Recognition is so important for so many reasons and yet such a simple exercise to implement as a ‘best practice’. It justifies the time, money and effort that someone has put forth, provides a way by which to measure their progress and is incredibly motivational!
Recognition is also a great way by which to show how much you care, demonstrate appreciation and thank a valued client… or employee or supplier or associate for their hard work and on-going support.
In a competitive business environment where someone is always trying to steal a client away, relationship building is an important resource to utilize.
Recognition can come in a variety of ways. You can pay them a special visit, send them flowers, or refer your other valued clients to them. You could nominate a client for an award, or as I do, simply create your own monthly “Client of the Month” award, a reason to celebrate and acknowledge.
In my case I call it my “Hardest Working Client” award. These are the kinds of clients that I strive to attract. They always come prepared; they embrace new ideas, implement change constantly and set a pace for us all to follow.
Take a moment to share your “Hardest Working Client“ story with us…
For more ideas on the subject of recognition & acknowledgement, check out my articles entitled “Promoting Leadership” and “Values-Led Performance” here on my website… Larry
There was a time when just the thought of approaching certain high profile individuals about the services that I offered sent me into procrastination mode. Why would they ever be interested in my help? My approach was therefore “reactive” and it was reflected in the “quality” of the clients that I attracted and the success that I achieved.
Being introduced to the “FAB Analysis” approach to selling changed all of that. FAB stands for Features, Advantages & Benefits and once I developed the discipline of packaging and presenting the advantages and benefits of my experience & expertise as well as customized training and one-on-one coaching, everything changed.
I do my homework and clearly understand the unique impact that I can have as a business coach and trainer to improve vital issues such as the performance, efficiency, harmony and profitability of each client that I work with.
Suddenly I can’t wait to knock on (the right) doors.
I don’t take a “wait and see” position either. I have an on-going “Wish List” of companies, non-profits and individuals who I would like to work with, who I admire, who I know will embrace the coaching process and recognize the return on investment.
A roster of carefully selected clients, alliances and suppliers makes for a stronger business and puts you where you want to be - in the driver’s seat.
There is so much more to share on this topic. To get started, check out my articles entitled “Sell the Benefits” and “Improve your Decision Making With SWOT” here on my website… Larry
In a competitive world with so many cards stacked against us, it is important to not lose touch with basic principles on which you can build your success.
Diversity represents one of those principles that are essential in minimizing risk, increasing market appeal and helping “competition-proof” your business.
When I speak of diversity, I am not talking about being all things to all people or mindlessly loading your business up with unrelated offerings but I am talking about ensuring that you provide a “complement” of related options for your clients or customers to consider that will prevent them from going elsewhere.
At the same time, diversity can contribute to greater revenue per customer visit.
Re-visit diversity in the Products & Services that you offer, the Markets or types of clients that you pursue to generate revenue and even in your Human Resources through the complement of skills, education and experience that you offer.
From a Marketing perspective, diversity in the messages that you deliver and the choices of media that you use to reach both existing and new customers is critical.
A broader collection of carefully researched & packaged offerings and skill sets will make you more appealing to existing customers and open new doors to generate revenue.
Bring greater diversity into the picture for your business by asking yourself: “What else are my customers interested in?”
To delve deeper into related topics on “Diversity”, check out my articles entitled “Five Great Ways to Think Bigger than the Next Guy” and “Think Like an Entrepreneur”… Larry
Conversation & dialogue are high on my priority list. That may initially sound a bit trivial but I believe strongly in positioning myself in the minds of others for future reference. To accomplish this I make it a point to consciously never end a conversation.
I make sure that each encounter bookmarks “work in progress”, focusing on “your” activities which I can follow up on or refer to down the road.
In a world that is constantly changing, there are always new developments.
What seems fine today can quickly become tomorrow’s ‘thorn in your side’. It therefore makes sense that when you have effectively identified a “Fit” with a particular prospect or client, to stay in touch as circumstances change. I make it a conscious point to willingly invest time in people when I see potential.
Keep in mind that sensitivity and timing are important. The focus for your “On-Going Conversation” must always be on ‘them’ and contact needs to be dispensed with care and consideration to be effective.
The “On-Going Conversation” strategy is designed as a relationship-building tool, a marketing tool and a communication tool that positions me to stay in touch, to make mental notes of activities & opportunities and to keep one eye on the future.
I’d love to help you incorporate the “On-Going Conversation” into your marketing, sales & communication strategy…
Related topics to “The On-Going Conversation” can be found in my articles entitled “Selling Yourself” and “The 40 Minute Lunch”… Larry
An important factor in your success is that ability to balance your activities; your priorities, with both short term and long term initiatives.
