Working our way back

Why are so many small business owners scared of "selling" it seems to strike fear into the hearts of otherwise sane human beings. It also seems that for small business owners it's about selling being a necessary evil.
Unless this state of mind changes it will always be a problem - think about it you set up in business because you believed that you were really good a something, it does not matter what that something is, now you don't feel confident in telling anyone about it with passion. That's all selling really is... finding out what your prospect wants and finding out if your product or service will do that for them if it does then for gods sake tell them what you believe it will do. Shyness is not an attractive quality in anything but small pet rodents. Be confident and moreover be proud of what you can do for your clients. Tell them what you have done for others in the same situation as them and there you have it... You are a salesperson.
Keep the faith!

Keeping your customers happy take note

• How are customer and client perceptions and expectations created, understand the real facts and how you can make a difference
• What keeps the customer or client happy, know how to find out what they think is important
• Find the golden key to developing exceptional customer and client relations
• Use non verbal signals and body behaviour to get the best results
• How to build rapport quickly and easily — even the ‘difficult’ ones
• The myths of rapport building, and what REALLY works
• See why false rapport (manipulation) doesn’t work in the long term
• Learn how to make sure your customers clients 'feel' they get what they want
• Change your customer or client perceptions and your own to achieve greater impact and effect
• Find their ‘hot’ buttons, press the right ones and avoid the wrong ones!
• You treat your customer or client as an individual, but does it work for them?
• What are they really saying. Find out why most people have trouble finding out
• How much information can your customer or client deal with, how much keeps them happy , and how do you package it best

It don't happen if you don't make it!

1 - Write it downIf you don't write down your goal many things will happen. It will change slightly every time you think about it and as it changes it will move a little further away from actually being accomplished. In Project Management this is called Scope creep or Feature Creep whatever you call it it is the death of many projects and many more good indented goals.

2 - Put dates on it not just timelinesOften, so often I cant' even count how often, people set timelines with their goals, thinking it is a good thing. Only setting a timeline, not actual dates, is just one step away from saying "someday". When you make a goal put real dates on it. e.g. "On July 10th I will have [goal] done." or, "By noon I will have [pebble goal] done". If you just say "in a month" then that month will never start.

3 - Visualize itGet yourself in a quiet place and think about your goal, what does it feel like to have achieved that goal? How do you feel about yourself? Keep these feelings. I tell my daughters to imagine a chest with many drawers, now take that feeling, open a drawer and put that feeling in the drawer, (third drawer on the second row). Now you can bring it back anytime you want to, just imagine your chest and open the drawer. Feeling off target or down about where you are going? Open a drawer and bask in that feeling again. you will be amazed how quickly it gets you back on track

4 - Tell Someone elseGuilt is good. Well not all guilt but you can use guilt in your favor. Tell someone about your goal. Tell lots of people about your goal. You will find this does a couple of things, it makes you think about your goal, and what you think about happens. It also gets other folks asking you how you are coming on that goal. You will want to have something to say to them so you will find yourself taking action on your goal so you have something to report. On top of all that when you tell people about your really big goals, and they start to see you accomplishing them they will be amazed by how much you get done. This positive reinforcement for your accomplishments sets up a positive feedback loop and you want to accomplish more.

5 - Set pebble goals"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." Everyone has heard this quip but how often are you overwhelmed by a large project or some unimaginable goal and you get paralyzed by the sheer size of it? Well Don't worry about the whole thing. Chip the big goal down into little goals, pebble goals. Pebble goals are great because they keep you motivated along the way. Break your big goal into three or four main pieces, then take the first one of those and break it down into little pieces, and so on until you get to a point where you have little goals that can be accomplished in a day or two. Keep a list of the pebbles so you can move on to the next one once you have completed one. And most important, Celebrate your accomplishments. These are small goals but you need to celebrate them they mark progress toward your larger goal, you have moved forward be sure to celebrate!

6 - Measure itPeter F. Drucker said, "What gets measured, gets managed." and this is true of your goals as well. by breaking it town in to little pieces you will have milestones you can measure and celebrate. Measure your progress along the line and you will find encouragement through the accomplishment.

7 - Take ActionThe fact of the matter is most people don't accomplish their goals because they don't even bother to start. There are a million reasons not to do something. Do it any way. with little pebble goals you can take small actions that add up to big payoffs. but if you don't take action nothing will get done. You can't wait for everything to be ready. That time will never come. If you wait for all the lights to be green at once between LA and New York you will never step on the gas.

1 - Write it downIf you don't write down your goal many things will happen. It will change slightly every time you think about it and as it changes it will move a little further away from actually being accomplished. In Project Management this is called Scope creep or Feature Creep whatever you call it it is the death of many projects and many more good indented goals.

2 - Put dates on it not just timelinesOften, so often I cant' even count how often, people set timelines with their goals, thinking it is a good thing. Only setting a timeline, not actual dates, is just one step away from saying "someday". When you make a goal put real dates on it. e.g. "On July 10th I will have [goal] done." or, "By noon I will have [pebble goal] done". If you just say "in a month" then that month will never start.

