Biz Coach Steve

Tag: Change

  • Limiting beliefs

    Limiting beliefs

    I was speaking with a business owner that has been struggling for the last 3 years (started pre-pandemic). He was telling me how great business was. He had rockstar staff members. His marketing was firing on all cylinders. Then he was looking at expanding his business and adding another product line that would complement his current business. Then that is the moment everything started falling apart. He then went into detail about his spiraling descent to where he is now. After listening to his story, I heard him tell me the following limiting beliefs that were keeping him from reaching his goals. We as business owners/entrepreneurs have encountered these limiting beliefs and many others. Once we remove the wall, we put up in front of us, we can move forward.

    1. Everything has to be perfect before sharing it.

    Being a perfectionist keeps you in your comfort zone and nothing great comes from staying in your comfort zone. Having everything perfect just isn’t natural – nature is the greatest proof that perfect isn’t real. Flaws connect better for people. That video training you want to release where you stumble over the name in the intro, or your cat walked into the frame – put it out there! Own it! If you are in the business of people, put it out regardless of minor flaws. Do your due diligence to proofread but limit the number of edits and just get it out there. Done is better than perfect

    • I’ll do it tomorrow

    Procrastination is the sister of perfectionism. When you push something off it it’s usually either a) You don’t “feel” like doing it, or b) You’re afraid you won’t do it well. The way you do anything is the way you do everything, so if you are procrastinating on the little things, you are likely procrastinating on the bigger things too. When you know there is something that you want to push off, make that the exact thing you do right now. The sooner you get it off your to-do list, the sooner you can focus on the things you love to do.

    • I am here to help everyone

    It’s an ambitious thought, but it is totally unrealistic to try to help everyone. The idea that you are here to “change the world” is a starting point. We change the world through our work on an individual basis. Think about your gifts and talents, think about who specifically needs those gifts and talents. Dial it in! The clearer and more concise you are with who you want to work with or work for, the better your clients will be suited to you and the better you’ll be able to market to them.

    • Discounting my prices will help me get more clients

    Discounts devalue the worth of a good or service. If you discount your rates, you show your potential clients that you agree that your services are not really worth $X. If you feel like you *need* to discount your offerings, it’s more likely that you are not valuing your own worth and therefore, you are not showing your potential client your value. Next time someone says, “That’s expensive,” you are being told that you have not established your value properly. So, you need to show them, very clearly, how your service will take them from their pain point now to their desired destination – map it out for them and show what your services are missing like. Most people will immediately have some sort of objection to the price, it’s natural. But if you see this, not as a reflection of you and your prices, but rather as their reaction based on their personal financial situation, you can be of service and guide them through the process.

    • There are so many other people out there that are better at this than me

    Compare and despair! Everyone has to start somewhere, even your greatest inspirations were just getting started once too. Also, the fabulous life you see through social media is a highly edited version and doesn’t show much of “real life” stuff that’s happening behind the scenes. This pattern has to stop! If you find you are spending too much time focusing on what others are doing, you are likely not doing what you need to be doing in your own business or life. Turn off social media, do your work and commit to showing up as your best self, you WILL attract your people and they will adore you. Look to others for inspiration on how to be better and integrate what you like into your own special sauce. The more you step into YOU, the more you will attract your people

    • Self-care and time off are a luxury. If I want to be successful, I have to just work a lot.

    Self-care is a foundation of a successful entrepreneur. By taking time for your body, mind, and soul, you allow time to replenish your valuable resources: inspiration, energy, and joy. Splurge on a massage mid-day on Tuesday and see how much better you perform this week. Turn off your electronics and go camping this weekend – I guarantee you’ll have a breakthrough in the next few days after returning, if not while you are away. You solve problems in your business when you take your mind off your business. The more space you have in your schedule, the more space you have in your heart and mind to put it back into your business.

    What to do.

    The first thing you will do is write down one of your limiting – or negative – beliefs. Then below it, write a counter statement, known as a power statement, that turns that limiting belief around. Example:

    Limiting Statement: I don’t know if anyone will buy this new product and my staff won’t even try to sell it.

