Tag Archives: Leadership

Use Your Network to Slingshot Ahead

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How big is your network? More to the point how are you using your network?

Properly using your business network will help you to move your business ahead in a big way.  Four ways to use your network:

  1. Ask to meet specific prospects- the most important piece is to know exactly who you want to meet, be specific. For instance, it is ok to say you want to meet attorneys, better to say you want to meet family law attorneys and best to say you want to meet Ms. Smith from Smith, Jones and Brown.
    • The more specific you are in your request the better able folks are to help you. They may know the person you are asking to meet. They may determine you are interested in meeting attorneys and because they know 3 or 4 ask you if you would like to meet those attorneys. That conversation opens the door for you to learn more about their contacts and to determine if it would be valuable to meet them.
    • I just recently encountered an example of how well this works. I am working with a specific industry and am trying to meet some of the key players in that industry. Rather than just ask if my network could introduce me to anyone in the industry, I asked for a contact in a specific company- tomorrow I have a meeting with the number two guy. It took about 2 days- had I tried to get this contact on my own I may never have had a conversation with this person.
  2. Create partnerships- Partnerships can play a key role in expanding your business. Look for folks in your network (add folks to your network) in complimentary and competing businesses. Complimentary businesses are great places to share your information. Take the time to create a genuine relationship with the business owner, learn what their customers want, what the business provides and what you might provide to their customers. Find out how you can help their business- then do it. Then ask for their assistance in getting your information to their audience. Generally they will be happy to help you just as you helped them.
    • Competing businesses can also be a great source for partnerships. Why?
    • They may have no interest in offering a service/product you offer and vice versa
    • You provide value to your customers by sharing a great product with your customers- even if that product is not yours
    • The same goes for the competition- any product they can provide their customers that meets a need will only increase that companies value to the customer (set up an affiliate relationship with them and it is an even bigger win for them)
    • In general, we like to see folks help other folks- sharing someone else’s products or services- especially since you believe in them- will make you feel good and let’s your customers know you are looking out for them.
  3. Get assistance with market research- You are thinking about expanding into a new market? Use your network to meet with some folks within that market. This is one of those rare times it is ok to put out a general call for introductions. You can then qualify that person and get some one-to-one feedback from the market about your potential offering. You can very quickly learn if there is any interest and, if not, move on to your next big thing.
  4. Get assistance with product/service research- You have built a new product/service. Before it hits the market it would be a good idea to do some testing. Put together a focus group to review and use the product. Get their thoughts on look, function, results etc. If the feedback is positive get testimonials. Ask folks about price points, for constructive criticism and what marketing would reach them. This is your opportunity to learn before you craft your big promotion. If you integrate the focus group information your promotion will be much more successful.
    • I have a client developing a new seminar around the topic of transformation. We are using our networks to pull together a focus group. The information will help us rework the training (if needed), understand market requirements, develop a sales strategy and will provide testimonials.

These are just four ways to use the network you have. I’m sure you can think of more ways to tap into the collective.

Decide how you might use your network and start building relationships with folks that can help you meet your goal.

I don’t want to walk out on your speech!

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I did it today. I walked out on a speech. I left before the end because I just could not stand it anymore.

Two women were presenting. I think their slides were nicely done. I say I think because at times I am not certain what the actual point of their rambling was supposed to be. The advertised topic was fairly broad and rather than choosing a specific area to drill in to they touched briefly on multiple areas. A fine tactic if you execute well.

They had not practiced exactly what they were going to say. They stumbled over their words, threw in lots of ah’s and um’s, and used stories that illustrated a point only if you were creative.

This is a learning opportunity for all of us.

No, they were not professional speakers and I would bet they do not regularly do presentations. At a minimum, someone should be able to easily follow your speech and draw a parallel between the story you are telling and the point you are addressing.

Non-words can be forgiven; we have all been there. My point is even if you are not a professional speaker you need to approach any speech/presentation as a professional opportunity.  Use the opportunity. If nothing else you may just find a customer among all of the prospects sitting in the room.  If you are uncomfortable or unsure about how to write or deliver a speech or how to create slides ask someone for help and then practice. Attend a class like Delivery Skills that Sell.

A professional speaker will tell you the moment you relax, the moment you stop asking for help or think you don’t need to practice is the moment you deliver a mediocre speech. I know you don’t want to do that.

Your Community Connection

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How much do you know about what is happening around you? I don’t mean right beside you or in your office rather in your community.

I had the opportunity to attend a ‘State of the County’ event hosted by my local Chamber. This is an opportunity to learn about the community you serve both on a micro (the city you live in) and state level.

