New luxury, new opportunity

In this economy there is a new luxury consumer. The corporations and dealers that understand this will have an advantage.

The 2010 affluent consumer will still want nice stuff and they'll have money to buy that stuff. They may have less money than they did years ago, so they'll be more discriminating before they purchase. But they'll still want the best.

However, now that affluent consumer will be mindful of what others will think. Will buying that million dollar RV be a little too much? Will purchasing that $50,000 watch be over the top? And if that consumer is an executive in corporate America, he/she may also be concerned as to how it will look to employees if a $400,000 sports car is parked in their executive parking space.

The manufacturer and the dealer that knows how to produce, position and present their offerings to the new 2010 affluent consumer will have an edge over the old-schoolers who still think it's 2007, only smaller.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

The fear of being imposed upon

Diana has great ideas and a ton of energy. She speaks with conviction, she makes a great impression. But, she's never been happy with her job. She feels she should be making more money and have more people people working under her. I'd guess her husband feels sorry for her and looks at her company in a less than flattering way.

Here's the truth about Diane. She is smart and has a ton of energy. But she has one overwhelming fear in her life that taints her performance, relationships and results: fear of being imposed upon.

She is reluctant to commit to a project, to put in extra time to make it great or to really help fellow co-workers--because she fears being sucked into more work and fears she'll not be rewarded appropriately.

I've known many great people with this fear and none had a smooth road. They were either that enigma at the office--the disgruntled person who seemed to have it all together but never lived up to her potential, or the person that was constantly pushed and prodded to do what they had to do. In neither case, does the person have great relations with co-workers or lead a fulfilling work life.

To those of us with the fear of being imposed upon--why not move forward with trust? Trust that you will be rewarded fairly (even if not on your timetable). Trust that helping others is rewarding for you, and in most cases will not be stuck doing that additional work forever. Trust that throwing away this fear will also make you more employable and more enjoyable.


Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com

Be an "engager"--You don't need to work long hours, but...

After studying successful businesspeople, one finding is that working long hours is no indicator of success.

We can be more successful and work less hours, but we have to inspire, inspect and demand good (or better) work from our associates. If we don't receive that support, then we will be left with either working longer hours to do that work or we'll catch that "disease" and shortchange the work, the client and and eventually our careers.

Really, don't at least 80% of all people end up in these two buckets? They either:

1) Focus on their own time (or effort) and give as little as possible or
2) Focus on pleasing people and don't rock the boat--meaning they work longer and are less effective in the long run

The minority--the real successes--take a different, less comfortable path. They:

1) Commit to doing great, inspired work
2) Are engagers--they engage their clients, co-workers and suppliers in doing great work
3) Face the tough situations--they make sure their ideas are on-track, they demand great performance of themselves and others--even the client has to live up to their promises

These successes, or engagers, have stress for sure, but they also receive the spoils of doing great things--the pride, exhilaration, the camaraderie, and the freedoms (time, money, flexibility) that go along with being a success.

Barry LaBov
LaBov & Beyond
www.labov.com