Procrastination - Reviews - Patience - Beyond Referrals

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Monday Morning Motivators – January 28, 2007
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Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. Subscribing and unsubscribing at www.mondaymorningmotivators.com

Profit in business comes from repeat customers, customers that boast about your project or service, and that bring friends with them.
--W. Edwards Deming

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Table of Contents
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1. Entrepreneurial Procrastination – Linda Fayerweather
2. Product Reviews: Can you pass the test? - Rebecca Booth
3. Patience means Patience! – Pat Altvater
4. Networking is More than Referrals – Paula Frazier
5. To Do This Week
6. Fine Print

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1. Entrepreneurial Procrastination ============================================================
Procrastination is a lot like playing Trivial Pursuit®, you spend time, have some fun but when you are done; the dishes are still in the sink to wash! Well, entrepreneurs are famous for finding ways to start the next adventure before making sure the last one is complete. And often it doesn’t mean you, the entrepreneur need to do the work, it just needs to find a way to get done. If you don’t like the work, delegate it to an employee or outsource it. If it is yours to do, here are some simple tips to help you get the work.

1) Identify some rewards you will get when a project is completed – the bigger the project completed the bigger and better the reward;
2) Break big projects into smaller steps, this is a simple process that lean manufacturing does to keep quality high;
3) Get an accountability buddy or support group or challenge team and connect at least weekly;
4) Clean up the clutter in your workspace – clutter serves as reminders of other projects.

Know that you will not kick the procrastination habit quickly, but each step will get you closer to your goal and don’t forget – DELEGATE and OUTSOURCE are great tricks!

Copyright 2008 Linda Fayerweather is Lean Certified and details about getting your business lean are at: Changing Lanes LLC

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2. Product Reviews: Can you pass the test?
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What role do product reviews play in consumers' decisions on what to buy? According to the February 2008 issue of Entrepreneur magazine, they play an important role. Here's what they found:

-62% of shoppers read consumer-written product reviews online.
-80%+ say their purchase decisions have been directly influenced by reviews.
-70% of shoppers share product reviews with their friends, family or colleagues.
-18% of consumers say they will look for more product information than what's on the product's packaging. They are turning to online sources and other locations to find out more about the product they've just purchased.

Interesting stuff. How would consumers rank your products? Check FaceBook and other social networking sites to see if people are talking about your products or services. Better yet, see what they're saying about your competitors' products/services as well. Who knows, you might find another void to fill; thereby, giving you a competitive advantage. Rock on!

Copyright 2008 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
419-855-3399
www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com

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3. Patience means Patience!
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A few weeks ago, I discussed setting a goal for attracting 5 new clients for January. What happens if you get to today and only have 3? Impatience and comments like “I tried making an attraction plan for my perfect customer and this doesn’t work!”
Yes, it does! The Law of Attraction always works, just not on our time table. So if you haven’t achieved your goals for January, examine what you have achieved, what worked, what you could maybe tweak to have better results and keep moving yourself towards your goals. Who knows what may be going on behind the scenes that won’t be revealed to you for another month or two! So focus on enjoying the NOW moment and express gratitude for everything you attracted this month.


Pat Altvater
Licensed and Certified Strategic Attraction Coach
Certified Law of Attraction Practitioner
www.TransformationsInstitute.com

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4. Networking is More than Referrals
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One of my long time clients asked me for someone to one time this week. I’m always glad to spend quality time with my customers, but I wasn’t quite sure what they wanted to accomplish. When I asked about the nature of the meeting so I could prepare, they didn’t have a clear answer. Business or personal? She said it was both, but more personal. Clear as mud!?!

We finally met today and it was one of the most rewarding conversations I’ve had in a long time. We’re wired for referrals in BNI and Referral Institute, though we’re also acutely aware of the importance of building two other main networks – information and support. That’s exactly what she wanted!

