True story: Early in the Minnesota Twins 2009 exhibition season, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire discovered a note on his desk from Justin Morneau, his star first baseman. It read: “Gardy: I forgot to run sprints after the workouts yesterday; I am fining myself.” Next to the note was a hundred-dollar bill.

Was Justin Morneau accountable because he was a superstar, or was he a superstar because he was accountable?

There are five accountabilities that when applied proactively can turn accountability from a consequence into your competitive advantage.

Right things: Be accountable for doing the right things. This means ethical execution of the activities that will actually support the goals you have chosen for yourself. If you are managing a team, you must model this skill by doing the right things yourself; you must then empower each member of your team to identify his or her own right things, and you must be willing to communicate about what’s working and what isn’t in an open, transparent way at all times.

New space: Be accountable for managing your space for new opportunities. This means being willing to step away from things that are working, even though they may be familiar, to make room for something that may work better. Yes, this is a risk, but it’s one that successful people take—because the return can be positive for the whole enterprise.

Process: Be accountable for managing the process when you hit an obstacle. It is inevitable that you will encounter adversities and setbacks when you pursue your goals. The question is, how will the adversities and setbacks affect you? Will they keep you from making creative new approaches to attain your goal?

Expectations: Be accountable for establishing the right expectations. The targets you set for yourself will have a huge impact on your actual achievement. How will you set the targets for yourself and your team? Will you set them based on what is familiar or what is possible? Will you set them too high, too low, or in that ideal zone where the goal is a healthy stretch?

Relationships: Be accountable for your relationships and your contributions to them. The human touch in any relationship is the “lubricant” that makes communication possible and empowers individuals, groups, and organizations to accomplish great things. Without accountability for supporting and contributing to the relationship, there can be no true leadership, and no effective implementation, at the group or organizational level, of any of the other accountabilities.

Appling the five accountabilities in your life and in your organization will allow you to create an accountability zone in which you are the center and creates a culture of accountability within your organization. Make accountability your competitive advantage.

A very successful sales professional I know once told me that nothing happens until a sale is made.  Until a book is sold the book stores cannot afford employees, the printing companies cannot print anything, writers do not need to write, paper mills are quiet, trucking companies sit idle, and loggers aren’t needed to harvest any trees.  It all starts with the sale.

The oldest profession in the world really is sales.  Someone had to sell Eve on the idea of trying that apple!  Whether you sell products and services, your ideas, or your self, proven skills and techniques are needed to heighten your opportunity for success.  Although there are many facets to the entire sales process closing is often the focal point of those trying to improve, sell more, and make more money.

Closing is not simply a magical moment during the sales process where the sale is made.  Closing is something that is constantly in play.  Closing starts before you make your initial contact and continues long after the first sale is made.  You are always closing.  The very best sales professionals know that they must always be aware of their client’s needs, momentum in the sales process, and closing opportunities.  You must be prepared to close at any moment, because clients react differently and must be closed when they provide the opportunity and want to close.

I’ve seen far more sales people then I would like to recall get so wrapped in their sales presentation that they went right past a closing opportunity only to eventually lose the sale.  It’s not about your needs; it’s about the clients!

So what is closing?  I define closing the sale as the transition from discussing client needs and possible solutions that you can offer to actually beginning the process of implementing one of your solutions.  Your solution may be in the form of a product, or it may be in the form of a service.  Being able to get a client to move on your suggestion is what closing is all about.

Many people look for a specific phrase from their client in order to move forward.  Many clients will never say, “I will buy that,” or “Please send me two cases,” or “Here’s a check to cover the cost.”  They depend on you to read between the lines, to see their nonverbal cues, and to take initiative to move through this “transition” stage and begin delivering the benefits they will receive when you provide your product or service.

You will need to be confident enough to help the closing “transition” take place.  At some point you may say, “Based on the facts you’ve shared with me and the benefits of our XV1000 it looks like we can take complete care of your needs, what is a good time table for delivery?”  Here you are assuming the close.

The best way to go into a relationship is to assume that you will be able to solve a client’s problems or needs.  Your language is positive and you assume the sale right from the start.  The client knows you’re there to solve their needs, and you don’t let them down.  You are there to sell, and they are there to buy.  They just need your help.

Another way to approach closing is with what I call “The Perfect Close.”  Here’s how it goes.  At some point during your conversation you simply say, “If this were a perfect world, what would be the best possible solution to your insurance needs (you can insert any product or service area here)?”  Let your client speak and don’t interrupt them!  They will tell you just what they want and need.  Now all you have to do is give it to them.  If you can use this information to share your solution to fit, you have a sale.  After showing how your solution fits their needs and desires, use the power of the assumptive close discussed above to now move forward.  You have just closed the sale!

Closing is an art.  It is developed over time.  Closing is focusing more on the client, their needs, desires, words, and body language then on you and all of the benefits of your products and services.  Most sales professionals are too enamored with what they offer and their company and don’t focus enough on their client.  Most clients want to close earlier and you should not deny them that opportunity.

Focus on your client, assume the sale, find out what their “perfect solution” is, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz! 

Every day we are faced with major decisions and large issues.  Some of our decisions involve large sums of money and effect people in a profound way.  We worry, fret, or lose sleep, which can adversely affect our health in dealing with these big decisions and issues.

Effective business professionals must be able to stay focused but maintain a wide field of vision.  In addition to the major issues, there are seemingly small activities that can yield great results.

Here are seven little things that you can do to make a big impact on your business.

1.  Say “Thank You”

Take the time to thank the people who are a part of your success.  Too often we only focus on customers.  While you should thank your customers on a regular basis, you should also thank the other important people that contribute to your success.

Take the time to say “Thank You” to your suppliers, others working in your organization, and anyone who adds value to what you do.  Remember, the mailperson is important to your success just as the person behind the counter at the office supply store.

People like to be appreciated and will be there for you when you need them if they know how much you really care.

2.  Re-connect

Is there someone in college who you haven’t spoken with in many years?  Maybe there is an old client or supplier who you’ve lost touch with.  Have you moved up the ladder and lost contact with some of your former professional friends?

Re-connect with some of these people.  You will be amazed at how much someone will appreciate your taking the time to call and say, “Hello.”  Many times, others are thinking about you but they are too busy or just don’t make the time to call.  You can make that call and earn their goodwill.

Business is built on relationships.  Re-connecting with someone will rekindle a friendship and renew a relationship.

3.  Ask for the order

As a sales professional you have many responsibilities.  You must understand your clients’ needs, develop product and industry knowledge, and make presentations just to name a few.  Probably the most overlooked responsibility of a sales professional is to ask for the order.

Not only do you need to ask for the order, you may need to ask for the order several times and in different ways to ultimately get the order!  And, when you ask your client that final question, always shut up and let them respond.  If you continue to speak you will release positive pressure from the moment and most likely not get the sale

4.  Organize

Don’t just continue on with old antiquated systems.  Many people are not mentally or physically organized.  If you fall into this group, take the time to get organized now!

By creating order in your professional life you will become more efficient, achieve more, and build your business.  I average one day a week in what I call my organize mode.  I want to be in charge.  I don’t want to be the dog that is wagged by its tail

5.  Make Time to Strategically Plan

This may not really be a little thing, but I just had to include it on my list.  The three main reasons businesses fail is that they lack financial capital, they lack personal capital, and they lack strategic planning.  Strategic planning will allow you to design the organization you want to build so that you can go about achieving that goal.

Many professionals I know set aside time once a year to strategically plan their business.  Actually this process should be visited on a weekly basis, sometimes more often!

Having a coach lead you through the process is great.  Some people look to their mastermind group for assistance.  Serious professionals may have both!

6.  Do Something Extra

Great customer service, low prices, and being polite are all required to just play the game.  If you want to get ahead in any business you must do something extra for your people.

By now you know that when I say, “people” I mean more then your customers.  Go the extra mile and do something special that will impact everyone you come into contact with.

A business owner I know will barbeque lunch for his employees once a month.  It’s a festive time, and everyone really appreciates Tom slaving over the grill to cook the hotdogs and hamburgers.

Watch someone light up when you do the unexpected.  Your customers, associates, etc. will all stay loyal beyond your wildest dreams.

7.  Be Yourself

This lesson is very important.  So often in life we try to be the best John, or Suzy because we admire them.  We want to copy and emulate them rather than try to understand our strengths and who we really are.

If you try to copy someone else, you can only be “almost” as good as them.  If you try and be the best “you,” then it is always possible to be number one!  People want and respect other people who are genuine. 

Discover the real you.  Enjoy that journey, and then share the real you with all you come into contact with.

For the next seven weeks, take one of these seven items and focus on them.  Work to bring it into your life and the lives of those you serve.  Build these seven “little things” into what you do, and you will be accountable to Building a Better Biz.

I went with my family to Atlanta, Georgia recently.  My parents live there and it was great to spend time together.

When we go to Atlanta for a visit, we always stop by “The Varsity” for lunch.  “The Varsity” bills itself as “The worlds largest drive-in restaurant.”  It has been an Atlanta landmark for 80 years, and is located across the street from the Georgia Tech University campus.

On a game day “The Varsity” serves over 30,000 people.  They use over a ton of potatoes, 2,500 pounds of onions and over two miles of hot dogs!  Visitors to Atlanta flock to The Varsity just as the generations of Atlantans do time and time again.

One might think, “It’s just a hot dog,” or “They are just onion rings,” or “It’s just a meal.”  So why does a business become so popular that it becomes a legend?  How is a business built so well?

The Varsity follows four business rules incredibly well.

1.  They know who they are, and they convey that message to the marketplace.

Since the beginning “The Varsity” was a drive-in restaurant.  Even today when they serve far more people inside then outside, they still promote themselves as “The worlds largest drive-in restaurant.”  They understand what they do best and send that singular message to the market.

There is never any doubt in a clients mind what they are going to get when they go to “The Varsity.”  People know about the quality and style of the food that is served.  The parking lot and building live up to everyone’s expectations.  The “Car Hops” are just as you would imagine.

In business it is critical that you fully understand the value you deliver and whom you deliver that value to.  If you are in the insurance business, and you think you sell insurance, you may be off track.  People are looking for security, peace of mind, and protection when they invest in insurance.  That is the real value you are delivering.

Do you fully understand what you do, and can you convey that information to the market quickly and in a compelling way?

2.  They build relationships.

The “Car Hops” have personality.  They sing and dance and create rapport with their clients.  Inside at the counter lives a whole army of people waiting to serve you.  One gentleman, Erby Walker, coined the phrase “what’ll ya have” used by all of the order takers.  Erby has worked at “The Varsity” for over 50 years.  People come in just to shake Erby’s hand as they order their meal.

People like to do business with people.  If you love your product or service more then you love the people you serve, then your entire business is upside down.  Ultimately you are not in the real estate business, or the insurance business, or the printing business, or any other product or service business.  You are in the people business.

The more relationships you build, the more your business will grow.  Relationships with clients are imperative, but you also need to build relationships with your peers in a larger company, employees in your own business, suppliers, and local contacts as well.

3.  They manage the experience.

Going to “The Varsity” is more then just about the food.  It is about the experience.  As you walk in the door the people behind the counter call out to you for your order.  There is a unique vocabulary that you use to order.  If you call out “hot dog,” you get a hot dog with chili.  If you don’t want the chili, then you order a “naked dog.”  If you ask for a “walkin dog,” then you just ordered a hot dog to go!

Food is a commodity.  Most products are.  You separate yourself from your competition by managing the experience.  Doing business with you should be different from doing business with your competitors.  Maybe you have a “cookie bar” in your store like Garcia & Company has in Minneapolis.  Maybe you have an automatic coffee and hot chocolate machine like Lou Fusz Nissan has in St. Louis.  Whatever you do, create an experience that your customers will want to enjoy again as well as tell their friends about.

What do you do you differentiate the experience your clients have?

4. They have a good product.

By now most of you are wondering what the product has to do with success.  Well, you do need to have a good product or service.  But, I put that last on my list.  If you don’t know the true value you deliver and can’t convey that message in 10 seconds or less, if you aren’t building relationships, and if you don’t manage the experience, then your product does not matter.  Only after you master the first three items does the quality of the product or service you offer come into play.

If you have all four of these bases covered you will be able to grow a stronger, more profitable business.  You will have loyal customers.  Over time, the value of your organization will grow, and you will prosper.  Master these four steps, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz!

1.    Stay in touch
2.    Say Thank you
3.    Ask for referrals
4.    Discover if they have new needs
5.    Show them you care about them as people, not just clients

Two questions for you:

1.    When was the last time you spoke with all of your clients?
2.    How have your clients’ needs evolved over the past 24 months?

One thing for you to do:

1.    Create a brief three-question survey that you can use with your old clients to discover any new or changed needs they may have.  Now call them!

Sample questions I really like.  You can customize them for your industry.

What is your biggest challenge?
When you toss and turn at night, what is it that is keeping you up?
If this were a perfect world, what service could I offer you that would be of benefit?
What changes have you faced in the past 12 months?
What changes are you anticipating over the next 12 months?

I was in New York City speaking at the annual AFLAC meeting.  All of the top producers were there, and they were eager to learn and grow.  The meeting was held at the Marriott Marquis, which is located in Time Square.  Having a little extra time on my hands I went out for a walk.

The first store I came across was an electronics store.  The window was filled with every imaginable cell phone, digital camera, video camera, and MP3 player.  Each piece of electronics was state-of-the-art in design, features and miniaturization.  The signage in the window promised great prices, and believe me when you went in the store the sales personnel didn’t disappoint you.  I wondered how they could sell all of those items at such competitive prices.

Once I started talking to a sales person it became very clear what their formula for success was.  If you wanted to buy a camera, they gave you a great price to make the sale. Then, they started in with ad-ons.  Of course you would need an extra battery, memory cards, a mini-tripod, a case, and don’t you dare forget the extended warranty.  You could buy a $350.00 camera and easily add on another couple of hundred dollars.  As you might imagine, the margin on the camera is very slim, but the margin on all of the add-ons is incredible.

It is always hardest to make the first sale.  Once you make the sale, ad-ons, upgrades, and follow-up sales are all possible.  The electronics stores I checked out in New York City all worked on the idea of make the initial sale, then go for the real margin items.  What can you do in your business to up the amount of your sale?  Are there preset packages you can offer?  Can you provide different warranties for different investments?  Do you have a way to up-sell and increase the value of your clients?

After leaving the electronics store, I walked down Broadway to the Swatch watch store.  I didn’t make it three feet into the store before a sales associate asked me if they could be of service.  I told him that I was just looking around and continued forward.  Within a few moments, a kind woman walked by and asked if I would like to see any of the watches up close.  I continued looking around and a third person asked if I needed assistance.  This time I accepted.  I asked a few questions, looked at a couple of watches, and then bought one for my wife.

Everyone in the store had been so kind.  They were persistent, but in a very nice and gentle way.  I was offered great service and treated with respect.  They made the sale.

It is not uncommon to ask a closing question four, five, six, or more times before getting the response you desire.  Remember, always be polite and show respect for your client. Most importantly, be there first to serve them.

If you take care of your clients with this level of persistence your business will soar, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz!

What an interesting question.  How long would your list of things to do be if you were answering the above question?  Do you have seven things you want to do, seventeen things, twenty-seven things, or more?

Many companies never take on projects because they fear failure.  New marketing campaigns get pushed aside, sales promotions are ignored, re-distribution of work loads aren’t tried, and more just because someone, somewhere is afraid to fail.

Two guys named Steve, with only about $2000.00 between them, founded Apple Computer in a garage.  If they had more money to lose, would they have taken the chance?  What if the investment required was $200,000.00?  Would that have affected their decision process?  Some may say, “yes,” others may say, “no.”  One thing I am sure of, there are other business ideas that never see the light of day because of someone’s fear of failure.

Many sales professionals don’t make cold calls because they fear the word, “no.”  They simply can’t stand the rejection.   One way to look at this situation is to first calculate your closing rate.  If you make four calls for every sale you make, then you close 20 percent of your opportunities.  It also means that you will receive four “no’s” for every “yes” that you receive.  Each time you are told “no” just think to yourself, “Well, I’m one “no” closer to hearing a “yes.”

Of course I’m not saying that you shouldn’t use prudent business planning, research, and analysis.  Sure, many times I’ve passed on an opportunity because the due diligence just didn’t bear enough positive fruit to move forward.  But, that is different than being bogged down with fear.

What would you do if you knew you would not fail?  Take a piece of paper and answer this question with respect to three areas:

Your company
You professionally
You personally

How many items did you come up with for each area?  Take your lists and prioritize them.  Then, ask yourself for each item, “What is really keeping you from doing this?”  If fear of failure is the major reason you are not moving forward, face your fear, find the tools, money, education, or support you need and move forward.

Pick one item from each list and begin today!  Now you’re on the road to Building a Better Biz!

My phone rings all the time with people looking for help in building their business.  They want to sell more, be more profitable, and find more satisfaction in their life.  Usually I share experiences from over 30 years of business building.  They seem amazed when the ideas I use with them turn into bottom line profits.  I’ve come to expect exceptional results, as techniques proven over time are the best way to build a solid foundation for forward growth.

For a change I thought it might be fun to talk about how to destroy a business rather than build one.  Here are five things you can do to destroy your business.  (If you’re really good you could be out of business in just a few months).

1.       Treat your staff poorly.  The people who work with and for you have helped make you a success.  They are the ones who leverage your expertise, systems and resources.  They make it possible to rapidly grow your business.

Start taking them for granted.  Don’t ever say, “Thank You.”  And, for Pete’s sake don’t let them feel like they are a part of your success.  If you ever let them enjoy internal satisfaction for your achievements they might work harder and stay with you.  None of that if you’re going to destroy your business.

Ignore their expressed needs and definitely don’t seek out information about them that would allow you to better serve them.  Keep these people at arms length and always make sure they know you have a want ad running in the paper.

If you can rapidly reduce moral and personal satisfaction you will be amazed at how quickly you can successfully destroy your business.

2.       If you think stepping all over the people working with you will help destroy your business just think how disregarding your clients can accelerate this process.  Thank you notes are definitely out of the question as are occasional phone calls.

Make it your business to not know their business.  Who care about their personal issues?  Not you!  Think of all the free time you’ll create by not having to think about your clients or even engage them.

Make sure clients and prospects do not know about product and service offerings and be sure and send mixed messages about your businesses focus and expertise.

3.       Product quality really doesn’t matter.  You’re trying to ruin your business.  Don’t waste time making sure that your products are of quality design and manufacture.  If you are in a service business, I wouldn’t bother worrying about the accuracy of your paperwork. 

Some times, good products are hard to bring down.  If that’s your situation just sit on orders and make sure that delivery times go through the roof.  Make sure important documentation is always missing, and never ship orders complete.  Backorders are great!

4.       You deserve more.  It’s time to spend some money.  Why save for tomorrow when you could get run over today!  Buy a new car, upgrade your computer and take a two-week vacation.  Spending money is great, and nothing says failure better then an open and liberal check book.

My thinking is if you’re going to go out, then you might as well go out in stile.  Go ahead; flaunt your success.  And, if you haven’t yet achieved the success you seek, go on and make it look like you have anyway.  Don’t worry if you can’t afford these things.  You’ll cover it out of cash flow or through your line of credit.

5.       Apathy works wonders.  Don’t just delegate; abdicate.  There’s no reason to follow through on what those around you are doing.  Give them the task and then forget about it.  Hey, you’re not going to be here in three months anyway, right?

Too many successful business people just care too much.  Don’t fall into that trap.  If you don’t care, then it just won’t matter when things go south.  Don’t pay attention to detail, and for sure let others with less at stake make those important decisions for you.  Show up when you want.  Leave early.  Hey, life is short.  Why worry?  You’re on the road to destruction!

Well, there you go, five easy steps to quickly destroy your business.  Read them.  Follow them.  Live them.  You can file for bankruptcy in no time at all.

Or, do as we do around here and ignore them — you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz.

It’s 9:00 in the morning.  Do you know where your strategic plan is?

Most busy business professionals have a legal pad with a list of things to do that is a mile long.  The majority of those activities are reactive items that came about because of the action, or inaction, of someone else.  They are constantly trying to put out one fire after another.  Three years go by, and they wonder why they haven’t seen significant growth in their business and more free time to enjoy life.

The reason so many business people fall into this trap is because they fail to create the time to strategically plan their success.  It’s easy to focus on the daily tasks that seem to take precedence.  The truth is that only through strategic thinking and planning can you create a vision of your future and determine the best way to move towards that future.

There is a vast difference between strategic thinking and tactical thinking.  Tactical thinking is based on immediate needs and issues.  The tactics you employ are what take you through your day-to-day business.  You create tactics to implement the strategic plans you have created.

As you can imagine, most companies and business professionals are so focused on the daily and weekly tactics they are implementing that they forget to look at the more important strategic picture for long-term guidance.

If you decide to cold call twenty potential clients a day in an effort to build your business, you are making a tactical decision.  It should be based on an overall strategic plan. The strategic plan may call for you to build your client list by 15% per year for a five-year period. 

Let’s look at this hypothetically to illustrate that point.  This five-year goal would be based on strategic exercises and contemplation, and would show how you may have last grown your business in a significant way.  This would be for example, when you had gone through an extended period of rapid client expansion.

Each year you should set aside time to create and rework your master strategic plan.  Then, monthly and even weekly you should be thinking about your strategic plan and how what you are doing is following that plan.

I find that many professionals are too close to what they do to adequately create a strong strategic plan. However, as the expert in your field, you are the best one to determine the tactics necessary to implement a strategic plan.  Many times, business professionals find it helpful to bring in outside assistance to lead them through a strategic thinking process.  Strategic planning retreats can also be a powerful way of getting away from the daily grind of your business and forcing yourself to take the time to think and plan strategically.

If you feel that you are falling into this trap, schedule a half-day on your calendar.  Leave your office, home, or wherever you work.  Go someplace you cannot be interrupted.  Ask yourself thought provoking questions and start the strategic process.  Below are a few that I use with clients just to help get you started.

If you were to go to sleep and wake up ten years from now, how would you answer these questions?

What would your business look like?
What would your personal life be like?
What would have to happen over the next ten years to be able to achieve this?
What would you need to accomplish in the first year to help keep you on track for the following nine years?

This is just the tip of the iceberg.  My retreats are intensive two-day total immersion programs.  But, that’s what it takes to strategically plan your success.

Plan strategically each year, and you will be more accountable to Building a Better Biz!

“No one is perfect.”  We’ve all heard this before.  Yes, we do all make mistakes at some point, but successful business people know how to minimize the mistakes they make.  Successful business professionals do not let their mistakes keep them from their goals and successes.

Here are five common mistakes that keep people from building the business they dream of:

1.             Underestimate Capital Requirements

It takes money to start and build a business.  Since no one knows exactly how long it will take to make their business profitable, it is common for failing businesses to run out of money before they reach that point.  All of the sales and financial projections don’t mean a thing if you run out of money 1 day before you would reach your breakeven point.

Plan for the worst possible case scenario.  Then, pad it!  Talk to as many people as you can in your field.  Learn from their mistakes.  Where did they need more funding then they thought?  Where in their experience would extra capital come in handy?  What were their funding sources?

If you have more money than you need, great.  You definitely don’t want to run out.

2.         Underestimate Commitment Needed

Just how committed to your success are you?  Everyone always answers, “Oh, I’ll do anything to be successful.”  The truth is that most people end up quitting when times get tough.  What is your staying power?  We talked about staying power in term of funding, now we’re talking about mental and emotional staying power.

Can you emotionally keep going when people tell you, “I told you so?”  Will you be able to work hard even when your return seems small?  Can you work the hours and make the personal sacrifices that may need to be made?

Find out from your mentor or other trusted advisor what their experiences were.  Don’t think for a minute that it will be any easier for you.  It may even be tougher! 

3.         Lack of Expertise

Many people fail in business because they simply don’t have the expertise required.  Oh sure they may know their products inside out, but what about sales, service issues, accounting skills, management skills and the list goes on.

A lot of people go into business because they have a passion for a particular product or service.  They have product experience but lack business experience.  It is critical that you be educated in all the facets of running a business if you are going to be successful in that business.

Being educated on your products and services is critical.  You must also invest the time and money to be educated on what it takes to be successful in business.  Look to your community college, mentors, and trade associations for additional education.  Life-long education is the ultimate key to continued growth and success in business.

4.         Not Fully Aware of the Product Value

What is the true value of your products and services?  It can be common to underestimate their true value.  In some cases business professionals totally misunderstand the real value of the products and services they deliver.

The greater the value of your product, the greater the chance for building a fantastic business.  The value of your product can best be gauged against the needs of your potential clients.  The more your product can solve your clients needs and the greater the intensity of those needs the higher the chances are that you’re on the right track.

Also, do you understand the true value of your products to your clients?  You don’t just sell insurance.  You are selling peace of mind to a family.  You don’t just sell tires.  You are making an automobile more safe for family and loved ones.  You are not just selling candles.  You are giving someone the tools necessary to create the environment they wish to enjoy in the privacy of their own home.  Get the picture?

5.         Don’t Know When to Get Outside Help

It is easy to try and do everything ourselves.  As entrepreneurs we feel like we have to wear all of the hats.  Instead of outsourcing time consuming tasks, we bog ourselves down and reduce our productivity.

