Business Techniques in Troubled Times

Business Techniques in Troubled Times by Thomas Gray is an outstanding tool for small business owners everywhere. This detailed book provides tools, techniques, and strategies for every aspect of a small business. Interestingly the title is a little misleading! The information in this book is valuable regardless of the economic times, in my opinion. 

One of the things I found most valuable is the way the book is structured. A small business owner can jump to a section where they are experiencing issues that need resolution, or they can read straight through. 

In addition, there is real content in this book. It isn't a philosophical diatribe about the theory of small business success. It provides tactical, specific ideas for fixing and improving processes and policies. There's even a section about family businesses! I highly recommend this book to every small business owner who is ready to evaluate and adjust to improve their results.

Listen First

      

Listen first, speak second. Too many salespeople think their job is to share information, to tell the prospect every wonderful thing about the product or service. Nothing could be farther from the truth.  When you ask questions and really listen to the answers you find out what their need is. Then, and only then, can you provide them with a solution to their problem. And that is what sales is all about. 

      Take a list of questions with you so you are sure to get the answers you need. And make sure those questions cover every aspect of a potential engagement with the prospect. Go beyond the specific need or project. Who are they as a person or company?

Entrepreneurship is Not What You Think

Join me and my guest Jim Beach for Accelerate Your Business Growth radio show on Monday, June 10th 1pm ET, as we talk about entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship is not about risk or creativity or passion! This is the thesis of the book School for Startups, that anyone can be an entrepreneur. Seventy-two percent of Americans wish they were entrepreneurs. When this seventy-two percent of people see that risk and creativity can be removed, no excuse remains for inertia. My guest Jim Beach will share insights from the book and his understanding of entrepreneurship.

Jim started working as a research assistant at the Japanese External Trade Organization in Atlanta. He attended graduate school in Hawaii before working for Coca-Cola in Japan. At age 26, he founded American Computer Experience, which provided technology training for young people. He sold the company in 2001 and started teaching at Georgia State University. He now teaches at the University of Tennessee/Chattanooga. He has worked extensively with United Parcel Service to promote exports.

Today's show is sponsored by the Family Business Forum. Visit www.familybizforum.com to learn about this group coaching program for family business leaders.

The Importance of Presentation Skills

Join me today at 1pm ET when I'll be speaking with Debbie Fay of bespeak presentations on Accelerate Your Business Growth. We'll be talking about the importance of public speaking as well as how to speak effectively.

Whether you are speaking to one or a room-full there's value in understanding the elements of an effective presentation.  

Debbie Fay is the founder and president of bespeak presentations solutions, llc, providing public speaking coaching, training, and presentation development to companies worldwide. Clients include: BNY Mellon Bank, Sabra Dipping Products, Robert Half International, Moody's Investment Services, US Fund for UNICEF, and Tauck World Travel as well as entrepreneurs, authors, and others.

A sought after speaker, Debbie is a contributing author to Forbes.com.

Today's show is sponsored by WIN Cleveland. WIN Cleveland is an organization that empowers female professionals be creating new access points for individual business development. They support one another by providing continual professional growth, sharing a wide variety of ideas and resources and assisting select women-based charities within their community. Visit WIN Cleveland for more information.

This is How We Do It!

Do you have a clearly defined product that you offer to people? I find that a lot of service providers don't take the time to create a package or product offer that is consistent and covers most possibilities. What happens is they price on the fly. They use hourly rates and provide unique pricing for each prospect.

The problem with this is that often, these same business owners end up feeling like they didn't price the project successfully. So, what can you do about this?

1. Decide
Decide what your time is worth. Include the time needed for prework, inter-work, and client time.

2. Package
Create packages that cover everything in point 1. You know your business best. How does it work? What is the best way for you to work with your clients?

3. Quote
Quote the packages. This makes it easy for you to provide proposals. You'll find it helps you stay streamlined and productive.

Using a system like this will give you the ability to keep your business running the way YOU want it to. You'll find that people will respond to this process because you are solid in your statements. You'll be seen as professional, structured, and serious. The people who value what you do and want to do business with you will respond positively to this process. Those who don't, won't.

Here's the truth about that. You are trying to draw the ideal client - the one who values what you do and will pay a reasonable price for it. By using this system you will more readily separate the ideal from the rest. Appreciate the difference. Your business will be better for it.

Copyright© 2013 Seize This Day Coaching

Content Is King

We live in a new economy where content is a marketing vehicle. The days of pushing your product or service are over. Thank goodness! Today, sharing valuable information with your audience is the way to grow your business.

When you share your knowledge, as well as the knowledge of others, you position yourself as an expert and a giver. Potential clients get the opportunity to learn about you, develop trust in you, and decide to work with you. Today, everyone Googles what they want to know. Consumers are more informed because they can be. 

So, how are you showing up?

Try this process on for size:
1. List 3-5 topics within your business that you have expertise in; things you could talk about.
2. Create subtopics under each of them
3. Pick a day to create some content
4. Decide if you are going to write blog posts, create videos, or both
5. On that day, create a handful of items
6. Throughout the next couple of weeks disperse those items on your blog, on social media, and in your newsletter (if you have one)

Using this process can keep you on track and consistent with your content. Pay attention to the results you start to realize. And remember, it takes time to make an impression so don't stop! 

Let me know how it works out for you and what you've decided to share! And have fun - it'll make it easier to implement.

What You Need To Know About Sales

Where to begin? With Michael Johnson, the publisher of SalesDog.com! He'll be my guest on Accelerate Your Business Growth on Monday, May 13th at 1pm ET. Michael will share secrets obtained from over a 30 year period in sales including tips in leadership, marketing, telephone sales, and pitfall to avoid. 

Michael is a successful entrepreneur with decades of sales and business leadership. Among his many business activities, he is publisher of SalesDog.com, a website for sales professionals. Among his accomplishments, he has taken a small publishing company from three employees and two products to a multinational corporation with hundreds of employees and over 100 products. As a master salesperson he has founded several successful businesses and published hundreds of magazine and newspaper articles. He is also author of the bestselling book Rules of the Hunt which is available at Amazon.  

Today's show is sponsored by The Opportunity Network. This structured, non-competitive referral program is designed to help B2B business leaders grow their businesses through meaningful referrals and coaching conversations. Visit www.SeizeThisDayCoaching.com/Networks to find a chapter near you.

I'm a proud to say that Accelerate Your Business Growth has been named on the list of the Top 100 Podcasts of 2013.