    Power Statement: I know this new product will provide a lot of value to people and my staff will love to sell it because of the benefits to our customers.

    You want to continue doing this for any limiting beliefs or negative statements you find yourself thinking, saying, or buying into. Use these Power Statements as affirmations. You can integrate them into your daily morning ritual by reading them aloud every day. If you don’t currently have a daily ritual, use this to start one

    #

    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, and Author, a coffee enthusiast, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals, and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations and conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on 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 #businesscoachnearme

  • Justifiable

    Justifiable

    I was speaking to a group of business owners and had the opportunity to have lunch with some of the participants. 

    You know how those go.  

    “What do you do?”

    “How’s business?”

    And so on.

    When I had the chance to ask questions to the business owners around the table, I asked them, “What issue/problem are you currently experiencing in your business that you are hiding from yourself?”

    That stopped the conversation.

    One of the business owners looked like they were about ready to break down in tears. He composed himself to say that he has been ignoring having a candid conversation with an employee that is killing this company.  Then he went on to justify why he has not had that conversation even though he knows this one employee is causing customers, employees, and vendors to leave him. 

    The question now is “is it helping you and your business by justifying his staying?”

    It’s easy to justify our mood or our actions based on how we’ve been treated by the outside world, or how we want to be perceived. Justification is not the goal. It’s effectiveness that matters.

    We get to pick how we act, and it seems as though choosing what works, choosing what makes us happy, choosing what makes the world the place we want to make it – these choices are more useful than any justification we can dream up. 

    He was choosing not to have the crucial conversation versus saving his business and then justified it with a million reasons why that employee is still working at his business.

    I am going to work with that business owner to help him be the leader he wants to be and stop justifying poor behavior.

    What issues, problems, and challenges are you justifying in order to avoid solving them?

    #

    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, and Author, a coffee enthusiast, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals, and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations and conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on 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 #businesscoachnearme

  • 5 mistakes to avoid on LinkedIn

    5 mistakes to avoid on LinkedIn

    It seems people have been talking about LinkedIn quite a bit lately.

    They tell me, they love LinkedIn, but get lots of spammy messages and they are not finding prospects on LinkedIn. What I am finding out is that these people are complaining about the spam they get, but in turn, they are spamming others in the same fashion.

    Most people try to add and accept meaningful connections on the professional network.

    Still, there are reasons why you might not be making the connections you are hoping for.  Here are 5 simple mistakes to avoid on LinkedIn.

    1. You’re not sending a personalized message

    If someone walked up to you at a networking event and said, “I’d like to add you to my professional network,” you would probably give him a confused look. Sending a generic LinkedIn invitation to a stranger without introducing yourself is a big mistake.

    Instead, check their profile and find a meaningful interest that you share. Start by introducing yourself, and then mention the thing you have in common. Your potential connection needs to understand who you are. It is also crucial that they see how they, too, can benefit from this professional connection. Make sure it’s someone you want to connect with. Stop just inviting the world.

    2. Your profile is lacking significant information

    Hand down this is the simplest item to fix and the biggest mistake I see on LinkedIn. If you don’t have a headline or a professional profile photo, chances are your connection requests are going to be ignored. Having a complete LinkedIn profile and optimizing it for search help potential connections to know that you are legit.

    Don’t say in your message you are LinkedIn lead generation guru and your profile is not complete or use archaic phrases and show you are working at a fast food place.

    Make sure you have these important components:

    • Headline. Describe what you do and whom you work with.
    • Summary. This is arguably the most important element on your profile. The LinkedIn algorithm searches for keywords on your page, so take full advantage of the 2,000-character space to tell people what you do. Jazz it up by adding mixed media, such as images and videos.
    • Experience. Your profile will seem incomplete and humdrum if you don’t go beyond what’s on your résumé. Adding relevant images, videos, presentations or articles will help your profile stand out and enhance your credibility.
    • Endorsements. Unfortunately, our competitive society loves numbers. Opting out of endorsements or having very few will make your profile seem suspicious. Reach out to family members or co-workers to boost endorsements.
    • Connections. When someone is considering your invitation, they think, “How will this connection benefit my network?” Ten to 20 connections are a small, unimpressive network. Try connecting with friends, co-workers, family members, neighbors, fellow alumni, and former colleagues before you send connection requests to prospects and recruiters.
    • Customizable LinkedIn URL. You can create your URL based on your first and last name or the industry in which you are knowledgeable.

