Instant Teleseminar

What I love about Instant Teleseminar is that it’s easy to use, and it’s really reliable.

Your attendees can access the calls a few different ways: by telephone (with an option for local dial in numbers as well), by webcast, by web call (using their headset or microphone and speakers) or even by Skype.

So you have a greater chance of people attending your event with these options.

You can show powerpoint presentations, and you can even play pre-recording music or recordings into your presentation, to make them really dynamic.

The calls record automatically so no worries about missed recordings. And my favourite feature is the Autopilot – so you can pre-record and the call will play back at your scheduled time.

I recommend Instant Teleseminar to all of my clients for their virtual events. They have different levels of monthly packages, and they start at just $49/month – and of course, they have a free trial! Check it out!

Habit #7: Sharpen the Saw

You are your greatest asset in your business.

As a service business owner, your clients buy you.

But I would be willing to be that you don’t respect yourself as much as your clients do.

You run from task to task, getting things done, and sometimes maybe you don’t stop to eat or even take a break. Maybe you work all hours of the day, weekends, holidays, and don’t take vacations. Can you say burnout?

You are not doing your clients (you know, the ones who PAY you) any favours by treating yourself like that.

It’s in your best business interest to nurture yourself – you will be better for your clients and your business – and yourself!

Sharpening the saw refers to caring for yourself in various ways. Physical (eat well, get rest, take care!), Social (connecting with others and building positive relationships), Mental (taking classes, getting coaching, keeping on top of business trends), Spiritual (taking time off, meditating, planning down time).

Caring for yourself is very often one of the last things that small business owners do – when really it should be at the top of the list.

I remember when my son was born someone said ‘He’s the most important person in your world now.’ and I said, ‘No, I am.’ and they gave me very odd look. I went on, ‘I have to be my best self to be the best mom I can be for him. Without keeping myself as the most important person in my life, I have less to give him.’

It’s exactly the same principle with our business. We have to be the best we can be for our clients, our team members, our colleagues. Our primary service is ourselves. We need to nurture that and care for it, and help it grow. That’s just good business planning.

I’d love for you to share your insights about self-care and enhancing your greatest asset on my Facebook page.

Habit #6: Synergize (Two Heads are Better than One)

Solopreneur does not mean you have to everything alone. But so many small business owners seem to think that.

It’s kind of funny. You go into business to provide a service to your clients – one that you are an absolute expert at providing – and then you end up doing administrative work, bookkeeping, marketing, business strategy and a ton of other stuff. Not in your brilliance. Not your area of specialty. Because you think you have to!

But you don’t. In fact, you shouldn’t. All of those areas that I just mentioned, and more, should be left to those who specialize in them. Your business will grow faster when you concentrate on what you do best, and get help with everything else.

One key area to get support is with business strategy – two heads ARE better than one. Looking at your business from an objective eye is sometimes impossible. It’s your baby. You have built it. No one knows your business like you do. So it can sometimes be hard to accept other people’s comments on what you are doing, or how you are doing it.

But great strategy is so important to keep your business growing and moving forward. And it’s important to consult with someone regularly to build that strategy on an ongoing basis.

New ideas, new insight are wonderful building blocks that you can constantly be adding to make your business better. Keeping things status quo could keep your business stuck where you are.

Other ways of getting support like admin, bookkeeping, marketing and so on, help you develop collaboration and teamwork. Also very important when your business grows. Think about it – if your business gets as successful as you probably imagine it in your head, then you will eventually need support with all of those things anyway. Better to start working with others now so you can build quickly and easily when you want to.

Collaborate with people who share your values, your ideas, your work ethic and your general business outlook. Not only will it help your business, but that makes it fun too!

I’d love for you to share your insights about teamwork and getting support on my Facebook page.

Habit #5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood

One of the first thing I tell my VA students is to look at the message they are putting out for their clients.

Most often I find that they are talking about what a VA is … not how a VA can help their clients.

It’s a common error but we quickly turn it around by doing a lesson on how (and why!) to learn more about your clients.

And all small business owners need to heed this advice.

