business growth

business growth

Marketing YOU! 10 grass roots outreach activities that really work

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Are you tired of investing in marketing that just doesn’t seem to pay off? Every time my calendar needs a boost I pull out these tried and true grass roots, low cost, high impact marketing tactics.

 

Strategically Network

 

1. Set up 3 appointments with providers who serve your ideal clients. This could be a phone call or coffee. Just be sure the time is used to your mutual benefit.

 

Be prepared with survey* questions and information or connections that could be of value to your partner. Let them know what kind of projects and goals you are working toward.

 

2. Contact 3 of your past clients. Repeat activities in #1.

 

3. Review your past proposals. Contact each by phone even if they’ve chosen another provider. Repeat the activities in #1.

 

4. Review the business calendars in your local paper and online. Find 2-3 new events to attend in the next 30 days. There are always new events, professional development, and happenings that would add value to your own business, expose you to new audiences, and add value to those you are contacting in steps #1-3. (Stop attending anything that is not producing value.)

 

Make a Name for Yourself

 

5. Start speaking. Consider everywhere you go a “mini-stage”. From your introduction to an informational presentation to a keynote, find places to share your insights and secret sauce.

 

6. Host your own event. Invite your top prospects, strategic partners, and/or past clients to an informational event. Plan to provide valuable information, insight, or introductions. If hosting an event on your own seems daunting, find a strategic partner who could benefit and share the load of producing. This doesn’t have to be costly.

 

7. Start writing. Your audience wants to know what you know. The mistakes you could help them avoid, the pitfalls, debunk the myths and lies they’ve been fed, give them the secrets to success…YOU know these things. Share them. Don’t let the fact that you had a teacher in your past tell you writing was not for you get started making lists, share your ideas, and do what works for you. Just get writing.

 

8. Join the conversation. Find others who are talking about what you want to talk about. This might mean you have to leave some of the groups you are currently involved in. Ask questions. Add your insights. Don’t worry about the competition. There is more than enough to go around. Get Grounded

 

9. Slow down to speed up. Shift your attachment and value from being “busy” to becoming “intentional”. Evaluate how you can create more impact from less effort. This takes reflection, evaluation, assessment. That won’t happen if you have no margin in your life or business.

 

10. Get out of your office. Connections are made when people see you. This can happen virtually if you are in a forum where you can be heard but will most likely be in your own back yard. Attend an event that interests you for no other reason than that it interests you. Do something fun. Learn a new skill. Take a class. You are a whole person. Your business will not fail if you walk away from the helm to renew your energy and add some fun.

 

*Survey questions I typically ask. What are the changes going on in your industry? How are they impacting you locally or personally? What are your key initiatives for 2012? Based on your experience in your profession/industry, what short or long term impact do you see on your business?

 

**Value add resources are anything of high value to the person I am speaking with. This could be events, books, insights I’ve gained from reading books or attending conferences, connections I can make for them, etc.

 

Grass roots’ marketing is organic. It builds trust. It lets your audience get to know and experience YOU. The bottom line is that this type of outreach really works. Apply for 30 days and see what you get…then do it again.

 

Do you have some suggestions to add to this list?

 

Want more Monetize Me! Expertise? Check out our Monetize Me! Expert Series. 

 

Rear View Mirror – the Power of Vision Driven Results

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Your ideas, insights, gifts, skills, and experiences are money.

 

Uniquely being you delivers value to others. In a business environment, they (your customers) give you money for that value exchange. I refer to this as the fuel that runs your economic engine. Cash and profits are essential to the health and operation of your company. But how easily you make money, quickly you build a company, magnetically attract customers, and gain credibility all depends on you.

 

In this metaphor, you are the driver of your high performing entrepreneurial vehicle. Ultimately you are responsible for how and when you arrive at your destination. When it comes to significant goal achievement I find the “rear view mirror” technique to be highly effective for three reasons. It is future focused It engages your RAS (Reticular Activation System) Here is an excellent article on what RAS is and why it matters in goal setting.

 

Repeated use of the ‘rear view mirror’ technique will reveal self sabotage and detours that delay arrival at your destination. Here is how it works.

 

Let’s take a one year view and work backwards.

 

Based on your income or revenue goals, picture yourself and ask yourself.

