Archive for February, 2010
As an entrepreneur you may hear a lot about networking and wonder what all the hubbub is about. Networking, both online and off, is a wonderful way to build connections in your industry. It's a terrific way to increase awareness, build your customer base and ultimately boost your profits. However, you probably know that already. What you may not know is that networking is also a wonderful way to motivate yourself.
Impress Them
Networking pushes you to be at your absolute best. If you’re putting forth the effort to network, you’ll want to stand out. So when you communicate with the public, strive to make your first impression peerless, by being ready, willing and able to give them an informative and inspirational pitch about your business.
Connections Count
You never know where you'll meet your next business partner, a superior customer or one of those coveted 'Paul Revere type' of individuals who spreads news faster than CNN. If you meet a 'Paul Revere' and can get them excited about your business, you’ve just launched your business into a whole new arena.
Moves You Forward
Because networking is usually a scheduled event, it accomplishes two things. It drives you to prepare before you head to the website or event. And it pushes you too put some serious thought into how you present yourself both online and off. Networking forces you to think about your business, where it’s going, what your future plans are, and how you want to be perceived.
Ideas Ignited
For most people, networking with other successful people sparks their competitive spirit. We see other successful people and think, “If they can do that, so can I.” We hear great ideas, product launches, marketing tactics and business strategies and we think, “How can I do this too? Hearing the stories of others is very motivating!
Mindset Shifts
Finally, networking both online and off (though online networking can be done in your pajamas with unruly hair and un-brushed teeth) makes us feel and act more professionally. For the most part, the simple act of being a professional makes us feel more professional. We start to feel less like a person who works at home in their pajamas and more like a business person, a CEO, and most importantly, a successful entrepreneur.
Deanna Maio, Business Coach & Consultant, teaches women business owners how to attract more clients, make more sales, stop wasting time, and create a business that acts as a vehicle for living the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to increase your income and client base in your business, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
Imagine you went to an auto mechanic, and he told you he was going to lift the hood of your car, shine a light around, and move some parts up and down. Does this sound like a service you would pay for? Of course not. What you want to hear from the mechanic is that he will fix your car. If you're not telling clients about the results your work produces and the benefits they will get from it, they will never see the value of it.
Market the results of your work, not the process you use
If you were in my profession of business coaching, and someone asked you, "What is coaching?" you would be unlikely to enroll a client by saying, "We meet by phone for half an hour each week and talk about your goals." That's just the process - where's the value? A slightly better answer might be to say, "Coaching is a process for helping you get what you want." Now you are stating some value. But an even better answer would be not to market "coaching" at all, but instead to market higher earnings, improved selling skills, or more fulfilling work. You would respond not with a definition, but with a statement of benefits: "I help my clients learn to make more money with less effort."
Offer Results, Not Services
Instead of offering tax preparation, an accountant could invite you to "save money on taxes." Instead of selling logo design, a graphic designer could suggest "get your business noticed." Rather than proposing a company retreat, a trainer could promise "improved teamwork and cooperation." Whenever possible, market benefits your clients can place a dollar value on. You're asking them to write you a check, so if they can't see a monetary benefit, they are much less likely to do it. In a corporate environment, talk about improved productivity or employee retention. With individuals, describe the benefits of a healthier lifestyle or better relationships. People need to see your service as the answer to an essential need they have. If you allow it to be something that's just nice to have, you will either limit your market to clients with a budget for luxuries, or you'll limit your rate to only what people will pay for something that's nice but they don't really need.
Homework: Try this over the next week!
Sit down with paper and pencil, at your keyboard, or with a voice recorder, and list out all of the results your clients result after working with you. Be as specific as possible. Extra credit if you call a past client and ask them what results they got after working with you! Consider financial, health, relationship, personal development, and business improvements. Extra, extra credit if you can use mathematical or measurable facts (i.e., for a business coach, "increased income 600%"; for a massage therapist, "reduced pain by 30%", etc.)
Deanna Maio, Certified Business Coach & Consultant, teaches women business owners how to stop wasting time, start making more money, and create a business that acts as a vehicle for living the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to increase your income and client base in your business, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
How can you confidently respond when someone makes a request you'd prefer not to accommodate? The question has just been posed. Pause. Was your inclination to say yes, even though there's a voice deep down saying "no." Well, let's raise the volume on that voice. What possible reasons could there be for saying no?
- It's beyond your means?
- It's beyond your comfort level?
- You have no interest?
