Be The Best Employer In Town: Hire Eagles

Be The Best Employer In Town:   To find, hire and keep only the best there is a five step process to follow. [similar to the pattern we follow to help you find, get and keep only the best customers]

  1. Be the kind of person/business top performers want to be associated with.
  2. Know your Market– Know who your target audience is. What do the best people look like?
  3. Create your Message– What is your unique story? What makes you appealing to the best people?
  4. Choose your Media– Where do these top performers hang out? Where is the best place to reach them?
  5. Keep them.

First: Be the kind of person that others want to follow and associate with.

  • Be likable
  • Be trustworthy
  • Be competent

SecondWho is your target audience? What do your best people look like right now? Where do they come from? Where do they get their information from? What is their worldview? – our decision-making, and theirs, is influenced by the way we think. What are their goals and values and how can we contribute? What are some objections to working with you? Why would someone choose NOT to work for you? [Note: this is not an exhaustive list]

Third: Once you have a good picture or profile of what your best people look like, then create the message. What makes you unique? What are the benefits, for this target audience, of working with you? What do they want to hear that is true of you?

Fourth: Once you know these things, Where do they hang out? Where do they go to get their information? You can now determine the best media to use to reach them.

To market and sell your business as the place they want to be employed, the very first thing you must do is get clear on who your ideal employee is, where they are hanging out, what their challenges are, etc…Every marketing piece must know what your ideal employees and potential employees “hot buttons” are-what’s important and/or relevant to them. Once you find who your target audience truly is then you can know what those hot buttons are.

Never forget the following marketing principle:                                        You are better off running a weak ad to the right audience than you are running a strong ad to the wrong audience.

Fifth: Keep them.

  • Be more like a coach than a manager.
  • Provide them with opportunities to be rewarded appropriately.
  • Lead by principles not rules. Every rule has an exception, principles do not.
  • Be an effective communicator.

Cultivate and model these 9 Habits of Emotional Bank Account deposits as taught by Stephen Covey to build strong meaningful relationships and set the example of the way you want your staff to treat others:

  1. Seek 1st to Understand…listen with the intent to understand rather than simply to respond.
  2. Keep your Promises.
  3. Act with Kindness & Courtesy.
  4. Clarify Expectations (make sure everyone fully understands including yourself). Almost all conflicts are a result of “violated expectations.”
  5. Be Loyal to the Absent (never talk badly about anyone behind their back)
  6. Apologize when Wrong (it takes a Big person to admit when wrong)
  7. Accept Responsibility (don’t blame anyone else)
  8. Be Open to Feedback (be willing to listen to criticism; Correction does not mean rejection)
  9. Take time between the Stimulus and the Response so that you can Exercise your Freedom to Choose Responsibly.

Good results come from good people.  To gain more influence, identify the similarities within your target audience and work from there.

If you want to be able to attract, hire and keep Eagles, the best people, then be the best employer in town and ALWAYS BE RECRUITING – 365 days a year!

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Hire Eagles: 5 Steps to Find, Hire and Keep Only the Best People – the 20% that Generates 80% of Your Results

Hire Only Eagles – 5 Steps to Find, Hire and Keep Only the Best People – the 20% that Generates 80% of Your Results Part One:

In his book “A Little Bit At A Time”, Russell Wright showed that this concept was introduced as early as 1911 by an author named Frederick Taylor who wrote a book titled “The Principles of Scientific Management” where he state four principles.

Here they are paraphrased a bit:

  • Get and Keep the Right People
  • Make clear what needs to be done.
  • Make appropriate training, resources and support available.
  • Remove the obstacles from their path and let them do what needs to be done.

In his book “Good to Great”, autghor Jim Collins found a similar thing with all Great companies:

1st: It starts with having the right leader/leadership skills.

2nd: They then got the “right” people on the “bus” and just as importantly, they got the wrong ones off.

3rd: They had the ability to be honest about current reality.

4th: They kept it simple by adhering to the 80/20 Principle.

5th: They created a culture of discipline.

6th: They understood the concepts of the Principle of Compounding. A little bit at at time, all the time, has the greatest chance of success.

Then in the 1950’s W. Edward Demings and J.M. Juran, American consultants, were invited to Japan to help them rebuild their economy.