 

“What do I see in my rear view mirror? What are the significant benchmarks that contributed to my goal achievement?”
 

  • If you are a service professional you might be celebrating sustainable marketing outreach that fed consistent prospects converting to clients you love all year long and a work/life balance with income that keeps you motivated.
     

  • If you are a consultant, speaker, or expert you might be celebrating new book sales, successful speaking engagements, new products released, recognition by peers, etc.
     

  • If you are an entrepreneurial rainmaker (you are building a company that depends on others labor while you attract and convert new business opportunities) you might be celebrating key people on your team, their achievements and contributions, your market penetration, recognition by peers, new product release, etc.
     

Next bring the view back to the short term. Picture yourself out 90 days or at the end of a quarter. What benchmarks do you see in your rear view that needs to be met this quarter to significantly move you toward that celebration?

 

Now, bring the view into this month and next week. What benchmarks do you need to see in your rear view next week and next month?Identify and make SMART commitments to the key activities that create forward movement.

 

Hindrances and helps for using the rear view mirror technique.
 

  • Master your motivators. Learn the people or activities that distract you and align with those who inspire, encourage, and accelerate you.
     

  • Find the juice in your future. When you are looking back on the benchmarks, achievements, and celebrations invest in feeling the full impact of emotions. Ask yourself, “What does this look like? How do I feel? How do others see me? What are they saying about me? What am I saying about myself? What is the financial impact of achieving this benchmark?”
     

  • Keep your head up for pot holes, road blocks and detours. What would you like to see in your rear view mirror next week? What’s going to keep you from accomplishing it? Strategize to work around them, avoid or eliminate the obstacles.

 

Key to monetizing your talents is creating practices that allow you to work in your sweet spot most of the time. Practice the future focused “rear view mirror” technique to get more juice in goal achievement process.

 

The ultimate business strategy is leveraging YOU! 

 

Getting fat feasting at the "Free Stuff" Buffet?

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There is no shortage of low-cost or fre-ee information in the world today.A veritable smorgasbord is only a Google search away.

 

Like you, I am guilty of partaking liberally, seeking that elusive secret success formula, enticed into clicking the link for a free download, believing that all it takes is just ONE more golden nugget to unleash the next big breakthrough…inevitably adding another mailing to my inbox.

 

 

The blessing and the curse of this information age is access to more content than we can possibly consume.

 

What’s the cost?

 

What I want you to think about today are some insights and perspective on the hidden impact and costs on your business, goals, and self-esteem when you linger too long at the “free stuff” buffet.

 

  • Fat-ness happens. You become obese with information. Your platter is overflowing with ideas, strategies, tips, and upsells from a variety of providers. (The cost: Overwhelm, doubt, and a work harder mentality takes over resulting in a poverty mindset.)
     

  • You question your gut, your dream, your talent, and results. You can become double-minded, waffling between what you know and the promise of a deliverable you want. The cost: Your confidence & self-esteem are impacted reducing your impact in everything you do.) Comparison is the root of dissatisfaction. -Anonymous
     

  • You lose track of time and the related desired results you are working to achieve. (Busy work increases without connection to results. Your progress is stalled and forward momentum delayed.)
     

You say to yourself, “Too much information? What can be the harm in that?” Right? Wrong! Too much data creates analysis paralysis, information overload, and too many options.

 

Let’s calculate the impact.

 

  • How many newsletters and info products do you subscribe to? Look through your inbox in the last week and do a quick count. Write down the number.
     

  • How many resources have you already invested in that sit on your shelf or are archived in your computer for reference? Write down the dollar amount you invested.
     

  • How much time do you spend a day, week, or month, listening to or participating in fre-ee webinars, teleseminars, attending fr-ee events, etc.? Write down the hours you spend.
     

  • Rate your confidence on a level of 1-5, 1 being low and 5, high. Just think about the impact on your business if your confidence is compromised.

 

Don’t get me wrong. I will always subscribe to new thought in the area of my expertise, people I want to follow and those I want to keep my eye on. I am simply suggesting in this post, is that it may be time to go on an info-diet. It’s up to you! Think about it. Courageously assess your company. Determine what you need to consume that will allow you to grow a healthy business on a balance of information then brutally cut the rest.

 

I’m taking the plunge. Are you in?

 

*I’ve already confessed, I am also a perpetrator of this phenomenon by offering my own selections of “free” stuff (but that is another blog post).