Identify all the reasons you have for saying "no." Identify which stem from a lack of confidence, versus a sincere disinterest in fulfilling the request. What would happen if you said yes? Perhaps:
- You would be considered agreeable
- It would make your friends/colleagues/significant other happy
- Your visibility with your prospects, referral partners, or clients would be improved
It's comes down to a simple cost/benefit really. Would the discomfort involved in saying yes outweigh the benefits of possibly going along with the request? Or, do the benefits outweigh your temporary discomforts?
The role of guilt
Saying "no" is hard for many of us. Guilt often comes into play. Whether this guilt has its foundation in religion, a proper upbringing, or a worldview that simply says "it's not nice to say no", we often recognize it and make decisions we'd rather not be making, based upon it.
Saying "NO"
You've made the decision, after scientifically weighing the results of your cost/benefit analysis, do honestly say "NO". Well, go ahead and say it clearly, and self-assuredly...in the mirror. Look yourself in the eye, and do it. Just say "NO." Say it like you really mean it, and then say it again as you would to whomever made the request of you. When you pretend you're speaking to the person who made the request, does it come out differently? Practice and experiment with different ways to say "NO" until you find one you're comfortable with. Then go, and say "NO."
After you say "NO"
If you're used to giving in to others, then guess what? After all that practice, you may just be surprised to find that they are not willing to accept it! They may push, rephrase the question, or make a new, not altogether different, request. Be prepared for this! Know your boundary - what ARE you willing to do? Revisit the questions you asked yourself before - what would happen if you said no, or yes? If you are serious about saying "NO" then stick to your guns. Tell the individual making the request that you would appreciate it if they respected your wishes, and ask them to refrain from pursuing it further. If you are comfortable expressing your "reasons why" then do so speaking from your personal perspective. "No." is a complete sentence and you don't have to share reasons why if you don't want to.
Tips on how to say your "NO!"
The "Wet lettuce NO"
If you are going to say NO, you must say it in a way that means NO! Saying NO in a quiet, unassuming voice is like a hand shake that is floppy and limp. By saying NO in a non-confident manner it will make you feel as though you have got to convince the other person about your decision and the reasons why you have said it!
The "Mr Angry NO"
This is at the other end of the spectrum in how to say NO. It is done in an aggressive manner and usually said with contempt. It is not an effective way to communicate your NO. Here are a couple of examples:
- "NO. I'm not doing that rubbish. You've got to be joking aren't you"
- "NO. I wouldn't lower myself to do that piece of work"
The assertive NO
This is the best way to say NO! In a firm, yet polite voice say: "No. I will not be able to do that for you." Also, if you want to say the reasons why, keep it short and sweet. "No. I will not be able to do that for you. I will be having my hair done at that time."
Use effective body language
When saying NO remember the power of non-verbal communication:
- Look the person in the eye when you say the NO.
- Shake your head at the same time as saying NO.
- Stand up tall.
- Use a firm tone in your voice.
When all is said and done
Don't forget that when anyone asks a question of you, you are perfectly OK to say, "Can I think about that and get back to you". No-one should be pressured into giving an immediate answer, even if the delay is only a couple of minutes. It will give you some time to think it through and to gather your thoughts. It will also give you some time to think about how you are going to say it, the words to use and your body language.
Saying NO exercise
Practice makes perfect, as they say! What I would like you to do for the next 7 days is to start to say NO more often. So whether it is the double glazing salesman, the cold call, "Would you like fries with that" or the shop assistant - practice saying NO to one person for at least the next 7 days. You will be an expert come the end of the week! What will happen? You will feel much more confident and proud. You will find that practice makes perfect and the more you confidently say "NO" the easier it becomes. Others will respect your wishes and take you seriously the first time you say "NO." You won't find yourself doing things you never wanted to do in the first place. You'll have more time to focus on the things you do want to be involved in. The list goes on from there.
Deanna Maio, Certified Business Coach & Consultant, teaches women business owners how to stop wasting time, start making more money, and create a business that acts as a vehicle for living the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to increase your income and client base in your business, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
Choosing a niche helps you stand out from the crowd. Another way you may be preventing yourself from getting clients is refusing to choose a niche for your business or private practice. I know, I know, you don't want to limit yourself. But the truth is that having a niche doesn't limit you; it focuses you. If a client shows up at your door, of course you can choose to work with them, regardless of whether they fit into your niche. But to be effective at marketing, you need some kind of organizing principle for your outreach activities.
The universe is too big to market to all of it
Choose a niche and become known for it. Considering the metaphor that marketing is like a water system, not having a niche is like running all over town to different water faucets instead of coming back to the same one each time. Even if you do have a bucket instead of a drinking glass, it's inefficient. And worse, you might not even be able to find the faucets in all those unfamiliar places. Not having a niche means that attracting clients is impossible. You must spend all your time pursuing clients; there's nothing that brings them to you.
