Biz Coach Steve

Category: Leadership

  • Work Smarter – Not Harder

    Work Smarter – Not Harder

    “Work smarter, not harder.” We have all probably heard that saying before. It’s great advice, but many entrepreneurs fail to work smarter and they grind it out and work harder.  Which leads to frustration, stress, and burnout. On the other hand, working smarter leads to a work/life balance, control, and focus.

    Here are 10 simple ways to get business SMART:

    1. Come up for some air.  This takes on two different meanings. One is, take some time away from your business. You need to recharge your batteries every now and then. The other meaning is that you need to get out of your office and visit other departments within your business. You cannot really understand what is going on in your business if you stay in your glass tower.
    • Talk with other. Take employees/managers/sales from other department out for lunch and really get to know them. Try not to talk shop, get to really know them. Listen to their ideas about the business. You will be surprised on what you will find out.
    • Spend time with your customers. Find out what the customers REALLY want.  Your customers will tell you what they want from your company – ask them. Take customer service calls, and really hear their concerns.
    • Get a business mentor. Find someone who knows the business and get them to help you. Get a Score mentor to keep you focused and on track. Get that outside perspective. Sorry to tell you this, but your way may not be the best way.
    • Read a book.  Yes, a real book. Read about business, marketing, sales, accounting, and leadership, grow your knowledge base which will help you grow your business.
    • SSSPA. Stop speaking in acronyms. Others will understand you better when you translate techspeak into standard English.  Many of your employees may not know your acronyms which leads to confusion. Be clear.
    • Brush up on your social skills.  Soft skills are the hot trend today in finding staff, therefore you should have great social skills. Learning new communication techniques will help when IT and marketing cannot communicate properly. You can step in and smooth it all out while educating your departments.
    • Look for another answer. So many times, business leaders think they know the answer to solve a problem and many times it is technology. Realize that technology cannot solve every business problem. This is that “thinking outside the box” time.
    • Ask Questions. Believe it or not, someone, somewhere has been in your shoes before. If you are not getting answers to your questions – ASK! Ask questions, don’t tell-get answers. A great leader asks lots of questions.
    1. Get a consensus on terms. Get to the bottom of any failure of communication. Most issues within business arise from poor communication. What sounds clear to you, may sound like mud to someone else. Be clear when you communicate. Ask questions to make sure everyone is clear and on the same page.

    There are many other ways to work smarter within your business, but these are 10 very simple solutions. As you see, most focus around communication. Get a mentor to help with your communication style to meet the needs of others, which will help you be smarter in your business.

    Get Smart!

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • You’re Not Fit to Lead If Your Greatest Strength is Seeing Weakness

    You’re Not Fit to Lead If Your Greatest Strength is Seeing Weakness

    That may sound a little harsh. But many business owners and leaders are truly not fit to lead their team because they are only seeing weakness in others.

    We all know, or have worked for, or even are, that smart talented leader that finds it easy to point out inadequacies, describe what’s wrong, and explain disagreements.

    There’s no creativity in pointing out weaknesses.

    There’s no imagination in disagreement.

    There’s no innovation in explaining what cannot be done.

    There’s no added value in tearing someone down.

    What this does is put them into a self-supporting superior feeling due to the lack of true leadership abilities.

    Working with business owners for the past few decades I consistently hear these phrases from ineffective leaders.

    1.        I disagree.

    2.        That won’t work.

    3.        We already tried that.

    4.        You’re wrong.

    5.        You should be better at….

    Ineffective leaders find fault like it’s the only thing leaders do. They believe they need to find fault in everything to justify their position.

    The ability to see wrong, point out a weakness, highlight mistakes, and declare deficiencies is important and necessary. But don’ts, won’ts, and can’ts stabilize the past and move the business forward.

    It’s safe and powerful for leaders with the authority to prevent change, end exploration, and tell people what they can’t do.

    Now, here’s what highly effective leaders love to ask:

    1.        Have you thought about…? Offer alternatives when you disagree. What if…?

    2.        How about…? Have the courage to make something better, rather than simply pointing out inadequacy.

    3.        You’re great at …. How can you bring your strengths to this challenge? The future depends on the strengths of the people around the table.