 

Faith, Fear and Balance

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What gets dreamers going? Faith.

 

What holds dreamers back? Fear.

 

What is faith? The gut-wrenching belief in something you can see, feel, taste, and touch in your minds eye but hasn’t actually happened yet.

 

What is fear? The doubts. inadequacies, and internal messaging that shows up while we journey the contradiction of the current reality. Fear is multiplied when we get around other “unbelievers” or those who don’t share faith in you or your dream (the ability to believe in something that is unseen).

 

What does balance have to do with this equation? The myth we buy into that balance is a worthy aspiration on the way to making big things happen is just that. A BIG FAT MYTH!

 

What if…
 

  1. your belief about balance is the very thing that is holding you back?
     

  2. the time you spend with those who don’t share your vision impedes your rate of growth?
     

  3. not being grounded

 

Pursuit of your dream or any business venture requires you to be fully committed, doing whatever it takes to make things happen. Does this mean you need to sacrifice your life or the very things you value in the process? No way!

 

According to Motivational Guru Jim Rohn, you are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with. If that’s the case, shouldn’t you be choosing your friends wisely? You can afford to be hanging around naysayers.

 

Instead aspire to:

 

  • find harmony as you journey the contradiction until you arrive at your destination. Harmony represents the ebb and flow, the subtle dance, a person centered, grounded in their values, their vision, and the value they bring to the world.
     

  • jump in with both feet. Work when you are working. Play when you are playing. Fully commit and let faith guide the dream in your heart.
     

  • make fear irrelevant. Hang out with other “believers”. Leaders who live in the space of faith. If it’s true that you are the average of the 5 people you hang around with, what’s the average you want to be? Find your peeps.
     

  • forget balance. Above all, be present and let your vision change your reality.
     

Surprise yourself. Pursue the outrageous to discover more than you could ask or imagine*.

 

*Excerpt from “I Want What She’s Got! The Secrets to Creating an Outrageous Life”.

 

 

Who's really keeping you from getting what you want? Take personal responsibility.

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Who, me?

 

I find I am talking to two types of people most of the time. The first group is burning to turn their new ideas into money. The second group of leaders are focused on increasing effectiveness of their current business model and teams. Do you fall into one of these groups?

 

If so, I am talking to you.

 

The upcoming summer months provide a perfect opportunity to “uplevel” whatever you are doing in time for Fall. That’s right. Take personal responsibility to bring your performance up a level. Instead of taking your foot off the gas over the summer simply switch gears to invest some time in planning. You will be glad you did. Pssst! This is one of the secret short-cuts to goal achievement.

 

Start by assessing the gap between where you are today and where you want to be.

 

  • What is working well now?

  • What is not working well now?

  • What needs to change?

    • What do I need to add?

    • What do I need to stop doing?
       

Next, take personal responsibility for whatever you want to bring into your life and business. Yes, you.

 

  • If you aren’t making enough money, you can point your finger at the economy, those darn customers, your network, your partners but…ultimately YOU are the key.
     

  • If you don’t have enough sales, you can point your finger at your team, the economy, your network, those darn customers but….ultimately YOU are the key.
     

  • If your team or network is not productive, effective, or communicative you can point your finger at the team or network, the pressure, or all kinds of external influences but…ultimately YOU are the key.
     

  • If you don’t have enough time to do what to do what needs to be done, you can blame it on everyone else but…ultimately YOU are the key.
     

Notice a theme here?

 

I attended an event last week. The speaker asked us, “What is getting in the way of getting what you want, RIGHT NOW?” My immediate response was, “I don’t have time to get what I need done which leaves loose ends. I keep circling back which BOGS ME DOWN.” Why does that happen? Because my calendar gets overbooked. In that private moment, I almost laughed out loud. Who do you think is at fault? Me. I am in charge of what gets on my calendar. Whoooaaaa. This should not be an earth shattering revelation but the truth hit me. I am a victim of my own Big Picture thinking, my overly optimistic view of time, and the learning curve taking on things I’ve never done before. I had to ask myself, “Who can change this?” Well, of course, it’s me.

 

Short version of the story, I immediately began paring my calendar and downsizing my short term vision to bite sized chunks that I could complete. A weight lifted off my shoulders as I took personal responsibility and moved from a dis-empowered state to one of control.

