Category: Planning & Management

Article Contributed by Lisa Bloom

It was instantly recognizable.  She was bald.  She was deathly pale.  Her whole frame was obviously a shadow of what it once was.  She had shakiness in her movement; she was so frail.

Then she took off her sunglasses and I saw a brightness in her eyes that was stunning.  And she spoke and her voice was strong and powerful and yet soothing and gentle at the same time.

It’s cancer, she said.  I’m quite riddled, she added with a smile.  But I’m very optimistic, all is well.

It was shocking.  It was stunning.  She was so powerful and strong, she was so beautiful; it left a big impression on me.  I don’t know the end of her story, whether she’s still alive.  But her spirit certainly is.

It was the first time I had noticed, or perhaps realized, that the state of your mind is not always determined by the condition of your body.  That was huge.

Until that moment, I had always assumed that if you are sick, there is no way you can be optimistic or empowered.  It seems such a paradox.

I wondered, how can you be hopeful and have plans if you have been given a bad prognosis?  How can you expect to be happy and enjoy life if you don’t know if you have much more time you have to live?

I realized in that moment, from speaking with that woman, that I’d gotten it all wrong.

I realized that none of us know how long we are going to live and everything else is an illusion.  Actually, it’s a story.

Most of us live with the story that we are going to live for a long, long time.  More importantly, we live with the illusion that we have lots of time and things can wait, if we don’t feel like taking care of them now.

Now, I’m not going to give you the usual story of how life is short and we don’t know how long we have, although that’s true.  Anyone who’s lost someone they love realizes that.

But I am going to talk about procrastination.  You see, I don’t think there’s a soul on this planet that doesn’t know what it feels like to put off stuff.  To put aside that thing we like to do least and simply never get around to it.

What’s really interesting is that there are so many stories that we tell ourselves in order to justify this behavior.  We make up such creative excuses for NOT doing the very thing that we ought to get done.  And then we start believing those stories.  I suppose that’s how we live with ourselves.

So, I want to suggest that if you, like most people, live with a certain tolerance for your own procrastination, well, I have a message for you.  It’s simple.  It’s a bit harsh.  Here it is…..

YOU CAN DO BETTER.

Yes, you can.  I believe in you.  I know that you are bigger than this.  You can do better.  Just get it done.  Here are a few simple tips that will help.

1. Make a commitment to yourself that you are going to finally get on top of whatever this task is.
2. Schedule your time generously so that you have plenty of time to actually get it done.
3. Don’t give yourself too much time….just enough!
4. Turn off your phone, log out of Facebook or any other social media that distracts you.
5. Just do it!

And then, most importantly, CELEBRATE.  Yes, I’m serious, even if it’s that paperwork that’s been sitting on your desk for a year….now’s the time to celebrate.  You did it.  You are amazing.  You deserve to celebrate.  This is the most important step of all.

About the Author

Lisa Bloom is a Professional Storyteller and Accredited who helps entrepreneurs and business owners beat overwhelm, stress and discomfort with marketing to find confidence, attract ideal clients and make more money by finding their success story. Lisa’s Leadership Development & Coaching Programs and Speaking gigs have engaged, motivated and inspired people world-wide!  She is delighted to offer you the complimentary ebook “Using Stories to Get Great Clients”: http://www.story-coach.com 

Did you know that for EVERYTHING you want to do in your business you need to create a system for it?  The real secret to a successful business is having the right systems in place that support and grow that business.

And this comes down to getting new clients too.  If you’re finding that you don’t yet have a full practice of clients, or your flow of clients is very inconsistent (think feast or famine), then I suggest you look at the systems you currently have in place for getting more clients.

You want to be in a position where you have a constant flow of:

>> New client enquiries.

>> Strategy sessions (on your calendar every week).

>> Adding potential clients to your contact management system.

>> Follow-up processes for converting a potential client into a paying client.

And so the cycle goes on in your business.  It happens regularly, like clockwork, and because you have the RIGHT client systems set up to support your new client flow, everything runs smoothly.

In order to make this happen, here are the steps you need to take:

Step 1: KNOW Your Numbers. Knowing exactly how many people you need to speak to on a daily basis is key to maintaining a steady flow of clients coming into your business.  Once you know this number it completely eliminates all of the guesswork out of running your business.  If you’re not working with the number of clients you want to be working with, it’s probably because you haven’t figured this number out yet.

Step 2: ASK for The Strategy Session. This is where many business owners fall down!  They don’t ASK clients to have a strategy session with them. Instead they will kid themselves that it’s more important that they [update their website / connect on Facebook / fill-in-the-blank here] rather than ASK a client to have a strategy session with them.  Once you take a systemized approach to ASKING clients to have strategy sessions with you, it becomes so much easier to maintain a new client flow.

Step 3: BOOK Your Strategy Sessions.  By creating a system, which I call your Client Booking System, you can very easily eliminate those tyre-kickers, and ensure that your potential clients actually TURN UP for their Strategy Sessions … no more frustrating no-shows!

Step 4: PREP for Your Strategy Sessions. Once you get on the phone (or in a face-to-face meeting) with a potential client you want to make sure that your Strategy Sessions lead to a successful outcome … i.e. a new client.  So it’s really important that you take the necessary steps beforehand to prepare for your strategy sessions.