It must be noted that American industrialists dismissed their ideas. I’m sure Deming and Juran would have preferred to stay home and help American industry take it to the next level.

This is the Acres of Diamonds syndrome or as Jesus stated “But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown” – Luke 4:24

For whatever reason, we tend to look outside our own backyard for answers.

I’m telling you, you have everything you need to get everything you want already available to you.

To find, hire and keep only the best there is a five step process to follow. [similar to the pattern we follow to help you find, get and keep only the best customers]

  1. Be the best employer in town.  Be the kind of person/business top performers want to be associated with. 
  2. Know your Market– Know who your target audience is. What do the best people look like?
  3. Create your Message– What is your unique story? What makes you appealing to the best people?
  4. Choose your Media– Where do these top performers hang out? Where is the best place to reach them?
  5. Keep them.

In Part Two I will go into more detail as a precursor to my upcoming book of the same title.

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2/3 of Small Business Owners Don’t Know How to Ask the Right Questions and It’s Costing Them Money

Ask the right questions and you’ll get the right answers. 

A recent survey of 2600 small business owners, conducted in January 2017 by “Small Business Trends” revealed that 62% of them believe Facebook advertising is ineffective.

First, we believe the reason for this is the same reason too many small business marketing strategies don’t work – they don’t ask the right questions.

Our Essential Elements discovery process is designed to help you discover the six elements every small business owner needs to know. The very first element is designed to determine who your ideal target audience is.

There are 6 elements to knowing who your Target Audience is.
In some cases, you’ll need to survey or have conversations with existing customers to accurately flesh out your target audience.

One, Demographic Information: Where do your clients come from specifically?

  • Geographic location
  • Income
  • Gender
  • Education
  • Marital status
  • Occupation
  • Religion
  • Age

Two, Psychographics:

  • Spending habits-where do they shop?
  • Hobbies
  • Values
  • Concerns
  • Desires
  • Lifestyles
  • Associations they might be affiliated with

Three, Sources of Information: Where Does Your Target Client [ideal customer] Get His or Her Information?
Who are the thought leaders they follow like authors, bloggers, magazines, websites, podcasters?
What Facebook pages are liked by your Target Audience?
What Facebook groups do your Target Audience belong to?
What are the most popular online discussion forums in your niche?
What are the most popular LinkedIn groups in your niche?

Four, Pain Point or Challenges: What is their major problem they have that you have a solution to?

Five, Objections In Their Purchase Process: What are the reasons your customer might choose NOT to buy from you or your product or service?

Six, What are their goals and values?
Second, they don’t understand the importance of testing.  One of the great advantages to Facebook advertising is how easy, fast and relatively inexpensive it is to test not only the answers to the  6 elements to knowing who your Target Audience but also the message including the attention grabbing headline.

Testing budgets as small as $5 or $10 a day, focusing on different mixes, can tell you what you need to know before you begin to invest larger amounts in your campaign.

Our Essential Elements discovery process helps you discover these six things which are critical regardless of what media or technology you use.

  • Who is your Target Audience. Your ideal customer. The 20% that generate 80% of your revenue, cash flow and ultimately your profits.
  • The Lifetime Value of your customers. You know exactly how much you can spend or ethically reward someone to become your client or remain a loyal fan.
  • Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP). This is what sets you apart from everyone else.  What makes you, your products or services unique?
  • Risk Free Guarantee. This is what makes it easier for your clients to say YES vs
  • 100% Financial Capacity. This clarifies how much money you are potentially leaving on the table and gives you the insight and courage to move forward.
  • 80/20 Principle. Also originally known as the Pareto Principle.
    The vast minority of your customers, employees, products/services, efforts, time, money, resources are generating the vast majority of your results. This process helps you identify them.

The question is always the answer.

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When Trust is High…

When Trust is High, so are your profits.

In his book “The Speed of Trust”, Stephen M.R. Covey said there is an economics to Trust.

Low trust = low speed and high cost

High trust = high speed and low cost

Low trust causes friction whether it is caused by low Character or low Competence or both.

Low trust causes hidden agendas, politics, personal conflicts, win-lose thinking, defensive and protective communication.

Low trust slows everything down – every decision, communication and every relationship.

High Trust on the other hand, produces speed.