 

So, my prompt to you today is to take some time to assess your gap.

 

  • Where are you?

  • Where do you want to be?

  • What needs to change?

  • Be accountable and take responsibility for where you are and commit to the change you need to see.
     

Need a sounding board? Feel free to reach out to one of our team members for a Laser Session here.

 

The time is now.

 

When you operate in a dis-empowered state you deprive your community of your best self.

 

It’s cool to be you, every day. Get out there and share your gifts.a

 

Wild West was Won with Heart and Passion – Inspires Business Growth Initiatives for the New Economy

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I am convinced that business done with heart and passion is the business that will endure.

 

I had the opportunity to visit Eastern Oregon last week as a keynote for a local business resource fair. I was WOW’d from the time I drove into town until 24 hours later when I left.

 

 

Baker City, Oregon in times far past held it’s claim as the premier social center with the largest population in Oregon. It’s residents are enamored with the beauty of the area and burst with pride at their history. For example, over 100 buildings in the downtown are over 100 years old. After hanging out with them for one day, I was sold!

 

It was the collaboration of several entities that brought this event into fruition. I believe it is this type of cooperation that will enable us to weather this storm and come out on the other side wiser, better positioned, and cared for in the process.

 

It is tough times that bring out the leader within!

 

My presentation covered many every day strategies to sharpen your entrepreneurial edge and do business in this new economy which I hoped inspired them as much as their efforts and outreach inspired me.

 

Let the lessons from the Wild West inspire you…

 

  • Travel with folks going your way. Hang out with positive, forward thinking people. Build your power team. Share the work.
     

  • When trouble comes. Circle the wagons. This is not to deny the recession we are in but rather to accept where we are and do what we can to make a difference in the world.
     

  • Keep moving toward the goal. You will be surprised at the difference in your ability to see bigger and take positive action when you see others finding success and opportunity just by their attitude.
     

I want to publicly commend the local players in Baker City who work together to serve their community.

 

Gene Stackle, B.E.G.I.N.; Ann MeHaffy, Historic Baker City, Inc.; Andrew Bryan, Baker County Development Corporation; Debi Bainter, Baker County Chamber of Commerce; Jake Jacobs, Small Business Development Center; and Linda Noble, Oregon Employment Department.

 

Wherever you are, there are resources like these and more! Working together we will get through!

 

Keep looking forward.

 

PS There are not many towns where you can visit the local wine bar to meet the reporter who wrote about you in the local paper…where he was the entertainment! Ed Merriman with the Baker City Herald is not only a talented reporter but also musician. Thanks, Ed for all your efforts on our behalf.

 

If you ever get to Baker City, the first Friday is the Gallery Crawl. This is a VERY fun way to spend the evening. The Geiser Grand Hotel is a must visit for the restaurant or lodging. Start your day at Mad Matilda’s for coffee and the Earth & Vine for a night cap.

Starting or retooling your Business? Avoid common mistakes!

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I was honored to receive an email from a woman I was referred to months ago asking for advice as she is launching her consulting business.

 

I really appreciated the way she asked for help! I thought you might benefit both from her questions, my response, and the response of our readers.

 

 

Instead of simply looking for resources and how-to’s she was looking for mistakes to avoid. She wanted lessons learned from a couple of us who’ve been there. Of course the minute she asked, I had a flashback…launching my own practice I thought I was so strategic (and I was) after planning, visualizing, and ramping up naively thinking I would avoid and minimize the obstacles, mistakes and bumps in the road. Guess what!  I found my own obstacles, mistakes, and bumps in the road from which to learn the lessons I needed to learn. My philosophy is that running a business is the best personal growth school you could ever attend!

 

Time to lift the curtain and let you see more of my foibles and fumbles!  Don’t kid yourself…we all have them in our own ways.

 

Mistakes I made (in no particular order):

 

  1. List building.  I understood the value of building a list but didn’t fully have the systems and support to capture the data and keep in touch in a way that consistently built momentum. Words of wisdom. Start building your list and connect with them through meaningful content.
     

