Today, I’ve got a major challenge for you. I want you to take a look at what you are currently spending on marketing – whether it’s on brochures, your website, pay per clicks, PR, newspaper, direct mail, social media etc. – and I want you to slash the total budget by 20%.  No matter what you are selling and where you are selling it, I guarantee that you won’t miss that 20%.  And there is a very good reason for that.  96% of the people who see your message right now, don’t get it anyway.  You are spending thousands of dollars each year on sales and marketing materials to increase your sales and the vast majority of your prospects don’t understand your message – so they can’t possibly recall it and buy from you.

So with the money you just saved in your pocket, we are going to take a few minutes right now to re-engineer your message and give you a much better chance of getting through and being understood.  The good news is this – it is not going to cost you much to take the time right now to create a message that helps more of your prospects to say “yes”. And if more leads say “yes”, the money you do spend on sales and marketing is going to increase your sales.

To prove my point, I’d like to make you an interesting offer – I can either give you $50 cash right now or a piece of paper where I will write the net present value of a five year annuity at a compound annual interest rate of 10%, adjusted for CPI.  Which of these sounds more appealing to you? Which would you rather take right now?  Which of these can you take now, put in your wallet or spend it at the shopping centre?

Unless you are one of those very rare individuals who can calculate in your head the value of my second offer, I’m willing to bet you’d rather just take the $50.  And that makes a whole lot of sense, because everyone knows what $50 is and what it is worth. There’s nothing confusing about it, is there?

The part of your brain that makes decisions is not interested in working hard to figure out what my message means and what it’s worth. That part of your brain is looking for something that is tangible.  And if you’re unsure about whether a message is tangible or not – ask yourself “would a 6 year old understand it?”

Think about it – if I offer you a $50 note or an orange, you don’t have to think very hard about it to figure out what I am offering you, do you?  Both of them are equally easy to understand.  As soon as you see it, you know what it is and you know exactly what you can do with it. $50 will buy you enough food to cook a meal and the orange is good for you – it’s tasty and you can eat it.  There are no directions and no heavy thinking required to make sense of what I am offering you.  Your new brain doesn’t have to do any thinking (and wasting time) to get my message.

So what does this mean for you, your message and your customers?  If you are making it hard for your customers to understand what you do and whether they are getting a good deal, you need to spend some time right now making your offer more tangible.  Ask yourself “does my message include a bunch of big words, fluff and jargon?”  Could it be boiled down to something that a 6 year old could understand?  What do you need to do to communicate it more clearly to increase your sales – t0 help your prospects to be able to say “yes”? Can you simplify the words that you use or introduce photos or props to get your message across faster?

Now, I think you can guess that coming up with a simple, succinct message is a lot harder than being lazy and throwing together an ad full of useless, complicated information.  A good rule of thumb here is to remember that you should be working harder to craft and simplify your message than your prospect has to in order to decipher it.  Someone has to do the hard work – either you are committed to doing it before hand or your customer will need to think about it.

Now if you are serious about saving money and you want to increase your sales, you won’t spend another cent until you stop, take a good hard look at your materials and do whatever it takes to make your message tangible.  You don’t have to spend more money to chase find customers.  What you really need to do is take the complication and confusion out of your message so that more of your prospects can say “yes” now.

How often do you shoot yourself in the foot in business?

As a business owner, I’ll bet you’re incredibly busy and find that there  never seems to be enough hours in the day to complete all your work.

Have you ever noticed that some of your everyday activities are just deeply  ingrained habits – driving your car, putting on your watch, brushing your teeth  or taking a shower? You wouldn’t dream of not doing them, they are part of your  routine and they just seem to happen automatically. In your business you also  have habits such as checking your website, opening the mail, reading emails,  grabbing a coffee and glancing at your diary. You do them without conscious  “thought” and they seem to fill up hours in your day…

But what about all the actions you need to take in order to build a more  profitable and efficient business? Like following up with your best customers,  asking for referrals, strategic planning and goal setting to grow your business?  When do you do these activities? Do they often get relegated to “tomorrow” or  “sometime soon”?

If you’ve ever spent your day stuck in back to back meetings, answering  routine questions from your team, responding to emails, helping other people,  doing paperwork or tidying your office – you already know that these are “make  busy” activities, and they will keep you trapped where you already are – just  simply maintaining, not growing your business. By filling your days with these  tasks, you are in effect avoiding the very activities that you know will really  move your business forward and produce tangible results.

