Author: Ethan Theo

Abe WalkingBear Sanchez is an International Speaker / Trainer / Consultant on the subject of cash flow / sales enhancement and business knowledge organization and use. Founder and President of www.armg-usa.com, WalkingBear has authored hundreds of business articles, has worked with numerous companies in a wide range of industries since 1982 and has spoken at many venues including the Shakespeare Globe Theater in London.

Categories
Starting Up

How to Finish the Projects You Start and Grow Your Start-up

Article Contributed by Rigdha Acharya

Entrepreneurs, by nature, are great initiators. Think about it: You get hit by an idea and then set out to make that idea a reality. That’s what entrepreneurship is all about and that’s also why most entrepreneurs are haunted by unfinished tasks, enormous stress and dwindling profits.

You see, in order to grow your business and become successful, it is important to learn how to finish the projects you start so you can close more deals and bring in more profits. Unfinished ideas harm more than just your bottom line. Each new idea is like a new commitment, and commitments that are not kept put additional strain on you, as well as waste massive amounts of time.

Look at it this way; do you have a social media account that is collecting dust? How long did it take you to create that account? Wouldn’t you agree that the time spent on a proven strategy would have produced actual revenue?

The reality is most entrepreneurs have at least 10 half-done projects sitting on the shelf everyday amounting to nothing but wasted time, energy and resources because half done projects do not produce revenue.

Here’s what causes unfinished tasks, unnecessary headaches and lost profits for entrepreneurs:

1.       Tasks get boring: Even the most interesting ideas get dull after a while.

2.       Too much to do: Having too much work paralyzes you, preventing you from getting anything done.

3.       Poor time management: Procrastination, distraction, overwork and lack of focus make a deadly recipe.

These 3 prevents business owners from reaching their full potential and earning the money they deserve.

However, there is hope. If you find yourself constantly battling against the idea bug, you can win by countering each of the above factors by applying these 3 proven strategies.

1. Measure your progress

Measuring your progress helps you fight boredom and lack of motivation when a project takes too long or doesn’t go in the planned direction. Create small milestones and celebrate when you pass each one. This will keep you excited and keen.

When you start out with a project that is especially tough to wade through, make a few goals that are easy to meet. For instance, if you’re struggling with a new brochure, one of your milestones can be selecting a font for the headline. This is small and simple compared to writing the content of the brochure. This milestone will get you moving and once you have momentum, it is easier to tackle the more challenging parts of the task.

2. Be objective about new opportunities

Small businesses are restricted by the amount of resources available. By this definition, there is always going to be too much to do and very few resources with which to do it. This requires you to develop an objective eye for new opportunities.

Look at each new opportunity and ask yourself if it will really help you achieve your goals. If it will, try to note it down and return to it after you finish your current undertaking. Just remember, a project delivered is more powerful than ten projects in production.

3. Learn how to manage your time more effectively

Lack of proper time management is a vicious circle. It can cause overwhelming stress, which increases the tendency to quit something before seeing results. This, in turn, leaves you with even more stress. Learn how to prioritize, reduce distraction and plan your day more efficiently to increase the chances of finishing everything you start.

Create small 45 minute blocks of focused time where you can focus on the project at hand and keep a notebook with you so can note any ideas or distractions that occur during the time block. As you get better with managing distractions, you can increase your time block to 60 or 90 minutes. This level of focus will aid you in getting your tasks finished before you rush to the next idea.

So, there you are; learn how to manage your time effectively, take an objective look at new opportunities and measure your focus to conquer the demons of unfinished tasks and generate more revenue.

About the Author:

Rigdha Acharya is the CEO of <a href=http://www.GetYourSuccessNow.com>Actionable Business Training</a>; her company delivers actionable, customized, caring and measurable business training to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses. You can learn how to prioritize opportunities, set measurable goals and manage time effectively by requesting her free course at http://www.ManageMyTimeNow.com.

Categories
Planning & Management

Business Exit Planning – Can Your Business Survive If You Could No Longer Manage It Tomorrow

Article Contributed by Tony Kubica and Sara LaForest

How much time do you spend thinking about business exit planning?

If you’re like many of the small business owners we meet – not much. That’s okay as long as you don’t care about supporting yourself and your family when you retire or leave the business, and if you are not attached to what happens to the business, your employees and your customers after you leave. But in truth, the business professionals and small business owners we meet do care.

