entrepreneur Archives - Page 7 of 8

SBM#44- Want More Sales? Follow Up!

Tagged as: closing, entrepreneur, follow up, professional, propsect, sales, small business, small business expert, Small Business Minute

One of the simplest ways to increase your sales closing ratio is by simply following up with your prospects in a timely manner.

All too often I encounter entrepreneurs who lament at how difficult business is or that they just don’t get sales even though they are pitching and quoting.

Digging a little deeper quickly uncovers one of the main reasons for their poor sales performance, they don’t follow up. It is estimated that 85% of sales contacts are never followed up.

When I enquire as to why they don’t follow up, I usually get the same answer- “I don’t want to bother them or come across as pushy’. To this I typically respond by saying “they asked you to quote, so a few follow up calls is not considered pushy, if done in a professional manner”

People Are Well Intentioned

When you consider that people lead busy lives and although well intentioned, they sometimes need a little friendly nudge in order to take action. I can’t tell you how many times a prospect has thanked me for following up with them- which is certainly in contrast to what we would expect.

By following up, it also gives the serious prospect the opportunity to ask questions or get answers to things they thought of since our last meeting and more often than not, if it doesn’t result in an immediate order, it certainly moves the process along and keeps me in contact with the prospect.

So if you want more sales, follow up.

You may also enjoy The 80/20 Rules For Sales

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Greg Weatherdon has been there, done that. As an entrepreneur, he learned not only how to get a business to the point of running smoothly, but also how to reduce the number of hours he worked, delegate more responsibility to his employees, and take longer vacations while his business chugged along like a well-oiled machine. And now he is providing the secret to success.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #42- Successful People Do The Hard Stuff!

Tagged as: disappointment, entrepreneur, failures, grinding, hard stuff, information, knowledge, Olympians, pianist, small business, small business expert, Small Business Minute, successful, training

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

No one likes doing hard stuff. It’s far easier and requires far less motivation to do the things we like. Great concert pianists produce wonderful music in what appears to be an effortless manner. Top ranked Olympians appear to have superhuman abilities and successful entrepreneurs have an air of quiet self-confidence.

What We Don’t See

The one thing all these individuals have in common, is that they put in the time and effort required to develop and refine their skills. What we don’t see is the hours upon hours, year in, year out that the pianist has spent practicing at the keyboard. Nor do we see the Olympian training long before the sun comes up, when they’d rather stay in bed.

The successful entrepreneur is not excluded. What we don’t see is the copious amounts of information they consume in their off hours or the mental gymnastics they perform as they try to distill this new knowledge into an actionable strategy all the while keeping up the daily demands of their enterprise.

Believe me, these individuals would prefer not to have to work so hard, given that there is no guarantee of success. But they do!

Regardless of the repeated disappointments and failures, they just don’t quit!

They just pick themselves up and keep on grinding it out, with only their thoughts to keep them company, because successful people do the hard stuff.

You may also enjoy Small Gains, Big Rewards

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #37- Limitations

Tagged as: ego, entrepreneur, hide, limitations, limits, small business, small business expert, Small Business Minute, success, weakness

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Whether we chose to admit it or not, every entrepreneur has limitations and failure to acknowledge them can become an anchor that limits our success.

“Unfortunately, most of us never seem to shake our start-up attitude”

Granted, during the start-up years we must do everything to get our enterprise off the ground and there are many things that we aren’t very good at. Fortunately, we only have to be good enough at our limitations until such time as we can hire people that are better at them.

Unfortunately, most of us never seem to shake our start-up attitude, even though we’re not start-ups any longer. Is it because we don’t want to show any weakness? Is it because we let our pride and ego get in the way? Are we afraid of what people will think? Or do we just not know any better? I’m not totally sure.

“What I do know is that most successful people never hide their limitations.”

What I do know is that most successful people never hide their limitations. They acknowledge their existence and build their companies with either employees or 3rd party resources that fill those gaps.

My advice is simple. Identify your limitations, then concentrate on the things that you are good at, and let others do what they’re good at. This will move your company forward at a much faster pace.

You may also enjoy Want To Get Better? Work At It!

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #36- Innovation Starts at Home

Tagged as: cost reduction, customer experience, entrepreneur, expert, improvements, innovation, small business, small business expert, Small Business Minute

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

If you’re to believe everything you hear or read about innovation, you would be justified in thinking that innovation is an area best left to the big companies, but that would be wrong.

“Don’t let the status quo be

the reason you don’t try something new”

If truth be told, every company, regardless of size, has the opportunity to innovate. Although small innovations never make headlines, they never the less can make a dramatic impact within your company, and frankly that’s all that really matters.

What you need to understand is that most successful innovation comes from either borrowing ideas from other industries or reconfiguring your existing products or services to tackle new markets or customers.

“Simply changing some business processes to be more

efficient can be considered innovative”

A great example of borrowing ideas is Henry Ford who has been heralded for developing the modern auto assembly line, he actually borrowed and adapted the process from the meat packing industry.