Your “make busy” work or habits create the magnificent illusion that you are  hard at work, simply because you feel “flat out” and your day is full of tasks.  Let’s be honest, you would actually rather do anything than face the activities  you know would radically accelerate your business success NOW! In fact, you  often get to the end of the day and say to yourself “It’s OK, I was really busy,  I’ll just get to that marketing plan tomorrow.” Or “I just couldn’t find the  time today to make that seminar on leadership or customer loyalty.”

If you are waiting for the right or best time to do these critical activities  in your business, it will simply never come! There will always be other “busy  work” to fill all of your available time. You need to find a way to make your  business building activities an ingrained habit too, if you want to grow your  bottom line and live the lifestyle of your dreams.

Do you relate to or identify with any of these common sabotage habits?

1. Perfectionism – this tactic is insidious. It often immobilizes us from  making a decision, starting a project or activity and signing off on a piece of  important work. Most tasks don’t have to be 100% perfect, they just need to be  good enough. The other way that this can show up is when you deceive yourself  into believing that no-one else can do the job (even simple routine tasks) to  your exacting standard, so you must do it ALL yourself. Follow the 80/20 rule,  delegate what you do not have to do yourself and give yourself permission to be  human!

2. Refusing to Let Go of The Past – Have you ever heard yourself say “last  time I tried that, it didn’t work”? Or have you ever simply avoided doing  something that you know you should or need to do but were afraid to do because  “last time it didn’t work out the way you wanted it to”? Even though it’s a good  idea to stop doing what clearly doesn’t work, it’s important to remember that  the past does not necessarily equal the future. If you catch yourself finding  reasons from the past to justify why you are not moving ahead toward your  compelling future, stop NOW and take a good hard look at whether these are just  cleverly disguised forms of self-sabotage.

3. Lack of Accountability – who is holding you accountable to the decisions  you make and the actions you take in your own company? Isn’t that why you went  into business for yourself in the first place – so that you could be the boss  and do things your way? Find someone outside your business – a coach, mentor or  trusted advisor that can act as a sounding board and hold you accountable to  staying on track.

4. Lack of vision, planning and specificity – if you don’t know where you are  going, how will you know when you get there? Enough said. If you don’t have a 90  day, 1 year and 3 year business plan, you need to make this your number one  priority in your business. Set a weekend aside and find a place where you will  not be disturbed by anyone or anything. Set down your goals clearly and  succinctly – get clear about the specifics (who, what, where, when and why) and  set realistic deadlines for completion. Goals need to be written down in detail  to allow your mind – which is a goal seeking mechanism – to do its magic.

5. Lack of focus – stay focused on the important task you are currently  working on and only allow yourself to be diverted by real emergencies.

6. Fear of Financials – you cannot have a truly successful business if you  don’t know your numbers. Not knowing your numbers has already cost you time and  money. Find someone who can explain your financials to you in plain English –  learn the key drivers and indexes in your business (such as break even,  productivity ratios, inventory turns, gross profit margins etc.) and track them  daily.

7. No USP – the greatest product or service in the world will not sell if you  have not clearly defined why someone should buy from you instead of your  competitors. “Build it and they will come is a fallacy.” If you have not yet  figured out what is unique about your product or service and found a compelling  and cost effective way to communicate it in everything you do, you are literally  flushing your marketing budget down the toilette.

8. No Testing and Measuring – this is the most-often overlooked activity by  small business owners. The simple act of testing and measuring everything in  your business…and I mean everything…will save you thousands of dollars this  year. No matter what “it” is, if you haven’t tested and measured “it”, you don’t  really know if “it” works. And until you know if it works, you don’t have a  reliable, predictable business that will run without out.

Unfortunately, there are no quick fixes. As you already know or suspect, some  of the most common forms of self-sabotage are habits because they are deeply  ingrained behaviours that take time to establish or eliminate. In the 1960’s a  highly regarded plastic surgeon, Dr. Maxwell Maltz discovered that it took 21  days for amputees to cease feeling phantom sensations in their amputated limb.  From further observations and significant research he established that it takes  21 days to create a new habit.

