NOTHING BUT EXCUSES

Meeting so many business entrepreneurs all of the time, one commonality is becoming very apparent, perceived challenges or events are used as justified reasons why business cannot be done.

Some claim the bad economic times are to blame for slow or no business. Others declare that the Olympics have caused pretty much all business activities to stop. The next find that summer holidays are a tricky time to do business because everyone is away on vacation. A different group thinks that winter is too cold and dark for people to want to do business and autumn is a time when many seek sanity in warmer climates. And as for moms in business, lets not even get started on school holidays, children's sick days and ProD days.

Yes, lots of reasons why business development could be a challenge. So how about looking at creating a more sustainable business model whereby you will not be heavily affected by seasonal changes or perceived downturns. Impossible you say? Then it is time to find yourself a professional adviser who can show you how you can be sustainable in any market at any time of year.

So stop making excuses and start taking control of your business!

INSPIRED TO LEAD

In the past 24 hours, the much anticipated Olympics made itself felt in our town. We have celebrated the arrival of the torch on Thursday night with some great entertainment, Loggers show and stunning fireworks.

Lots was on offer and the family had the opportunity of free photos with the torch through an initiative by Coca Cola, short personal recordings which will be shown in the background all the way through the Games and of course not to forget the lighting of the cauldron!

The following day, we cheered on the torch bearers which were within arms length coming through our neighbourhood and all the school kids, parents, teachers and neighbours came out, to see the spectacle unfold. 

The craziest thing was, that we met one of the torch bearers in person as she was waiting to be handed the flame. She was a young girl from Pemberton who had won a competition and there she stood quite alone, nervous and excited, ready to write history, wondering why she should be one of the chosen ones. She confessed that she didn’t feel ready for such an important and monumental task.

And that’s when it struck me that many of the women that I meet in business have the same feeling. Professional moms who after a successful career and some time out to become a mom, they find it hard to recognize their own worth when trying to re-enter the work force. Female entrepreneurs wondering if they are taking the right step into running their own businesses, because they don’t feel quite ready or not well enough prepared.

The truth is simple for the torch bearer as for my fellow women in business. Take leadership without questioning your worthiness. We have all been created equal and it is the ones who, in spite of their fears are prepared to leap forward and make things happen. There is no failure in trying and be assured in the know that you are as ready today as you will ever be. 

Be inspired as I am, love life and have faith in yourself!

Until next time,

Conny

DO OR DIE - BETTER REPLY!

One of my pet hates in business is, when people don’t get back to you. You send nice emails following some great conversations and then.......nothing!
You have meetings with people at their request, you follow up and then.......yes, you guessed right, nothing!

You are ready to place a large order or want to make an inquiry on behalf of a client, or have a small question following a purchase you have made and then.........nothing!

I come across this time and time again and so do lots of my clients and friends.

So initially one can’t help but thinking, that it must be a personal thing. Maybe a business cultural thing, I must have missed during my immigration! Because where I come from, businesses will always (!) respond to you, it is not just good manners but plain decent business ethics.

What gets me the most is, that everyone talks about business slowing down, or not enough opportunities or not sure how to continue to grow. Well guess what, if you ever bothered looking into your Inbox and dealt with all the people within, you would be surprised about the value that is locked up right there!

So here is some food for thought for people who have come across this strange phenomenon that has taken hold of business on the West Coast, if this irritates you as much as it does me, lets make a pact! Lets set a new standard of good communication!

Because you never know; the person who is trying to communicate with you, could hold the key to something great, exciting and valuable and if not right away, then certainly in the future.

A HEAD OF THE GAME

I have just completed my certification as a Donald Trump Associate and I must say it was intense! It has been a steep learning curve and I have met a number of incredible people on the way.

The interesting thing was, that in an audience of about 80 people, one of our tasks was to stand up and briefly introduce ourselves. Everyone had about 30 seconds to state who they are, what they do and what their goals are. How do you think that went? One would imagine that 80 professional and educated people have got this simple task right down to a ‘T’. Likely that they would need to do this on a regular basis in their chosen fields.

Interestingly the majority had to write their introduction down and read it straight from a piece of paper. Others tried it without and failed to deliver a powerful or even coherent message.  This really surprised me. However I could see that lots of my clients are challenged with the same apprehension, struggling to clearly state the introduction about their businesses and benefits.