    Although there is no one right way to craft a LinkedIn profile, you will be more likely to connect with prospects and recruiters if your profile is complete and optimized.

    3. Your spelling, punctuation, and capitalization are flawed.

    If you have improper spelling, punctuation, and capitalization, people will be inclined to delete your request. Most prospects and recruiters will call you out for it every time. On a professional network, you must clean up your mistakes and have a polished profile. PLEASE DO NOT USE ALL CAPITALS IN ALL YOUR TEXT ON LINKEDIN.  That’s yelling and very unprofessional.

    4. You’re spelling their name wrong.

    Check and double-check the name of your potential connection. If you misspell their name or call them by the wrong name, you will be ignored.

    5. You’re trying to sell something.

    If you want to sell something to a prospect on LinkedIn, do not try to do so on your initial request. Many prospects and recruiters want to cultivate their professional networks. They don’t want you sending some crappy sales pitch to all their connections. Try having a more meaningful conversation rather than sending a template sales pitch.

    No matter how you change your approach to connecting, some people will not accept your request. Don’t take it personally; users have varied philosophies. It might just be an indication that your targeted person isn’t seeing what they would gain by connecting with you.

    Why do you accept or reject LinkedIn connection requests?

    Update your LinkedIn profile. Connect with your true target market using personalized messages. Don’t sell your stuff in your first message to someone.

    To your business success.
    Biz Coach Steve

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    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, and Author, a coffee enthusiast, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals, and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations and conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on 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 #businesscoachnearme

  • What is Your USP?

    What is Your USP?

    What is your USP?

    You may have heard that question at some point when you were building your business or starting up. USP stands for Unique Selling Proposition.

    In very simple terms, why should I buy from you versus anyone else?  What makes you different? Unique?

    After presenting at two large business groups and hearing everyone’s elevator pitch, it still blows my mind how many people do not have a clear focus on what their business is and who problems they solve and to whom are they solving those problems.  We hear extra filler junk, such as. “I am like the UBER of XXX.” So, what I heard is that you have a billion-dollar valuation, are in the debt over a billion dollars, and have not been profitable and probably will never be profitable. Not good.

    This was from an INC magazine article. “A Unique Selling Point is a feature or a characteristic of a product that makes it stand out from the masses and allows the product to look more exclusive/valuable to the customer. The unique selling proposition is often the crucial factor why a customer bought a specific product from a specific company (A), rather than a comparable product with similar features to another company (B). Simply put: the USPs are the unique benefits a product offers its purchasers.”

    So how can you create your own very compelling USP?

    Simple. Follow this simple formula and create your USP. Think of it as your elevator pitch.

    First, write down your target market. Now you may have more than one, but not more than three. Why? Because if your message is trying to be everything to everyone, no one cares, and no one wants to hear it. They want someone to solve their problems-not the world. Be specific about who your market is.  If it’s dentists, then what kind of dentist? Orthodontist? Periodontist? General? Oral? Etc.  Be specific.  “My company works with orthodontists.”

    Next, write down at least 25 problems your target customer has, then write down 10 more. This will really help your business down the road. Identify the top 3 problems your target market has based on your list. How do you know what the top 3 problems are? Hopefully, you know why your customers are doing business with you. If not, ask them what problems/challenges your product/services solve for them.  If you don’t have customers yet, then meet with a mentor to have them help you find those top 3 challenges. You also may know what 3 challenges you want to solve for your customers-but it must be in alignment with THEIR needs.  I.E. Orthodontists problems are; patients not showing up for appointments, potential clients not having insurance to get braces (cost), and finding good staff.


    Now write down at least one solution to each one of the problems you outlined in the last step. Be specific. Using our dentist as an example; send out email, text, and voice mail reminders for the appointment, provide another insurance solution if they don’t have insurance, and use a systematic process to hire great staff.

