Focus On What You Want

I know this seems obvious, but we often tend to dwell on what we don't want. What does
that have to do with business? How often do I hear people talking about those clients from @#$%. We talk about all the things we don't like about them and how they drive us crazy. What we don't realize is that when we do that we actually encourage more of those types of clients to wander into our lives.

Instead, focus on the characteristics you are looking for in a client. For example: "I want clients that are motivated, ready to take action and appreciate what I do." That sounds so much better then: "I don't want clients who are demanding, unappreciative and unmotivated." Focus on what you want and get more of what you want. Also, if there is something you want in a client, it might help if you are that way in your transactions. Remember like begets like. It's the law of nature.

Can You Hear What I Hear?

I had a great experience today. I was training a great group of people on marketing. My focus was the Get Clients Now! Program with a few extras. As we got into the session, I realized one of the team members had some internal dialog going on that might have been holding her back. You know what I mean -- the voices in your head? When we discussed the baggage we bring to sales and marketing or work in general, she made a funny comment. She said, "Sometimes the voices in my head are so loud, I think other people can hear them." Have you ever felt like that? I know I have. I really enjoyed her honesty and candor. The question is, are there any voices going on in your head that might be holding you back from your success?

Here are some of the things those voice might be saying?

"You don't deserve to be successful."
"What makes you think you deserve that?"
"It's not polite to talk about money with a stranger."
"Don't ask questions, that is too personal."

Those are just a few. Can you see how those voices could get in the way of closing a sale? Think about what internal dialog might be going on in your head. Become aware and once you are aware you must interrupt those conversations and change the words. Instead let the noise sound something like:

"I deserve success and it comes easily to me."
"People need what I have to sell so I will ask the right questions to help my clients."
"Questions are good, they help me understand what my client wants and needs."

I'm A Member!

Well I have finally decided to honor who I am, a blogger. To that end, I have joined Technorati. Check it out! Technorati Profile

Are You Replling Clients?

No, I don't mean because of personal hygiene. It's something so subtle we don't even know we are doing it. Let me give you an example:

The other day I was working with a client. During our two hour consultation we were very productive. We covered his niche and narrowed his focus. We discussed products and services. We even developed some steps to reach them and implementation strategies. As I was wrapping up the discussion with my client he said something to the effect, but let's be careful, because I am too busy for too many clients right now. It was in that moment that I knew why his business was not growing the way he wanted. He was sending out the message to the universe that he's too busy for more work, he had more than enough work to handle.

Are you sending out the message that you are too busy to add on another project? Do you feel overwhelmed by the prospect of more business while trying to develop a marketing plan. Remember, you are not alone. It is the plight of many a harried entrepreneur.

So what is the answer? First, take a deep breath, now exhale. It's time to take a look at what is keeping you so busy. Is there any thing you can outsource? Is there anything you can add to your stop doing list? It's time to re-frame your thoughts and to say to yourself, "I have all that I need to get it done." "I am open to working with new clients." It's time to reach out, get some help and then help those who need your help!

Part of History

I am still climbing down from the clouds after spending the weekend at a historic event. Milana Leshinsky, best known for her "Telesummits," came out of her home and held her first live event. I have the pictures to prove it. My business and the business of my clients' will never be the same!

"A relationship is not something that you pursue; it's what happens to you when you are immersed in serving the dreams of your customer." ~~ Tom Peters

Planting seeds . . .

I sometimes find myself frustrated with the "quick fix" "get rich quick" schemes you hear over and over. People go in with their eyes glazed over with visions of money and fame. Within a short time they are disillusioned. Only a few will make it in those programs. The rest struggle and end up losing money.

I do believe you can make a lot of money, and you can make it as quickly as you want. However, I believe it takes a lot of work, a behavioral plan of action and a great shift in your thinking.

For example: When you first start out in the career as a sales professional, you find yourself face to face with a phone and the dreaded cold call. Yet if you keep your eyes on the goal and stay focused on the task, that "behavior" is a short lived behavior. Why? Because the cold calls are little seeds you plant along the your path. Once the seed is planted you start to cultivate, fertilize and nurture those lovely seeds until one day it turns into a sale. After a while you get better at planting, you learn what fertile soil looks like and the harvest is sooner than before. But you have to plant the seeds. You have to do the behaviors.

Jim Rohn said it best: "Either get good at planting in the spring or become very good at begging in the fall."

Enjoy the harvest!!