    4.        How might we make this better?

    5.        What are we trying to achieve and why does it matter? When you’re ready to point out a fault, ask yourself, “What are we trying to accomplish?”

    The future belongs to the curious.

    They ask questions and look for alternative solutions instead of showcasing fault and blame.

    So, how can a leader change their ways and stop finding fault and start pursuing excellence within their business?

    Here are 3 simple tips:

    1.        Notice three strengths for every weakness you point out.

    2.        Say what you see when you see progress. Highlight your wins and positive movement.

    3.        Leverage positive energy. Figure out how to apply energy to positive outcomes. Positive energy equates to positive outcomes. Negative energy leads to negative outcomes.

    If you see growth, other solutions, ask questions, seek input from others, have a positive mindset, your business will grow and be successful.

    On the other hand, if you thrive on pointing out fault, don’t ask questions, blame everyone and everything around you, refuse to listen to anyone but yourself and have a negative mindset, then your business, employees, customers, and vendors will not want to have anything to do with you and your business will die.

    So, take a deep look at yourself. 

    Are you fit to lead?

    #

    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals, and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops, and training. Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you to get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • Can leadership training help my business bottom line?

    Can leadership training help my business bottom line?

    “Because we have always done it that way!”

    That is a phrase that I have heard from many business owners and leaders when asking them about something that is not working in their business. My next question is usually, “And why is it done that way?” Most often, it’s not the old-style patriarchal leadership way. When it comes to progress and success in today’s competitive environment, the authoritarian business leader is as effective as kings and dictators are for their nations’ economies. Many businesses know something is not working within their own business, but yet hold on to past ways that keep the business and their employee from moving forward.

    This way of thinking is not only hindering the business, but they are controlling their people and in doing so, they create an environment of stagnation that fails to tap into their population’s talents and ambitions. Leadership training can help a business owner learn how to lead people in a way that brings out their best and encourages them to take ownership.

    We live in a diverse country, which requires business leaders and owners to know and understand generational and cultural differences and they need to learn the best approaches to communicate and motivate each one. Doing it, because that is the way you have always done it-will not work now and into the future.

    The best leaders and managers invite staff to fully invest in their own success.

    The top-down, one-way communication style died many decades ago, but some business leaders and owners still use it because they are used to making all the decisions.

    With today’s demographics and the high demand for experienced, knowledgeable workers, small businesses have to have a very solid plan for attraction, retention and succession. All that starts with the leader’s vision and leadership style.

    Demand and control as an effective management style is dead – and still prevalent in many businesses today –because that’s not a style that will work with younger employers. You need to engage them if you want to keep them, and if you want to keep them you have to actually understand where you want to go and they have to see you as a person who wants to develop them.” Today’s employees want more than a JOB, they want to feel wanted, their ideas contribute to the business, as well as being respected.

    Business owners and leaders believe they can change and adapt, but the reality is they revert back to their old ways.  They need to embrace outside leadership training. Then they can learn how to use what they have learned from experience, pass it on to their team and engage them into the strategic planning process. Today’s best leaders are the ones who can instil leadership skills in all their employees. They are the ones that value their employee’s contributions.

    But, the experts say, part of that means that the leader must know how to walk the talk.

    Integrity is a big part of this.

    You will not motivate, and you will not lead people well if you say one thing and are doing something else entirely. Leadership by example is one of the strongest ways to get alignment and alignment is key to achieving your goals. Be a better leader and you will attract and retain the best people.

    What are you doing in your business to empower, lead, inspire your employees?