There is one thing that is common to every individual, relationship, team, organization, nation, economy and civilization – the one thing that if removed, will destroy the most powerful government, the most successful business, the most thriving economy, the most influential leadership, the greatest friendship, the strongest character, the deepest love.  Trust.

Not long ago I shot a quick video, simply using my iPhone to explain to some of my Real Estate partners why I felt I was so successful in that industry.  (Not to digress, but this simple and inexpensive method of video marketing is a potential gold mine for you. We will teach you and implement it for you.)

Because trust is based off of principles, my message works regardless of the industry, location or time.

Learn more here:

When_Trust_is_High...

Here’s my definition of TRUST

Trust = Competence + Character demonstrated over Time.

When trust is high:

  • Communication is easy and effortless.
  • The emotional bank account with everyone in your Circle of Concern is high so mistakes are more easily forgiven.
  • When mistakes are made, meaning is still understood.
  • Everything in your life goes smoother and momentum is always in a positive direction.

Conversely, when trust is low:

  • Communication is ineffective, time-consuming and difficult.
  • Every little mistake is taken personally by the offended.

In my experience, I have found that people instinctively trust someone whose communication and personality is based on accurate Principles –those founded on God’s Natural Laws.

People recognize when they are being manipulated for the benefit of the manipulator.

15 Habits to cultivate within yourself and your business that will help you build strong meaningful relations – both personal and business:

1. Be Honest & Authentic. Always be straight with people.

2. Act with Kindness & Courtesy. Be Respectful of everyone; even those who might be “in-your-face”. You may have to “fire” a customer one day, but be respectful about it and then move on.

3. Be Transparent – An Educated Customer is the Best Customer. Consistently tell the world what you offer, why you offer it and how it will benefit them.
Tell the complete story about what makes you and your product or service unique. You don’t have to just tell the good, tell some bad as well. Every product or service will not be the right fit for everyone. Admit it right up front. Stating what you can’t do builds trust and alleviates unpleasant problems down the road. I’d rather lose the sale right up front and build a reputation of integrity than lose a client after the sale due to disappointment.

4. Apologize When Wrong. When you screw up, take responsibility, apologize and make some sort of meaningful restitution.

5. Be Loyal – especially to the Absent (never talk badly about anyone behind their back)

6. Deliver Results – One of the best habits you can cultivate in order to accomplish the results your clients/customers/patients expect is to adhere to clarify expectations, the next habit.

7. Clarify Expectations – Make sure everyone fully understands including yourself). Almost all conflicts are a result of violated expectations. Even though most of my business is done with a simple handshake, it is still imperative that the expectations of effort, responsibilities and results are clarified in writing.

8. Be a Student of your Business – Constantly Improve by exposing yourself to new ideas, techniques and people.

9. Be Honest about Reality. Being self-aware is one of the foundations of ever achieving greatness. You have to know what motivates and de-motivates you. What you strengths and weaknesses are.

10. Be Proactive – Take responsibility and hold yourself and others accountable. Learn to “Think Win-Win or No Deal.” Never blame someone else.

11. Listen with the Intent to Understand Rather than Simply to Respond. Ask Smart Questions and listen.

12. Keep your Promises. One of the best ways to accomplish this is under-promise, over-deliver.

13. Extend Trust -Give trust and expect it in return.

14. Actively Seek Complaints – Be open to feedback; That means proactively seek out complaints as an opportunity to build trust.

15. Have an Attitude of Gratitude.

There is a positive velocity to your life that occurs when trust is high that can’t be compensated for in any other way.

 

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Only Immediate Response Marketing

If you are not creating Immediate Response marketing, you are wasting your money.

Most brick & mortar, mom & pop owned and operated businesses advertise and market like the Big Brand boys.   Their marketing is full of platitudes pushing the wrong agenda of Image, Brand and Presence.

 

Dan Kennedy, marketing guru, shared these sad facts that coincidently follow the 80/20 Principle:

1% of Small Business Owners create tremendous income and wealth for themselves.  They DOMINATE their market within their industry.

4% do quite well. They are prosperous and have created a very nice lifestyle for themselves and their families.

15% make a good living.

80% struggle day-to-day or fail altogether.

