I recently had a call from someone who had received a marketing letter from me, who said that he thought that maybe I could be just the person he needed to help him. It turned out that he had a decent business which he had been running for years, but his words to describe it were something along the lines of “It’s O.K, but nothing ever changes. Whatever we seem to do, we get roughly the same turnover, with roughly the same profits, and so it goes on from year to year.” So he had finally decided to bring someone in from outside to make things charge.

The thing is that many business owners recognise they need to change the way things are done, but because they are so set in their ways, and so blinkered by looking at their business from the same perspective, that more often than not they end up merely tinkering with peripheral things and they don’t make the fundamental changes that will really make a difference.

Looking from outside (as I do) it’s often far easier to see what needs to change, and I can ask the awkward questions that no-one involved in the business feels able to do. Even when I start to make suggestions to instigate meaningful change, more often than not there will still be a certain amount of resistance, and it can take a lot of pushing and pulling to finally get the owner to take action.

Change begins either with a clear vision of what you want to achieve, or if it is beginning to get extremely uncomfortable where you are (or a combination of both). But even with these drivers, more often it is really useful to have someone to steer you in the right direction, and to help you take the right steps, so that the changes you make work out for the better. Fear of change because you might make it worse is a natural reaction, but if you keep on doing what you have always done, there is certainly no likelihood of anything improving.

Are you too nice? This may seem like an odd question, but you might be amazed at the number of business owners who are just that. They admit it themselves, and know that they should be tougher on their staff, but the fear of confrontation or upsetting their staff overpowers their need to deal with issues.

I used to think the statement “Why should I care what other people think of me?” as arrogant, and completely unacceptable. However, over the past 10 years or so of coaching I have come to realise that too many of us spend far too much time worrying about what others think, and are try to conform to what we think to be acceptable behaviour to those people close to us, either at work or in our home lives.

The thing is, as business owners we are not there to make friends, but to build a thriving enterprise which is profitable, and which gives stability and a steady income to our employees. If we spend too much time trying to ingratiate ourselves with our staff by “helping” with the tasks we have employed them to do, then we will not be spending enough time on growing the business, forming the strategy for the future, and managing our staff. In fact more often than not this can lead to missing key issues which can affect profitability and which could even lead to the closure of the business.

No-one will thank you if you go down this road. Your staff will respect you, thank you, and even become friends, if you can run an efficient, profitable business which ensures their family’s financial security and lifestyle.

So next time you find yourself giving your staff excuses, or covering for them, or even avoiding potential confrontations, think again. Isn’t it time you stopped being too nice, give some tough love, and consider the bigger picture.

I have just come back from my two week holiday, which I spent at home having a very relaxing and enjoyable time. Obviously it helped having beautiful sunny weather for almost the entire two weeks, and it meant I could do lots of outdoor activities such as bike rides with my children, playing golf, watching cricket, swimming in the local river and other simple pleasures which I love (drinking a bottle of wine in the sun!).

The thing is I am able to truly relax, because I have a business which will keep going when I am not there, and I know when I get back there won’t be lots of issues and problems to sort out. My team knows what is going on, they are clear on their own roles and responsibilities, and they can look after our clients in my absence. So when I came back into work on Monday morning, within an hour I had cleared any issues which were outstanding, and was completely back in control, so I could push forward with our marketing and looking for new clients.

But how many business owners are in a position like this, where their staff look after the business while they are away, they deal with any issues as and when they arise, and they can be certain that on their return from holiday, all will be well, and they will not be stressed and harassed within a day or two of getting back? Is this a scenario you would like to have, but you can’t envisage how to make it happen? Take a good look at your business structure and ask yourself where you are short of staff, and what you could off-load. Look at the financial status of your business and work out what you would need to allow yourself to employ people, so that the business can work without you. Then start taking the first steps to making the necessary changes.

Holidays should refresh you, and allow you to return re-invigorated and full of enthusiasm. So why ruin it all by having a business which takes all those benefits away within days of your return? If you want help making this a reality, why not give me a call?

It is so easy to take your eye off the ball, especially at this time of year. You know how it is, things are going really well, business is coming in, and at times you can barely keep up with it. So this is the time to keep things going, certainly not the time to ease up.

