Kathie Nelson | Business Coaching, Business Mentoring | Portland, Beaverton, Oregon » Opportunities

Visioning energizes actions, attitudes and opportunities

kathie — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 05:49:00 +0000

I had the opportunity to work with a group of dynamic women this weekend, facilitating their journey to update their vision for 2009. WOW! Every year I am surprised by the power of this simple ritual.

(Tia Ribary, Kate Thornton, Sherrie Harries, Kathie Nelson, Carol Gunn)

I was introduced to Visioning or Treasure Mapping, as some call it, in the mid ’90′s in my last career. I began to see the value of this tool when I started my own business in 2002.

Barbara MacKay, NorthStar Facilitators

What is a treasure map? John Kalench, founder of Millionaires in Motion, defines it as “a collage of pictures that stimulates your visualization process. It’s made up of pictures of what you want to have, do and be! A gallery of carefully chosen pictures that represent to you chosen outcomes you want to create in your life. It contains pictures specifically of those outcomes and others that strongly suggest the feeling or essence you want as well. It can be any size.”

Run with the Big Dogs! How hanging out in the Big Leagues can help you play a better game.

kathie — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:30:00 +0000

Did you start your business with a BIG dream? Do you find yourself wondering what happened? Sometimes all it takes to re-connect to your vision is to get out of your own back yard.

Reality Sucks When Networking Doesn't Work

kathie — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 00:16:00 +0000

I overheard a conversation this past week at a networking event between two business professionals. The comment that drove this post was “None of my networking in business organizations paid off”. (I always cringe when I hear that.) The woman continued to share what did work for her; social networking, specifically “meet-up“s. Her profession? Interior Design. His profession? Realtor.

This sounded like a brilliant conclusion. If you are trying to meet consumers who will buy interior design, they are not typically at business networking events AND unless you are networking at “partner rich” events (i.e. Realtors, contractors, window coverings, etc.) you will not likely make as many quality connections. There is nothing more frustrating than attending networking with the hope of making good connections and walking away empty handed.

It made me wonder, are we simply swallowing the “how-to’s” hook, line and sinker without evaluating our own business model, personality, sales style, and target audience? I hope not! Here are a couple of things to think about as you personalize your networking efforts.

Listen to My Interview on the Jackie Jones Challenge Radio Show

kathie — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 18:16:00 +0000

I was recently interviewed by Jackie Jones who has an internet radio show “The Jackie Jones Challenge” on http://www.smallbizamerica.com/. The focus of the show was on how to find more business in your own backyard.

Sales Secret from Mexico – Start the Conversation

kathie — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 21:09:00 +0000

Laying on the beach in sunny Puerto Vallarta for nearly 2 weeks, I was gently reminded of one of the simplest secrets to more sales. It boils down to getting a conversation started.

Lessons Learned from the Wheelchair

kathie — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 01:31:00 +0000

First of all, let me start with a statement of gratitude. My faith in a living God who is distinctly interested in me gave me a peace and trust that this incident would be for my good. I am grateful that this abrupt change in my situation, which could have put my life and business in a tailspin, has not. Rather the opposite. I’ve focused, driven deeper into the niche I want to serve and will be using what I learned to plan for a record breaking 2008.

Cold Calling Secret

kathie — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 15:53:00 +0000

Cold calling is not my favorite thing. If you’ve heard me speak my stance on cold calling is, Why? Why cold call when you can network your way into warm leads.I attended a workshop put on by the Institute of Management Consultants here in Portland and gained some insights from Cold Calling expert, Kathy Maixner of Selling Smart

that changed my mind.

Now I know why I’ve always liked Kathy! Her fresh perspective on cold calling is very similar to my take on networking. I came away with 5 simple insights about cold calling.

1. Cold calling is just a contact. It is not the sale. 2. Be crystal clear on your target. 3. Be prepared. Do your homework on the company you are calling. 4. Have a script. Create a vocabulary that works for you. Make it meaningful. 5. Get over yourself.

I realized some people feel about networking the same as I do about cold calling. When I took the “sales” out of networking, contacts were easy. Kathy showed me, when it comes to initial contacts, whether cold calling or networking, it is just a point of discovery.