What do you do best?  You should know this.  What is the value of your time?  What is it that only you can do, or you do better than others?  What are you doing that almost anyone could do?  What can you train others to do?

You should only be involved in high yield activities, activities that only you can do or those activities that provide the greatest return on your time.  Delegate and outsource everything else.  This may be the single most important key to rapidly building a successful company.

Think about it.  If you only spend 10 percent of your time on high yield activities how fast will you grow?  What happens if you can delegate and outsource so that now you are spending 70 percent of your time on high yield activities?

Look at your daily task list and make those changes now!

Pay attention to the details of your business and the elimination of these five most common barriers — you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz.

Do you make your clients jump through hoops to do business with you?  Are you easy or hard to deal with?  Do organizational policies come before client interests?

The best sales process is client centric.  Selling is about analyzing and solving problems for your client, not adding busy work or making their life more difficult.

Every step of your sales process should add value for your client.  If it doesn’t, eliminate it or redesign your process.  Of course, your product or service should deliver value to your client, but they should be receiving value throughout the process of doing business with you.  Your client should always feel that you are serving them, not the other way around.

An investment advisor I know will sit down with his clients and take them to a web site that estimates both the amount of money a family will need to put their children through college, and the amount of financing they will qualify for based on their particular details.  With this information in hand he in then best able to give advice and assist the family with their planning.

This step in the sales process not only illustrates the needs that the client has which will help close the sale, but it also delivers important and valued information to the client.

Here is how to evaluate your sales process and make sure every step delivers value and moves your client toward a successful purchase.

Make a list of every step in your sales process.  You may include prospecting, initial client contact, all correspondence with your clients or prospects, preparing proposals and presentations, paperwork, product or service delivery, thank you notes, and anything else you do in your sales process.

Here’s where the fun comes in.  Evaluate each step with regards to the value that your client derives.  If a step doesn’t add value for your client, think about eliminating that step.  Your clients do not want busy work, and neither do you.

In your initial contact what information can you provide that your client would find helpful?  Maybe give them an article reprint or a white paper that you have written.  When filling out any forms think about making copies for their records.  If your client is going to go to the trouble of putting together a lot of information for you, leave them with a copy for future use, or compile that information and put it in a binder that will store easily on their shelf.

When sending a thank you card you can include a coupon for a future purchase or insert another appropriate item that they would appreciate.  Keep your clients happy throughout the sales process.  Keep adding value.  Some value will be significant.  Some value may seem minor, but the fact that you continue to show that you are thinking about your client will go a long way in building ironclad relationships.

Seek advice from others in your organization and past clients.  Find out what would add value for them.  Use a brief survey to find out what they feel is important.  Don’t assume you know all of the answers.  Every time I ask clients for their feedback and input I am always amazed with their responses.  Once you fully know what a client wants, you can provide that for them throughout the sales process.

The more value you deliver the more likely you will make the sale, the more value you can ask for in return, and the faster your referral base will grow.  You earn the right to make a sale and add a new client by continuing to deliver value throughout the sales process and over the life of a relationship.  Spend the time to find more places and ways to deliver value, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz!

Many of our articles are based on ideas that come from you the reader.  We love your feedback and really appreciate your thoughts, but since our ezine goes out to about 40,000 business professionals it is not realistic to focus on one industry.  But you can!

The information you are seeking is readily available, and I am going to show you how to get it and more!

One of the most powerful business concepts I’ve experienced is the Mastermind Group.  A mastermind group is a group of 5-7 people that share common interests and come together to help each other succeed.  A bond built on respect and trust allows these professionals to work in confidence and solve issues they all face.

Some mastermind groups are made up of business professionals from different industries.  They feel comfortable because they do not directly compete with each other.  Other mastermind groups, like mine, are entirely made up of people from the same industry.  While some individuals have difficulties trusting others they may compete with, I find the resources offered by others in my industry to be indispensable.

It is really about developing an atmosphere of cooperative competition.  The reality is that there is so much business out there that you really don’t compete against each other as much as you compete against everyone who is not in your group.

Sometimes, professionals in an industry will put together a mastermind group with people from different regions in the country.  They may meet two, three, or four times a year, and will communicate informally with each other in-between meetings.  The ability to learn how others in your profession are dealing with issues is invaluable.

Develop an atmosphere of sharing.  Look first to give then receive.  The more you give the more you will get over time.

Your group should be made up of people that you like, trust, and respect.  Although you can be successful with as little as four people and as many as ten people, I find that groups of five to seven are easy to manage and provide the mental synergy to create solutions to problems and answers to questions.

Action Steps:

1.  Read my ebook “Mondays At Nine” to learn more about mastermind groups.
2.  Make a list of seven possible candidates for your group.
3.  Begin contacting them, and perhaps plan a lunch to explain the concept to them.
4.  Schedule and plot out your first meeting.

Put together your own mastermind group, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz.

2 Questions For You

1. How many of these four ways can you achieve?
2. How would a 10% increase in all four areas effect your sales?

1 Thing To Do Today

Pick the one area you can impact the quickest. Create and implement a plan to increase that area.

Success business people know how to run their business by the numbers.  Here are some numbers that can make a difference for you.

3 Questions You Must Answer In Your Clients Mind Before They Will Buy

1. Why should I buy?
2. Why should I buy from you?
3. Why should I buy now?

Clients simply will not make a purchasing decision until they formulate an answer for these three questions in their mind.

2 Questions For You

1. Think about the last sales situation that you didn’t make the sale.  Can you figure out which question(s) were not answered in your clients mind?

2. Do you help your customers answer these questions, or do you hope they will come up with the answers on their own?

1 Thing To Do Today

Right now, list all the possible reasons why someone should do business with you.  Make sure this list is incorporated in your next sales presentation.

Be accountable for your success.  Make sure you understand the key numbers for you and attend to them – you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz.

There were 150 people in the room, and all eyes were on me.  I was the keynote speaker at a major annual meeting for the American Diabetes Association.  My program was entitled, “The Power of Choice.”  The staff and volunteers that were present had made a series of choices that brought them to this place.  These people are dedicated to a cause.  They needed the well deserved “pat on the back,” and a motivating message to carry as they moved forward in their quest.

Diabetes has reached epidemic proportions in the United States.  In the past eight years the number of people with diabetes has grown 50%!  The good news is that the ADA has seen this trend developing.  Eight years ago only 50% of the people with diabetes even knew they had it.  Today less then one third of the people with diabetes don’t know it.

The ADA has worked hard over the years to fulfill the needs of the people in their market.  They have stepped up fundraising, staffing, the number of volunteers, and the depth of the services they offer.

Their success in educating people with diabetes is based on their ability to anticipate needs and then fulfill them.

You can build your business by fulfilling needs as well.  Being effective at fulfilling your clients needs is based on three things.

1. Understand your client’s current needs.

What needs do your clients currently have?  Do you know all of them, or just some?  Are you a resource for the entire range of needs that your clients have?

Many business professionals take the course of least resistance.  They do one or two things well and then focus on those two things.  If your clients have more needs, then you should develop the skills necessary to be a resource for those needs as well.  If your clients needs extend beyond the scope of what you do, a network of resources for them may be a powerful solution.

The best way to discover all of your clients needs is to ask them.  Find out what they like about the services and products you offer.  Also, ask them what other services or products would be of benefit to them.

Take your clients to lunch.  Interview them.  Learn about their professional and personal needs.  Now find ways of servicing those needs.

2. Understand the future needs of your client.

Many times, a client’s needs will change over time.  They may anticipate the changes that they will face, but they may not.  It is your responsibility to have the vision necessary to understand what is coming.

Needs change for several reasons.  Your client’s needs are affected by the economy, changes in technology, changes in government, social changes, and changes brought on by age.

New products and services expose new opportunities for you to add value to your clients.  On the other hand, changes in their business or personal life may create needs that you could fill.

Ask your clients open-ended questions like, “In the next three to five years, what additional investment needs do you anticipate having?”  Give a wide range of possibilities for your clients to fill in the blanks.  Ask questions that will allow their thinking to be as broad as possible.

Each time you fill a clients needs you bring value to their life, you further a relationship, and you create an opportunity to generate referrals for your business.

3. A mindset of service.

The greatest business professionals I know always put their clients first.  They are not commission or profit focused.  They are client focused.  Sure, they want to run a profitable business, and they know that they need to be aware of the numbers and manage their company appropriately.  But, they also know that without their clients they would not be in business.

If you focus on your clients, their needs, and how your products or services can fulfill their needs, then you will almost automatically generate profits.

Sometimes you may need to recommend someone else’s product as the best alternative for your client’s specific needs.  Ultimately, having a mindset of service means always putting your client’s needs before your own.

Don’t think for one minute that a client doesn’t recognize this attitude.  They will be grateful.  They will be loyal.  They will refer other business your way.

By understanding your clients current needs, future needs, and having a mindset of service you will fulfill more of their needs, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz!

Mary had the soccer ball lined up on her right foot.  Then, in an instant she sent a pass to Shawn.  It was right on target.  Shawn received the ball and passed it to Tom.  Tom passed it to Suzy who passed it to Beth.  Beth passed the ball to Bill, and he shot the soccer ball into the goal.

Sounds like a regular soccer game, right?  Well, it wasn’t.  All the kids I mentioned are blind.  I was amazed as I watched them at the Special Olympics soccer tournament I was at.  The kids could not see the ball.  They could not see their teammates.  They could not see the goal.  They could not see, but they could play.

Here’s how it worked.  The ball had a device inside that beeped.  The children could hear the beeping sound and discern where the ball was.  Their teammates would clap.  The child with the ball would hear a teammate clapping and kick the ball towards the audible target.

It was an inspiring sight.  I will remember it for some time to come.

In business you need to listen more so you can achieve success.  We tend to use our eyes and our mouth, but we don’t listen as much as we should.  You can greatly accelerate your growth by asking the right questions and become a better listener.

Here are three questions you should ask yourself and your clients.  Take stock in the answers.  Are there differences between the way you answer the questions and the way your customers answer them?  There is an old saying that says you are three people: the person you think you are, the person others see you as, and the person you actually are.  Businesses are the same way.  Successful business professionals are those people that bring all three images together in a laser like focus.

1. What is your company’s greatest strength?

We tend to focus on our weaknesses.  We try to eliminate them.  We want to improve.  We strive for perfection.  The truth is that perfection is not possible.  Excellence is.  Look for your strength and leverage it to your advantage.  Do what you do well better then anyone else.

Now, look for ways to do it even better.  Maybe there is a new twist or a new approach.  Take stock in your dominance.  Nurture it.  Develop it.  Exploit it.

2. In one sentence, can you tell what you or your company does?  Do it.

This is probably the biggest downfall of most business people.  They simply can’t state in a few short words what they do.  I don’t mean, “I sell insurance.”  That will not attract anyone.

To be effective in networking and to attract clients you need to be able to effectively communicate a Memorable Marketing Message™.  In ten seconds or less you need to be able to have a prospective client think, “I need that,” or “Tell me how you do that.”

There is an art to being able to deliver a Memorable Marketing Message.  Once you are able, your clients will be able to tell others about what you do, and you will be able to network your business to the next level.  Do you know the true value you deliver, to whom you deliver that value, and how to effectively say it?

3. What can you do to offer even greater value to your clients?

Your clients have real needs.  You probably address many of them.  Frequently, business people fail to fully understand the scope and diversity of the needs of their clients.

McDonalds recognized the need of a quick breakfast and introduced a breakfast menu.  They also recognized the need of their clients to get their food fast and get going.  This led to the concept of the drive thru window.

Your job is to apply your products or services to satisfy someone’s needs.  The better you accomplish this, the more you will build your business.

Discover more of your client’s needs and more ways to fulfill them.  Your clients will be loyal, and you will accelerate the growth of your business.

Listen not only to what you feel in your heart, but ask your clients questions and listen to what they say.  They have insights that you can use to explode your growth and get on the road to Building a Better Biz!

6 Steps To Personal and Professional Success

1. Know your strengths and weaknesses
2. Never stop learning
3. Ask yourself, “Is there a better way to do this?”
4. Surround yourself with successful people
5. Share what works for you with others
6. Take action today

2 Questions

1. What is the last nonfiction book you have read?
2. What system in your life or business have you improved in the past 60 days?

1 Action Step

Connect with two people you admire for what they have achieved. Take them to lunch (you pay). Ask them the following two questions:

What is the best lesson you have learned?
If you were to start your business over today, what would you do differently?

There are probably as many opinions on how to be a great sales professional as there are about what products and services to sell.  And, although the art of selling has many facets that you need to master, there are two skills that, if your master them, you will see your sales success soar.

The two areas are your open and your close.  These are the bookends of selling.  Without a great open you probably will not have a change to get the process rolling.  Without a great close you will leave the selling situation with your product or service and not the order.  Mastering both skills will pay off big for you as you grow your business.

1.    The Open

All selling situations must have a beginning, an initial contact, a start to the process.  How you start things off with a client sets the tone for everything else that follows.  A great opening sequence has three major objectives.  They are:

The initial contact
Managing the process of the first impression
Establishing expectations

You must be able to get to the decision maker.  It is a waste of time to deal with anyone else.  Learn about your prospect.  Be in a position to hold a knowledgeable but brief conversation.  Remember that it’s all about them, their needs, and their problems.  It is not about you or your products and services.

Establishing trust, and a belief in your competence and expertise is a must if you are to move forward.  The way you look, how you speak, any written correspondence, and the follow up tactics you employ will all effect the first impression that your client forms.  Take ownership of this process and make sure that you look, sound, and act like the professional that they do want to do business with.

Before you finish the opening process you must leave your client with a clear set of expectations.  Where do you expect the relationship to go?  Are you able to solve their problems or address their most critical needs?  Do you have a proven track record of improving the quality of life, making your client money, increasing their personal comfort?  You must convey to your client exactly what you expect to be able to accomplish on their behalf.  You also need to set down expectations of how future meetings and communications will progress.  Of course, you will have to consider their schedule, but you want to set up a framework that will allow you to keep the process moving forward.

2.    The Close

The close is a culmination of the entire sales process.  If you have done everything right up to this point it will be much easier to close.  However, even if you have been a master of the sales process up to this point, if you do not close properly the sale won’t happen.  Sales do not just “magically” happen.  They happen for a reason and it is your job to make sure all of those reasons are dealt with.  There are four main reasons that a sale is made.  They are:

You have established a need
You have provided a quality solution
You have handled objections
You have asked for the order.

You have set up your close by establishing in your clients mind that they have a need or a pain that should be addressed.  And you should have provided a great solution for your client; one that specifically addresses that need.  Now you must be able to handle the inevitable objections that you will receive.

I know several sales professionals that meet to discuss all of the objections they hear.  Then, they work with each other discussing how they handle each objection.  No matter what product or service you sell, you will find that there are probably three to five objections that are most common.  Be prepared with several ideas on how to address these objections are presented by your client.

The final part of the close is to ask for the order.  You must specifically ask the client to buy.  Ultimately, you are not paid to prospect, present, and write proposals.  You are paid to ask for to get the order.  More sales are lost because someone just doesn’t ask the prospective client to buy.

Now, you probably will not ask the client to buy in those specific words, but you could say any of the following closing lines:

“Can we move forward on this project?”
“When would you like to take delivery of the product?”
“I know you want to start enjoying the cost savings we discussed, should I set up a time next Monday for installation or would Tuesday be best?”

You get the idea.  There are many ways to ask for the order.  The key is that you ask, and then when you do, be sure and not say another word until they respond to your questions.  If you say anything else the sale will be lost.  I suggest you reread the last sentence because that is ultimately the key to great closing.

If you work on your open and your close you will find your sales increasing, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz!

A good leader is able to motivate other people to perform at or above their previous best in order to produce results that will help the leader achieve his primary desires. A true leader helps others think about themselves rather than thinking about the leader. A true leader can help others succeed and thereby help himself to succeed. If you help people get what they want, then they will help you get what you want. Sometimes you can give a little and receive much in return. Of course, you need to know what it is that someone wants or needs.

A leader’s basic responsibility is to build a team whereby individual strengths are enhanced and weaknesses are reduced to insignificant levels. A good leader has the ability to develop mutual respect and motivate those around him/her. A good leader provides vision and direction for the team.

In the movie “Dave”, a look-alike is hired to impersonate the President of The United States. At first, he takes his job lightly and only does it for the money. Shortly after he starts, he asks a Secret Service Agent if he would sacrifice his life for the president and actually shield the President from gun fire. The Agent did not respond. He did not want anything to do with the impersonator. When the real President dies unexpectedly, the look-alike assumes the presidency and begins putting the good of the people before conventional politics and himself. The presidential look-alike helps the homeless and shows compassion for all people. After exposing several corrupt officials, he loses the job as “president.” Before he walks off to disappear into the crowd, the same Secret Service Agent turns to him and says: “I’d take a bullet for you.” This kind of loyalty is the result of his having exhibited great leadership qualities. He makes people feel appreciated. He puts their good above his own short term gains.

Developing good leadership qualities will enable you to motivate others and gain their assistance in your conquest of barriers as you move to achieve your primary desires. Developing into a great leader will put you on the road to Building a Better Biz!

A regular coaching client, Amy, called me the other day.  She said that her business just wasn’t growing at the rate she expected and needed.  We talked about how long she had been in business, where her sales leads were coming from, and where the majority of her business originated.

After asking Amy several questions it became apparent that Amy wasn’t getting in front of enough new people on a weekly basis to have the necessary opportunity to grow sales.  “Sales is a numbers game.  You have to meet enough people and have the opportunity to share what you do if you are going to increase your sales,” I told Amy.

The truth is that it is more then a numbers game.  The quality of the numbers is also very important.  Just putting yourself in front of bodies is a waste of time.  You want to be speaking to qualified people, people who have a need and the ability to buy.

Amy and I decided that she needed to work on her networking skills and increase her networking opportunities.  Below are the four specific areas we discussed.

1. Put yourself into situations where you can meet people.

If you are waiting for your phone to ring off of the hook you may be kidding yourself.  When it comes to networking, it may be best to start small but think big.  Look for one additional networking opportunity per week.  Don’t try to over do it.  If you add one opportunity a week that would be anywhere from 44 to 50 additional opportunities a year depending on how much time you set aside for vacations and rejuvenation.

By starting off small you have the chance to overcome any fears or apprehensions you may have.  It will also give you the opportunity to hone your skills at delivering your finely tuned marketing message.  Chamber of commerce meetings, service clubs, and trade associations are all great networking targets.  If you are involved in one chamber of commerce, maybe think about adding one or two others.  Certainly your choices will vary from community to community.

The key is to find people that have the need and the ability to buy.  They may not know that they have the need for your product or service, but you can educate them.

2. Communicate the right message.

Poor communication or communicating the wrong message may be the biggest mistake that business professionals make.  To be effective at networking you must be able to communicate a memorable marketing message in 10 seconds or less.

Do you accurately know why people buy from you?  Are you positive of the specific markets and groups of people that can best use your product or service?  Do you have the ability and confidence to deliver a message in 10 seconds or less that can catch someone’s attention, be remembered, and generate a response that will lead to business?

No matter how many additional people you put yourself in front of, if you can’t put into words the value you deliver and to whom you deliver that value, you will not be able to take advantage of those additional networking opportunities.

3. Follow-up appropriately

Just because you meet people who need your service, and you start building a relationship with them, it doesn’t mean that they will make the effort to follow-up with you.  You must be responsible to follow-up with them.

There is a difference between being a pest and thorough efficient follow-up.  When you conclude a meeting with someone always ask what the appropriate follow-up would be.  In your closing question provide your prospect with an alternative of choice for your follow-up.  This will help you maintain control and allow you the opportunity to further the process.  An example might be, “John, it was great meeting today.  What would be the best time frame to follow up?  (do not pause here) Should I call you later this week, or would next Tuesday be best?”

Either choice is good for you.  Make great notes and make the follow-up call when you promised.

4. Ask for referrals

A commonly overlooked way to network is through referrals.  Many times we simply forget to ask the people we come in contact with for the names of others who “may” need your service.  I like to use the word “may” because it is less committal on the part of the person you are asking the referral from.  If you put them at ease, they are more apt to provide you with that valuable name.

You can ask for referrals from your clients, people who don’t buy from you, and people who you just happen to meet and network with.  All of these groups of people will be willing to help you if you have taken the time to build a relationship up front.

Every time a client buys from you thank them and ask them for a referral.  Your clients like and trust you and will be willing to recommend someone else who may need your product or service.

It is not unusual for someone to not buy from you at this time, but they will believe in you enough to recommend someone who will!  Don’t overlook this valuable source of business.

At all of the additional networking opportunities you are going to go to try to meet people, and also try to get referrals from the new people you meet.  That will really maximize your return on time.

When you put all four of these networking ideas to work, your referral base will grow, your sales will grow, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz!

I arrived in Louisville at 9:30 AM.  Todd picked me up at the airport, and we went straight to the hotel.  I knew that it was early, but I was hoping to be able to check in and have a room to meet in with Todd.  Sitting in the lobby would work, but it wasn’t my first choice.

At check in I was greeted with a warm “good morning.”  Nancy looked up and smiled.  I explained my situation, and Nancy went to work on her computer.  “I have two rooms available to check into,” she said.  “A regular room, or for only $19 more I can put you into a suite.”

I thought momentarily and then opted for the suite.  Nancy was really trying to work with me.  She was giving me choices.  She also was moving me up to a more expensive room.

Nancy had developed some great sales habits.  Her habits led to increased sales and greater profits.  One of the quickest ways to build your business is to develop great sales habits.  Below are three powerful sales habits you can develop and use.

1. The habit of increased profitability

When you go into McDonalds they ask you if you want fries with you order, if you want to “Super Size” your order, or if you want an apple pie with your order.  They always want to increase the dollar amount of the transaction and grow their profits.

The first sale is the hardest to make, but it doesn’t say anywhere that you have to wait a certain amount of time to make the second sale.  You should always have an item or two that you can add on after you make your sale.  You have your client’s trust, and they want to do business with you.  Make the most of your time and resources.  Always look to increase your average sale.  By adding products or services to the sale, you are increasing the value that you deliver your client and growing your profitability.

2. The habit of assuming the sale

Ever hear the expression, “I picked up good vibes from her?”  We sense what others are feeling and thinking.  You need to be putting off the vibes that you believe in your product and service, that it is right for your client, and that you are anticipating that the transaction will move forward.

When you approach a selling situation with an outcome-positive mindset you will be confident, persuasive, and trusting.  Your clients will pick up on your commitment and, they will believe in your solution.  You will close more sales.

Persistence is one foundation of a great sales professional.  Your level of persistence will be significantly higher if you enter your sales relationships with an attitude of assuming the sale.

3. The habit of telling the whole story

I was working with a sales manager of a large equipment rental company.  He shared with me an incident that he experienced with one of the members of his sales team.  It seems that his sales professional lost a three million dollar client.  The sales manager asked the sales professional if he knew why he had lost the sale.  The answer was, “no.”  So, the sales manager took the representative back to the client to find out this critical information.

It turns out that the client went with the competition because the competition had a field service representative and service was of top importance for this client.  Well, my client was sick.  The client had offices all up and down the east coast of the United States.  The competitor had one service representative allocated to cover that entire region.  My client had a field service representative in each town they had an office in.  My client was in the best possible position to provide field service but lost the sale because the field sales representative did not properly educate the customer.

Never assume that your client knows what you k now.  They probably don’t fully know about your product, your company, you as an individual, or the services your organization provides.  Educate your client, and you will make the sale.

Every day you should work to hone and improve your sales skills and habits.  It takes twenty-one days to effect a habit.  Work on these three sales habits for the next twenty-one days, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz.

5 Steps To Superior Customer Service

1. Know who your customer really is.
2. Learn all about your customers needs.
3. Separate their “product” needs from their, “act of doing business with you” needs.
4. Design systems to address your customer’s needs and then exceed their expectations.
5. Empower your entire company to service the needs of your customers.

2 Questions For You

1. Do your customers have any needs that they are not aware of?
2. When evaluating the process that a customer uses to transact business with you, does your process make it easy or difficult for them to do business with your company?

1 Thing To Do Today

Call five customers and ask them what is the best part of doing business with you, and what is the most challenging part of doing business with you.

Becoming a great salesperson takes dedication, training, and experience.  Creating a high-powered sales team is an entirely different project.  Great sales teams can make a company very successful.  A weak sales team can bring a good company down.

Creating an environment that attracts and keeps great salespeople is challenging, but critical if you want to build a better business.  A really good sales team is more then the sum of its parts.  A high-powered sales team brings out the best in everyone on the team.  Sales professionals that did well before joining a great sales team will produce at an even higher rate when surrounded by the right people.

There are several components of a great sales team.  Below I want to discuss four of them.

Hiring

Great sales teams are filled with the right people.  Look at your existing team.  Who is doing a great job?  What characteristics do those people possess?  Can you use them as a guide to create a model that you can hire against?

Many times successful salespeople come from customers.  The people that buy from you make very good sales professionals.  They have experience buying and know what they want and need.

You should use an independent evaluation tool with potential candidates.  There are many good tools that will uncover the traits, strengths, and weaknesses of the people you interview.  A sales specific tool will provide insights as to the candidate’s aptitude towards sales.