 

When I owned my new car franchised dealership I fought a continual battle.

The factory charged me several hundred dollars per car/truck that they designated as “co-op advertising funds”.

They would give that money back to me IF I advertised to promote their Image, Brand and Presence.

I can’t adequately communicate how much this irked me and how short-sighted I viewed this.

Like all “Policies & Regulations” there were loopholes, but what a waste of time and energy to have to run my business that way.

Those small businesses in the 20% tiers don’t blindly follow the crowd. They adhere to a different way of doing business and that especially applies to their marketing.

According to Dan Kennedy:  Your Marketing Strategy needs to be and can be much SIMPLER.

  1. Every $1.00 spent on marketing has to provide you an IMMEDIATE Return-on-Investment (ROI) – FAST! Like TODAY preferably.
  2. That ROI must able to be accurately tracked back to that $1.00 spent.
  3. DO NOT spend a $1.00 that does not IMMEDIATELY return more than it costs you.

We will not take on a client where we do not feel confident we can bring them a return 3 to 5x’s what they spend for our advice, strategies and plans.

As a small business owner with limited resources, your sole agenda has to be to SELL SOMETHING TODAY!

You cannot afford any other way of thinking.

Every marketing communication you create from now on must be created with these 7 Rules at the forefront of your thinking:

  1. It must be created with the intent to get a sale TODAY!
  2. Every marketing/advertising communication will have an Intriguing and near Impossible-to-Refuse Offer in it.
  3. Always, always have a reason for the prospect or customer to RESPOND – Immediately.
  4. It must have very clear instructions on What you want them to do, When and How.  Always make it easy to do business with you AND to say YES!
  5. Every marketing/advertising communication will be trackable. “You can’t manage what you don’t or can’t measure.”
  6. Brand-building will only be done using NO-COST methods. Absolutely no platitudes.
  7. Follow-up will be built right into every marketing communication.

 

If you are spending money with agencies, radio stations, television ads, newspaper ads, online advertising, websites, postcards, brochures, etc. and they are not adhering to these rules. Fire them! NOW!   You are on the path to joining or remaining in that 80% that just survive.

Our Desired End Results for every owner we work with is to get them to that 1%.

Only Immediate Response Marketing will get you there.

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Creating the Life You Want

One of the most substantial elements to Creating the Life You Want are the people you surround yourself with.

There is a saying:  “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your future.”

Every responsible parent knows how important the relationships our kids have is to their future.

Robert Fritz was a mentor I had hired years ago to help me create the success I desired for my auto dealership.

In his book “Your Life as Art”,  he has a Rule of Thumb on this issue:

“Surround yourself with people who support you, support what you are doing, and root for your success. Avoid people who do not support you, do not understand you, do not like you, do not wish you well, and would like nothing better than to watch you fall on your ass.”

Life is all about relationships.

And as with everything else in life – Principles Rule.

Two very powerful and foundational habits, as taught by Stephen Covey, for cultivating and maintaining relationships that are positive rather than negative:   Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood and Think Win-Win…OR No Deal

 The truth is each and every one of us would be better off having no friends than the wrong friends.

Sometimes you just need to take a stand for yourself.

How do you pick who to let into your Creative Circle of Influence:

They must be truthful and integrity based.

They must know you well enough to have valuable insight into who you really are – what motivates you, what your strengths and weaknesses are.

They must actually like you…just the way you are.

They care about your success….they care enough to be TRUTHFUL.

The Wisest (and Richest) man who ever lived – Solomon – has words on this as well:   “The righteous choose their friends carefully,  but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” – Proverbs 12:26 (NIV)

In the end, it all comes down to our freedom to choose and our freedom to act.

We can choose to allow ourselves to achieve success or not by the choices we make.

I love the old story of a man who believes in God with undying faith.

One day a flood comes and water begins to rise and rise and he is forced to climb out onto the roof of his house.

Civil defense sends a boat to rescue him. He refuses to go and tells his would-be saviors that he has faith in God and that everything will be all right.

He then refuses help from a helicopter that attempts to rescue him.

The water keeps rising until the roof is now underwater, and he is havingtrouble keeping his head above water.

In a last ditch effort, the Coast Guard sends in a small submarine to save the drowning man. He waves them off and says, “Don’t worry, I believe in God.”

