If you want to be successful you need to be a LLL. Life Long Learner.
Some one once said to me that you are never a failure until the day you stop learning.
Robert Kiyosaki, author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" said "The only way to fail is to quit!"
Learning doesn’t have to be confined to the class room. In fact I am not a great fan of formal education, trying to force square pegs into round holes just doesn’t work. As a student I was very middle of the road with average marks which reflected my attitude to learning.
What I love about Life long learning is that it encapsulates everything. Change is happening all around us, technology is growing at such a furious pace, there is always something to learn. Which is why yesterday I attended a workshop with Anne Durward Brown www.justreferrals.co.uk
So why, when I teach marketing am I going along to a referrals workshop? Surely I know all this stuff?
Well yes I do, but I don’t know everything, and pretty much of what I do know needed to be reinforced again. Knowledge is value. You are only as good as what you know, therefore as I see it I owe it to my clients to continuously learn, expand, update and refresh my skills, so that I can be more valuable to them.
I believe Life Long Leanring is the only sure way to improve your knowledge and skills, so that you can achieve success.
Where are you on your learning path?
Friday, 13 November 2009
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
How Often Do You Review Your Business Plan?
Surprisingly, a high majority of women who enrol on the Business Accelerator Programme don’t have a business plan.
However, I would argue that a business plan acts as an essential tool, a road map to steer you to your future success - you need to have some kind of written plan.
Okay, maybe a formal document that you would present to your bank manager isn’t necessary, but if you haven’t recorded specifically what it is you are wanting to achieve (your vision) with a clearly defined strategy of how to achieve it, how will you know which route to take, which way to go – because you won’t even know where you are heading.
A plan will give you a sense of direction, it will really help you to focus your thoughts and get specific about WHAT it is you want and WHY that important to you. You need to know in advance what projects you are going to work on, the projects will give you the best ROI, the opportunities that are available to you.
My challenge to you today is to sit down and outline a basic structure of how you intend to operate and
develop your business in a realistic and measurable way for the next 12 months.
If you already have a plan in place, congratulations. But I am not going to let you get off lightly, now is an ideal time to review your plan and update it – get clear on the goals, objectives and results you want to achieve in 2010 and you will be ahead of the game, ready to hit the ground running when the New Year comes.
However, I would argue that a business plan acts as an essential tool, a road map to steer you to your future success - you need to have some kind of written plan.
Okay, maybe a formal document that you would present to your bank manager isn’t necessary, but if you haven’t recorded specifically what it is you are wanting to achieve (your vision) with a clearly defined strategy of how to achieve it, how will you know which route to take, which way to go – because you won’t even know where you are heading.
A plan will give you a sense of direction, it will really help you to focus your thoughts and get specific about WHAT it is you want and WHY that important to you. You need to know in advance what projects you are going to work on, the projects will give you the best ROI, the opportunities that are available to you.
My challenge to you today is to sit down and outline a basic structure of how you intend to operate and
develop your business in a realistic and measurable way for the next 12 months.
If you already have a plan in place, congratulations. But I am not going to let you get off lightly, now is an ideal time to review your plan and update it – get clear on the goals, objectives and results you want to achieve in 2010 and you will be ahead of the game, ready to hit the ground running when the New Year comes.
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
Trust Your Instincts
A couple of weeks ago I took time for one of my ‘be nice to me days’ and used the occasion to treat myself to a make up lesson. I needed an absolute beginners crash course as I’ve never been very adventurous when it comes to wearing make-up, I’m a mascara, lipstick, done kinda girl.
Interestingly, I learned a few unexpected things from the experience - apart from how to apply my makeup that is.
The first is that we really do have the answers within us. Our instinct and intuition are very strong. Wendy showed me a beautiful palette of colours divided into warms and cools, my eyes were instantly drawn to the warm shades and I instinctively knew which shades were right for me.
Secondly, despite feeling rather cack handed in actually applying the makeup I realised I knew more than I thought, take applying blusher for example. It felt very natural applying the colour to my face and instinctively I used the correct strokes in the correct places.
So how does this experience relate to running a small business?
When you hone your intuition you have the ability to be your very own best resource,
Now I am all for mentorship and collaboration, it’s wonderful to have a team of trusted advisors, coaches and accountants for example but when it comes down to it, nobody understands your business quite like the person who’s running it - You.
Listen to the advice of others but at the end of the day you have to trust your own instincts.
Interestingly, I learned a few unexpected things from the experience - apart from how to apply my makeup that is.
