How Do You Beat Recession?

With the economic gloom engulfing the entire world and people the world over feeling the heat of recessionary pressures, it makes sense to find out ways to beat recessionary blues.

Some of the recognized and oft used measures to stave off recessionary pressure are:

1. Cut down the spending. Any spending shall be properly evaluated before committing on it. A penny spent shall have the capability of earning at least a dollar!

2. Reduce debts. During recessionary times, cost of financing any debt gets steeper and steeper, primarily because:

              a. There is a paucity of revenue sources

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           b. Lender is forced to increase the rate of interest during bleak economic times to tide over his own difficulties.

Even if all the debt cannot be repaid, ensure that financing cost is minimum.

3. Opt for stringent cost restructuring. An expenditure that seems normal during bright days may become a burden on the wallet during bleak economic times. It is advisable to scout for better and cheaper alternatives giving the same king of result.

4. Invest wisely. This means, there shall be a mix of equity and debt funds in the portfolio to lend a healthy sign to the investment mix. A single penny available during recessionary times would seem like a huge relief and hence, it is always advisable to keep investing a portion of the revenue earned during the bright days so that rainy days do not seem too dark & cloudy.

5. Stick to the core. This can have different meaning for different people. If you are a businessman, it means stick to your core area of strength and do not venture into new line of business. Similarly, for individuals who are in employment, it means that they shall not change jobs during recessionary periods because from employer's perspective new recruits would be the first to lose jobs during bad times.

Out of the above 5 mentioned measures, a business has to take care of 4 measures on its own. Only in one measure can the business expect to receive helping hand from an external agency. And that is in cutting down cost!

As mentioned above, a business needs to be extra careful in spending even a penny during recessionary period. It therefore makes sense for a business to categorize its functions and start outsourcing those that add up its overhead and not worth spending its money on. It would be advisable rather to spend the money saved from outsourcing on expanding business in its core area, thereby improving the scope of earning revenue.

Small Businesses Doing Little to Save Themselves From "Fuel Poverty"

An independent survey commissioned by Electricity4Busines s, an electricity supplier targeting small and medium-sized enterprises, has found that despite fuel prices doubling in the past year, businesses are doing little to cut their energy bills. With energy prices on the rise month on month for the past 22 months and wholesale costs now double what they were last year, households and businesses are paying more than ever for gas and electricity. As a result, a growing number of people are living in what the media and government have termed "fuel poverty", a new buzzword to describe those spending more than 10% of their income on fuel bills. But while the focus has largely been on pensioners and families, small and mid-sized businesses are also feeling the pinch. To find out how hard businesses are being hit and what they are doing to cut their fuel bills, Electricity4Busines s recently commissioned an independent, nationwide survey of SMEs' energy usage. The findings are worrying: many small businesses are actually in a worse state than consumers. Almost one in five small companies polled now suffer from fuel poverty with energy bills making up their second biggest cost.   "Traditionally, fuel bills have not always been at the top of the agenda for SMEs and owners with little time on their hands have been happy to assume that prices are comparable across the board," says Graham Paul, Sales and Marketing Director of Electricity4Busines s, an independent supplier of cheap electricity competing with the UK's six major energy suppliers. Increasingly, however, small businesses are being forced to reassess their attitude to fuel costs. A sandwich bar with several refrigerators used to paying an annual £1,800 for electricity will have to sell a lot more sandwiches to meet this year's electricity bill of £3,600."   So while increased fuel costs are eating into profits, what are businesses doing to cut their bills? The answer, according to the survey, is very little. Some 18% polled say they simply "pay the bills" and almost a third do not understand the breakdown of their electricity bill.   More worryingly still, the survey showed that over half of businesses owners have never read the small print of their electricity contracts. According to Paul, this makes them vulnerable to exploitation, giving the "big six" energy suppliers free rein to hike prices and lock customers into expensive long-term contracts. Jonathan Elliott of B2B comparison website MakeItCheaper. com agrees: "By understanding their contracts and benefiting from the support available from alternative suppliers and industry bodies, businesses can reduce the financial impact of high energy bills." As one of these alternative suppliers, Electricity4Busines s positions itself as the champion of the small business - not only by offering fair and transparent pricing, but also by providing advice to customers on energy efficiency. "Sadly, our survey shows, we still have a long way to go to convince businesses that there is a cheaper way. But with wholesale prices soaring, the case for switching to a supplier like E4B is stronger than ever," he adds.   A summary of the survey can be downloaded in pdf format from www.electricity4bus iness.co. uk. The document concludes by outlining five ways in which businesses can cut their fuel bills, from shopping around and reading the small print of contracts to switching suppliers and improving energy efficiency in the workplace. About The Author: Headquartered in Milton Keynes, Electricty4Business (E4B) is a supplier of cheap business electricity for the small and medium sized business market.  http://www.electric ity4business. co.uk/ .  UK Media enquiries,please contact: Emma Churchill: 08701 630830 e.echurchill@electric ity4business. co.uk Please use the HTML version of this article at: http://www.isnare. com/html. php?aid=288354 ============ ====== ARTICLE END ============ ====== For more free-reprint articles by Emma Churchill please visit: http://www.isnare. com/?s=author& a=Emma+Churchill

Should a Coach Have Prior Experience of the Subject in Which They Are Coaching?

So, you want to become a coach? 

One thing you may be thinking about is what area you specialise in. There is definitely a case for becoming a specialist coach – you are likely to be perceived as an expert and therefore people will come to you and consequently you should be able to command higher prices. 

