Results May Vary

Building businesses whether online or off, is actually a long journey. The road to your success will be wrought with hurdles and rewards. And for all the business plans and marketing strategies that you pay hard earned cash for, one thing remains true, there are no guarantees. The reason that there are no guarantees is not due to unscrupulous consultants, but rather it is due to yourself.

Where you put your priorities will have everything to do with your own personal success. How much advice you are willing to pay for, has a direct relation to how fast you reach your goals. The web is a double edged sword. That there is so much free information and advice cause ones to believe that they should be all they can be, by doing it themselves. The better way to succeed is to surround yourself with knowledge and mentors. Some things that are free can be put to great use, but it is equally important to recognize that paying a few dollars for more insightful advice is going to catapult you faster to where you want to be.

I take issue with consultants promising a "results guarantee" because it's not honest. It's one thing to advise you, but how can they in all honesty know if and how you will use that advice they peddle? As we all know, the only person who is going to make me a success, is ME. When I hire coaches, purchase ebooks, hardcopy books and generally scour the blogs looking to educate my self further, my main goal is to learn one more nugget I can use to better by efforts. It is a long-term strategy.

How I exploit a tip I'm given will differ immensely from how you might implement it. We all approach business from our own experiences. "Results may vary" is a huge understatement. Recognizing this truth will save you a great deal of money and more importantly - time.

Don't Let A Busy Streak Keep You From Your Goals.

Focus is very tough for a business person. When things slow down, and your thoughts turn to keeping the lights on. You are absolutely motivated to find some small thing you can do to increase business. You spend countless hours scouring the web for small bits of wisdom to apply to your model. You are looking for that silver bullet. I like you am always looking for opportunities and ways to better my brand.

What I refuse to do is something that I see business people do over and over. Every now and then a busy bubble takes hold and all that effort is put on the back burner. They are content to let it slide, losing any momentum they had. Good marketing is not just for the slow times, good marketing is ALL THE TIME. Your marketing wheels must always be turning. Being busy is the best time to get proactive because your head is in a great place. You are positive.

Waiting for slow times to market your brand is unrealistic. Panic is in the air and impatience is rampant. Finding time to market during busy times AND slow times will deliver consistent results. Keep your brand in front of your audience. This goes for all of your on-line and off-line marketing initiatives.

So now that your finishing this article, get out there and do something proactive to advance your brand before the end of the day. Even something as simple as bragging on Twitter moves your brand forward. Don't ever stop.

Attitude Is 100%

A friend sent me this brilliant message this morning and I felt I had to share it with everyone.

If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Equals:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K = 8 + 1 + 18 + 4 + 23 + 15 + 18 + 11 = 98%

And: K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E = 11 + 14 + 15 + 23 + 12 + 5 + 4 + 7 + 5 = 96%

BUT:
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E = 1 + 20 + 20 + 9 + 20 + 21 + 4 + 5 = 100%

Therefore one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:
While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, Attitude will get you there!

Do we need any other proof than that! Have a great weekend!

5 Steps For Turning Your Dreaded Employee’s Performance Around

From my many years of experience in leadership positions, I observed that supervisors and managers had challenging times in dealing with performance issues of employees.  Some lost sleep worrying about the “confrontation” because they were unsure of themselves and their abilities to successfully handle the situation.  Have you ever felt that way?  Well isn’t it nice to know that misery loves company!  Haha.  Not really!  When you are not sure of your next step with that dreaded employee, your confidence level drops significantly and believe me, it shows!  You know it and so does your employee.
 
When dealing with performance issues, I believe first and foremost that your duty is to confront the situation.  Never let poor performance go unnoticed.  Make it private and make it positive. Performance issues at every level affects the effectiveness of your brand. Here are five steps that will give you the assured confidence you need convey your concerns in a direct and positive way.
 
Step One: 
State specifically what the problem is.  Keep it short and to the point.  Don’t beat around the bush.
Step Two: 
Wait for a response.  Never assume anything.  Give your employee an opportunity to explain (“the whole truth and nothing but the truth ...”).   You just might learn something that you were not aware of.
Step Three: 
Remind them of the goal.  What is the performance that is unacceptable and that must be corrected?
Step Four:
Ask for solutions.  Allow your employee an opportunity to discover solutions on their own.  This creates employee “buy-in”.  They are part of the solution and not a part of the problem now.
Step Five: 
Agree on an Action Plan.  What is the employee expected to do and what are you going to do too!
 