If you interview three people, don’t just hire the best of the three.  Always have a list for criteria of the sales position you are looking to fill and then hire against that list.  If no one you interview meets your criteria or scores well on the written evaluation tool that you use, then bring in others to interview.

You invest too much time in training and building relationships with your clients to take a chance on a salesperson that doesn’t have a good opportunity to succeed.  Put your time in up front and hire right.

Training

Many companies have limited sales training.  To build a high-powered sales team you must train your people well.  Sales professionals need product knowledge, industry knowledge, sales skills, and more!  They need to know how their clients use their products and services.  They need to be very savvy about their competition.  They need to be educated as to what happens after the sale and how your company interfaces with the client throughout the entire life of the relationship.

Learning all of this knowledge requires time.  There is no quick fix.  The best companies with the best sales teams provide great training when hiring someone new, and they offer ongoing continuous education to keep their sales team at the peak of performance.

Design a training program for new hires.  You may decide to outsource some of the sales training if you cannot handle it all internally.  Then, think about how often you will need to provide ongoing sales, product, and industry training.  Don’t promise your team something and not deliver.  Be sure and follow up with a great sales training program.

Motivating

Even the great sales professionals need to be motivated.  Sure, you want to hire self-starters and people that want to achieve, but additional motivation that you provide will separate your high-powered sales force from a good or average one.

The key to motivation is to understand that everyone is motivated by different factors.  What may work for Sue might not work for John.  Be sure and try a variety of programs including, bonuses, awards, trips, recognition, and even special parking spots!

The more creative you get the more fun your team will have, and the better they will respond to your promotions.  Many sales managers forget to ask their sales professionals what they would like.  By asking your sales professionals what is of interest to them, you won’t look silly by offering a meaningless award.

The dynamics of your organization and the amounts of money that any one sales professional is responsible for will determine the magnitude of the awards you can offer.  I know of one company that provides a BMW for it’s top producer each month!

The really great sales professionals are driven to increase sales so that they can increase their own earnings, but they also like the status and recognition of winning award programs.  Mix large and small incentives into their monthly activities and watch the team’s efforts explode!

Compensating

The bottom line for most sales professionals is the bottom line.  Most sales people are in the sales field because they like people.  In sales being a people person is critical.  But, I also notice that most sales professionals have figured out that sales is a great way to make a wonderful living.

How you compensate, as well as how much compensation a sales person earns, is very important in building powerful sales teams.  Every industry is different, but you will probably want to consider fixed salary, commission, monthly bonuses, and yearly bonuses when designing your compensation program.

Most people know that they can earn more if they are on straight commission, but it is hard to find individuals willing to take the risk.  Look at what is being offered in your industry, and then think about how you can tweak the system to provide a great incentive for your sales professional and at the same time promote them to produce at a higher level and grow your bottom line.

Be sure to tie compensation into factors that they can control and should be responsible for.  Many times sales professionals are given the opportunity to adjust the price a client pays.  As the price goes down, so does the margin.  Their commission may decline as well.  It only makes sense.

Spend time building a high-powered sales organization and the return to your company will be many fold.  Sales drive most any business.  Get your sales force in high gear, and you’re on the road to Building a Better Biz!

No man is so foolish but he may sometimes give another good counsel, and no man so wise that he may not easily err if he takes no other counsel than his own. He that is taught only by himself has a fool for a master.

- Ben Jonson -Sixteenth century English dramatist.

 It is difficult to improve yourself if your own set of skills is the only model you have to follow.  To reach a higher level of skills and abilities you must strive for them; but before you can strive for them, you must be able to see them in others.  See those skills and abilities in others first, then, adapt and apply them to yourself.

Someone who is a good role model performs two functions. 

         1)         He/she provides a good example of what you want to be.

         2)         He/she provides an excellent source of information and knowledge.

People who have achieved a high level of success will encourage others to go out and achieve similar success.  Take advice from people who have achieved what you want to achieve and who possess the qualities and traits of the successful person that you want to attain.  Someone who has worked for a wage all his life, will be unlikely to advise you on starting your own business.  People who have never achieved high levels of success will be hesitant to tell you to take a chance and work toward your primary desires. 

Successful people are willing to share their successes with those who show ambition.  Don’t hesitate to approach someone who is successful in your field.  They will take your interest as a compliment.  Additionally, you can shorten the learning curve and time needed for success by taking their advice.  You can attain important knowledge from books, but wise men and women give practical advice based on their experiences.  You can learn from the mistakes of others without having to make the same mistakes yourself.  This is an extremely important concept to adopt.

 I have been very fortunate to have been taught by two of the greatest salespeople I know, my father, Rubin, and Tom Hopkins.  After graduating from graduate school, I went into sales.  I trained with my father for two weeks.  It was time to go on my own and I adopted the strategy of just trying to imitate what my father did.  I knew that if I was only 50% as good at using the techniques as my father I would be considered successful.  After time, I could add my own embellishments to the system.  This plan worked for me and in a matter of months, I was the number one salesperson on a team of twelve.  In a short time, I was able to outsell the next best representative by about two to one.  One of the secrets to success is to emulate the best to get immediate and great results.  Then, and only then improve the system to become a superstar.

Later in my selling career, I was introduced to Tom Hopkins.  Tom has successfully trained over one million salespeople.  Tom is a stickler for details.  He helped me refine my selling skills by teaching me to pay attention to details.  It is the little things that can make, or possibly kill, a sale.  Just using one wrong word in your closing sequence can blow the entire opportunity.  Tom also taught the value of scripting out specific closes for any situation.  By writing out closes that are tailored to your particular industry, and then rehearsing them until they become second nature, you are prepared for almost anything the customer can throw at you.

After almost two years of rapport building with an account in Chicago I was in a position to close on a window program that would amount to over four-hundred-thousand-dollars a year.  I felt that the main obstacle to my success would be thirty-thousand-dollars of service credits the dealer was earning as rebates from his existing supplier.  I structured my pricing so I would be able to offer year-end rebates that more than offset my client’s lost credits from his former supplier.  By preparing a specific close for his possible objection, I was in position when the concern was raised by my client, to handle the objection and make the sale.

 Major corporations such as Xerox Corporation use a powerful technique called “benchmarking.”  Benchmarking allows you to gain the most from your mentor relationships.  It has become an important part of many Total Quality Management programs in recent years.  Xerox perfected the techniques in the 1970’s and used them to successfully beat back Japanese competitors producing cheaper copiers.

Benchmarking is made up of four parts:

•         Identify areas that need improvement.

•         Search out examples of other companies or individuals that excel in your area of interest.

•         Study the techniques used by those companies and individuals to achieve  the “best in their field” status that they enjoy.

•         Apply those same techniques in order to achieve significant improvements in your own performance.

If you were starting a new company and felt that in addition to your industry knowledge and good buying skills you needed improvement in internal accounting controls and marketing, you could use benchmarking to accelerate your success.  Seek out someone who exhibits excellent knowledge and use of accounting, statistics, and controls in his/her company.   Then, find someone else who has a great track record in marketing and product promotion.  Now, speak with these people and learn from them.  By carefully defining the areas where you need help and by “target benchmarking,” you will get a higher level of quality information to apply to your business.

 The best benchmark projects are those that have specific, well defined, and narrowly focused objectives.  Don’t try to analyze the big picture.  Work on specific elements of your plan.  Most of all, implement the information you obtain.  Many times people work hard to make the right connections, obtain valuable information and then do nothing with it

I continue to seek out advice from experts in any field in which I wish to excel.  If I am interested in a something, I am only interested in excelling at it.  Mentors will make the difference in your performance.  Making and learning from your own mistakes is often too costly, both in time and money.  Find people who will share their experiences and knowledge with you.  This will greatly shorten the time it takes to achieve your primary desires.

Even if you’re on the right track-you’ll get run over if you just sit there.

- Arthur Godfrey -Radio and television personality.

 Procrastination is a bad habit.  It is the destroyer of goals and dreams and achievement.  If you procrastinate you should look to replace the habit of procrastination with the habit of action.  A good slogan to remember is “You can’t be great if you procrastinate.”

 The best day to start a project is today.  In school, students often put off until the last minute writing a report or doing an assignment.  Finally, when the fear of failure outweighs the discomfort of having to do the report, they are motivated to start and find that the project really isn’t that bad.  Sometimes they realize that if they only had started earlier, they would have had more time and might have done a better job.  Then, they swear that next time they will start the day the assignment is given and get it done earlier.  But, next time they fall into the same procrastination trap.

 People procrastinate because they pay closer attention to the comfort of the moment than to long term pleasure and long lasting satisfaction.  For example, it would have been much more comfortable on those cold, windy mornings to stay in bed rather than to get out and run.  However, it would have been impossible to achieve my long term goals of running the Boston Marathon if I hadn’t exercised diligently each morning.  The long term satisfaction of accomplishing my goal outweighed any short term pain or discomfort of early morning training.  When I did, in fact, qualify for and subsequently run the Boston Marathon, all the work and sacrifice was more than worth it!

 Remember, your mind can only focus on one concept at a time.  To move from a life of procrastination to one of immediate action you must shift your focus from the pain of the immediate action to the pleasure of the eventual outcome.  By placing our attention and emphasis on the pleasure to be derived, you will be motivated to move forward with your project.  The anticipated pleasure will generate the passion, energy and commitment necessary to complete your project and achieve your primary desires.

 As soon as you identify a project, take some action, no matter how small, to begin the project.  A project is much easier to complete, once it has been started, even if the first step is small.  If the task is large or complex, break it down into several smaller projects that will be easier to tackle.

 Establish deadlines for each part of the project.  Make it a game.  If you finish a project before a deadline, reward yourself.  As you begin, you may start slowly and with small steps.  But as you move forward, you will pick up momentum.

If “any job worth doing is worth doing well,” then any goal worth having is worth pursuing now!  Procrastinating only creates “negative momentum” (see Momentum) and actually pushes you further away from the achievement of your primary desires.  You can either move forward or slip backwards.  Which direction are you moving?  What are your primary desires?  Make a small start today!

In 2003 there was a huge electrical blackout.  Over 50 million people in the United States and Canada were without electricity.  Industry experts said that the systems in place are over taxed, outdated, and not sufficient to handle the current demand.

For years, experts have called for updating the current systems.  They knew that problems existed, but no one ever took the time or made the investment to correct the situation.

Old systems will work for only so long before problems occur.  It is the same for your business.  Outdated methods will catch up to you and leave your business in the dark and less competitive.  Old information will lead to bad choices and costly mistakes.

Evaluate the following four areas.  Make sure that you are current in what you do.

1. Computer Hardware and Software

Is your hardware up to date?  Are you taking advantage of faster processors and modern technology?  Have you moved from a dial-up to a high-speed connection?

Your most precious commodity is time.  Information systems are a part of your life whether or not you like it.  As long as you are going to need computers and the internet, make sure you have fast equipment, and that you are taking advantage of new technological peripherals.

Look at your software.  Do you have an effective accounting package?  Do you use the management features it contains?  Are you taking advantage of your accounting system to monitor critical numbers and best manage your company?

Whether you use Quicken, QuickBooks, MYOB, or another package, there are many features from online bill paying, to budgeting capabilities that many business professionals overlook or choose not to take the time to learn.  These features offer the real power of accounting software packages.  You have made the monetary investment in this software, now make the time investment to get it set up and working effectively for you and your business.

Do you use a contact management system?  Are you still working off of little pieces of paper scattered all over your desk and post-it notes stuck on the walls?

A contact management system will allow you to greatly increase productivity.  This modern marvel allows you to keep all of your contact information in a single easy-to-get-at place.  With the push of a few buttons you can look up any client or prospect and see when your last conversation with them was and what was discussed.  When you come to work in the morning you will have scheduled calls and you will always be able to follow up on time and as promised.

I have been using a contact management system for over fifteen years, and I could not run my business without it!

2. Your Product Information

I have bought a lot of cars over the years, and every time I go into an automotive showroom I discover that I know more about the car I am looking for then the salesperson that works with me.

It is very frustrating for the buyer to know more about the product then the seller.  If you are to be a true professional, you need to be very well versed on the product or service that you offer.  Your expertise needs to be very detailed, although you will not need to use all details with each client.

A professional has a technical understanding of their offering and tailors the information provided based on the needs and desires of the client.  Someone purchasing a home may want to know about the specific energy savings characteristics of the water heater.  Another person may just want to know that the water heater is 75 gallons and will easily handle a family of five.  Someone buying a car may be happy just knowing they are getting leather seats.  Another buyer may want to know the tanning process used to make the premium leather used in her car.

3. Industry and Competition Information

Not only must you know more about your product than your client, you should also know more about your competition’s product as well.  It is not uncommon to see someone who is knowledgeable about their products and services, yet not be up to date on what is going on in their industry.

Remember, your client, in their mind, is positioning you against your competitors.  They are comparing the benefits they receive, the price they will have to pay, and the service that they perceive they will get.

If you are to put yourself in a strong position, you will need to be very knowledgeable about your competition.  You never want to talk bad about your competition, but if you know their strengths and weaknesses you can promote the strengths that your product possesses that will exploit the competitors weaknesses.

Ideally, you should be so knowledgeable about your competition that you could go to work for them!

4. Current Events and General Knowledge

Are you up to date on national and international events?  If someone strikes up a conversation about the situation in Darfur, can you hold up your end?  What about the current election, or the buyout attempt that InBev made on Anheuser Busch?

Business is built on relationships.  Relationships are based on communication.  If you want to communicate effectively, you need to know what your customers like to talk about, and you need to be knowledgeable about those subjects.

One of my favorite sales professionals is constantly reading magazines.  He may read about SCUBA diving one day and gardening the next.  Yes, he has a thirst for information and knowledge, but he really enjoys being able to speak with any of his clients about a variety of subjects.

If you work in a narrow niche, find out what your clients are reading, and at the very least read those publications or books.  To be a real resource for your customers, dig deeper and read or learn about issues that would be of importance or assistance to them.

I keep my valued resources close.  If you are a true resource for your clients, they will want to keep you close as well.

Don’t let your lights go out.  Keep up to date.  Make sure your systems and information are current, and you will stay on the road to Building a Better Biz!

Why is listening so important? Clients these days want more than polished sales presentations. They don’t want to be trapped in a conversation where the other person dominates the talk. They want to work with people who seem to truly care about them and their needs and who listen to their concerns and work with them to deliver the best solution. That’s why your ability to effectively listen to others can make or break your business. 

It’s important to realize that listening involves much more than simply not talking. It’s a matter of understanding the other person, giving him or her your full attention, not interrupting, and making the other person feel important. 

Below are three simple listening techniques you can implement today to improve your client rapport tomorrow. 

1. Listen for the other person’s communication style

Everyone learns information with one of three dominant senses: sight, sound, or touch. As a result, people communicate in a style that matches their learning modality. In order to effectively communicate with others, you must identify which style your client is using and then respond to him or her accordingly. 

For example, people who are visual learners will use visual language patterns and will say things like, “I see what you mean,” “This looks good,” and “I want my (boss/wife/husband) to see this before I decide.” Their focus is on how your proposal “looks” to them. When you identify a visual learner, focus your conversation around visual aids, such as brochures, flip charts, graphs, and diagrams. These people will need to “see” the facts before they commit. 

Auditory learners will use phrases such as “This sounds interesting” and “I want my (boss/co-workers) to hear this.” These people will be less impressed by your visual tools and will need more verbal explanation from you. 

Kinetic learners are those who rely on touch or motion to comprehend the information. They’ll typically use phrases like, “Let’s touch base on this tomorrow” and “Run that by me again.” These people will need more hands-on interaction. They learn by doing and may need to do calculations for themselves or write their own changes in the contract. 

Always listen to the speech patterns of those you talk to. You’ll be able to judge their communication style and then respond to them in a similar fashion in order to make communication easier and more effective. 

While it’s important to know your own communication style, your primary focus should always be on delivering information in the style most preferred by the person you are speaking with. When you can talk to clients in their own language patterns, you’ll gain their attention and their trust.

2. Ask appropriate questions

A key to listening is the ability to gather information. To do this, ask your clients key questions that will invite them to share information with you. This will also better enable you to assess their needs, wants, likes, and dislikes. You can then develop a solution tailored especially for them. 

To begin, ask some basic fact-searching questions—those that begin with “when,” “where,” “what,” and “how many.” These are usually easy for people to answer and the ones they are most comfortable with. Some common fact-searching questions are “What style of house are you looking for?” “When would you like to retire?” “How much would you like to invest in a stock plan?” and “Where do you see yourself in five years?” Carefully listen to the answers so you can continue with some deeper questions.

Once you establish the facts, begin to ask “why” questions. These will reveal more personal information and will begin the rapport building process. Some examples are “Why would you like a larger house?” “Why do you want to retire at that age?” “Why is this investment important to you?” and “Why did you set those goals for yourself?” 

The more you listen to their answers, the more you’ll uncover the motivation behind their needs. More important, by asking questions, your clients will sense that you are genuinely interested in them and will be more apt to do business with you.

3. Confirm your comprehension

To show the speaker that you are indeed listening, rephrase and repeat key points from the discussion. This will help validate opinions and will show that you understand. Also, be sure to interject with “come on” phrases, such as “I agree,” “Please continue,” “I understand,” and “Oh, really.” Phrases like these encourage people to continue, and the more the other party talks, the more they’ll sell themselves on your solution. 

Your relationship will also better develop if you use gestures while listening. This can include maintaining eye contact, smiling when the other person is talking, and nodding in agreement to points. By doing this, the speaker will see you as an active participant in the conversation, and the developing relationship will have more meaning.

Finally, hold any in-depth comments you may have until the speaker is finished speaking. Nothing turns a person off more than someone who interrupts the conversation. Furthermore, to ensure that you fully comprehend all that your clients say, refrain from formulating your responses while they are still talking. If you’re continually planning what you’re going to say, you will inevitably miss some important details the other person reveals. Constant rebuttal formulation will also put you in a defensive mindset. In order for your client to view you as a partner and not an opponent, you need to keep an open mind and gather all the information possible. Your clients will appreciate this common courtesy and will place a higher importance on the relationship you develop.

There’s no doubt that listening is an art form that must be mastered in order to attain long-term business success. You’ll discover that when you build relationships rather than continually hard-sell your products and services, your clients will reward you with future business and continual referrals. By practicing these three steps, you can make all your client interactions much more enjoyable and much more profitable for you and your company. 

Now you’re on the road to Building a Better Biz!

My garage is full of junk.  That’s right.  If you opened my garage today you would see junk piled high.  It goes half way to the ceiling!  Wood, insulation, drywall, light fixtures, dirt, and cabinets that had been torn out.

The master bathroom in my house is being remodeled.  It’s a gut job.  We’re taking it down to the raw studs, and then creating a brand new bathroom.

Initially, we were going to re-decorate, but that really didn’t seem to solve our issues.  Sometimes you have to go back to the original studs and build what you want, just the way you want it.

In business, it can be the same way.  Over the years you gradually build your business.  You implement systems, and you adjust your systems.  Marketing generates leads, and you close them.  Some ideas work.  Others don’t.

Many times, the ideas and techniques that had worked in the past get modified.  After several changes you don’t even recognize your original thought or process.  And then some time down the line you wonder, “Why don’t we do that anymore?”

It is easy to get off track or just try so many new things that the old proven techniques get covered up or forgotten.  Maybe now is the time to get your business back to basics.

Look at these three areas and evaluate what you have done in the past, what you are currently doing, and what you want or should be doing as you move forward.

1. Marketing

All too often I work with companies that have had several successful marketing campaigns over the years, but then they move on to something new.  I truly believe in trying out new marketing ideas.  I also believe that you should keep a log of what works, what doesn’t, and when you have used various marketing techniques.

There is a difference between “resting” a marketing tool and failing to remember that it has worked for you before and probably would again.

Make a list of all the different marketing ideas you have used over the years.  Then, next to each one mark whether it was cost efficient, a loser, or just break-even.  Also, mark down when you have used those techniques.  Going forward, add to the list as you try new marketing ideas.

Now, are there some ideas that have worked in the past that you haven’t used in a while?  Have you been successful with a program in the past but failed to use it in a long time?  Maybe now is the time to pull out that proven technique and put it back into your arsenal.  What a great way to implement a successful idea and not have to reinvent it from scratch!

2. Sales

After over thirty years of sales experience, and over one hundred million dollars in product and service sales I’ve learned several undeniable truths.  Two really stick out.

First, it takes a proven sales system to be able to achieve your very best in any selling environment.

Every great sales professional that I’ve ever known had a system.  They had a step-by-step approach that they followed to achieve their success.  Some of them created their system, but most of them were taught a system by another proven sales professional.

Selling is a planned campaign.  You don’t just “wing it” and make it big.

Second, over time sales professionals tend to take shortcuts.  They get away from their proven sales system.  They think that they are good enough to eliminate this step or that.  The truth is that they are good because they have all of those steps in their system.

What I’ve discovered is that in the short-term you may continue to enjoy success as you trim steps or take shortcuts, but long-term, the changes add up.  Before you know it you have significantly deviated from your proven system.

After a while, sales level off or even decline.  The sales professional starts thinking that the market has shifted, that customers are changing their buying habits, that competition is growing, or that their price is too high.  In reality, the only problem is that the sales professional needs to get back to the basics.

Look at your sales system.  I teach a nine-step system.  Some people I know use a seven-step system.  What do you use?  Have you adapted your approach over time?  Are you taking shortcuts?

Make a list of the steps in your sales system.  Is there something missing?  Are there some basic steps that you need to go back to or include?  Get back to the basics and get your sales moving up.

3. Strategic Planning

Before most people go into business they spend significant time planning.  They create a well thought-out sales and marketing plan.  If they have a retail store, they plan the layout and flow of that store.  They plan for financing, and they plan for challenges along the way.

There is a lot of time spent thinking not only strategically, but also tactically.

After someone opens his or her business it is not uncommon to see the tactical thinking completely take over.  The strategic thinking is pushed out the door.  The rush of everyday problems is the only thing that the owner has made time to deal with.

Many times, the owner is experienced in a trade or skill and doesn’t have the business training to think or plan strategically.  Delegating and creating time to work strategically may be the most important commitment an owner can make.  It is great if you can think and plan strategically on your own, but if you can’t, then get a coach to guide you.

Strategic thinking is what you build your business foundation on.  What are your company’s values and goals?  What is your company vision?  How does everyone around you fit into your vision of the future?  What will have to happen this year for you to be happy next year?

These are all tough questions, and you must spend time dealing with each of them.  Strategic planning is at the heart of every great organization, from a one-person sales company to a company with thousands of employees.  Make the time to create your successful future!

In the rush to get ahead, don’t forget what has worked and what events have brought you to where you are today.  Maybe it’s time to take your business back to basics, recapture successful ideas, and put yourself on the road to Building a Better Biz!

1. Why should I buy?

A customer will only make a purchasing decision to satisfy a need. The good news is that the need can be real, or it can be perceived.

If someone has a hole in their roof, they have a real need to have it repaired. If a client wants a new roof to dress up the look of their home, then the need is more of a perception. Wanting your house to look nicer is different than solving a problem like a leaky roof.

Someone that goes into a Mercedes dealership is addressing a status need in addition to a real need for transportation. Surely, a Chevrolet or Volkswagen would provide adequate transportation, but those automobiles may not provide the perceived need of having a prestigious car.

Your job during the sales process is to make sure that your client is aware of their needs. You should make them aware of real needs that exist as well as any perceived needs that you can build upon. The more need you can create, the greater the chance that the client will move forward with your proposition.

Do you know what needs your product or service addresses? Create a list of the real needs your product satisfies. Now create a list of the possible perceived needs that you can apply your product to. Be sure and make every client aware of his or her needs!

2. Why should I buy from you?

There are many reasons that someone should buy from you. Below is a list of some of them.

Expertise – What do you bring to the table?
Bonding – How good is your relationship with your client?
Price – Some people buy from the low price provider, some from the high price provider, and some from the middle price provider. The key is to be able to substantiate your price.
Security – What type of warranty or guarantee do you offer? Your client is going to give up their hard earned dollars. They want peace of mind as well as the product or service you offer.
Quality – Does your product have greater quality than your competition? Are there features and benefits that you could elaborate on which would answer this for your client?
Solution – Ultimately, making a sale is solving a problem for your client. They have a need. You have a solution. Is your solution the best possible choice for your client?
Service Uniqueness – Do you offer a unique level of service or support for your client?
Value – Value goes deeper then price. Value is the relationship between their investment and everything they receive in return. Your client gives you money. You provide a product, a warranty, service, support, and more.

Your responsibility is to provide your client with as many “why’s” as possible. Remember, it’s not enough for you to know all of this information. Your clients must have the information if they are to be able to determine that they should buy from you.

3. Why should I buy now?

We all want to put off purchasing decisions. We don’t want to part with our hard earned money. Maybe the price will drop. Maybe the need will go away. It’s a tough decision, and we dislike making decisions.

It is critical that you give your client a reason to make the purchase now; today! One time I was selling replacement windows. The customer was someone I knew. I closed the sale. They said to send them the contract to sign. “Take your time. Whenever it gets here we’ll sign it and return it to you,” they said. I took my time and by the time I got around to getting them the contract, the husband had been transferred and I lost my sale. If I had gotten them the contract that day or the next day at the latest, then we could have measured the window and they would have been in production.