If this rings true with you, consider how important the first impression is and how you can set yourself apart from the rest of the competition with a carefully orchestrated and practiced introduction.  Take the time and understand who you are targeting, what your unique benefits are and why you are the perfect and only choice to new prospects.

This sounds an easy task however most people find it incredibly difficult. So if you are one of those people, take control now and if necessary get professional to prepare a strong and powerful message.

The first impression is everything!

Kicking it to you!

Wow, first week of the New Year already behind us and I am sure you, have been busy getting back into the swing of things. The time to put New Years resolutions into action, making things better, working smarter, living healthier, being more present, spending more quality time with loved ones, achieving, creating and enjoying. Phew!

Why do we think, we have to be able to do it all, and all at once? Who has been given us the impression that we must have the first million in the next 12 months? Life coaches and counsellors have never been more busy trying to patch people up, when they are not coping well, with all the pressure that they are either putting themselves under or feel from outside sources.

Being the best at everything, well that is just plain impossible! Being the best mom, wife, cook, hostess, business entrepreneur with the highest standards of a healthy, loving, intellectual lifestyle with a twist of perfection.

I ask you, how is this all going to be achieved without a huge pre-programmed f*** up?

So here is the cure for my clients this year:  We are carefully looking at the Must Have’s first. Setting priorities in the beginning and writing them down together, is the first step. How much time will you be spending on yourself, your family and your business?

Divide it up and then set realistic financial goals and business milestones. Make them timely and together review at regular intervals. With those identified, we then break down objectives on how to get there, how much of that we can do together and what external resources and relationships we need to put in place.

With accountability thrown in, support & objective advice, my clients will have a professional advisor to keep them on track as well as sane!

Make your business manageable and therefore enjoyable in 2010!
Kindest,
Conny

VALUE VS VOLUME

With 2009 coming to a close, you will receive plenty of advice from business advisors around the province to reflect on your business performance over the past year and plan ahead for the next 12 months.

I want to send a more concrete message to my readers to finish of the year and prepare for the forthcoming months. 

As a business owner, consider one thing most of all, do you want your business to deliver real value to your customers or are you in the game for the numbers only? 

This will be the most important factor when going into the New Year. If you are all about increasing volume only, you will loose the number one key ingredient for loyal, long-term customer relationships. If you think your clients don’t feel the ‘conveyor belt philosophy’ that some businesses offer, think again. Each customer is highly informed and has more choice then ever to take their business elsewhere.

So the pressure is on, to offer high quality deliverables such as your products and services AS WELL AS outstanding value and customer care. Only then will you stand a chance to retain your good clients and build a solid foundation with a first class business methodology.

To all your customers out there: Do not put up with half hearted efforts, poor service and time pressured delivery! If you have doubts about the value of a certain service, ditch the unsatisfactory expense and replace it with the value you deserve. You are worth it! 

Happy Prosperous New Year to you all!

Conny Millard

The Godfather Mentality

Business relationships can quickly change in a blink of an eye! From employers to associates to suppliers, something happens that can turn a favorable connection into a bad one. 

This may be caused by a change in professional compatibility, conflicting aspirations or even personal circumstances that lead to one or both parties wanting to part.

How do you deal with your top performing employee or associate leaving your business? Do you wish them a heartfelt good luck in their future endeavors? Looking at what you could have done differently to retain such key people and to make sure you understand what made them go in the first place so you can improve for others? Or do you take it personally, turning the cold shoulder and maybe even looking to destroy their reputation?

The latter sounds pretty childish and unnessecary and not terribly professional. Maybe that was the reason for the person to leave in the first place?!

There are indeed business owners who take the loss of their star top performer or clients very personally and feel they can only get past this by actively sabotaging the ‘deserter’ either by misrepresenting the actual facts of this person leaving or even worse, spreading negative and maybe even untrue gossip within the business and industry to get back at them.

I have come across such people over and over during my career and am tired of witnessing such Godfather like behavior, where you have to be afraid they may come after you and ‘kneecap’ your business in order to seek revenge. 

So to all of those terrible losers and bullies - your unprofessional, shortsighted and immature behavior will trip you up in the long run. It will cost you your reputation within a potentially powerful network and might cut you out of valuable business opportunities in the future.

Godfathers beware - top performers will always come out on top!