Today is a perfect day…
To labour, to learn, to laugh, to love and to be lazy…
I choose a bit of everything today… with a big dollop
of lazy…
Some meditation, some inspirational reading, some reflective writing…
Time in my office to add the finishing touches to tomorrow’s webinar…
De-clutter a corner of the spare room to make space for new opportunities with a clean desk…
A walk along the foreshore… a cuppa and a little snack as we watch the world go by…
Talking about the future… creating it in the present…
Being in the present because everything I do this day and every day matters
The sun is shining; the birds are chirping in full surround sound
Life is very very good…
Living each and every moment with gratitude…
Category: Thinking
Your problem is never as bad as you think it is… 13 strategies to deal with it
CASE STUDY:
Client walks into a session today overwhelmed, tired, frustrated and crying over money and staff issues
One hour later – session ends, client walks out smiling, energised, enthusiastic – she has a page full of notes, ideas and strategies to work on to get her out of burnout and into bliss over the next 90 days.
It’s not uncommon, a meltdown – it may even have happened to you… once or twice … or about a million times!
So what is the MAGIC we worked together?
Now first I have to say, that what I REALLY like about this client (and why I chose to take her on) is that she said “I take responsibility – it’s my fault. What do we do to fix it?”
Actually she needed to think differently. She wasn’t truly stuck, just feeling a lack of resourcefulness – and her Mojo had wandered off for a coffee somewhere.
We looked at the positives: She has no current debts; she has a business earning income so she has cashflow (but not enough of it) and she has stock and services to sell, people to do the work and a database of clients.
So for the rest of the session we brainstormed ideas…
And came up with over 15 ideas that she can implement in the next 90 days to get her business out of chaos and back into bliss – to get the money flowing and the team on side.
Here’s some of what we came up with in just over ONE HOUR:
1. She has a database full of current and past customers – which she has NEVER tapped into.
- We’ll now be working on making contact through email marketing and an online newsletter to reignite the “lapsed” clients and to nurture the current ones
- She has a Facebook page and website that need work, so she’ll be adding content and enriching the experience for visitors
- We’re creating some “irresistible offers” excusive to her best clients
- She’ll be producing a hard copy newsletter – just one A4 sheet printed both sides to start
- As well as having the hard copy newsletter in her business premises it will also go to her strategic alliances to promote referrals
- She’ll be hosting some intimate “bring a friend” in-house events to get more referrals
- She’ll invite her strategic alliances to speak and partner with her at events – at her premises and theirs
2. There are some money leaks and blockages
- The team will have weekly sales training to learn how to sell elegantly, delivered by the best salespeople on the team
- The team will learn how to upsell “would you like ‘fries’ with that”? We’ve identified a number of ‘fries’ in the business
- She is reviewing her prices – she hasn’t put them up in a long time
- We identified that money is leaking out of the business because the staff is undercharging or not charging properly. They will be trained to use the POS software correctly.
- We’ll implement some “house rules” for staff and expect more considerate behaviour
- She has worked out her “break-even” point -what the business needs just to survive and pay its bills and set targets for what she really wants.
Now, she can’t do all this tomorrow – so her homework is to put these strategies into a timeline for the next 90 Days.
None of this is rocket science – you may have heard it before. But to make it work you need to know which buttons to press and when. And if you’re like me you’ll do way better when someone is either holding your hand or giving you a size 9 boot where it’s most needed. (YES I have a coach – actually two of them… double accountability!)
Look if you know you need this kind of support to get you moving with energy and enthusiasm – and if it’s time to call your Mojo back from coffee break … then you probably should look at the “From Business Burnout to Business Bliss in Under 90 Days” Program.
It’s already started – people are already kicking goals!
CLICK HERE for the details
It’s by application only, you can’t just sign up, so we’ll need to talk after you’ve filled in the application. I need to know that you will work and that you’ll be successful.
Let’s get you moving eh?
Have you used it yet?
You know that thought that keeps popping up after a lovely holiday – no, not the one that wishes you were still on holiday but the nagging little one that tries to get you off your butt – “I really should MOVE IT!”