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals, and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • Time Management is Painful Real leaders do it anyway

    We all want to feel good, and not feel bad. So, we prefer that change be comfortable. Sometimes it is. Most of the time it’s not. If you have ever wanted to “get in shape,” “lose weight,” etc. You think it may be easy. But as is it so often said in the fitness world, “No pain, no gain.” You want to slim your waistline? Bigger muscles? You earn that progress through discomfort. You’re going to sweat, and it’s going to burn. Sure, you’ll feel great afterward, but the process is going to hurt. That’s how you know it’s working. That, and seeing the results when you stick with it over time. Many people really believe that if they go to the gym, look at the machines, not put any effort into the workout, some how will see miraculous results in their body. That is avoiding the discomfort and your results will reflect your input. But, if you schedule time in your day to workout, train with other or a trainer, really push yourself-feel the burn. Your results will be directly related to all that hard work.  Stick with your workout and really see the difference in your body and life.

    Business change works exactly the same way. In my experience as a coach, it’s your relationship to discomfort that makes all the difference. Leadership is a challenge, so working on yourself as a leader should feel like a workout. You are intentionally (stressing intentional) doing things that make you uncomfortable to improve yourself and your business. It’s not easy. But it doesn’t have to lead to burnout. In fitness, it’s called over-training. In business, it’s called overwhelm. Over time, what was uncomfortable in the past is easy and something new will be uncomfortable-that is how you will grow as a leader.

    Having more time in your day is right there for the taking, but you have to accept some discomfort to get there. Over the years, the most successful clients I’ve had are the ones willing to accept this short-term ‘pain’ for the long-term benefit. They live by their calendar and their calendar is filled with revenue generating activities, and activities that are moving the business and their team forward.

    Can you wake up, get ready and leave the house every morning in sixty minutes flat? Can you cut your lunches to thirty minutes for a while instead of an hour? Can you say “No” to some brilliant and fun projects that you know you can’t really focus on and are not moving your business forward? Can you train someone on your staff today to handle three things that you know you shouldn’t be dealing with as the business leader? Are you willing to post office hours for the only times of the day where employees can interrupt you? Having an open-door policy is highly encouraged, but you need to be productive. Having set hours on specific days, where your staff can come and talk to you will increase your productivity. You then put lower level tasks on your calendar during those open-door times. This way if someone wants to speak with you, they are not derailing your thought progress on something bigger. You will be able to hop back on replying to emails or making a few outbound calls.

    It’s your relationship to discomfort that makes all the difference.

    Some of these things may sound easy but putting it into practice is another story. Going out of your normal routine can be very uncomfortable. Just remember why you’re doing this – it’s in the best interest of the business and you as the owner. Most business owner I speak with are filling their day with non-revenue producing activities and are busy being busy.

    In the end, you’ll realize that “I don’t have time” is almost never true, it’s just that you haven’t yet made the difficult choices about how you use your time. And making those choices is the first step to creating a business that works.

    Not enough sales, people problems, cash flow issues, etc. – are all symptoms – they’re all a call to face the discomfort directly and solve it first by making the time. Then you’ll have your strength to be able to lift the real weights of finance or management systems or whatever your business needs next. Just like working out. You need to schedule the time, go to the gym, have a workout routine (so you’re not just wasting time), be committed to a result you are working to achieve.

    It all begins with you.

    What are you going to do today to get more time back to move your business forward?

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • 8 Signs an Employee Is Exceptional

    We can all spot a great employee: she’s dependable, proactive, hardworking, a great leader, and a great follower. She brings a wide variety of easily defined attributes, but they also have some hard to find soft skills to the table.

    Some employees, though, are exceptional. They have skills and qualities that aren’t evaluated on performance appraisals but make a huge impact on that individual’s performance, the performance of the people around her, and especially on the company’s results.

    Here are eight signs an employee is truly exceptional:

    1. They think beyond job descriptions: The smaller the company, the more important it is that employees can think on their feet, adapt quickly to shifting priorities, and do whatever it takes, regardless of role or position, to get things done.

    When a key customer’s project is in jeopardy, exceptional employees know without being told there’s a problem, and they jump in without being asked, even if–especially if–it’s not their job.

    2. They’re quirky: The best employees are often a little different: a little eccentric, sometimes irreverent, even delighted to be unusual. They seem slightly odd, but in a really good way. Unusual personalities shake things up, make work more fun, and transform a plain-vanilla group into a team with flair and flavor.

    People who aren’t afraid to be different naturally stretch boundaries and challenge the status quo, and they often come up with the best ideas.