She’d attended one of our workshops and we posed plenty of questions, questions that typically fall on deaf ears. This one really made her think – “Why do you do what you do?” It isn’t about products and services or features versus functions. It’s about YOU and what keeps you excited about the business you’re building. It’s your story . . . your most unique selling position. They’re like snowflakes. Each one is different and beautiful in its own way. Each one is unique.

Here are a few questions to help you begin to discover your unique selling position:

-What is your company mission? Your personal mission? How are they in alignment?
-What segment of your business gives you the most pleasure and the most profit?
-Are you seen as the vendor of choice? Why should people seek you out?
-How did you get started in your industry?

Of all the people who do what you do . . . why you? Your story is one of the very few things that can truly separate you from your competition. What’s your story?

Copyright 2008 Paula Frazier is a Master Trainer for Referral Institute and an Executive Director for BNI, the world’s leading referral organization. To learn more about marketing your business by relationship visit http://www.referralinstitute.com or http://www.bni.com .

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5. To Do This Week
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Enjoy today for just what the are.

Pockets - Equality - Responsibility - Bad Referrals

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Monday Morning Motivators - January 21, 2007
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Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. Subscribing and unsubscribing at http://www.mondaymorningmotivators.com/

"Maintaining a complicated life is a great way to avoid changing it."
--Elaine St. James

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Table of Contents
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1. Ask Your Customers - Linda Fayerweather
2. Not All Prospects are Created Equal - Rebecca Booth
3. Take Responsibility for Your Life - Pat Altvater
4. Referral Gone Bad - Paula Frazier
5. To Do This Week
6. Fine Print

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Ask Your Customers What They Want
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Pockets - that is what this customer wants, lots of pockets. Now if you are a guy and just read that you may be scratching your head because most men generally have at least 5 pockets even when they aren't wearing a jacket! Believe it or not, it is a luxury for women's pants AND jackets to have pockets. Being more a geek than a lady, I only carry a large wallet so my keys are in my left pocket, my cell phone and business cards are in my right which leaves me in a pickle when I don't have TWO pockets. Now, I have queried sales professionals about this lack of pockets and have been told...
"Pockets spoil the line of the outfit."
"Clothes with pockets are costly to make, translating to higher prices."
"Women carry purses."

Well, listen up manufactures of women's clothing:
1. Most hand bags I've seen tend to spoil the fashion more than pockets and are a nuisance to organize and keep track of;
2. My grandson, who is only 2'7" tall, recently wore pants with 4 pockets, a shirt with 2 pockets and he isn't coordinated enough to even use pockets;
3. Oh yes, I pay more for my pocket-less pants than my husband pays for his many pocketed pants;
4. Women carry purses, well, see number 1.
What's a woman to do? I don't know, maybe just vent - but I know for a fact that if any politicians running for any office went on the Pocket Platform, they would have my vote.

I do digress, and since we can't solve the pocket problem this morning, maybe you might want to ask your customers if there is something your product or service is missing that would make their life better. You may not be able to change things for all customers, but sometimes just listening is important!

Copyright 2008 Linda Fayerweather is Lean Certified and articles about getting your business lean are at: Changing Lanes LLC

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2. Not All Prospects Are Created Equal
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Sure, all prospects are important, but some require special attention. It's best to assess each of your prospects and put them into ABC categories. You can either sort your ABCs by the prospective value of the new piece of business or by readiness to buy. Those prospects on your "A" list will need more contact from you, but make sure that contact isn't always a "buy from me" or "buy now" message. Instead pepper your communications with personal notes attached to articles of interest for the prospect as well as invitations to your company's special events (tours, seminars, exhibitions in which you're participating). FYI, this same concept holds true for communicating with clients. ABC your way to higher profits in 2008!

Copyright 2007 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
http://www.rebeccaboothmarketinggoddess.com/

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3. Take Responsibility for your Life
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Rebecca Booth and I had the pleasure of attending a Jack Canfield Success Principles presentation in Detroit this past week. Principle #1 is to take 100% responsibility for your life because you created it! Everything that is in your current reality is there because of choices you made in the past - everything! You attracted it with your beliefs, thoughts and emotions. So if you want a different outcome in your life, all you need to do is change your inputs (your beliefs, thoughts and emotions). Start today and your tomorrows will be different.