Needs change. If you client has a need today, then make the sale today. Give them a reason to move the process forward. Maybe there is a special offer or a sale. Maybe you expect the prices to go up. Availability can also be an effective motivator. Discontinued products are only available for a limited time. A house in a very desirable neighborhood will not be on the market for long. Laws and governmental regulations may eliminate opportunities in the near future. Whatever the case, let the client know that it is in their best interest to move forward right now.

If you are successful in answering all three questions in your clients minds you will close more sales, make more money, and be on the road to Building a Better Biz.

The lottery was up to $90 million this past week and I bought a ticket.  It was just a dollar.  I immediately started calculating in my head that the total cash payout, after tax, would be about $42 million, still enough for a nice holiday.  Then the balance of the calculations began.  I could give $5 million to each child, $2 million to various charities.  And, I’d still have $20 million left to share with my wife.

But it didn’t stop there.  I tinkered with the numbers and came up with a way to give $1 million to each of our siblings and still have $20 million for us.  Then I started thinking about how I would invest the money and how much I would spend in the foreseeable future.

Wow, all that thinking and fun for only one dollar.  Then it hit me.  I just spent all that time thinking about how to divide, spend, and invest a bunch of money that was probably not going to be mine.  What kind of results would I receive if I spent that amount of time strategically thinking about my business?

When you look at your business think about two things:

1. Where are you now?
2. Where do you want to be in one, three and five years?

This is the strategic thinking that most small business owners fail to take the time to complete.  It’s not that complex, but it sure is important.

If you know in detail where your company is now, what is working and what isn’t, and you have a clear picture of where you want your organization to be in those three time frames then the only thing you have to do to achieve your success is to close that gap.  How you close that gap becomes the tactical elements of your plan. The strategic part is the “what” you want to accomplish.  The tactical part is the “how” you’re going to do it.

Make a list of everything that needs to be done in order to achieve your goals.  There will be daily tasks, weekly tasks, monthly tasks, quarterly tasks and annual tasks.  Revisiting your strategic plan should happen annually, while monitoring your progress on your plan could be a weekly task.

Fully detail your strengths and weaknesses.  Define what you are best at as an individual and what you would be best at out sourcing to others.  Then take your list of things that you need to do to close that gap and assign each one to the person on your team who has the best opportunity of completing it.

Think about planning both strategically and tactically.  Ultimately we are accountable to both plan and then execute on those plans.  Accountability counts!

As an entrepreneur you have to guard your time.  You have wonderful ideas, maybe more ideas than you can handle, but you need to stay focused.  Look at everything you do.  Which items are you great at?  Which tasks provide the greatest return in dollars on your time?  Which tasks could someone else do while you’re busy?

Outsourcing broadens your coverage.  By outsourcing you extend the amount of work you are able to get done and increase the return on your investment of time, your most precious commodity.

When looking for reliable people and organizations to outsource to you should consider the following three things.

1. Find experts

When you outsource you always want a great job but this is also the opportunity of getting a job done that would be better then you could do.  Don’t settle for job done.  Get the job done right.  You may be good at many things but you will be able to find people who are excellent at a few focused tasks.  Those are the people you are looking for.  You may find those people locally or through a service like eLance.com you may find them half way around the world.

2. Hire attention to detail

Always look for people who give great attention to detail.  Many entrepreneurs are great idea people but lack the discipline of managing the details.  Outsourcing gives you the opportunity to bring on board people who are strong detail people as well as strong skill people.  By doing this the effectiveness of your organization is greatly increased.

3. Check references

When you outsource your success is in someone else’s hands.  Do your due diligence and make sure that your potential outsourcing partner has a track record of doing what they say they do.  Ask for three references.  Then ask for three more.  Call the second set of three.

You can get more done, achieve at a higher level and ultimately create a greater income stream by outsourcing.  As a matter of fact this article was written for me by someone I outsourced the job to based on my ideas, thoughts and concepts.  Look to broaden your reach by outsourcing and leverage other people talents and skills — you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz.

A few years back, I was watching the women’s finals tennis match at Wimbledon.  The announcer commented about eventual winner Serena Williams’ concentration and focus.  He said, “Serena knows how to keep her eyes on the prize.”  What a great way of saying what all professionals must do!

Most business people don’t achieve their highest possible success because they get distracted.  They let unimportant but seemingly urgent tasks and events draw their focus away from the real target.

Great business leaders are accountable for their actions and keep their eyes on the prize.  Here is how they do it.

Core Values

It is hard to build a business unless you have a strong base.  Just like a tall building, you need a solid foundation.  In business and in life, your foundation is comprised of your core values.

Your core values express what you believe in and direct your actions.  Each time you need to make a choice, your core values serve as the basis to test against.  They help you make the tough decisions, and they guide you through the rigorous job of building your business.

Answer the following questions, and you’ll be on the road to determining your core values.

What do you stand for?

What is it that you are not willing to change no matter what else happens to you?

What is the essence of your belief structure?

Are you authentic?

Long Range and Short Range Goals

Goal setting is a common habit of all high level achievers that I know.  You can dream and wish, but only when you set a goal does it begin to become real.

Goals signify where you want to end up over a period of time.  They do not say how you are going to do it.  The clearer the goal and the better defined it is, the easier it will be to determine how to achieve that goal.

Some business people create sales goals and let it go at that.  I would like to encourage you to analyze your business.  What are all of the critical elements of your job?  What tasks will lead to your ultimate success?

If you are in the real estate business you, might be concerned with issues like the number of pieces of property you list, the number of clients you work with, how many presentations you make, your closing ratio, the average price of the homes you sell, and more.

Now, take each of these categories and set a goal.  If you are able to achieve your goals on the core elements of what you do, then you’ll probably be able to achieve your goals on the bottom line as well.

It is critical that you develop both long-range goals and short-term goals.  These will guide you on a daily and weekly basis as well as on a year-to-year basis.

Strategic Planning

Take time to look at the big picture.  Plan how you are going to build your business.  When you have a plan it is easier to know where to focus on a daily basis.

When I work with clients to help them grow their business, I always want to know how much time they spend on strategic planning.  Usually they don’t spend much time at all.

Strategic planning should be a scheduled part of your monthly activities.  Most small business people feel so busy that they misuse their time on tactical issues and either forget or don’t provide time for strategic issues.

What activities can you delegate?  Which of your regular tasks could be accomplished by other people in your organization, or are there new people that you could hire?  It’s not unusual to see business professionals who feel that they alone must do the job. 

If you are an independent business professional, maybe it’s time for an assistant.  Think of the time you could generate for more productive activities.

In addition to strategic planning, you would have more time for those activities that will produce the greatest return for your business.

Understand Both Sides of The Value Proposition

This is so important.  Your value proposition is made up of two pieces of information.  They are, what value do you provide, and whom do you deliver that value to?

Most companies fail to grow at substantial rates because the owner doesn’t take the time to accurately figure out their value proposition.  Your value proposition is at the very vortex of your business success.

Once you have this information, you are in a position to create a Memorable Marketing Message™.  You are also in a position to take a ho-hum marketing program and turn it into a goldmine!

This powerful concept may very well be the single greatest issue that stands between where you are today and the tremendous success that you could start achieving tomorrow.

Eliminate Distractions

Sounds easy, but you know it’s not.  When you come into the office, and you have a list of the things that you want to accomplish, which items do you do first?

Do you do what’s easy?  Do you do what will make someone else happy?  Do you do what will make you look good to those around you, or, do you do the single most important item no matter how difficult or tedious?

It is so easy to get distracted by coworkers, the telephone, the news, your email, the internet, or something out the window.

When you start your day take out a 3 X 5 card.  On it list the six things that must get done that day for you to be happy.  I don’t care if you use a manual day planning device or an electronic one.  Take a card out and list these important items.

Now start at the top of your list and work your way through the items one at a time.  When you complete your list, then you may work on other tasks.

Organize your thoughts, your actions, your time, and your office so that you can eliminate distractions and keep focused.

Do you know what it is that you stand for?  Are you setting goals?  Do you have the training you need?  Are you reading the right books and networking with the right people?  Do you make time for strategic planning and eliminate distractions?  Have you defined your value proposition?

Keep your eyes on the prize, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz!

“Never, never rest contented with any circle of ideas, but always be certain that a wider one is still possible.”
- Richard Jefferies -Nineteenth century English naturalist and novelist.

An individual’s paradigms are the set of rules by which they think the game of life is played.  Your paradigms dictate the way you see the world around you.  You can have major improvements in your life by shifting your reference points.  Since your paradigms are the basis of your reference points, a change in your paradigms will ultimately affect the greatest change in your life.

Paradigms are a result of the environment that you grew up in as well as your current environment and social surrounding.  Your self-image is formed as you develop in life.

Your paradigms are affected by your self-image with respect to your capabilities.  Your environment will shape your paradigms in conjunction with the world around you.  To be able to have a paradigm shift, which is what is necessary to have a remarkable change in achievement and success in your life, you must be open to those changes.  Herein is where the difficulty lies:  unless you have strong self-esteem it will be difficult to open yourself up to these changes in reference and belief.  If you have a poor self-image, you will be more concerned with protecting your current position by sticking with the status quo.  It is hard to open up to change if you are busy protecting what you have.  By working on your self-esteem and self-image, you will essentially put yourself in a position to shed the chains holding you back.  You will be able to open up your mind to new ideas so that you can achieve a paradigm shift and be in a position for significant success in your life.

In 1952, The Lipton Tea Company invented the flo-thru tea bag.  People around the world see tea bags as being rectangular in shape and attached by a string to a paper tag.  Forty years later Tetley Tea made a paradigm shift.  They decided “tea bags can be different.  Tea cups are round.  Saucers are round.  Why not have round tea bags?”  After introducing the new product in England, Tetley’s sales increased over 40%, becoming number-one in the market!  The round tea bag has now been released in Canada and the United States, with similar success.

When I first entered the window business our customer base included medium and small window retailers.  Larger retailers purchased their windows out of town because they had the purchasing volume to justify shipments.  The retailers believed that by marketing an exclusive window, they could get a higher price than for a window that was available elsewhere.

The small and medium retailers did not have access to the same product, so if homeowners wanted the exact window the large company showed them, they had to pay the price the large retailer was asking.  My experience for the first two years in the window business was that a local manufacturer could not successfully sell a large in-town account.  One day, I had a paradigm shift.  I decided that anyone could create an exclusive product.  The fact that my factory was located in the same market as the large dealer did not matter.  Once I realized that I could offer something different, I set out to create our exclusive window.

I had not tried before, because my paradigm had dictated that exclusivity did not exist for me.  After only a short time, I came up with a program of exclusive product features and unique marketing ideas.  Our first large account bought half a million dollars worth of windows on an annual basis.  The second account spent over two million dollars with us annually!  My original paradigm was shaped by the people I worked with.  Look at the success I was able to achieve by changing my reference points.  This paradigm shift was worth over fifty-thousand-dollars in annual commissions and worth far more to the company in profits and increased buying power.

At one point we decided to expand our product line with an additional high quality vinyl window.  Everyone in the industry felt that a top quality replacement window had to be fusion welded at the joints.  Fusion welding is labor intensive and requires expensive welding and cleaning equipment.  I started researching other manufacturing methods and began evaluating different options.  Finally, we found a method of fastening that was 30% stronger than welding.  It didn’t involve expensive manufacturing equipment, so we were able to tool up for half the cost of a traditional welded system.

Even better, we were able to reduce our labor costs by approximately one-third!  We became more competitive and sales of this new product skyrocketed. These drastic results were all possible because of our paradigm shift:  because we had changed our view on how quality windows had to be manufactured.

Evaluate your paradigms.  By shifting your points of reference, can you open up new areas of potential growth?  Don’t say, “that’s impossible.”  Say, “how can I make that possible?”  Things that were not possible before will become possible.  Your ability to achieve will be enhanced and the time needed to achieve your primary desires will be reduced.  Change your paradigms, and you will be accountable to Building a Better Biz!

What drives your company, the offense or the defense?

I went to a football game recently.  My team won 33-22.  You may think that the offense ran away with the game, running up a whopping 33-points and really sticking it to the competition.

The truth is that the offence was non-existent.  The offence only managed to gain 121 total yards.  As a matter of fact that is the fewest yards ever by a team in the National Football League that scored 33 points!

What happened?  Simple.  The defense carried the team.  They forced seven turnovers, scored one touchdown and they set up two others.  The defense came to the rescue of the offence.

In business it can be the same way.  Your offense, sales and marketing, can really drive your company.  They can generate a lot of interest and enthusiasm in your products and services.  They usually get the credit for superior performance.  You hear it all the time.  “They had a great year.  Sales were up 20%!”

But, building a successful business requires teamwork.  It takes offense and defense.  Let’s look at the defensive areas that you can focus on to build a better business.

Customer Service

Building relationships with your clients brings them back, increases the average sale amount, and generates referrals.  Creating an effective customer service department can mean a growth in sales from behind the scenes.

The investment in marketing has been spent.  You or your sales team has worked to acquire the client.  Now, what happens as you move forward?  Your customer service efforts will play a major impact on your return on investment from sales and marketing.

Relationships not only attract clients, but they also retain them.  It’s a proven fact.  Everyone in your organization that comes in contact with your clients must take the responsibility to build relationships.

My clients have retained my services because of relationships with someone answering the phone, someone in production, and someone in field service.  In my manufacturing business, my truck drivers built relationships with our clients, and they came back with a lot of useful information.  The clients enjoyed doing business with everyone they came in contact with.

Production

If you are in manufacturing, then you know that production can make or break you.  Yes, the sales department needs to make the sale at a profitable dollar amount, but production must be efficient, produce quality products, and provide a quick turn around time.

An efficient manufacturing facility can give you a competitive advantage.  It will help you to be more profitable, have higher than normal quality, and have faster then industry standard delivery times that can be parlayed into powerful marketing tools.

Internal Support

It is very difficult for anyone to be successful on their own.  We all need support and assistance in our endeavors.  In any business, there are people whose work and efforts provide support for others in the company.

The person answering the phone interfaces with the client.  By answering the phone in a warm and welcoming manor, the client can be put into a good mood and be more receptive to the sales professional and her ideas.

Someone in accounting can provide a service for someone else in the organization thereby helping the second individual be more productive, more effective, and achieve greater results.

My daughter, Jackie, plays very serious soccer.  After nine years of playing forward and midfield her coach moved her to defense.  This past weekend Jackie told me that she always has to cover two players as the midfielders never seem to come back on defense like they should.  Jackie said, “It took playing someone else’s position to fully understand how what I did impacted them.”

Look for ways to provide better support for others in your organization and reap the benefits.

Cost Containment

You can increase gross revenues by selling more customers, selling them more often, and selling them larger quantities.  You can impact your bottom line without increasing sales by containing your costs.

Cost reductions turn into instant profits.  An increase in sales by one dollar might put ten cents on your bottom line, but reducing your costs by one dollar will increase your profits by a full dollar.

Are there redundant jobs in your organization?  Is there a more cost effect way of purchasing or better purchasing sources?  Can great performance efficiencies be turned into cost savings?

Proactively drive your costs down as a never ending daily endeavor, and over time you will watch your profits soar!

A team is made up of many individuals who perform a variety of tasks.  By getting all of the members of your team on the same page, or your offense and your defense, you will find that it is easier to build your business.  And, on those days where one subgroup of your team is having a tough time, others will pick up the slack and help get the job done.

Work both your offense and defense, and you will be more accountable in Building a Better Biz.

Action step:

Choose one “defensive” area of your business and focus this week on making it stronger.

My wife and I met with our financial advisor Karl earlier this week.  We spent an hour reviewing the performance of our portfolio, re-clarifying our personal investment goals, and discussing our estate-planning situation.

Karl is thorough.  We have the utmost confidence in his work and the firm he is associated with.  In addition to the “business” part of the meeting, Renee, Karl, and I talked about our children and their interests.  The time went by quickly.

As we were finishing up, Karl thanked us again for a past referral we had sent his way and also asked us if there was anyone else who we might feel comfortable referring to him.  Karl told us that when his clients referred other clients it saved him prospecting time.  He went on to say that this enabled him to spend more time working for us.  It all made sense.

It is always easier to sell a referred client.  There is already implied trust.  The client is more open and willing to look at the value you offer and evaluate if there is a good fit.  One referred client is worth ten cold leads.  Getting more referrals is all about asking questions.  The best in the business know who to ask and what to ask for.

You should always ask your current clients for referrals.  There is a natural flow of conversation that will enable you to receive more referrals from your current clients.  Toward the end of a meeting with a regular client or after the sale with a new client ask a “confidence” question.  You may ask, “Have you been satisfied with the work I’ve done for you?”  Or, “Does this look like we’re moving in the right direction?” Or, “That was a little easier then you thought, wasn’t it?”

Basically, you are trying to get your client to agree that they are glad they are doing business with you.  Then, you simply say to them, “My business is built around positive relationships.  I truly value our relationship, and I greatly enjoy serving you.  Do you know of anyone else who may have similar needs as you?”  The word “may” in the last sentence is critical because your client might feel that they do not know for sure if someone would need your product or service.  You want to make your client feel as comfortable as possible recommending you.

Give them a reason to help you.  One reason could be because they like you.  They are helping a friend.  We all want to help our friends.  Another reason could be because you offer a gift for referrals.  Some businesses offer a gift certificate for dinner at a nice restaurant as an incentive.  Another company I know has a formal referral program that pays $50.00 for every referred prospect that makes a purchase.  Karl’s statement about our referring clients left him more time to serve us was a great comment and provided us a tangible reason to refer someone to him.

All businesses are different.  What might be appropriate in one business would not be in another.  A home improvement company could pay $50 or $100 to a customer for each referral.  They could send out referral cards twice a year asking for those referrals.  This could be a significant marketing program for them.  They are many variations of this that my clients successfully use.

However, someone in the financial services industry would approach the situation entirely different.  Everyone should ask for referrals.  How you handle the procedure will vary by industry.

You can also ask for referrals from people who do not buy from you.  Let’s say you work with a prospect, but maybe the timing isn’t right for them.  At this point in time they choose not to move forward.  But, you have developed a good relationship.  They feel positive about you.  Ask them for a referral.  You might say, “I understand that the timing isn’t the best for you right now, and we’ll stay in touch as we move forward.  By the way, do you know of someone who may have a similar need that would be a good fit for me?”

When you ask for a referral you may want to be specific with regards to a “target” for your client to think about.  Don’t just ask if they know someone.  Give your client a target.  Your question may be, “Do you have any relatives that could use a similar service?”  Or, “Do you have a relationship with someone in a similar position as you with a different company that may need this same product?”

By giving your client a target when you ask the question it helps them think of people.  You can move from one target to the next in the course of your conversation.

Say “thank you” for your referrals.  Always call and thank your client when they refer someone.  It does not mater if the referral buys from you or not.  You want to reward your client with positive praise for what they have done for you.  Your client will be more willing to refer someone in the future if you positively reinforce this great habit.

It may also be appropriate for you to send a thank you card and, or, a gift to your client.  Good taste always prevails here.  The last time I sent Karl a client I received a thank you note, a phone call, and a gift certificate to the finest restaurant in town.  I wasn’t expecting anything in return for my referral.  I believed that I was helping the person I was referring as much as I was helping Karl, but I did appreciate the thanks Karl sent my way.

Asking for referrals should be an ongoing part of your daily business.  Ask people who buy from you and people who don’t.  People like to help others.  If someone believes in you and your abilities, they will be willing to lend a helping hand.  Grow your business through referrals and you will save marketing time, explode your bottom line, and be on the road to Building a Better Biz! 

The average person spends over 70% of his/her life in an awakened state. During this time, you are constantly communicating either with yourself or with others. Good communication skills are critical to success. People judge you by your ability to effectively convey your thoughts.

There are four main modes of communication: reading, speaking, writing, and listening. Reading, speaking and writing are part of the school curriculum from grade school through high school. For the most part, few people have had any formal education in listening. However, effective listening skills are crucial to your success.

One time a customer came into my office to discuss our quality control. He expressed that his company was important to him and that he had to do whatever necessary to make it grow. What he really said was: “Get it right or I’m going to take my business elsewhere.” I made the mistake of not hearing him and almost lost the account. Only some quick work saved a one-hundred-thousand-dollar customer, a customer that always paid his bills on time!

It is important to listen not only to what people say but to what they mean. Interpret the feelings they are expressing. People want to be appreciated. Fulfill their want by listening to them: it shows that you care.

People have difficulty listening because of bad habits they have developed over time. One bad habit is talking. It is impossible to listen if you are talking. However, unfortunately, most people feel that as long as they are speaking they are in control. Actually, the opposite may be true. Only through listening can we learn.

We have two ears and one mouth. Use them in that ratio and you will become an excellent listener.

Listen not only to the words but to how they are delivered. Meaning is in people and not just in their words. Listen for the intent, not just the content. Pay attention to changes in pace. Listen for voice inflections. Look “between the lines” for the real meaning. This is all called listening empathetically. You care, not just about what someone says, but why they say it. It is this greater understanding that will enable you to form the correct response to a particular situation and ultimately get the results from the relationship you desire.

If during a conversation you are showing that you are actively listening and are interested in what is being said, the speaker will give you more information. This is how your knowledge and resulting power grows.

There are several ways to enhance your listening skills and to show that you are interested in the person speaking to you. I have created a technique called FRAG, which is short for “fragment.” A fragment is a piece or part of a whole; something is missing. Likewise, if you don’t use good listening skills, you will only receive part of the message. Your response to an individual will be limited. In addition, having only partial information may leave you in a less competitive position.

FRAG stands for:

- Finish
- Rephrase and repeat
- Ask questions
- Gestures

First, always let the speaker finish his/her comments. Don’t interrupt and don’t change the subject. This assures you of receiving the complete message. Also, it is polite!

Second, repeat a portion of what the speaker said. This shows that you listened and understood the speaker. Rephrase the statement in your own words. By rephrasing and repeating what the speaker said, you will be sure that you understand the message and you will also show that you are both interested and sincere.

Third, ask questions. This, too, shows that you are interested. And it encourages the speaker to continue and expand on his/her message providing more valuable information. By asking questions, you can ask the person for clarification of the message for exact meaning, thus insuring understanding of the communication.

Fourth, use simple gestures such as a frown, eye contact, a smile, or a nod to signal that you are involved in the conversation. This sends positive feedback to the speaker and helps you maintain your concentration and interest.

By using the FRAG technique, you will receive the entire message and not just fragments. At the same time, you will develop a good rapport with the speaker.

It has been said that information is power. With good listening skills, you can obtain more information and have greater power. As your listening skills improve, you will get more out of each conversation, while at the same time, earning the respect of the person speaking to you.

A positive relationship is based on effective, two-way communication. Listening is an essential part of good communication. Become a great listener and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz! 

I just received a magazine in the mail that is dedicated to exclusive homes that are for sale around the United States.  The houses range in investment from $750,000 to over $36 million.  Of course the $36 million dollar home has a beautiful view of Lake Tahoe and is complete with a three-hole golf course!

Personally, I am in the middle of an extensive remodeling project on my home.  I know how fast you can spend money on a house.  Today it takes a lot of money to buy a nice house.  It takes an enormous amount of money to obtain your dream home.

Most people are content to settle for “okay.”  If it’s a little better than your parents or your siblings, then you are satisfied.  If when you go back to your high school or college reunion and you can show that you’ve kept up with the Jones’, then you are happy.  Why not have it all?  Who says you can’t have a million dollar home, or the boat, or the second home, or anything else your heart desires?

Are you able to provide your children with an outstanding education?  To send your child to a top private college in the United States it will cost upwards of $50,000 a year or more!  And, those are after tax dollars.

We must to be accountable for our financial security.  If you are not making top money today, don’t worry.  You don’t have to be stuck in your situation.  There are ways to break out and create the wealth and happiness you deserve.

Here are seven steps to create wealth and a fantastic future.

1. It’s All In Your Head

Do you have a mindset of what you are “supposed” to earn and have that is based on other people’s poor performance?  If your dad was a coal miner, does that mean you have to be a coal miner also?

I’ve seen this over and over in my career.  People perform to the standard and expectation that is set for them.  We let our family and friends set that expectation, and if they have low standards, our standard is set low.

It is time for you to take the responsibility of setting your own expectations.  You must decide for yourself what standards in life you are willing to accept and work towards.  People aren’t lucky.  They create opportunities.  If one person can earn $250,000, or $350,000, or $500,000 a year, then a lot of people can.  And, so can you!

In all aspects of life it is very rare to get more then we desire.  If you go to the grocery store to buy a pound of potatoes, then that is what you will come home with.  You are not going to get ten pounds of potatoes.

If you want to earn $20,000 then that is what you will earn.  If you desire and work towards a significantly higher figure, then you will create ways to achieve that goal.

The first step to creating wealth and happiness is believing that you deserve it, knowing that you have a right to earn it, and understanding that you are responsible for setting your expectations high enough to achieve them.

2. Study Financial Success In Others

All to often people try to reinvent the wheel.  They think that they must come up with all the answers, find the systems, and discover what makes something work.  It is faster and cheaper to learn from other people who have achieved what it is you desire.