As his last words are uttered, more bubbles than sound, he drowns.

He wakes up at the Pearly Gates.

When he realizes where he is and what happened, he is really mad!

“I had faith in God, and what does he do? Drowns me!!”

Saint Peter shakes his head, smiles and says, “God sent you a boat, a helicopter and a submarine. What more do you want!”

Surround yourself only with people who really support you and your cause; and eliminate from your Circle of Influence those who do not.

My challenge to you: How do these Principles and Rules apply to your business life?

Where you see the word “Friends” substitute “customers” or “Target Audience” when appropriate   Learn More at Who Should You be Selling to? 

Life/Circle of Influence = Business

Creating the Life You Want requires that you have a clear understanding of WHO should be in your life in the first place.   Begin with the End In Mind.

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Be a Big Fish in a Small Pond Principle

Our country was founded on the Principles of God and Two Common Laws

1. Honor all Commitments; Do what you said you would do.

2. Do not covet; Never encroach upon another’s person or property.

There are NOW tens of thousands of man-made laws and regulations in this country derived from man’s belief he can supersede Gods Natural Laws (Principles) and somehow fair better.

When you understand the Principles it is easier to spot the laws and regulations that no longer serve justice but rather simply serve the political system that is now in control.

My point is:  A foolish person memorizes formulas. A wise person understands principles.

Wisdom doesn’t live by a set of rules, but in the understanding and applying the principles behind them

You can recognize a Principle because they are:

Universal – They work everywhere

Timeless – They work all the time; past, present and future

Self-evident – You can’t argue against them.

Especially as you start out in life, always look for the opportunity to dominate a small pond or market; and then keep either adding “ponds” that you dominate or move to slightly larger ponds and dominate them.

Find your niche; find your audience and become the “expert” that others flock to, to ask you to help them solve their problems.

This is about finding or creating ways to differentiate yourself and make yourself stand above the crowd.

When I first started to sell cars, I became the product knowledge expert in our dealership. When anyone had a product knowledge question, even management or other departments, they came to me first.

By becoming an expert in this niche, it gave me a lot of latitude, respect and eventually a management position…which eventually helped me to my purchase my own dealership.

When you are the Big Fish in a small pond it is easier to create lasting relationships, it is easier to demonstrate your worth and it is easier to stand out.

A critical Rule of this Principle is Constant Improvement.

Be a Big Fish in a Small Pond…and always be looking to seek or make a bigger pond.

This could be a geographic pond; psychographic, product, pricing, expertise, etc.
1. Pick a certain type of consumer.  Example:  Death Wish coffee has decided to market their coffee to the consumer who wants extra caffeine.
2.  Create a different kind of experience when the customer visits you.
3.  Constantly change what you offer – like TJ Maxx
4.  Focus on Price and/or Value.

The possibilities are endless.

Principle of Big Fish in a Small Pond can be articulated in marketing like this: It is better to reach 10% of the market and persuade them 100% of the way than to reach 100% of the market and only persuade them 10% of the way. 

There are three things we focus on when we help our clients and all of our plans are based on them.

Market – Who is your Target Audience and what is their “language”.

Message – What is your USP (Unique Selling Proposition; your story)

Media – Which media(s) are best suited for you at this time to give you the highest ROI

We believe in and understand Facebook marketing, email marketing and utilizing video in both to enhance your persuasion.

But, there are times media like newspaper, direct mail, radio and/or television are appropriate.

You can even utilize this principle when purchasing space and/or time on these different media platforms.

As a small business, you don’t have a huge budget to spend like BIG business so you need to spend wisely.

Always think ROI (Return on Investment) and how QUICKLY am I realizing this ROI in terms of profit and cash flow.  Money I can put into my bank account TODAY!  If you want immediate improvement to your bottom line, you have to implement Immediate Response Marketing regardless of the media you choose to use.

I learned marketing principles from Jay Abraham and hired him as my mentor for about a year when I first purchased my dealership.

His favorite saying to me was: It is better to talk to 10 people who want to hear what you have to say, than 100 tire-kickers.

Here’s the Principle to remember and burn into your mind:
It is better to reach 10% of the market and persuade them 100% of the way than to reach 100% of the market and only persuade them 10% of the way.