I highly recommend Canfield's book, The Success Principles. To find out more about it, click here.

Copyright 2008 Pat Altvater
Owner, Transformations Institute
Author, Journey to WOW - Choose Health NOW
http://www.thesecretofpermanentweightloss.com/

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4. When Good Referrals Go Bad . . .2008 Fatalities!
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At a recent Certified Networker training, one of the conversations was around the significance of branding in a referral marketing plan. As a result, there was a husband and wife team participating that decided there was not enough consistency in some of their everyday marketing tools - business cards, letterhead, envelopes, banners, t-shirts . . . even their website. They realized the importance of pulling them together to effectively send a clear, memorable, repeatable message to create brand recognition in their market, and they were ready to take action.

So, I arranged a face to face introduction with a branding specialist that I was in relationship with to help get them on track. We all arrived the day of the meeting and THAT's when a perfectly good referral went bad . . .

Case #1 - Relationship Hi-Jacking: The person I trusted with my client's branding needs sent someone else to the meeting in their place, someone I'd only met a couple of times and that I truly didn't know well enough to entrust with my valuable relationships. The whole meeting could have been designated as a crime scene:

1. He (unintentionally) insulted me within the first 5 minutes.
2. He (inadvertently) insulted my clients within the first 10 minutes.
3. He (nervously) spent the first 20 minutes talking about his high profile/high budget clients and hadn't asked my clients the first question about their business.
4. And he neglected to properly thank me for the introduction. How rude!

Case Notes: If someone refers YOU, they are referring YOU not your business. They trust YOU not your co-workers. When it comes to whatever it is YOU do, they consider YOU to be the best. If it can't be YOU; they get to decide who, not YOU.

Are they guilty of relationship hi-jacking? No. They are innocent. They may have attempted it, but I allowed this injustice to happen. Remember, you're in charge of your relationships. Case closed!

Paula Frazier is a Master Trainer for Referral Institute and an Executive Director for BNI. While these are both international companies, she and her family have made Roanoke Virginia their home. To learn more about referral marketing opportunities in your area visit http://www.referralinstitute.com/.

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5. To Do This Week
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Pick on item this week you are procrastinating on and do it till it is done!

Enjoy a wonderful week.
Sincerely,
Linda Fayerweather, Editor
Changing Lanes LLC

Success - Dream Big Days - Gratitude - 4 Ways to Market

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Monday Morning Motivators – January 14, 2007
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Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. Subscribing and unsubscribing at www.mondaymorningmotivators.com

"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."
--T. S. Eliot

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Table of Contents
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1. Success Begins with You – Linda Fayerweather
2. “Dream Big Days” - Rebecca Booth
3. Law of Attraction – Step 4, Allow, Part 3 – Pat Altvater
4. Four Ways to Market Your Business – Paula Frazier
5. To Do This Week
6. Fine Print

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1. Success Begins with You
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When thinking about being successful, a good way to start is by surrounding ourselves with things that will emulate what we believe is successful. Hang out with smart, talented and creative people. Check out and read some great books. No time for books, listen to audio books or programs. Eating lunch alone, find people you’d like to meet and interview them over lunch. By creating opportunity and optimism, we will be shaped by these things. So, get started with a few simple tricks:
1. Spend time with dynamic people that will help you move forward,
2. Build a plan for the next twelve months that stretches your outcomes,
3. Carve out several hours a week to work on the future, and
4. Finally, identify and stay away from dream dashers – if you need a reality check, hire a coach or counselor.

Mr. Masaaki Imai, with his book "KAIZEN, the Key to Japan's Competitive Success" Kaizen: The Key To Japan's Competitive Success explained that about ninety-five percent of the people in this world have absolutely no interest in taking action to improve their lives – we have the choice to be the exception!