    Let’s put it all together.

    “My company works with elite orthodontists who have challenges obtaining new patients and attracting high-level staff. We help them develop acquisition and retention strategies to build their practice and their team.”

    You may be thinking, how did I get that USP from the exercise? It’s simple. THEIR problem is getting new patients in because they don’t have insurance, keeping patients, and getting new staff. The USP says that in a language that is speaking to the orthodontist-not to anyone else. Now, if another type of dentist heard this, would they want to know more from you?   Absolutely. You can alter your USP to your market.

    I.E. “My company works with elite dentists who have challenges obtaining new patients and attracting high-level staff. We help them develop acquisition and retention strategies to build their practice and their team.”

    See how that works.  You must speak to your audience. It’s NOT about you. It’s about who you serve, what are their problems, and how are you solving them.

    Stop being the Uber, Apple, Tesla, Google, Amazon, or whatever other company you want to compare yourself to. They have their USP. Here are a few.

    Uber: Ride when you want, where you want

    Apple:  We provide a lifestyle with our products

    FedEx: When your package absolutely, positively has to get there overnight

    Coke: The real thing

    Google: Access the world from your fingertips

    Mine: We can uncover $50,000 to over $100,000 of hidden revenue for a business in 45-minutes

    You are NOT them. They have established themselves in the market, you are working on establishing yourself. Speak to your audience, be unique, and be you. They do not have to define their market; it has already been defined.

    Create your USP today.  Be clear.

    #

    Steve Feld, MBA, Certified Business Coach, and Author, a coffee enthusiast, provides training and business performance coaching to business owners, professionals, and executives. Steve also speaks to organizations and conducts workshops and training.  Focusing on 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 #businesscoachnearme

  • Eight Signs it’s Time to Hire a Business Coach

    Eight Signs it’s Time to Hire a Business Coach

    As a leader, you might think you should have everything figured out already, but this simply isn’t true. While all of us have our talents, leadership skills are often something we have to learn along the way.

    Enter the business coach. A business coach oversees and guides a manager or founder in starting, growing, or developing a business. Like a sports coach, a business coach’s job is to help you develop the skills and resources you need to be successful. A coach is there to assist you in your business, not to tell you how to run your business. They can see your shortcoming and provide you the tools and resources to fill in those gaps to grow your business and improve your own skills.

    Whether you’re overwhelmed, in need of advice, or want to see better results, here are 8 signs that it may be time to bring in a coach into your business.

    1. You Are Overwhelmed

    One of the top signs that it’s time for a coach is when you hit that feeling of being overwhelmed. You are overwhelmed by feeling like there is too much to do and too few hours in the day to get everyone accomplished. You are overwhelmed by not knowing how much profit you are making at the end of your month. And you are overwhelmed because you don’t feel like you have control of your business, your employees, or your vendors.

    2. You Need a Confidant to Talk About Your Business With

    Standing center stage expects excellence. Who can you trust to speak without feeling exposed, or impairing your credibility or reputation within the organization or its clients? How would it feel to have a safe sounding board for honest feedback on your ideas and a partner to support you in the process of design, implementation, and evaluation? Time to hire a coach!  

    3. You Intellectually Know What to Do But Don’t Do It

    You need a coach when you “know” what to do but don’t implement. Lack of change typically occurs because you need to experience some paradigm shifts that require someone with an outside perspective to challenge your assumptions and because you need someone to help you translate general principles into specific steps that you can take in your own life.

    4. You Aren’t Getting the Results You Want

    Sometimes we think we know the right path to take in our career growth or business growth, but we come to find it isn’t working. To get the results we want, we may need guidance from someone who can see things from a more objective view, not a subjective view. Turning to a business coach can increase ROI, surge active engagement, and allow one to remove obstacles that are precluding results.

    5. You Want to Save Time and Money

    If you’re business or thinking about starting a business and thinking, “Wow, I could use someone to help me figure out the best way to do this,” you should be considering getting a coach. Going the “lone wolf” route can cost much more in wasted time and money, and that can all be avoided by working with an excellent coach.

