Having Power

Weight of having strength and power

There are many concepts of what power means as well as what it is. Simply put, power is the ability to be effective. We speak of having powerful engines and equipment. The lion is known as the King of the Jungle because of its prowess and powerfulness. Leaders are known for their insight, vision, and ability to influence others to do (or overcome) certain things that were considered difficult for the ordinary.

Power isn’t allocated to an elite and unique class. It is something that derives from a number of sources and reasons.

Actual Power

Although some believe that only men (especially White men) are power brokers, that isn’t necessarily the case. It is also a common belief that only able-bodied people are powerful and capable of being effective. Being powerful comes from a number of sources.

• There is education that comes from learning being a good student in school and earning god grades. Some think of being a good student as having read the textbook and then checking the correct boxes on the Scantron during the examination.

  Still others believe that merely reading a lot of books, as well as newspapers and magazines, is the source of being well educated. That’s a piece of the formula.

• Education also comes from experience. Experience comes from exposure to situations, using good practices that net good outcomes, and then repeating those practices until they become second nature (require little to no pre-thought because the positive response, that has been reinforced many times over without contradiction) becomes intuitive and natural. Few have sat at a keyboard after reading a book about typing (or not having done so) and been able to type 150 words per minute. It takes practice to become capable.
• Being resourceful also provides certain advantages to leverage what seemed to be a disadvantage into an actual boon to effectiveness – and power. But resourcefulness stems from being not only educated about the properties of things but also being creative enough to realize the alternative uses for the traditional tools and situations.
• Therefore, another source of power is creativity.
• As we consider creativity, it needs to be remembered that raw elements (talents) have certain amazing properties. Unharnessed, they can be overwhelming and sometimes alarming, thereby deterring use. A certain amount of refinement can make the single raw talent (asset) become useful in many ways and attract even more bounties and alliances that previously considered. Refined use of abilities is critical to being powerful.

False Power

• Some feel their effectiveness and power over others stems from shouting down those who question what is being done. Yes, shouting will definitely drown out other voices. It will also turn away those who could have been supporters had the additional information been supplied.
• Then there’s use of force, sometimes coercion, in order to have power to get things done or influence action by others. Force and coercion ultimately produce impotence (ineffectiveness) of those who allow it. It also garners resentment, distrust, and negative reaction, loss of loyalty, and ultimately rejection by loss of alliance.
• Charismatic flattery will gain admiration and attraction. Caution: false flattery, while it appeals to the ego, will soon be seen for what it is – merely words used to get something in exchange for little in return.
• Duplicity is another form of false power. Some synonyms are “con game”, lying, sham, deceit, double-dealing, and hidden agenda, to name a few.

False power is only short lived in terms of being effective. Once the methodology is discovered, the loss of power becomes rapid and widespread. False power takes a lot of work because the audience, and potential supporters, is in constant need of being rebuilt in order to replace the attrition numbers.

The other thing about false power is the most important to remember. It’s evidence of lack of legitimate power. It’s evidence of a dangerous weakness that’s being camouflaged through the use of the above tactics, in addition to others not mentioned here. Don’t get caught showing how weak you really are.

Have Power

In sum, power flows from not a single class of people or thing. When it comes to considering a powerful person, it’s advisable to look for certain characteristics.

• Education
• Experience
• Vision
• Efficiency
• Time Sensitiveness
• Resourcefulness
• Refinement
• Professionalism
• Moderation
• Humility

It’s the short list. It’s also a “must have” list. Be certain what you seek is real, legitimate power and be powerful in doing so.

You May Also Find Useful

• The Wish for Power and the Fear of Having It
• Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility
• Ask Powerful Questions: Create Conversations That Matter

Back in the Day

Previous roles are changed as life cycles evolve.

Today is Gerry Crispin’s birthday. He’s over 55 which is one of the thresholds for deeming a person as old, or ready to retire, or antiquated, or no longer useful. In other words, a target for age discrimination, whether passive or overt. Yet those who are 40 and older, even as old as in their late 80s, are still active in the work marketplace via many forms of employment and engagement. There is still a need for their knowledge, skills, and talent. Those attributes, those assets, provide a great deal of value to whatever enterprise chooses to include them in their mixture of talent.