Copyright 2008 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz

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2. “Dream Big Days”
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Jan Wallen, Visioneer, (JanWallen.com) is a firm believer in “Dream Big Days.” What the devil is a DBD? It’s simple: it’s a day where you escape from your office and you spend it dreaming about what you want your business to be. Dream about the future, where do you want your business to be in a year, 5 years, 10 years. Also figure out which client is the best fit, if you want to another product to your arsenal, and once built who you'd sell the business to. Jot all of your dreams down on paper. Once you have captured your dreams, back up and start looking for ways that you can work on the dream one day at a time. Jan believes (and I agree) that no dream is too big to be realized as long as you plan for that success.

Copyright 2008 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
www.marketingsolutioneers.com

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3. Law of Attraction – Step 4, Allow, Part 3 – Gratitude
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Gratitude is the single best thing that you can do for yourself in terms of keeping your attitude, energy and vibration positive. Let’s say you want to attract 5 new clients in January. Each day be grateful for those new clients as if they’ve already arrived.

Now fast forward to the week of January 28th and you have attracted 3 new clients. Don’t despair that you only have three new clients, instead continue to practice gratitude; celebrate and acknowledge what HAS happened and with 4 days remaining, you never know what might show up. Gratitude for all that has happened so far, will reset your vibration to the way you want things to be and as always, Law of Attraction responds and matches your vibration.

Copyright 2008 Patricia Altvater
Transformations Institute
Author, Journey to Health 12-Month Total Transformation Program
www.transformationsinstitute.com

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4. Four Ways to Market Your Business
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Marketing Reality Check – How many ways are there for you to increase your business? Hundreds? Thousands? Try…FOUR!

Advertising - Effective advertising (tv, radio, newspaper, websites, billboards, pens, balloons, etc.) can strengthen your image, create awareness and generate leads by sending your message to targeted, large audiences. It does require an investment of money…and even multi billion dollar businesses have budgets. Are your advertising efforts producing all the sales you need? If so, stick with it. If not, consider complimenting it with another form of marketing.

Public Relations – Much like advertising, public relations can strengthen your brand and name recognition (especially for larger companies). While successful PR campaigns can produce some sales, most companies are equally interested in increasing their credibility through these efforts. It too requires an investment of money. Though it typically won’t make a “quick” difference on your bottom line; you can realize results.

Cold Calling – I was in staffing for years and this was the way my mentors taught me to build the business. I knew that if I made 60 cold calls a week, I’d set 10 appointments, which would generate 5 proposals and produce 2 new clients…WEEKLY. I didn’t love it, but I got good at it. The cost – time, gas money, wear and tear on the car…not to mention my high heel shoes!!! Knowing your numbers and consistently working them are key.

Word of Mouth – “Relationship marketing” has long been proven to be the most cost effective form of marketing. The main investment…time! It’s about STRATEGICALLY doing the right things, with the right people at the right time to develop long term relationships that ultimately (and continually) produce SALES!

You can go with advertising alone if your budget produces all the results you need. PR is typically best used in conjunction with other forms of marketing. Cold calling…not for me thank you. All things considered, WORD OF MOUTH can be a great method of choice!

Paula Frazier is a Master Trainer for Referral Institute and an Executive Director for BNI, the world’s leading referral organization. To learn more visit http://www.referralinstitutevirginia.com or reference The World’s Best Known Marketing Secret by Dr. Ivan Misner.

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5. To Do This Week
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Change your email signature or voice mail if you haven’t in 6 months!

Being - Allow - Referral & Marketing Goals

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Monday Morning Motivators – January 7, 2007
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Enjoy your java with an eclectic collection of tips and ideas to use today and to get energized for the week ahead. Subscribing and unsubscribing at www.mondaymorningmotivators.com

"I don't worry about the storms, I am learning to sail my own ship."
-- Louisa May Alcott

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Table of Contents
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1. Are You Being? – Linda Fayerweather
2. Putting Your 2008 Calendar into Action - Rebecca Booth
3. Law of Attraction – Step 4, Allow, Part II– Pat Altvater
4. What are your Referral Goals for 2008?– Paula Frazier
5. To Do This Week
6. Fine Print

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1. Are You a Human Being or a Human Doing?
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If you're like me, you were raised on the Do-Have-Be process which simply means “If you DO study hard at school, you will HAVE a good job and then you will BE successful. When it comes to business, I often see businesses working very hard at doing all the things that need to be done to have payroll, have bills, keep having customers, and hopefully becoming profitable.