Something I have done all of my business life is to take successful people to lunch.  I invite someone to lunch that I feel has achieved significance in an area that I am interested in.  Up front I tell them that I admire their accomplishments and would like to have a brief conversation over lunch.

I have developed a list of questions that I ask my guests, and throughout lunch I casually direct the discussion with my questions.  I don’t want my guest to feel like I am drilling them, so I keep everything conversational.

Some questions I might ask are:

How did you start your career?
What was a major turning point for you?
If you could go back in time, what would you do differently?
What advice would you give to someone such as myself who is trying to achieve similar results?
What main attribute do you have that has led you to your success?
What new opportunities do you feel are available today?

Ask open-ended questions so that your guest can elaborate.  Always respect the time of your guest.  Don’t let the lunch go over an hour.  Finally, always pay for the lunch.  The investment you make will be returned to you many times over.

After the lunch send your guest a thank you note and possibly a gift.  Maybe a book that based on the conversation would be of interest to them.  Write a note in the book and sign it.  Your guest will appreciate the personal touch and will cherish the gift.

3. Look Outside For a Competitive Advantage

Xerox Corporation made benchmarking an art form.  Xerox discovered that if they could collaborate with another company and study best practices that they could learn and grow at a faster rate than just working internally at improvements.

Benchmarking can work for any size company.  Just like learning one-on-one with someone over lunch, studying what successful companies do and then applying those ideas to your business can be a real boost to the bottom line.

There is a hidden element here that many people overlook.  If you only study the best in your industry, then you can only be almost as good at the best.  Studying inside your industry is just the starting point.  Real gains can be achieved by studying companies that are not in your industry.

Here is how to significantly magnify your business growth and blow your earnings through the ceiling.  Your important business systems may be your lead generation system, your sales system, and your relationship maintenance system.

Most companies in the same industry all use the same systems, tools, and ideas.  Look to other industries and see what works for them.  Maybe a particular industry has created a better warranty system.  If you use that warranty policy for your products, you could explode sales.  It is possible that in another industry they highly leverage different marketing tools and ideas.  If you use those marketing tools, you will look different and could possibly create a tremendous competitive advantage.

Basically, what I’m talking about is to take proven ideas from other industries and put them to work for you in your industry.  This way of thinking helps create uniqueness.  It also gives your customers a new and exciting way of getting involved with or enjoying your specific products and services.

Wealth and happiness are yours for the taking.  In our next issue we will discuss the other four valuable techniques.  Start using these three, and you will be on your way to Building a Better Biz!

In the first part of this article we discussed the first three steps to wealth and happiness.  Below are the final four.  If you missed the first part of this article, you can read it here.

4. Create Synergistic Growth Patterns™

Synergistic Growth Patterns (SGP) is a powerful business growth strategic concept.  I’ve used this fantastic concept many times throughout my business career.  The funny thing is that I didn’t realize at first that I was doing it!

Let’s say your sales are $500,000.  Now, let’s say like most all businesses out there you set a goal to increase sales.  For illustration purposes we will say 12%.  That would amount to a $60,000 increase in sales or a total of $560,000.

Let’s break the sales process effort into it’s components.

Clients
Transaction Value
Transaction Frequency

How many clients do you have?  Your annual sales revenue is based on your number of clients multiplied by the times per year that they buy (frequency) which is then multiplied by the size of the order (value).

If you have 200 clients that buy on average twice a year at an average sales price of $1250 you get your $500,000.

Now instead of seeking a 12% growth in sales, let’s seek a 12% growth in each of the components to sales.

So, you are looking for 224 clients who buy on average 2.24 times a year with an average purchase price of $1400.  If you multiply that out you would have annual sales of $702,464.  That is a total sales increase of $202,464 or 40%!

Your focus is now on getting new clients, increasing the number of times per year you are able to make a sale, and growing the average sale.  It means looking for ways to generate leads.  It means creating additional reasons throughout the year for your clients to invest in your products or services, and it means finding ways to “add on” to your sale.

SGP can be used in other areas as well.  Let’s say that you are in the real estate business.  You need referrals to get buying clients or listing clients.  If you can increase the number of people who are referring you and the number of times per year that they refer you, you can achieve synergistic bottom line results here as well.

SGP will push your sales through the roof!  There is, however, one other component in sales that we haven’t discussed.  That is margin. You can increase margin one of two ways.  You either increase the sales price or you reduce your costs.  If you can also increase your per sale margin, your bottom line will absolutely explode.

5. Grow Earnings and Equity

It is one thing to bring home a big paycheck, but it is another to grow your net worth.  Earnings in a business and personal earnings are essentially cash flow.  Many people build their business and life style around their cash flow.  If they make $3000 a week then they buy a house and cars and other items that equals out to costing $3000 a week.

As long as cash flow remains the same or improves, they are fine.  As soon as the economy takes a slight downturn, and eventually it always does, they are in trouble.

The key to accumulating wealth is to build cash flow, control costs, and then build equity.  Let’s make this real simple.  Spend less then what you earn.  Invest the rest in your business, in stocks, in real estate, or other smart investments and watch your net worth grow.

The stumbling block that most people fall on is they want everything overnight.  It takes time to build your equity.  Time, interest or market appreciation, and additional contributions to your investments will all pay off big if the big picture.  Constantly work on growing your equity.

6. Time Is On Your Side

Put the value of time behind you.  Saving a dollar today is worth far more then saving a dollar tomorrow.  Time and interest magnify your investments and will pay big dividends over the long run.

This concept has made people millions of dollars.  Let’s look at a retirement account.  A young person gets a job at the age of 15.  They earn $2000 and invest it all.  For the next 6 years they repeat the process.  After 7 years of saving $2000 a year they stop saving and let the account grow in value on it’s own.  If this investment has an average annual return of 12% over its life, when the child turned 65 the investment would be worth over 3.3 million dollars.

Now, let’s say the same person put off investing in a retirement account until the age of 21.  Again they save $2000 a year for a total of 7 years and then stop adding to the account.  When they turn 65 under this scenario the retirement account would only be worth 1.67 million dollars.  Waiting 6 years to start the saving process cost the person half of their retirement fund and over 1.5 million dollars!

Start saving today.  It does not matter how small the amount.  Start saving.

7. What Are You Feeding Your Brain?

If you eat poorly you become over weight and unhealthy.  If you don’t feed your brain the right foods, it becomes lazy and unproductive.  What are you feeding your brain?

A recent study showed that more than 95% of all adults have not read a non-fiction book since their last day of formal education.  Another study showed that the half-life of an education is seven years.  The world around you is changing.  Technology is evolving.  New tactics and business opportunities are constantly coming onto the scene.

To remain competitive and advance in this tough business climate it is critical that you expose yourself to new ideas, challenging concepts, and proven tactics.  Reading, listening to tapes, going to seminars, and participating in a powerful Mastermind Group are all ways you can feed your brain the “right stuff” and stay ahead of the pack.

Additionally, you can learn about goal setting, building relationships, and getting the most out of life.  Grow your business and improve your life.  That is what you should focus on.

When people learn, endorphins are released into the blood stream.  You feel a charge of energy, and your desire to make things happen is heightened.  Education will take you to the next level.

Be accountable for your wealth and your happiness.  Follow all seven steps for creating wealth and happiness and watch your business and your life soar.  Now, you are on the road to Building a Better Biz!

Over the years I have been involved with and owned several businesses.  I’ve achieved much success, and I’ve had my share of failure.  I’ve deposited seven figure checks, and I’ve hocked everything I own to guarantee the bank loans.  There have been ups and there have been downs.  So why am I tell you all this?  Why not just boast about my success, waive my riches under your nose, and shout at you that you can achieve great things also?

Well, what I’ve found is that anyone can do that.  The world is full of people telling you how successful they are, or how great they are, or I’ve done it so invest in my system and you can do it to.  The reality is that very few people have really enjoyed success, and almost all of them have done it the hard way.

It is very easy to look at someone, see their success, and say, “I want to be able to achieve what they have achieved.”  The glamour looks great.  All the successes you know are just successes.  Very rarely do you see the pain they’ve endured, the time they’ve invested, and the failures they’ve worked through.  All you see are the fancy cars, the nice clothes, the beautiful home, or any of the other physical possessions that accumulating money permits someone to acquire.

What I want to share with you now may change your life.  This single thought could be what sets you free.  Free from the chains that held me back, led to many of my failures, and may be holding you back.  Without a doubt, one personal trait I have has led to most of the hardship, frustration, and misery I’ve endured over time while I tried to figure out how to successfully build my companies.

Like you, my drive to succeed has always been strong.  I wanted to do great things.  I wanted to achieve to my definition of success.  I wanted to create a financial backing for my family that would allow us to do everything in life that we wanted to do.  But here’s where I fell into my trap.  I wanted to achieve all of those things very quickly.  I wanted success now.  I wanted the cars now.  I wanted the independence now.  The word patience just wasn’t in my dictionary.  As a matter of fact my dictionary went from the word “pathway” right to the word “patin.”

Have you ever come across someone who appeared to be an overnight success?  They seem to pop up all the time, and I figured if they did it, then I could do it.  Well, the truth is that they really weren’t overnight successes after all.  They had spent years developing their craft, perfecting their skills in business, sales, communications, and created a powerful network of allies.  Only when these elements were in place did they realize their most prized goals and achieve the successes that we attribute them to.

“Patience is a virtue.”  My father repeated this statement to me time after time as a child growing up.  Some of the best advise I was ever given, and it went right over my head.  A mentor of mine always counseled me to be patient as I went along on my journey.  I heard him, but didn’t take his advise as much to heart as I should have.

So many times I was so focused on what I wanted that I didn’t always do what I needed to do to get there.  You can’t cross all of your “t’s” and dot your “i’s” unless you take the time to do so.  And, the reality of it all is that taking the time to do it right means being patient.  Not worrying about immediate results, but rather worrying about doing everything right so that you get positive results over time.  Because what you really want are those positive results.

Yes, it would be nice to achieve what you desire now, but wouldn’t it be more important to achieve your goals at some point in time rather than never, because you didn’t do the right things or take the right steps?

The key is to set up powerful goals.  Have a target to air for and to hit.  Understand what success looks like for you.  Then figure out what needs to be done to get there.  And as you take that journey, take the time to do what is necessary to allow you to achieve your goals and to enjoy the ride you’re on.  You will enjoy the process, acquire what it is you desire, and you will learn more about yourself than you ever thought possible.

Be patient and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz!

Some people look at other successful people and make excuses for their achievements. A popular excuse is, “He’s just lucky.” There is no such thing as naked luck. Luck is when you are prepared to take advantage of the opportunities that naturally present themselves. Don’t confuse luck with hard work and preparation.

Throughout life, there will be many chances to get ahead. It’s your responsibility to be in a position to take advantage of those opportunities. As you increase your knowledge, education, and skills, you increase your preparedness. As you increase your preparedness, you will be able to take advantage of an increasing number of opportunities. When that happens you can begin to pick and choose the best opportunities. You can seek out the best results with the highest probability of success!

Robert Shaw, CEO of International Jensen, Inc., a $153 million manufacturer of home and automobile speakers, went to Japan to solicit business from the Mazda Motor Corporation. After lengthy meetings on Friday, Shaw was told that if he wanted to submit a bid on upcoming work, it would have to be submitted by Monday, and it had to be in Japanese.

Shaw had three days. Shaw’s team worked through the weekend and, on Sunday, submitted their bid before leaving Japan. It turned out to be the winning bid and the beginning of a long relationship with Mazda. The chance to bid had nothing to do with luck: it was the outcome of Shaw’s careful preparation of nearly six months. International Jensen learned from their relationship with Mazda and expanded their exports. This was all possible because Shaw was prepared for the opportunity when it presented itself.

My window company spent several years developing a comprehensive marketing program for our dealers. Our color brochures were the finest in the industry. We offered training manuals for dealers to use with their sales force. We provided direct mail literature. We put together a whole assortment of window samples and display cases of window parts. In other words, we offered the dealer a chance to really impress the homeowner customer.

Because of this complete marketing program, we won several large accounts. Obviously, it hadn’t been luck that brought us these large accounts. It was because we were well-prepared and added value to our customers which created opportunities.

Another popular excuse for dismissing the success of others is, “Oh, she’s a born winner.” I don’t believe in the notion of a “born winner.” Success is based on skills not genes. I seriously doubt that in the delivery room, right after the birth of a baby, the attending surgeon said, “Now there’s a born winner.”

Winning is the result of good input, such as good research or good advice, and hard work. If you buy into the notion that there are no born winners, then you must also buy into the notion that there are no “born losers.”

Take this a little further. If there are no born losers, then everyone can be a winner, if they have the right input and apply themselves in a positive manner. The beautiful part of all this is that there is no time limit on when the quality input must occur. You can benefit from quality input just as well if it comes in your 50’s as if it had come in your teens. As a matter of fact, later in life you may be in a better position to take immediate action on the road to success.

You can make your own luck through diligent and thorough preparation. If you take advantage of the opportunities that naturally present themselves other people might think that you are the born winner. Now, you’re on the road to Building a Better Biz!

It rained most of the day yesterday.  That means that today there will be dead worms all over my driveway. 

When it rains for a long period of time, the ground becomes saturated.  Worms must come to the surface to avoid drowning.  They then crawl out onto the driveway.  The sun comes out, it heats up, and the worms die on the hot driveway.

I would think that worms would eventually catch onto this phenomenon when relatives and community members don’t come back after a hard rain.  It would make better sense to come out of the ground and just slide onto the edge of the driveway and away from the water.  They wouldn’t get lost on the large span of asphalt, and they could keep the lush green grass in sight.  Then, when it starts heating up they can easily slip back into the shelter of the grass.

Instead, they crawl way out onto the driveway and die.  Worms are dumb.

Worms don’t have the capacity to keep from making the same mistakes over and over, but people do.  Even though we know we have bad habits, we somehow manage to keep them.  What bad habits are holding you back?  What is it that you know you should be doing and haven’t yet begun?

Below are several habits that I find many business professionals have trouble dropping.  How many of these do you have?

Does Not Return Calls On A Timely Basis

This is simple but many times overlooked.  Maybe you fear rejection.  Maybe you don’t want to deal with the issues that your clients are calling about.  Whatever the reason, not calling on a timely basis sends a bad signal.  It’s says, “I don’t care enough about you or your business to call right away.”

Now I’m not saying that all calls should be returned within fifteen minutes.  However, your clients will respond more favorably when you call them back within a couple of hours rather then a couple of days.

Your Desk is a Mess

Ouch!  Well, we’ve all been there at one time or another.  The truth is that you can’t be as productive as possible if you can’t find what you’re looking for.  Many times I see people who totally miss out on opportunities because of lack of organization.

How is your desk?  What type of filing system do you have?  Have you taken the time to create or obtain a system that will allow you to be totally productive?

Clean your office first.  Then, implement a system that will allow you to maintain a cleared working area, and help you to work effectively, and on a timely basis.

If you’re not using a contact management system, get one!  Whether you use a Mac or Windows operating system there are some great choices out there.

Procrastination

Don’t put off dealing with this one.  It’s very simple; time is money.  We’ve heard it before, and it’s true.

I work with business professionals who want to learn to make better choices.  One fact that many people fail to realize is that a good choice today may not be as good in a week or a month.

By putting these issues off, your most valuable resource is slipping away; that is, time.  Money is replaceable.  Time is not.  As a matter of fact, if I took all of your money from you and sent you off for two hours with the instructions to come back with some money, you would.  You would find a way to come up with some money, but the two hours would be lost forever.

Making decisions today, or dealing with important issues today moves you closer to your goals at a faster pace.  Your competition isn’t sitting still, and you shouldn’t be either.

Bad Money Management

Many business owners and sales professionals don’t spend enough time looking at their numbers.  Where are you profits coming from?  What are you greatest expenses?  What factors affect these two items on your profit and loss statement?

Are you P & L savvy?  Do you know how to read and interpret your statements?  If you aren’t, take an accounting course at your community college, or talk with your accountant.  Many times they have a course for their clients.

Often, the first thing I do when working with my tele-mentoring clients is to look at their expenses.  It’s so easy to spend money, and so hard to make it.

Are there areas where you could cut back?  Can you reduce costs?  Every dollar taken out of expenses goes directly to the bottom line and your bank account.

Don’t just lump your credit card statements on your books.  Break out each item and classify them correctly.  Each month you should know where you money came from and where it went.

Now you are in a position to make great decisions.

Lack of Networking

Inevitably, we get caught up in the day-to-day operations of our business and don’t get out to meet new people and make new relationships.

Your success in business is based on two things; the choices you make, and the relationships you build.  Meeting new people will add new life to your business.  Your new contacts will lead you to others.  That’s what networking is all about.

Each week look for one new networking opportunity.  When you meet new people, follow up with a quick thank you card or note expressing that you were glad to meet them.

Look for ways to help your contacts.  By doing this you will create a situation where people will be looking for ways to help you.

Cultivate relationships in the specific areas that you feel will be of most benefit to you and your company.  Taking care of those relationships over time, you can watch your business grow.

No Continuing Educations

Over ninety-five per cent of all Americans do not read a non-fiction book after their last day of formal education.  How sad.

You are compensated in this world based on the value you deliver.  If you want to increase your compensation then you must increase your value.  Learning and developing as a professional is how you increase your value.

Do you have a yearly continuing education plan?  If not, you should develop one.  Isolate where you need more knowledge and skills, then, go get ‘em!

Budget a certain amount of money each year for your personal development.  If your company will pay for your education, that is great.  If not, don’t let that hold you back.  And, even if your company pays for some training, you may want to invest additional dollars in your own education.

It’s real simple.  Are you worth it?  If the answer is no then we have some real issues to deal with!

Worms may be dumb to crawl out onto the pavement and die, but you don’t have to.  Drop your bad habits and replace them with new good ones, and you’ll be on your way to Building a Better Biz! 

Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.
- Josh Billings -Published in Farmers Almanac 1869-1880.

A study at Stanford University of genius-level children revealed some interesting information. The children were studied throughout their lifetime. The study showed that high achievement was not a consequence of high intelligence but rather the result of people who were able to focus sharply on what they wanted in life. The people that were better focused achieved more.

To stay focused, you must concentrate on the task at hand. Think about work when you are working, about play when you are playing, and about your family when you are with your family. You will perform at a sub-par level in every endeavor if you are not 100% involved at the moment of “attack.”

Like the archer, you should be keying in on the bullseye. You must focus on your target. You do not want to spray arrows (or efforts and energy) in a multitude of different directions. You want your efforts going towards the bullseye, your goals. You must have the proper focus in order to follow the steps in your plan. This will help you reach your ultimate goal.

If you are busy running haphazardly from one goal to another you lack the focus to accomplish anything. Some people fall into the trap of doing many things with mediocre results without doing anything exceptionally well.

Thomas Edison had 1093 inventions patented. When asked what was the key to his success and unusually high productivity, he said that he worked on only one project at a time and stayed on that project all day. He didn’t move from project to project. He stayed focused.

When you find that you are having trouble staying focused, make a list of all your distractions. Evaluate each item one at a time and decide if it is something that really needs your attention. Then, if it must be acted on, decide if you must act or someone else can deal with it. You will find that many distractions can be eliminated, allowing you to focus on your primary desires.

Have you ever played Pin The Tail On The Donkey? In this game a blindfolded child attempts to place a tail on a picture of a donkey hanging on the wall. When the children have the blindfolds on, the tails can end up all over the room on windows, doors, lamps etc. If the child can see, however, the tail goes right where it belongs, on the end of the donkey.

It stands to reason, if you can focus on your target, you can hit it. Likewise if you can’t see what you desire, or if your attention and focus is on something else, you will not be able to achieve what you originally set out after.

When a major league baseball player is in a batting slump, people say: “He isn’t seeing the ball real well.” Sure, a batter’s stance and technique are important, but if he doesn’t keep his eye on the ball, he’ll never hit it. Hitting a small ball coming toward him at over 90 mph requires the batter to have exceptional focus.

Your desires are just like that baseball moving at 90 mph. Don’t be distracted by someone selling cotton candy on the sidelines. Watch the ball. Focus on your goals and stay with your plan. You can and will achieve everything you desire. Now, you are on the road to Building a Better Biz!

The fourteen year-old girl stood tall and proud.  She had been in this situation before and knew just what she needed to do.  The referee handed her the soccer ball.  She picked out the perfect piece of grass.  The height was just right, and she placed the ball there.  Confidently, she rotated the ball a few times until it sat just right.

As she stood up, she started stepping backwards.  She took three steps and paused.  The referee looked at the goalkeeper, then back at the field player, and blew his whistle.  The girl looked down, never making eye contact with the goalkeeper.  Then, she stepped forward and struck the ball.  It sailed forward and into the upper left hand corner of the net.

Over a period of two days the competing teams had played five soccer games.  This was at the end of their third game of the day.  It was the championship game, and it had ended in a tie.  Two overtime periods had not determined a winner, so the two teams sent five girls out to take penalty kicks.  Finally, on this shot a champion was crowned.

An entire weekend of soccer, over five hours of playing time, and the winner was determined with this one shot.  One small event dictated the final outcome for these two teams.

In business it is the same way.  Many times one small event can determine your success.  To build and maintain a successful business we must be accountable not only for the big events but also the smaller ones.  I believe that you should manage all of the small events in your business.  I call this, “Managing the Process.”

Some people live life and just let things happen.  They figure this was meant to be, or that happened because it was supposed to.  There are some unexplainable events in our life, but I believe that you can put yourself in a position to succeed, just like some people put themselves in a position to fail.

You must take responsibility in your business and in your life to manage the process, and make sure that everything possible is working for you.  Let’s look at four areas that you can manage the process, isolate small processes you can improve on, and achieve better results.

1. Manage Your Marketing Efforts

Do you hope people will just call you or come to you?  Many businesses simply open their doors and expect people to show up.  Managing your marketing efforts means analyzing your clients, knowing how they like to be contacted, setting up a consistent program to get your marketing message out, creating a budget, and implementing your marketing program.

Through the process you should be looking for one or two small areas of detail where you can create a competitive advantage.  Maybe you are great at attracting new clients.  Maybe you really know how to increase your client’s value over time.  Maybe you are strong at getting add-on business.  Look for your strength, bring in experts to help where necessary, and manage your marketing efforts to maximize your success.

2. Manage Your Sales Process

I teach a nine step sales process.  Through this process you can guide a client from the first contact, into a lifelong relationship of repeat business.  Are you just selling the best that you can, or do you have a system?  Anyone can get lucky some of the time, but your leads cost money.  If you are not closing an appropriate percentage, then you will be wasting valuable marketing dollars.

Network with others in your field and learn what their closing numbers are.  The most important numbers will vary by industry, but at the minimum you will want to know your closing percentage, the percentage of leads you get to look at your products, and your average sale or average margin per sale.

Implement a system and monitor your numbers.  Manage the process by constantly working to improve your numbers and watch your bottom line grow!

3. Manage Your Customer Service

Customers are not happy doing business with you just because you exist.  They like doing business with you or your company because of the way you treat them.  The experience that they have when they deal with you or someone on your team determines the feeling that they have toward your organization, and the likelihood that they will use your services in the future, and whether or not they will refer you to friends and associates.

You must make a conscious effort to manage your customer service experience.  Think about how you like to be treated.  Do you make it easy or hard on your customers?  Do your policies make sense to them?  Does each step of your sales process add value for the customer?  If there is a problem, is there a simple and friendly way for your customer to get their needs serviced?

Working to have positive answers to these questions will put you on the right path.  Create a customer friendly environment, and your customers will return.  They will also bring their friends along!

4. Manage Your Relationships

Relationships are the basis for all successful businesses.  We all know it, but does everyone work hard enough at it?

There are two groups of people that you should look at when thinking about building relationships.

First, look to those people who you have already established a relationship with.  What are you doing to foster and grow that relationship?  Are you taking it for granted?

A relationship remains strong through a continued effort on your part.  Don’t sit still and think that your competitors aren’t trying to build relationships with your customers to lure them away from you.

Second, who are those people that you would like to build relationships with?  Take the time to isolate twelve to twenty-four people.  Then, start a campaign to get yourself in front of them on a regular basis.  Maybe mail them an interesting article, invite them to lunch, or provide a value added service for them.

Time is a critical factor in building relationships.  Start the clock today and build those new relationships so that you have growth opportunities as you move forward.

Being accountable in your business means managing the process with your marketing, sales, customer service, and professional relationships.  Managing the process will greatly enhance your successes and put you on the road to Building a Better Biz! 

So often business professionals are eager to learn about prospecting, marketing, closing sales, strategic planning and other important business issues.  Recently I came across a problem of a different nature.

Last week we had a bad storm.  It thundered.  There was lightning.  And, the winds were unbelievably strong.  Trees went down everywhere including several in my yard.  As you can imagine the electricity went out with the storm.

We maintain battery backup units for all seven of our computers.  If the light blinks or goes off, we never lose any information because the battery back up kicks in.  If you don’t have a battery back up you should think seriously about investing in one.  They are readily available for anywhere from $59 to $199 depending on the length of time you want the battery to last.  This is backup number one!

Usually when the electricity goes off and the backup kicks in we shut down all the computers so that everything is closed properly and no data is lost.  Unfortunately no one was in the office and eventually the battery backups ran out of power.  Our server, which houses the main company database, shut down and in doing so the files were damaged.

