Increasing the Effectiveness and Enhancing the Lives of CEOs
and business owners.

Contents of this issue...
   .. Welcome - A few words from the publisher, Gary Lockwood
   .. Thought-Starter -  "Old Dogs and New Tricks"
   .. Guest article - "Unlocking the Value of Your Customers"
   .. CEO Resources
   .. Quotes to use in your staff meeting this month
   .. Humor to lighten up the executive suite
   .. Contact the publisher
   .. Subscribe and unsubscribe instructions

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      WELCOME to this issue of the CEO Success Report!
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Hello again. I'm Gary Lockwood, President of CEO Success.

Welcome back once again to the CEO Success Report! I know you
have no shortage of material to read and I thank you for choosing
to read our newsletter.

We work hard to provide practical ideas, thought-provoking concepts
and useful information for you. Please give me some feedback
about this issue. Send your comments to
   mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

How many times have you heard this old saying as an excuse
for not trying something new or to avoid a fresh approach?

My "thought-starter" in today's issue is about how to make
personal and professional growth a lifelong habit. You will not
become an old dog as long as you keep learning new tricks.

Our guest article this month is by Kevin Sinclair, CPA, of Be
Successful! Business & Personal Success Resources. Kevin's
article examines specific ways that you can generate greater
value from your existing customer base.

Many businesses are so caught up in the excitement of acquiring
new customers that they do not spend enough time or money on
unlocking the value of their existing customer base. It surprises
me how often business fail to regard their existing customers as
one of their most valued assets.

There may not be the same excitement in getting orders from
existing customers, BUT this is where the real profits are made.

Read more about Kevin at the end of his article.

I hope you enjoy receiving these articles and ideas to
help you sharpen your thinking about being an effective CEO.

My wish is that you use the ideas in the CEO Success Report to
get the results you really want. If you want some help in putting
them into practice, or if you have questions, email or call.

As you know, our specialty is Increasing the Effectiveness
and Enhancing the Lives of CEOs and business owners.

Enjoy this issue with my compliments.  May I ask a small favor?
Please forward this issue to other CEOs and company presidents
who may be interested in receiving these messages.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Gary Lockwood, President
CEO Success

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       This month's THOUGHT-STARTER
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             Old Dogs and New Tricks
              by Gary Lockwood

"You can't teach an old dog new tricks."

How many times have you heard this old saying as an excuse
for not trying something new or avoiding a fresh approach?

The expert animal trainers say that a dog of almost any age can
learn new tricks. It's the human animal that makes choices
regarding when and how much to learn.

The world passes us by as we stand still. Complacency, in our
fast-paced competitive world, can be fatal to business and severely
limit personal and professional growth.

Having a positive attitude toward learning and changing may be
one of the most important characteristics of successful people.

The competitive advantage of the future is your adaptability to
learning and change.

"There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far
less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction."
            - John F Kennedy

How do you learn new tricks and <-- e x p a n d --> your personal
comfort zone?

Before you just throw all caution to the wind, try simple things.
      **  Drive home a different route.
      **  Shop at a different grocery store.
      **  Order something from the menu you've never tried before.
      **  Sleep on the other side of the bed.

Make a conscious effort to experiment.

Why would you want to give yourself the stress of stepping
outside your comfort zone?

Because that's where growth takes place.

Just like a muscle gets stronger when you exercise it outside its
normal range of use, you get stronger when you get out of your
rut. And just like your muscles, once you stretch beyond your
current capabilities, you don't ever go back to your original
dimensions.

What's the limit?

Obviously, you need to be realistic in your risk management. Most
successful people think through the possible outcomes of taking
a risk. Then they prepare for how they would deal with each
potential outcome. Successful people take risks, but they are not
foolhardy or stupid.

Here's my challenge to you.