    3. They know when to rein in their individuality: An unusual personality is a lot of fun–right up until the moment it isn’t. When a major challenge pops up or a situation gets stressful, the best employees stop expressing their individuality and fit seamlessly into the team.

    Exceptional employees know when to play and when to be serious; when to be irreverent and when to conform; and when to challenge and when to back off.

    It’s a tough balance to strike, and a rare few can walk that fine line with ease.

    4. They praise other people in public: Praise from a boss feels good. Praise from a peer feels awesome, especially when you look up to that person.

    Exceptional employees recognize the contributions of others, especially in group settings where the impact of their words is even greater.

    5. They disagree in private: We all want employees to bring issues forward, but some problems are better handled in private. Great employees often get more latitude to bring up controversial subjects in a group setting because their performance allows greater freedom.

    Exceptional employees come to you before or after a meeting to discuss a sensitive issue, knowing that bringing it up in a group setting could set off a firestorm.

    6. They ask questions when others won’t: Some employees are hesitant to speak up in meetings. Some are even hesitant to speak up privately.

    An employee once asked me a question about potential layoffs. After the meeting I said to him, “Why did you ask about that? You already know what’s going on.” He said, “I do, but a lot of other people don’t, and they’re afraid to ask. I thought it would help if they heard the answer from you.”

    Exceptional employees have an innate feel for the issues and concerns of those around them and step up to ask questions or raise important issues when others hesitate.

    7. They are self-motivated: Self-motivation often springs from a desire to show that doubters are wrong. The woman without a college degree or the man who was told he didn’t have leadership potential often possesses a burning desire to prove other people wrong.

    Education, intelligence, talent, and skill are important, but drive is critical. Exceptional employees are driven by something deeper and more personal than just the desire to do a good job.

    8. They’re constantly exploring: Some people are rarely satisfied (I mean that in a good way) and are constantly tinkering with something: reworking a timeline, adjusting a process, tweaking a workflow.

    Good employees follow processes. Great employees tweak processes. Exceptional employees find ways to reinvent processes, not just because they are expected to…but because they just can’t help themselves.

    How can you recognize these employees? Encourage them? Provide them with the resources and developmental skills they want?  Let that employee know they are doing a great job and support them. They are the ones to ask about your business and will help you grow your business.

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

    #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • Sticking to your values – in a time of crisis

    What are your values in your business? Are your values Integrity, Honesty, Trust, Ownership along with many more? Those values may have changed due to COVID-19. Are you still true to your personal and business values, or have they changed with the unexpected circumstances that are taking place?

    Many businesses have stuck to their value, while other have thrown out their core values and substituted them for greed and shortcut solutions that will harm them in the end. With the first value that is being violated – Integrity.

    Here is what I am talking about. Once the shutdown order was given in his state, Bob (name changed to protect him) a retail business owner just told his staff to go home and wait it out, instructed them not to file for unemployment. Bob stopped paying the companies group medical insurance, in fact he just stopped paying all his bills. He didn’t communicate anything to his customers, vendors or staff. Just closed the doors and went home to wait it all out. Bob’s store was successful and had a good referral business. Didn’t have any real social media presence and believed word of mouth was enough to keep his business moving forward.

    His staff, now unemployed-but not officially. Because, Bob did not fire them, lay them off, or furlough them. Just told them to go home. Bob does not answer their calls or responds to his staff’s emails and texts. The staff has filed for unemployment-late in the game and Bob is denying all the claims.

    Bob clearly has not stuck to his values and taken no responsibility for his actions. Bob told me this story and then when I attempted to coach him back to his values, he shut me off, just like his staff, customers and vendors. Bob will probably not have a business once everything re-opens. He has thrown in the towel along with his values.

    Another retail store business owner (let’s call her Cindy), stuck to her personal and business values. She pivoted her business from brick and mortar to on-line; she intentionally told her staff that she is going to fire them so they can file for unemployment and they will be rehired as soon as they are allowed to open. She immediately reached out to all her vendors to see what she can negotiate to defer payments. Cindy did emails, texts, videos to her customers telling them what is going on with the business and they are operating on-line and to see how she can help the community.