This is where backup number two comes in.  Each day we back up our database and our accounting files.  Not only do we back them up we store them off site on another computer.  We simply upload them to a site that stores them, and in the event of disaster we can simply download them back onto our computer or any computer anywhere in the world, and we’re back in business.

What would it be worth to you to have all your files back after you thought you lost everything?  We’ll you’re not going to believe this, but we only pay $9.95 a year for this service.

Once our electricity came back up, we saw that we had corrupted files, and downloaded the backup files. We were back in business!

You work hard for your success.  Be sure and maintain your accountability for the entire picture.  It’s great to focus on the skills and strategic planning that will enable you to grow your business.  Take the time to also look at what needs to be done behind the scenes to protect your success and make sure you have proper backup  – you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz!

It is very common to think that nothing good can come from a down business market.  However, I believe that there are many opportunities that present themselves in a down market that a savvy business professional can take advantage of.  We must always remember that we are accountable to find out what works, even in the worst of times.  Here are just a few of the opportunities that are available to you.

Are all of your products or services contributing to your bottom line?  Many times companies continue to manufacture or stock products that contribute marginally to the overall profit picture.  This is a great time to loose that excess burden.  Your customers will understand trimming a product because, “this is a down business market.”  Now you are positioned to increase profitability and add new, exciting and hopefully more profitable products.

Now is the time to get aggressive and pick up a new account.  Maybe your competition is cutting back so much that their service is subpar.  Maybe you have a better offer to put on the table.  Whatever the reason is, go after that account you’ve always wanted and bring them in.  Remember they are looking to make moves that will help their bottom line as well.

This is a great opportunity to look at your team.  Is everyone producing at an efficient rate?  Are you getting the results you want?  In a down market everyone in your organization must perform at a high level.  Take this opportunity to evaluate and make changes where necessary.

Are you and your team being as creative as possible?  This is a great time to look at your creativity and improve where you can.  What additional services can you provide your clients?  Can you extend the buying experience so they actually want to do business with you not feel like they have to do business with you?  I have added additional value for my clients by offering custom recorded audio messages for their team after I speak at one of their events.  We focus on helping with the implementation of ideas over time.  This differentiates us and helps us secure and retain clients.

When was the last time you looked at your internal systems?  What is your customer support system like, or your sales system, or maybe your inventory control and ordering system?  Your business is made up of many systems that you and your team members use every day.  Take the time to evaluate the effectiveness.  Do they add to the experience your clients have with your company or obscure the way?  Are they efficient and streamlined or old and outdated?  You will find ways to save a lot of money and create a more up to date organization by taking the time to evaluate and update all of your systems.

In a down market it is critical that your value equation be top notch.  Your value equation is based on the product and services your offer, how you offer them and what the client must give in return.  What they give is measured both financially and in the effort it takes to do business with you.  Even in a down market people don’t look to buy just for a low price.  They look at the total value they receive.  When I get an oil change for my car the dealer always washes my car.  I could pay less for the oil change but then I’d also have to pay for the car wash.  How can you add value?  This can be a huge opportunity for your organization.

The bottom line here is that you get to choose what you focus on.  You can focus on the down business market or focus on the opportunities that it presents.  Accountability counts.  Focus on the opportunities and be accountable to grow your business.

It is chaos out there.  The stock market is like a yoyo, banks are struggling and small businesses are feeling the affects.  Companies are closing left and right.  Unless you are the largest insurance company in the United States and Congress decides to give you eighty-one billion dollars as a bailout you are going to have to be accountable for your own business success.

Economic trends are just that, trends.  Good economies move down and down economic trends move up.  The big question is always, when?  A down economy is like a magnifying lens.  It takes any small imperfection in your business and turns it into a major issue.  The companies that are run right in good times are usually best positioned to succeed in bad times. 

As you lead your business in a down economy, consider these five critical accountability tactics.

Be accountable to cut costs

One of the keys to business success in a down economy is to “get your ship right.”  In other words it is critical to get your costs under control.  You must know the difference between fixed and variable costs.  Lower your fixed costs as low as you can and still offer the service and support you need to offer your clients.  By lowering your fixed costs it will be easier each month to “cover your nut” and keep your doors open.

It is also good to lower your variable expenses.  This will enable you to create additional profits or be more competitive on new business.  Go to your suppliers and see what types of concessions you can get from them.  Ask for lower prices or better terms.  Maybe you can get an additional discount for cash.  Maybe you can get price concessions by combining your purchases with one supplier.  Ask for the moon.  You just never know what someone will say agree to.

Be accountable to get new business

Your competitors may not be as savvy as you are.  Use your lower overhead and lower variable costs to offer better pricing to those customers you’ve always wanted to acquire.  Go after your competitors best customers and be aggressive.  These potential clients are hurting too and may be responsive to your aggressive offers.  This is a great time to pick up clients who may not be getting the best service from their current supplier.  Be sure and do your due diligence if you are expected to issue credit to these accounts.  Some times companies just change suppliers because they have used up their line of credit at their current source.

Be accountable to conserve cash

Cash is king in a down economy.  Don’t spend money for anything you don’t have to.  Put off all expansion risks.  The goal here is to survive and position your company to flourish when the economy does turn around.  If you are in a very good financial position and a great opportunity presents itself then consider it, but always keep your risk at a minimum in a down economy.

Be accountable to secure financing

Many times business owners look for additional financing when they need the money.  The problem is that when you need the money many times it is too late to acquire the financing.  Set up a line of credit and keep it active.  I use a line of credit in my business to help with cash flow.  I may go months without tapping into it but I always keep the account active.  When you need money you want to have access to it.

Be accountable to maintain key relationships

Maintaining a great relationship with your banker in good times will help when the tough times are here.  Having great relationships with your clients will help keep them loyal when you really need them.  Paying your bills promptly and nurturing  your relationships with your suppliers may put you in a more competitive position either with pricing or service.  When I owned a window company there was a glass shortage.  It is hard to make a window without glass.  We always discounted our bills and had close personal relationships  with our suppliers and when glass was hard to get we always had just enough to meet our needs.

Economic issues will affect your business.  You cannot control what happens in our economy but you can be accountable for your choices and how you prepare and handle economic downturns.  Proactive accountability always is more effective then reactive accountability.  Keep your business viable and position it for success in a down economy.  Accountability counts!

Last weekend I took my wife and two of my children to see the show South Pacific.  It was a wonderful experience for my younger daughters.  They enjoyed the beautiful costumes and stage setting.

One of the songs had a stanza that caught my attention.  It went like this:

You have to have a goal,
Because if you don’t have a goal,
How is your goal going to come true?

Wow, very profound.  When I coach clients one of the things we talk about is their personal and professional goals.  I find that most people’s goals are vague and ambiguous.  Individuals may think they have goals, but what they really have are wishes and wants.  There is a big difference between well thought out goals and a thrown together wish list.

You should have specific goals in both your personal and professional life.  These goals should drive your thoughts and your actions.  What you think about you become.  What you do today leads you to your results tomorrow.  Goals don’t just happen.  We must take accountability and be responsible for both setting and managing our goals.

Think about these five things when you put your goals together:

1.  Define Your Values

Before you can look at your goals, it is critical to understand your values.  Your values are like the foundation of your home.  If you build a house on a solid foundation it can stand for decades, if not centuries.  If you understand your values and your goals are true to those values, then you have a greater chance of achieving them.

If your goals do not align themselves with your values, then the lack of truth that they initiate will keep you from achieving them.  That would be a terrible waste of time.

If you value strong customer relationships, then a goal to increase sales will naturally sit solidly on top of that foundation.  If your base is in sand then your house will sink.

2.  State Your Goals

So what are your goals?  State them out loud.  Think about all of the different aspects of your business, and then go back and do the same thing for your personal life.

Many times people achieve their goals only to find out that they really don’t have what they desire.  They err in choosing the wrong item to measure or maximize.  It is not only important to set goals but to set goals that are measurable and relate to what you really want to achieve.

I often work with people who say they want to double sales.  Doubling sales is fine, but what about the bottom-line?  If you only look at sales, you may be overlooking other elements of your business that lead to losses.  I can drive the sales of any company through the roof, but if you are not able to maintain profits, then what good is it?

In business we all look at sales, but I want you to also look at net profit.  Look at setting goals around client retention, new clients, closing ratio, customer satisfaction index, employee satisfaction index, inventory turnover, new product development, and other critical core business functions that impact your business.

Be very specific with your goals.  It’s not enough to say, “I want to retire early.”  What is early?  What age?  How much passive income will you need?  Where will you live?  What will you do with your time?  What will it look and feel like?

When you are very specific with your goals you create a clear target.  Clearly defined targets are much easier to hit!

Dig deep and find the core elements of your business that really drive both sales and the bottom line.  Then, set goals around these elements.

3.  Write Your Goals Down

A goal that isn’t written on paper is a wish.  It’s tough to make it come true.  If you really want to achieve your goals, it is important that you put all of them in writing.

All of my children have journals.  Each year on their birthday we go out to breakfast.  Together we look at the goals that they had set the prior year and evaluate the progress that they’ve made.  Then I challenge them to create goals for the upcoming year.

One day I noticed that my oldest daughter, Sara, was looking all over the house for something.  I asked what it was she was missing.  Sara told me that she was missing a key to her diary.

Later that day I saw Sara curled up in her favorite chair writing in her diary.  I asked Sara how she found the key so quickly.  Sara told me, “I wrote in my journal that I wanted to find my key.  If I write something in my journal it always comes true!”

I was amazed!  Sara learned very early on that goals should be written.  When you write your goals down, you are committing yourself to them.  They become real, and you feel responsible for their completion.

4.  Give Yourself Time Guidelines

When you set your goals look at the calendar.  Give yourself some time guidelines.  I call them guidelines because it is difficult to know exactly how long it will take to achieve some of your goals.

Looking at dates will help you clear your thinking.  You will gain a sense of urgency, and you will begin looking for ways to achieve your goals.  Having a deadline or a time goal can help motivate you to take action and move you forward.

But, a timeline isn’t the bottom line determination of your success.  I don’t want time to determine if you succeed or fail.  I don’t believe you have failed unless you quit.  Success sometimes just takes a little more time.

5.  Access Your Progress

As you pursue your goals, be sure and take time to access your progress.  Are you moving forward?  Is something holding you back?  Is there additional education that you need in order to achieve your goals?

By assessing your progress you can see if you are moving forward appropriately, or decide if you need to make course adjustments.

Some days it will seem that you are moving full speed ahead.  Other days you will feel like every step you take forward, you take two steps back.

I once had lunch with a successful business man.  I asked him what was the key to his success.  He said, “I do the right things consistently.”  He had analyzed his business and figured out what he needed to do on a regular basis in order to be the best he could.

If you are doing the “right things” consistently, monitoring your progress, and making course corrections when necessary, then you will move towards the completion of your goals.

Goal setting is critical for building your business and your life.  Spend the time to fully understand and define your values.  Then, set out to write down a well-defined set of goals.  You are now being accountable for your goals and you’re on the way to Building a Better Biz!

Get a piece of string that is approximately six inches long.  Sit down at a table and lay the string out in a straight line starting at the edge of the table in front of you and running towards the opposite side of the table.

Grab the closest end of the piece of string between your thumb and first finger and push it across the table making sure to maintain the straight line.  Can you do it?  I can’t.

Put the string back in a straight line.  Go around to the other side of the table.  Grab the closest end of the string between your thumb and your first finger and pull it across the table.  Can you keep it in a straight line?

Just like you need to pull a piece of string to keep the line straight, you need to pull customers in the right direction to close the sale.  When you make statements you are pushing customers.  When you ask questions you are pulling them.  It is difficult to push a customer to a sale.  It is easier, and better long term, to pull them to the sale.

Great sales professionals develop great sales questions.  Your questions will deal with three time periods; the past, the present, and the future.

Questions about the past allow you to uncover valuable information.  You get to find out what has worked, what hasn’t, what someone likes, and what someone doesn’t like.  Questions about the past will give you clues about what to avoid and what to look for as a possible direction to guide your prospect.  They say the past predicts the future, and many times this is true.

Possible questions about the past that you could ask are:

What product/service have you used in the past?
What did you like about that product?
What did you not like about that product?
What did you like about the vendor?
What did you dislike about the vendor?
How did this product help your company prosper?
Have you encountered any problems because of past products you’ve used?
What has prompted you to change suppliers in the past?

Questions about the present will disclose a prospect’s most immediate needs and pains.  These questions will give you information about the situation that you need to solve in order to make the sale.  Where the past will show trends and events that will influence a buyer, the present is where the problem must be discovered and solved.

Possible questions about the present that you could ask are:

What is your most pressing issue?
What is the best thing about your current supplier?
What is your biggest challenge you face with your supplier?
Does your supplier bring added value to your company?
What would prompt you to consider a change at this time?

Questions about the future deal with the dreams and aspirations of your prospect.  You will discover the client’s goals and uncover the direction that they want to move forward to.  Future oriented questions bring emotion into play.  They allow the prospect to think big and create the ultimate opportunity for themselves or their business.

Possible questions about the future that you could ask are:

If this were a perfect world, what additional value would your supplier bring to you, or to your company?
Where do you see your company in five years, and how could a vendor help you get there?
If you had the perfect product what would it look like?
How can I help you reach your goals?
If we were doing business, and in one year we met to review the year together, what would have to have happened for you to feel good about that year?

By asking more questions you will be able to lead the person sitting across the table to the destination you desire.  Maybe you are closing the sale for a big order.  Maybe you are closing the sale of having another meeting.  Maybe you are closing on an initiative that you want your colleagues to buy in on.  Life is full of selling opportunities.

Develop an inventory of great questions.  The more you use them the more you will become comfortable with them.  Use perception to see what your customer is experiencing, and then ask questions designed to help solve their problems.  Remember, it is never about your product or service.  It is always about the benefits owning your product or service brings your client.  Use your questions to get the information you need to help your client own your product or service.

Asking better questions, and asking the right questions will lead you to success and help you Build a Better Biz! 

I took my family out to dinner last night.  It was my oldest daughter’s birthday, and my wife and I wanted to take her someplace special.  We went to Tony’s.  Tony’s is the only five star restaurant in St. Louis, and they work hard to earn that designation.

Upon arrival the valet takes your car and you enter the restaurant.  The maitre’ d asks your name and checks you in.  He had previously noted in his records that we were celebrating Sara’s birthday and immediately wished her a happy birthday.  Boy was Sara surprised!

We were seated at a round table in the corner, and then the headwaiter and his team of three came over to introduce themselves. They would be working together to serve us that evening.

The table was set with square frosted plates.  We would never eat off of them.  Our water glasses were filled, and bread was placed on the table.  We were offered drinks, and then the wine steward arrived with the wine menu.

Having three people to fill water glasses, pour wine, make sure we had sufficient bread, and answer any questions we had about the items on the menu was a sight to behold.

After we ordered, the square frosted plates were removed and our silverware was “modified.”  If you ordered salad then the proper fork was placed in front of you.  When you were finished the appetizers and salad, the table was cleaned of any crumbs and again the silverware was changed.  If you ordered fish, then you were given a special fork and knife.

The main course was prepared in the kitchen but finished tableside.  My dover sole was filleted as I watched, and to make sure that the server didn’t miss any bones he lit a candle and placed it next to the plate before he began his delicate procedure.  There were five people “finishing off” the entrees for the six of us.

After dinner the table was again cleaned of any crumbs.  Our water glasses were removed and replaced with new fresh ones.  We ordered dessert and coffee.  Before the deserts arrived, one server placed a plate on the table with several small sweets to enjoy with our coffee.

As we walked outside after dinner it was raining.  One gentleman pulled up the car and two others held umbrellas to keep us dry as we entered the car.  What an evening!

I’m not going to tell you what our bill was, but I will tell you that you would be hard pressed to go to Tony’s and get out for less then $125 per person.

How does Tony’s stay so busy?  How are they able to charge the prices they do?  What keeps people coming back?

It is very simple.  It is not about the delicious food.  It is not about the fantastic wine.  The location really isn’t that good.  Ultimately, it is the experience that people are paying for.

It is an unbelievable dining experience when so many proficient people wait on you.  The food was delicious, and the service was fantastic.  But, it goes beyond the service.  The experience we enjoyed will be remembered long after we’ve burned off the calories from dinner.

Good service is the price of admission if you are going to stay in business.  However, when you can deliver a unique experience to your clients, then you have the opportunity of charging more and keeping customers coming back.

Products are commodities.  So many companies just perform at the industry norm.  You need to stand out.  People are willing to pay more for a unique and rewarding experience.

When you go to Disney World you aren’t paying for the rides.  You are paying for the experience.  You pay hundreds of dollars a day to see the look on your children when they see Mickey Mouse for the first time.

I’ve been fortunate to dine at Le Jules Vern restaurant on the Eiffel Tower.  Yes the food was good, but you can get good food at many restaurants in Paris.  The experience of dining on the Eiffel Tower and being able to look out over the city of Paris is unforgettable!  It’s worth the price of admission to experience that just once.  I don’t remember what I ate that day, but I remember the experience, and I would be willing to pay to experience it again.

What is the experience that you offer your clients?  Is doing business with you the same as doing business with your competitor?  Do your clients talk about you with their friends and send you an endless stream of referral business?

Here are three critical business functions you should analyze in order to evaluate the quality of experience your customers are having:

1. Evaluate Your Sales Process

Look at every step in your sales process.  What is your client experiencing?  Do all steps add value for your client?

No one likes busy work or to be made to jump through hoops.  Every form you use should be evaluated.  Each method of contacting a client should be looked at.  Are you valuing their time?  Does each step of your sales process move you closer to a decision?

How are you helping educate your clients?  Are you making it easy or difficult for your clients to buy?

Nordstrom’s keeps records of all your purchases.  If you are in a hotel in San Francisco and you need a shirt, they know your size and the colors you like.  You can call them, and they will deliver a shirt to your hotel in your size and in your favorite color.  This system makes the buying process very easy for the customer!

2. Evaluate How Your Client Receives Your Goods or Services

After the purchase is made, what does your client experience?

My uncle is an incredible car salesperson.  He has sold over 20,000 automobiles in his career.  When he delivered a car his customer received the red carpet treatment.  Whether he sold Chevrolets or Jaguars, his customers were made to feel like royalty.

He always offered a beverage upon arrival at the dealership.  Then, he went through the entire automobile and showed how all the systems worked.  Next, he would introduce the customer to the Service Manager.  Not only did the customer feel important, but my uncle was almost guaranteeing that any future service on that vehicle would be performed at the dealership.

I purchased some clothes the other day.  The pants were placed on nice wooden hangers and put into a zippered garment bag.  The sales person gave me her card and told me to call her with any questions or concerns.  That is a first class delivery experience.

It is not enough to have a great sales experience.  You must deliver your product or service in unique and interesting ways.

3. Evaluate What Your Customer Experiences After the Sale is Completed.

The sale is made, and the product or service has been delivered.  Now what experience does your customer have?  Do you stay in touch?  How do you accomplish this?  Maybe you send out birthday cards.  Maybe you call from time to time.  Is your correspondence unique or the same as everyone else’s?

My uncle would call his customers four months before the automobile lease expired, because he knew that they would be starting the shopping process.

If your client refers someone, what do you do to say “thank you.”

There are thousands of people out there who are trying to be successful.  They work hard, just like you do.  They study their products and services, just like you do.  They have nice offices, just like you do.  They offer good quality, just like you do.  The true real way to differentiate yourself and the only real value a customer wants to pay for is the experience they have.

Take the accountability to create an experience your customer and clients will brag about.  Manage your customer’s experience.  Make it fun, exciting, and memorable, and you will be on your way to Building a Better Biz.

In 2003 Martina Navratilova was 46 years old.  That is considered ancient in the world of professional sports.  Heck, that is considered ancient in some cultures.

On the professional tennis circuit, Martina was considered nothing less then amazing.  That year Martina has won Grand Slam mixed doubles titles at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon.  When great tennis players are retiring in their earlier thirties, how and why was Martina able to go on?

In the late seventies and all through the eighties, Martina and Chris Evert slugged it out, jockeying back and forth for the title of greatest female professional tennis player.  Evert finished the year ranked first six times, Navratilova seven.  Each won 18 Grand Slam singles titles.  Evert, at the age of 44, retired in 1989.

Evert built her game with impeccable ground shots.  Playing against her was like hitting a ball off the side of your house, it was always going to come back.

Martina on the other hand, forever changed the way women played tennis.  Her personal attributes served her well on the tennis court and they can serve you well in the world of business.

Here are a few of Martina’s success secrets:

Redefined Greatness

Martina redefined what women’s tennis is all about.  Instead of spending all day every day on the court practicing, Martina created an entirely different training schedule.

Of course she spent hours on the tennis court, but she hired a trainer and worked out extensively in the weight room.  She ran.  Martina even played basketball.

Next Martina hired a nutritionist.  It wasn’t enough to just train better, she also wanted to eat better.

Martina became a strong athlete, and left her competition behind.  She hit the ball harder, ran faster, and had quicker hands.  Late in a match when her opponent was tiring, she was still strong and winning points.

By redefining what it meant to be a success in tennis, the world was forced to play by her rules.  She had a higher standard, and she dominated.  Martina took accountability to define her own set of physical fitness standards and then lived to those higher standards.

Who takes the accountability to define what the rules of success are in your business?  Is it your competition or is it you?  If you’re playing by everyone else’s rules, you can only be as good as they are.  If you are accountable to write new rules and play to a higher standard, then you have a head start and a distinct competitive advantage.

Persistence

When Martina started in professional tennis she showed glimpses of greatness, but she lost far more times then she won.  There were issues holding her back.  She was unpolished as a player and somewhat emotional.

Martina believed in herself and was willing to stick with it.  She worked hard on her game and her mindset.  She started winning and became well recognized as a professional tennis player.

Martina was born in Prague which is in the Czech Republic.  Early on she realized that she would not have the opportunities for success there as she would outside of the Iron Curtain.

As an American she flourished.  She was able to create her incredible training program and blossom.

It wasn’t easy at first but Martina was persistent.  She stuck with it.  When she fails Martina didn’t make excuses.  She retained her personal accountability.  She was willing to do what she had to do to until she got to do what she wanted to do.  How willing are you?

Do you stick with projects?  Are you willing to do anything to reach your goals?  Can you work past short-term failures to get to long-term successes?

That’s what persistence is all about, and all of the great business professionals I know have it.  Do you?

Commitment To Winning

Martina was good enough to play professional tennis, but that wasn’t good enough for her.  She wanted to win.  It wasn’t just about playing the sport.  If this was an event worthy of her time, then this was an event worthy of winning.

Persistence isn’t enough.  I‘ve seen plenty of persistently average people.  They plow along at the same pace year after year.  They are dependable.  You can count on them being there.  But, they are never in the winner’s circle.

A commitment to winning is what separates the champions from the field.  It’s what keeps the great professionals driving year after year.

Martina practically owns every record in professional tennis.  Why does she still compete?  First, she says it’s her commitment to winning.  She was trained to win.  If you said, “Let’s go to the mailbox,” I bet she would want to race!

By winning the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon in 2003, Martina tied the record of 20 titles at Wimbledon held by Billie Jean King.  Do you think Martina wanted to come back to England next year and break that record?

Count on it!

Are you committed to the game or to winning?  Are you accountable for your results?  Will you do whatever you must to not just compete but to win?  It’s an attitude, a mind set that all the great business professionals I know have.  They play to win and win at what they do.  You don’t have to be mean or cruel or play dirty to win.  What you have to be is committed.

By redefining greatness for yourself, being persistent, and being committed to success you will be on the way to Building a Better Biz!

What do Apple, Inc., Nordstrom and Whole Foods all have in common?  All three companies are accountable for their actions, choices and results.  Accountability for these three organizations is a cornerstone of their operations.  They realize that you must be accountable first and then business will follow.

Apple, Inc. recently rolled out their new 3G iPhone and their MobileMe website.  Customers immediately reported problems with the web service.  While Apple moved quickly to solve the problems, they also stepped up and gave everyone an additional 30 days service for free.  And if that wasn’t enough to show how accountable they are, when the problems persisted they threw in an additional 60 days free service.  Only 2% of Apple’s customers were affected but Apple moved quickly to show that they are accountable for their products and accountable to their clients.  Maybe this display of accountability is one of the reasons that Apple, Inc. has the highest consumer satisfaction rating of all time in their industry.

Nordstom has a long history of accountability to their customers.  From the legendary story of a Nordstrom representative taking back a set of tires from a disgruntled customer (Nordstrom doesn’t even sell tires) to their policy of having associates come out from behind the counter to hand you your purchase, make eye contact and thank you by name, Nordstrom continues to live a philosophy of accountability and of service.

Whole Foods takes a totally different approach to being accountable, and their accountability touches our lives in many ways.  Whole Foods continuously shows that they are accountable to the world in which we live.  They no longer use plastic bags which piled high in our landfills, and they buy a significant amount of power from wind mill farms.  And, that doesn’t even count the organic criterion they adhere to with their food, ensuring more purely natural products.

Each of these three companies has recognized the value of accountability and taken conscious steps in order to attain it.

There are four phases to accountability:

The accountability we hold ourselves to ourselves.
The accountability we hold ourselves to others.
The accountability we hold others to ourselves.
The accountability we help others hold to themselves.

