Who Is In Control?

Are you setting the ground rules for your life or are you letting others set them for you?

Before I started my business I wrote a list of the 'criteria for my life' - not my business, my life. Only after that did I tackle what I wanted my business to look like. All too often we are where we are, not by carefully selected goals and choices, but by opportunities that arise along the way that we respond to. When we respond to opportunities offered to us, the details of those situations are usually on someone else’s terms. The hours and location of work, how we dress, who we work with... all are outside of our control. But once you take the jump into entrepreneurship shouldn’t you be the one steering the boat?

Figure out what you want your life to look like, where and when you work, what type of clients you want to work with, etc. - the big stuff. Here’s a great form to start with for this exercise.

Now to tackle the day to day. Every time someone has a brain fart they tweet it, text it, email it... you get the picture. And then they expect you to respond NOW. Because of the speed and extent of technology it’s all too easy to become a slave to it instead of using it as a tool in your life. Use these wonderful tools of technology in a strategic way, not at the whim of others. If the first thing you do in the morning is to check your email and social media, remember, these are usually someone else’s agenda... not yours.

Try one week with YOU in control - you’ll be amazed the difference in your productivity.

• Check your email only 2-3 times per day
• Write down your goals for the day.
• Plan your day in advance.
• FOCUS!!! Multi-tasking doesn’t work!
• Don’t get sucked in to the 'busy' work.
• Schedule your social media time.

The most important thing: make sure you experience joy in each day.

Originally published in Work Better, Not Harder on May 16, 2012

It's All About Them

How many times do we have to hear, “It’s all about them?", meaning the customer. It’s all about them! It’s all about them! It’s all about them! Will that do?

So many times I see ads, marketing material, policies, you name it, that have not taken the customer into account. They scream in their messages that they’re all about you, have great customer services, would be nothing without you – but their actions speak louder than their words.

Consider the airlines – all of them! I recently went to Cuba on vacation and imagine our surprise when the flight attendant wouldn’t accept our cash. No siree, cash is no good on the airlines, only credit cards. Is this about the customer? Hardly. It’s about how much easier it is on the airline not to have to make change. And boy, was she nasty about it! (Air Transat) Did my husband and I stay thirsty? No, but that’s not the point. We didn’t want to pay by credit card!

What about all the industries that use acronyms? Give me a break! We don’t all take a course in each industry so that we can understand what all the initials are that you are using, or your industry jargon. Follow the proverbial rule – KISS, Keep It Simple Sweetie (the nice version... you know what I really mean).

And now in the day of social media and online conversations, it’s more important than ever to be clear, concise and simple. We are not living in a bubble. The internet is global so your visitors and friends are from all over the world. When you start an online conversation, remember to put it in context for your connections that may not be in your little corner of the world.

Don’t confuse people. KISS! Remember – It’s all about them!

Originally published in Work Better, Not Harder on April 26, 2012

Magic Happens in the Hussle

There are lots of 'P's in Marketing – Product, Price, Place and Promotion. Now let me share some other 'P's that I see many entrepreneurs (and people in general) adopt in their lives: Perfectionism, Paralysis, Procrastination. Many times I hear the statement, “Oh, I’m a perfectionist” ...like it’s a good thing. It’s not!! The goal to be perfect is IMPOSSIBLE – just like wanting everybody to like you. There are just too many people, with too many different views and opinions, for your work to be perfect to everybody. When you satisfy one person, you irritate or fall short with another – it can’t be any other way. In most cases. Perfectionism leads to Paralysis or Procrastination to actually DO SOMETHING! You know how I feel about Planning (another 'P') - it sets you up for success, but only if you actually DO SOMETHING with your plan. Strive for excellence, not perfection – and then set systems in place to make you take action. Here are some systems and supports that can Propel (another 'P'!) you into action. 1.     Have a Plan - Know what you want to accomplish and identify the actions it will take for you to get there. 2.     Systems – Set up systems within your business that enable you to DO things with the least amount of effort possible. 3.     Project Manage – Break every project, initiative, event, whatever, into smaller action items. Identify every task needed, who needs to do it, what money or resources you need. Then set a timeline for EACH task. (Click here for the form I use for myself and with my clients.) Which leads me to... 4.     Set Timelines FOR EVERYTHING – Know when you want to start something, when you want to finish it, and when you need something from others. Even when you ask for something from someone else, or are providing something to someone else – set a timeline! 5.     Accountability – What makes you accountable? An accountability buddy, rewarding yourself, a mastermind group, a coach or consultant - what does it take? (I have clients who pay for my services on a monthly basis, not just for the expertise, but because they know if they’re spending money and know we have a meeting coming up, they will get things done. After all, I’m known as the slapper!) 6.     Just DO SOMETHING - Sometimes you should just Ready, Aim, Fire! (I know a business owner who has been in a state of perfectionism, procrastination and paralysis for over a year – no money being made there!) YOUR ASSIGNMENT 1.     Set up a system of accountability. I suggest you do this first because it will actually help you to do the following steps. 2.     Identify one thing you’ve wanted to do but haven’t because of one excuse or another. (Notice I didn’t say reason?) 3.     Before you do anything else, what is ONE thing you can do in the next 24 hours as a step forward with this goal? 4.     Take this form and break down your goal into tasks and set timelines to each task. Some of the tasks will require a form of their own. 5.     Start setting timelines to everything.