Step 5: FOLLOW-UP with ALL of Your Clients. All of your hard work up to this point won’t be worth a hill of beans unless you have a robust follow-up system in place.  Not all of your clients who you have a strategy session with will say YES right away… some may want to think about it; and for others it may not be the right time.  I have a client working with me right now at my highest level.  We didn’t start our work together until almost a year after her initial strategy session. And she told me that it was because I’d kept up with the follow-up and stayed in touch with her that when she was ready, I was right there.  Had I not had such a robust follow-up system in place that would have meant lost revenue.

So, if you need more clients in order to reach the income level that you want to get to, take a look at at what you’re currently doing to make that happen. Do you have your new client systems in place?  If you take a systemized approach to getting new clients, as outlined above, you will very quickly see your practice fill.

I speak to clients all the time who are frustrated and overwhelmed because:

• Their business isn’t growing;
• They don’t have any clients (or very few clients);
• And their income isn’t where they want it to be.

And after having many such conversations over the past few years, I’ve identified six key reasons why they’re not seeing the results they want to see.

Read through these reasons and see if you can identify with any of them yourself … you may have more than one!

1. No Clear Strategy or Vision. When you’re not clear on why you’re in business or the results your business is delivering, it’s very hard to grow it – you don’t know what direction to go in; what to do next etc. etc. and chances are you easily get distracted and get off track by following those bright shiny objects (in the form of the latest hot marketing strategy or product). It’s a bit like trying to put together a jigsaw puzzle when you don’t have the box in front of you to show you what the end result should look like.

2. Focusing on the WRONG Things. Related to point 1 above, when you’re not clear on what you’re doing then chances are you’ll focus on the wrong business building and/or marketing activities. And then you’ll be disappointed with the results you get. This is because you either don’t fully understand the activity but you’re going ahead with it anyway. Or you don’t know how the activity relates to your business so don’t know how it’s going to help you build your business.

3. Lack of an Automated Marketing System. Without the proper automated marketing system in place, it’s very difficult to follow up with new subscribers (that’s even if you have a system for capturing new leads in the first place). If you don’t have a system in place for following up with your new subscriber, then how can you expect to turn them into a paying client or customer?

4. Lack of Systems. Forget about the automated marketing system, you don’t have any systems in place at all! You’re surrounded by paper piles; you can never find what you’re looking for; you have no idea of your business finances – these are all symptoms of a lack of basic business management systems. And this itself is a core reason why your business isn’t growing.

5. Not Clear On The Results Your Services Deliver. This again goes back to point 1 above, but it also means that if you’re not clear on the results your services deliver, then your marketing message is not clear either. Which means you’re not attracting your ideal clients (if any clients) and your business isn’t growing.

6. Not ASKING! This is a big one. I see it happen so many times. You’ll do anything and everything not to have a sales conversation with a client and ASK them to work with you. And this could mean not even asking them to have a strategy session/initial call with you to find out more about one another. You really do need to start getting into the habit of ASKING people to work with you.

Which of these reasons can you relate to? Is there more than one?

Giving a speech or signature talk, whether through the web or in person, can be a great way to build business, generate networking opportunities, and get new client referrals. Many people are nervous about things like this, but it gets easier once you do it a few times, and it also helps to be thoroughly prepared. If you’ve been invited to give a speech or are eyeing such opportunities for the future, here are some things to keep in mind.

Clear title: The title of your speech should clearly express what your audience will get from listening to you. It should be so clear that even a child would understand what the takeaway is.

Plan to leverage the event: Plan to leverage the event: Create an irresistible offer. Have something to trade with your audience for their contact information.

Prepare: Even if it’s a free event, don’t skimp on your preparations. Remember that the attendees are giving you one of their most valuable assets-their time. Keep this in mind, and treat them with respect.

Smart PowerPoint use:Too many PowerPoint presentations are filled with an overabundance of graphics, bullets, and wordage. If you’re going to be using a slide presentation, keep it simple.

Organization: Send your marketing materials as a single packet of information to the event planner or host. This will make you look professional, which will make them more likely to ask you to come back again and recommend you for other events.

Make promotion easy: As a speaker, one of your main goals is to help the host or event planner fill the seats. You can make this easier for them by sending them a full packet of information that emphasizes your most marketable qualities. Be sure to include these pieces of information:

• A brief bio
• Photos or links to your photos
• A quick summary of your benefit-driven talking points
• A short blurb for use in a blog, newsletter, or email
• A longer blurb for use in sales copy; make sure it strongly emphasizes the takeaways of your speech
• A few short status updates for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc., benefit-driven and 130 characters or less
• Articles or links to articles written by you about your topic
• Information on where and how attendees can get your irresistible offer.
• Your cell phone number in case any emergencies arise on the day of the event

Involve your host: If you’re planning to sell something during the call or event, give your host the opportunity to become an affiliate so that they can earn as well. This will make them more motivated to promote the event.

Don’t reinvent the wheel: You don’t have to redo all of these steps every time you give a talk. Use the same material again and again, revising it as you go along.