Can you afford to hire assistance for your business?

Many people go into business because of a passion they have without having the skills or knowledge needed to run a successful business. For example, you want to have a professional speaking business because of an area you have expertise in and want to share with others to help them have success in that area as well. But, marketing, financial management, hiring and managing staff, scheduling and all of the other tasks that are required to have a great speaking business is not something you enjoy or are good at. Other times business owners think they can do it all only to find out there aren’t enough hours in the day to do everything that is needed, to “take their business to the next level”, even if they have the expertise required.

Many business owners wait to hire help until they feel they can afford to do so, which for many is far too long. Don’t wait. If you hire the right person, he or she will more than pay for himself or herself in a very short period, which can free you up to do the things that bring more money into the business.­ As the business owner, you should not be spending your time doing work that you can hire others to do when they may not only be better at it, but can also do it at a lower cost to the business.  

Evaluate if hiring a professional or an assistant will enable you to reach a level of success you have not been able to achieve on your own. Consider the following tasks for the right professional or assistant:

·         -   Research marketing strategies available

-   Manage the marketing strategies you have decided to implement 
 - Strategize better ways to serve clients (ie. ways to thank clients for their business and promote

         additional business)

          -  Implement, and monitor systems to ensure the business runs efficientl

      -  Answer telephones, and schedule appointments 

          -  Track expenses

           -   Manage your social media

       - Manage your web site

       - Prepare for meeting

       - Other

Remember, if you hire the right person, he or she will more than pay for himself or herself in a very short period of time.

Brief Bio

After building a business from scratch as a single parent with no other source of income and only $2,000 to her name, to approx. $200 million in assets under management, in 2007 Nancy sold her practice and became a national professional speaker, business coach and award-winning author. She now helps business owners do a better job for their clients and improve their bottom line and helps individuals live more successful, fulfilling lives and realize their dreams. 

Nancy has been quoted in many local and national publications including USA Today, Money Magazine, Playboy magazine, The Chicago Tribune and The Day and has been a speaker for major corporations such as Pfizer, General Dynamics and Dow Chemical. Nancy has also been a guest on several television and radio shows.

            Contact Nancy for a free consultation at nbutler@aboveallelse.org.

How to Find Your Next Prospect in Linkedin Junk Email

I’ve heard some call it junk email; I don’t. What I’m referring to are the email messages we receive that inform us of when our contacts get a new job, celebrate a birthday, or have a work anniversary. The sender is listed as LINKEDIN UPDATES and these messages arrive in our inboxes (sometimes) daily. In the beginning and like many busy professionals, I use to quickly delete them first, just to be able to see the important messages in my box. But then I realized how valuable they were to finding my prospects; it was like finding diamonds in the rough.

Recently, I opened this update from Linkedin (LI) to see if there was someone celebrating something that I could say congrats for (Linkedin provides a little tab that you can click to send a quick congrats). One person listed in the JOB CHANGES section was promoted into a position that made them an ideal prospect for me. I clicked on her name to see her profile and then clicked on the RELATIONSHIP tab so I could see if I had filled in the HOW YOU MET section; sure enough I did!

We had met several years ago at an event and had exchanged business cards. At the time, she was in a position that would have made her somewhat of a peer to me, but we didn’t stay in touch. The difference in our companies and our geographical region didn’t really create much reason to collaborate or to stay connected about. I do remember her commenting or LIKEing my updates and posts on LI from time to time.

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Reading through her profile, I was able to confirm her promotion and read more about her new position. She was now the ideal professional who could potentially hire me for my services or purchase my products. I quickly clicked the SEND A MESSAGE button and drafted a message to her, congratulating her in her new position. I also reminded her of my services and asked her to keep me in mind for future opportunities. In less than 30 minutes, I received a reply back from her, thanking me for my congratulatory wishes.

Then, a few days later it happened. I received an LI message back from her, telling me that she had a need for someone with my skills for a gig in Boston. After a few back and forth messages, I sent her a contract for some work that I will be doing for her company in the near future. Making time to open the LI message and congratulating her put me on her radar. 

Who says you can’t get work from Linkedin? I can show you lots of ways of finding your next prospect there. Visit my site at http://The20Entrepreneur.com and contact me for more Web 2.0 marketing ideas for finding YOUR prospects online.

Defining DONE!