Let me know if this kick in the butt has helped get you started on something... I’d love to hear from you.

Originally published in New Life Business Newsletter April 2012

The Outsourcing Solution

More and more companies are choosing to outsource services that may have typically been performed by employees. There are many benefits to this option for the organization. The following issues are being considered and measured when choosing a service solution:

1.     The services being outsourced may be required on a part-time or sporadic basis, making outsourcing the logical financial winner.

2.     Outsourcing allows organizations to retain specialized expertise that they may not be able to afford on a full time basis.

3.     Relationships and contracts with freelancers or contractors are more easily terminated with little or no financial ramification.

4.     What you see is what you pay! No employee benefits, payroll costs, or government submissions.

5.     There’s a shortage of skilled labour and it’s only going to get worse. With the onslaught of the retiring baby boomers in huge numbers and those entering the work force in much smaller numbers, the sustainability of the current numbers in the workforce is impossible. Employers will have to fight for employees so, when possible, contract work will be a great solution.

6.     Freelancers and contractors ARE business owners and understand that their client’s satisfaction equals their success.

7.     Freelancers and contractors are usually much more flexible with their time than employees.

8.     Freelancers and contractors have access to other resources and can often act as the project manager, making them just one contact for multiple services, and sometimes at a much better rate than the organization could get on their own.

9.     Contracting out opens doors to fresh ideas and new solutions.

As you can see, contracting out can be a viable and timely decision!

Originally published in Work Better, Not Harder on February 14, 2012

Show Up and Follow Up

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “90% of Success is just showing up”. This means simply doing, being engaged, following through. You don’t have to be smarter, richer, better looking, more well connected... none of this. Just decide what you’re going to do and then DO IT!

When you consider the number of people that don’t follow through with their plans, it is staggering. By you just putting that one foot in front of the other and taking the steps that others aren’t prepared to do, you’ve beat your competition by a mile. It takes so little effort to be better than most, so why not just commit to following through this year and see what happens.

There are some key areas where “Showing Up” will make soooo much difference.

Networking
If you’re going for a glass of wine and some munchies and chatting with your friends or the people you already know - just stay home or go to dinner with them! Networking is about learning about the character and competencies of others and for them to learn about yours. Pull up your sleeves and get in there - volunteer on committees, be a speaker, hang up coats, help with registration… get involved, really involved.

Implementation
It’s great to develop a plan and put it on nice paper in a pretty binder but, if it stays on the shelf after that, it’s just a waste of time and resources. Work the plan! After the Big Picture Vision, you need to break down each initiative or goal into monthly, weekly and daily action items - and then you need to DO THEM! If you don’t have the personal discipline or motivation to get it done on your own, create a system to provide a system of accountability for you - with a colleague or a professional. If you’re paying someone to help you stay on track, it’s more likely that you’ll do what you need to do when there’s pride or money on the line.

Follow Up
Don’t drop the ball. The hardest part is getting the ball in the air and small action steps after that are all that’s required to keep it there. When you don’t follow up on your promises or commitments, either to yourself or others, your character and integrity are questioned - it’s as simple as that. If you have too much happening and things are falling through the cracks, you need to develop a system to ensure you follow through. That may mean operational systems, hiring, outsourcing, or perhaps just not overextending yourself.

Take the time right now, at the beginning of the year, to tackle your niggly naggly issues, one at a time if necessary. Get focused, focused, focused! Set goals, follow through, and then reward yourself handsomely!

Originally published in New Life Business Newsletter January 26 2012

The Road to Hell

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Are you in a hell of ‘busy work’ resulting in mediocre achievement? Sometimes you’re in this situation because you’re doing what you love or what is easy, not necessarily the difficult or non-fun activities that will get you where you want to go.

