How do you handle difficult choices in business?
Some decide in favor of their bottom line and others make decisions based upon whether or not they are in integrity with their beliefs. However you approach difficult situations, it’s important that your decisions are consistent with everything you say and do.
Recently I was approached to conduct business in the old corporate sales style with the promise of incredible contacts and making a fortune. However, I wasn’t interested in conducting business as was suggested. The contacts did not symbolize my desired clientele and so I turned the offer of making a fortune down. It was out of integrity for me and I chose to remain true to my beliefs over the potential of creating large sums of wealth.
I have nothing against wealth but I wish to achieve mine in alignment with how I view the world. In the long run I know I will be far happier.
Contemplate which path will make you happiest and focus your mindset on proceeding down that particular road. In the process, build relationships with prospects and clients. This is the only way you will enjoy a truly Smooth Sale time after time.
Attract More Sales: Tip #252
Attract More Sales: Tip #251
Do you embrace change?
We have all heard getting out of our own way is the biggest obstacle for entrepreneurs becoming successful. What does that mean? Fear sets in when it comes to trying a new idea, they refuse to try so consequently do not grow.
The opposite is true when you are ready to accept change and run with it. So much more learning takes place that soon opportunities arise that would not otherwise have appeared.
When you embrace change, others begin to take note. Your learning curve quickens and you achieve success far more quickly. Rather than becoming one in the high percentage for failure, you set yourself apart in the very low percentage for success. You communicate the message that you have become a leader in your field and soon attract new audiences far and wide. Adding in the element of building relationships builds a larger pipeline of prospects and clients.
Whenever fear begins to creep into your mind, change your mindset from stopping in your tracks to seeking qualified help – this is the most reliable path to success. Your business development will soon take off quickly and easily making for a very Smooth Sale!
Attract More Sales: Tip #250
What do housekeeping and tiny business details have in common?
They both are time-consuming, neither are exciting and they detract from your bigger projects. The best way to cope is to hire trusted help as soon as you are able.
When you change your mindset from, “I can’t afford it”, to recognizing you can’t afford not to, your home will sparkle providing increased positive energy, and business will evolve more quickly.
As you outsource the detailed work, more time may be spent developing and marketing new products or delivering additional services. You are then able to attract a greater variety of prospects who convert to clients. When reliable help is found upon recommendation and interviewing, your announcements are made in a timely fashion and in greater quantity positioning you as the leader in your field.
Revenue coming in versus revenue going out is a forever balancing act. However, when you have a handle on forecasting forthcoming sales and expenditures, you will be ready for the next step of either hiring part-time contractors and/or full time staff.
You will have more time to build relationships with your clientele and then witness acceleration of business thereby increasing the likelihood for a Smooth Sale!
Attract More Sales: Tip #249
Two secrets for success were revealed this morning…
Susan and I reconnected this morning. She completely surprised me with a glowing testimonial – for my perseverance!
Last year, I either had to quit my business or transform the manner in which I was conducting business. Since quitting is unknown to me, I contemplated long and hard and realized social media was the answer. But it didn’t stop there. The past 12 months, I have undertaken:
1. Social media education
2. Partnership in Whispering Energy – a collaborative for social media plus transformation
3. Conducting webinars
4. Hosting my own online radio show on TheWINOnline.com
5. Submitting blogs to Wasabbi Ventures, LLC
6. Submitting articles to San Francisco Women’s Journal (online)
7. Speaking for online conventions
8. Co-hosted a Career and Business Resource Fair
9. Wrote HIRED! – now being shopped by a Literary Agent to known publishing houses!
10. Agreed to speak in Paris this coming May.
In other words, I re-invented myself and kept going even though at times I wondered if it were worthwhile. As you can see, once I got passed the education (although it is on-going), I began moving from darkness toward the light of hope and inspiration. Keeping a positive mindset to move forward and continuing to build relationships brought infinite possibility.
Susan shared with me what she saw as my two secrets for success:
First, keep persevering against all odds. When one quits, they will never know what was just around the corner! Keep on going. The second step is to analyze a challenge such as a lackluster business from all angles in order to implement multiple strategies. This is the only way to turn your challenges into new opportunities and finally feel the adrenaline rush of accomplishment and of a Smooth Sale!
Wishing you love and abundance in honor of Valentine’s Day!
Share on FacebookAttract More Sales: Tip #248
Do you make it a habit to learn from errors?
The quickest way to accelerate your business development is to observe the errors others make to be certain you do not repeat. Your speed in progress and making far less errors, will help put you in the leadership position more quickly than others in your field.
And when you are the one to make an error admit it. Your prospects and clients will appreciate the acknowledgement and will serve to maintain the trust and credibility you built within your relationships.
Another advantage to acknowledging your errors is that you will not repeat them again. For example, I had a verbal agreement with someone about how a process would work down the road. Being we worked successfully worked together before, verbal was good enough for me. Big mistake. He did not recall the agreement and I had no proof. Talking to myself, I vowed to never let that happen again.
Luckily, the same person approached me with a new agreement that incorporated the original plus a new idea. The package was very agreeable. However, this time around, I asked for a 1-2 paragraph summation of our agreement so that everything is clearly spelled out and we have it for our records. There was no finger pointing, simply friendly communication.