I used this day to post a (as usual) teasing birthday wish to Gerry that read: “Have people started asking you about what you did back in the day? I just know you have a great response for that.”

For those of you who are curious about how “back in the day” is defined, Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English says it means “a long time ago, when you were much younger.”

Actually (never short on words or responses), Gerry did have a great public response, while also laughing at himself. It was:

lol. When the dinosaurs roamed the earth, recruiting was different but, as a candidate, you could physically apply to more companies then on a given day (Saturday before noon) with envelopes, paper resumes and stamps than you can in an entire week online. We could do a test…if there were any newspaper classifieds left but there isn’t so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

He raises some good discussion points. Undaunted, I had a response to his observations.

In the days of classified ads, all people were paid a minimum, livable wage. Thus, they were able to afford the cost of paper, copies, envelopes, stamps, transportation costs. But then, mailboxes were on every other street corner or the postal worker picked up the outgoing letters while delivering the new.

In those days, also, there wasn’t as much research required (or at least invested in) finding a job.

Now, in this digital age, there is less volume in terms of sent resumes because there’s more need for research. The challenges of making online applications can be time consuming if the employer doesn’t have a good webmaster.

Additionally, people are so busy working two, and up to five, jobs (as well as gigs) that they simply don’t have the time to do as many applications as back in the ’60s.

Then there are the discouragement and disillusion factors.

Gen Xers and Millennials (and even some who are older) have no qualms about expressing their belief that gray hair is an indication of being old, retired, and no longer active in the workforce. They will politely inquire about what it was like “back in the day” while forgetting that there are many who have gray hair and hold very responsible positions in businesses, while sitting on boards of directors, practicing from the bench (Associate Justice Kennedy), and being very involved in their consulting and training professions.

These gray- and white-haired stoics are not out in the pasture. An elite number have managed to stay afloat in the relevant and needed arena and are proving their worth in gold. And there are those who have been worn down to the rim and taken out of the game, many times not by choice.

Applying for work “back in the day” was more reasonable in many ways. No longer is it possible to simply take the “Help Wanted” sign out of the window and hand it to the owner while saying, “I’d like to apply for the job,” and get considered (even hired) on the spot. Job search was supposed to get better because of technological advances and the reach of cyber presence which also reduced the cost associated with conducting a search and vying for the gold ring along with that younger group.

There’s a vast amount of value in these vintage competitors. The training and preparation during their early days of school was different, more sound. There wasn’t a mass flocking to garner a degree, or even an advanced degree. There was substance being taught and concepts demonstrated in classroom discussion. There was actual experience gained through internships and volunteer work that didn’t detract from earning a meaningful living wage. Wage earning and work experience happened through various channels. For most, that experience and education was recognized and rewarded. But that was back in the day.

References:

• From guns to gay rights, Justice Anthony Kennedy was the Supreme Court’s swing vote, Richard Wolf, USA TODAY (3:32 p.m. ET June 27, 2018 | Updated 10:24 p.m. ET June 27, 2018)
• The Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
• Age Discrimination
• EEOC Head On Age Discrimination By Employers, Chris Farrell Contributor, Next Avenue (Aug 17, 2018, 01:00pm)
• Facebook will remove 5,000 ad targeting categories to prevent discrimination, Nick Statt, The Verge (Aug 21, 2018, 1:23pm EDT)
• Try These 7 Smart Strategies to Find a Job, Randy Lilleston, AARP (March 23, 2018)
• Avoid the Seven Mistakes Job Seekers in Their 50s Make, How to sell yourself in a digital work world, sharpen your interview skills and write a look-at-me résumé, James A. Martin, AARP

Resources:

• Unfinished Work: The Struggle to Build an Aging American Workforce
• HR Genius

Screening: How Much Experience

It’s an awakening time – again. But this time in another area.

Mistake One: Need-based Promotion

The first awakening was in the mid 1980s when I was a supervisor saddled with several rather mindless tasks that were also time consuming. One of them could be easily delegated. The receptionist wanted to grow out of her position and into something more responsible. She politicked. She told me about her endeavors in paralegal self study and how much she was reading. It seemed putting her into that administrative role could be helpful to both her and me as well as do the firm a service. I petitioned my supervising attorney who asked me to create a job description. He cautioned that her training and supervision was my responsibility. Accepted.