Simply changing some business processes to be more efficient can be considered innovative, if it reduces costs, improves the customer experience or generates more profit.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks to innovation is ”the industry doesn’t do that” attitude but to my way of thinking that’s exactly why it should be done.

Don’t let the status quo be the reason you don’t try something new. You just don’t know where it will take you.

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #35 – Motivation and Inspiration

Tagged as: entrepreneur, goal, inspiration, motivation, small business, small business expert, Small Business Minute, success

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Everyone one of us needs to be motivated and inspired occasionally. Although successful entrepreneurs are inherently self motivated but none the less they still look for opportunities to keep themselves in the right frame of mind.

Being inspired or motivated is only half the required elements to achievement. The other half is action.

“Being motivated and inspired has little or no value if you don’t put anything into action.”

The biggest difference between successful and struggling entrepreneurs is action. Being motivated and inspired has little or no value if you don’t put anything into action. Spewing forth motivational quotes or inspirational stories is nothing more than a feel good exercise when you fail to take any steps towards accomplishing your goals.

“Turning your inspiration in to action is not always easy.”

Committing to doing something and actually doing it is the true test of being inspired. Wanting to do something and doing it are two entirely different things. Turning your inspiration in to action is not always easy.

The same applies for motivation. Alone, it will do nothing for you if you don’t have a plan. That plan should consist of all the steps required to achieve your objective.

Having all the necessary steps clearly laid out ahead of time will make taking those first steps much easier and will give you the momentum you need to launch yourself toward your goal when motivation and inspiration meet.

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #33- Responsibility & Authority

Tagged as: contradictory, customer service, entrepreneur, problem solving, profitability, selling your business, small business, small business expert, Small Business Minute

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

A common mistake entrepreneurs make is that they expect their employees to take responsibility for the job they are tasked to do but fail to give them the authority they need.

“It’s a little contradictory and more than frustrating for your team.”

This is particularly evident in customer service or customer facing positions. We tell our team that we want to provide the best customer service or experience, yet what typically happens is the individual is powerless to deliver on that promise without first checking with the owner or manager. It’s a little contradictory and more than frustrating for your team.

Additionally, by giving them the authority to solve the problem immediately for the customer, you’ve just increased the overall efficiency of that area and thereby reduced your costs. How so? It’s simple math. Think about it this way; a customer calls with an issue. The team member listens to the problem but even though they most likely know what should be done they don’t have the authority to remedy the situation because they need to check with the owner.

So they take down the information and tell the customer they’ll get back to them. Now they need to track you down and most likely to be told the exact same thing they were thinking of in the first place. How much time got wasted? How often during the day, week or month does this happen? I repeat, how much time was wasted?

“Giving them the authority to go along with the responsibility, everybody wins!”

Most employees with any tenure know their limitations and will usually stay on side with your wishes and for those rare occasions when they get a little too generous, let them know and provide them with alternatives. This would be another teaching moment.

By giving them the authority to go along with the responsibility, everybody wins!

Find out more about Teaching Moments here

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #32- Empathy-The Double Edged Sword!

Tagged as: Balance, decision making, Empathy, employees, entrepreneur, Goldilocks, leadership, Small Business Minute, success, The Three Bears

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Most successful entrepreneurs that I’ve met have a balanced approach to empathy, deep when required and non-existent when really necessary. On the other hand, I witness owners that aren’t so balanced.

Those that have too much empathy, frequently worry way too much how a given decision or request will be accepted by their employees and regularly succumb to the slightest resistance. This failure to follow through on their decision, even though deep down inside they know it’s the right to do, often limits their success or ability to move the company forward.

“In many cases these companies find it difficult to keep good people”

Conversely, having no empathy can be equally limiting. Individuals with no empathy are regularly referred to as tyrannical or worse by their employees. Right, wrong or indifferent these owners don’t care how their decisions will impact the individuals that work for the organization. It’s their way or the highway.

In many cases these companies find it difficult to keep good people because their lack of respect or don’t seek their input. More often than not, those companies are left with mediocre employees that are unwillingly or unable to leave even though they would like to.

Having a balanced approach to empathy is one of the best attributes a leader can have. Taking into account the impact and feelings a decision can have on employees and then adjusting if they receive valid feedback. It’s a sign that you respect and appreciate input and that you are open to feedback.

“Taking the time to explain, goes a long way”

There are occasions when a decision is not open to debate. It could be a change in direction, a new policy or any number of unpleasant decisions we as owners are forced to make once in a while. In these situations, simply taking the time to explain the rationale for the decision, goes a long way to minimizing any hard feelings.

Having the right balance of empathy is akin to the beds in Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Not too soft, not too hard, but just right.

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #31- A Message To Employees.

Tagged as: boring, choices, entrepreneur, fulfilling, Future, Google, improvement, investment, videos, you

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Its not always your bosses fault that you don’t like your job. Sure it’s easy to blame someone else that you’re not reaching your full potential, that your job is boring and repetitive to say nothing of the fact that you feel stuck without choices. To that I say, get over it.

