How many times have you failed to do the most important things?
Take 1 minute to look at this video – then define what your frog is today.
If you want to use this to accelerate your business success, get in touch today.
To your success, Derek
Well, I attended the Linkedin Training on Friday with Andy Gwynn. There were about 25 other attendees. Here are the top five things that I took away from the course:
1. Linkedin is not a passive networking tool. Like many other social media sites, Linkedin 
can be more of a distraction than a useful tool in business. The reason is that people create a profile which is often very poorly written, with poor examples of work, poor photographs and minimal descriptions on your capabilities. Once created, they sit back and wait for the enquiries to come in. But they never arrive. And then the whining about how rubbish Linkedin is, starts. You have to work at Linkedin for it to work for you.
2. Like an advert, the headline and the image are important. First impressions last and given that Linkedin is a very search friendly tool, it is important that whatever content you place on Linkedin is well thought out for Search engines – i.e understand what your potential customers look for before you start writing your profile.
3. Be clear on how you help people, be clear on who you can help specifically and make an effort to niche your profile so that you get found for a specific purpose. If you do this and are still not found, then you can broaden your niche.
4. While endorsements are fine, recommendations are better. They are even better when linked to specific roles that you make have had or specific projects that you may have worked on.. You have to request the recommendation so get working on that.
5. Welcome invitations to connect but always reply with an offer to help or an attempt to start a communication. Why else would someone want to connect. Aim to help first. Your rewards will come later. Also, use your own language on Linkedin – get rid of the standard messages.
It takes time to master but Linkedin is here for the present. Get good at it, as fast as you can. There is business out there for you.
Client – “This business simply would not survive without Mary! She is here first thing in 
the morning, she’s here last thing at night, she does all the books, all the staff come to her when things go wrong”
Coach – “So why do you think we are in the financial mess that we are in right now?”
Client – “Mary is snowed under – she is bringing the books home at night getting the accounts ready for the accountant for 2012″
Coach – “Interesting, how come you do not know your financials yourself, every week?”
Client – “Thats Mary’s area”
Coach – “what system are you using for accounts, and also what system do you have to testing and measuring and what KPI’s do you have in place”
Client suddenly realises that he is not in control of the business and that his over reliance on Mary has got him into this situation.
This is a true story. Mary was not a bad person, she was 100% committed to the cause. The problem with Mary was that she lived in a world of fear. Fear of losing her job. Fear that if she showed someone else how to do a job, that she would be out of a job. Fear that if a system was put in place, she would not be needed, Fear that by putting an accounts system in place she would lose control.
Mary did not realise that the business had grown over the years and that she could not do everything. The business needed systems and it needed resource but Mary was trying to do it all. And by this stage she was not managing anything well and the business was in decline. But very often the owner, who has come to rely so heavily on Mary, is afraid to upset her. Not good!
Remember – it is your business. You must take responsibility for Mary, for what she does and how she does it. Yes it may be difficult but ignoring it will cost you your business.
Systems ran by people are what successful businesses are run you. How many systems do you have?
Watching the Masters makes you wonder why some people actually thrive under pressure while others seem to crack when they most need their mental strength. Is it something you can prepare for? Can you train your mind to cope, to react in a particular way as events unfold. Most sports psychologists would have you believe that this is the case and in fact most sports superstars would agree. So why do so many business owners not train their minds for success?
If your brain is not trained for success in business, the biggest challenge you will have will 
be from yourself. We often call it self sabotage. Have you ever started to doubt your success by saying “I do not deserve to be here, I do not deserve to make a profit, I’m not good enough to be where I am, How come I am suddenly responsible for all these people” And this self talk will have emanated from years of other people telling you the same thing. So what can you do about it?
Alot it would seem. We call is IVVM and we practice it and encourage others to practice it as often as they possibly can. IVVM stands for Idealization, Visualization, Verbalization, Materialization. Sounds Crazy? Yes it does, and it feels crazy too. But remember this… Your brain will believe whatever you tell it to believe and you will achieve a great deal more of what you focus on rather than what you do not focus on. And IVVM addresses this.
Idealization – this is the process of determining exactly what you want to achieve with your life, your business, your family, your friends. In an ideal world what would your life look like?
Visualization – Have you got a visual of this ideal life – We recommend that people get pictures that represent all the things that they would like to achieve in their ideal life and attach a significance to that. If you would like to attain a degree from a top university, get a picture of that university and put it in your line of sight every day. If you would like to visit somewhere in the world, get the picture and start the focus.