  2. Trying to be perfect.  I have high standards. I wanted my content (or products, business cards, flyers, etc.) finished, complete, well designed and invested time and money to make them so. This delayed time to get products ready for sale, flyers for promoting programs and the like. I love Alex Mendossian’s quote “Sloppy success is better than perfect mediocrity.” Not that he condones sloppy work but as an entrepreneur there is a balance between good enough and perfect. The difference between costs you money, time, and opportunity. (I am working on this right now!) Gen. George Patton:  “A good plan implemented today is better than a perfect plan implemented tomorrow.”
     

  3. Hiring the wrong people. I knew I needed other’s expertise to help me jump start and grow my business. Working with limited resources (bootstrapping) made me “penny wise and pound foolish”. I made two mistakes. In several instances, to save money I tried to cut corners hiring others who were just starting out and charging low fees. In one instance I paid top dollar for services perceiving this would buy me value. What I learned is that, as the customer, I need to be in charge of the relationship no matter what I am paying to make sure I got what I needed. Note:  Hiring a more expensive vendor was no guarantee. It set me back emotionally and financially but as you can see…I recovered!
     

Of course I can go on with a to-do list for starting right and growing well but that is not the topic of this post!

 

What lessons have you learned or mistakes made can you share with this emerging consultant? By the way, her specialty is personal branding and social media if that guides your words of wisdom!

 

As a thank you for contributing we will send you our latest work, a collection of experts “60 Tips to Network Your Way to Anything You Want”.

 

Happy Networking! 

Step it Up! Maximize Your Marketing Dollars

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Extremes seem to be the norm these days. Doom and gloom or opportunities around every corner. I am in a unique position to hear the buzz in networking circles…both good and bad.

 

I’ve heard folks pulling out of organizations, cancelling advertising, and waiting until things clear up to make new choices in marketing their businesses. I hear others stepping up their marketing efforts to capture market share and take advantage in this new economy.

 

What is your take? What are you doing differently? I am curious.

 

This blog unpacks a few tactics and offers some tools to make smarter decisions with your dollars and time!

 

Let’s talk advertising!

 

Arleen McClean with WorkSmarter offers these tips to Three Costly Advertising Mistakes.

 

Mistake #1: Not Tracking for Return on Investment:

 

Advertising is used to build awareness (branding) or generate leads. To determine if advertising is a good investment for your business, consider the following:

  1. Are your competitors advertising?
     

  2. Do you want to increase your market share and improve sales?
     

  3. Are you forfeiting profit because you have unsold inventory that can’t be sold in the future. (Vacant airplane seats, apartments that are un-rented, time that isn’t filled with prospects…all translate into lost profits!)
     

  4. Is your average sale large enough to justify advertising and create a positive return on investment ratio? (For example, a car dealer making $3,000 on each vehicle sale can spend $9,000 a month on advertising and reasonably expect to sell 9 cars a month for a 3-1 R.O.I.)

Bottom Line: Have a clear sense of what you want the advertising to do. Ask your media representative to explain the kind of results you might expect and to show you any success stories they have from other businesses like yours. Good media reps can also provide you with statistical information that will help you find the people you want to reach.

 

Mistake #2: Ignoring the Emotional / Logical Message:

 

People buy based on emotion and logic. Whether advertising in print, radio, television, or online your selling messages need the following elements:

 

  1. An Emotional Hook
    Emotionally connecting with the audience in the first five seconds is critical. The headline or text should draw people in and make them curious enough to read further.
     

  2. Logical Reassurance
    Next, the emotional connection is complimented by the logical reasons why someone should seek out this particular advertiser to solve a specific problem.
     

  3. Call to Action
    Finally, the ad needs to evoke a response. This “call to action” can be as simple as listing a web site or the price of an item.
     

  4. Urgency
    One key item that is often overlooked in writing ads is creating urgency. Urgency can be created by limiting statements like “space is limited” or listing specific deadlines of the end of a sale.
     

  5. Focus
    It isn’t about you. The message is not about you – it’s about how you solve a problem for the prospect.
     

Bottom Line: Consistently track to see which selling messages get the most phone calls and translate into the highest number of sales. Ask callers to tell you what they identified most with in the commercial.

 

 

Writing compelling copy that induces sales is tricky and requires skills. If you’re doing it yourself, seek objective feedback. If the media you work with doesn’t have a dedicated commercial copywriter, consider hiring someone like Work Smarter to write the advertising for you. It’s a small price to pay for such a critical part to your advertising success.

