Re-Posted By Roger Ewing

9:26 AM Eastern Daylight Time May 28, 2010

* IPad launches in 9 markets including France, Japan and UK

* Hundreds queue all night in London, Munich, Paris, Tokyo

* iPad shipments to reach 8.1 million in 2010 worldwide -RBC

* Amazon makes Kindle iPad app available in all countries

By Matt Cowan and Marie Mawad

LONDON/PARIS, May 28 (Reuters) – Diehard fans mobbed Apple Inc stores in Europe and Asia as the iPad went on sale outside the United States on Friday, with some shoppers having queued all night to buy one of the coveted tablet computers.

The device, a little smaller than a regular notebook computer and with an open, colour touchscreen, is designed for surfing the Web, watching movies and reading, and has been hailed by the publishing industry as a potential life-saver.  Apple sold a million iPads in the United States in the first month after its April 3 debut, exceeding the most bullish prelaunch estimates. Demand was so heavy the company delayed the international launch.

RBC Capital Markets estimated iPad’s total shipments will reach 8.13 million units worldwide by the end of the year –which would translate into at least $4 billion in revenue.

“I wanted to touch it as soon as possible. I felt real excitement when it was finally in my hands,” said Takechiyo Yamanaka, 19, who had camped out in front of Tokyo’s flagship Apple store from Wednesday evening to be the first in line.

“It’s a bit of a gut decision, an emotional decision, because it’s not really rationally justifiable,” said Anna Kistner as she emerged from the Apple store in Munich, Germany with two iPads. “It’s a lot of money.”  The iPad is now on sale in Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Britain, Japan, Australia and Canada.  Prices for the cheapest, Wi-Fi only version range from $499 in the United States to the equivalent of $617 in Britain.

The buzz around the iPad helped propel Apple past Microsoft this week to become the world’s most valuable technology stock, marking a remarkable turnaround of a company that nearly went out of business in the 1990s.

CREATING A NEED

Apple now gets almost three-fifths of its revenue outside the United States, and it is counting on its base of fans who already own an iPod, iPhone or Mac to add the iPad to their collection, as rivals line up with their own tablet offerings.  Pascal Lordon, among the first in line at the flagship Apple store underneath the Louvre in Paris, said he already had all Apple’s other products and described himself as a big fan.

“The iPhone created a new need but the screen is small. The iPad is more comfortable — it has a real screen,” said the 51-year-old, who works in video editing.

Dell’s Streak tablet computer will go on sale next month in Britain. Sony Corp and Hewlett-Packard also have tablets in the works.  “I’m not going to buy the iPad now as it’s expensive. And I’m a Sony fan,” said Kengo Nakajima, a 19-year old college student who waited in line with his friend Yamanaka at the Apple store in Tokyo’s Ginza shopping district.

Amazon, whose Kindle e-book reader could be seen as a rival to the iPad, said it would be offering its Kindle iPad application in all countries where the iPad was now on sale.

Analysts at research firm Informa Telecoms & Media said they believed most iPad sales would be of wi-fi only models, citing the limited case for outdoor usage, higher prices for 3G models and the ability to tether the iPad to a mobile phone as reasons.

At London’s Apple store, a circus-like atmosphere prevailed.  “Jake! Jake! Jake!” store staff chanted as Jake Lee, a 17 year-old student who had waited 20 hours, entered.

British actor and technophile Stephen Fry said Apple had proved the sceptics wrong.

“Whenever Apple comes up with a new product, the initial response… is always negative, because no one can quite believe it can happen again,” he told Reuters.

SUPPLY CONSTRAINTS

Apple has yet to announce a launch date for mainland China, which could prove a much more difficult market to crack.  Bootleg versions of the gadget are being snapped up online and in retail malls in the piracy-prone country.  However, there is some concern that Apple, which contracts out the production of the device and depends on numerous parts suppliers, may not be able to supply enough of the device. “There’s still going to be supply constraints, but I’m expecting them to sell every single thing they can ship,” Andy Hargreaves, a U.S.-based analyst at Pacific Crest Securities, said ahead of Friday’s launch.

Retailer Best Buy said it was restricting sales at its two British outlets to one iPad per household.  Michito Kimura, a senior analyst at market research firm IDC Japan, said the test would come after the honeymoon period.  “The real game will start after ‘core users’ have the devices. I imagine a price cut may be necessary before the Christmas holiday season to stimulate demand.”

(Additional reporting by Alexei Oreskovic and Edwin Chan in San Francisco, Jens Hack in Munich and Valle Aviles in London) (Writing by Georgina Prodhan; Editing by Hans Peters) ((georgina.prodhan@thomsonreuters.com; + 4420 7542 7954; Reuters Messaging georgina.prodhan.reuters.com@reuters.net))

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“The dramatic drop in foreclouse activity may have been a Christmas gift to homeowners”, says Sean O’toole, CEO of Foreclosure Radar.co

By Roger Ewing

For the first time, since the loan crisis began over two years ago, banks are canceling more foreclosures then they sell.  For a complete analysis of the foreclosure situation read the full report from Foreclosure Radar here. Foreclosure Radar

By Roger Ewing

Case in point.   A sales associate in my office, lets call him John, understands the value of referral marketing.  John enters into an agreement with a custom house painter who works on new speculative homes, as well as high-end remodels, in the toniest of neighborhoods.  Pierre is the painter homeowners love to have on their project and then brag to their friends about the talented craftsman working on their home.

John is an enterprising and very successful real estate broker.  He understands the value of referrals and decides to create a mutually beneficial relationship with Pierre the painter.  John will refer Pierre’s custom painting business to his clients who are purchasing or selling homes.  In return, Pierre will refer any potential buyer’s and seller’s to John that he meets on his painting projects.  This symbiotic relationship should result in lots of referral opportunities for both.