    Cindy was able to keep 60% of her staff working full time. She started doing simple informational videos about the products and services she offers, which has increased her sales. She and all her staff (even the ones she “fired”) made masks to donate to local homeless shelters and retirement homes. They stayed active and she and her business stuck to their values. Cindy will come out of this is a great place and have new raving fans, vendors and staff.

    These are just two examples of businesses and how their values have changed. In speaking to a minority of business owners, they have thrown out their values to buy toilet paper and sanitizer only to mark it up 400% to sell it online and then they claim it’s to save their business. But they are putting that money in their own pocket. Other businesses are donating food, clothing, protective gear, time to help others that may have lost their jobs for good, have no food, cannot make their rent/mortgage payments.

    I would like to say Bob and Cindy are fictional, but they are just two business I have spoken with since the craziness began. Many other business owners are not sticking with their values and will learn an extremely hard lesson when this is all over with. The business owners that have stuck and even improved their values will survive through these times and come out posed for growth.

    So, are you sticking to your personal and business values?  Are you operating with integrity, honesty, trust, accountability, commitment to customers, humility, ownership, leadership, quality, teamwork, and many others?  Or have you thrown out your values in these unprecedented times? Harming others or taking shortcuts?

    #

    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today.

  • What are YOUR hiring standards?

    Standards. We may not think about them much. But we all have them. Individuals. Families. Companies.

    From time to time, we are forced to measure our conduct against our standards. We may find when we do that, we are not living up to what we profess to believe. I am talking about what happens when a business cuts corners, makes compromises, takes “the path of least resistance,” contrary to an established policy.

  • 10 Easy Ways to Resist Change

    Having worked with many owners, leaders, managers and employees and a theme that keeps coming up is how to deal with change. The standard way of dealing with change in most workplaces is to get really upset and run around in great distress. Many people dwell on how things used to be and clutch desperately onto the old ways of doing things. In one business where I had to change the culture, everyone told me “but, that’s the way we have always done it.”  My response was the same as well. Doing that way is why the business is failing and we need to change how it is done so everyone has a job in 6 months. This dynamic usually happens because leaders and organizations do not have the systems in place to welcome change or view it as an opportunity for growth.

    Many people fear change. Change can be scary and daunting but what I’ve noticed affects workplaces negatively is how they deal with the situation. People don’t consciously try to complicate things, it’s just that they don’t know what to do and very often their leaders aren’t helping them through the challenging times.  The next time you’re experiencing change in your organization make sure that you do the following things to make it more difficult.

    1. Pretend it’s not happening.  The put your head in the sand and hope the change blows over.

    2.  Stubbornly keep doing what you’ve always done. No matter what is said and done, just keep doing the it way you’ve always done and hopefully no one will notice.

    3.  Whatever you do, don’t change your perspective.  Stay on your course. Do not look at anything from another perspective.

    4.  Complain to as many people as you can. My favorite. Be the poison in the water. Why not, the squeaky wheel gets the attention.

    5.  Don’t buy-in to new ways of doing things. Blockbuster loves this one. The world is changing and don’t buy into the hype that it is changing.

    6.  Actively resist doing anything differently.  No matter what do NOT try anything different.

    7.  Stay nervous at all times. Be that long tailed cat in a room full of rockers. By being nervous you can spread some panic to those that do want to change.

    8.  Run around aimlessly. Like the old FedEx commercial. Busy being busy. This way people may think you are changing, when you are really just spinning your tires in mud.

    9.  Feed into the hysteria as often as possible.  Find others with the same fears as you and really build the hysteria- just like the media does.

    10. Don’t offer any solutions.  Remember you need to be the problem and not the solution. Giving a solution means you are open to the change and that is not good.