 

Mistake #3: Too Little Too Late

 

If you’ve ‘tried advertising once and it didn’t work’ it’s often due to mistakes made in this area. Finding the right place to advertise and knowing how to purchase the advertising is critical.

 

Too Little: Research shows that people need to hear or see an ad a minimum of three times before they act. When I schedule ads for my clients, I put a concentration of ads in a narrow block of time (5 a.m. – 10 a.m.) instead of allowing ads to run as ‘broad rotators’ (5 a.m. – 8 p.m.). The equivalent in newspaper advertising is to place your ad in the same section of the newspaper each time.

 

Too Late: It takes time to fine tune the advertising process, so don’t wait until your business is in critical condition before you start advertising. In today’s economic climate people are also taking longer to make buying decisions. So while a percentage of the people are looking for your product or service today, most a not. That’s why it’s important to consistently advertise – to build awareness of your name so that when they are looking for your product or service, they call you!

 

Bottom Line: Advertising can provide a steady stream of leads to your business if done correctly. For more information or to discuss your specific needs, call Arleen McClean of Work Smarter at (503) 449-4830.

 

Let’s talk Networking!

 

Here is a little tidbit from me….

 

I believe networking is the most under-utilized tactic to grow business and open doors to new opportunities! Here are some common mistakes I observe that minimize any results networking efforts could produce.

 

  1. No clear value proposition.

  2. No expressed confidence, passion, or desire to serve.

  3. No follow up.

  4. Think networking is all about them.

  5. Lack of desire to connect.

  6. Don’t listen.

  7. Don’t ask questions.

  8. Talk too much.

  9. Inconsistent messages from business attire to collateral to verbal cues.

  10. No time for relationship building.
     

Sound like anyone you know? The secret to networking success is simply to flip the equation. People do business with those they know, like, and trust. Bring yourself to your networking activities. Don’t pull back!
 

Social Networking!
Speaking to those of you on the edge..dipping your toes. Can Social Networking work for you? Let’s see…
 

  • Do you build relationships and have conversations with your customers, prospects, and network?

  • Do you tap into others experience, resources, and ideas?

  • Do you make introductions to others?

  • Do you share your expertise one on one, in small groups, or in larger forums?

  • Do you have a website?
     

Then yes…it can work for you! Social networking is simply another set of tools to reach an extended group of people. The secret is in taking on the right tool, investing time to understand it’s impact and then maintaining it.
 

If you have not taken the plunge yet, start with completing your LinkedIn profile and inviting a few friends to join your network. This always stimulates some conversation.
 

  • Already on LinkedIn? Check out some of the questions and respond in the areas of your expertise.

  • A solopreneur or small business, check out Biznik.
     

Like you, I am tentatively reaching out into the arena of social networking to see where the best use of time can be found. What I am learning is that if you DON’T begin to build a presence online that extends beyond your website, you may be caught behind the curve.

 

In the end…it is all about time, money, and return on investment. Evaluate, maximize, and in the end…eliminate or add. Stop doing what doesn’t work and step up what does.

 

 

Business Truth: Adaptability = Longevity & Profitability

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What if we don’t adapt to the needs of the market? What then?

 

Many years ago I worked for a company in a management position. I enjoyed years of their growth and abundance in the market. The product was fairly easy to sell. The company easy to build. The owners were brilliant. The model seemed sound. The leadership was respected; something to be emulated and sought after. This was a multi-million dollar company with offices in multiple countries. Today, they no longer exist except as a memory for those of us who invested years of heart and energy into building their business while we established our own organizations.

 

What happened? The same thing that can happen to you unless you respond to the needs of the market as it exists today! They did not respond to a changing market. They hired outside branding “experts” which did not quite hit the mark. Sept. 11, 2001 hit compounding the challenge. Over time they became fear driven which trickled down to the sales team in the field. How did this happen? Was it ego, denial or an inability to adapt quickly that failed them? I don’t know. As an outsider at close range I offer the following insights that are eerily familiar in today’s economy.

 

Watch for these symptoms which, if not addressed, can kill you…or lose you quite a bit of momentum, opportunity, and profit.

 

  1. Fear causes confusion, paralysis or withdrawal from the market.
     

  2. Negative news and discussion is a distraction, which results in a lack of focus and exaggeration of current climate, which contributes to number 1.
     

