This is a TV interview I did for One On One with Steve Adubato. It’s about 10-minutes long. Usually TV interviews are fast and furious and about sound bites. This show is better than that. We had time to sit down and really talk. I enjoyed it very much. I hope you do too.
Have you ever checked caller-id and cringed? Remember, you are in control. Even in today’s economy, a checkbook and pulse do not a client make…. You do get to choose who you work with.
Ask to see the potential red flags
Develop a screening process. Ask open-ended questions. Open-ended questions are those that cannot be answered with a yes or no, such as:
–Tell me about a past job(s)?
–What are your expectations/ requirements for this product/ service?
–What process did you go through to determine these requirements or needs?
–How do you see this happening?
–What is it that you’d like to see accomplished?
The key is to listen closely to what they do and don’t say… Are the expectations reasonable? Are they realistic with their time frame, budget and needs? Is everybody else at fault? It’s harder to do, but try to listen to what they don’t say including their non-verbals, are they rolling their eyes as they talk about someone (a sign of disrespect) or is it said with a sarcastic tone…
It is okay to say thanks but no thanks…
To create a rewarding practice that helps many more people in the long run, you sometimes have to do uncomfortable things. It is not self-centered or egotistical to say no. Keep of list of referral partners or simply say, “Thank you, this isn’t something I do.” Your business (and life) is yours to design. Take time to attract the people you are meant to serve. Part of choosing the “right client” involves gently steering the wrong ones away.
“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.”—Bill Cosby
Have a great day whatever your adventure.
To Success! To Life!
Sharon
p.s. “Everybody and Anybody” are not target markets. There are people that energize and inspire us and those that don’t. Why risk your reputation and sanity working for someone that you cannot do your best work with. So how can you tell before you start work?
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What are some of the first perceptions your clients have when they think of you, your company and what you offer?
Perception is defined as a state of awareness . How aware is your target market of you? Different people take in the world through different senses – seeing, hearing, or feeling it – some express themselves in pictures, others talk about how things sound, and others how it makes them feel.
Have your clients going out of their mind over you….
To be first in mind with your target market, it is important to vividly differentiate your differences in their memory. One way is to connect with how they view the world.
People have three preferred methods of perceiving the world around them:
• Visual – about 35% of the population (they “see” the world)
— Appearance is important
— They remember things through pictures or moving images
• Auditory – about 25% of the population (they “hear” the world)
— They remember what was said, the sounds of an event or product
— Gather information from how you say it more than what you say
• Kinethetic – about 40% of the population (they “feel” the world).
— Gather information through touch, emotion, and “gut” instinct
— Act on what and how they feel
Now, that we know this listen to how you current clients describe you and what you do. Make note of which predicates (see, hear or feel,) they use to describe you. This list will give you which sense they prefer. We all use every sense, yet most of us have a preferred way of perceiving the world. Use the right copy (words) to establish rapport with them. See our blog post “Every Person Speaks A Different Language” for ideas on “the right words.”
To make sure you are first in mind, let visuals see, kinethetics feel, and auditories hear about the unique benefits you offer.
Have a great day whatever your adventure
To Success! To Life!
Sharon
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Let’s be honest, are you really doing everything you need to be successful each and every day? I know, I’m not… so how can I complain… I can’t. A favorite quote of mine is from the character Yoda, “Do or do not, there is no try.” To be in integrity with myself, I have to take an honest look at my intentions, my actions and my results. The “MYs” have it…that’s what they are “my choices.”
Why do I bring this up? Well, as a coach sometimes I meet someone who asks for help, yet I know there is nothing I could possibly say (do) after listening to pages and pages of the past. I soon realize they are running for the mayor of Drama-land. They say they seek results, yet they do not do…. many times, the do not even try. It’s the drama (and sympathy) they seek, not the success they say they want.
We are each responsible for our outcomes… good intentions do not matter if there is no follow through with actions to get our desired outcomes. Don’t get me wrong, good intentions are great—it’s the first step needed to take action. Take my relationship with exercise… I have good intentions to get to the gym every day. I pay a huge membership monthly (you would think that would motivate me.) I have the right clothes and even home equipment. I could make the time, but I don’t. So, I can’t blame the gym. I can’t blame the clothes or equipment, I can’t blame my schedule – but I do… It’s the actions that count.
It’s what we do with each day that determines our future.
Lights, Camera, Action!
Have a great day whatever your adventure
To Success! To Life!
Sharon
p.s. I have to LOL! My friend and fellow BYS coach Jeff Simpkins, I swear so many times we are on the same wave length… as I was preparing to send this to you I get notice of his latest blog post…you guessed it – on drama in your life… Check it out here: http://tinyurl.com/lu73lv
If someone could tell you what your odds of succeeding in business were, would you want to know the answer? If you’re like most people, you’d jump at such an opportunity.
That’s why I’m excited to share news that StartupNation has introduced a simple “Odds of Success Calculator” to help you understand your odds for success based on eight simple questions. They use comparative data from over a half million businesses to help you identify and evaluate business risk, and calculate the probability of whether your business will succeed or fail.
Here’s a direct link to the Odds of Success Calculator:
http://www.startupnation.com/small-business-success-calculator
Your results are provided along with specific suggestions for how you can clearly improve your chances for success. Best of all, it’s offered at no charge. Some of the key risk factors, including amount of capital investment, difficulty in obtaining funds, quality of financial management, degree of business planning, annual industry growth rate, management experience and industry experience are considered. One thing I enjoyed was entering different timeframes for success, such as two years or four years.
Definitely give it a spin and be sure to use the advice and resources they give to improve your odds.No Comments »