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Principles Rule: Be Authentic

Be Authentic: “Only you can be you.”

We are all created UNIQUE.

Research shows that the average person has between 500 to 700 different skills and abilities – WOW!!

And no one else on earth can use these skills and abilities, in their combination, like you can.

DNA molecules can unite in an infinite number of ways – 10 to the 2,400,000,000 power. That’s 10 with 2 billion zeros after it!!!!

There never has been and never will be another YOU.

The secret to successful marketing is to uncover what makes you and your business Unique (your USP – Unique Selling Proposition) and then Tell your story to the world and tell it often.

Every woodworker knows that the most effective and efficient way to work with wood is to work with the grain rather than against it.

It’s the equivalent of “working smarter, rather than harder.”

The expression “Sawing against the grain” means working against oneself; not getting the most out of the effort you put into something.

If you “cut against the grain” the resulting board is not as strong as one that was cut with the grain.

In the same way, when you act in a manner that is “against the grain” of who you are, or not authentic, it creates negative tension.  It requires you to expend more effort and energy which in turn produces less than the BEST results possible FOR YOU!!

When you act, speak or write consistent with the way you were Created, in other words – authentic; you experience fulfillment, satisfaction, and the Best Results possible.

Being authentic means “Doing all the Right Things Right all the Time.”

This by the way was Vince Lombardi’s definition of a Winner!

What are the Rewards of being Authentic?

The quality of your life improves

Doing (and saying) the right thing for the right reason in the right way is the key to the quality of life, and that can only come through the power of an educated conscience that aligns us with vision, mission, and true north.”          – Stephen Covey

It puts you in control of the situation rather than the situation controlling you.

“The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy will be put to forced labor.”            – Proverbs 12:24

“People can get many good things by the words they say…;
– Proverbs 12:14

“The deceitful walk a thorny, treacherous path; whoever values life will stay away.”  – Proverbs 22:5

“In the end, people appreciate frankness rather than flattery.”– Proverbs 28:3

You get the respect, admiration and trust of those in your Circle of Influence.

Being authentic is being honest. It’s being real. It’s being courageous.

It’s human nature to follow the “path of least resistance”; To just “go with the flow”. To always look for the easy way; To avoid conflict by telling people what they want to hear rather than the truth.

This is true in marketing as well.

We have come to accept that most ads are exaggerating the benefits and minimize the risks to prospective clients.

Heck, as a society, we have come to accept and condone lying at the highest levels of our government leadership.  Look at Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky affair and the gyrations around the truth and the public thought nothing about it.

What we learned as a society was that a person can lie and cheat and lack moral character – and yet not forfeit his political career.

We see broken promises (lies) every day at the highest level of our leadership and the majority of people accept it as “normal”.

But…to be a 3% er, you have zig when others are zagging.

A Leader is TRUSTWORTHY.
Trust = Competence plus Character/demonstrated over time.

Since that is not “normal”, can you only imagine what rewards awaits a trustworthy person?

When I was selling cars for a living, I always understated rather than overstated benefits.

I later created a Rule for myself and my employees of UnderPromise/OverDeliver.

When we followed this Rule, it was easy to Honor every Commitment we made.  Which created trust.

The worst kind of deceit is self-deceit. It is impossible to be authentic while at the same time practicing self-deceit.

We cannot be one person in our private life and someone different in our public (business) life.

 Why is it so easy to lie?

Everyone of us is guilty of dishonesty at one time or another.

We lie to promote ourselves, to protect ourselves or to manipulate others.

Deceit comes in a number of different categories but can be summed up in two distinct forms:

  • Distortion of the truth
  • Outright hiding of the truth

 There are always consequences to deceit.

Deceit causes never-ending stress in your life.

Having to constantly think about the lies and when you told them forces you to constantly think about them so that you don’t get caught saying something contradictory that would expose those lies.

Sooner or later, all lies are found out, and when that happens, your Circle of Influence diminishes, and the quality of friends and customers diminishes with it.

It’s the Birds of a feather syndrome.

Being Authentic is an easier way to live and conduct business and the rewards are higher because there are fewer people at the top to have share them with.

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Change the Way you Think

When you change the way you think you change your results because all thing are created first in your mind, then in reality.

