reach them all 100%. Just make a best guesstimate as to what percent you would attribute to your progress: 80%, 50%, 20%. You actually may have dropped one of them or decided to change course at some point during the year. If so, 0% may be appropriate.

I met my number one goal at about 80%. I did finish the Course, but much later than I had planned. So I will end up with $ales at about half of what was planned.

3 - What were my successes?

Achieving a goal can be considered a success. So are things like making a valuable connection that opened new opp0rtunities, being able to pay off de.bt or hiring a "right" person for a critical job. What were your successes? Don't stop writing until you've exhausted all possibilities. Successes are a good foundation to build on next year.

In addition to the Course, one of my several successes was of a personal nature. I have always loved to paint, especially using water color. I've given myself the time (on my calendar) to paint at least one hour per week. My calendar tends to get very full, so it's important that I honor my time boundaries.

4 - What worked? What didn't?

Consider your actions. Did they produce the results you wanted? Did your actions correspond to what you had planned? Did something (internal or external) interfere with your actions, or your results? If you took planned action and didn't get the planned results, consider it as not working. Gathering and writing these can be eye-opening.

Something that didn't work for me this year was trying to work on revamping my website while I was busy completing the Course and putting the marketing campaign in place. I just couldn't focus on two major things at once.

5 - What did I learn?

You might realize that your marketing efforts didn't pay off. Ask why not. It may mean tweaking your message, your media or your market. It may mean tweaking your product or service to be more attractive to your market. You may have learned that you sell more when you use a 3-step process than trying to sell in one step. There's bound to be lots of lessons to consider from what you've gathered so far.

One of the most amazing things I learned is that there are lots of you out there in the small business community who had been waiting for the Business Success System Course. My early research had told me that; the $ales confirmed it.

6 - Which Goals do I want to carry forward into next year?

There may be a next step to goals you achieved. If so, consider them as goals for next year. For each incomplete goal, you may want to update or modify it in some way. You may also consciously choose to drop a goal, especially if it no longer fits into your Long Term Vision and Goals.

The next step in my plan is to expand my marketing reach to a wider audience through strategic alliances, joint ventures and database development.

7 - How can I bring next year's Goals into better alignment with my Long Term Vision and Goals?

This is the perfect time to update your Long Term Vision and Goals based on what you learned in doing your Year-End Review. Maybe you've just changed your mind about some things. That's fine. Make the changes to your written Long Term Vision and Goals. Consider what you can realistically accomplish within 2007 that will move you another year closer to success as defined by your updated Long Term Vision and Goals.

Expanding the reach of my market is a critical step toward reaching my Long Term Vision and Goals. That goal is definitely in line with my Long Term Vision of providing the Business Success System, http://primestrategies.com/business_success, to all small business owners who realize it's exactly what they need n0w.

Assignment:

Write the answers to these questi0ns for your own business. Then bring what you learn forward into your 2007 Plan and Goals. Use your Plan as the point of reference for all decisions you will face during the coming year. It will definitely help you to stay on course.

Here's to a strong and profitable 2007!

--------------------------------------------------
Events

Our signature Tele-Workshop with the emphasis on Women's Business.

Take Command of Your Business Tele-Workshop for Women
Wednesday, December 6, 2006, 1 - 2 p.m. EST. - Teleconference Call

Take the first step toward regaining command of your business and be coached on how to get onto the fast-track to success. It's an eye-opening and action oriented hour of working "on" your business. In this one we'll focus on some of the issues that are typical for women.

- Learn the steps of the Business Success System and how they get the job done.
- Discuss challenges that are common to most small businesses and ways to overcome them.
- Find out which challenges are facing your business right now.
- Identify next steps, set priorities and create a plan that will put you in command of your business.

Get the details and register for this F*R*E*E tele- workshop at http://primestrategies.com/jteleworkshop12-6- 06

Recommended New York City event:

Biba4Network Holiday Party - Networking, Music, Dance & Fun Monday, December 18, 2006, 7 - 8 p.m. EST
Soho Dance, 598 Broadway at Houston St., NYC
Celebrate the Holidays, while enjoying a Salsa demonstration featuring Soho Dance professional dancers. This is a great opp0rtunity to make new quality business contacts and new friends. Come and share experiences and resources while you build your business. Biba4Network meetings are ideal to broaden your contact list and boost your chances of success. RSVP N0W www.biba4network.com/form- mixer.html

Save the Date!

Small Business Summit 2007 - We're planning our second blockbuster all-day Summit, scheduled for Tuesday, February 13th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in New York City. Our mission is to bring together small business owners and technology providers for an open exchange of information and ideas, http://smallbizt echsummit.com. Mark your calendar n0w and watch for the official announcement soon.
--------------------------------------------------

Small Business Leaders' Marketplace

Introduce your product or service he.re.

Get BIG RESULTS for Your Small Business! Grow your Small Business with BIG Ideas! Would you like creative ways to grow your business? Need ideas you can implement now without spending a lot? Get your *FREE* e-book packed with creative ideas on ways to grow your business. Go to http: //www.promoneyinc.com/Prime.htm.

Stylish Holiday Gifting - Make your business gifts more personal and memorable by giving 'mais oui' initial note cards, customized holiday cards and thank you notes. Distinctive designs range from tailored to more feminine featuring exclusive calligraphy letterforms that leave a lasting impression. Call or email for samples and our brochure: (949) 675-1592, lmais@lmpr.com .

Paying too much for your health plan? Health Plan for groups of 1 - 50. Yes, our sole proprietors and 1099s get the group rate also! Choose from comprehensive HMO or POS plans, optional prescription drug, dental and vision benefits. Request your FR.EE no 0bligation rate quote today! Lynn Berry, Field Manager, Atlantis Health Plan, 212- 380-4335, llberry2000@gmail.com .

The Power of Networking -If you're like most small business owners or entrepreneurs who network like crazy but still just can't get results and for whom networking has nev.er really worked, I found the solution for you. It's "The Power of Networking", a 5 Step Program to Maximize Your Networking Results. As a special for the Holidays, when you sign-up before December 31st, you save $200 on this program, plus you'll receive 4 Bonuses for a total value of $340 Learn more at http://www.marketerschoice.com/app/? af=496107

Up to 50 words in 3 issues, only $25
Send your ad to marian@pri mestrategies.com with Subject as Newsletter Ad.