Brain circuits take engrams (which are essentially “memory traces”) and  produce neuroconnections and neuropathways only if they are bombarded for 21  days in a row. This means that our brain does not accept new data or information  for a change of habit unless it is repeated each day (without fail) for at  least 21 days. Changing habits (whether positive or negative) can be done but it  takes time and consistent effort.

Do yourself a favour and identify today which form of self-sabotage is the  primary one that is holding you back from having the business and lifestyle of  your dreams. Make a plan on paper – specific decisions and actions that you can  take to move forward in this aspect every single day for the next month. It is  imperative to track your progress each day and I highly recommend finding an  objective person outside of your business to hold you accountable to your plan,  actions and results.

Are you at a crossroads in your business?  Perhaps you are working too hard and not achieving the financial results you deserve or maybe you are just looking for better and more effective ways to grow your business profitably?

Business coaching can assist you to achieve phenomenal improvements in your business – the crucial step is to find and select a Melbourne business coach that is ideally suited to inspire and empower you with the right questions, tools and strategies to move your business and your results forward.  You need to find someone who “gets you” and your business and can help you to quickly identify where you need to focus your energy and resources to get the maximum impact on your bottom line.  In order to work smarter, not harder, this means your coach will show you how to stop doing all the things that are hurting your results or holding you back.

Even though I started off as a Melbourne business coach, I have presented to over 15,000 business owners worldwide and coached businesses in almost every industry – including trades, retail, hospitality, professional services, building and construction, furniture and homewares, import/export, automotive, manufacturing, aged care and health services, medical and health services, agriculture, mining, pharmaceuticals, accommodation, warehousing, media, financial services, rental and hiring, employment and education.  I have a proven track record as a Melbourne business coach (and with clients around the world), helping entrepreneurs just like you achieve their dreams and goals.  I can help you:

• Increase the number of leads and sales you get for every dollar you invest in sales and marketing activities
• Grow your bottom line and cash flow reliably and predictably
• Break even sooner each month so that you can put more cash back in your own pocket instead of just paying everyone else
• Reduce the amount of time and money you waste on activities that are not productive in your business
• Understand the key drivers in your business so that you can set realistic targets and communicate them effectively to your team
• Demystify the numbers in your financial statements so that you don’t have to wait till the end of the financial year to find out whether you achieved your goals or not
• Ask better questions, make better decisions and step up as a leader

Do these sound like the sort of results that you’d like to achieve for your business?  Great, then you may want to submit an application form now to be considered for one of my upcoming coaching programs.  Please know that I am very selective in who I choose to work with and am looking for business owners who are:

• Committed to the goal of growing a strong business and are willing to do the work
• Willing to step back and evaluate what is working and not working
• Serious about tracking and measuring their results so that we can set targets and key performance indicators
• Interested in building and strengthening the team around them
• Keen to put systems in place so that the business operates more reliably and predictably
• Exploring an exit or succession strategy

So if you have decided to move forward and find a Melbourne business coach that can assist you to step up and boost your results, please drop us a line and let us know why you would make an ideal client.

As discussed above, there are a multitude of scenarios and reasons why you might seek out a Melbourne business coach, but one thing is for certain, it pays to do your due diligence and seek out a creditable business coach or mentor.  Here are my top tips for finding a reputable Melbourne business coach that can help you:

• Research their credentials – look for someone who has committed to their own business and coaching education and who has a wealth of experience across disciplines (not just sales and marketing credentials).
• Beware of anyone who does not analyse your financial statements up front and assess the health of your business before commencing work with you on plans and strategies.
• Avoid social media and branding experts – many of these “experts” have little business experience and you can easily waste thousands of dollars and get no return on your investment.
• Read the publications and media coverage for your potential coach – the best candidates will have strong followings, lots of relevant media exposure and the ability to explain important concepts and strategies to you in plain English.
• Look for a Melbourne business coach that has built successful businesses in the past – avoid coaches whose testimonials are non-specific or cannot be validated.
• Insist on a coach that has at least 3 years experience coaching and has a client retention history of at least 12 months.

These questions are fairly straightforward but crucial for helping you decide on the right Melbourne Business Coach who is qualified and capable to assist you.

If you’d like to know more about how business coaching can help you to achieve your goals, please fill in the contact form on this page with your request.

Rhondalynn
Your Melbourne Business Coach.

Could a good spring cleaning boost your business?