Working for an entrepreneur can be both challenging and fulfilling

Where is it written that they are responsible for your future? Working for an entrepreneur can be both challenging and fulfilling all at the same time. Challenging because they don’t always have the time to communicate their wants clearly, leaving you to figure out what they meant. Fulfilling because in many cases you have the opportunity to take on as much responsibility as you can handle. But first you must take charge of your personal growth.

If this is a new concept to you, getting started is easier than you might think. A question I regularly ask owners is, “ What are the three things that keep you up at night?” For employees, I ask ‘What are the three things you would change in your job?” Not the company, not someone else’s job, but your job!

Based on my experience, every job can be made better. So pick one of the three and start investing your time and thought energy on trying to make this one area better.

“just showing up isn’t good enough”

With the world of information available at your fingertips, start searching Google for topics related to the what your trying to improve. Read the articles, watch the videos, do a deep dive on the subject and become the company expert on the subject. Chances are no one will stop you from making real improvements. Most gains can be made without spending a penny.

The more value you provide, the more valuable you become and chances are you’ll make more money and be given more responsibility but never forget it all starts with you. Not willing to make the investment? That’s your choice because just showing up isn’t good enough.

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM #30- Want To Get Better? Work At It!

Tagged as: entrepreneur, motorcycle training, owner, podcast, skill set, tactic

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

I regularly tell business owners that you don’t have to be an expert in every area of your business, but you have to good enough at everything until you can afford to hire someone who is better than you in a specific discipline.

This is pretty simple advice but it can be challenging for the entrepreneur because they don’t know where to begin. As humans, we tend to gravitate towards the things we like or good at and avoid those things we don’t understand.

“learning anything new can be tedious”

Chances are you got good at something because you spent time doing it and eventually became proficient at it. Same applies to learning anything new, you must work at it. Of course, learning anything new can be tedious, but the more information we consume on the subject, the easier it becomes. Before you know it you start to become confident in your newly acquired skill set.

“look in the direction that you want to go”

If you have ever taken motorcycle training, one of the very first things they teach you is to look in the direction that you want to go. This is especially useful when you encounter a rock or pothole. If you focus your gaze on the obstacle you’re trying to avoid, that’s exactly where you’ll go.

So to avoid the potentially damaging encounter you must train yourself to look away from it in order to avoid it. This is very counter intuitive. The same applies to improving a skill. If you want to improve something you must force yourself to work at it.

The simplest place to start is to pick up a book or listen to any number of podcasts that are available on the topic you want to improve.

So if you want to get better at something- Work at it!

You may also enjoy Cash Flow-The Breath of Life

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

SBM#28- Worry Without Action=Stress

Tagged as: control, entrepreneur, priorities, progress, revenue, small business, stress

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Being the creator of our future is part of the allure to being an entrepreneur, however one of the costs of doing so is the increased stress we experience while chasing our dreams.

The thing with stress is that although we all experience it, how we deal with it can be far different. Some even look upon it as a badge of honor and fool themselves into thinking that stress is a great motivator and therefore they’re making progress, when in fact they could be more effective if they could just reduce their stress.

Get Things Done

Funny enough, one of the easiest ways to do that is to get things done. You see, stress is not a result of having too much to do, but of never finishing anything. As entrepreneurs we always seem to have far more priorities or ideas that we want to implement than we have time.

Just like the proverbial plate spinner who can never rest, for fear the plates will come crashing down, we always seem to have far too many priorities that never get completed. Over time these unfinished priorities accumulate to the point that we feel we are overwhelmed and now stressed.

Decide What’s Important

The best solution I’ve found is to make a list of all outstanding projects. This alone will reduce your stress. Next decide which are the most important to move your company ahead. Typically, revenue generating activities should take priority and not pet projects and then get them done.

This simple approach will go a long way to reducing stress and give you a feeling of control

If you found this helpful, Tweet, Like or tell a friend.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

You shouldn’t be the hardest working person in your company.

Many small business owners find that even after the struggling start-up years, they’re working too many hours and still managing every aspect of their businesses.

Do you suffer from any of the following?

1. Business ownership isn’t living up to the dream.
2. Endless workdays.
3. You can’t find good people.
4. Profits are less than expected.
5. You can never take a vacation.

You’re not alone. But there is a solution. As Greg demonstrates, with some time and effort, you really can Get More Life Out Of Your Business.

ORDER HERE

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Tag: entrepreneur

SBM#44- Want More Sales? Follow Up!

People Are Well Intentioned

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #42- Successful People Do The Hard Stuff!

What We Don’t See

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #37- Limitations

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #36- Innovation Starts at Home

the reason you don’t try something new”

efficient can be considered innovative”

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #35 – Motivation and Inspiration

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #33- Responsibility & Authority

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #32- Empathy-The Double Edged Sword!

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #31- A Message To Employees.

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM #30- Want To Get Better? Work At It!

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

SBM#28- Worry Without Action=Stress

Get More LIFE Out of Your Business

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