3 - Visualize itGet yourself in a quiet place and think about your goal, what does it feel like to have achieved that goal? How do you feel about yourself? Keep these feelings. I tell my daughters to imagine a chest with many drawers, now take that feeling, open a drawer and put that feeling in the drawer, (third drawer on the second row). Now you can bring it back anytime you want to, just imagine your chest and open the drawer. Feeling off target or down about where you are going? Open a drawer and bask in that feeling again. you will be amazed how quickly it gets you back on track

4 - Tell Someone elseGuilt is good. Well not all guilt but you can use guilt in your favor. Tell someone about your goal. Tell lots of people about your goal. You will find this does a couple of things, it makes you think about your goal, and what you think about happens. It also gets other folks asking you how you are coming on that goal. You will want to have something to say to them so you will find yourself taking action on your goal so you have something to report. On top of all that when you tell people about your really big goals, and they start to see you accomplishing them they will be amazed by how much you get done. This positive reinforcement for your accomplishments sets up a positive feedback loop and you want to accomplish more.

5 - Set pebble goals"How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." Everyone has heard this quip but how often are you overwhelmed by a large project or some unimaginable goal and you get paralyzed by the sheer size of it? Well Don't worry about the whole thing. Chip the big goal down into little goals, pebble goals. Pebble goals are great because they keep you motivated along the way. Break your big goal into three or four main pieces, then take the first one of those and break it down into little pieces, and so on until you get to a point where you have little goals that can be accomplished in a day or two. Keep a list of the pebbles so you can move on to the next one once you have completed one. And most important, Celebrate your accomplishments. These are small goals but you need to celebrate them they mark progress toward your larger goal, you have moved forward be sure to celebrate!

6 - Measure itPeter F. Drucker said, "What gets measured, gets managed." and this is true of your goals as well. by breaking it town in to little pieces you will have milestones you can measure and celebrate. Measure your progress along the line and you will find encouragement through the accomplishment.

7 - Take ActionThe fact of the matter is most people don't accomplish their goals because they don't even bother to start. There are a million reasons not to do something. Do it any way. with little pebble goals you can take small actions that add up to big payoffs. but if you don't take action nothing will get done. You can't wait for everything to be ready. That time will never come. If you wait for all the lights to be green at once between LA and New York you will never step on the gas.

Get your clients to pay you to advertise your business

We can log this one under the "strange but true" heading. We spend a lot of money both asking for referrals and promoting ourselves and it does not always give us payback!
We all have loads of potential customers who cannot yet afford what we do or are not in a position to make the best of it if they could. Sell them something small but useful to them that gives them a taste of what you could do for them if you had the chance on the explicit understanding that they should sing your praises at every opportunity - social or business
Getting yourself noticed by giving away something for free go hand in hand.
Sometimes we have to teach our future customers and clients just what it is we do of value.

Home Searching and Business Services

Unfortunately I am now looking for somewhere else to live and you know how it is... all the stuff you have accumulated over the past few years seems to have reached gigantic proportions with boxes and boxes of crap ready for the skip.
It is high time to spring clean our stuff and our business minds at the same moment. How much crap is in your head at the moment. Credit Crunch, House reposessions up and all that and business still seems to go on.
Clear it out and look at the new opportunities that exist all around you. There is only a recession in our minds. I love it when the press proudly announces that "£120 billion was wiped off the value of companies today" can they tell me where it has gone? no of course not because it didn't really exist in the first place. The stock market runs on rumour and emotion. If that is really the case are we right to leave our pensions in the hands of a bunch of uptight emotional degenerates who mix up rumours for lies...
Look to your own destiny. These big loss announcements are, they tell us, a reflection of confidence. When was the last time you were given money just because you were confident?
Spring clean and really lighten your load and clear out all the crap you have been fed over the past few months if you don't want it to happen it won't.

Road Warrior?

Sat here in Mcdonalds using the free wifi seems a good way to start the day.
It got me to thinking that in business we should all be adding value to our customers and clients which goes above and beyond... Yeah yeah heard it all before!
But think what can you add to your current offeriing whiich has nothing to do with your core stuff and everything to do with what your clients want. How about free and open wi-fi in your offices and reception and if you are feeling really flush throw in a latte or two. I know that you might just get a contact who can help you in the near future. Go on try giving something different FREE.

How Much?

Third attempt at getting this one up...
I see many clients on a weekly basis and I can categorically state that nearly every one of them must feel sorry for their customers - so sorry in fact they charge them so little it's hardly worth being in business. You started up in business because you believed that someone out there would pay you for your skill or product then you undermine your offering by putting the wrong price on it.
Just stop and think. It's now time to review your prices and put them UP!!
I recently sat with a client who after working through the basic figures found out he was charging less than his car mechanic but with much higher overheads.
People do want what you have to offer and if you are too cheap you undermine yourself. Pricing right is so important that you do need to understand it and if you don't then get help from someone who does...
Have the confidence to value what you do - if you don't who the hell else will!