I was recently speaking to one of my clients who is in a classic feast/famine cycle. Because he is still largely the man who “does it all”, he doesn’t have time to continue with his marketing and making sales visits when he has lots of business and orders to provide and service. Typically, of course, this will in time lead to a quiet period because once he has dealt with all his orders, he then finds there is nothing new coming in, and it takes a month or two to generate new clients.

So how do you avoid this, especially when you are a one man band? Well first, I would suggest you need to employ someone. It doesn’t have to cost much in wages, as even a few hours a week can take away all the admin and processing of orders, and can free up sufficient time for you to keep business coming in. Setting up systems and planning ahead are also essential to keeping on top of things, but above all don’t allow yourself excuses, and let yourself ease up, because this is bound to lead to problems in the long run.

However, if you have trouble keeping yourself accountable, find someone who will do it for you. You may find it a little uncomfortable, but surely the benefits you reap through the added business is going to be worth it. And if you don’t know who to ask, give me a call, I will be happy to help.

We have all heard the saying about not judging people until “you have walked a mile in their shoes”. But it is a really useful approach to take when selling your own product or service. Getting a good understanding of your prospect’s needs and expectations will enable you to present them with the ideal solution and so get you their business.

Great sales people are first and foremost also great listeners. They take the time to listen and fully understand their customers. They build a relationship on trust and knowledge, and once a sound foundation is built they become the “go to” guys for future purchases and also get referrals as word spreads. Being able to get regular repeat business is a fantastic position to be in and is often the result of having really understood and met your customer’s expectations and wants.

As I received a call this morning from a company selling payment by card facilities for small businesses I thought about how well he listened to what I was saying. I’m sad to say I don’t think he did listen very well as he was determined to stick to his script regardless of which direction I wanted to go in.

Scripts are really important but are not the be all and end all, instead they should be a framework and have the flexibility to go with the conversation, rather than dictate it. For a telemarketer listening is even more vital, as there are no physical signals to follow. Great telemarketers adjust to their prospect’s style, within seconds of starting the call and use their script intelligently, building rapport quickly before making the sale.

So next time you meet a possible new client or pick up the phone to make a call, remember to first and foremost listen and then demonstrate how you can meet their requirements and the business will soon follow.

I am a very lucky man because I am surrounded by positive people doing positive things. Of course that is the nature of what I do, in that my clients are generally people who are keen to take positive actions to improve their businesses and their lives, and as a result I am constantly seeing and hearing things which make me feel good. Business owners making excellent profits, or finding more time to relax and be with their families, or simply having more fun in their business because it is working so much better.

For those of you who regularly read my blog, or who know me anyway, will know that I am the eternal optimist, and always look for the plus side in every situation. However, it really helps to have other like minded people around me, who will also be looking for positives. So it is incredibly important to ensure that you associate with people who help to raise your spirits, not those who choose to bring you down.

I’m never quite sure how it works, but it seems that people find it much easier to be influenced by the doom and gloom merchants, than those who seek to look for good things, however dark the future may seem. In other works people are very quickly pulled down into despair, but really struggle to allow themselves to feel good. Therefore avoid the “Eeyores” of this world, and stick with the “Tiggers.”

Your environment and your attitude and general wellbeing are what you decide you want them to be. If you decide you want to live in a world of depression it is simple enough to do so. But if you would rather feel happy, then first find the right people, say the right things, and above all take the positive actions that will help to improve your world.

Assuming you have no meetings with clients or potential clients tomorrow, could you just take the day off? Because that is what being a true business owner is all about. In other words does the business keep moving forward, and does it work smoothly without you.

Flexibility and freedom of choice are the two most often cited wishes when I ask business owners what they want out of life. Surprisingly perhaps it isn’t cars, boats, houses, holidays, jewellery or other material goods, it is the ability to no longer be tied to their business, and to be able to do what they want, when they want. Of course this involves having certain amounts of money to create freedom, but it also involves a team who can run the business efficiently and accurately without you.

Business owners often find the last step, i.e. getting away from their business almost the hardest part. It is like letting go of your child when they are learning to ride a bike, or sending them off on a long trip. They have to learn to stand on their own two feet which helps them grow and develop, and you as a business owner (or parent) have to let them go, so you can live your life. That feeling of no longer being needed is very hard to handle, and for business owners worrying that your staff think you are lazy and simply reaping the benefits of all their hard work.