There are very few desirable outcomes that happen without performing mundane or difficult tasks. That’s where DISCIPLINE comes in. It is said that 90% of success (or something like that) is a result of just ‘showing up’ – showing up means doing! Doing what needs to be done to achieve your goals. I believe that DISCIPLINE = FREEDOM, not self-denial as some believe. When we do what we need to do, when we need to do it, we get the results we want. Those results provide us with more options. For example, if I do what needs to be done Monday to Friday morning, then Friday afternoon through to Sunday are free for me – yippee!!! It’s soooo worth it!

When we take 100% responsibility for our actions and the consequences of those actions, we understand the power of self-discipline in our lives – for our business, our health, our relationships – you get the picture. A lack of self-discipline is a major cause of failure, frustration, under-achievement, low self-esteem and general unhappiness in life. It causes us to make excuses and play the blame game or became a “yeah… but” person.

We all take the path of least resistance at times so it’s important to establish behaviours, habits and systems for us to overcome this. Figure out what works for you – admit it, you already have a good idea of the excuses and habits that are keeping you from ‘showing up’.

The following tips may help you develop the self-discipline to achieve great things in 2012. Be honest with yourself and remember, every time you WON’T do something it eats away at your self esteem. Self discipline means that you can depend on YOU... making you feel more self-respect and a more powerful person. Self Discipline is a habit!!!

The price of success must always be paid in full – in advance!

• Set goals – know what you want to accomplish
• Plan your year, month, week and day in advance
• Re-write your 10 big goals each morning
• Set priorities each day – does this help me reach my goals?
• Focus single mindedly on one thing – multi-tasking is not productive!
• Feed your brain daily with great ‘food for thought’
• Learn, Learn, Learn… stay curious and keep learning
• Invest in yourself – professional and personal development
• Develop a system of accountability that works for you… with yourself, with the help of others, or by hiring professional support
• Manage your technology - don’t let IT control YOU
• Assess the true value of everything you do, then either do, delegate, delay or drop
• Learn to say NO – to others and yourself
• Surround yourself with great people

Your ultimate goal in life is to achieve your own happiness. No one else can do this for you. So enough of the excuses, blame game, and “yeah… but”s – it’s your life, what are you going to do with it?

Originally published in New Life Business Newsletter December 2011

Could You, Would You, Did You?

I believe the little voice in our heads needs to fed daily with really great food for our thoughts. Our thoughts create our feelings. Thoughts and feelings together determine our consistent actions. Reading, learning, listening to CDs, participating in great mastermind groups, etc… I know, you get the picture.

Recently I was listening to a series of CDs loaned to me by one of my clients. My clients often give me great brain food stuff – they know what a learning junkie I am… thanks all! Back to the point – of what a gift I received while listening to these CDs.

The most difficult part of planning is the implementation – not the actual planning. There are many things that keep us from doing what we need to do in order to achieve our goals. There’s procrastination, not enough time, not enough money, not enough resources, other priorities, and on and on and on. When working with clients and monitoring activity and measuring results I often hear, “No, I didn’t get that done.” I say this to myself all the time… ”Oh self, you didn’t get that done…you’ll have to reschedule that in.” Well we all know that we DECIDE what to do… no one else. We decide what activities are going to be put into our 24 hours a day. And our achievements are a direct result of each decision we make. We decide what we’re going to do, when and how… it’s all up to us.

Well here’s my big aha moment – by changing the word “didn’t” or “couldn’t” to “wouldn’t”, see how you look at that uncompleted task or activity. Because when we are deciding NOT to do something we’re actually deciding that we WON’T do it.

“I wouldn’t exercise yesterday.”
“I wouldn’t call that client yesterday.”

Try this new word and see if can spur you into action. It’s working for me!

Originally published in Work Better, Not Harder on September 15, 2011

How to Choose Your Method of Communication

There are 2 main areas to consider when choosing your method of communication:

1.     Which type of communication suits the subject matter best?

2.     Is this the type of communication that the recipient prefers?

With the ever increasing technologies being offered, there is a staggering variety of options available to us to communicate with each other. How do you know which one to use and when? More often than not we choose the method that WE enjoy and find most efficient, without even contemplating what our client, supplier, colleague, etc, might prefer. It always makes good business sense to find out the preferred method of communication when we enter into a relationship than to default to the one that we’re most comfortable with.There are also subjects don’t suit certain communication methods. For instance, an email is usually not the best method to deal with conflict. Words represent only 7% of communication and there is no instant interactiveness when communication by the written word. There’s a lot of meaning lost and a lot of meaning added when only words are being used.

If a client leaves a message on our voice mail, it usually means that they like that means of communication and you should reply to them via telephone... and likewise with e-mail, texting etc.

As a business owner, professional or sales person the onus is on us to adapt to others’ communication preferences. Establishing a connection with a client, supplier or colleague starts with how we communicate with them. So the next time you start to compose an email, ask yourself, “Is this the right subject for an email, and is this how the recipient wants to communicated with?”