Verbalization – This is the key – What do you need to say to yourself every day to combat the negative self talk. What I AM statements do you need to write which will have a positive affect on your life – start with a small list and build it up. Then say it to yourself at every opportunity.
Materialization – Watch what you have started to focus on becoming a reality.
This is not magic, this is not wishful thinking. This is about preparing your mind in a methodological way each and every day – just like you see the golfer in the master do, at every shot.
PS Well Done Adam Scott – Masters Champion 2013!
Have you ever been accused of being arrogant? or Over Confident? How did you feel about it? Did you feel that you were just being assertive in your position? Its a common problem and if not dealt with can lead to problems in your managerial career, ones that will eventually cause your advancement to be limited.
Good leadership is all about the ability to lead people in a particular direction, in pursuit of a particular objective, within a particular time frame An assertive person will have a very clear vision of where he wants to go, he will also understand the team he is leading and he will tailor his communication and leadership around the needs of his team. His communication will be inclusive but focused and clear. They will involve their team but will guide the discussion to prevent the objectives being sidetracked.
The overconfident leader will sweep everyone along in a haze of enthusiasm and this will work well while everything is going right. Once they hit a bump, the will lost their team because they have been more focused on themselves than on the whole team they are responsible for leading.
The arrogant leader will issue the orders with no opportunity for discussion. Their belief in 
their own superiority or their unwillingness to show any weakness because of their own insecurity will prevent them from listening or engaging in any conversation. This situation is further exacerbated when something goes wrong. The arrogant leader will rarely accept any responsibility for any wrong decision, they will blame their inferiors or make other excuses. And this can be very disconcerting and disheartening for team members.
In most cases, it is mis-communication, what is said vs what is heard, how something is said vs how that same thing is interpreted.
Dealing with an arrogant leader, at whatever level in the organisation can be very challenging. There is always the option of going to management if that option exists. If you are being forced to deal with it on your own, its important to realise that the arrogance can be a mask for insecurity, or lack of knowledge or lack of ability. It can stem from the person being in a position of authority without having eared the right so they cover their lack of experience with arrogance rather than learning how to be the person they need to be.
It can also stem from the title or profession assumed by that person and they may be using this title for more than it was intended. This is often evident in professional services businesses or businesses where the principal has achieved a higher level of educational qualification without receiving the same level of people and business management skills required.
If you are faced with any of these situations take the first step and call me…
It amazes me when I go into companies that depend on sales every day, only to find out 
that there is no proper defined sales process. The success of the business is left entirely to each sales person who deals with customers in their own way. Don’t get me wrong – there are lots of good and even excellent sales people out there that have never even heard of a sales process – there are very few really successful companies that continue to grow without one. Here are 5 reasons why a sales process is so important:
1. It causes you to look for best practice – what works for your business and what does not work. There is no time nowadays to learn by trial and error and it really is a waste of time when we know that systems, leverage and training can speed this up.
2. It increases your conversion rate and therefore your profits. We have often found companies who have sales people in a key position, fully aware that their selling skills leave a lot to be desired, yet take no corrective action. In many cases the salesperson is well versed in the products, is pleasant to the customers but cannot get them over the line, even when they want to buy. A sales process can help here.
3. It reduces your costs – in a number of areas but it does in marketing because your marketing ROI is working better through an improved conversion rate. It reduces your recruitment costs because salespeople who are selling are happier. A sales process, well implemented will make people more successful
4. It allows consistency – customers really like consistency and they come back when they know they will get the same service. A sales process allows consistency to be measured and managed and it enables a growing company to introduce new team members easily.
5. A sales process enables more delegation and means that business owners and managers can leave certain tasks to other members of the team. Team members appreciate this responsibility and will like it even more if they have a process to follow.
The process for sales and indeed marketing is as important as the process that you have for running your accounts, manufacturing your products, managing the delivery of your service. Take the time to create, measure and manage your sales process and watch your bottom line improve.
If you need help with your sales process call me on 087 222 0720
Ok, so you have been through the arduous task of placing your job advert, sifting through
CV’s, selecting people for interview, de-selecting people, having second interviews, checking references and the start day arrives and the new team member is thrown in at the deep end and left to wither and die…
Seems crazy – why would you go to all that trouble to hire the best person and not invest any or insufficient time in ensuring that they become productive for your business immediately.