But remember, you are the one who worked all those hours in the first place to provide a stable and lucrative job for them. So once you have a business and no longer a job, why not enjoy it?

One thing I find particularly annoying is when someone breaks a commitment to a meeting. If done far enough in advance because a genuine issue has arisen, or indeed from time to time when a crisis arises which need immediate attention, it is of course entirely acceptable. However when you get a message 2 or 3 days in advance of a meeting already in the diary that something else has come up, and can they reschedule, I believe it says a lot about the person you are meeting with, and perhaps more importantly, how much they value the meeting with you.

The same can apply to networking groups. If you join a networking group, you know when the meetings are throughout the year. However, in most groups a good proportion of people don’t turn up at each meeting because they make an alternative commitment, or because they can’t be bothered. Again what does this say about them, and how they value the group?

Now many people might say “So What?” These meetings are not vital, they often don’t bring income directly, and why not reschedule them. However, as stated above, I believe it shows a genuine lack of commitment overall, and therefore how can you be sure when working with them, that they will always do what they say they will. Trust is a vital part of any business relationship, so if people cancel or reschedule meetings just because it suits them better, or because they have a potentially better offer, then how can you be sure that they will provide what they say they will with their service or products.

Consistency and congruency is vital in all businesses. If you don’t do something because you consider it trifling or unimportant, what will stop you doing the same for big or vital issues: So think about the message you are giving next time you break a commitment, and then think again about doing so.

Are you going away on holiday this year? If not there may be any number of good reasons why not, but if you are a business owner, one reason which certainly is not good is because you are integral to the running of it. If that is the case, when was the last time you were able to get away?

One of the key aims for any business owner should be to create a business that can work without you. If it cannot then it is just a glorified job coupled with the added responsibility of running a team, ensuring profitability and planning the future strategy.

So how can you change this? The first thing is to write out an organisational structure. Very few business owners actually do this because when they start out they feel that the business is too small, and in any case they (or they and 1 or 2 others) are doing it all anyway. However, this is all part of planning ahead and building the business so others can be employed in the future, and responsibilities delegated. So draw up a structure with all the roles the business needs to run it when it has grown to the size you want it to be. Work out all the different daily, weekly and monthly tasks for each role, and systemise as much of this as you can (get the system written down in manuals). Then little by little employ the necessary staff to fill the roles you don’t need to be involved in, until the day to day running of the business is being done by your dedicated team.

Naturally enough, this cannot be done overnight. But if you are fed up with being the one making the decisions, and covering for all your staff, so even if you do get away on holiday this year you have to have your phone and computer constantly by your side, then why not make a resolution to change. Start the process now, and maybe by this time next year (or the year after) you can take a holiday, and come home refreshed and relaxed, knowing that all will be well, and the business will be flourishing without you.

Why do we ask for people’s opinions, when in our heart of hearts we know what we want in any case? The natural need to seek approval I suppose is the greatest reason for this, not wanting to be seen as different, or in some way over ambitious.

No doubt I have written about this subject before, but because it is potentially such an important aspect of limiting your personal and business growth, it is well worth re-visiting.

I recently met with someone who was in a one person business, looking to grow it, with great plans for the future. Over our discussion it was patently obvious that there were a number of areas of the business which needed to change, improve, and have more controls put in place. The business owner agreed that these were all necessary, and seemed very excited at the possibility of being able to make these changes with my help. However, there was one sticking point, and that was that this person wanted to go away and talk to others before committing to going forward.

In the end fear of taking the final jump in the dark, and/or having a fast growing business got the better of them, and instead of talking to people who had experienced great successes through the coaching programme, they decided to stick with advice from more cautious people, who presumably helped re-inforce their more negative beliefs and outlook.

I believe this happens a lot to many people. It is such a shame because for most of them they may never know what could have been, or what heights they could have achieved if they decided to take the less well trodden path. It is completely understandable to stick within the safety of the familiar (the comfort zone), but next time you are in two minds, sometimes it is good to go with your gut feeling, and don’t let others hold you back, just because it makes them feel more comfortable.