Fortunately, over the last several years, I’ve had the privilege of working with clients that demonstrate BE-DO-HAVE, a philosophy that I’ve traced back to Napoleon Hill and the French Philosopher Descartes and it is really very simple. The first step is to BE what you are pursuing. This means learning, practicing, absorbing everything you can about your business and internalizing the related core values. Eventually, you will be DOing what the business requires and finally you will HAVE the things needed to make the business succeed.

If you are looking to make 2008 the year of your dreams and your business the success you want, start this January with really knowing who you will be and then act the part. “To be or not to be, that is the question” William Shakespeare, Hamlet.

Copyright 2008 Linda Fayerweather
Changing Lanes LLC
www.ChangingLanes.biz

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2. Putting Your 2008 Calendar into Action
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Last week, you made decisions on how you were going to market your business. You decided whom you were going to network with, where you were placing your ads and when you were sending out mailings. This week, it’s time to put your plans into action! Here’s what you’ll need to do it:
• 2008 calendar
• 4-5 colored pens/markers
• 4-5 colored highlighters
• Pencil.
First step: use your pens to color code the different networking events that you attend each month. Next: use the highlighters to mark impending deadlines or special events such as vacations, “dream big” days, and seminars you’re going to. Once again, color-code these by the different types of action. Last: pencil in your appointments.
By mapping out your entire year in color, you can actually “see” the marketing/networking that you’re doing! Isn’t that fantastic?!

Copyright 2008 Rebecca Booth
Marketing Goddess
Imagine That!
www.marketingsolutioneers.com

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3. Law of Attraction – Step 4, Allow, Part 2 - Detachment
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Another part of the Allow step is to detach from the outcome. Detaching means to not focus on the HOW and WHEN of your dreams. Once you commit to your intentions, New Year’s resolutions, or goals and dreams, your subconscious mind and the Universe go to work on figuring out the HOW for you. Too many of us get caught up in thinking we can’t achieve something really, really big because we can’t see the HOW we are going to make it happen. Detach from that; don’t even think about it. Just commit to your dream, take inspired actions every day and your dream will unfold in the most amazing ways.

Copyright 2008 Patricia Altvater
Transformations Institute
Author, Journey to Health 12-Month Total Transformation Program
www.transformationsinstitute.com

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4. What are your Referral Goals for 2008?
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It's a New Year, the time of year when everyone makes New Year’s resolutions. This year throw out the New Year’s resolutions and set your 2008 Goals. Don't let your referral business happen by accident; focus on your business referral goals. Here are some simple questions to help you get started.

How much money do you want to make by referral in 2008?
You are going to make money in many different ways. How much money do you want to make by referral.

How many referrals will you need to close, to make that much money?
You will need to know the average value of a sale as well as your closing ratio to determine how many referrals you will need. Visit http://www.referralinstitute.com to use their proven referral Pipeline calculation.

How many Referral Partners will you develop to help you this year?
Training Referral Partners is a true case of "Givers Gain". You cannot make withdrawals from an account if you have not made deposits.

How many hours will you spend networking?
Remember, time is money. Make sure that you are at the right networking events with the right people. Networking for the sake of networking is not a good use of your referral development time. Have a plan and work your plan.

Accountability is the key to staying on task and achieving your goals. Find someone or something that will help you be accountable to your goals!

Copyright 2008 Co-Written by Paula Frazier and Hazel Walker who are Master Trainers for Referral Institute and Executive Directors for BNI.
Paula Frazier, Executive Director
BNI – Southwestern Virginia http://bniswva.com
Referral Institute http://www.referralinstitute.com

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5. To Do This Week
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Each morning, list the three things you must get done that day.