Knowing When to Walk Away Can be The Best Thing You Can Do For Yourself

I recently parted ways with a client after realizing that the project we were working on was really not suited for my tempermant. It was a difficult decision, I really enjoyed the project. What I realized was the project was not a good fit for me. I am a big picture person and this was a project for a micro-manager. So even though the content was fun, the project became a burden. Now I am free to work on projects for my clients that use my talents where they are better suited. This was a valuable lesson.

So if you ever find yourself feeling uneasy about a project ask yourself:
Is this a good project for me?
Is this the best use of my talents?
Can I be more productive and fulfilled working on something else?

If the answer is yes then you might want to consider moving on. It can be the best decision you make for yourself or your business.

Accountability is a Good Thing

I had a great coaching call with a client the other day and he commented on how powerful the accountability was to him. He noted by just knowing he had to review his week with me, made him focus more on his business. Clearly the goals he set were his and not mine. Yet knowing that we would discuss where he is in the process and what challenges he is facing in getting there was critical to his success.

When Marketing a Service - You Are Marketing You

CJ Hayden asks in this article, are you lost in your marketing material? Or can you be found in your marketing material? What she means is when you market a service, people are buying you and a relationship with you. Take a look at the article and then your marketing material and see if your message is clear and if people have the ability to get to know you and develop a relationship with you. Here is the article: What You are Marketing is Yourself

Do you have a niche?

I just got off a great coaching call with an expert marketer. She contends that the reason most people are finding it difficult to take their business to the next level is because they do not have a well defined niche. For example, saying that you work with parents is a niche, but way to broad. Now lets say you work with parents of children with ADD. Now that is a specific target audience. She gave the following formula:

Target Audience + Problem/specialty = Niche

So take a look at what you do and ask yourself, am I working in a specific enough niche?

Accountability is the Key

Today I held my first Get Clients Now! Seminar. I must say I was a bit nervous. I felt it went well, and I now have an even deeper belief in the process and the program. What struck me the most from the training was the effect the accountability sessions had on my attendees.

In 3-hours my attendees developed a well thought out marketing plan with daily actions steps they are going to utilize in the next 28 days. They really enjoyed the process and the plans they had developed. As we talked at the end of the session about what the next step was going to be, they were excited about the accountability sessions. That is where the rubber will hit the road.

I look forward to our weekly calls to hear their successes and to help work through any issues, concerns or challenges they maybe facing. This really is a great program.

Armed & Dangerous

I have been thinking about what I want to do for my clients and I realized that I want them to be armed and dangerous. That means successful, wildly successful. What am I talking about? Well, as I work with my clients and spend time listening to what they need, where they have been, what they have done, and where they want to go, it is my hope to help them develop a plan to succeed. The plan will be useful and spelled out so they can walk into their office on any given day and know what needs to be done and how. Why is this important? Having a plan is critical to the success of any business. If you don't have a plan, you don't have a business. You have a series of activities that generate money (if you are lucky). But not a business that is viable and sustainable.

So the plan is the key, and then clear action steps around the plan is what makes you armed and dangerous. Imagine getting directions on Mapquest, but they forget to tell you what roads to take. They just say, turn left and then right and then left and in five minutes you will be there. Not much help, right. The action steps are the actual directions to get you there faster and in one piece.

I have pants on now!!!

It's official, my web site is up. Here it is: www.liaallen.com. The team I worked with was terrific. They made it so easy. Not only did they educate me along the way, they did not make me feel stupid in the process. John, the owner of Flash Avenue, says going to business with out a web site is like going to work without your pants on. Well, I love my pants.

It's all about the plan . . .

And of course working the plan. Today I was able to check of lots of stuff on my list even though I only had 4 hours to work. It was great. I networked, had lunch with a person from my center of influence, asked for referrals, set appointments and got referrals. This was not an accident. It happened because I laid out the plan and then I worked the plan. I also missed a few things on my list, but that's ok. Tomorrow is another day. The key is to have the plan and then work it.

The birth of a logo . . .

Thanks to my friends at www.flashavenue.com I have a logo. Did I mention it was really hard to pick a logo. Yes, first we talked about who and what my organization is about and then we talked about the image I was hoping to portray. Next they went to the drawing board and sent me over 15 logos to choose from. I loved them all. So what was I to do? What else can any savvy business women do when perplexed with a major decision. I polled the key people in my life. I asked clients and peers. And here is what we chose. Thank you Flash.

It's Win-Win-Win

I love when a plan comes together. It's amazing what happens when you make one phone call and just ask for something you want (sale or donation). In my efforts to help an organization with an event they are planning, I asked the owner of a radio station if she would be willing to be a sponsor. After a brief conversation it was a done deal. The event is a fund raiser for an organization that works with young girls and helps them make good choices. So the beauty of this 10 minute conversation was the radio station was thrilled at the deal they are getting, the organization is getting an excellent sponsor that will give them tons of exposure and a non-profit agency is going to benefit from all of this. And that is just the beginning. It really is going to be win-win-win-win, etc.

All Roads Lead to Follow Up

I had a great session with my coach/trainer the other day. And I heard something that I have heard before, but it really struck me this time. She said "all roads lead to follow-up."