As these companies have demonstrated, by being accountable in our lives and our businesses we build the foundation for success and achievement.  Whether you are trying to be a great leader or a great team member, accountability is the key.  People look up to others who live by example and show they are accountable for their actions, choices and results.  These are the people and organizations that make great things happen.

The temperature spiked almost 15 degrees this past week.  My two youngest daughters are avid soccer players.  They train three times a week while preparing for their upcoming fall season.  Before leaving for practice, I changed their water bottles to insulated coolers that were twice the size.  The girls voiced their disdain of the large heavy coolers, but I pressed on.  After practice I checked their coolers, and they were both practically empty.

When the heat goes up, you need more water.  As the environment changes, we must change or adapt in order to remain healthy and survive.  Business is the same way.  Your business is facing changes that you must adapt to in order to survive and flourish.

Lets look at four of the major changes you may be facing.

1. The Economy

We are all affected by economic climate changes.  As the economy slows down, there are fewer dollars chasing products and services.  Additionally, people read the newspaper and panic when they see negative headlines.  All of this can mean less business for you.  What do you do to deal with this situation?

Cost containment is always smart business.  Watching where your money goes is important in a good economy, but it is imperative in a weaker economy.  Evaluate all purchasing decisions.  Are they necessary or luxury expenditures?

All to often I see business people cut out advertising, education and training, or marketing expenses.  These are the lifeblood of your business.  Before you eliminate something, be sure that you fully understand the consequences.   Short-term savings and long-term losses are not the goal here.

When other companies are cutting back, some successful organizations actually increase their advertising efforts in order to get a larger market share.  Adapt your spending to manage changes in the economy, but make sure you are not undermining your long-term business plans.

When the economy is expanding, you may need to adapt your spending in order to take advantage of broader opportunities.  It is important to grow your business when markets are strong so that you are in a position to weather the weaker economic conditions.

2. The Competition

If your competitors are aggressive, they will constantly be trying to improve their position in the market.  They will change their product and service offerings, the packaging or bundling of products and services, pricing, and even their branding efforts.

Everything your competition does can have an impact on your business.  I don’t believe in running scared or just reacting to the competition, but it is important to be aware of what they are doing, and strategically think about how it may affect your market positioning and business plans.

Are there product and service bundles that are creating competitive advantages for others?  How does your warranty compare to what your competitor is offering?  Is your competition changing the way that they price their products and services?  All of these factors can and will affect your business.

Monitor the changes that your competition is making, then decide if you need to react and what the most effective adaptations would be.

3. Your Clients

It’s hard to believe, but your clients also change.  Their needs can change as individuals.  As a group, customers can become more educated and require different sales information or, need to be handled differently.

Stay up-to-date with your clients.  Know their needs and anticipate future changes in those needs.  In some industries clients have predictable life cycles.  In the life insurance industry, for example, the needs of a single person are predictably different from a newly married couple.  The needs of a middle aged couple with children out on their own are predictable as compared with others in that same age group and economic situation.

If you are in real estate, you may be able to anticipate the need for an elderly couple to move from a high maintenance home into an easy-to-care-for condominium.  By anticipating that need and contacting your client with a suggested solution you would have the chance to make the sale.

Don’t wait for your clients to come to you with changes, or worse yet, go to your competitor because they better anticipate the client’s needs.  Communicate with and plan ahead on your client’s behalf, so you can adapt as they do.

4. The Market Place

You may have to deal with changes that a single competitor makes, or you may have to deal with entire market shifts.

When I started out in the window and door manufacturing business, the standard industry insulated glass warranty was five years.  The industry standard went to ten years, and a few years later moved to a lifetime warranty.  These were changes taking place across the entire market and we had to adapt.

Your market may shift because of the internal influences of your competitors, or because of external forces such as new technology being readily available to everyone.  Certainly, the internet has impacted most industries today.  You must adapt to changes like this.

Market shifts may mean that you need to think about offering new products and services.  You may be forced to adapt your business in such a way that it looks totally different next year then it looked last year.  Someone in the horse and buggy business would have had to adapt to the advent of the proliferation of the automobile, or they would have been put out of business in a very short time.

Sometimes, people are afraid to change.  They hold onto old successes and old habits.  When the forces that are external to your business change, your survival and success may very well be tied to your ability to adapt.

For centuries, human beings have adapted to changes in climate, science, technology, and medicine.  Be accountable for your proactive thoughts, actions and results.  Keep your business growing and prospering by adapting when necessary, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz!

I just returned from the annual convention of the National Speakers Association.  This is always a special time for me.  I get to meet with my friends and peers and discuss trends and issues that we all face.  This year is very special because I return as the President of the National Speakers Association.

Walking in the halls you never know whom you’ll run into.  Maybe you’ll sit next to Zig Ziglar at breakfast, chat with Mark Victor Hanson of Chicken Soup For The Soul fame, or be in a break out session with Bob Danzig the former publisher of the Hurst Newspapers.

Everyone comes together to share, learn, and grow.  There is time for fellowship and education.  In the end we go back home to our families and businesses rejuvenated in mind and spirit.

Each year after my convention I come home and review my business plan.  I look for holes.  I also look for ways to incorporate ideas I’ve learned, so I can expand my business.  When I look back at the people that I have met and the ideas that they have shared with me, I can add up tens of thousands of dollars that I have earned as a result.

Vicarious learning is the least expensive and fastest way to learn anything.  Learning from others is what accelerated achievers do best. Japanese companies use ideas they learn from companies in other countries to greatly shorten their learning curve.  You can too.

Many times business professionals make business plans that include growth projections but don’t take the time to calculate the added knowledge they will need to meet these new goals.  Ultimately we are each accountable to gain the mental as well as the financial resources necessary to achieve what we desire.

Goals are great, but expertise and continuing education will help you build your business.

Are you accountable for your continuing education?  What steps are you taking to further your career?  Do you have a continuing education program?  Do you budget money each year to further your education, expose yourself to new ideas, and add to your networking circle?

Below are four steps you can take this year to grow your expertise and expand your network of professional peers:

1. Join Your Trade Association and Attend the Meetings

This is a must.  All industries have trade associations.  Some industries have more than one.  Join your trade association, but don’t stop there.  Go to the meetings and get involved.

Joining on a local level is good, but it’s imperative to also join nationally.  When you are an active member of a national association you will meet people from all over the country that have the same challenges, pains, and business issues as you.

Many of the people will share their successes with you, and you can share with them.  National meetings are great for networking within your industry and building relationships.  Once you build relationships you will have other people you can turn to when you are faced with challenges.

Surveys show that the two main reasons people attend meetings is for education and networking opportunities.  What is the value of one new idea?  What would it be worth to you to be able to turn to an expert in your field with questions and issues you’re facing?

I estimate that it costs about $1,200.00 to attend an annual meeting.  The cost of attending an association meeting varies.  You can get the exact data from your trade association.

2. Create A Mastermind Group

I’m big on Mastermind Groups.  My Mastermind has been meeting every month for the past nine years.  All of the members are people I met in my trade association.  We get together once a month and share our victories and our challenges.

We help each other market, deal with personnel problems, and build our businesses.  Over time we have become accountable to each other.  No one wants to show up at a meeting and not have completed what he/she has committed to the month before.

In our Mastermind Group we review each other’s financial statements and look for areas of concern.  We share our strategic thinking and planning.  If someone needs help writing copy for a sales letter or brochure we chip in.

I know of Mastermind Groups that have members from around the country.  Each month they meet on a conference call.  The call lasts about two hours.  During the conference call they deal with many of the same issues I deal with in my Mastermind Group.

Whether you are local or spread out all over the country, a Mastermind Group is the most powerful way of putting your business in the fast lane for growth and prosperity.

3. Take a Course at a Local College

Maybe there is one area of business that you need a little help with.  Some business people are not as strong with the financial areas of their business and might consider taking an accounting course.  Many people would make better sales professionals if they could be a more effective presenter.  A communications course would be great for them.  If you have employees, maybe there are some management issues you could bone up on.

When we’re done with school we think that it’s time to make it in the “real” world.  The reality is that school never ends.  We must continue to be educated and grow.

My father is 87 years old and he still takes a course at the community college on a regular basis.

Do you have a weakness?  Is there a course that would be of help for you?  What additional education would help you move your career or business successfully into the future?

4. Read Six Books In Your Area of Expertise Each Year

Expertise is developed over time.  Experience, knowledge, and competency all add to creating expertise, and increased expertise leads to superior results.

Ninety-five percent of all the people in the United States have not read another non-fiction book since their last day of formal education. Professionals who want to get to or remain at the top of their field must continue to read and study in their area of expertise.

What are you reading?  Do you spend time researching in your field?  If you want to build your business and your bank account, then you have to be build your expertise.

Networking and continuing education are essential for business professionals who want to excel.  If you’re looking to be average, then just do average things.  If you are looking to be at the top of your industry then don’t settle for average.

Be patient, consistently work at your knowledge base, and develop relationships.  Now you’re on the road to Building a Better Biz!

The Phone Call

It was 8:00 on a Monday morning and my phone was already ringing.  The call was from Bob, a distributor of mine in Kalamazoo.  Bob was frustrated.  He had just received a call from an upset customer.  Bob’s customer was tired of waiting for their replacement windows.  It had been seven weeks since the homeowner had placed the original order.

“I’ve been buying windows from you for the past two years,” Bob said.  “You guys make a great product.  It’s the best window on the market.  Our customers love those windows.”

I cringed as I continued listening.  There was a “but” coming, and I knew it.

Bob continued with, “But they don’t like waiting eight weeks to have them installed.  My customers get upset, and we’re not getting the referrals from them like we used to.  The delivery times are costing us business.”

I’ve heard this all too often, I thought to myself.  For the past two years we had constantly improved our products.  We attracted many new customers, but our production just hadn’t kept up with sales.  We were upsetting customers as fast as we were acquiring them!

Bob ended the conversation with a statement that I had hoped he wouldn’t use.  “Sam, get the delivery time down or you are going to force me to look for another supplier.”

 My frustration level had grown to the same high level as Bob’s.  We work too hard to get new accounts to just lose them, or our valued older accounts, because of poor production habits.  I called a meeting.

The Meeting

 The shiny new table that sits in my screened-in porch was jammed with people.  There wasn’t an empty seat in the house.  My two business partners were there along with the plant manager, the sales manager, three of our sales people, two line managers, the shipping clerk, and our newly hired director of operations.

 A small cooler was on the floor in the corner.  It was filled with refreshments, and there were some munchies on the table.  This was not going to be a short meeting, and I wanted everyone to be comfortable.

  I opened the meeting with a welcome.  Then, I recanted the phone conversation that I had the day before with Bob.  I ended my welcome and introduction by stating, “We have a challenge at hand, and if we are going to survive in this business, then we need to come up with a solution.”

  There was silence around the table.  One of my partners broke the silence by stating, “We have to have two week turn around times.  We must make our windows in two weeks!”  He was the partner in charge of production.  I was in charge of sales and marketing.

 “We’ve been hearing that for the past two years,” I stated.  “I’m not as concerned with the what, I want to know how.”

  I turned to Gary our sales manager and asked him, “What are you hearing from the other customers?  What do they want?”

  Gary said, “Well, our customers love the windows and doors.  The quality is great, and the tremendous variety of options helps them make the sale.  They just hate our delivery times.  And, it’s getting harder and harder to walk in the customer’s door.  They’re just so mad sometimes!  It doesn’t pay to go out and get new customers and sell more, because we only create more problems when we do that.”

 I did not like that last thought.  We’re not selling because we don’t want the headache of poor delivery, is what Gary was saying.  The three sales people also relayed the same message.

 The plant manager just sat there with his head down, and so did the two line managers.  Then my partner again reiterated, “We need a two week turn around time.”

 I’d had it with that comment.  Everyone in the room knew what we needed, but no one was willing to stand up and say how they thought we could get it done.  I turned to my partner and asked a series of questions.

 “When an order comes into the office how long does it take to enter it into the computer and check it?”

“One day,” he responded.“How long does it take to schedule and make the insulated glass for the windows?”

“That also takes one day,” he replied.

“What’s involved in production from that point?” I asked.

 “We have to schedule the windows, cut the parts, assemble the parts, and then wrap the completed unit,” he said.  He went on to say, “That whole process takes about a day and a half.”

 The shipping clerk piped up and stated, “I can stage and pack the trucks in less then a day.”

  I was writing everything down.  Then I added up the times.  “Four and a half days,” I stated.  Then I turned to my partner and asked, “You feel that we need two week turn around, right?”

“Right!” He stated.

 “So what you’re saying is that the orders should sit in the office for one week and then we should make the orders the next week?” I asked.

 He paused but then reluctantly said, “Yes.”

 So I asked, “Why do the orders need to sit for a week?  Why don’t we just get the orders in and make them in a week?”

  Then I turned to our new director of operations and asked, “What if we had a Friday cutoff for all orders.  Any orders received by 4:00 on Friday afternoon would be entered and checked on Monday, the glass would be made on Tuesday, window parts would be cut and assembled on Wednesday and Thursday, and the completed windows packed on the truck and shipped on Friday?”

He rubbed his chin, thought philosophically, and said, “We could do that.”

  My partner said, “Let’s get to two weeks first and then worry about one week.  Right now one week is impossible.”

 I asked the plant manager, “How long would it take to get this type of production system created and implemented?”

 “We’re getting to the slow season.  We could clean up our backlog and be ready to go in four weeks.”

 I said, “Do whatever you feel is necessary to get the job done.  If there is any way I can help just let me know.”

  Everyone sat up.  There was an energy level in the room that I hadn’t seen in a long time.  Questions were flying, and thoughts were being shared.  We had a goal.  We believed.  We had breathed new life into the company.

The Changes

The next day the director of operations went to the factory workers and shared with them the outcome of our meeting.  Then, he turned to them and said, “You’re the ones closet to the job.  Do whatever you need to do to get your production lines running as efficiently as possible.”

 The factory workers were excited.  They had always been told what to do.  No one had ever enlisted their input.  The workers were even given special incentives like company lunches, and getting off early on Friday if the goals were met.  They were on a mission.  I was beginning to really like the new director of operations.

The workers changed the layout of their production lines and suggested changes in some of the ways work was scheduled.  Over the next four weeks we cleaned up our backlog and made the suggested changes in the plant.

The big day came.  We closed our orders out on Friday and began our new system.  The next Friday our first truckload of windows went out.  They were on time and everyone in the plant was excited.

Another Phone Call

Six weeks after we had made the dramatic changes and had proven ourselves my phone rang.  It was a Monday at 8:00 AM.  Bob from Kalamazoo was on the line.

“Good morning Sam,” he said.  “I have a favor to ask of you.  Could you delay our shipment this week?

“What’s that?”  I asked.

He paused and then spoke, “Could you delay this weeks’ shipment?”

Concerned, I asked, “What’s wrong?  Is there a problem with our quality?  Did we make something incorrectly?

“No, No,” Bob replied.  “It’s just that you guys are shipping windows and doors to us so fast that we can’t keep up, and our warehouse is full to the rafters.  Our installers can’t get the windows installed as fast as you can ship them!”

 “Bob,” I stated, “It sounds like you have a production problem.  Maybe it’s related to your installation goals.  You know Bob, the faster you get those windows installed the more referrals you’ll get.”  I sorta chuckled inside.

“Bob, most successful companies isolate their biggest problems and then tackle them one at a time.  You started us on that journey almost three months ago and look at the great job we’re doing today.  Why don’t I come up and look at your production system?  Together I’m sure we can figure out how to get the windows installed faster, boost referrals, make your company even more profitable, and you’ll be on your way to Building a Better Biz!”

Your ticket will get you into the event, and it is good for a reserved seat in the main stadium. Now, this is where it gets interesting. There can be up to eighteen matches being played at the same time throughout the day.

You get to move around and see whom you would like to see at any given point in time. You can sit in your seat in Arthur Ashe Stadium and watch a featured women’s singles match, or you can walk out to court sixteen and watch a mixed doubles match with some of your favorite players. 

You get to choose whom, when, and where you watch. Some people like the outlying courts, because the bleachers are so close you can almost touch the stars. Some people only like to sit at the stadium or grandstand courts, because they like the comfort of the seatbacks. The bottom line is that you get to move around. You get to choose how you will experience the event. That is the big selling point of a major tennis tournament.

In business and in sales it can be the same way. It is far easier to sell something if you give your prospect a choice. There are three major reasons why you should give your customer choices as part of your closing system.

1. Choice allows the customer to tailor many of the aspects of your product or service to fit their specific needs.

Not everyone is the same. We all have different needs. The first automobiles were only available in black. Today, car colors and trim packages are many and varied. It is not unusual for a car company to sell a particular model just because it is available in a unique color or accessory package.

When you go to the grocery store, you can find fruit packaged in different sized containers. A family of two might only need a pint of strawberries, a medium family could want a quart, and a large family or someone having a party may buy an entire flat of strawberries!

Choice provides the customer the ability to get just what they need. By giving your customer a choice, they feel that you are catering to their specific needs, and they appreciate that.

2. Choice allows your customer to better control how they experience the sale and the ownership of your product or service after the sale is made.

Offering a choice as to how you do business, the warranty you provide, and the different service plans available allows your customer to shape and control how they experience doing business with you before, during, and after the sale.

Allowing the customer to choose where the transaction is made can be very powerful. Do you go to them, or do you have them come to you.

Warranties have an associated cost for you. The more extensive the warranty is that you offer, the greater your costs will be. Some clients want a lot of coverage. Others want or need less. By providing a choice, the client gets the level of security that they need in order to invest in your product or service and not feel like they are paying for something they will not use.

Customer service or ongoing customer support are other areas that you can create choices for your customer. Different levels of support programs can be made available. Many times, you can charge them differently based upon what is offered.

Software companies do this a lot. You may receive limited support with the purchase of a particular product. Then, you can purchase additional support either on a per incident basis, or for a larger fee you can receive unlimited support.

These choices not only allow you to tailor the experience for your client, but they also allow you to generate more revenue.

3. Choice allows you to assume the sale and let the customer determine the details.

Maybe the most powerful reason to offer them a choice is that it allows you to assume the sale first. Then, all you and the customer have to do is work out the details of ownership.

When my children were younger, my wife and I would ask them if they wanted to wear the blue shirt or the white one. The fact that they need to get dressed now is assumed. The only decision to make is which shirt they will wear.

Also, in this example we are limiting choices. I don’t care which shirt they choose. They both look nice, and either way they will be dressed. I have eliminated choices that I don’t find acceptable before they ever arise.

With your customers it can be the same way. You may ask a customer, “Would you like to close on the property next week, or will the end of the month work best for you?”

This popular closing technique is called Alternative of Choice. Either choice is good for you. The question is not whether they are going to buy, the question is only when they will close.

A clothing store associate may ask their customer, “Do you need a belt to go with that outfit, or would you like to look at a coordinating shirt?” Here, the sales associate is assuming both the sale of the outfit and an add-on purchase.
 

Providing choice offers dialog for you and your customer. You show them that you are interested and are working to best fit their needs. People buy from people who they like and trust. Make it easy for your clients to own your products and services by offering them a choice and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz.

I went to my Mastermind Group meeting yesterday.  I didn’t really think that I had much to discuss.  Boy, was I wrong.

All I wanted was a quick approval on the artwork for my new business card.  I thought this would take about 60 seconds.  Thirty minutes later, my card was totally redesigned.

The members of my Mastermind Group questioned the specific message that I wanted my card to convey.  They had me remove three logos that were on the back of the card.  My web address was removed since it is part of my email address.  Other irrelevant information was removed, so I could use a larger font for the remaining data.  Then, they had me add two sets of credentials behind my name; information that I took for granted but would be valuable to a potential client.

My business card was less cluttered, easier to read, established immediate credibility, and was laser focused around the value that I deliver to my clients.  The new design was fantastic!

I regularly help clients with their marketing tools, but I was so close to my own situation that emotion got in the way.  The Mastermind Group saved me again.

My Mastermind Group is made up of seven business professionals.  Once a month, we come together for our regular meeting.  Each time we start off by going around the table to give a quick recap of our “numbers” for the month.  We openly share all profit and loss numbers.

If there are any other exciting events in our lives, we mention those too.  Then, we move on to the next part of our meeting.

The main portion of our meeting is comprised of each member taking a turn to discuss any issues they face.  Someone might discuss a personal problem.  Someone else may talk about a marketing program that they want feedback on.  We’ve discussed profit sharing programs, product development, mergers, collections issues, sales tactics, getting children into college, and more.

Our mastermind group has turned into an indispensable, fast track business and personal growth tool.  We help hold each other accountable so that we achieve our desired results.

Major corporations have a board of directors.  The President of the United States has his cabinet.  Independent business professionals and small business owners need a Mastermind Group to give them the high-powered leverage that the big boys have.

My Mastermind Group has been meeting regularly for eight years.  We’ve worked together and watched all of our businesses grow many fold.  There isn’t one member that would give up their spot in this group.

Here are four steps that will help you establish your Mastermind Group and put you on the fast track.

Choose Your Members

Find four to six people you feel comfortable with.  You can all be in the same industry, or not.

Some people can’t get past the competition barrier.  Cavett Robert used to say, “Don’t fight for a bigger piece of the pie.  Make the pie bigger.”  I like to work with members of my industry.  It’s very productive.  I have helped people set up groups across industry lines and they’ve been equally successful.

Create a Set of Guidelines

We are very simple.  Our policies are:

Everything we talk about is confidential.

No guests.

New members must be approved by everyone in the group.

Set a Regular Meeting Schedule

We meet on a monthly basis for eleven months of the year.  Once a year we go on a two-day retreat and work on our yearly strategic planning.

Have a Set Meeting Format

People need to know what to expect when they come to a meeting.  Have a format and a timetable and stick to it.  Conversations naturally wander.  Keep everyone on track and focused.

When it’s someone’s turn to speak, all conversation should be about that person and their issues.  It’s their time!

Celebrate Everyone’s Success

My Mastermind Group is a place where we can share our successes.  It’s not bragging in our group.  It’s expected!

When we close the big sale, we let everyone know.  I just received an email today from a member that told me about a huge book deal she received.  Hurray!

Napolean Hill first mentioned the Mastermind Concept in his book “Think and Grow Rich.”  It is a power tool, one that every business professional should have as part of their success arsenal.  It will help you move to a new level of accountability and results.

Start your Mastermind Group today and you will be on the road to Build a Better Biz!

July 11th was the international release date for the new Apple iPhone 3G.  Stores around the world opened their doors and proceeded to sell out of every phone they had.

Here in St. Louis the line was so long you would have had to wait 5 hours to buy and activate a phone.  While I chose not to wait I did decide to hang out a bit and chat with some of the people who were waiting.  It was mid-day and shortly I saw someone from California Pizza Kitchen arrive.  CPK is located in the mall and has excellent pizza.

The woman began to go down the long line of people who were waiting and asked if anyone wanted to order pizza for lunch.  Before long she was running back with her orders, coming back for more orders and then running back to start delivering the pizzas from the first round of orders.  I’m sure that CPK had a great day of sales as they had their normal restaurant business as well as so many of the people who were waiting in line.

Someone at CPK must have noticed the line and thought, “Those people could use some food.” Other than the occasional Powerbar no one had brought anything to eat.  CPK saw a need and then went about filling it.  They delivered value for everyone who was stuck in line and getting hungry.

To grow our business we must be accountable to deliver authentic value.  Our business model is based on the value we deliver, who we best deliver it to and how we deliver it.  Authentic value represents the value that the client really needs.  It is not about the value we think they need or the value the client thinks they need, although that is important.  Truly successful companies deliver authentic value. People waiting in that line really needed something to eat, something that was brought right to them and something that was easy to purchase and consume.

How much time do you spend thinking about your clients, talking to your clients and evaluating the value they need?  What is it that will make their job easier, remove stress, add enjoyment to their life, enable them to achieve their goals?  The answer to these questions applied to the services you provide and the products you sell will help you create authentic value.  Be accountable to regularly evaluate your clients and your capabilities.  Strive to deliver authentic value– you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz.

Apple Computer, Inc. opened their application store in iTunes today.  The App Store has hundreds and soon to be thousands of applications that you can download and easily install on an iPhone.  Some of the applications are free.  Others are for sale.  Most of the applications being sold are priced from $.99 to $9.99.

Need a little app to keep track of all the tasks you need to complete?  Maybe you want an app to manage your finances?  How about an app that detects where you are and then lists all of the theatres nearby showing a specific movie you want to see?

One of my favorites is Moo.  When you turn your phone over it makes the sound of a cow just like the toy from years ago.  Another favorite is Rotary Dialer.  This app gives you the picture of an old fashioned rotary phone and you can dial your friends like they did way back in the 70s.

So, why am I sharing all this with you?  Simple.  What Apple has achieved is simply genius.  They have taken a product that is manufactured by many companies and available at many price points and turned it into a completely new industry.  Apple will sell millions of these phones.  Then they will sell millions of dollars of applications that we can all use to customize our phone.  Apple is using their App Store to deliver new value to their existing customers and to attract new ones.

What are you doing in your business that brings new value to your clients?  Is there some way to add value, create value or redefine the value you deliver to your clients?

