Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Whose Goals are they Anyway???


I work with soooo many clients who say they aren't reaching their goals and are super frustrated.  When we actually get to work looking at those goals, challenges, obstacles, etc., more often than not the goals they were working towards weren't really in sync with what they really wanted.   Goals often conflict with each other because most of us don't really take the time that's needed to REALLY think about what you want ... we're sort of on this ever moving treadmill and anchored to a life of busywork... STOP!!!  Take time to identify what YOU want and I bet you'll be amazed how much more motivated you'll be to reach them.  Grab a friend, an accountability buddy, a coach, create a mastermind group - whatever it takes for you to take the time to think, brainstorm and yes, get feedback.

Here are things to be careful of when setting your goals:

1. Make sure the goals are yours - not your manager's, your spouse's, your friends, parents etc. or society's in general.

2. Your heart isn't in it - you really don't care - you're simply doing it because you think it's what you should do.

3. You're hanging around soul suckers - you know who they are - they are toxic, they poo poo on your dreams - they don't want you to outgrow them.  Find positive, motivated, inspirational and giving people - there are lots out there.

4. You're over extended - you can't accomplish are your goals at once and you can't do everything yourself.  Be realistic - have laser focus on one goal at a time...multi tasking is a myth!!!  Delegate whenever possible.  We all need a support team - figure out what your team looks like for you.

5. It's toooo hard (insert "whine whine" here) - yeah - some things are hard.  Don't be one of the "yeah but" people... or the "if only I could.... but..."  Really???? 

Grab on tight - go for it - be persistent!!!  It's a lot more fun if it's a goal you really want - Good Luck!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Do you know the #1 way to increase sales?




Improve your sales skills!!!

I know so many business owners who shake in their heels when we start discussing sales.  The “I’m not a salesperson” statement is probably the most common one that I hear.  Well I hate to tell ya…. If you own a business, regardless of what type of business, you are a sales organization and by default, a sales person!  Now that we have that settled stay with me and I’ll show you how you can make more money without doing any extra work… I’ve gotcha don’t I???

First and foremost you need to know your numbers….and by that I mean that you need to know your “conversion” rate.    Let’s work backwards.  If you have an average sale of $1000 and you want $100,000 in revenue that means you need 100 customers  - easy right?  You need to know how many clients you need to propose to or how many consider your product in order for you to make those 100 sales.  If it takes talking to 200 customers to get 100 sales, then your conversion rate is 50%.    If you invest resources in improving your sales skills and your conversion goes from 50% to 75% you’ve just increased your sales from $100,000 to $150,000.  That’s an increase of 50% without having to talk to even one additional potential customer.  Chances are that the additional $50,000 didn’t cost you as much as the first $100,000 because your fixed costs were already taken care of, therefore your profit margins are higher on the incremental business.

This is just one component of a much larger number formula that you need to consider when developing your sales goals and forecasts. 

The bottom line is that sales is the process of providing a solution to a problem for someone who would welcome your product/services.  I consider sales just GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!

People hate to be sold to, but they love to buy!

Thursday, March 21, 2013

You can have a great Team with or without employees

For most of us it was our passion that inspired us to go into business for ourselves.  We wanted to do what we love, help our clients and generally live to beat of our own drum.  Before long the reality of running a business on our own hit – suddenly we realized there are many different hats to wear other than the one that inspired us to entrepreneurship.

A great team is essential to all success – especially  the success of a “solopreneur” or small business owner.    Based on very focused objectives my decision to not have employees doesn’t diminish the need for additional resources.  I work with an amazing team of professionals that serve a variety of purposes.  I focus on what I’m good at to generate revenue and outsource everything else.  Each person only has so much capacity – why not use that time to make money and delegate the things that can be done by someone else?  It’s also important that your team include colleagues that assist, inspire and motivate you to think and reach beyond your comfort zone to create YOUR ideal life – whatever that means to YOU.

One of my most important team members is my “right hand”.  The one that helps me by professionally and reliably completing the necessary on-going tasks that are essential to the success of my business but not my forte.  It’s not enough to have only a typical Virtual Assistant, you need a professional that can think like you, know what clients expect and works with initiative and innovation.  Whatever that means to you in your business I guarantee that as soon as you hire them it will feel as though a weight has been lifted from your shoulders and your business will start to become what you initially dreamed about.

Being a entrepreneur – there’s no life like it!