“If you want to make minor, incremental changes in your life, work on behaviors, practices and attitudes.
But, if you want to make significant, quantum improvements, work on the way you think, your paradigms.”

And Learn to ask Smart Questions because the Question is Always the Answer.

 

What would your business look like if you changed your thinking from a  “Customer Service” philosophy to “Customer Helping” philosophy?

This is the Principle of Servitude Heart: You can get everything in life that you want if you’ll just help enough others get what they want.

What do customers want?  Help!

They want answers, they want information, they need service, they want to place an order, they want a solution to a problem…they want HELP!

 

How would your business be better if you focused on Principles NOT policies & rules?

With rules (or policies and regulations) you, or more importantly, your employees, only have two ways to do something, the right way and the wrong way (according to whoever wrote the rules).

Rules are like sticks, they’re unbendable. You can use them to prod, threaten or even beat someone with but when a rule doesn’t work, your employees only choice is to “break” it…and likely suffer the consequences. It’s classical two-dimensional thinking.

Principle-centered thinking on the other hand is three-dimensional thinking in that it allows you to stand apart and see the whole terrain.

Principles will act as your compass in that they always point you toward True North whereas  rules, policies or regulations are more like a map. They are only good as long as the terrain or the market doesn’t change or you haven’t been given the wrong map.

Stephen Covey defines a Principle saying they are:
Universal – They work anywhere.
Timeless – They work all the time.
Self-evident – You can’t argue against them.

Another way to view a principle is to see it more like a rope. They conform to the changing circumstances without having to be compromised. You can lead easier with a rope than a stick, especially if your terrain is chock full of obstacles. It allows for a certain amount of flexibility, while never allowing to get off course.

 

What would happen if you spent as much time, effort and money on keeping existing clients as you do creating new ones?

Do you know what the Lifetime Value of your customers or clients is? See my blog  What Are Your Clients really worth?

Most business owners don’t know the average profit they make from a customer over their lifetime and it’s costing them a fortune.

 

Start with…Yes!
When a customer or client makes a request or asks a question or complainsgive them the hope of help.

Words are important and your first response has to be one that gives them a sense of hope that is focused on the positive, the creative, the willingness to help them find a solution.

Answer the way you would want to hear it if it were you asking the question, offering a gripe or making a request.

It’s all about your First Response…use words like:
Yes! Let’s figure out how to…
Great!
No problem!
I’m sure there’s a way we can…
I love challenges.
Cool!
Let’s see what we can do.
Or…
You bet, the best way to handle that is…
The fastest way to get that done is…
The easiest thing to do is…

The words you use, the tone of your voice and your body language start with your intent. Your intent has to be one of servitude.

 

Is that the Best we can do?
At the end of every day ask yourself these questions:
What did we do right today?

What did we do wrong?

What could we have done better?

It’s Constant Improvement mentality of  Is that the Best we can be?

Change the way you think and you change the way you behave which changes your results.

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Four Things Every Business Owner Has in Common

Every Business Owner Has These Four ‘Pain Points’ in Common

  1. Not enough time – personal and business
  2. Uncertainty & inconsistency of income and cash flow
  3. Not enough clients or more accurately, not enough of the “right” clients. That is the 20% of your customers that generate 80% of your revenue and profits.
  4. Not enough of the “right’ employees. That is the 20% of the employees that generates 80% of the results.

Far too many people go into business for themselves because they have a talent or passion and they just don’t want to work a J-O-B anymore.

Admirable…but all too often, all that happens is they swap one job for another.

It doesn’t have to be that way. But it takes courage and the ability to THINK DIFFERENTLY.

One of my coach/mentors, when I first started my own car dealership, told me to never forget the only way to make money was to sell something.

Selling always has to be your number priority every day because when you are successful and making money, and cash is flowing, whenever a problem arises, it’s a lot easier to make decisions when there is more than enough cash in the bank.

In other words, if you can afford to write a check to make a problem go away, write it.  He was talking about always having experts on my team.

Find the best people who can do what you can’t and pay them to do the job.

The reason small business owners have these four common “pain points” is because you end up wearing so many different hats that you aren’t skilled in and have no passion for.

Here are some of the Many Hats a Business Owner has to wear at one time or another.