Of course when you are starting out and you are desperate for your first customers it is very tempting to say you will `coach anyone' but trust me (I'm a coach) this is taking a very short term view. Building up a reputation for being the area's leading relationship coach or the city's top public speaking coach will have you at the forefront of people's mind when they have a need for your services. 

But, how experienced in a particular field do you need to be to coach in a particular area? Now there might seem to be an obvious answer to this question – after all doesn't experience count for everything? 

But, let's start with a definition of coaching first and then you will see that this isn't so obvious. True coaching (sometimes termed as non-directive coaching) occurs when an individual is allowed to explore their own solutions and decide on their own plan of action for moving forward. The role of the coach therefore is to ask those questions to allow the client to come up with the answers and will ask those questions the client wouldn't ask themselves. The coach should not be `leading' the client with their questions to pre-determined answers or imparting their own suggestions or advice. 

So, if a coach is not imparting advice, instead only asking questions it follows that a coach does not need experience of coaching in a particular area. Many non-directive coaches believe that by not having experience in a particular area they can remain totally impartial to the situation and focus on taking the client through a process to find the solution that is best for them. 

Advice and even subtle guidance can be great, however, whilst a particular solution may be right for one person, it may not be for another. Some coaches will admit if they have experience in a particular area they sometimes find themselves asking leading questions, albeit subconsciously, to help the client to a particular solution. This can stifle the client's own creativity and the client may lose out by not exploring all the options available to them. 

So, is there a case for only coaching in an area you are experienced in? Well for me the answer is yes, and this is based partly on my own experience of being coached and also of coaching others. 

Firstly if you have experience or expertise in a particular area and the client knows this, you immediately score points for credibility…afterall you have been there done it and got the T-shirt. People do like to feel they are being coached by an expert. For example if you want to lose weight and get fit wouldn't you prefer to turn to a coach who is fit, healthy and not overweight themselves? 

Building rapport with your client is crucial to building a solid working relationship. If you have a similar background or share common experiences with your client, (although as a coach you will not be discussing you) there will automatically be a

level of rapport as you will be `tuned in' to their situation. This helps a client to open up to their issues. 

If you have experience of a particular area as a coach, either direct experience or from coaching others, you have the capacity to naturally empathise more with the client. Imagine you are a 40 year old woman going through a mid-life crisis…wouldn' t you like to feel that you are talking to someone who can empathise with your situation because they have been there before and got through it or has helped dozens of women before you. A client can feel that certain barriers are broken down knowing that  `they are not the only one.' 

Also if you understand a person's situation you are better placed to ask relevant questions. This might seem contradictory to what has been said but I have been asked questions by a coach who didn't relate to my situation and found the questions showed a lack of understanding of my situation. 

So, in conclusion there are pros and cons for having experience in the area in which you are coaching. Personally I think some understanding and experience of a particular area is positive not only from a client's point of view but also from a marketing point of view…you're out there as the `expert'. However if you are committed to being a non-directive coach you need to be aware of the potential pitfall of falling into at the least asking leading questions, at the worst giving advice that just doesn't meet the client's needs.

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About The Author: Qualified Coach and passionate networker

Louise Yates shares business networking tips at

http://www.business -networking- techniques. com, advice about

coaching at http://www.personal -coaching- information. com and

delivers executive coaching at http:www.clear- perspectives. co.uk

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Tips That Can Come Handy In RECESSION

The number one story everywhere is the downturn in the economy. It's talked about in restaurants, and grocery stores. It's in newspapers and magazines. Even "Happy Hour" is filled with the doom and gloom of the "R" word. RECESSION.

First of all lets see What Recession exactly means.

Technically speaking if the GDP of a country decreases for two successive quaters it is said that the country is going through a recession period.

I've been talking to sales people and small business owners who are just trying to hang on and get through the toughest times they've ever seen. In response to this, I've come up with the following essentials to move ahead during the recession.

1. Mind your attitude. It's so easy to get sucked down into the negative. People who are grumbling and griping are going nowhere fast. Trust me on this. Watch your posture. Stand tall with out spine aligned, shoulders back and head erect. It's not only healthy for you, you'll look better and feel better too.

2. Get to know your competition. Have you done a competitor analysis within the last six months? Do it now. Secret shop them. If you'll be recognized get a friend or relative to do it for you. What are they doing differently? How can you do it better?

3. Be the source of information and answers to your customers. Become their expert for dealing with the challenges they are feeling from the stressed economy.

4. Move faster. Now is not the time to be wringing your hands and worrying about what to do. Now is the time for action. Get to networking events. Visit your prospects. Be upbeat. Offer value added services. "Being there" is a key factor in getting the business.

5. Go to "You U". Take advantage of every opportunity to learn more. Attend free tale-seminars and webinars. Get to your local chamber events. Read more. Watch the news less (it's depressing).

The fact is the recession isn't going away anytime soon. Economic Experts predict the downturn in the economy is going to continue till 2010 end. According to me its the best time for students not to hurry in jobs but continue with their studies , and chose such courses that they complete them in mid 2011 may be.(its just a personal opinion)

People who Roar don't stand around and wait for things to happen. They don't whine. They look for ways to be better and more productive. Taking positive action every day will make you feel better. When you feel better you can do more, do it faster and more effectively. Taking positive steps everyday for you and your customers will not only help you, your customers will notice you.