Learn about your clients – what they do, how they do it, who they do it with, where they do it when they do it and even why they do it.

The answers to these questions will give you invaluable insight into how to communicate with your audience, and how to build relationships with them quickly and easily.

It’s important to ask questions to get the answers you need. There is the research stage, of course, when you start to think about how you can serve a particular market. And then there is the practical stage, when you are networking with that market, and developing relationships with potential clients.

Always focus on what your potential clients need. And then help them make decisions about whether to work with you or not by taking their cues, and letting them know how you can help them solve their problem. Ask first, and then give your input about how you have helped others with a similar situation. Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

If they are not making enough money in their business, you will want to understand why that is. What are they doing now to earn? What have they tried in the past? What has worked for them? What has not worked for them? And so on.

I became acutely aware of this habit by a colleague many years ago. She watched me do a presentation Q&A and gave me feedback and the end. She noticed that I was replying very quickly to the questions that the participants were asking. She thought I made them feel stupid because I was forming the answer to the question in my head while they were still asking it. What feedback! I had no idea! I made solid adjustments to my question-response timing and I even found that I got more information out of the prospect by not jumping in so quickly. It’s definitely an effective strategy.

People will listen to what you have to say, but they always want to know how you can help them and how much it will cost them. It’s natural. So start there, and you’ll move forward a lot faster.

I’d love for you to share your insights about understanding your audience on my Facebook page.

Habit #4: Think Win-Win

Win-win is more than an attitude. It’s a concept that will help you grow your business.

Competition is one of the things that often comes up when we are talking about marketing, and just being in business.

We look at our competitors, we study their moves, we want to know what they are doing right and what they are doing wrong.

But keeping your competitors at arms’ length doesn’t always work – perhaps if you are selling products it might be an effective strategy, but not in the service industry.

When you are in a service business, you are selling yourself. So, really, there isn’t any competition. Who could possibly compete with you? You are unique and different from everyone else. Your clients decide to work with you because of YOU, not because of many other reasons. And not all clients will be a good fit with you.

So then we think of our fellow service business owners as colleagues. And they are just that.

Try not to compare yourself to the others who provide similar services as you. Think of them as people to grow with, learn from, and share with.

Doing so will build your confidence much faster, and you will develop better business relationships too.

And by developing better business relationships, your business will grow. That’s win-win.

I’d love for you to share your insights about win-win mentality on my Facebook page.

Habit #3 Put First Things First

This is a familiar statement for many areas of life – putting first things first is the same thing as starting at step 1. And that’s important to do in every aspect of your business.

Putting first things first means to begin where you need to, so that you can progress through the proper steps, or channels, to reach your end goal.

Let’s think about this by showing you a few examples:

1. You want to get support in your business. Well, first you need to think about specifically what you need help with. It won’t serve you to start looking for support if you don’t know what you plan to outsource.

2. You want to redo your website. First you need to think about what you want your final product to look like. This will give you much more insight when you are considering a design company to help you make the change.

3. You want to change your target market or specialty. First you need to think about your timeline and the specific steps that you need to put in place to make a smooth transition from one to the other.

Get the picture? Starting with the first thing helps you to get organized and get a solid plan in place to make whatever changes you want to make.

And it’s not limited to changes in your business. The same principle applies to anything you do in business. Maybe you want to increase your networking opportunities. Maybe you want to launch a new product or program. Maybe you need to plan more sales calls in your business activity. Starting at the beginning is the key to anything you do.

I’d love for you to share your insights about first things first on my Facebook page.

Habit #2: Begin with the End in Mind

Planning is a huge part of any success in your small business.

But planning can often lead to confusion, because people often start at the beginning.

Consider this: you want to build your subscriber list.

You can set a goal to start building your list, but that won’t be the only thing you need to do. Knowing what you want people to do when they come into your ‘funnel’ is only half of what you need to think about. And starting with that goal is great, but it won’t get you moving forward.

You need to think about what you want the outcome to be. You know that you want them to them to do, every step of the way. So you start with the end in mind.

Where are they coming in to your funnel? What do you want them to do as their eventual conversion? Probably become a client of some kind. Great. So then work back from there – how will you move them along your funnel … and what do you want them to do in the meantime?

