Sack the Juggler! Is it just balls????

A few years ago, I thought it was just an isolated case- not commonly found. Now it has become epidemic; so many of the small business owners I meet suffer from it. (Jugglers Syndrome)...

So many balls in the air.... Its symptoms include difficulty focusing on one thing at a time, trouble sticking to one subject or topic, not being able to finish a task, poor follow through in general, and the in-ability to stick with a new pattern or habit until it becomes consistent.

I’m no medical doctor and I write this in some jest, but honestly there is a real correlation between this and and being your own boss. Somewhere along the line, the same gene that makes a person bold, daring, smart (even brilliant), insightful and a leader also contains an inability to stay focused.

It’s actually sad to see brilliant and hardworking business owners spin their wheels and not get anywhere because they simply don’t know how to focus. Sound like you? I have coached numerous different business owners who have had Jugglers Syndrome (JS) to varying degrees, so I have learnt the best way to coach them.

As soon as I see the first signs of (JS), I equip my clients with the following tools to help them fight this very curable infliction\addiction:

Quit multi-tasking. The ancient Chinese saying, “A man who chases two rabbits catches none,” is true. Focus on one thing - do it well and only after completing it, move on to the next one.

Maintain a to-do-list and keep it in one secure place. Rather than carrying your to-do's around with you, or listed in your head.. Have them tied down to a "place" In simple terms you are no longer carrying all those balls... You put one down to pick another one up.

Plan before you take any action. Your first urge may be to answer that ringing phone or respond to the first piece of paper you come across, but in many cases, that is the wrong thing to do. You are much better served by adding these tasks to your specially designed to-do-list, then reviewing it in order to prioritize (using the 80/20 rule used in sales coaching), and then take the appropriate action.

Keep another section where you can record and store your great ideas. Having too many ideas can sometimes paralyze you. Keeping your future ideas in a “parking lot” will free up your valuable mind-space and allow you to focus on the matters at hand.

Commit to sticking to new habits- and only one new habit at a time- for six weeks. People with (JS) seem to be trying something new all the time- and most of the things they want to try are brilliant but they have to stick with these. Making a commitment to your coach or someone else in your life that you will try your new habit for six weeks can help you follow-through with your commitments. After all it takes at least a month to create a habit..

Because.... Practice makes Perfect - WRONG - Practice makes PERMINENT. By committing to a six week run you are far more likely to perminently change your habits and be cured of the dreaded Jugglers Syndrome.....

These basic steps can go a long way in maintaining focus- a quality that is paramount for success.

Turn Your Customers Into Raving Fans

Turn Your Customers Into Raving Fans

Raving fans are customers who are so over the moon with us that they not only tell all their friends and colleagues about us, they actually bring them to us and help us to sell things to them.

It’s a frightening fact of business life ithat we spend six times more to attract new customers to our businesses than we do to up-sell, on-sell and generally over service our existing customers so that they stay our customers and don’t leave us and go to our competition.

Just to add another frightening fact, 68 percent of customers who leave a company do so simply because of a perceived indifference, you actually didn’t do anything wrong, the customer just thought you didn’t care enough!

How do you show you ‘Didn’t care enough’? Well, it can be in many different small ways, you forget to thank them, remember their name, offer that extra little bit, suggest that accessory which would be perfect or any one of dozens of other little perceived indifferences that your competition can capitalize on.

Here are some simple tips that you can introduce in your business today which will help you to keep your customers coming back, bringing their friends with them and generally shouting your name from rooftops telling people why, if they’re not dealing with you, they’re missing out on something wonderful!

• Send them thank you cards
• Sell them everything they need to gain maximum benefit from the purchase
• Use their name frequently
• Call them up just to make sure everything is going well
• Invite them to special sales just for a privileged few, exceptional clients
• Cal them up when something new arrives in stock that you know they would like
• Ask them for their suggestions as to how you could improve your service to them
• Follow up & follow up again
• Under promise and over deliver

None of this is difficult, it starts with you and you must lead by example because your team does everything you do, if you do care for your customers they will care for you and help you to grow your business.