I have a more concrete idea of how external factors are impacting local and statewide business. It also gave me some ideas about how I might be able to give back to my local community.

Even if you don’t have local clients it is helpful to understand your community- for instance, sales tax just went down and there is another tax increase on the ballot this fall- now I understand why that increase has been requested.

Even if the local economy doesn’t impact your customers it may impact your business. Local can mean anything from municipality to your entire state (province) or country depending on the scope of your business. Taxes, shortages, overages, environmental factors impact you regardless of the size of your ‘local’.

Participating in your community can bring rewards of its own and provide benefits that may not have much to do with your business. Then again, you never know until you get out there. I recently discovered that I have only 1 degree of separation between me and the Gates Foundation Board, another person I met has Oprah’s ear, and another regularly works with large oil companies. Do I have an immediate need for these contacts? Not today, but I may in the future and it is worth cultivating relationships with the people involved.

Stay connected to your community, the virtual and the real one.

The High Cost of being an Expert at Everything

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Have you ever noticed that the folks that need the most help are often the last to ask for it? (I will admit I tend to go this direction and need to be constantly vigilant.)

Folks will struggle along in their business when people who would be willing to help if they were just asked surround them. I see this with first time and long time business owners. You believe you can be an expert at your products/service, marketing, social media, accounting… You name it you can do it! (Is this you???)

I am sure you can struggle along- but at what price? It is easy to work yourself right in to the ground when you are doing everything. You have no time for friends, no time for family and may end up exhausted emotionally and physically.

The business cost can be even higher. How well will a marketing campaign do when you need to design, implement, follow up and determine ROI on it when your specialty is (insert specialty here)?  Spending a few dollars to have a marketing specialist handle a campaign from A- Z can pay off big; far exceeding the money you spent.

You do not need to keep a full stable of full time specialists on staff. Hire specialists as you need them. When you launch a new product you bring on a marketing expert, a packaging expert, a social media expert- whatever it is you need to make that launch a smashing success.

Something as simple as working with a business coach can make a tremendous difference in revenue and stress when you are just starting out or find yourself struggling.

Never be afraid to ask for help, your business will benefit every time you ask.

Sure Fire way for a Speaker to Turn Off an Audience

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Sometimes you hear a story and you just cannot help but pass it along.  My network knows I am a public speaking coach so I get to hear about great and awful speakers they have heard.

Just yesterday I heard a story about a speaker who was billed as ‘inspirational, motivational’ doing an event with two other speakers. The inspirational, motivational speaker spoke first. Apparently the speech went something like this…

“You think you have problems…. Let me tell you about my divorce. Let me tell you about my kids. Let me tell you about…. “

She spent the entire 30 minutes telling stories about her awful her without any value add information. No ideas on handling situations, no motivational or inspirational thoughts or advice, just story after story about her hideous life.

The person who told me about this actually left the seminar. With two other speakers to go and 20 minutes left for the first speaker she could not handle it anymore. She paid for the event and left anyway.

What went wrong? The speaker was focused solely on herself. Stories are great- if they are told to illustrate or lead the audience to a point, to elicit an emotion that moves the topic forward, or to jump-start a speech.

You must provide value. Be motivational if that is the topic of the speech; explain how to build a jet engine if that is the topic. Know how to use your story to add value; don’t just toss stories into the mix because ‘you should have stories in your speech’.

Talking about yourself without a real point in sight is a sure way to turn off your audience.

When You Thrive Your Business Thrives

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I had tons of things to do this weekend. Work to catch up on- which is usually a sign of a good busy week- social media posts to line up, general weekend ‘stuff’ we all have to do. Yet, I did not want to move all weekend. The phone rang, I was annoyed, the dog wanted to go out- I had to get off of the couch, go to bed- again get off the couch (or not), hungry get off of the couch…

If it involved more than picking up the remote I really did not want to deal with it.

Rather than force myself to do all of that ‘stuff’ I allowed myself to simply ‘be’.

I woke up Mon. morning ready to go. By noon I had done almost everything on my ‘must get done list’ and was on to not quite so critical or immediate work. I was interested in everything, excited to get things done and happy to be working.

So what happened?

This happens to many of us. We are so busy during the week, doing the work we love, catching up with friends, completing projects that we don’t allow ourselves to power down for a few minutes and recover.  I gave myself the gift of recovery this weekend.