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that one of the steps to driving tasks to “DONE” was to define what done is. So I wanted to grab a few moments  to take a deeper dive into what sounded like a simple activity.

When we're doing something, it is almost always for someone else, let's call them the client. When I'm doing something by myself, I ask the client is this what you mean by done? And then I ask

‘if I do it this way is that a good standard for you’?

I always ask this, even for simple tasks. If I'm having a conversation with somebody and I agree to do something very simple, I will still say at the end of the conversation:

"let me please just reflect back to you what I think my action items are for you - you want X done by this date, and if it's done like this then you will find that satisfactory. Is that correct?"

You'd be amazed at how much clarity comes out of something simple like that.

The other situation is when I'm doing something for the client, and I'm working with a team, here I do exactly the same thing. First, I confirm with the client what DONE is, and what an acceptable standard is. Second, I tell the team what we are doing, what done is, and what the acceptable standard is. Thirdly, I apportion the work that I want them to do, and  also tell them how it contributes to DONE. Finally, I asked them at the end of the conversation to reflect back to me what they are going to do for me, what DONE is, and what the acceptable standard is.

When I first started this practice, I was very nervous that it would make me appear unprofessional or a micromanager. In fact, I have had nothing but positive feedback from both customers and teammates. They enjoy the clarity. The clarity of knowing I know what they want, and what an acceptable level is; and also knowing when it needs to be done.

This is truly a WIN-WIN-WIN situation. Not only do you very rapidly get a reputation for being someone who delivers to a high standard of reliably, but you'll find that your teammates enjoy working with you because you exude a level of confident professionalism in your conversations.

So the next time you think about getting something done, make sure that you define DONE fully; you'll find it a lot easier to do (and by that I don't mean to start doing, but drive through to finished and DONE!).

Until next month, this is Tony Sherman the Implementation Rabbi and Impact Teams, hoping that in your work life there is nothing broken or missing.

Ready - Set - Jump

A Flying Finch

What a beautiful fall it has been. Once again, the Northeast has been alive with a vivid array of colors, both on the ground and in the air. I’ve always loved watching clouds.
As a Keynote speaker and presenter, I’ve flown over the tops of the clouds many times. I’d look out at those big fluffy puffy clouds and imagine what it would be like to be in them. They just looked so soft and inviting.

After years of hearing me talk about clouds, my husband surprised me with a gift certificate to go skydiving. Since I am beyond young and daring, I did a tandem jump and was completely hooked. I trusted my guide, so it was nothing but exhilarating and exciting when we stepped out of the plane,leaping into the air. We went into free fall at about 120 miles per hour, feeling the impact of both gravity and the wind. As soon as the rip cord was pulled, everything changed. It was quiet, and I had time to marvel at the landscape below, brimming with color and beauty. The whole experience reinforced my love of nature and life, but it also reminded me how different our views of an experience can be. When I told people what I’d done, many said, “I could never do that.” But what’s fearful to you may not be fearful to me, and vice-versa. 

 

It’s been proven that the number one fear is Public Speaking—not skydiving. The number two fear is meeting strangers. Maybe that’s because we were taught not to talk to strangers when we were growing up. For speakers, that means conquering the two biggest fears known to man—at the same time! Before my jump, I learned that proper preparation is the only way
you can jump with confidence. If you don’t prepare well, it truly is like jumping out of a plane without a parachute. Likewise, taking the time to properly prepare for your speech will increase the confidence you need to jump on stage.

It starts with a proper pre-assessment of your audience. Reach out to your event contact and ask for an introduction to 2 or 3 members of the audience so you can contact them ahead of time. Getting an idea of their expectations will reduce the fear of jumping into a new experience with an unknown group of people. Prior to the event, schedule a few minutes to stand on the platform you will be speaking from. Without the audience there, you will be able to get comfortable with the space you have to work with. Some speakers prefer quiet time before they speak, while others enjoy connecting with attendees, event planning staff, and other speakers before they take the stage. People always feel privileged to meet the speaker ahead of time. As a speaker, the more connection you have with your audience beforehand, the more likely you are to feel comfortable and confident when you stand in front of them.

One must be clear, precise, and active when  jumping out of a plane. Make sure you are clear, concise, and active during your speech. Make sure you have command over the ideas, knowledge, insights, and wisdom you will be sharing. It is a choice. You can let your fears interfere with your ability to jump onto your platform, or you can confidently prepare yourself to jump with both feet. When you chose preparation, you’ll experience that rush of adrenaline and feel free as a bird. 