    6. You Find Yourself Listening Only To Your own Ideas

    You need to hire a business coach is when you find yourself only listening to your own ideas. The higher up the ladder you are, the more people tend not to be honest and just comply. The same thing can happen to entrepreneurs because they have a tendency to work alone; they tend to only hear their own ideas. We all need checks and balances. A coach can help you.

    7. You’re Feeling Stuck and Frustrated by Others

    Einstien stated the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. I hear this all the time. My clients often have a similar story reappearing in their lives in different ways. A great time to work with a coach is when you find yourself repeatedly frustrated by others around you at work, or if you can see that you have some unhealthy workplace dynamics, but you’re not sure how to really shift them. The unbiased perspective of a coach can be just what that executive needs.

    8. You Want Your Company to Grow

    If you’re alive and breathing as an entrepreneur, you need a coach. I’m not only a coach I am also the CEO of my company with multiple people in the organization. I’ve hired half a dozen coaches (and have 2 coaches), been the beneficiary of a couple of dozen mentors, and worked with multiple strategic partners. Your company only expands at the rate of your own growth. Find a coach you can rely on and get to work. The ROI is ridiculous.

    Stop the madness and wishing your company can grow. Get the help you need to really have your business take off. It will be one of the best investments you ever made in your business and yourself.

    #

    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 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 #businesscoachnearme

  • The Manager – Coach and Confidant

    The Manager – Coach and Confidant

    Your people are your most precious resource. Only your people can be made to appreciate you and the value you bring to them. All other resources and corporate assets depreciate over time. You need great people in your organization to grow your business.

    People leave jobs due to their manager and that person’s poor leadership and managerial skills. People stay at bad jobs due to how great their manager treats and lead them.

    Many organizations have managers that were promoted because; they talk a great game (the BS’ers), or performed well on a project, are great at shuffling paperwork, are well networked in the organization, due to nepotism, or were hired externally to make changes within an organization. Many managers are just that – managers and not leaders. There is a big difference between managing and leading.

    Bad managers may or may not know they are demoralizing their staff through their words and actions. The worst managers do not believe they are negatively impacting the business but believe the business is declining due to the staff.

    One big area I have seen managers and business owners fail at is providing effective coaching to their employees. They believe having that annual review with their staff, beating them up over something they cannot remember 10 months ago, and providing nothing, but negative comments are showcasing their great managerial skills.  They are doing it because that is all they know, and they need to check a box to say they did the review.

    The fastest and most effective way to increase the productivity and performance of your people is for you to give them timely and relevant coaching and counseling at the proper times in their careers. This is the exact opposite of what many managers believe. People cannot grow without honest, objective feedback and instruction from someone who can look at their performance and tell them exactly how they are doing.  The best managers are always communicating with their staff, coaching and guiding them. Correcting them if needed but in a positive and supportive manner.

    Everyone needs feedback and counseling from someone he or she respects and trusts to improve and to get better at their work. Many average people have become star performers within their organization as the result of a manager taking the time to guide them and instruct them on how to improve in critical areas of their work.

    One of the best managers I have ever met never wanted to run the company. They were very happy in their manager role looking over 50 people who were on the manufacturing floor.  The reason being his employees in his division had the highest output compared to other locations the company had as well as the industry average. His employee turnover was unheard of at 99% retention. He told new staff members that they will only work for him for a maximum of 5 years. His goal is to provide his staff with managerial and leadership skills to get a better job within or outside the organization. He had monthly group and one-on-one meetings. He did little talking at all the meetings. He listened. Asked the right questions at the right time. Provided guidance and support to everyone. All his current and prior staff members would walk through fire for this guy.  His passion was to be the best manager and develop leaders.  Could you emulate his vision and actions?

    You need to learn how to give timely and accurate coaching and counseling to each of your staff members regularly. If they are performing below par, take them aside and find out why. Ask them questions. Don’t start criticizing them and threatening them about their performance. You may be shocked to find out that person may have lost a close family member and that has impacted their performance. You don’t know. Treat them with respect and ask questions.