Make a list of 50 things that, if you really were successful in
doing them, you would be a better person or a better company.
Consider a few new tricks such as:
      Give a speech
      Write and publish an article
      Start an exercise program
      Meditate daily
      Teach a class
      Feed a homeless person
      Climb a mountain
      Learn to play a new musical instrument

Then choose one or two that you are willing to do within the next
90 days. Schedule those new activities, then go for it. Afterward,
choose one or two more and do it again.

Make personal and professional growth a lifelong habit. You will
not become an old dog as long as you keep learning new tricks.

   About the Author...
Gary Lockwood is Increasing the Effectiveness and Enhancing the
Lives of CEOs, business owners and professionals.
Get the Free BizSuccess newsletter -
http://www.bizsuccess.com/newsletter.htm
or send any blank email to mailto:subscribe@BizSuccess.com
Email:  mailto:Gary@BizSuccess.com  Web: http://www.BizSuccess.com


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          Guest Article
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     Unlocking the Value of Your Customers
     by Kevin Sinclair, CPA

One of the greatest thrills in business is acquiring a new
customer. Many businesses are so caught up in the
excitement of acquiring new customers that they do not spend
enough time or money on unlocking the value of their
existing customer base. It surprises me how often business
fail to regard their existing customers as one of their most
valued assets.

There may not be the same excitement in getting orders from
existing customers, BUT this is where the real profits are
made. It is generally accepted amongst most marketing
experts that it costs at least five times more to acquire a
new customer than it does to get an order from an existing
customer. There are many ways that you can unlock the value
of your existing customer base and in this article, I will
explore some of those ways with you.

The first thing a business needs to do is develop the
mindset that their customer base is their most valuable
asset. Customers need to be treated like gold because that
is what they are to your business. Responding to the needs
of your existing customers must take priority over
prospecting for new customers.

To unlock the value of your customers requires that you have
a range of products that will fulfill their needs. Products
should be carefully chosen to ensure they are of the right
quality and will meet customer needs. Your customers will
often tell you what they need if you listen to them
carefully and with respect. This can save you a lot of time
and cost in market testing of new products.

Stay in contact with your customers. There are a variety of
ways to do this and the Internet provides a cost effective
means to do so. A regular newsletter for customers providing
them with useful information is the most common way.
However, you need to know what your customers want to make
this truly effective.

Gather the preferences of your customers and monitor their
buying habits. This can provide you with very valuable
information. To get valuable ideas, look at some of the
things Amazon does. For example, Amazon allows people to
subscribe to updates on various different types of books.
That way, they are able to provide information on a regular
basis that the customer is interested in.

Amazon also has an author update service. You tell them who
your favorite authors are and, whenever there is anything
new by that author, you receive an email notification. They
also have a facility, where for the book you are considering
purchasing, that lists suggested other titles based on what
other people bought.

Do these features generate more sales from their existing
customers? You bet they do! How can you use these concepts
to unlock the value of your customers?

Consider ways that you can make it easy for your customers
to re-order. Simple things such as not having to fill in all
their details again on the order form help. That way,
customers only need to advise you of changes to their
details and the order process is a lot quicker.

Regularly review your customers buying habits. This can
reveal information on offers that you can make that meet
their needs. Providing them with a solution to their problem
will lead not only to further sales but also strong
goodwill.

Customer service can be one of your strongest weapons in the
battle to retain your customers. Make every effort to
personalize responses to customer enquiries. Do not send
standard form emails if you can avoid it. While this will
take more time, the rewards will be far greater.

Be quick to honor guarantees. This will show that you mean
what you say and will build strong credibility. Too often,
tardiness and slow responses lead to lost credibility and
lost future value of a customer. When you are treating your
customers as the most important people to your business,
they will find the experience rewarding and will return
often.

Each business is different and has its own specific ways
that can generate greater value from their existing customer
base. Through this article, I hope I have helped you to
start thinking more about how you can unlock the value of
your customers.

Remember, the more you put into looking after your business's
major asset, the more profit you will make. A side benefit
is that your customers may even refer their friends and
associates to your business resulting in a steady flow of
new customers with a very small customer acquisition cost.