Her job description was written. It was given to her and she liked it. She accepted it. I thought she was doing well because her questions became scarce and she seemed busy. I was mistaken.

I was also responsible for training the securities paralegal and our new lawyers on handling corporate matters, especially forming a corporation. In the long run, I learned the receptionist who became the keeper of the library of corporate kits, was going to the securities paralegal (a 25-year-old, chauvinistic Bostonian man) for guidance and knowledge and then began considering him as her supervisor. She forgot that she reported to me. He felt he was superior to me and he had the support of a very popular securities lawyer.

Knowledge based on training

There were many issues that brewed in the office. So many that I forgot to monitor the growth of the corporate kit keeper’s knowledge and the depth of it. I should have kept better track of her work – even though there were many times when I found myself needing to work deal miracles. Perhaps I should have done a better job of teaching her new aspects of the work. But I definitely needed to help her realize that merely reading the book was not the same as being qualified to do the work. Perhaps more of an open-door policy with regard to learning opportunities would have resulted in a better outcome.

Doomed Destiny

There were other ethical issues that plagued all of the offices of that firm. The writing was on the walls and there were no erasers. The practices fed on themselves. One example was the lateral hire who was being interviewed from one office to another while carrying his plate lunch with him. Interviews continued as the firm’s convulsed its way toward its demise. Prudence dictated that interviewing stop, but it didn’t.

I was able to get out several months ahead of the collapse. Like a scorpion, the firm killed itself. But the collapse was because of the practices of many of the lawyers. There was also too much competitiveness and too many hidden agendas. There was also an enormous number of those who (like me with the corporate kit keeper) shirked their responsibilities in deference to billable hours and trying to hold down the fort.

We all should have been paying attention to the most important things. We should have been screening for experience and had a willingness to train if there was budget to do so.

Translatable Lessons

Screening for experience is something we do in many professions. The plumber brings their apprentice with them in order to train the learner about the proper way to use their tools and to identify what the issue is. The apprentice is not set loose on a project with no supervision until the trainer is certain of the skill that is going to be applied to the job.

The learner has seen the right way to do things. The conditions are explained to them. Also explained are the consequences and outcomes of taking a wrong step or making a bad turn. Terminology is explained so that both the learner and the teacher are conversing about the same thing. In that way, they can adequately talk to the client about the job, provide an estimate, form a contract for services, and then complete the job so that the bill is paid. Communication is a very critical element in screening.

Examples

How much experience does this potential worker have? Where are their references or testimonials? How many similar projects of this type have they done? Is this the first one? (Maybe they’re a volunteer who’s in transition and building a new portfolio.) Perhaps they have lateral experience that translates to what is needed for the job that’s open. Find out. Evaluate. Have them explain why this is a valid example of the type of work that can be expected from them. At the same time, you’ll be able to evaluate their ability to communicate, comprehend instructions, convey their appreciation and assessment of a situation, and depth of knowledge.

If they’ve merely been reading a book or simply talking (networking) with others in their target career option, that doesn’t necessarily mean they have the qualifications to be considered anything more than a newcomer.

Careful Evaluation

It’s one thing to read the book. That exercise provides the foundation for the knowledge. There’s more to learning than the mere visual intake of words. Learning comes in three ways: visual, auditory, and manual. Some people learn by using only one of those modalities. Others use two, and still other learners require all three.

Cementing the knowledge means actually using it. It’s best to practice the discipline before attempting to execute in the real environment. That’s why athletes and musicians practice and do drills. That why actors rehearse and block scenes. It’s why doctors and lawyers go through various stages of preparing for their discipline and developing their body of knowledge.

The motivation for getting into that career path and opportunity is evidenced by not just the portfolio of past accomplishments. That shows a history of experience. And that experience could have met with unexpected detours and interruptions. But the focused endeavors to practice the craft, science, art will have examples and work product. Where can those be found? If they’ve been deleted by some unethical hand, it’s a loss for everyone except those who actually saw or experienced it and can attest to its value. Another witness to experience is how well the candidate can discuss the project in detail. Perhaps there were no external evaluations that contained constructive critiques. Then evaluate how well the candidate did a self assessment and grew from that self counseling.