    Make sure you are clear about what is expected from your staff. If you just tell them to produce 100 units an hour, that is an expectation. Go deeper. Show them how to produce 100 units an hour. Sit with them. Ask them how they could produce 100 units an hour. What could they improve on to produce more?  Be clear on your expectations and be the coach and confidant.

    “The number one demotivator in the world of work is not knowing what is expected.”

    A great strategy is to have short monthly one-on-one meetings with your staff. The manager is there as a facilitator, the coach, guiding the meeting, but doing the listening and asking questions. To make these meetings effective and to coach your staff, they create the agenda for the meeting. Let them tell you what they have been working on in the past month. What their goals were in the last month and if they achieved them or not and why. They will tell you their goals for the next month and how they will achieve them. You will just ask questions to clarify anything they said and to push them a little bit to learn something new. Improve their production, their leadership skills, whatever it may be. You are the coach. Coach them. Be clear in your communication. No fluffy stuff. Be open honest and caring. Have them always reaching higher to achieve their personal goals and to achieve the goals of the business. 

    What are you going to do to be the coach and confident in your business?

    #

    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 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 #businesscoachnearme

  • Develop a vision for your future

    Develop a vision for your future

    Where do you envision your business to be in a year?  5 Years?  10 Years?

    Where do you envision your personal life to be in a year?  5 Years?  10 Years?

    When I ask business owners these questions, I usually get them spewing a bunch of platitudes with no definitive answer on where they see their life and business in the future. They have no clear vision for their future.

    Simple questions, but with hard answers. 

    One quality that all leaders have in common is that they have a clear and exciting vision for their future. This is something that only the leader can do. By leader, could mean the business owners. Parent, Guardian, Manager, etc.…  Only the leader can think about the future and plan for the future each day.  Think of it like this. If you are the captain of a ship, are you just floating around the ocean? Or, do you have a clear plan to go somewhere or do something? Pirates had a clear plan. Sail the seas, find other ships, steal everything they have, and move onto the next ship.

    Excellent leaders take the time to think through and develop a clear picture of where they want the organization to be in one, three, and five years. Leaders can communicate this vision in such a way that others “buy-in” and eventually see the vision as belonging to them.

    Set aside sometime over a weekend and put some thought into your vision. Write it down. Be as detailed as possible. Then write one simple statement that you can say to convey your vision to others. This will help you get crystal clear on your vision and stay on track to reach your goals.

    Use your vision to motivate others. Your vision shows your future possibilities of what can be, and that arouses emotion and motivates you and others to give their best. The most powerful vision is always qualitative, aimed at and described in terms of values and mission rather than quantitative, described in terms of money. Of course, money is important, but the decision and commitment to “be the best in the business” is far more exciting.

    A clear vision that is communicated properly can encourage others, instill confidence in them, to help them to perform at their best. It does require you to lead by example and stick to your vision.

    A clear vision for your future can create great team players.
    A study at Stanford Business School examined the qualities that companies look for in promoting young managers toward senior executive positions, especially the position of Chief Executive Officer. The study concluded that there were two important qualities required for great success in leadership. The first is the ability to put together a team and function as a good team player. Since all work is ultimately done by teams, and the managers’ output is the output of the team, the ability to select team members, set objectives, delegate responsibility, and finally, get the job done, was central to success in management.

    Keep Your Cool
    The second quality required for rapid promotion was found to be the ability to function well under pressure, and especially in a crisis. Keeping your cool in a crisis means practicing patience and self-control under difficult or disappointing circumstances.

    Everyone Is Watching
    The character and quality of a leader are often demonstrated in these critical moments under fire when everyone is watching, observing, and privately taking notes. As Rudyard Kipling once said, “If you can keep your head when all around you are losing theirs and blaming it on you, then the world is yours and all that’s in it”.

    Your job as a leader is to have a clear vision of where you want to go and then to keep your cool when things go wrong, as they surely will.

    Action Exercises
    Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

    First, project forward 3-5 years and imagine your ideal future vision. What does it look like? What steps can you take immediately to begin turning your future vision into your current reality?