What's a Niche?
Your niche can be a target market, a specialty or both. For example, your target market might be "executive women" or "high-tech companies." Your specialty could be "career transition" or "productivity improvement." Having both a target market and a specialty to define your niche is ideal, e.g. "executive women in career transition," or "productivity improvement for high-tech companies." When you identify a niche that works for you, you can become known in that niche. That way, clients start calling you. Usually, you begin by networking in your niche and ultimately graduate to writing, speaking, or teaching to establish yourself as an expert. Keep in mind that networking is not just going to a room and exchanging business cards; it's creating a pool of contacts from which you can draw clients, referrals, resources, ideas, and information.
Make Connections
You don't have to wait for word of mouth within your niche; you can create it, by actively reaching out to others who are either in your niche themselves or serve your niche by what they do. For example if your niche is helping small business owners become financially successful, certainly you want to network with entrepreneurs and self-employed professionals. But you should also get to know accountants, small business attorneys, staff at entrepreneurship centers, career counselors, psychotherapists, business bankers, newsletter editors, merchant card providers... anyone who comes in contact with your niche on a daily basis. Meet with them, call them, write to them, write for them, speak to them, and teach them.
Following the first rule of choosing a few simple things to do and doing them consistently, this is completely within your grasp if you focus on one narrowly defined niche. If you leave your niche too broad or try to "cheat" by having several niches, your client universe becomes too large and you are once again spread too thin.
Homework: Try this over the next week!
Connect with one person in your niche or target market; ask them about their pains, problems, challenges, desires, and dreams. Every time you talk with someone in your niche, it's like conducting free market research - the information you learn can be used to create new products and services, prepare marketing materials, and demonstrate in conversation that you know what they're dealing with. When you understand your niche, you'll be seen as an expert, and your phone will start ringing off the hook.
Deanna Maio, Certified Business Coach & Consultant, teaches women business owners how to stop wasting time, start making more money, and create a business that acts as a vehicle for living the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to increase your income and client base in your business, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
If there's one thing I hear from clients, friends, family, and heck, just people I meet it's that they want more confidence. Maybe it's more confidence in themselves, in their marketing skills, when they present or speak in front of a group, when they are preparing to have a 'sales' conversation with a prospect, or before talking with someone they really admire or respect. So, here are 10 quick and practical methods to increase your confidence, starting today. Here we go:
- Think about someone who is confident and act, talk and walk like him or her. Model their mannerisms and behavior. It works for them; it will work for you.
- Smile a lot more. That doesn’t mean putting a silly grin on your face! But smile when you walk down the street, when you meet people and generally be happier even if you’re not feeling that way.
- Learn from the past; don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s gone; it’s never coming back. Instead learn from it for next time.
- Buy yourself some new clothes, get your hair done, treat yourself to something new. It will make you feel better and will give your ego a boost.
- Are you prepared for situations? Are you prepared enough to meet any challenge that may come up? Are you prepared for that meeting, that presentation, that job interview, when you meet someone for the first time? If not, what are you waiting for? Get to it.
- Play to your strengths. Know what you are good at and expose yourself to these opportunities at every opportunity – because you’re good at it, you’ll enjoy it and have more confidence.
- Delegate your weaknesses. Know and appreciate what these are and find others who love to do this work (and are probably better at it than you are, anyway) Hire a specialist, outsource to a virtual assistant, a member of your team, or ask a friend to help.
- Learn how to say no to people. Don’t be afraid, you’ve got nothing to be afraid of. Just watch the reaction on their face after you’ve said it the first time and there will be no going back.
- Be positive. Look on the “can do” side of things rather than the “can’t do”. You’ve accomplished lots in your life and you will accomplish lots more in the future.
- Be in charge of your thoughts at all times. What is a thought? It’s just a question that you’ve asked yourself and the thought is you’re answer. If you’re thinking negative thoughts, you’re probably asking a negative question. Change the questions to be more positive.
Deanna Maio, Business Development Strategist & Speaker, teaches women business owners how to grow their business significantly while still having time to live a great life. For FREE tips on how to get more results without working harder, attract more clients, and grow your profits, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
Consistency is Key
Why is it that some consultants, coaches, and other independent professionals have all the business they need, while others struggle by with only a few clients? Is there a hidden secret no one is telling you? The answer may be simpler than you think. In this special report, you will discover three things you may be doing now that can actually prevent you from getting clients, how the Persistence Effect can liberate your marketing, and one simple habit you can begin today that may bring you all the clients you will ever need.