  3. For newcomers, the perception of lack of opportunity or need creates a self destructive cycle of belief. If you are new to an industry or situation, you have no history or reference with which to measure or find assurance, doubt takes over and growth is handicapped.

 

Solutions:

 

 

  1. Don’t stop doing what you were doing. The vacuum that is created by the ebb of this market actually creates opportunity for those who are inclined to pursue it. Press into the openness created by your competitors withdrawal. This is a great space to collect on the marketing efforts of others.
     

  2. Turn off the TV and radio. Don’t listen to those who tell you how bad it is. Yes, it is true that some are losing their jobs, some industries are in a downturn….we quickly forget that even in a growth economy, these same discussions occur. The market has changed. That is true. If you want to stay in business, you will find a way to adapt.
     

  3. Adapt. Ask yourself, in your area of specialty, what is missing in this current economy that you can deliver? This may mean creating a new offering or pursuing a new niche. This is the time to gain laser focus rather than more generalization to capture market share.
     

  4. Take care of your current customers. They are unsure and fearful at this time too. Your confidence and connection will create loyalty, ongoing business, and referrals far beyond what you could imagine. All you have to do is keep in touch.

 

These solutions work whether you sell a product or service. Your customers, prospects, and network want to see you as secure, confident, and focused…not doubtful, hesitant, and inconsistent. Don’t hide or withdraw…this causes prospects, customers, and your network to withdraw from you. Instead, embrace. Step forward. Reach out. Reach out…not to sell, but rather to serve. Calm fears. Answer questions. You will be amazed at the response.

 

For some of you, this may be the time to reinvent yourself or adjust your business model… or get back to the basics and update your strategic plan. In every market change there is great opportunity. One of the benefits of being a small business is our ability to quickly adjust.

 

Instead of looking at this time as a period to cut back, withdraw, shore up…View this as an opportunity to focus with laser sharpness on your customers, ideal prospects, on investments that gain you return (whether time or money) and carry this practice forward as your business grows! These are smart business practices!

 

Are you ready to shift gears, step forward and grasp what is waiting for you?

 

Define your Terms to Create More Sales

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Along my personal development journey I learned the value of defining terms. I use my personal story to illustrate the value of defining terms both personally and professionally.

 

I spent most of my life talking about how “hard” things were. And they were hard! I was a single mother at 22, survived a near fatal auto accident that left me with a handicap at 23, not to mention the other life stuff that goes on every day when you are working hard to make a living and raise a family.

 

 

An amazing thing happened when I redefined the word hard. It’s curious…when I asked myself if my life was truly hard I had to admit, others had it much rougher than I did. What I discovered in truth is that I had some “challenges”. There were some activities that were “difficult” for me. I did have to exert a little more effort to get things done…but I could do them.

 

In that discovery I had an “Aha” moment…I could work with challenges and difficulty but hard things were just plain hard…and my speaking it made things even harder. So, I changed my vocabulary. When I would have habitually described a situation as “hard”, I began replacing the word with a true statement. My attitude changed and, I swear, life got easier.

 

When it comes to doing business, I believe defining terms has been instrumental in building a profitable growing consulting practice, serving my clients, and creating business development curriculum’s.

 

For example, early on in my career I redefined selling.

 

Old definition: Selling is convincing someone to buy something they didn’t need.

 

New definition: Selling is serving customers by discovering and matching a true need with a valuable solution.

 

When I quit trying to “sell” my customers and instead focused on serving, exchanging valuable information and connecting them to resources my sales increased immediately. Of course, I had to complete the sales process by creating an opportunity to purchase but that wasn’t the end game…just part of serving.

 

Same thing with networking.

 

Old , old definition: Networking is schmoozing and positioning.

 

Old, new definition: Networking is relationship building, connecting people to people, and perfect elevator pitches.

 

New definition: Networking is a strategic marketing activity intended to increase exposure, build credibility, and create opportunities in addition to generating leads.

 

What I began to view my networking in light of the bigger picture, my sales increased exponentially. As a matter of fact I doubled my sales in one year using this new definition. Achieving this led me to clearly see and define another type of valuable networking activity; networking to build professional relationships or strategic partnerships.

 

Check this for yourself. How do you define these terms? Is it working for you?

 

Happy Networking!.