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How are you today? Energized - optimistic - well-rested? Or, your schedule could be busier than that. You might have work on your mind - or maybe your actually in the office! I hope not. However, sometimes that's just the way it goes in this day and age. Right? I have a question for you...as a business owner what is the best use of your time? If we find ourselves stressed at work - working longer hours - burdened by the weight of it all. Is that the life we really want? Here’s a thought - and most of us know this situation very well... We go through the day busy, but at the end of it our pile of “to do” items actually grew larger. You thought you made progress, but possibly you went backwards - or, at best, sideways. Sure, important meetings happened - emails went out - printer toner was purchased - important decisions were made! Lots happened and things got done. Then why the nagging feeling that not enough of the right kind of work got done? Again I ask...what is the best use of your time? Typically, when we sense that not enough progress is happening, what usually follows is we redouble our efforts. We work harder - take on more responsibility - we work even longer hours. This depressing, burn-out scenario plays out over and over again. Here’s something we must ask ourselves…
The other does not. Which path do you want? It’s a decision we all have to make day by day. If you want business success and real work & life balance - you have to surround yourself with a strong team. We can’t do it alone. If you want help building a strong team click here to learn more about our approach to business coaching. Good morning. This is your Saturday morning coaching message. Have you had your first cup of coffee? Are you awake enough for a healthy dose of some tough love? Take a deep breath. This is going to come quick. If your company is not meeting expectations... If you're frustrated at work. If your team lacks chemistry. If you have the "wrong team" around you... If you don't have a marketing plan you trust. If you don't have a coherent business growth plan... No excuses. No lies. Take another deep breath. You know you can't look to anyone else. We can't blame the economy - our team - or anything else. We have to hold ourselves accountable for everything happening in our business - both good and bad. Everything happens because of the results of our work or lack thereof. Everything. You have many of the tools you need to be successful. But you might need help organizing your efforts. If you want to create crystal clear goals and strategies to make them a reality - let's talk about what's going on. There is nothing more important to successful marketing that talking to the right people. Right? Of, course, in business we call this targeting. In the real world we simply call this being polite. I'm not going to come up to my barber and start yammering about whether he will be available to take me on a real estate tour. He'd look at me like I was...well, crazy. So, that's exactly how anyone feels when they are being bombarded by volumes of untimely, ill-advised, and misplaced advertising. But you have to meet your deadline. It's hard to create Avatars. What the heck is an Avatar? It's easy to get lazy, but don't do it. Take the time to learn who your clients and prospects really are. Then create content - something - anything that speaks to them. That lets them know you are out here and willing to help them. In the "old days" we simply hung a shingle and opened the door. Today we are fortunate enough to have amazingly powerful systems like Facebook and Google Adwords (not to mention a hundred other channels) to exactly target who we want to absorb our marketing works of art (please, it's not a blog it's my tome). We can segment by income levels - buying habits - websites they visit - their interests - publications they read - age - gender - education - "readiness to buy" and so much more. Speak politely when you meet your prospect - it might be the only opportunity you have. These all must be present - otherwise your clients will say very bad words about you... 1 - The great clients (the ones you want, right?) - they want to be connected to you! They want to know - like - and trust you. If even one of these elements are missing you will have big trouble. There's the old saying "Even if you find a better deal - most times, you do business with who you like." 2 - Customers want you to understand their goals & pain. Do you? Do you care? I mean, really, really care. We're in business for one reason, to be of service. Helping our clients create a transformation in their lives is empowering to them and us! Find your win-win-win strategy for everyone's success. 3 - Our clients are with us for one reason - they want us to create change in their lives. No matter their profession - our sacred duty is to provide solutions that will help our clients have easier, more fulfilling, and more successful lives. Remember, we're here to be helpful. Don't let the simplicity of this list fool you. Knowing the steps are easy - now get to work to make it happen. |
AuthorJohn Shermer, CEO Archives |