The amount of experience a person has is also evidenced in whether they’re capable of coming up with adaptations. Whether they’re successful or not is not the initial consideration as much as they have sufficient appreciation of the circumstances to enable them to come up with alternative methods of attack in order to reach the desired goal – ethically. It’s because they have a deep appreciation of the foundation principles that they will be able to identify a reasonable facsimile or substitute if the proper tool simply isn’t in the toolbox. They’re almost like MacGyver. Even if there are no longer work samples available, the knowledge (even long unused) is still there to benefit those who need and want it.

Enhancements, such as continuing education or next grade level training, will make the candidate even more valuable. Age is not so much a factor as is adaptability and depth of knowledge, as ability to move with change – or cause it because of that underlying experience.

Also keep in mind that now that we are a global society, we still use different terms (or labels) for things depending on where we are. What is call “The Plough” in the United Kingdom is known as Ursa Major elsewhere. So it’s important that the terminology or jargon is matching up between the parties.

How Much Experience Do You Have?

It would be nice to find credibility and proof of ability on the store shelf. Unfortunately, it takes time and practice to properly evaluate a candidate. Application of knowledge in projects directly related to the present goal or indirectly via a similar or lateral endeavor can prove to have enduring benefits. Repeated practice, with successes, build on the portfolio. Sending your employees off to a training and then never having them put into practice what they learned at the training is money thrown out the window three times over. There was the cost of the training, the cost of the personnel who covered the absence, and the wages paid while the employee was attending the training but left with no way to use it. Make that thrown out the window four times.

I’m not certain how a candidate can adequately convey knowledge and experience gained from being in the trenches. That type of insight provides a very deep awareness and appreciation of what the customer/audience wants and needs. It also gives a deeper appreciation of why one tactic will work compared with what the textbook said. Being in the trenches gives the practitioner more genuineness. When you pull out of the trenches, the landscape may still look the way it did when you entered it. But there have been changes on both sides of the picture.

Epiphanies

Incidentally, I’m finally about to embark on a long delayed step in my professional endeavors (which has spawned some of this writing). The handouts for a talk I’m doing later this month will be created as digital content. I’m learning about creating and publishing an ebook. The simple act of talking about “front matter” became a six-hour exercise of following instructions based on old technology and obsolete protocols. The updated information is now available. Meanwhile, there’s been searching for what was discussed under the old protocols. There’s been applying the principles to test runs. And there’s been time to recognize distractions and time management issues – in addition to the need for trial runs.

The term “front matter” is not the same in every genre. Which brings me back to terminology and jargon. Make certain you’re talking about the same thing as the experience is being discussed or described. Also be certain of what is considered proficient and standard in that part of the world compared with where the work is to be performed. Avoid throwing out the proverbial baby.

Resources:

• Training and Experience (T & E) Evaluations
• Evaluating Experience: The Key to Successful Selection of Outside Counsel
• Evaluating Personal Experience
• Ability and Tenacity
• Who’s Responsible for Getting Bob Hired?
• Ia This What You Want?

Sponsored Links:

• Evaluating, Awarding and Transferring Prior Learning Credits in Higher Education: The New Paradigm in Awarding College Credits for Work, Life and Learning Experiences in the 21st Century and Beyond
• PHR/SPHR Certification Exam preparation

Career Tip: Overcoming Recent Knowledge Objections

For whatever reason, you’ve been out of the formal employment situation for quite a while. You’ve also been out of school for more than two or three years. (Try approaching a decade or so.) All of those stellar accomplishments that happened while you were in the work world are becoming stale. One recruiter was tactless enough to tell you your skills aren’t sufficiently up to date to qualify for a temp assignment.

Have you been sitting in a dark room and doing absolutely nothing all this time or have you been active in all manner of activities that are being dismissed, even taken for granted? The only reason I would accept that excuse is if you were in a coma and on life support for an extended period of time. And even if that were true, your doctor probably prescribed occupational rehabilitative support so that you can get back into current practices. So you weren’t in a coma but maybe you were undergoing some type of traumatic illness that took you out of mainstream Life for a while. Start your own retraining regimen. (Maybe you already have but weren’t aware.)

It’s important to read everyday. Even the simple postings on social media are forcing you to read content, analyze it, and draw conclusions. Make certain real news is included in your diet of reading. Make certain you’re reading includes recreational content. Make certain your reading includes industry news that helps you recognize names of individuals as well as know which company merged with another – and which moved out of the state. Read.