The first is that we really do have the answers within us. Our instinct and intuition are very strong. Wendy showed me a beautiful palette of colours divided into warms and cools, my eyes were instantly drawn to the warm shades and I instinctively knew which shades were right for me.
Secondly, despite feeling rather cack handed in actually applying the makeup I realised I knew more than I thought, take applying blusher for example. It felt very natural applying the colour to my face and instinctively I used the correct strokes in the correct places.
So how does this experience relate to running a small business?
When you hone your intuition you have the ability to be your very own best resource,
Now I am all for mentorship and collaboration, it’s wonderful to have a team of trusted advisors, coaches and accountants for example but when it comes down to it, nobody understands your business quite like the person who’s running it - You.
Listen to the advice of others but at the end of the day you have to trust your own instincts.
Tuesday, 3 November 2009
As You Sow So Shall You Reap
I'm not sure where I originally came across this little ditty by personal development author Chuck Gallozzi but I want to share it with you because I think you will love it too!
Plant your garden of success today:
First, plant 3 rows of peas;
Patience
Positive thinking
Persistence
Next, plant 3 rows of squash;
Squash excuses
Squash blame
Squash criticism
Then, plant 3 rows of lettuce;
Let us be responsible
Let us be trustworthy
Let us be ambitious
Finish, with 3 rows of turnip;
Turn up when needed
Turn up with a smile
Turn up with confidence
Chuck Gallozzi
Plant your garden of success today:
First, plant 3 rows of peas;
Patience
Positive thinking
Persistence
Next, plant 3 rows of squash;
Squash excuses
Squash blame
Squash criticism
Then, plant 3 rows of lettuce;
Let us be responsible
Let us be trustworthy
Let us be ambitious
Finish, with 3 rows of turnip;
Turn up when needed
Turn up with a smile
Turn up with confidence
Chuck Gallozzi
Monday, 26 October 2009
It's Not What You Do Its The Way That You Do It - And Thats What Gets Results
I was talking to a prospective new client towards the end of last week about how the Business Accelerator Programme could specifically help her get off the starting blocks with her business idea and propel her to the position of business owner as opposed to where she currently is as a dreamer.
Quite rightly she had a lot of questions: How does the programme work? Can you guarantee it will be successful? What are the precise steps I need to take to get a good return on my investment?
All valid and very important questions that any prospective client should be asking and I totally understand the concerns. Over the years I have invested in many coaching, marketing and mentoring programmes but not all of them have delivered the results I'd hoped to achieve.
Was it the coach? Were they not knowledgeable enough? Was I attending the wrong seminars? Was I learning the 'wrong' approaches to marketing?
No not at all, every single seminar, conference I have attended has been full of high quality content, every book I have read has given me at least one or two new ideas or insights. So why in the past wasn't I getting the results I desired?
Neil Fellowes explains all in his article If they're not buying what you offer...
What's going on you might ask... you seem to be telling lots of people about what you do and how you can help them, but still they're not buying? You need people to buy from you because you can make a big difference to them personally or to their business.
Marketing methods that fail
Have you ever been to a networking meeting, not felt comfortable and not picked up any business? When this happens it's easy to say "I went, I met 20 business owners and not one of them bought". And you can be forgiven for thinking: "Networking doesn't work."
You could also try advertising. Spend a few hundred (or thousand), get little or no interest and say that doesn't work either.
You might not like writing, but because you hear articles or newsletters work, you try writing a half dozen. But still you have no interest and you conclude that doesn't work.
You could try direct mail and have that bomb too. You could try flyers, telesales or a hundred other marketing methods and still get the same response.
Why?
It's not the marketing method that doesn't work, it's something else.
Marketing Methods that work
Not so long ago I was chatting with a guy who makes a very nice six-figure income and his only marketing method is networking. One of my peers tells me one advert she runs generates a 38% response. I can tell you one writing method we use builds confidence and awareness which in turn creates sales for us.
So how come these marketing activities are no different from the ones people claim don't work? What makes the difference?
Using the strategy of Olympic Medallists
Olympic medallists are not just born, they dedicate time to making minor adjustments that give them an edge - sometimes a fraction of an inch that makes that difference between being a champion everyone remembers or the competitor who got forgotten.
It's most often about small improvements, made over time, and sometimes you need outside expertise on these things.
We made a change on one of our web pages recently that changed the take up by just 3%. That doesn't sound much, right? But 1000 people hit that web page and that product has a value of £1200, it's a worthwhile adjustment.
So, when people are not buying what you offer, it's not necessarily that the strategy doesn't work, it's likely to be the way you're currently using the strategy that hasn't worked... yet.