Well it’s time to listen to it! Use that voice in your head to do something!
Left to our own devices we humans can procrastinate – A LOT! (not that there’s anything wrong with that IF it’s the right kind of procrastination!!! But that’s a trade secret for another time)
And before too long we’re all standing around shuffling our feet and remarking “Gosh is that the date? Where HAS the year gone”…
…all that wasted precious time!
But I don’t want that to be you. Because I really, REALLY want you to do well this year – exceed your expectations in fact!
And I have a trade secret to share…
True confession – I have a coach – actually I have two! TO MAKE ME DO WHAT I PROMISED MYSELF I WOULD DO! And I have a VA who makes sure I do it too! (And helps – quite a lot)
So, just what did you put into practice last year to get you MOVING towards:
- getting out of chaos and under control,
- making more money with less stress
- and working with more of the customers and clients you REALLY want?
Now, I’ve got some good news and some bad news …
I am personally going to work with a handful of “I NEED THIS NOW – IT CANT WAIT” committed business owners to blast your business through the roof in the next 90 days!
I guarantee that before the 90 days is up you will think differently, do things differently and get the specific measurable outcomes you want – with accountability!
The good news is The Business Bliss Program is blasting off – THIS MONTH!!!
The bad news is if you snooze you lose…
You can’t just pay and join my programs… I’m very picky about who I work with. We have to be a good fit together. I have to know that you will keep your promises! As I will keep mine.
APPLY HERE – yes you can read through the details first.
To see if we can work together we’ll have a 10 minute chat and I’ll tell you honestly if I can help you or not.
Sound fair?
But you know, this is not for everybody – if it’s just not what you’re looking for or you might be up to your ears in stuff that is more important and urgent than your business right now…
I get that.
So to keep you ticking along, here are some freebies
1. Download my “The 7 Business Building Tools You’ll Need to Make THIS Your BEST YEAR YET” for FREE here.
2. Watch the Business Bliss video – you can download or watch it here.
Here’s to a BRILLIANT Year!
Cheers,
Pauline
PS – Let’s get this party started! Join here.
PPS My clients are already MOVING – Tracey Loubser said on FB last week: “Nothing like a Coaching call with Pauline Bright to get to back into the “swing of running your own business” after a great holiday – with a polite kick in the BUM to get you more “on the MOVE”!!”
A pat on the back before you move on
“Thank You and Hello” – How to Keep More Customers
- eaten in a restaurant
- bought new clothes
- stayed in a hotel
- bought a magazine
- gone 10 pin bowling
- bought a gift for a friend
- gone to the movies
- bought take-away food…
…and felt like a valued customer?
Not just in the moment (it’s fairly easy for a business to deliver that, although often quite rare) but in a long term relationship with that business.
As a customer how do you like to be treated? I’m always delighted when someone recognises me as a customer or prospective customer. I’m even more delighted when they call me by name and remember something about me.
Sure every business owner pays lip service to providing “excellent customer service” but if you don’t know your customer’s name when they shop with you again or never get in touch with them to add value or offer something else, then you’ve made the fatal mistake of saying “thank you and goodbye” instead of “thank you and hello”
What does this mean for your business?
You might be spending way too much money on trying to get new customers instead of serving the customers you already have. Thinking about how you could get even better at customer service and keeping your customers will significantly boost your profit.
If you have an invoice book or some kind of sales system to record customer details then you might be sitting on a gold mine and not even realising it.
If you keep a record of your customer’s name and phone number or email address then you have the start of some very effective low cost marketing.
How many times have you put your business card in a bowl at a restaurant to win a free dinner – and NEVER heard from them again? If you collect business cards from your customers and prospects you have an amazing resource for specific effective targeted marketing
If you offer a product or service that requires you to collect their home or business address then you have everything you need to send targeted direct mail marketing; the kind they’ll like receiving because it’s tailor made for them
Now, before you get hung up on privacy and spam issues –
OF COURSE you will let your customer know that you’ll be in touch with them again, get their permission to send them only things of value like reminders, special offers, invitations, VIP programs and helpful information about the product or service they bought and more.
Enjoy! You are creating customers for life 🙂