Once you start to think about your steps, you will realize that there are many ‘ends’ along the way to them as they move through your funnel. Consider all of them.

A sample intake might be:

Sign up for your free report on your website
Connect with you on social media, start developing relationship with you
Start receiving your newsletter for regular communication
Move them into a free video series
Move them into an entry level product purchase
Continue to track interest and build relationship with them
Move them to a higher level product purchase

… and so on.

There are many levels – and some people might go directly to the higher level stuff, but most people will not.

So look at each step of your funnel and think about what you want the end goal of each campaign to be. Then work back to build the steps so that you are guiding them to do what you want them to do. And connect each section of your funnel with transition pieces that make sense.

Working from the end back is a smart way to build a strong, functional funnel that converts your prospects.

I’d love for you to share your insights about beginning with the end in mind on my Facebook page.

When you are getting started, it can feel like no one even notices you, and if you are just putting up a list of services that you provide that might even be the case.

That’s why it’s important to get specific about a few things and use those things to build a strategy to get clients to notice you.

1. Know who you can best support or serve. The services you provide are probably ‘in need’ in several industries, especially if you work in administration. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that you can help everyone. You need to really get clear on what you do best, what you are an expert at, and then figure out who you can help the most, and then you will ‘target’ that market to connect with and work with.  By being really specific about who your client is, you will be able to get in touch with them quickly and speak directly to them, and you will sign more clients in a shorter time frame than by trying to put your services out there to everyone on the Internet.

2. Know exactly what they need. By studying your target market and your ideal client, you also need to determine their needs. You need to know how their business runs, how they interact with their clients and the specific kind of support they need in their business. By getting to know their needs better, you can tailor what you do so that you are the perfect person to help them in their business. It’s not enough to be able to provide a long list of services; if you can’t explain to a prospective client how you know you can help them in their business, they probably won’t buy your services. Be clear and be confident and you will sign them.

3. Know the benefits of your services. One common mistake small business owners make when discussing their services with prospective clients, is to tell them the features of the services they provide (turnaround time, process by which you complete things, specifics of packages and rates). While features are important from your own perspective, it’s really not important to the client. What they want to know is how you are going to help them and their business.  So you need to know how each of your services will benefit them: ie, save them time, save them money, give them more time to work with clients, broaden their audience, etc.) This is a key area to present your expertise to your market as well, so really be sure to work on this when you are doing your marketing strategy.

Look carefully at these things to develop a successful marketing plan. Figure out who you can best support, research them so you know what they need, and determine what benefits you can provide them with. Then all you have to do is find them and connect with them. If you do your research and you speak directly to them, you will build up a loyal following of great clients before long!

It’s a terrific, easy-to-read book that takes you through the various components of how to sell effectively – by being you and by knowing what your customers want. That is some serious paraphrasing, but you get the point!

One of the chapters in particular spoke to me and I wanted to share it with you. It’s called Sell Yourself.

Harvey talks about the three toughest sells being Company, Product and Self. As a small business owner and a mentor, I know how difficult selling yourself can be.

Selling yourself can be one of the most difficult things to do, if you do not recognize your own value. If you can’t see and describe the value you provide to your clients, you will have a more difficult time finding new clients.

If you find yourself having endless conversations with prospects … and coming up without the sale more often than with the sale … your problem may be value-related.

Prospects can come up with every objection in the book, but the bottom line is that people spend money on things that they consider to be valuable.

Exercise: Try recording your sales conversations for the next month. Revisit them after you have finished. Note what you did right … and what you did wrong. Listen for missed cues or things that you can fix or tweak for your next call. Improving your skills on sales calls will definitely help you to see if you are missing opportunities to show your value to your prospects.

When you are working on your marketing, be sure to place big emphasis on your own value – what makes you the best choice to work with, your expertise – but always bring it back to the client … and how that expertise you provide will benefit them, and be of value to them. When you look at your marketing message from a value perspective, it’s much easier to sell yourself.

After all, how can your prospects recognize your value if you don’t?