Differentiation is a key way to build a competitive advantage in an industry.  Most companies continue on about their business.  If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.  Apple Computer doesn’t fix it.  They don’t even break it.  They throw it out and create an entirely new solution to fill a need, a need that many times people don’t even know they have.

Apple ups the value equation.  They deliver what others may have unsuccessfully attempted but also what others haven’t ever thought of.  They do so in a way that is cool and fun.  Apple understands that the experience of doing business is almost as important as the additional value they deliver.

Create more value for your clients.  Break out of your traditional mold.  Engage your clients in a way that is fun, unique and leaves a lasting impression — you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz.

We become what we become because of the choices that we make over time and the accountability we have to our choices.  Some choices are easy like, “What do I have for breakfast?”  Others are hard such as, “How are we going to grow our sales by 35% this year?”

Many times, we are so frustrated or confused that we don’t make a choice.  Not making a choice is a choice.

Life and business are simply a series of choices stacked upon one another. Over time these choices lead us to our desired results.  Make great choices and you can get great results.  Make poor choices and you could lose millions.  Though it’s simple on the surface, the ramifications are significant.

Successful people know in which areas of business and life to spend their time making choices.  They realize that it is important to identify key issues and to proactively deal with them.

Less successful individuals wait for things to happen and then spend their time putting out fires.  It is always easier to make a choice when you are relaxed.  Under pressure, decisions become filled with emotion and are much more difficult to make.

Obviously, proactive choices are easier to make, and they play a major part in building your business.  So, how do you best organize your thinking to make great choices?

I believe that you make your best choices when it comes from your “core.”  I call this decision making process, “CORE².”  Here’s how it works.

Current Situation

What is your current situation?  Where are you now?  What issues are at hand?  Are you dealing with a current problem or thinking strategically?  What are all of the facts that surround the situation?  What is working?  What isn’t working?

You need to be able to accurately answer all of these questions and more!  It is critical that you know where you are coming from, the issues at hand, and any strengths and weaknesses that might affect your situation and choices.

I define success as, “closing the gap between where you are now, and your vision of the future.”  People often spend their time goal setting, and looking towards the future.  Although, I’m a big advocate of setting goals, I also believe that it’s only half of the equation.

We all must have a very clear vision of where we are going, but it is absolutely necessary to be clear about where we are today.

If I invited you over to my house for dinner, you might phone me and ask for directions to my home.  My reply would be, “Where are you coming from?”   When you know where you’re coming from, then you can determine how to get to where you want to go.

Once we fully understand our current situation, we are then in a position to strategically and tactically plan out what we envision for ourselves.

Outcome Desired

Do you have a vision of the future?  Do you know where you are coming from and where you are going?

What do you want to achieve?  In the big picture, this is “goal setting” or “vision clarification.”  On a day-to-day basis, it is knowing where you want to stand tall when making decisions on issues that range from what color you should paint your office, to the information you have on your business card, to the adjustments that you might make to sales and marketing procedures.

You must be clear in your mind about the end result you desire.  And, if you achieve that end result, what will it mean to you and your business?  What are it’s side effects?  How will this success affect your business?  What are the consequences for your employees and your customers?

Each time you achieve a goal there are ripple effects.  It’s not enough to want to move in a certain direction to capture a specific outcome.  You must spend time understanding how this success will impact other areas of your business.

Roads You Can Take

When I speak at a convention or an annual company meeting, I will often tell my audience that there are many roads to success.  If five people are given a specific challenge, it’s possible that each person will come up with a plan that is different from the others in order to achieve their goal.

When my son was in the Cub Scouts, he came home with a project.  He had a box.  In it was a block of wood, four nails, and four plastic tires.  That’s right, it was Pine Wood Derby time.

My son’s goal was to make a car that looked good and went fast.  I have to tell you, at the race there were some really fast cars, and they all looked different.  Each boy found a different solution to the same problem.

When making a choice, you too are faced with options.  Brainstorm.  Make a list of each possible way that would achieve your desired outcome.  Don’t pass judgment on your ideas.  Just write them down.  The more possible solutions, or roads you can take, the better.

Sometimes, you will come up with one idea that is based on others that you’ve had.  This type of synergistic thinking is very powerful.  If you have a Mastermind Group, take your challenges to them and brainstorm together.  In a group setting, you will naturally build on each other’s ideas and create possible solutions that you would never have created yourself.

I attribute most of the great business choices I’ve made to the collective thinking of my Mastermind Group.  It is very powerful to have six other people concerned with my success.

Examine and Execute

Now, examine each possible, “road to success.”  Look at the advantages, drawbacks, side effects, and any other related issues.

Although several options are on your list, many times a couple of them will stand out immediately.

Is there a very best idea?  Maybe there is a clear winner.  If not, you will need to weigh the “upside” against the “downside.”  In other words, do the potential gains justify the potential risks?

Sometimes, it is wiser to work towards a more modest goal to greatly reduce your risk of loss.  Then, once you’ve achieved your goal, you can take the next step and move the risk factor up a notch.

When the best alternative is determined, don’t wait; just do it!  Many times, a choice is a good choice today, but may have less value tomorrow.  Conditions can change quickly.  Your competition may adjust or move in a different direction.

Don’t be in a rush, but once you’ve made the best possible choice, don’t procrastinate either.

Effective business professionals spend time analyzing all of their alternatives.  Then, when making a final decision, they move immediately and implement a plan to achieve desired results.

Making effective choices is time consuming and mentally challenging.  Achievement is based on series of consistently good and well thought out choices.  Once you make your choice you must be accountable for it.  Great choices combined with accountability equals great results over time.

Work from your CORE, make great choices, and you will be on the road to Build a Better Biz!

I recently registered a new URL.  (It is http://www.samstips.com for those of you who are curious.)  I used DomainBuddys.com to handle the transaction.  When I purchased the URL, a screen came up that asked if I would like more information on tools that would add value to my new URL.  I had the option of saying yes or saying no.

Right before hitting the final submit button there was a “special customer” offer that made one of their services available at greatly reduced prices.  After the transaction was completed I was taken to a thank you screen where another offer appeared.  This screen thanked me for the order and offered a special “Thank You” discount of 30% off of select additional services if ordered within the next 30 minutes.

There was no pressure.  The offers were real, legitimate, and beneficial to me.  I ordered two items and then went about my business.  They turned a $9.00 sale into a $39.00 sale.  Let’s see, that’s a 435% increase in business.

What did they do?  They researched my needs.  They knew, based on  my original purchase that I probably had additional needs based on their prior experiences with other clients.  They made offers to me that were very appealing.  They let me choose between several offers.  The choice presented to me wasn’t “do you want to buy or not” the question instead was “which items would you like to buy”?  They gave me a reason to buy, the discount.  And, they gave me a reason to buy now, the 30-minute promotion.

These guys are great at what they do.  Are you?

In sales, if you are not in front of a customer, then you are unemployed.  And, if you are not asking for the order, you are not doing your job.  It’s basic, it’s simple, and these are the facts.

Look at your business.  What possible add-ons could you offer to your clients?  The first sale is the hardest.  After that, you have a relationship with your clients and they will be willing and most likely eager to make additional purchases from you.  You are not required to wait a long time before asking for the up-sell or to sell additional services and products.

Do you really know your clients needs?  Great organizations know their clients current needs based on past experience, and because they go to the trouble to ask their clients.  Don’t think you know everything.  Once a year, ask your clients in a formal survey what their needs are, and you will be amazed.

Predict the future and you’ll most certainly be rich.  If you know your industry and your clients, then work to understanding what their future needs might be.  The better you can anticipate those needs, the better you will be able to beat your competition, take market share, and grow the value of your existing clients.

Know what your clients and potential clients need and desire, work to filling those needs, and ask for the order — you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz.

I was in the backyard playing with my two youngest daughters.  It was late in the day, and the sun was low on the horizon.  The night air was cool and our shadows were long on the driveway.  My youngest daughter, Allison, walked up and stood right at the end of my shadow and said,  “Look how big you are daddy.”

When you added Allison’s shadow to mine I did look very tall.  I certainly covered more ground.  Building your center of influence is quite the same thing.  You as an individual can only cover so much ground.  You can only meet so many people.  You can only create so many business opportunities.

If you are the only champion of your cause then you will limit your success.  By growing your center of influence and having others talk about you, refer clients to you, and be thinking about your well being you can cover more ground.  Having Champions on your team will extend the ground you cover and the results you achieve.

Successful professionals are constantly extending their center of influence.  They seek out and create champions that will help them achieve their goals.  Here is how to organize your thinking and actions to grow your team of Champions.

Think of your Champions as two groups: the first is your Inner Sphere, and the second, your Outer Sphere.  Your Inner Sphere contains those people who you have developed a good relationship with.  They know what value you offer and they believe in what you do.  They trust that you will deliver a high level of service and quality product if they recommend you to one of their peers.

In order to develop deep, meaningful relationships with your Inner Sphere of Champions you should contact them on a monthly basis.  Maybe you call one month, or send them an email, or clip an article and mail it to them.  Whatever the action might be, staying in contact on a monthly basis will help you maintain a top-of-mind awareness.  These Inner Sphere Champions like you and believe in you, and because of this they want to see you succeed.

Take a sheet of paper and list those individuals who might fit into your Inner Sphere of Champions.  Go for eight names.  I call this your Great Eight.  Once you identify these people, begin a monthly program to stay in touch with them.  Remember to deliver value first before ever asking for anything.  If you are an asset to them, then over time they will be come an even greater asset to you.

It is also critical that you have already developed a super Memorable Marketing Message before connecting with them.  By its definition you must be able to communicate in under ten seconds the value you deliver, and who you will best deliver that value to.  If you have this powerful but simple statement developed, then you can make sure your Champions know it and can repeat it to others who could use your products and services.

Now think about your Outer Sphere of Champions.  Write down fifteen names. I call these your Future Fifteen.  This is like your minor league system for your Great Eight.  You should touch base with your Outer Sphere of Champions quarterly.  These are people that you may have a loose relationship with or someone that you want to meet and get to know.  These people over time have the potential to expand your center of influence as you get better acquainted and move them into your Great Eight.

Every day you should be thinking about who should be added to either your Inner or Outer Sphere’s of Influence.  You should always be on the lookout for a great idea to contact them with.  Maybe one month you purchase a relevant book, write a little note in each one, and mail those books to your Great Eight.  Get the picture?

Expanding your center of influence in an ongoing project that, over time, will pay big rewards.  Begin the process today and don’t let a day go by where you don’t think about expanding your center of influence.  Follow this ritual, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz! 

We get up each morning and have a seemingly endless list of things that need to get done. Along the way our phone rings, we receive email, and people filter through our lives. There is so much we want to accomplish, so little time, and so many distractions. No matter how we feel or what is going on in the world, everything stays in motion, and we need to be able to anticipate or react where it is necessary. Time marches on, and you’ll get left behind if you are not prepared to take on both the challenges at hand, and the surprises that life will undoubtedly throw at you.

Here are three things you should constantly be involved with if you want to make sure you are prepared for almost anything.

1. Study

Research has shown that less than 5% of Americans have read a non-fiction book since the last day of their formal education. The world is constantly changing. How many of you would have been reading this ezine 15 years ago? Probably none! If you don’t continue to study and learn, you will not keep up with new ideas, technology, and methodology. Your competition is changing. Studying and learning are critical in order to be able to adapt to both your competitions new initiatives as well as creating new direction for you.

Here’s a simple exercise. Look at your business and decide what you would like it to look like in two years. Now ask yourself, “What do I need to learn to be able to create the company I see in my future?”

Do you need to learn more about marketing, sales, leadership, communication, or management? What tools do you need to make your vision a reality? You can look at your life the same way. Maybe you want to be a better parent. What skills do you need to hone? Get the idea?

Your education should not stop when you finish school. Actually, that is when your education really begins!

2. Exercise

It is not enough to just feed your mind. You must take care of your body as well. Being in shape means that you can move at a faster pace, that you are not constantly running out of energy, and that you feel your best.

You don’t have to run marathons, but regular exercise is important to stay strong and to help keep mentally sharp. Always consult a doctor before changing your exercise habits, but I find that I think with more creativity and with better reasoning when I’ve been exercising regularly.

Start off small. Even five to ten minutes of exercise will make a difference. A brisk 45-minute walk five times a week will leave you ready to take on the world.

3. Build Relationships

If you’re like me, you have a vision of your future. You have goals set for yourself both personally and professionally. There are doors you want to pass through. Most of those doors have locks on them. What I have found is that the key to the doors we want to passage through exist on someone else’s key ring.

Networking and building relations ships is critical to expanding your opportunities and building your business. The more people you meet and get to know, the more chances that you will build a bridge that will take you where you are looking to go.

Business partnerships come from business relationships. Sales, referrals, and even helpful advice all flow to the individuals you meet and develop relationships with.

I used to try and live life in a vacuum. I had my issues to deal with, my business to build, and my family to take care of. I was “too busy” to worry about meeting a lot of “new” friends and associates. Well, what I found out was that the new people that I met provided rewarding experiences, had information to share, ideas I could use, and ultimately helped me build my business and have even more time for my family.

Who are you meeting? What opportunities are you putting on your calendar so that you can network and build relationships? How do you follow up with someone after the initial contact? Your keys are out there to take and use to open those doors of opportunity. Go find them!

Live a life of continuous learning, exercise for better health, and build new and deeper relationships, and you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz!

Below I will discuss the other three bad habits that you must eliminate if you are to sell more, build your business, and increase your income this year.

It’s very simple. If you can eliminate all seven habits you will find your business growing, expanding and prospering.

5. Spend It All Today, There Will Be More Tomorrow

You see this everyday. Many times you don’t even know that you’re looking at a prime example of this bad habit.

I know several people that drive fancy new cars, live in very big homes with swimming pools, and send their kids to the finest private schools.

They are always buying toys; new computers, the latest digital cameras, new stereo equipment, and of course the “can’t do without” home theatre complete with super deluxe ultra-realistic surround sound, 35 speakers, and 750 watts of ear busting power!

Whether they are doctors, sales professionals, entrepreneurs, small business owners, or managers at Exxon, it’s all the same issue. You can’t continue to spend more than what you are taking in.

No matter how hot it is outside, or how clear the sky, is I know that sooner or later it will rain. In business you will run into slow times. Do you have money put away for those times? In your personal life you will run into unexpected financial pressures. Are you saving money on a regular basis?

Plan a budget. In your budget, start off at the bottom not the top. The bottom line is the amount you want to save this year. You will need to save for future expenses, such as retirement, money for college for your children, a new home, and anything else you wish to be able to afford.

Upwards from the bottom line, you need to list all of the purchases you will be making. Include house payment, cars, food, and the usual everyday expenses. Also include vacation costs, presents, and anything else you would like to purchase.

Add all of this together. This is the amount of money you will need to have after you pay your taxes.

Now we need to figure what we will need to pay Uncle Sam. Multiply this amount by (1 – your tax rate). If you are paying 30% taxes then divide the amount of money you added up above by (1 -.30) or .70.

This is what you will need to earn to be able to live the life you desire and save the amount of money you will need to meet future expenses.

6. Neglect Seeking Change

This is an easy trap to fall into. You work very hard to achieve what you have. It’s hard to take the time to think about building to even higher levels.

There is an old expression; “If you do today what you did yesterday, you’ll get tomorrow what you got today.”

I don’t think this holds water. You see, the world is changing around us. New businesses are forming, the internet is more robust, and people are more educated then ever before. We must change just to keep up.

If you want to get ahead it is critical to look at two areas for possible changes.

What changes have you been resisting? This is the first area to examine. Have you been holding back from putting your business on line? Have you been using old systems in your office? Is there a software change you need to consider?

First, embrace the things you have been fighting.

Now ask yourself, “What can I change to be better than my competition?” This is proactive change. Can you improve your customer service? Can you add additional value to your sales process? Are there needs that your clients have that could be better addressed or served? Could you be more productive if you added an assistant?

There are so many things that you could evaluate for change. Start small but think big. And, even though all good things come from change, not all change is good.

Only by considering change and looking for ways to proactively change can you then grow and outpace your competition.

7. Fail To Say “Thank You”

Sometimes we get so busy that we forget to thank everyone who has helped us.

It’s quite simple. We could not do what we do alone. Our assistants, our suppliers, our clients, our family, the community in which we live, and even the UPS driver all play a part in our success.

As a frequent flyer, the airline I use most often sent me coupons to give to their employees when I, “catch” them doing a great job. The employees could turn the coupons in for awards and time off.

I put the coupons in my briefcase and forgot about them. One day I was at the airport early and wanted to take a different flight than the one I was scheduled on. I went to the service counter and asked for assistance.

The customer service person probably shouldn’t have changed the ticket, and if she did there probably should have been one of those ridiculous “penalty” fees. Well guess what? She put me on the earlier flight and bumped me up to first class!

I remembered the coupons in my briefcase and offered her one. She resisted. “I was just doing my job,” she said. I insisted, signed the coupon and gave it to her. She just grinned.

As I walked off, she was feeling great. I was feeling great too because I felt good about doing something positive for her. But guess what? The next person that came up to the counter probably received even better service because she was in such a great mood.

My actions, and saying “thank you” went beyond the person I thanked. My actions also extended to others that she came into contact with.

Thank the people around you for everything; for a great job, for working so hard, for letting you present your product to them, and for delivering your mail. You get the idea. If you thank enough people on a regular basis, then someone will be there to thank you on one of those days that you need a little pick-me-up.

Saying “thank you” creates allegiances. If you want loyal customers, loyal employees, and loyal supporters just remember to say “thanks.”

These 7 bad habits will hold you back. Eliminate them now. Focus on your success — you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz!

Sure we can all fall into some of these traps from time to time. Successful business professionals recognize their shortcomings and make the appropriate changes necessary to get back on the right track.

Below are seven bad habits that you need to make sure you are not doing.

1. Procrastination

I know you’re cringing as you read this. Most people procrastinate at one time or another. The question is, can you eliminate or minimize the number of times that you procrastinate?

In life, we are either moving towards something or away from something. We are either trying to make something happen or keep something from happening. We tend to procrastinate because we don’t want a possible negative result of a particular activity.

We don’t call that prospect back because we don’t want to be rejected. We think, “If we don’t tackle the project, we can’t fail.” Procrastination is simply a manifestation of the fear of failure.

Additionally, procrastination can come from poor time management. We tackle the easy tasks on our to-do list first rather than doing the most important items. The end of the day arrives and we still haven’t completed those tasks that really have the opportunity to produce bottom line results.

At the beginning of the day, take five minutes and determine what three to five things must happen today for your time to be well spent, and for you to be happy with the way your day went. Then, do those items first!

2. Sell At Low Margins Just To Get The Business

We’ve all run into the client that negotiates like Attila the Hun. They simply, “don’t pay full price.” Maybe you don’t want to pass up the business, or maybe you just can’t stand the thought of your competition beating you out and getting the order, but we all run into tough customers at some time.

If you lose money on the sale you can’t make it up on volume! Remember, you have costs associated with every transaction. Your time, your assistant’s time, company resources, equipment, manufacturing capacity, and other overhead must be considered in your costs.

Determine in advance what is the lowest possible margin you can work on. Don’t get sucked into the emotion of the moment. When faced with an opportunity that goes below your predetermined minimum margin, either come up with a creative way to up the margin, or pass on the business.

Remember, when you pass on this low margin job and your competition takes it, they will not be in a position to take the next big job that comes along and it will be yours!

3. Don’t Make Time For Strategic Planning

I’ve had clients come to me for mentoring that say, “Basically, I’m doing just as much business as I did five years ago. What am I doing wrong?”

My first thought is to investigate the amount of time that they spend each year strategically planning.

If you don’t spend time planning your assault on success, then it’s highly unlikely that you will ever improve your current situation. Growth rarely happens by chance. Advancement comes as a result of a planned campaign.

Each month you should set aside a specific amount of time for strategic planning. Additionally, each year I recommend my clients plan a strategic retreat, or join one of mine. You would be amazed at what two days of intense strategic planning will do for your yearly achievement.

On a weekly basis, take thirty minutes and evaluate your monthly progress. Don’t let a complete month go by without results. Before you know it, three months have gone by and you still haven’t improved your situation.

Strategically plan on a yearly basis. Adjust and modify those plans on a monthly basis. Then, monitor your progress on a weekly basis.

4. Try To Be Everything To Everyone

This is the bane of most business professionals that I see wallowing in the mire. They want to sell everyone. They want to provide all possible products. They must offer everything in every color imaginable.

If you have heart problems, do you go and see a general practitioner? Not me! I want to see a specialist.

I saw flashing lights recently. My eye doctor sent me to a retina specialist. I felt much more confident that the specialist’s opinion was accurate, and that he could do what was necessary to solve my problem. I didn’t want just anyone using a laser on my eye.

Your clients are the same way. If you try and promote yourself to be knowledgeable in everything, then they will probably see you as an expert in nothing.

For those of you who have been long time subscribers of this newsletter, you know I am passionate about focus. In particular, you must be laser like focused on the value that you deliver, and who you deliver that value to.

It is difficult to commit to focusing. It can mean the possible loss of not selling those other products, services, or clients.

What you are not able to calculate is exactly how much your business will grow because you are focused on specific markets, and your clients trust you more and give you more business, and then your referral rate goes up.

Your closing rate will also increase, as prospective clients will be more comfortable doing business with you, the expert.

After you learn how to focus your thinking, it is time to then create a memorable marketing message that specifically states the value you deliver, and who you deliver that value to. You will be a more effective marketer, and your clients will use this same simple statement to market to others on your behalf.

Part II to follow.

I was in Tyler for a business development seminar. It was my forth program in five days. I was hot, tired, and hungry. I decided that I needed a treat for dinner, so I opened up the yellow pages and started searching for something tasty.

It was only a minute when something caught my eye; Unk’s Shrimp Shack. Since I love seafood, this looked perfect. I called them up and got directions from my hotel.

I followed the directions the person on the phone had given me. After driving out of town and onto a back road, I wondered if I was lost. Surely there couldn’t be a restaurant way out here. The drive seemed to go on forever. How cold anything be a twenty-five minute drive in a small town I wondered?

Just when I was about to pack it in, I rounded a corner and saw a wooden building. The sign on top said, “Unk’s Shrimp Shack.”

As I entered “the shack,” the cash register and order counter were on my right. On my left was a clean dining room with lots of tables. Each table was covered with a clean plaid tablecloth. Across the room was a small salad bar. A middle-aged gentleman was behind the counter. I figured it was Unk.

Unk’s menu was on the wall behind the counter. As I looked it over I realized that everything on the menu was seafood with one exception, he had chicken strips for the kids.

I ordered a dozen fried shrimp and some fried clams. They had sweet tea which is my favorite. I went to the salad bar for my coleslaw and took a seat at an open table.

Within a few minutes Unk brought me my dinner and I began to feast. There were lots of people in the restaurant, and a steady flow of patrons came and left as I sat and ate my dinner. I was amazed that a place could prosper so well out in the middle of nowhere.

After dinner I had a chat with Unk. His real name turned out to be Dan. I asked Dan a few questions, and he shared some very valuable information with me. Dan had actually bought the land for the restaurant, cleared wild plum trees, designed and then built the “shack” himself. The restaurant had character. I’m sure it stemmed from Dan.

Dan told me that the first time his son saw the place he almost fainted. Dan told me his son said, “Dad! In the restaurant business it’s location, location, location. You just struck out!”

Well, several years later Unk’s is still there. And, I can tell you that they serve great seafood.

I asked Dan why he was so successful and he said, “We serve high quality seafood every time.” He went on to say, “Our focus is seafood. That’s it!”

The key to Dan’s success is focus. Focus was in his ad in the yellow pages that caught my eye, and it was in the design of his building. Focus was reflected in his menu. And, he brought it home with a great product.

Do you have focus in your business? Does the name of your company tell what you do? Do you try to be all things to all people and end up being nothing to no one?

Most of the professionals I work with fall into this trap. They just don’t want to take the chance that they’re passing up business, so they don’t focus. You’ve got to know your market. You must be highly knowledgeable about who you serve and the value you deliver. You will also find that when you commit to being focused the distractions go away, and you become very comfortable with what you do.

Ultimately you have to be able to articulate this information in eight to ten seconds to anyone you come in contact with.

Here is how to refine your focus.

1. Look at you past history. Who have you sold? What is common about your best, easiest, or largest sales. Can you draw a picture of who you best serve?

2. Now, look at those clients who have wasted much of your time. You know, the clients that you spend hours on and maybe never get the sale, or if you do, they always demand a price so low you probably lose money on them. Can you list the common identifiers of those types of clients?

3. Ask your best clients what they really receive when they invest in your products or services. Determine the true value you deliver. Sure, you may sell a car, but the real value you deliver may be dependable transportation, or maybe it’s satisfying an ego if they’re luxury cars. You don’t sell houses. You sell places where families grow together. If you’re in the insurance business you deal with security, peace of mind, and value appreciation.

Spend your time focused on those clients that are the most profitable and have the most potential for bringing you the greatest success.

Challenge yourself to avoid those clients that drain your time and energy and keep you from your goals.

And, tell everyone you come in contact with about the true “value” of what you deliver and who you deliver it to. Create a message that you can deliver in eight to ten seconds that will enhance your networking ability.

Learn to focus your thoughts, actions, and words — you will be on the road to Building a Better Biz.