Coaching Super Summit

I just got back from an amazing weekend in Baltimore, Md. I attended Milana's First Coaching Super Summit and it was just mind shifting. I hope over the next few days to pull my thoughts together and share some of my "ah ha" moments. For now I wanted to share this:

Do, Document & Delegate

Everything you do in your business, document the process down to every letter and email you send. Create a file to store all this information. This will then become your SOP (Standard Operating Procedures) or your Business in a Box/File. Then assess what someone else can do more effectively both in cost and time. Let it go, delegate it and then you do what you do best. Do those things that bring out the brilliance in you and your clients. If you do this you will create a business with the lifestyle you have always wanted. You will also have a business you can sell or license later on.

More to come . . .

Coaching as a Tool

I work with many entrepreneurs. Each is unique in their business models, industries and offerings. However, there seems to be one common thread that I find with my clients, they all like to coach their clients. No they are not all coaches.

Mini-Case Study of a Coaching Non-Coach
I work with an accountant who is not satisfied with preparing taxes, he wants to guide his clients to help them make good decisions in their businesses. He coaches his clients so they look ahead and make good decisions that will secure their financial future and insure a sustainable business. The funny thing is that he never realized he was "coaching." It was just part of what he does. So now, when tax season is over, he is not done. He offers a quarterly coaching program. This includes several phone conversation, reviewing of monthly financial statements and a set amount of email communication.

The benefits for his clients: They get on-going support throughout the year. They also do not get surprises at the end of the year. In the last quarter of the year, they are able to make educated decisions in order to ensure they are not hit with a high tax liability. They also get long-term as well as short-term strategies.

The benefits for him - the accountant/coach: He now has a new revenue source/profit center. This is a great source of cash flow that is predictable. This also allows him to continue to grow and develop a long-term relationship with his clients.

When you start to add up all the benefits you see the win-win. The next step is to create a deeper win. As he grows the coaching/retainer accounts, he can create a mastermind group or training for his clients. This will allow him to do some group coaching/training (for a fee) and his clients will be able to network and possible develop some business relationships that had not been possible before. Pretty cool.

So if you think that coaching might be a great profit center to add to your practice, consider going to the following training. I will admit that I am a volunteer helping the facilitator with this event. I cannot imagine a more worthwhile event. To learn more about how you can add coaching to your practice or your business tool bag, check out: The Coaching Super Summit. It is going to be in Baltimore and it will be life and business changing.

Moms, Summer, Kids and Business

What do all of those words have in common? For me it is a bit of chaos. I must be honest, I find Summer to be a difficult time to maintain, let alone build a business. I find myself juggling meetings and running kids to camp. I find the mind shifts getting harder and harder to make. Maybe its an age thing, I don't know, but I know from September to May, I feel much more present in all of my worlds than I do during the Summer. I might be the only one experiencing this, but if not take heart, you are not alone.

So what can be done. Well as you know hind sight is 20/20. As I reflect on my year and start to plan next year I have developed an outline of a plan. For me I will need to focus generating the bulk of my revenue from Mid-September to May. I will plan events and trainings during those times. I will schedule R&D (Research and Development) of new products and trainings during the Summer. I can do that on vacation or during those moments when I am waiting to pick up or drop off. I will plan limited meeting for the Summer and know that I am set.

I don't mind the pain I feel now knowing I have a plan for next year. You see I have chosen to learn my lessons and to hopefully not repeat history.

It pays to know your customers

I just finished working with a client who owns a small fireworks tent business. He is basically in business two weeks a year and some planning the rest of the year.

One of the things he does is ask people to sign his mailing list. In the town he is set up in that is a daunting task. People are very private and don't want to get on a list. He typically gets about 10 to 15 people per year to sign up. Each year he adds to his list and sends out a letter a few weeks before he sets up his tent. In his letter, he lets his customers know when he will be set up and makes a limited time offer. This year he sent out 22 letters. Of the 22 letters 2 were returned because of bad addresses. Of the 20 remaining, 11 were returned. That is an amazing statistic. What is more amazing is how excited the people where that he was coming back and how they looked forward to coming to his tent. They all made substantial purchases and felt welcomed.

The main comment my client heard was how nice it was that he personalized the letters. The key was the letter was short and sweet, one paragraph long. Then he hand wrote a note to each one, mentioning something he noticed about them. They knew he paid attention to them. One simple letter that probably took him an hour to write, generated lots of good will and revenue.

Yes Virginia There is a Santa Claus

Every now and then you need a bit of a lift, a pick me up. Yesterday was one of those days. I was checking my emails and my mentor sent me this link which he had on his web site: www.vicjohnson.com. He is a motivational guru. Anyway, if you ever have one of those days, open this link and enjoy and remember anything is possible. Link: Dream a big Dream.

To blog or not to blog . . .

That is the question? I say blog. I love to write and to pontificate. So what if no one is reading, it is still out in the universe.