 

Carolyn Finch is the CEO of Electrific Solutions Inc, the author of Oops! Your Body Language is Showing! and Universal HandTalk, and is a Body Language expert. You can email her at carolyn@carolynfinch.com or bodylanguagexpert@gmail.com. You can also stop by www.carolynfinch.com.

Are Your Employees Your #1 Priority?

As an idea management consultant, it’s my job to help companies create a culture where employees look forward to coming to work every day, invested in the jobs they were hired to do.  The level at which employees are invested in your company speaks volumes about your company reputation which allows you to retain your current customers and draw in new ones.  Most companies make their clients and customers their number one priority. However, those companies have it backwards. Employees should be your number one priority and here’s why: there is a direct correlation between employee investment in their jobs and customer retention. When your employees are invested in their jobs, they will have a direct and positive impact on your company’s bottom line value, as well as its ability to maximize profitability. 

This isn’t just about having great employees who care about their jobs. You want employees who are invested in their jobs to the degree that they also actively seek out opportunities to improve both their work environment, and the customer experience. It can mean the difference between having 20percent of an engine’s capacity available to get you where you’re going, or having the whole engine at your disposal to drive your initiatives forward.

Two major components of employee investment are attracting the right talent for your organization, and retaining the talent once you acquire it. Employee turnover is extremely costly. Not only in terms of dollars expended to replace employees, but also in terms of lost productivity, retraining new hires, and lost intellectual knowledge. Employee turnover becomes even more costly when an employee leaves your company and takes the intellectual knowledge they gained while working for you over to your competition where it’s used to drive their business initiatives forward.

Furthermore, employees talk. Disgruntled employees post reviews on sites such as Vault and Glassdoor. Think about the damage that’s done to your company’s reputation when they write things like, “Lack of accountability in management is leading to a discouraging environment and a steady decline in service to clients;” or “this company continually drives talented people away.”  Not only are your potential hires — people who are the right fit for your company — reading this, your potential clients are too. 

The very reputation of your company depends on your employees. They have to be your number one priority!  When your employees know they are not expendable, and that their ideas and contributions are valued, they will help you build up your company’s reputation for taking care of your customers. Your happy customers will further advocate for your brand!

Idea Share of the Month!

Commitment to an employee idea system at all levels of management is critical to successful implementation. Your employees will be scrutinizing your entire leadership team, watching them for management behaviors and signals before buying into the system themselves. When they see investment from the top down, they will be ready to jump on board too.

To sign up for Page’s Idea Share Tip of the Week! Please visit Frame of Mind Consulting. 

How are you showing up?

Have you ever given much thought to your posture as an important aspect of your appearance?  Are you standing tall?  One of the first things people notice about us is our posture...how we are standing.  So I ask, how is your posture?  When we stand tall and erect, we come across as confident, and people listen more to what we have to say.  This month, I would like to introduce you to your psoas (so-as) muscle.  “My what muscle??" you ask.  Let me take this opportunity to introduce you to this great friend of yours.

Mr. Psoas:  Well it's nice to meet you.  You may not have noticed me all these years, but I have been with you since the beginning.  I have been helping you to stand up straight, lift up your legs, and allow you to do sit ups.  I get your attention by giving you low back pain, hip pain, knee pain, breathing and digestive issues. 

Taking great care of me makes you feel great!  Two ways I enjoy being taken care of are with a massage or a bowen therapy session.  The reason is that I am a muscle, and I am working all the time.And just like you, i need to relax once in awhile.

Here’s a test to see how tight I am:

Lie on your back with both legs straight.  Pull one knee towards your chest.  If the other leg lifts off the floor, then your psoas is too tight.  Now try the other side. Muscular imbalances are common, especially among runners, whose side-to-side discrepancies are reinforced through repetitive movement.

If you'd like information on how to stretch this muscle properly, please email jacqueline@bowenhealingcenter.com.  

Once again, taking great care of me will let me take great care of you, so that I can keep your low back, and other critical areas for your posture, in good working order.  Keep me strong, and please service me once in a while with a massage or bowen session from Jacqueline Kane.

Always at your service, 

  Mr Psoas,