Archives for May 2014

Are You Wasting Your Most Valuable Resource?

May 26, 2014 By Leave a Comment

The other day I was listening to an interview with a lawyer who was talking about the strategies big companies employ when doing large merges and acquisitions. He described an incredibly complicated process which included moving sizable sums of money to off-shore accounts and partnering with and sometimes buying other companies in Europe to avoid tax implications.

I was fascinated by the complexity of the maneuvering he described. As I listened, I just kept thinking, holy-moly this guy is smart. I mean to keep track of all of those moving pieces must take incredible knowledge and organization. How can one person know so much? Where did he get the time to amass so much knowledge? And then it hit me…he made the time.

In order to master anything, you must make time to perfect your craft.

We all have the capacity to be masters, but very few of us have the discipline. This lawyer had obviously worked hard to become an expert in merges and acquisition law. How many hours had he spent at the library? How many law books and case studies did he read? And here’s the biggie. What did he have to give up to in order to do so? Where did he find the TIME? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business Building Strategies, Success Strategies, Uncategorized, Winning mindsets, Winning Strategies Tagged With: , , , ,

Are Sales Slipping Through Your Fingers?

May 25, 2014 By Leave a Comment

There is one pretty clear rule in business, no sales equals no money. Ugg. Wouldn’t it be great if clients would just enroll themselves? You wouldn’t have to do those uncomfortable sales calls.

Making sales calls is something a lot of entrepreneurs dread. In fact, a lot of entrepreneurs actually avoid making them which is a shame because by doing so they are leaving money on the table. I have to admit I used to be one of those people. The idea of picking up the phone to ask someone for egads, money, made my palms sweats. What was that rule again? Ah, yes, no sales=no money.

There you have it, sales calls have to be done.

But why does it seems so scary?

A lot of it is wrapped up in self-worth. Have you ever had this thought “Who am I to ask for so much money?” Maybe you’ve never had that exact thought, but there are other gems we tell ourselves. Here are some you may recognize:

-I don’t want to be seen as greedy.
-I I don’t want to seem stuck-up.
-I really am asking a lot of money for what I’m offering.
-I don’t want to bother/annoy/pester anyone.
-I don’t want to be perceived as one of those sleazy, high-pressure sales people.
-This person seems so nice, I’m just going to charge them _____ instead of my full price.
-I don’t want the other person to get mad or be offended by my prices.
-What if they don’t have the money, I don’t want to put anyone out.

We all struggle with limiting beliefs when faced with potential rejection, but we have a choice. We can either succumb and suffer the consequence, or we can learn to shift our mindset so we get get what we want. 

Here are a few tips to make your sales calls go from fearful to fruitful: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Increasing profits, Sales Tagged With: , , , , ,

Your Brand is Calling… Are you listening?

May 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Now that summer is approaching (big yeah!!) it’s time for ice-cream season. Ok, in full honesty it’s always ice-cream season in my house. But nothing is as good as going to one of those awesome ice-cream shops with tubs of the colorful cold stuff. I love watching my kids press their noses against the glass trying to decide between Moose Tracks and rainbow sherbet. I usually go with some low-fat yogurt number and then watch pining away as the kids slurp up their creaming drippings.

Honestly, I don’t even know why I pick the yogurt. I don’t really like it that much. I end up consuming empty calories without the satisfying pleasure that should accompany indulging. It’s kind of a waste. For all the bother, I’d rather have an apple. But in the moment of choice, I focus on what I should be doing so I pick a treat that really isn’t much of a treat and I go away feeling kind of gypped.

What’s worse is the whole time I’m slugging through my yogurt, I have to watch everyone else enjoying their choices. Sometimes it’s hard for the kids too. They may like what they got, but then they look over at their sisters and feel jealous. What if hers is better? What if she made a better choice?

Why all the focus cups and cones? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Authentic Branding, Bold Branding Tagged With: , , , ,

If the Shoe Doesn’t Fit Anymore

May 14, 2014 By 4 Comments

Did you ever get the feeling that something in your business doesn’t feel right? You start to get a little gnawing feeling you can’t identify. It’s not that things are dramatically wrong, but they aren’t exactly right either. Maybe you have some clients coming in, but the business still isn’t really taking off. Or you could even have a more steady stream of clients, but you just aren’t as excited to work with them as you used to be.

What’s going on?

You could be in the wrong shoes, brand shoes that is.

Remember when you were a kid. One day you’d be running around in your Hush Puppies and the next, your little piggies would be banging up against the edges. It can be like that with your brand too. You are plugging along in your business feeling like everything is fine until you realize everything is not fine. You may not be sure why, but you know you don’t feel good. Something is being pinched, and that thing is [Read more…]

Filed Under: Authentic Branding, Brand Building, Brand Management Tagged With: , , , , ,

How To Be Number One!

May 6, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Everyone likes a winner. Have you ever noticed when a sports team wins a championship even people from other regions buy and wear the winning team’s paraphernalia? It’s as if by wearing the  team’s logo you yourself are elevated in status. (In all fairness, if you wear a Red Sox cap, you do go up a few notches.)

We like to be associated with success. When we watch the Olympics or American Idol, we route especially hard for the person who is from our city or state. They somehow represent us except…they don’t. We haven’t actually done anything, unless you count grabbing a bowl of Ben and Jerry’s and cheering from the couch.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think it’s great to cheer for your favorite sports team or support your local talent. What isn’t good is when we find our identification as a business person wrapped up in the reputation of our favorite guru du jour. We do a kind of weird reverse projection. Instead of projecting our baggage onto someone else, we suck their brand onto ourselves.

I do think it’s good to emulate success and I even think it’s useful to model yourself after people you admire. However, in order to be truly successful in your own right, [Read more…]

Filed Under: Authentic Branding, Bold Branding Tagged With: , , , ,