Okay, so you haven’t been in school for a while. That doesn’t necessarily mean you need to bury yourself in academic halls for another four to six years. There are continuing education classes offered that rely on not only being in a physical class room. There are online classes that can help you refresh your knowledge, remind you of techniques and tactics, and make you aware of innovations since you earned your degree. Maybe an online class or continuing education class of one hour in duration is the answer.

While we’re talking about school, there are some online universities that would like to add people who can teach a class. Investigate what their criteria for a course is. Since you have some time on your hands, you have time to research and outline your own course and present it – after you’ve done research on which universities are accepting new classes and what their terms are.

You’re blogging about your boring life and the travails of not finding things that are a match for what you have to offer. You’re taking your blogging skills for granted. Which platforms are you using? There are companies that need people who are skilled at using certain types of blogging platforms.

Then there’s technology. In addition to blogging, you may be capable of using software and applications with great ease. Maybe you’re even developing your own apps. Your cell phone is either an I-Phone or an Android, both of which use the tap and swipe methodology. You’ve probably ditched your stand alone and are now using a laptop. In fact, you’ve probably ditched your laptop and are now using a tablet (with wi-fi and double-sided camera). Are you getting some ideas yet about things you’ve been overlooking?

But we’re talking about actualizing new technology. We haven’t been talking about reinforcing existing knowledge. That’s fine. While you were “laid up”, situations arose wherein you could get involved in volunteer projects. Sure, they didn’t pay you dollars and cents for seeing your duties through to completion. But you were in charge of some aspect of the project or put your energies into fulfilling your duties. Volunteer projects can count toward maintaining skills and work experience.

In fact, that reminds me of a blog post that my colleague, Steve Levy, wrote about his being hospitalized. It was a time when hospitals didn’t allow patients to have access to the Internet. So Steve charmed one person after another and networked until he got permission to talk with the IT Department. They allowed him to have access to the Internet. His recruiting endeavors continued after a one day lapse. He gained new contacts at every rung of the hierarchy. I think he even picked up some candidates for some of his unfilled job orders. That post resonated with me in many ways.

There are many examples of unofficial things that are done that could be counted as applicable experience without straining to legitimize it. Too often we take situations for granted and miss the fact that they could be considered work experience. Too often we forget that what was done could have been a form of consulting. Just make certain you verify that interpretation before putting it forth without substantiation.

As for those continuing education classes, get your certificate that verifies your attendance and that you earned your credits. Then do some things in order to apply that refreshed, renewed knowledge. And then get out there and start networking so you can effectively market yourself.

Sponsored links:

• Continuing to Engage the Online Learner: More Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction
• Assessing the Online Learner: Resources and Strategies for Faculty
• Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World

 

How to best explain a gap in employment

How to best explain a gap in employment.

A very useful article for getting the Thinking Cap on your head and your head in the right place. Not every interview question is an indictment of you and your history. In fact (and as author Patti  Sinacole says), each question is an opportunity. The underlying statement is that the interviewer is very interested and is opening the door to learn how well this fit may be.

Go a head and talk about the projects that you’ve been working on (just a few, mind you) during your “unemployment” and toss in a few anecdotes about the volunteer projects that could have been considered either internships or another type of employment situation.

These types of interview questions are simply pulling open the door of opportunity. Remember to have your own screening and clarifying questions so you can assure yourself this is indeed a good match.

Career Tip: Uniqueness and Replications

All over the world there are trillions of people. Some of them have similar experiences while others have more or less experience with such things. At some point in time, they all will have some introduction to the situation and learn the same thing but in their part of the world and environment.

It makes sense, then, that these people will discuss those experiences with others. Sometimes the conversation will happen at approximately the same time as their counterpart in another part of the globe or some time in the future. The point is there is a similarity of thought and conversation in many places. Such is the nature of the universal mind. They are spreading and sharing knowleged, most likely for the benefit of others.

While there are instances where someone who is near us (either physically, in reading matter, or via some online conversation) will intentionally repeat what they’ve heard us say and claim ownership of the unique thought. There are other times when the universal mind has not played a part in the repetition. Know the distinction between the two. In the first instance the pretender will expose their lack of unique knowledge. It will be difficult for them to support a conversation about the subject matter, come up with unique approaches to the task, or explain how to execute the responsibilities.