    Second, resolve in advance that, no matter what happens, you will remain calm and cool. You will not become upset or angry. You will take a deep breath and focus on the solution rather than on the problem.

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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 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 #businesscoachnearme

  • Speed Networking

    Speed Networking

    When I tell business owners one of the easiest ways to expand your network is to attend a speed networking event, they always think I am pulling their leg.  I’m not.

    All business owners, salespeople, and those that live on commissions should always attend a speed networking event to “PRACTICE” your elevator pitch. This is the best testing ground to test your elevator pitch in a relevant environment.

    Speed networking programs are showing up all around the world. These events tend to be a fun, exciting, and effective way to make a lot of initial connections in a very different environment from the standard business networking meetings.

    Speed networking programs generally involve people meeting each other one at a time for a short interval and then moving on to the next person in line. They are fairly structured in the way people queue up to meet. For example, one variation is to have two concentric circles of people. The individuals sit across from one another and after the set period–generally one or two minutes–the outside circle of people gets up and moves in one direction around the circle until everyone has met.

    You might not be surprised to learn that I have some definite opinions and ideas about how to best use speed networking as a tool for creating viable referral partnerships. First, I think speed networking is a great way to meet other business professionals in a short period. It’s a good tool for business people to be the viability to a high number of people in a short amount of time.

    The potential downside to speed networking is if someone thinks this is “all” they have to do to network effectively. The key to making speed networking work is to take those contacts and develop them over time into “credible” relationships that lead to “profitable” referral partners.

    Some people have likened speed networking to speed dating. While there are some similarities, there is also a subtle but significant difference. Speed dating is done to eliminate potential suitors and keep from wasting time on people with whom you share no common interests and no mutual attraction. The presumption is that you are going to follow up with only the ones you connect with during the exercise.

    I don’t feel speed networking can be used to its potential if you treat it as a means to eliminate potential referral sources, but to attract potential referral sources. Developing a strong referral base is about developing relationships with a variety of people, even when it seems you have nothing in common.

    So how do you go about participating in a speed networking exercise with the proper focus to make the most of your time? Here are several points to consider:

    1. Start with the end in mind. You’re not there to bag the big one. You are NOT there to sell your stuff, nor is someone there to buy your stuff. You’re not there to eliminate referral sources or referral partners. You’re there to find ways to connect with every person you have the opportunity to sit (or stand) in front of for that one- to two-minute period.

    If you are going to a speed networking event to “refine” your elevator pitch, bring 3 versions and practice each pitch to a third of the room and gauge their reaction to your elevator pitch to see which one engages the other person to what to know more.

    2. Conduct the exercise as a mini-interview. Think in terms of what you can find out about the person you’re meeting. That’ll allow you to help further the goals of that individual. Forget about mining their database or trying to determine who they know to further your goals. In working to mutually benefit one another, ask questions that’ll clarify where and how you can best help your new referral source.

    3. Make notes during the exercise. If you’re not provided some type of contact card on which you can jot notes while in the exercise, be sure to use your pad of paper to write down the information you discover. Be sure to note the person’s interests and goals you could help achieve.

    4. Follow up. Follow up. Follow up. If you don’t follow up with those you meet during the speed networking exercise, you will only have succeeded in wasting your time–which is exactly what you were trying to avoid by attending the event in the first place. Collect the business cards of each person you sit with during the exercise. The magic happens after the exercise, in the weeks and months to come.

    Set appointments with each person, not to convince them they need your product, but to become better acquainted, finding out what their needs are and how you can positively impact their lives. You’ll realize the reason you went to the speed networking exercise in the first place: to develop more referral business.

    I believe speed networking can work if it’s done the right way. It can be a fun, energetic, and dynamic way to further your own goals of having a thriving, successful word-of-mouth-based 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 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 #businesscoachnearme

  • Time for an immediate change in your life

    Time for an immediate change in your life

    Right now, many folks feel overwhelmed, lost, confused, angry, and uncertain with everything that is going on around them.

    We are in the middle of a pandemic. The political climate is polarized. Group of people are rising, while other are trying to keep them down. A new reality for many business owners has not sunk in yet. Masks. PPE. Social Distancing.