Remember – and I can’t say this too often – it’s not about YOU!!!

Originally published in Work Better, Not Harder on August 30, 2011

7 Low Cost Tips to Increase Sales

There are only 3 ways to increase your sales:

1.     Have more customers

2.     Increase your average sale

3.     Increase the number of transactions per customer

Following are 7 strategies that you can start working on today.

1. Test an increase in your prices – is this a possibility? Even a small increase will make a difference in your bottom line.

2. Audit your customer touch points – Make a list of EVERY way you touch your clients. From your business cards to your email signature to your handshake to your Facebook page. Is each touch point relaying your brand promise and saying what you want it to?

3. Networking – Make your contacts count! Develop a networking strategy. Your networking contacts or “circle of influence” aren’t just people who you may do business with, they are people you can refer to others and who can refer you. It’s about learning what others do and teaching them what you do. a. Give freely with no expectations
b. Help others
c. Build connections
d. Network with like-minded people

4. Show your value – Your message should speak loud and clear about exactly what it is you do for your client – not what you do – what you do for them. What value do you bring to them? How do you make their life or business better? All your messages should speak about this value… your website, in person, email marketing… everything. It’s all about “What’s in for them”.

5. Up-selling – After the first sale, what else can you offer them that will really be valuable to them? Are there packaging opportunities with your products and services? Can you develop a passive revenue stream? If you have a service, is there an opportunity to add a product and vica versa.

6. Ideal Client Profile – I don’t care if you sell toilet paper, not EVERYONE is your client. Take the time to figure out who your IDEAL client is… everything about them. Once you have this profile, you can figure out how to reach them in a focused way… where they hang out, what they read, what organizations they belong to. I guarantee, if you do this, your ROI on your marketing $$ will be higher and your sales conversion rate will increase.

7. Improve your Sales Skills – The #1 way to increase your sales is by improving your sales skills - you will increase your conversion rate. Your revenue will increase and each sale will cost you less.

Originally published in New Life Business Newsletter August 2011

How to Develop Great Collaborations

We call them different things, partnerships, collaborations, strategic alliances... whatever term you use, are you developing these relationships? Do you even know what you want out of these relationships – or what you have to offer?

As a small business owner or solopreneur, collaborations or alliances can be a low-cost strategy for business development – and super effective. Following are just a few ways in which these alliances can be a win-win situation:

• Develop a new product or service together
• Grow your community and resources
• Create a mastermind group
• Support, motivation, inspiration
• Development of new business groups
• Sharing risk and financial commitment

Let’s talk a little about when you want to collaborate with another entrepreneur for the purpose of making money together. Partnerships of any kind can be tricky business but there are some things that you can do that will greatly increase your chances of success. Following are 6 tips for forming collaborations that work: 

1.     Choose carefully
You want to work with people who are like minded, have the same value system and that you totally trust and respect.
It always has to be a win-win.

2.     Determine your shared goals
Be clear on what you want to get out of your collaboration
Work out the time, money and any additional resources that are required from each of you.
Talk openly about the “what ifs”.
Talk money… it’s not a dirty word!

3.     Discuss Communication
Leave nothing to assumption. Discuss everything. What are the communication expectations?
Keep great notes and after each meeting provide an action list with activities assigned that have a timeline on each item.

4.     Do a big picture breakdown
Take the project and break it down into bite size pieces with action items and time-lines attached to everything, BEFORE you start anything.
This will help you both see the other’s attention to detail, commitment and follow through.

5.     Give each other an out.
Discuss exit options before you even get started. This will allow each of you a predetermined way to leave the collaboration without a bitter ending.
Brainstorm best and worse case scenarios – it’s easier to do this BEFORE anything happens, from an objective point of view.

6.     Know your partner’s working style
How does your partner process information? What is their decision making process like? Do they function on their intuition or are they thinkers? How do they spend their money? What is important to them? Are they detailed oriented and you’re a big picture thinker? Does your style and theirs make for a good collaboration?

Collaborations can be a very lucrative and personally satisfying endeavor. If you take the time to do your research upfront and you enter the relationship with both your eyes wide open, then you’re likely to have a great experience – OR – you’ll find out in the very early stages that this is not the right alliance for either of you. Even when there are major differences, as long as you know up front and have a strategy to deal with it, those differences can enhance the project.

I have a couple of collaborations that are really working for me because my partners and I are open, not afraid to communicate honestly, and most of all we truly trust and respect each other. We not only embrace each others strengths, but our differences as well.

Originally published in New Life Business Newsletter June 2011