They care a lot – they just haven’t done much about it yet.

Unfortunately, many business owners believe that their business will just dissolve when they exit, and don’t believe or understand that their business could have value for sale.

Two Reasons Your Business Can Have Value After You Leave the Business

1.      If you setup your business so it can be sold at a later date, then your company can help grow the acquirer’s business by allowing them to add a new service or product line to their business or by enhancing an existing service/product line through the addition of your company.

2.      If you are a thought leader in your industry and if the business does not rely on you for operations – then your business has value as your competition will want to remove you as a competitor!

Now, I know what you are thinking… “But, I’m not ready to sell my business. Why do I have to think about exit planning for my business now?”

Here’s Why Exit Planning Is Critical For Your Business Now – And Why You Should Not Delay Thinking About Exit Strategies…

An exit plan better prepares you (the business owner) for the inevitable transition of your business – whether it’s expected (intended), unexpected or the result of undesirable circumstances that can and do arise.

Most business owners we talk to understand the voluntary exit (even if they are not currently planning for it). And they also understand and fear an involuntary exit. What is less discussed, but a looming reality like the proverbial albatross around your neck, is the unexpected exit.

An unexpected exit may be triggered by a biological event such as:

  • You die
  • You become ill or disabled
  • You’re too old to effectively run the business

Due to the sensitivity of the topic, many small business owners and business professionals simply avoid the biological aspects in their exit planning.  As a result, they are left to deal with the muddle of unknowns amid the highly emotional and sometimes financial losses of an owner.

Now That You Know Why You Need to Have An Exit Plan in Place – Here Are Your Next Steps…

Regardless of whether the exit event is planned (the sale of the company, leadership succession of an employee or family member) or not (a biological event), at some point there will be an inevitable transition.

So we ask again, how much time have you spent thinking about and formulating an exit plan that considers not only the planned exit options, but also the unplanned exit possibilities?

To start thinking about it, we suggest you start with one key question: Can your business continue if you could no longer run it tomorrow?

If the answer is yes – then you are well prepared for a sale or for a biological event. If your answer is no because the business relies either solely or primarily on you for sales and key operational activities, you are not a very attractive acquisition target. And should a biological event occur, sustaining the business will be a serious challenge.

Clearly, we recommend that regardless of where you are in your business life cycle (start-up, or nearing the end of your tenure with the business), you should be working with a business consultant to create your business exit plan.

While formulating an exit plan will require some “frontloading” in time, the benefits of your effort will payoff by:

•      Allowing you to control and better manage the exit

•      Helping you to maximize company value

•      Minimizing tax implications

•      Establishing multiple exit options which mitigate unknowns and negative unexpected circumstances (i.e. serious injury/disability, death, divorce, disagreement/owner deadlock, etc.)

•      Better enabling you to achieve business and personal goals

•      Reducing stress and anxiety due to prior planning and defined expectations

•      Insuring business continuity

Now, start planning your exit strategy!

About the Author:

Tony Kubica and Sara LaForest are management consultants with more than 50+ years of combined experience in helping entrepreneurs, small businesses and organizations improve their business performance. Failing to plan an exit strategy is just one way to sabotage your business. Get their complete “Self-Sabotage in Business White Paper” at: http://www.kubicalaforestconsulting.com/resources.php and uncover the common, subtle ways you are harming your performance.

Categories
How-To Guides

How to Leverage Your Time And Raise Your Prices

Article Contributed by Lisa Cherney

Given the impact that your clients have on your business, it’s crucial that you have the right clients on your success train.  If the distance between your ideal clients is widening, you need to close the gap!  Consistency in attracting those “10’s” in your client base is key to obtaining that peace and prosperity that will allow you to make more money and work less hours than you ever have in the past.  Here is a strategy that you can use, right now, to get the most mileage out of your programs and services so that you can use your part-time hours effectively.

Start by asking yourself this question: Where can I add group delivery and by what date?

I transformed my business when I changed what I was selling, my “off-the-shelf” type programs, into a high ticket, high value program.  I was able to impart so much more value, more tools, more marketing how-to’s, audios, and small group experiences when I didn’t spread such a wide net and limited the participation to a select group of entrepreneurs who could benefit the most from what I had to offer.  And here’s the process in a nutshell.