It doesn’t stop here.  You must follow-up with the employee.  If not, then the employee will think that you were just playing “boss” and that you really don’t care about them as an individual.  You need to “inspect what you expect”.
 
When you see a change in performance for the good, let the employee know right away and be “specific” but continue to monitor for a certain time period.  If there is no change in performance, then again, take the employee aside privately, check your own attitude first, and repeat the previous steps.  Sometimes employees leave us with no option and hence they end up firing themselves.

Guest Blogger: Rick Nicholls from Nicholls Training Group blog
Rick is a Professional Speaker, Corporate Trainer and Coach
Contact Rick at (519) 351-9503

Brand Awareness Podcast

I hope that you enjoy this episode of audio podcasts which features a discussion on the importance of brand awareness.

Brand As Second Skin

One ROI for a strong consumer brand is the fact that many people purchase products based on their perceived self-image. Some brands are so strong that individuals identify with them. They believe that they deliver more than the immediate use they were intended. In essence the brand speaks to them.

Does your brand speak to your customers? Is the relationship you share with them go much further than service delivery? We should all be striving to build cache with our audiences.

To many in our society, it is extremely important that their individuality be identified with their favored brands. The clothes they wear, the cars they drive and the smart devices they carry. These are the world brands they identify with. What about the brands closer to home? What financial institutions they engage, or which consultants they embrace? In every purchase decision there are brand decisions. Consumers identify with success. Nobody wants to hitch their wagon to a brand that doesn't resonate with their self-image. This is the case at every level.

Look in the mirror and see if your favored world brands don't match your local brand choices. Society views you by which brands you wear in every facet of your life. It is one way that their perception of you is built. Perception is their reality of your brand.

Don't Obsess Over Size.

In our society there is an urge to be the biggest and the best. Both are good things (don't get me wrong). Being the best is a powerful goal and we should all strive to achieve our best effort. But the first goal - biggest - isn't necessarily what you should be stressing over. I've been involved in a number of events lately, and in every case the organizers were stressing over attendance. Will all their efforts bring out the audience numbers that will allow them to brag post event. Granted, when audience numbers directly equate to exhibitors showing, poor attendance can have a negative impact on income.

But as an attendee, I can tell you that it is not the quantity that appeals to me but the quality. Every time I discuss Branding and sales online, I am repeatedly asked for tips as to how a business can achieve fame online. How can they benefit from a sort of Oprah effect. My response is always quality over quantity.

Realistically, what are the chances of being the next Google? Even Google didn't know they'd be the next Google. I stress looking for your niche. Even if you were to capture just .000001% of the web audience you'd still be fabulously wealthy. Quality over quantity.

In a crowded networking event, competition for attention is exasperated by the shear numbers. In all those bodies, how to narrow the focus is the new challenge. Sometimes a poorly attended networking event works out much better for me. You see, I have to have a conversation with someone before they see my value to them. More times than not, low attendance puts me in front of people who are less distracted and more apt to find out who this guy, 'Ed Roach' is. I've landed several opportunities from modest audiences that large. Quality over quantity.

Successful sales people can tell you that they would prefer a few good qualified leads than hordes of prospects. Narrow your focus and go for the gold. Doing the other is akin to beating your head against a wall. Quality over quantity.

You could go to a list broker and purchase an immense number of emails to market to. But chances are good that none of these are opt-in and possibly outside of your targeted audience. Isn't it preferable to speak to an audience of several thousand interested in what you have to say businesses? Building your own niche audience is a desirable goal here.
Quality over quantity.

When you purchase services do look for the best solution, or are you impressed by the size of the competing business? If size impresses you, be aware that chances are only a small contingent of that firm will actually work on your account. You join other fish in that big pond. The smaller firm, appreciates your business more and chances are you will deal directly with the leadership of the company. If you do your due diligence and check who is vying for your business, the little fish reality will ring a bell with you. Quality over quantity.

What ever your goals, don't underestimate quality over quantity. I'd much rather work for a small number of lucrative accounts that several low paying ones. I don't work nearly as hard for the same income. It also gives me latitude to growing my business in a positive environment. Paying attention to your audience will pay dividends and allow you to benefit from the quality your brand will attract.