With marketing you have to keep refining things until you get results you want. It's all testing.
Neil Fellowes publishes his fortnightly CommunitySoul newsletter for businesses that take an ethical, sustainable or holistic approach to be strong thriving businesses and practices. If you want to make a big difference through your work and make a big profit, then join in our free tele-seminar www.communitysoulbusiness.com
Quite rightly she had a lot of questions: How does the programme work? Can you guarantee it will be successful? What are the precise steps I need to take to get a good return on my investment?
All valid and very important questions that any prospective client should be asking and I totally understand the concerns. Over the years I have invested in many coaching, marketing and mentoring programmes but not all of them have delivered the results I'd hoped to achieve.
Was it the coach? Were they not knowledgeable enough? Was I attending the wrong seminars? Was I learning the 'wrong' approaches to marketing?
No not at all, every single seminar, conference I have attended has been full of high quality content, every book I have read has given me at least one or two new ideas or insights. So why in the past wasn't I getting the results I desired?
Neil Fellowes explains all in his article If they're not buying what you offer...
What's going on you might ask... you seem to be telling lots of people about what you do and how you can help them, but still they're not buying? You need people to buy from you because you can make a big difference to them personally or to their business.
Marketing methods that fail
Have you ever been to a networking meeting, not felt comfortable and not picked up any business? When this happens it's easy to say "I went, I met 20 business owners and not one of them bought". And you can be forgiven for thinking: "Networking doesn't work."
You could also try advertising. Spend a few hundred (or thousand), get little or no interest and say that doesn't work either.
You might not like writing, but because you hear articles or newsletters work, you try writing a half dozen. But still you have no interest and you conclude that doesn't work.
You could try direct mail and have that bomb too. You could try flyers, telesales or a hundred other marketing methods and still get the same response.
Why?
It's not the marketing method that doesn't work, it's something else.
Marketing Methods that work
Not so long ago I was chatting with a guy who makes a very nice six-figure income and his only marketing method is networking. One of my peers tells me one advert she runs generates a 38% response. I can tell you one writing method we use builds confidence and awareness which in turn creates sales for us.
So how come these marketing activities are no different from the ones people claim don't work? What makes the difference?
Using the strategy of Olympic Medallists
Olympic medallists are not just born, they dedicate time to making minor adjustments that give them an edge - sometimes a fraction of an inch that makes that difference between being a champion everyone remembers or the competitor who got forgotten.
It's most often about small improvements, made over time, and sometimes you need outside expertise on these things.
We made a change on one of our web pages recently that changed the take up by just 3%. That doesn't sound much, right? But 1000 people hit that web page and that product has a value of £1200, it's a worthwhile adjustment.
So, when people are not buying what you offer, it's not necessarily that the strategy doesn't work, it's likely to be the way you're currently using the strategy that hasn't worked... yet.
With marketing you have to keep refining things until you get results you want. It's all testing.
Neil Fellowes publishes his fortnightly CommunitySoul newsletter for businesses that take an ethical, sustainable or holistic approach to be strong thriving businesses and practices. If you want to make a big difference through your work and make a big profit, then join in our free tele-seminar www.communitysoulbusiness.com
Friday, 23 October 2009
Are you Attracting Enough of What You Want In Your Life?
Many years ago during a challenging period of my life I decided to explore the possibility of becoming an interior designer and signed up for an introduction course. I've always loved colour and shapes so I was in my element collecting samples and swatches offabric for my mood boards.
I spent many weeks dreaming up fantasy rooms sourcing ideas and drawing designs based around my own personal tastes to create my portfolio. Money was particularly tight at this point in my life so my designs and plans were based totally on dreams.
Life then took a new turn and I found myself training to become a teacher, that’s a story for another time, however, a decade later we moved to a new house. As I unpacked I was drawn to a particular packing box that contained the portfolio from that interior design class. Sentimentally I flicked through the pages and was amazed to see that the carpet I’d once desired and could only dream of in my portfolio was the very flooring I was standing on in my new house. It didn’t stop there, there were several other coincidences appertaining to that portfolio like the bathroom fittings and the splash back behind the oven.
You may call it coincidence but I believe it was something much more powerful at work, the Law of Attraction states that what you think about most you ultimately attract and believe me I spent endless hours working on, thinking and dreaming about the designs in my portfolio.
The Law of Attraction was our topic for Winning Women networking group
last evening, I wasn’t surprised by how many of us have experienced the law of attraction at play. My thanks go to our guest speaker Roberta Jerram for the wonderful insights she shared.