First, I set a date for when this new program was going to start.  Then I created the program.  Third, everyone I talked to that was a fit for  my “ideal” client was offered that specific program and no other.  Right now you may be treating every client as an inidividual, having conversations, holding a teleclass for one… that’s not the way to get a 6-figure income.  You have to stop the one-on-one.  If they’re not a match for your program as it functions, then they are non-ideal clients.  Do them, and yourself, a favor and just say no.  Keep it simple and only offer a couple of very specialized programs.  I have two really quality programs that I offer, and it works great for me.  I’m clear on my clients and offerings, and I get the most out of the people that I work with.

Next, double your fees.

Think of one thing that you charge for and double it.  If that’s really easy for you, then you should have already been doing it.  Double it again.  Do it until it feels uncomfortable.  You have to believe in yourself and the value that you provide.  Don’t listen to the excuses of why you can’t, just know your value and do it.  You can start this today!  Put a date on the rate increase, even if it’s a year out.  Be confident and “get full of yourself” (in the good way) in order to create the value of your programs in the mind of your potential client.

One of the most impactful steps in our Stand Out & Be Juicy process is creating a set of irresistable Juicy Benefits for every product and service you offer because this is where you learn to articlulate the value you offer in a unique way.  And people tell me over and over that they see a directly relationship between what they are willing to charge and their ability to articulate the value someone will get.

I have to warn you not to pre-judge someone because you think they don’t have the money for your new full-service program.  I once gave $2000 back to a client when I couldn’t give her the value that I knew she needed from the service option she had chosen.  She didn’t think she could afford the full program, and I knew that she really needed more.  She needed the full-blown group program to take her business where she wanted to go.  So when I told her I couldn’t in good conscience take her money for the small program, she knew where I was coming from and told me to keep the money, and she would pay for the full program in 2 weeks.  That’s how you know your ideal client gets not only your value, but their own.

About the Author:

Lisa Cherney, a.k.a. the Juicy Marketing Expert, founded Conscious Marketing 12 years ago to help small business owners find their authentic marketing voice, attract their ideal clients and increase their sales. Following her own Stand Out & Be Juicy program, which centers on owning your unique self and laser-focus marketing, Lisa has tripled her income while working
part-time.

Prior to Conscious Marketing, Lisa worked with many Fortune 500 companies, including AT&T, Lipton, Nissan, Blue Cross and Equal. She is a highly sought after speaker and often shares the stage with experts such as Jack Assaraf (The Secret), Jack Canfield and Jill Lublin. Learn more about Lisa at www.consciousmarketing.com or call 887-771-0156.

Categories
Sales & Marketing

6 Do’s and Don’ts of Using an iPad on a Sales Call

Article Contributed by Mark Hunter

So you now own an iPad or other type of tablet and you’re wondering if you should use it on a sales call.

Here are 6 quick rules to consider:

1. Don’t use it just because you have one.

Who really cares?  Just because you own the newest electronic gadget doesn’t mean the customer you’re seeing doesn’t own one too – or worse yet, despises people who do own them.  It only makes sense to use one on a sales call if you have a purpose for using it.

2. Do use it if it simplifies your sales call.

Using an iPad can be a great way to easily access rate information and other critical pieces of information quickly if the need arises.  Certainly having an iPad also allows you to walk into a sales call carrying a lot less “stuff.”

3. Don’t use it to “wow” the customer.

Again, who cares?  “Wowing” the customer is not why you are there. You’re there to help the customer. Plus, more often than not, the person who is out to “wow” the customer with a new toy is many times the same person who doesn’t have clue as to how the toy works.

4. Do use it if you want to show your customer information without leaving them a hard copy.

Having your rate/pricing information on the iPad is a great way to be able to show the client information without having to leave them a hard copy.  In my opinion, this is the best reason to use an iPad. We’ve all had experiences where hard copy information left with a potential client winds up being used as leverage with another sales representative to get a better quote.

5. Don’t use it if the tablet is loaded with a lot of your personal stuff.

There is nothing worse than having your client take control of your iPad and suddenly gaining access to various personal files (including potentially embarrassing information).  If you’re going to use an iPad on sales calls, then use it just for that. Don’t try to use it for both clients and personal work.  Invest the money and buy two. All it takes is one quick swipe of a finger on an iPad and your client can suddenly be looking at your personal tax statements or your latest fantasy league picks.