For business, blogging is an opportunity to share insights, thoughts, concerns and latest tips and tricks to help your clients. It's all good stuff. I like to think of a blog as an online newsletter. It gives companies a way to stay current and relevant in a rapidly changing and disposable world. Here you can be up to date in seconds.

So I say go ahead, blog away.

Blogging as a Metaphor

I just found a cool blog and the blogger sent out a challenge as a group blogging challenge. How would you explain blogging to your mother? Specifically, as a business strategy. I found it because I was looking for cooking metaphors, so here is how I would explain it to my mom.

Mom, in business we have many tools we use to get the word out about our businesses. Traditionally, we use yellow page ads, networking, word of mouth and web sites to name a few. A new tool that I like to keep in my tool box of marketing strategies is a blog. Blogs are a way to stay relevant and current, to unleash my creativity and allow my web site to to be a place people come back to. It is my hope that if I blog often and well, people will long for the next edition and thus I will be in the "top of their minds" when they are in need of my services.

So for me a blog is a tool I use to help me get the word out. I like having lots of tools.

The Verdict Is In -- The Business Marketing Gym is a Success!

I have to admit I was nervous about today. When ever I launch a new program I have butterflies in my stomach. The good news is they were flying in formation. I was able to harness the energy.

After everyone was fed and formally introduced, we jumped right into the meeting. In no time the group was helping each other create customized "30-second commercials." It was amazing how quickly everyone bonded. Before the meeting was over two members found a way they could work together in a Joint Venture. In fact, it took a little creativity, because it was not obvious at first that they would make good joint venture partners, but once the match was made, I could see the wheels turning.

I find myself really looking forward to the next meeting.

Why You and Why Now?

Those are words that might strike fear in the heart of normal people. It doesn't have to though. If you take time to know what your fit is and what makes you different, then this will be just a normal every day conversation. Over the years I have done lots of research on this topic of "differentiation" and my favorite way to describe it is this way. There are three ways companies can differentiate themselves.

1. Cost - They are the cheapest in town (when you think low price I am sure a company pops into your mind immediately.
2. Technology - You can have cutting edge technology, the latest and greatest. Usually this is not low price. (Again, if you think about it you can come up with a company that is known for its technology savvy.)
3. Customer Intimacy - This is when you take the time to really service your customers, get to know them and stay in touch with them, even if they don't buy right away. (This is how a lot of the VIP programs were developed, to learn more about their customers so they can service them in a meaningful way.)

So the question is do you want to be known for low price, high tech/expensive or customer intimate/driven? Once you make that determination, then you can put your game plan together.

Are you fishing in the right hole?

I was reading a book on Rainmaking and the author suggests that sometimes being a Rainmaker is as simple as fishing where there are fish. He notes that people spend lots of money and time on the right fishing rod, bait and tackle. They work on their technique. They spend their day wondering why the fish aren't biting, only to realize there aren't any fish. Do we do that when we are out marketing and selling our wares?

Do we know our niche? Who are we selling to? Do we know where they hang out? Do they have the money to buy? Are we speaking their language? Do they understand our fit? After all what good is walking into an assisted living facility with play equipment for children. Are we networking at a Manufacturers Association when we need to be speaking to Human Resource Professionals.

Go where the fish are and then carry use the right bait.

Have you found your voice!

I had a delightful Mother's Day weekend which included a Family Movie Night. The movie we watched was Happy Feet. It was a delightful story and for me the take away was "Find your voice and be the best you you can be - In other words, Be Authentic." I have seen this lacking in the business world. Especially when it comes to Entrepreneurs who go from one project to another depending on which way the wind blows or where the money is. I have come to understand that it might make sense to slow down to speed up and find your self. Your True North as Covey says. Then, and only then, can you know what your fit is in the world. That will be the passion you bring to the marketplace. Then the money will flow and it will never feel like work for you will be honoring who you are.

Coming of Age

It sounds silly, I have been in business for over 14 years, yet this week I did something that was way out of my comfort zone and made me feel "grown up." I had a professional picture taken. It seems like a little thing, but for me it was huge. At first it felt somewhat self indulgent. Then I realized this is all about business. I teach my clients to put their best foot forward, after all you only get one chance to make a first impression. So I decided it was time to have my first impression a lasting one.

So take a look at your pictures, are they professional, are they outdated? If you answered yes, consider meeting with a photographer and getting it updated. And by the way, they can work miracles.

Press Releases

I am always looking for ways to help my clients. I recently stumbled across an online Press Release service that is easy to use and pretty affordable. It is PR.com. What is cool is about it is that you can create a press release and send it to a specific target audience. For example: I created one that I wanted to get out to the business community. I used the general category of Business. You get one category for free, so it was free. In one day it came up on a search engines! With just a little budget you can get more exposure. Check it out.