Applicant Uniqueness

In job search, an employer will gather a group of applicants who all have very similar qualifications that match the job description. What the employer is seeking is the one candidate (sometimes more) who is most qualified to do the work and who has the best personality fit with the company brand, enterprise personnel, and corporate clientele.

Many job seekers think of their fellow applicants as competition that needs to be, like a political foe, undermined in some what in order to cut them out of picture. This is a short-sighted approach to qualifying your own self for the position in order to be hired.

Just as a business makes itself stand out from other brands because of something they have that meets the consumer’s needs or preferences, so it goes with the applicants for the job. It’s your responsibility to get to know who you are and what makes you specially suited for the job — or not suited for the job. You need to know your brand and why employers want your special additive for the productivity requirements they have.

Rather than browbeat your competition by panning their unique expertise, differentiate yourself by talking about how they are very good but what you have to offer is even better because of its uniqueness. Give examples of when and where it paid off. Leave the interviewers with the impression that they just got through talking to a winner who’s also up to date on being a solution to their problems.

You’re not a replication, you’re unique. You are part of the universal mind and knowledge but you have a unique approach to it. One day you’ll collaborate with others of that mind in order to create something really great. It will be magnificent because of the many perspectives and experiences that formulated solving the problem and producing good results.

Not-So-Novel Job Search Strategies

Job search strategies come and job search strategies go. Job seekers move along the age continuum. As they approach and overcome 50 years (of age), they begin to believe the hyperbole that they’re no longer useful and should be focusing on retirement rather than competing with the Gen-whatevers for plum career options. In the alternative, they buy into the notion that the only good they have left is data entry or human online search engine opportunities.

Dearie me. How far from true are these myths. The only thing holding back a mature job seeker is the amount of creativity they use for determining where to look and how much of their experience and stored skills they choose to market.

Being young and eager is an advantage. One of the benefits of youth and inexperience (so we’re still told) is the eagerness to learn and conquer new concepts. It is also the bastion of bringing new concepts to the workplace that are innovations imparted by college and university training. There are few to no bad habits that need to be unlearned in order to do things in the company way.

However, the senior job seeker, that is, the one who is over 50 years (of age) has several advantages that are most desirable to many employers. One of those advantages is having gone through many years of trial and error learn that has accompanied the training in school. That experience also carries the knowledge gained through years in the workforce in various capacities. That knowledge translates laterally to any position that the senior worker presents theirself as qualified to do.

The catch to being seen as qualified for the new position is communicating and demonstrating in the cover letter, the resume, and during the interview what lateral experience is being brought to the table and how it’s applicable to the new situation. It’s important for the senior job seeker to emphasize the things they’ve done during their career to contain costs (with demonstrable, verifiable examples) as well as revenue generating activities that resulted in good profit margins. Coupling those strategies with a few subtle comments about where being a team player turned into a team win is helpful.

Another boost is showing talking about universal concepts that allow the learning curve to be short because the only thing to really learn is the company way of doing things. The result of a short learning curve is lowered cost of hire which in turn results in cost savings and increased profits. Now that we’ve covered that logic, the other thing the senior job seeker can do during the interview phase of marketing theirself is point out how well they understand the economics of hiring compared with turning a business profit.

Since we’re still in the New Millennium economic depression (and will be there for at least another year), there are a lot of issues driving what the job seeker wants in terms of salary and benefits. The distance that must be traveled in order to get to the workplace will color whether an offer is accepted, Hiring Manager. Make certain you confer with your Human Resources professional with regard to the salary range and what factors may sweeten the pot in order to capture the honey bee to your hive.

Sometimes it will be cold, hard dollars and cents that will make the difference. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of flex time. Or there may be some non-monetary perks that are important to your candidate that help you sidestep tax obligations while still compensating your employee (yes, you definitely can get them to accept your offer, if you present something that’s tantalizing) with benefits they will enjoy. You just have to think outside the dots.

The point is, those of you who are in the job market and over 50 (years of age) need not resign yourselves to entry-level positions that only offer minimum wage. You have a lot to offer. Even if your last career or position wasn’t in sales or marketing, you need to think of yourself as a particular product and sell your product based on the benefits that make it (you) the best choice compared with all of your competitor brands.

May all your Entrances be through the doors of Success!