As an employee, we tend to be project driven and work in the moment.
As an entrepreneur, while turning out the work is vital to your cash flow and immediate success, it is also critical to make sure that you are positioning yourself to stay busy once your current work is complete.
Effectively managing your time and prioritizing your activities will help ensure that you build the stepping stones for future growth, generate more consistent cash flow and maximize your billable hours.
It can be a delicate balance where your first impulse is to focus on making today’s money rather than tomorrow’s. How well do you handle the balance?
Related topics on “planning and prioritizing” can be found in my articles entitled “Think like an Entrepreneur” and “Promoting Leadership”… Larry
One of those factors that define character and my continuous pursuit of the person I aspire to be, is my ability to hang in there when I know I’m on the right track and to not lose my focus to the myriad of other attention-getting distractions that continuously keep “tapping me on the shoulder”.One of the most effective ways that I accomplish this is to communicate my goals to others to position myself to be accountable, knowing that if I tell specific people whom I trust and respect, that they will follow up on my progress and ask me how I’m doing – “Yikes!”
The other is through patience & persistence. This is my second website and neither certainly happened overnight. I actually began working on the concept for this one 9 months ago and my first website took almost 2 years to complete before “it and I” were ready to go ‘live’. (Hey I’m improving…) When I weigh the time it took to complete against the importance of getting it right – that is, projecting the right image to the right audience, along with my own ability to deliver while maintaining my current client workload, patience & persistence become the cornerstone of my success and the timing was indeed perfect.
As a business owner, developing a clear vision, recognizing the impact of the “end product” and of course, priority management are essential to ensure that you arrive at your destination and often, patience & persistence are your best friends.
Patience & persistence – friend or foe?
For more ideas on the topic of “getting there”, check out my articles entitled “Mapping Your Success” and “Creating an Action Plan”… Larry
Larry
In the world of business coming up with the best idea is no guarantee of success. Being the world’s best welder (or hairdresser or translator, etc.) can be impressive when working as an employee but running your own successful business venture that is built around a great idea and marketable talent is just half the battle.
The role of a Business Coach is to ensure that you stay focused on issues that move your business forward. Your Business Coach will help you improve your decision making success by identifying all of your options before you make decisions.
A Business Coach is a sounding board for all of the thoughts that run through your mind each and every day. An effective Business Coach will listen carefully to your ideas & dreams, assess their viability and help you formulate a strategy to achieve them.
Ask yourself why so many businesses struggle and fail…
Stats Canada tells us that 50% of all businesses fail in their first 3 years of operation. Not an optimistic statistic! Failing to plan is planning to fail and we all need a game plan to win. Success doesn’t just happen by accident. For example, to ensure my success in living a healthy life and keeping in shape, I retain the services of a personal trainer & a nutritionist.
Sure I can read up on it, watch videos and try to do it myself but what is often missing is the accountability and that qualified, proven expertise that brings to light important points that I miss or don’t even consider, saving me valuable time and money. Even a coach needs a coach and given the assets at risk along with the time, effort and money invested, it only makes good business sense to invest in the help of a qualified expert to minimize risk and improve your decision making.
For more information on developing growth strategies for your business, check out my articles on “Creating an Action Plan” and “Think Like an Entrepreneur”… Larry
Recognizing and seizing opportunity are important in defining the degree of success that you achieve as a business owner.
From day one, determining whether a Grand Opening or Soft Start provide the right fit for your type of business is critical. On a broader scale, closer examination of the daily activities that you tend to take for granted will reveal additional opportunities to make a statement, draw attention to your business, build share of mind and open new doors.However, the spin itself that you put on these daily occurrences also makes a mark and planning is critical.
Everything you do leaves an impression that will either attract people to you or unfortunately send them in a different direction.A traditional Grand Opening with fanfare and media attention can get things started with a bang! It is designed to bring in a select group of “the right people” who can influence your success.
A Grand Opening is a great way to initiate cash flow! And rather than centering Grand Opening activities around a single day, consider creating a week of activities that will ensure your “ability to make an impression on everyone” and higher attendance for this one-shot investment.
The Soft Start on the other hand, can be set up as a ”pilot project” that can give you a chance to “ramp up”, prepareto be busy, work out the bugs using real scenarios and generate feedback. The Soft Start can be followed by a formal Grand Opening once everything is fine tuned.
Both the Grand Opening and the Soft Start have merit depending on your circumstances. Examine your own situation carefully to ensure that you handle your opportunities properly, position yourself to succeed and get the biggest bang for your buck.
For more information on more effective decision making, check our my articles on Building Share of Mind and Goalsetting & Planning… Larry