    I know I have seen all these 10 things being done withing businesses that are trying to change for the better. But, if you do these ten things, you’ll find that you will reverse the rotation of the earth and everything will go back to how it was. Realistically, you will have little to no impact on the changes going on which really leaves it up to you to decide how you’re going to deal with what’s actually happening. You have the ability to take even the worst situation and focus it any way you want. You choose whether the change is a tragedy or an opportunity. It’s just like when you want to support your point of view, you can always find someone to support it on the Internet, but maybe not support it in real life. By resisting the change, you will actually cause change, in that you will have to look for another J.O.B. If you are the owner and resist change, then you will probably have to close the doors to your business.

    The world changes. Your customers preferences changes. Buying habits change. Technology changes. Economics change. Regulations change. And so much more.  Smart leaders expect change and need to plan for it in order to grow their businesses.

    What will you do to welcome change and use it to grow and succeed?

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today. #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • How to Be More Persuasive

    What will make you more persuasive? Thinking less about what you want and more about what you deliver for others. Think about delivering benefit instead of trying to win over your clients/prospects.

    A benefit exchange is the heart of persuasion. It answers the question from the radio station-WIIFM, “What’s in it for me?” for the person you are seeking to persuade. In other words, it’s a benefit you promise in exchange for someone taking your desired action.

    The old school way of marketing is nothing like WIIFM. It was clearly a neglected concept in communicating a business’s products and services to the market. But benefit exchanges are useful for all kinds of situations, such as getting someone at work to agree to your proposal, inspiring people to change their habits or compelling someone to buy your product.

    We so often get the benefit exchange wrong. The number one error is we talk about attributes vs. benefits. We get lost in the qualities of an idea or a product rather than translating those attributes into the benefits they deliver for a prospect or customer. Telling me that a proposal addresses a problem in workflow is citing an attribute; demonstrating how it saves money or increases efficiency is showing a benefit. Rack and pinion steering is an attribute of a car; responsiveness that makes you feel safer on the road is a benefit.

    Good benefit exchanges focus on what your audience wants – not what you want. That’s the second common error most small businesses make. Don’t fall into the trap of communicating based on the benefits you desire. Think from the perspective of those you want to influence and speak to that world view.

    Those are ways we go wrong. So how do we do it right? If you want to be more persuasive, here are five ways to build a strong benefit exchange and win hearts and minds in the process.

    Make the Benefit Immediate: Few of us take action based on a benefit that we expect to receive in the far future. It is human nature to seek instant satisfaction over distant gratification. How can you make your case that if someone does what you want, they will reap immediate rewards? Answer the question: what will be better tomorrow?

    Make It Personal: A compelling benefit needs to make people feel their lives will be better as individuals or within their tight circles of friends, family, community or work. At the end of the day, the personal connection, not the grand concept, grabs our attention. Make sure you’re focused on why your agenda is specifically relevant to the person you wish to persuade.

    Speak to Your Audience’s Values: We can’t easily change what other people believe, but by plugging into their existing mind-set, we unleash great power behind our message. Make sure the benefit you are communicating is something others seek – not just what you want. Those two things are rarely the same, but we often imagine they are.

    Know What You’re Up Against: Think competitively about your benefit. Is it better than what people get for doing nothing – or something else instead? Don’t forget there’s a reason people aren’t taking the action you seek. They may be deriving benefits from those alternate behaviors. How can you shape a benefit better than sticking to the status quo?

    Be Real: Last, you need to make sure your benefit exchange is credible and honest. People need to believe in what you communicate. Ask someone who is respected to back you up. Or show other people gaining the promised benefit. Or tell a good story that is a true example of the benefit in action. You want to persuade by keeping your promises.

    If people aren’t doing what you want, you may to speak to someone and get an outside perspective. Maybe you are thinking the WIIFM is you, when the WIFFM is your customers. What outcomes are you providing to your prospects and clients?  How will you and your company’s products or services solve their problems, needs and wants?

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today. #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday

  • Six Questions to Ask Yourself Before Starting a Business

    Do you have what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur? Many people jump the cubicle (leave corporate JOBS in pursuit of being their own boss) and may have the motivation and desire.  But, do they have all the other skills, education, focus and money to make the jump? Here are six simple things to consider.

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    1) Do you believe you have what it takes?