WHEN LESS BECOMES MORE
It's easy to think there is some hidden secret to marketing your business or professional practice. There are so many books to read, classes to take, and mentors, coaches, and consultants you could hire that it makes the process seem mysterious or overwhelming. But there is a simple answer and it's the first of five secrets I'm going to share with you.
Choose a set of simple, effective things to do and do them consistently
The real key to successful marketing is picking just a few simple, effective things to do and then doing those things consistently. This is how you can build your business more quickly by doing less. Imagine that you were trying to fill a water barrel with a drinking glass. You would have to make trip after trip, going back to the faucet over and over. In marketing, this is like doing a little bit of networking, some haphazard follow-up, trying to get some publicity, giving a talk, buying a booth at a trade show, placing an ad, then writing an article... Instead, why not use a bucket to fill your barrel? You can carry more water while making fewer trips. Instead of spreading yourself thin with a dozen different marketing strategies, you could simply do some networking with consistent follow-up, give some talks and follow up with those you meet, and that would be it, just three strategies: networking, public speaking, and following up. Your barrel fills faster, and you're less tired. Trying to do too much is one of the ways you may be sabotaging your own marketing efforts. Stop-and-start marketing can actually prevent you from getting clients. It wears you out running back and forth. You never spend enough energy on any one approach to really make a difference, but instead you make yourself less efficient and effective in all areas.
Deanna Maio, Certified Business Coach & Consultant, teaches women business owners how to stop wasting time, start making more money, and create a business that acts as a vehicle for living the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to increase your income and client base in your business, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
Strategy One: Set an Intention
Immediately after waking, spend two to three minutes in bed thinking of five adjectives or traits that you want to embody that day. Then phrase them in statements like: I am a great coach. I am patient. I am joyful. I am confident. I am fearless. Setting an intention gives us focus and gets us on track to being who we want to be with greater and greater frequency.
Strategy Two: Write Morning Pages
After getting coffee, tea, water and maybe visiting the little girls room, get your journal or notebook and start writing morning pages. Morning pages are three hand written pages of anything that comes to your head. Julia Cameron suggests morning pages in her book, The Artist's Way. Compare this to your morning shower; it gets the cobwebs out gets your brain, get's the juices flowing, and gets you ready for the day.
Strategy Three: Eat Breakfast
I know I know, you already know this one. But, seriously, you wouldn't expect your car to run without fuel so why do you expect your body to run without the fuel it needs? Eat something small but healthy if you are in a hurry. Perhaps a piece of fruit, hard boiled egg, a handful of nuts, or something with a little carbohydrates so you've got some energy to start your day.
Strategy Four: Work from a Task List
Before you do anything, make a list of everything you would like to accomplish that day and put it into priority order. Creating a task list gives you focus and helps you to avoid distractions during your day. As new tasks come up, just write those items at the bottom of the list or you can choose to re-prioritize at that time.
Strategy Five: Eat That Frog
Brian Tracy, world famous sales guru, said that if you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first. This is another way of saying that if you have two important tasks before you, start with the biggest, hardest, and most important task first. Discipline yourself to begin immediately and then to persist until the task is complete before you go on to something else. Do your 'frog task' immediately after writing your list. Do it before listening to voice mails. Do it before checking emails. Do it before opening up the web browser and reading the news. Do it first. Do it immediately. You will feel a huge boost of productivity right away!
Strategy Six: Check Email Only at Pre-identified Times
Check your email at certain times during your day. Don't keep your email open all day long and don't answer emails right as they come in. You'll find your productivity reduced greatly because you stop one thing and pick up another too much. Try instead to check in the morning, midday, and later that afternoon OR better yet, have a virtual assistant or intern manage your inbox and sort your messages into "Needs Action", "Read", or "Archive" folders.
Strategy Seven: Review Tomorrow's Schedule Today
Every evening review your schedule for the next day and take a look at your tasks list. Identify the most important task you need to accomplish the next day. Review your schedule so that you know what is going on, where you need to be and when, and with whom you are going to be interacting.
If you do these seven things each and every workday, you will find you get more done, have less stress, and enjoy work a whole lot more! This week, just try implementing one of the these and see your results skyrocket. Let me know how it goes, I'd love to hear your successes.
Deanna Maio, Business Development Strategist & Speaker, teaches women business owners how to grow their business significantly while still having time to live a great life. For FREE tips on how to get more results without working harder, attract more clients, and grow your profits, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
I know the things I could be doing for my business to keep it growing and successful -- the programs I can't wait to share with my clients, or the affordable products I want to develop. Very exciting stuff, I agree. I can even see the end result in my mind, the money I want to earn, and the number of people I want to reach. But, boy, does it get hard sometimes. For example, I can get bogged down by daily demands that don't really get me to my goals. Or, I get discouraged because I'm not where I want to be. Sometimes it seems so far off, doesn't it? So, what do I do in these dark and distracting times? -- Two simple you know already, dear reader! Yes, they are called Self-Discipline and Persistence. Today we'll examine them to help refresh your memory and remind you of what you already know, and I hope, spark you to take some new action to integrate them more fully into your business.