CEO/General Manager. This Hat makes you the decision-maker, risk taker and the strategist who gets to write all the business plans.

You are also the one in your business responsible for staying abreast of your industry news, regulations and educational material by reading a wide variety of business publications and newsletters or running off to seminars and meetings just to stay informed.

You are responsible for recruiting the best employees, suppliers and partners you can. You are cheer leading and training your employees, inspiring and keeping them motivated to the mission and vision of your company – which, by the way, you also have to come up with.

CFO/Chief Financial Officer. You track and manage your Key Performance Indicators to make sure your margins, salaries, accounts receivable, and payables are current.

When this hat is on, you are using your financial projections worksheets to make sure your projections are staying on course. You are tracking cash flow needs. You are responsible for inventory control and probably ordering as well.

COO/Chief of Operations Officer.  When this hat is on, you are making sure your product or service is delivered to your customers in a timely and effective way.

You are watching how quickly you are responding to an order, keeping the customer informed of progress, and taking care of delays and complaints. You are watching inventory levels, shipping times and expenses.

Marketing Manager. With this Hat, you get the job of figuring out who your target audience is, where they are, how to reach them, what to say when you do get in front of them and how you can sell to them.

If you want to stay ahead of the game, you must read a variety of business and marketing publications to stay abreast of what’s happening in your industry and which marketing strategies are likely to work for you.

Advertising Manager. Now that you’ve created your marketing strategy you get to decide when and where to place your ads, and what type of media to place your advertising.

Copywriter. Since you must write the copy that goes into the company’s marketing and advertisements , you will need to constantly hone your writing skills by studying the finer points of copy writing.

Production Manager. You get to make the work schedules and determine the quality control standards of your products and services.

Actual production Worker. Many times you probably have to jump in, roll up your sleeves and be the technician, the salesman, the waiter, bartender, trainer, and the chief cook and bottle washer.  All-the-while meeting the above-mentioned quality control standards.

Secretary, Receptionist and Customer Relations. You get to order office supplies, sign for packages, compose and type the business letters, handle customer complaints, answer phones.

And you get the job of figuring out what to do with the mountain of paperwork everyone else in the company is generating every day!

Bookkeeper. You will keep inventory records and post all income and expense figures to the company’s journals and ledgers–after you have set them up, of course.

You will also approve and pay bills, balance the checkbook, handle payroll, and organize and file all receipts for tax purposes.

Accountant. You will analyze the books and handle whatever the bookkeeper can’t do, such as fill out government forms for tax deposits or payments, do paperwork related to employees, and prepare quarterly and annual financial reports and tax returns.

You must also stay abreast of changes in tax laws that might affect your business.

IT/Computer Expert. With this Hat, you become the computer expert.  You make sure your information systems are secure and your web site is providing the information your customers and clients want in order to make intelligent buying decisions.

If your business needs to be on the Web, you’ll have to spend hundreds of hours learning how to navigate the Web, do business electronically, and set up and maintain a Web site.

You need to be thinking of the most effective way to use social media to communicate with your customers and drive qualified traffic to your store front.

Whew! I’ll bet you can add a few things.

Now ask yourself:  What would it feel like to have all of these things?
• More time – both business and personal
• Less unanticipated problems which will mean less headaches and less stress
• Consistently improving results which will mean consistently improving income and cash flow
• Relationships of trust with every employee, vendor and client.
• Customized Solutions that work for you. Every business and owner is unique.
• Personal 1-on-1 mentoring where you can rely on someone with Competence and Character to help you to ask the right questions, come up with the right solutions, to help you anticipate problems before they happen

The top producers in every field of endeavor have never been without a coach, mentor or consultant.

And the job of every coach, consultant or mentor is to make you a lot more money than you pay them.

The good ones will make it easy for you to make that decision to hire them so that you no longer have these four things in common with every other business owner.

When you know these following Essential Elements about your business, you can leverage your time, effort and money in ways your competition can’t, because they will be managing out of fear.

1. Who your Target Audience is; read more about that HERE

2. Lifetime Value of Your Customer; read more about that HERE

3. Unique Selling Proposition (USP); read more about that HERE

4. 80/20 Rule: Knowing your 20% that generates 80% of your profit. Learn more HERE

 

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