6. Do remember to have it charged before visiting a client.

Yes, the battery life on an iPad is very good – so good, in fact, that you can easily forget to check the battery level. We can become so used to not looking at the battery life on the unit that we forget to notice how low it is until we walk into the most important sales meeting of the quarter. By then it’s a little too late to charge it, and you certainly don’t want to be scoping the room for an outlet. Awkward.

With the above 6 tips in mind, you are equipped to make a wise decision regarding the use of an iPad in your next meeting.  Just remember that you aren’t going to impress anyone with any gadget – unless you have a valid reason for having it there in the first place.

About the Author:

Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability.  For more information, to receive a free weekly email sales tip, or to read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com. You can also follow him on www.Facebook.com/TheSalesHunter, www.Twitter.com/TheSalesHunter and www.LinkedIn.com/in/MarkHunter.

Categories
Branding

Creating a Culture and Brand That Makes and Actually Keeps Brand Promises

Article Contributed by Sara Laforest and Tony Kubica

It’s one thing to make a promise. It’s quite another to keep it. Yet, businesses make promises every day. Some keep them. Some companies like AT&T, Bank of America and US Airways have good intentions, but can’t keep them because their strong culture and strong brand are misaligned. And, worst of all, some businesses have no sincere intention of keeping them at all, regardless of what they say.

How are you and your business at keeping your promises?

Well, how you answered this questioned just defined your brand and your culture. Yes the two are connected, and this connection can be either:

  • Strong and reinforcing – they are in alignment
  • Strong but negatively reinforcing – they are competing or demonstrating dissonance
  • Weak because they have not been defined and developed

Creating the Promise – Your Brand

To grow your business, you must identify your target market. This is the market niche you want to focus on and the position you want to hold within that market. You need to know and understand exactly:

  • What products or services you want to provide to your market
  • What you can do and what you do not want to do
  • Your competition and why you are different

This provides the essential elements for branding your company.

Branding presents you to the marketplace. It defines you in the mind of your customers and prospects. It creates the promise: what your clients can expect from you when they do business with you. Think of Apple, Google, Zappos, Amazon.com, Nordstrom… We know what to expect from them, and we are rarely disappointed.

Branding expresses this promise in the:

· Logo

· Website concept and content

· Tag line

· Advertisements

· Marketing materials

· All forms of internal and external expression/communication about the company.

There is a consistency that should carry over to all methods of interacting with the customer and the prospect. Regardless of how your prospect and customers enter your sales cycle, they should see, feel, and interpret who you are, what you stand for and what they can expect based on your branding.

So, you’ve got their attention with relevant and compelling branding.

You’re done, right? No, not so quickly.

Creating the Culture to Deliver the Promise

Now it’s time to deliver: to keep the promise made in and through your branding.

Culture is the way work is done in your company. It’s how people work together, how you build your teams and processes to deliver on your promise. It represents how strongly you believe in your promise and builds your repute.

Culture is grounded in the understanding and practices around the Purpose/Mission, Vision and Guiding Values of the company. It drives how decisions are made, how responsibility is assumed and your behavior in front of customers and within your group. It should be reflected in the standards and consistency with which you deliver your product or service.

One quick point: Are organizations with a strong positive culture and good brand expression perfect? Far from it. They are just much better than their competition, as they know how to course correct when required, and they know why they exist as a business.

Brand + Culture = Market Growth

Without a strong base (your culture and brand) it is nearly impossible to deliver consistent and high quality products and services to your market. (In this case, what you end up delivering are excuses.)

Companies with a strong brand and a strong culture are leaders in their market, whether it’s a small local market or a large international market. It doesn’t matter. A positive brand and cultural alignment is a powerful competitive strategy!

The greatest opportunity for performance improvement and growth is to concentrate on building a strong brand expression (the promise) and focusing your culture in delivering on that promise.

Identifying your market and building a strong base (culture and brand) to deliver to that market is a competitive differentiator. Why? Because many of your competitors (and could be competitors) will not take the time to do this. And your clients and customers will notice and will reward your efforts.

About the Author:

Management Consultants and Business Performance Improvement Specialists Sara Laforest and Tony Kubica have 50+ years of combined experience in helping small and large businesses accelerate their business growth in record times. Failure to make and actually keep your promises is just one way to sabotage your business growth. Get the full report on Self-Sabotage in Business now at: http://www.kubicalaforestconsulting.com/resources.php