It doesn’t matter whether it is springtime or autumn where you live – the best thing that you can do to improve your business right now is a bit of spring cleaning.

By this of course, I mean reinvigorate some of the housekeeping issues that you may have  overlooked in recent times. Over the last few years you may have found it  possible to get away with a few loose ends and haphazard processes, but not any  more.  The tough economic times have changed all of that.  It’s time to get serious about tightening up your systems and securing your future.  Here are my Top 10 Tips to improve your results:

1. Have a plan
Position your business for the year ahead. Decide on your  strategy, set your goals and work on your tactics. Put these together in a one  or two page business plan. Uncertain times call for certain actions.

2. Forecast your cash flows
Maintain a cash flow forecast so you can use  it as an early warning system. The sooner you get an indication that your cash  is tightening the more time you will have up your sleeve to take action.

3. Collect your debtors more quickly
On average how long do your debtors  take to pay you? Aim to reduce this by at least 10 days – if your annual revenue  is $1 million you could save yourself $3,000

4. Reintroduce credit checks
Have you got a bit lazy about running credit  checks? Reintroduce them.

5. Monitor your customers debtor history
Are any of your customers  starting to take more credit than usual? Keep a close eye on them. They could be  feeling the squeeze so be careful about extending too much credit.

6. Evaluate your customers
Do you know who your best and worse customers  are? How much profit are you making from each customer? If you don’t know, now  is the right time to set up systems to track this and….

7. Cull your bottom customers
Harsh as it may sound, concentrate on your  best customers. Lavish them with attention. If you have unprofitable customers,  cull them. You have no room for passengers.

8. Trim your product range
If you are carrying a wide range of stock trim  it. Do this by calculating which of you stock lines are your worst performers;  sell those lines quickly to release some cash. Reduce your overall investment in  stock.

9. Look at your processes
Mistakes are costly so take a look at your  processes. What can you tighten up or do differently to lower the chance of  errors?

10. Have a budget
Having a budget isn’t about cutting costs, it is about  managing costs. So budget your expenditure for the year and track your actual  costs closely. If you see costs starting to climb take steps to reduce your non  essential expenditure.

So in the face of rising interest rates and a global economic downturn the  best thing that you can do to improve your business is to tighten up your belt and the system in your operation.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5442279

I recently purchased a pair of authentic Vintage Versace sunglasses online  and was amazed at the number of fake designer sunglasses and handbags advertised  on the internet. In fact, there are more videos and websites dedicated to  promoting and avoiding counterfeit products than there are sites selling genuine  designer items.

What does this tell you?

The market for rip offs and counterfeit items is huge. According to  fashionistas, editors and bloggers in the industry, the total spending on fake  or “knock-off” designer goods eclipses the amount actually spent on the real  thing. In fact, if you see someone on the street with a Versace, Hermes or Fendi  bag, there’s only a 1 in 100 chance that it’s authentic.  Customers prefer replicas.

So how does this impact you and your business?

Unfortunately, many consumers would rather invest a little to give the appearance that they appreciate quality. The fakes are inferior, but many customers choose them anyway because they want to maintain a facade. They want the quick fix – the easy path to looking successful but few want to make the necessary investment of time and money, required to BE successful.

In order to stand out in a marketplace where imitations and charlatans are  plentiful, you need to do the opposite of what your competition is doing.

Where their message is confusing, yours must be simple.

When they are selling features and benefits, you must present the  solution.

Where they are focused on their brand, you must identify your customer’s pain  and cure it.

Where their claims are unsubstantiated, yours must be tangible.

There will always be a long list of vendors and products to satisfy the  insatiable appetite for “almost authentic”. And in the end, the purchaser will  always get exactly what they paid for. If you continue to compete based on price  alone (or intangible claims), 99% of your customers will continue to assume that  you are not the real deal either.

Rest assured, your potential customer will continue to be in pain no matter which  replicas and quick fixes she purchases in the meantime. Eventually, the pain  will become so acute that she will seek out your genuine solution. Make it  easier for her to find you by having a clear message that helps her to decide  and say “Yes.” Help her to know that you are authentic – put a fair price on  what you do, provide tangible proof your solution works and then deliver on your  promise.

Solutions are like diamonds, precious and rare. Fakes are like dry leaves in  the fall, found everywhere.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6586136