    We all know it is time for a change. Time to change how we do business. Time for a change on how we treat others. Time for a change within ourselves.

    We all want positive change in our lives. We seek to succeed, and to break free from the doldrums of the everyday rat race. 

    We also know that motivation can be fleeting. So how can we buckle down and shock ourselves into the change we need? Many business owners like to stay stuck in the comfort zone. While others are changing and putting themselves in a place that is not comfortable today, but they know that feeling of un-comfort is short term and they will thrive and survive.

    I’m going to share seven simple ways to produce stunning change in your life immediately. 

    1. Wake up 30 minutes earlier than you usually do.

    I’ve got into a rhythm of waking up at 5 a.m. to speak with my clients that are 3 hours ahead of me. While I’m not a morning person, getting up earlier helps me get a jump start on my day.

    If you challenge yourself to get up just 30 minutes earlier, it will help you kick start your day. Even if it is to get out of bed, sit in a nice chair and think. It will also help you at night. You will be that much more ready for sleep in the evening.

    You’ll also have gotten just a bit more accomplished throughout your day. This will alleviate any bedtime brain chatter/freak outs about the day ahead. Those little 30 minutes are amazing.

    2. If you can, meditate or nap during the day.  

    When I first heard this, two things came to mind. Pre-school and that I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep at night. What I found, was a short 30-60-minute cat nap or meditation during the day provided me with more energy.

    That break reduced stress, re-energized me. Gave me that “moment to myself.”

    Ducking into a conference room to close your eyes and enjoy some deep breathing can have a lasting effect. Use an app of your choice to help with a guided meditation. 

    3. Remove the distractions to your goals.

    Need to remove all obstacles and distractions that are blocking you from achieving your goals. If you say you don’t have time to make outbound sales calls, then block time on your calendar to just focus on outbound sales calls. Make a list of who you want to call, why you are calling them, and what you are going to say the day before. This way when it’s time to make the calls, you make the calls. Not wasting time to figure out who you are going to call and what you are going to say. Make sure your door is closed and let other know you are on call time and cannot be disturbed. Eliminate all the distractions during that time. No inbound calls during that hour, no one walking into your office, not going to the water cooler.

    4. Tackle big tasks one baby step at a time.

    I always think of the saying, “you can’t eat an elephant in one bit.” Big projects loom constantly. The more we think of the big deadline, or the volume of pages that need to be written, the more discouraged we become. Anxiety builds, then fear, then procrastination.

    By breaking down big tasks into little ones, we break the inertia and move in a positive direction. Stock piling small wins will build our confidence and stoke the fires of production. 

    5. Think about death more often. Yes, seriously. 

    “I wish I could have done more work.” Said no one on their death bed. They only talk about regrets on things they never had time to do and accomplish. We are trying to do more in less time so that we don’t waste time, which many times takes up more time.

    What does work is if we increase the scarcity of time.  We can do this effectively if we set serious time constraints. For example, challenging our minds to believe that this year is your last year on earth. How productive would you be then?

    Studies have shown that workers are the most productive 3 days before and 3 days after they go on an extended vacation. Change your thinking and be more productive.

    6. Choose better words.

    Becoming more aware of the impact that your words have on those around you, and yourself, can be a powerful change agent. Opening a conversation with comments like “You look tired” or “You look good for your age” can destroy your rapport with friends and colleagues.

    A mentor of mine always had me restate a sentence so that I will use better wording. It drove me nuts for the first 3 months, then I noticed how I said everything changed. It also changed how others responded. His little activity really changed my life for the better.

    Watch your words and how you use them. It will change the environment around you.

    7. Get new friends.

    It’s true that you’re the sum of the people you spend the most time with. If you surround yourself with positive people who are pushing themselves to bigger and better things, chances are you’ll have a better time of effecting change in your own life. Harvard Business Review’s Joseph Grenny says this can be a potent way to trick your brain into long lasting change. 

    If you want deep, long-lasting, positive change in your life, you’ll have to commit to at least a few of these suggestions. Why not try out one or two? You’ll enjoy the results.

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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

  • 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