We were discussing what areas of the business people get stuck in. For some it might be filling the pipeline, getting presentations, closing the sale and of course follow-up. But she pointed out that when it come right down to it, what you are doing to follow-up is the key.

Today I sat with a client discussing his issues and it did not take long to realize that he already had great potential (pipeline). We talked about who he knows, and within no time his circle of influence was expanding. The key was informing those in his circle of influence what he was doing. That is the follow-up piece. Now he has to decide how he wants to do that.

It Takes A Village . . .

To Raise an Entreprenuer!!!

Okay, some of you are probably going what are you talking about? Well I believe that entrepreneurs are rare breeds. They tend to be idea people, they are creative, bold and energized. However, they are not always great as sticking with things once it is started. Because of how they are wired, they tend to move on to the next challenge. What I have seen happen next is a wake of frustrated people floating behind and a clueless entrepreneur on to their next challenge. What I recommend to my entrepreneurial clients is to find a team of people that can help them be more effective.

The first step is determine what the entrepreneur is good at doing. Then determine what key areas of management or processes are missing. Then fill in the blanks with competent people. Now I am not necessarily saying hiring a bunch of employees. It might mean outsourcing key areas. For example: If you create products for the internet and sell them on the web you are called a "Infopreneuer." There are lots of steps to creating a product that can be sold. Some of those steps can be outsourced like a fulfillment company can copy the CDs and Documentation and mail it. A Virtual Assistant can type up the documents or manage the customer service aspect. You might also hire someone just to market the product. This frees up the entrepreneur to use their creative talents to make money.

Logistically this can all be managed from a home office. Pretty amazing how, if you create a village (global village), you can create an amazing business and have the life you always dreamed of having.

Marketing Step 1 - Feels like a mile

But each time you move you are that much closer. There are times when it seems almost impossible to reach who you want to reach. Sometimes you are not even sure who you should reach. That's okay. The trick is to keep moving forward. It might be a baby step, but a baby step is better than not moving at all. What I mean is some people get stuck getting ready to get ready and never get anywhere. Don't get stuck. Make one call. Send out one email. Write an article. Start a blog. Post a message on a board. Do something. As you make this a habit, you will be surprised to see how much you start to get done.

It all starts with a plan . . .

Well really it starts with a goal and then a plan to reach the goal. Goal setting is so important there are web sites devoted to it. I found one that is pretty good. I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy Goals-2-Go.

It's Official . . .

It's official, I just signed up to be a licensed facilitator for CJ Hayden's Get Client's Now!(tm) Marketing Program. With this program I will be able to help my clients develop a plan for marketing including identifying who they should market to, how to reach them and then a daily strategy to get them. It's simple and easy to use and does not require marketing knowledge from my clients. The best part, no matter how busy my clients get, they can do a few things each day to keep their funnel full.

Thoughts to Live By

“There are two kinds of people: those who don’t do what they want to do, so they write down in a diary about what they haven’t done, and those who haven’t time to write about it because they’re out doing it.”
Richard Flournoy and Lewis R. Foster

“If you have something to do that is worthwhile doing, don’t talk about it . . . do it.”
George W. Biount

Is it May already?????

As I went about my business today, I suddenly realized that a quarter of the year is gone. Yes, a whole Quarter is behind us!!! To some that can be a scary thing or it can be a good thing. This is a good time to ask yourself, "Am I where I need to be to get to where I projected I would at the end of the year?" If the answer is no, now is the time to get serious. Look at your plan (if you have one) and see what worked? What didn't? What should I be doing differently? Don't wait till November when there is no time to adjust. It's time to look at the plan and if you don't have a plan it's time to write the plan. Good luck.

Who was that masked man?

Have you ever watched a commercial and it was so entertaining you couldn't wait to tell a friend about it. Usually they are very funny and sometimes they are very serious. What I find most striking about them is, they spend so much time trying to make the commercial entertaining, they forget to market the product. My mother was carrying on about a commercial with an Elephant. She asked "did you see it?" I said, "No, at least I don't think so. What was it for?" She and my father talked for quite sometime and never remembered the product. Hmm, so who was that masked man anyway? So remember, it's nice to entertain, but don't forget, it's about the product!!!!

Sales Vs. Marketing

Over time I have had discussions with clients about the difference between sales and marketing. In my Sandler Training I came across a great paper that describes it. In essence: "Marketing is the role of identifying groups of people or companies that may fit your product or service before the person-to-person contact is made. Selling is the effort applied to those "possible fits" initiated by person-to-person contact. So you need a plan for both. First, you need a marketing plan that defines who you are, what you do, who needs it and why. Then you need to go and get them.

More Nuggets from the Room

Today at the Proactive vs. Reactive Seminar Ed gave his usual insights.

He mentioned the story of the man who had the goose who laid the golden eggs. Once he realized they were real gold, he was able to amass quite a fortune. Then he became inpatient. His child took over and thought, instead of waiting for the eggs to be laid one at a time, he would go into get them. So he cut off the head of the goose only to find they weren't in there and the source of his wealth is permanently done. So it pays to slow down to speed up. Patience is worth it.