I’m a client and he is a client of mine – we have a mutually beneficial arrangement and are still friends. This is the definition of a Smooth Sale!
Attract More Sales: Tip #247
A University violated the marketing creed: know your audience!
As the story unfolded, it was clear that greed got in the way. The University was offered $20 million to establish a new campus for the envisioned MBA program. The only stipulation was the program take place in Palm Desert!
How many candidates for a graduate student program do you believe already live or wish to live in Palm Desert? “Not too many” would be the correct answer. It was only after the project got under way that the University stepped back to recognize the error of their ways.
Education is a business. All businesses must know where to find their target audience which will soon become their prospects and clients. The school is now re-thinking their promotion, fund-raising efforts and need to sell the benefits to attract and convince their scholarly candidates to move to the desert.
When you take the time to observe the errors the larger companies make, you will avoid them yourself and save a lot of wasted time and dollars. Business development takes vision and working backwards while setting in motion your plan of appropriate actions to make the vision a reality.
Careful planning, analyzing intended growth from all angles and moving forward in a deliberate manner without the temptation of greed, plus building relationships will work to your advantage for achieving a Smooth Sale!
Attract More Sales: Tip #246
Are you finding yourself in overwhelm?
Most entrepreneurs in their first 5 years of business find such is the case. They quickly realize there is so much to learn and do but not enough hours in the day so they do find themselves in overwhelm.
A number of strategies may be implemented to overcome the sinking feeling. The important point is to know full well you can overcome the challenge using these ideas:
1. Follow your vision and chart out a course for projects and due dates
2. At every moment of each working day, have a running list of what must be done – be sure to work on the bigger projects
3. On a yearly basis, at least, hire a coach for the areas on which you need more insight
4. Find people with whom to collaborate who share your customer service policies and approach to business
5. Don’t Give Up – but keep finding ways to improve!
Communicating you need help is not a sign of weakness but one of smarts. When you admit what you do not know and seek advice, partners and coaches – others see you as a leader and soon an expert in your field.
The next step is to build relationships with everyone you encounter. All combined, this is how your business development will progress more rapidly allowing you to attract more prospects and clients.
Very soon you will be enjoying the Smooth Sale!
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Did you realize writing a blog is “SO last year?”
Such was the announcement in this morning’s newspaper according to polls taken from a variety of age groups. I began to contemplate this because I encourage others to write a blog for a variety of reasons mainly from an easy-way-to-go marketing-communications and potential sales standpoint.
I should first acknowledge the antiquity of writing a blog. It may be similar to writing a diary as people did years ago. However, the blog is a wonderful way of immediately capturing your insight very quickly and can easily morph into other venues for additional audiences:
1. Articles
2. MP3s
3. Workbooks
4. eBook
5. Book
Please know I am not suggesting you duplicate each model in its entirety. Instead, consider using one as a launching pad to tweak, embellish and expand upon for the next venue. This in itself is similar to being in a collaboration. If you work on one area – you have one audience. Should you use three models for communication – you then have six potential audiences due to the inherent combinations involved. As you add additional streams for attracting prospects and clients, your exposure will grow exponentially and so will your revenue.
Entrepreneurs tend to get into overwhelm thinking about implementing all of these suggestions. The idea is to take one baby step at a time – implement one. Soon you will realize that with only a little more effort you can adapt it to the next model. Soon you will see that being anxious is only a waste of energy. Instead set clear goals and know what you need to work on every single day. At the same time, continue to build relationships with everyone you encounter and you will be amazed by the results you see.
You will soon enjoy a very Smooth Sale!
P.S. If you would like more information of how to apply this concept in more detail and to social media, please consider the DETAILS of our next class Feb. 8, 6:00 p.m. PST
Share on FacebookATtract More Sales: Tip #244
Are you promoting business activities on Facebook?
Recently, I learned the official policy of Facebook: “Facebook is for social means only and not for running a business.”
Facebook will shut down your account if you are reported as delivering spam and it is almost impossible to get reinstated. If you have 5,000 friends – it will be very difficult to find all of them again.
In recent blogs, I have written that the mindset for selling needs to completely change when utilizing social media. Instead of continually pushing your website, products and services on others, it is far more important to offer advice with no attachments – literally. I have received phenomenal opportunities and made friends. In a short period of time many of these friends (prospects) have converted to clients.
I host the Smooth Sale group on Facebook inviting discussions and posts. My policy is to only message members once per week. Once again, I offer insight on business and do so in a helping and guiding manner so that it is inviting for additional discussion. Others now call my marketing-communications approach Heart-based selling. It is the new style and medium that works beautifully on social media sites. It may seem strange to those who come from a corporate background, but when you allow yourself to try new ideas, you will be amazed by the results.
In corporate sales we always spoke of working for a win-win. But imagine communicating to thousands of people at one time – that will be a win of enormous magnitude. My advice is adapt to the new medium, adhere to the policies, and be very respectful of everyone you encounter. You can’t go wrong when you take this path; instead you will become seen as a leader in your field.
When you model that you are respectful and working to help others – you do enjoy a very Smooth Sale!
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