How many employees have wondered “did I really make the right decision” when left on their own for hours on their first day with only a product brochure to read.
When you hire a new team member, there is no better time to explain your expectations to them, there will be no better time to ingrain your company culture and to explain what they need to do to enhance themselves while doing an excellent job for you.
It’s interesting, most employees get frustarted because they do not fully understand what is expected of them at work. Now is your chance to put that right. Here are 5 things that you should do with each new team member:
1. Make time for them on their fist day and make sure they are introduced properly to the team. Every time you introduce, explain clearly what their role will be and what you expect from them.
2. Sit down with them and explain their job role in detail again and how its success will be measured and also when you will start to see results from them
3. Outline what tasks they need to be completing each day and week (depending on their role) and explain how each part of their role is measured.
4. Go through the company Do’s and Don’ts without assuming anything. This is part of the culture of the business.
5. Explain how you are an organisation that thrives on ownership, accountability and responsibility rather than an environment where blame, excuses and denial are thriving.
This is just the start, the induction needs to be maintained for as long as it takes.
This is particularly important if you are in the process of managing a changing culture in an organisation, if you are faced with lower than satisfactory productivity or if there is an attitudinal epidemic in your organisation.
Never let a new team member become ingrained in the wrong culture. That’s your responsibility.
Need help with your team – Contact me today.
If you own a business that depends on you personally for its growth, either in terms of
technical ability or sales, then you will experience a challenge where your business will plateau or even struggle to survive. You effectively have a job and if you are like most people in a similar situation, you have a job that pays very little if you divide your income by the actual hours that you work.
So what can you do about this?
Well, all is not lost and there are steps that can be taken to enable you to have a business that is less dependent on you and more dependent on systems, lower paid administration staff and lower paid, lower skilled technical staff. It is often referred to as leverage or systemisation.
You see, not everything has to be done by you. You are not the best at everything. You were never the best at everything, you just started to think this way because you never stopped to really show anyone else how to do the job properly and explain why the job needed to be done properly. Often not easy to accept, but in most cases it is the truth.
You have to break your business down into the various function and then decide how many of them actually required you to do them (not today, but if someone else was trained properly) You then have to start the process of recruitment and delegation. You business may require improved cashflow, to enable some investment in team but this can be part of their role as well and if you are as busy as you say you are, then this will look after itself.
There may be revenue generating aspects of your business that do not require your involvement at all. You you are an accountant, are there services and products that you can sell that does not require your involvement – yes there are.
There may be areas that you have never explored because you were too must – now is the time to start the process properly. Are there products and services that you clients are buying from other that you have never bothered with because you were too busy? Now is the time to explore and this can be very lucrative because the sales acquisition cost is low.
As a business owner, do not get trapped in the JOB, earning little and working hard. Get a FREE Profit Checkup with me – call me today – 087 222 0720
I sat at a meeting recently where 3 people were required to take on positions of responsibility. The main role was filled but from a group of over 60 people, there were no volunteers or nominations for the remaining 2 positions. Most of the people had arrived at the meeting because they wanted change. But very few wanted to be the architects of change. Spectators vs Players. Its much easier to be a spectator.
In business, there is also a problem with too many spectators. Very few people really want to take on responsibility for themselves, let alone other people. Why is this? Especially since taking on responsibility and being the architect of positive change can do so much for an individual. It can cause and force them to grow as a person. It would require them to get involve, have a voice and challenge themselves to be better.
Very few people actually want this, they want to fit in. They want to keep the head down and plod along.
How many of these “head down”, “plod along” people do you have.
And this is your company. If you do have people like this in your team, the first one to have
to accept responsibility for it is your good self. Either you hired them like this (and therefore your hiring system needs improvement) or they got like this since you hired them (and therefore your people development skills need to be enhanced). Either way, the problem is yours and you have to do something about it.
Some steps to take?
1. Work out how must income your business has lost by working with mediocre people
2. Outline the options you have available – Appraise, Question, Plan for improvement, Plan for Departure
3. Identify why the situation has happened in the first place and how you were responsible for this negative development
4. Identify some systems improvements to prevent recurrence at same rate.
5. Go to work on yourself. Learn how to be a better leader and learn how to lead the team properly so that they welcome responsibility and achievement.
Recognise yourself? Call me on 087 222 0720