What if you cannot ‘be’ for an entire weekend? (I admit it was a luxury.) Find an hour. Find 15 minutes. Just be still and quiet, meditate if you want, stare at the trees, just ‘be’. To avoid the crash I had over the weekend take some time to ‘be’ every day.  I know better than to miss that ‘be’ time and, like you, I get so engrossed in my work I lose track of time occasionally.

The ‘be’ time will help you keep the creativity flowing, keep your more even tempered, more grounded and more relaxed. That is a gift you give yourself and your business. Remember when you thrive your business thrives.

How well are You Listening to your Clients?

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I am actively soliciting feedback on a program I have developed. In the process I am having conversations with my target audience. The primary skill I need to employ is listening. Really listening. Not waiting for someone to tell me how fabulous the program is or how well it meets the target audience needs.

I need to listen for the points of concern- even the smallest concern. Many people have a difficult time offering criticism – even when they are asked. Think about how many times you have asked for feedback and all you get are glowing reports. I guarantee, not everyone thinks you are great all of the time.

One of the people I was listening to this week casually mentioned that I should come speak to his organization. It was a throw away comment, almost mentioned under his breath and in the middle of a much longer thought. But I was listening.

I circled back to it a bit later by asking who else might be interested in learning about the program. Now we are scheduling a paid speaking engagement at a local University. An introduction to a University program I have been pursuing for a few weeks. All because I listened.

How well are you listening to your clients? What are they telling you that you are missing because you are hearing only the good points? On the other side what are you doing well but not hearing because you are focused on all of ‘the bad’?

Listening is a skill. You can get better at it, you just need to practice.  Focus on the other person, not on formulating a response or on making sure you make your point.  Simply shifting your focus to the other person will make an obvious difference in how well you are listening.

Take the Time to Plan to Prevent P*** Poor Performance

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I had the fun today of putting together a plan for a program I hope to release in September. I have a  project management background but that doesn’t mean I love building release plans. That said, my father always said ‘Poor Planning Prevents P*** Poor Performance’ and he is right.

Planning can make all the difference when you are designing/releasing anything. In this case it is crucial that I get the timing right. I am trying to get continuing education credits (CLE’s) for the course and there is a 50 lead-time for approval. If I want to hold a late September course I need to determine exactly when my application for the credits needs to be sent.  I could offer the class without CLE’s but the return on investment (ROI) will certainly decrease. This program is repeatable so the planning to incorporate CLE’s will have a measurable benefit to my bottom line.

Will planning help your business performance? Only if you follow the plan. That’s the one thing I hear from clients- I created a plan, saved it in a file and never looked at it again!. Not to be too obvious…that is not helpful!

Create a realistic plan (get some help from a business consultant if you need it), follow the plan, edit it when needed and you are much more likely to meet your deadlines and ensure a better ROI.

A bit of planning today will help reduce the likelihood of p*** poor performance. Nobody want to feel like they did a crummy job or miss delivery deadlines. Take the time to make and follow a plan

Do You know Your Corporate Responsibilities?

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For me it is that time of year again. The annual meetings for the corporations I am a part of need to be held in July. As part owner it is incumbent on me to make sure those meetings happen and are properly documented.

It is all part of my responsibility as a business owner. You have probably seen me mention folks with ‘hobbies’ instead of businesses? This is one of the issues that separate the ‘hobby’ from the business.

Holding and documenting an annual meeting is a fairly simple task. However, if you do not hold the meeting you open the business up to losing its corporate status- which holds consequences of it’s own. If you are concerned about your status or have questions contact your attorney. Don’t have a business attorney contact Donna Chmura of Sands Anderson PC. She is a fabulous business attorney and will keep you going in the right direction.

Have you started succession planning?

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Succession planning is not on the top of anyone’s fun list but it is essential to ensuring you have a healthy business. Your only 30? What could possibly happen?

Just this past week a friend had a cast removed from his leg. Within days a blood clot broke loose and went straight to his heart. He died instantly. He left behind a wife, two young daughters and a vibrant business. He was 35. Still think it can’t happen to you?

Hopefully he had some kind of contingency plans in place. He has a handful of employees that are speaking with clients and trying to carry on the business. The question remains how easily could your employees/family carry on the business without you?

Have you made certain more than one person knows where important information resides? Knows how to run the business?

Imagine what might happen if you are unable to show up at work every day for 3 or 4 weeks. If you do not think the business would continue to thrive during that time or being away is ‘simply out of the question’ you need to do some succession planning AND put a plan in place that will keep the doors open and profitable if you must be away for a while.

If you are not sure where to start with succession planning a good business attorney can get you going in the right direction.