    We don’t mean personal characteristics — or not just personal characteristics, anyway. Do you believe you have all the skills, energy, money, people, and knowledge to start a business? Founders who carefully identify and evaluate their resources in pursuit of a well-defined goal display “entrepreneurial self-efficacy,” a trait many academics believe to be the best predictor of success. “It’s situationally specific confidence — ‘I strongly believe that I have all the resources I need, and here is what they are,’ ” says J. Robert Baum, an associate professor of entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland. “Overconfidence, by contrast, is partially caused by the absence of self-efficacy. ‘Let’s get going. I just know I can do this.’ “

    2) Are you able to let other people down?

    A founder may set out in a rowboat, but pretty soon, he is piloting a cabin cruiser with investors and employees on board and their families huddled belowdecks. Risking your own fortunes is easy compared with risking the fortunes of those who believe in you. “These people may not completely understand the business,” says Baum. “They may not understand the level of risk. But they think they’ll be OK because you are so smart. Breaking their dreams is very painful.”

    A business owner walked out in the middle of the road and stood there, half hoping a car would end his misery. He was thinking of all the people who had risked their livelihoods for him. He thought, I have sold this dream to them, and now I am going to let them down.

    3) How do you handle setbacks?

    When you are smiling, the whole company smiles with you. In the book Resonant Leadership: Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee explain that emotions are contagious: Morale rises and falls with the mood of the leader. Consequently, people who succumb to black moods or depression can fatally infect their own companies.

    Because some people have an inflated idea of their resilience, perform a reference check on yourself — ask people who know you well how you handle adversity. See if you are the type of person who needs to retreat for a period to recharge, which is not possible in most business. Are you the type of person that if you have a very high sense of responsibility and you take setbacks hard, you have to know that and be honest with yourself about being in business for yourself.

    4) Are you really an inventor, rather than an entrepreneur?

    Raising a child is generally more challenging than creating a child, and the same is true of new products. Some people mistake the act of invention for the tough part. Too many times, these inventor types spend an inordinate amount of time on the patent and making the prototype just so, then they think once they’ve done that, the world will beat a path to their doorstep.

    It’s also hard for some people to entrust their brainchildren to designers, engineers, and marketers. Entrepreneurs like Sir James Dyson, the inventor of the bagless vacuum cleaner who surrounded himself with Britain’s best engineers, and “Caractacus Potts types” – a reference to the eccentric soloist who creates the namesake flying car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Product development is a team sport. Inventors don’t get that. Entrepreneurs do.

    5) Can you accept that your company may outgrow you?

    Some entrepreneurs love to brag that they don’t need an exit strategy, because they are not going anywhere. But at some point, your business may need you less than you need it. That’s particularly true at fast-growth companies, at which entrepreneurs may not have enough time to develop the necessary leadership and business skills.

    Sometimes founders bring in presidents or senior executives from the outside, only to sabotage them. They do it by not giving them the necessary information. They do this by not stepping back and by involving themselves with managers in a way that is inappropriate in the chain of command. They can be disruptive during meetings.

    6) When you look in the mirror, does an entrepreneur look back?

    If so, and if that’s the reason you are starting a company, beware. Many traits-persistence, creativity, and risk tolerance among them, are commonly ascribed to entrepreneurs. But having those traits doesn’t much improve the odds that you will succeed.

    Research into entrepreneurs’ personal traits with things like persistence and need for achievement explain only about 5 percent to 10 percent of the difference between people who start companies and those who don’t. Entrepreneurs are less important than external predictors like the spirit of the times, the economy, and changes within an industry.

    Trying to predict success in entrepreneurship based on personal traits is a fool’s game.

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, Author, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations, conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on the lead generation and revenue creation to get growth results for the business.

    Contact Biz Coach Steve today to see how he can assist you get the results you want in your business, [email protected], or www.bizcoachsteve.com. He is in the business of growing businesses. Need a speaker, contact Steve today. #bizcoachstevef #entrepreneur #smallbusiness #business #smallbiz #coaching #businessowner #businesscoach #leadership #marketing #speaking #keynotespeaker #meetingprofs #eventprofs #meetingstoday