It’s so true that you get what you focus on, so as you go through your daily life running your business I urge you to focus on what it is you want and why you really want it. Get clear, get specific, write it down and believe it can be yours.
Want to learn more about this fascinating universal law?
Here are few resources to check out.
Books
The Secret: by Rhonda Byrne
Law of Attraction: The Science of Attracting More of What You Want and Less of What You Don't: Michael J. Losier
The Missing Secret :Dr Joe Vitale. Activate the full power of the Law of Attraction
The Attractor Factor: 5 Easy Steps for Creating Wealth (or Anything Else) From the Inside Out: Joe Vitale
Websites
http://www.rebeccahanson.com/
www.michaellosier.com
www.mrfire.com
I spent many weeks dreaming up fantasy rooms sourcing ideas and drawing designs based around my own personal tastes to create my portfolio. Money was particularly tight at this point in my life so my designs and plans were based totally on dreams.
Life then took a new turn and I found myself training to become a teacher, that’s a story for another time, however, a decade later we moved to a new house. As I unpacked I was drawn to a particular packing box that contained the portfolio from that interior design class. Sentimentally I flicked through the pages and was amazed to see that the carpet I’d once desired and could only dream of in my portfolio was the very flooring I was standing on in my new house. It didn’t stop there, there were several other coincidences appertaining to that portfolio like the bathroom fittings and the splash back behind the oven.
You may call it coincidence but I believe it was something much more powerful at work, the Law of Attraction states that what you think about most you ultimately attract and believe me I spent endless hours working on, thinking and dreaming about the designs in my portfolio.
The Law of Attraction was our topic for Winning Women networking group
last evening, I wasn’t surprised by how many of us have experienced the law of attraction at play. My thanks go to our guest speaker Roberta Jerram for the wonderful insights she shared.
It’s so true that you get what you focus on, so as you go through your daily life running your business I urge you to focus on what it is you want and why you really want it. Get clear, get specific, write it down and believe it can be yours.
Want to learn more about this fascinating universal law?
Here are few resources to check out.
Books
The Secret: by Rhonda Byrne
Law of Attraction: The Science of Attracting More of What You Want and Less of What You Don't: Michael J. Losier
The Missing Secret :Dr Joe Vitale. Activate the full power of the Law of Attraction
The Attractor Factor: 5 Easy Steps for Creating Wealth (or Anything Else) From the Inside Out: Joe Vitale
Websites
http://www.rebeccahanson.com/
www.michaellosier.com
www.mrfire.com
Monday, 19 October 2009
If You Aren't Getting The Results You Want Then Ask Yourself Better Questions
If you’ve read any of my previous posts you will already know that I tend to come up with many a good idea when taking a shower. Our minds constantly search for the answers to the internal questions we pose.
It’s a well known fact that if you can ask yourself better questions, you’re going to come up with better answers, but are you putting this to the test?
Just a few weeks ago I was stuck in a time trap unable to see a way clear that would free up some extra time in my hectic schedule to work on creating and developing some of our new programmes planned for the New Year.
So why wasn’t I asking better questions? I’d allowed myself to fall into the trap of lack, focusing on the lack of time I had rather than asking myself ‘what do I need to do to find an extra 30 minutes each day to concentrate on this activity ’. Immediately I made the decision to ask myself better questions I began to receive better results.
Asking better questions expands your thinking and your experiences too, remember this the next time you think you can’t have something you really want like an expensive new outfit, an expensive training course, or a foreign holiday. It’s only your perception of your current thinking holding you back. By simply asking better questions and getting your mind thinking on a different path can be wonderfully illuminating.
Test it yourself and see.
It’s a well known fact that if you can ask yourself better questions, you’re going to come up with better answers, but are you putting this to the test?
Just a few weeks ago I was stuck in a time trap unable to see a way clear that would free up some extra time in my hectic schedule to work on creating and developing some of our new programmes planned for the New Year.
So why wasn’t I asking better questions? I’d allowed myself to fall into the trap of lack, focusing on the lack of time I had rather than asking myself ‘what do I need to do to find an extra 30 minutes each day to concentrate on this activity ’. Immediately I made the decision to ask myself better questions I began to receive better results.
Asking better questions expands your thinking and your experiences too, remember this the next time you think you can’t have something you really want like an expensive new outfit, an expensive training course, or a foreign holiday. It’s only your perception of your current thinking holding you back. By simply asking better questions and getting your mind thinking on a different path can be wonderfully illuminating.
Test it yourself and see.
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