Self-Discipline: Do You Want to Control Your Destiny?
Building self-discipline takes practice, especially with long-term goals. I know I'm impatient. I want what I want and I wanted it yesterday. Yet things must run their course and some things just take time to develop. Yet, I have to make my plans stay on track and that is directly connected to what I choose to do each day to make it all happen. That's the essence of self-discipline, to make a conscious decision in how I want to control my destiny.
Pause here for a moment:
- Think about how you want to make your own destiny. Go through the business goals you have for yourself, especially for this new year.
- Imagine the choices you'll make from now on as you encounter obstacles, distractions, and temptations.
- Break up your long-term goals into smaller, more manageable mini-goals that you can celebrate each time you achieve every one.
But how do you keep going and going when you start getting tired and are losing your wind? It seems no end is in sight. Things don't seem to be changing even with the conscious choices you've made. This is when you must persevere!
Persistence = One Sexy Tortoise
Persistence is a mental game with yourself. You have to remind yourself why you are doing what you are doing even though it's not fun or downright anxiety-inducing. Dangle the carrot of good things coming to you because of what you're putting in. Don't forget to give kudos where kudos is due -- great job! Feeling stuck? Are you sure you're stuck, or are you simply not allowing your actions time to bear fruit? If you see a certain action is not working after all, it's okay to change tactics, to try something new. As a famous general said, "We're not retreating, we're just advancing in a different direction."
Some Closing Thoughts
When you know you have to wait for the results from all your effort, it can be an agony. It can be an uncertain period, and this is where hanging onto your goals becomes so important so that they can make your vision for your business a reality. Then, you can continue on for another day. Let me leave you with another inspiring quote from a wise Chinese saying, "If there is no dark and dogged will, there will be no shining accomplishment; if there is no dull and determined effort, there will be no brilliant achievement."
Deanna Maio, Business Development Strategist & Speaker, teaches women business owners how to grow their business significantly while still having time to live a great life. For FREE tips on how to get more results without working harder, attract more clients, and grow your profits, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
You probably know them well. Time Takers are the emotional parasites that steal your time and energy and give nothing in return. They are negative, usually depressing people who will bring you down. They don't understand the meaning of give and take relationships, and will take and take and take until there's nothing left. Then they'll move onto someone else.
There is no need to blame or confront these people yet. Just identify these people, whether they be in your business or your personal life, and start to cut them out of your life or avoid them at all costs. They should be easy to recognize. They are usually contacting you for favors on a regular basis, promising you things and not delivering, and then not coming through for you if you ever ask for something from them.
If you're not careful you could wind up wasting precious time, energy and money on these people, so ignore them, avoid them and start to see them coming before they have a chance to enter your life.
Deanna Maio, Business Development Strategist & Speaker, teaches women business owners how to grow their business significantly while still having time to live a great life. For FREE tips on how to get more results without working harder, attract more clients, and grow your profits, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
It's the word that most entrepreneurs have a hard time saying. It's the word NO.
For various reasons we find ourselves saying YES way too often, to our vendors, to our friends, to our clients and many others. This is a drain on our time because we usually don't consider what's involved when we are asked for something that deals with our time. The end result is normally not good. We get bombarded with things that have nothing to do with making a profit and we end up putting our money making plans on hold until we can accommodate all the YES answers we've handed out. Plus, it's draining. All of the tasks you now must do just saps all of your energy and you're left with little motivation for the things that matter. Instead, try saying NO more often. You don't even have to give a reason. Just say "sorry, I can't do that right now." Or try the YES, NO, YES approach which goes something like: "Yes, I'd love to do that, but I can't right now, so could you come back to me another time and I'll do my best to take care of it then?" This makes people think you're not summarily dismissing their request and leaves the door open for future help down the road. Another way to say NO is to avoid having a knee-jerk YES reaction to anything that comes along.
Practice saying NO to almost everything so you start getting used to how it feels. It may be awkward at first, and you may annoy some people, but when you realize how much time you'll save it will become second nature.
Deanna Maio, Business Development Strategist & Speaker, teaches women business owners how to grow their business significantly while still having time to live a great life. For FREE tips on how to get more results without working harder, attract more clients, and grow your profits, visit http://www.savvygals.com/