John refers several custom painting jobs to Pierre over the course of the next few months.  Pierre is delighted, but John has not yet received any referral leads, even though Pierre claims to have handed out every business card John gave him.  What’s the problem?

It’s not enough for Pierre to simply hand John’s real estate business card to potential clients who happen to inquire about the home he is painting. That action alone does not qualify as a referral.  A successful business referral requires more effort.

I recommended to John that he meet with Pierre the painter and “train” him in the way he should handle his referrals.  Here are four helpful ideas to assist you in creating better referral opportunities.

1.  Ask permission.  Always create an environment where your friends or business partners acknowledge the referral process.  “My business is predominantly the result of personal referrals. Would you be willing to help me by passing on potential buyers and sellers to me?”  Assuming they say yes, you’re next step is to train them on how to refer you properly.

2.  Set the stage. Some individuals will balk at referring a client to you because they worry it may cause problems in their friendship with you.  Confirm that you keep your business and personal relationships well separated.  Assure your referral source that regardless of the quality or outcome of any referrals they give you, the referral will have no negative impact on your personal or business relationship.

3.  Don’t qualify the referral. Your referring source does not need to validate the quality of the referral.  I suggest saying something like this. “Please do not evaluate or attempt to determine the quality of a referral you give me.  Allow me to do that, it’s my job.  Send any lead my way, good, bad, or indifferent.”  People may actually not want to give you a referral because they don’t want to disappoint you.  Do not allow your referring source to do that.

4.  Control the referral process. You must initiate the call to the client, not the other way around.  Instruct your referring source to obtain the clients contact information and tell the client you will be calling.  This is critical.  Taking control of the referral process from the beginning will ensure client contact for you.  Leaving this to chance, by waiting for the client to call you, may result in a lost opportunity.

Lastly, the issue of providing an incentive to the referral source is something to consider.  When a friend or business associate recommends you, they are taking a leap of faith.  Their goal is to do a good deed for the client by giving them the opportunity to work with you.

Personally, I don’t believe in paying cash for a referral that results in a closed transaction weeks later.  I want to reward my referral source to initiate referrals, not to close sales.

Therefore, I recommend you provide some small gift to the person who has referred you.  This should be done as soon as you receive the referral.  That is the behavior you want to reinforce.  A coffee house or a restaurant gift card is all that is required.  If a referring source wants to make a business of providing referrals to you, then they are referring you for the wrong reason and the quality of the referrals will reflect it.

WOM, word of mouth, is a new internet catch word, that describes a very old concept.  People do business with people they know.  The best way to expand your business is to train your friends, past clients and business relationships to refer you.  The result will be many successful business transactions.

Copyright © by Roger Patrick Ewing, all rights reserved.

Empowerment, everyone talks about it, but few know how to get it.

By Roger Ewing

In author Rod Serling’s 1950’s television series, The Twilight Zone, ordinary folks suddenly found themselves in extraordinary, usually supernatural, situations. The stories would typically end with an ironic twist that resulted in the guilty being rightly punished.

Mr. Serling opened each show with a brief prologue that always concluded with this line, “There’s a sign post up ahead, your next stop The Twilight Zone”.  The television show was dependent upon our hunger for drama and capitalized on our need to experience moral balance in an immoral world.  The victim was rescued, the persecutor punished and the rescuer rewarded.  Isn’t this how it is supposed to be?

Vast opportunities become available to us when we no longer accept the role of Victim or Rescuer in our human interactions.  The path to empowerment does not cross anywhere near the drama triangle.

The drama triangle (see my previous 3 part series Avoiding Drama in Business and Personal Life) is where effective communication and mature problem solving goes to die.

There’s a sign post up ahead, your next stop, Empowerment

Where then do we go to obtain this elusive Empowerment?  The answer to that question, of course, lies within each of us.  Once we have freed ouselves from the addictive nature of drama, we can make mature plans, realize our dreams and accomplish the greatest of goals.  Empowerment is a high octane fuel that will work for anyone. It will work for Mother Theresa, Ghandi, even Hitler. Empowerment, it seems, has no conscience.

The power of the three “C”s

Commitment is the promise of accomplishment not yet realized.  Great leadership to ourselves or others involves single-minded devotion to an ideal.  An uncompromising attitude of achievement, no matter what the personal cost.  Gandhi’s threat to starve himself to death if the fighting between Hindus and Muslims did not stop is a prime example of this thinking.

The power of commitment resides in each of us and can be used to accomplish our dreams and goals regardless of how great or small they may be.

Capable individuals, when committed to a course of action, will follow through with effective behavior designed to actualize the goal at hand.  Empowerment is a non-exclusive quality.  To actualize our desires we must be capable of performing the activities necessary to accomplish the goal.  For example, if free climbing a vertical rock face is your goal, you must have the necessary training and the gear to accomplish the fete.  Without it, you might be left hanging.

Cognizance involves taking responsibility for an intellectual decision.  Our decisions must be based upon knowledge, awareness and observation.  If I am having a bad day and I determine the only solution available to me is to jump off the nearest bridge, I am not making an intellectually correct decision.

Sounds simple, what’s the catch?  To be empowered we must possess all of the three “C”s, every last one of them.  Missing only one will deprive us the power we need to succeed.

Commitment, Capability and Cognizance work together to make self actualization a real result.

Without one ingredient, the system will collapse.

Welcome to the land of Empowerment.

Copyright © by Roger Patrick Ewing, all rights reserved.

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