Article by Kevin Sinclair, CPA, of Be Successful! Business &
Personal Success Resources  -  http://www.ksinclair.com/
He is the author of 2 free ebooks: "Success Secrets" & "How To
Choose A Home Based Business". Kevin is also the publisher
of "Be Successful News" - a free ezine dedicated to your
online business success - to subscribe, send a blank email
to mailto:pbsr-subscribe@listbot.com


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        RESOURCES   for CEOs
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


     Edgar Online WatchList
          http://www.edgar-online.com

It's THE source for SEC information. This personalized system
allows you to customize your own portfolio of companies, industries
and SEC information, with instant notification based on the criteria
you select.

If it's a newly minted company you're interested in, sign up for the
IPO Express to receive automatic email notification about new
public offerings as they are filed, priced, postponed or withdrawn.
If it's people that you  need to track, with Edgar Online People you
can type in a name and instantly get back details on any executive
included in an SEC filing -- including salary, stock ownership,
options and sales, overall compensation packages, employment
contracts and corporate board memberships.

For under $100(US) per month for the top tier services, this is one
source of information you can't afford to live without. Don't pass it
up because of the cost, however -- basic site services are free.

Check it out at    http://www.edgar-online.com


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      QUOTES to use in your staff meeting this month
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

  A different world cannot be built by indifferent people.
              Peter Marshall

  Business is simple.
  Make some stuff and sell it for more than it cost you.
  There's nothing more to it than that,
  except for a few million details.
              from the president of International Harvester

  Worry about being better; bigger will take care of itself.
  Think one customer at a time and take care of each one
  the best way you can.
              Gary Comer, founder of Land's End

  Nothing happens unless first a dream.
              Carl Sandburg

  We first make our habits, and then our habits make us.
              John Dryden

  Do not let what you cannot do interfere
  with what you can do.
              John Wooden


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      HUMOR to lighten up the executive suite
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

QUOTES
 ------
 "My boyfriend and I broke up. He wanted to get married and I
 didn't want him to."
 - Rita Rudner

 "I'm the second-most-famous person from Timmins, Ontario -
 after Shania Twain. That's like being the second-most-famous
 person from Bethlehem. No one cares about Duncan of Bethlehem."
 - Derek Edwards

 "I broke my arm trying to fold a bed. It wasn't the kind that folds."
 - Steven Wright

 "President Clinton declared major parts of California disaster
 areas: flooded coastal plains, mountainous mudslide areas, and
 anywhere that Kevin Costner is filming."
 - Jim Rosenberg

 "I realize that there are certain hardships that only females must
 endure, such as childbirth, waiting in lines for public-restroom
 stalls, and a crippling, psychotic obsession with shoe color. Also,
 females tend to reach emotional maturity very quickly, so that by
 age seven they are no longer capable of seeing the humor in loud
 inadvertent public blasts of flatulence, whereas males can continue
 to derive vast enjoyment from this well into their 80s."
 - Dave Barry

 "Some guy hit my fender, and I told him, 'Be fruitful and multiply,'
 but not in those words."
 - Woody Allen

 "New York is an exciting town where something is happening all the
 time, most of it unsolved."
 - Johnny Carson

 "I like to pick up hitchhikers. When they get in the car I say,
 'Put on your seat belt. I want to try something. I saw it once in
 a cartoon, but I think I can do it.'"
 - Steven Wright

                    ***excerpts from: http://www.joker.org/  ***


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       CONTACT CEO Success
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Gary Lockwood is the publisher of the CEO Success Report.
   Email:  mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com
   Office: (800) 272-1575 (USA) *  (909) 984-3344
   Fax: (815) 361-3041

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         Your Comments, please?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I appreciate feedback, corrections, and comments about the
CEO Success Report. Please send your thoughts to:
  Gary@CEOSuccess.com <mailto:Gary@CEOSuccess.com>

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
      Subscribe  and unsubscribe  instructions
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

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