Some great job interview questions with answers!

Q. Tell me about yourself.
A. This is the dreaded, classic, open-ended interview question and likely to be among the first. It's your chance to introduce your qualifications, good work habits, etc. Keep it mostly work and career related.

Q. Why do you want to leave your current job? (Why did you leave your last job?)
A. Be careful with this. Avoid trashing other employers and making statements like, "I need more money." Instead, make generic statements such as, "It's a career move."

Q. What are your strengths?
A. Point out your positive attributes related to the job.

Q. What are your weaknesses?
A. Everybody has weaknesses, but don't spend too much time on this one and keep it work related. Along with a minor weakness or two, try to point out a couple of weaknesses that the interviewer might see as strengths, such as sometimes being a little too meticulous about the quality of your work. (Avoid saying "I work too hard." It's a predictable, common answer.) For every weakness, offer a strength that compensates for it.

Q. Which adjectives would you use to describe yourself?
A. Answer with positive, work-oriented adjectives, such as conscientious, hard-working, honest and courteous, plus a brief description or example of why each fits you well.

Q. What do you know about our company?
A. To answer this one, research the company before you interview.

Q. Why do you want to work for us?
A. Same as above. Research the company before you interview. Avoid the predictable, such as, "Because it's a great company." Say why you think it's a great company.

Q. Why should I hire you?
A. Point out your positive attributes related to the job, and the good job you've done in the past. Include any compliments you've received from management.

Q. What past accomplishments gave you satisfaction?
A. Briefly describe one to three work projects that made you proud or earned you pats on the back, promotions, raises, etc. Focus more on achievement than reward.

Q. What makes you want to work hard?
A. Naturally, material rewards such as perks, salary and benefits come into play. But again, focus more on achievement and the satisfaction you derive from it.

Q. What type of work environment do you like best?
A. Tailor your answer to the job. For example, if in doing your job you're required to lock the lab doors and work alone, then indicate that you enjoy being a team player when needed, but also enjoy working independently. If you're required to attend regular project planning and status meetings, then indicate that you're a strong team player and like being part of a team.

Q. Why do you want this job?
A. To help you answer this and related questions, study the job ad in advance. But a job ad alone may not be enough, so it's okay to ask questions about the job while you're answering. Say what attracts you to the job. Avoid the obvious and meaningless, such as, "I need a job."

Q. How do you handle pressure and stress?
A. This is sort of a double whammy, because you're likely already stressed from the interview and the interviewer can see if you're handling it well or not. Everybody feels stress, but the degree varies. Saying that you whine to your shrink, kick your dog or slam down a fifth of Jack Daniels are not good answers. Exercising, relaxing with a good book, socializing with friends or turning stress into productive energy are more along the lines of the "correct" answers.

Q. Explain how you overcame a major obstacle.
A. The interviewer is likely looking for a particular example of your problem-solving skills and the pride you show for solving it.

Q. Where do you see yourself five (ten or fifteen) years from now?
A. Explain your career-advancement goals that are in line with the job for which you are interviewing. Your interviewer is likely more interested in how he, she or the company will benefit from you achieving your goals than what you'll get from it, but it goes hand in hand to a large degree. It's not a good idea to tell your potential new boss that you'll be going after his or her job, but it's okay to mention that you'd like to earn a senior or management position.

Q. What qualifies you for this job?
A. Tout your skills, experience, education and other qualifications, especially those that match the job description well. Avoid just regurgitating your resume. Explain why.

Ask yourself how to create a Vision Statement

Create a vision statement
The easiest way to write a vision statement is to ask questions.
You can use some of these and make up your own.

• What important problems do you solve?
• What unique market position do you control?
• What is your geographic coverage? Are you local? National? International? Intergalactic
• What value does your enterprise create in the world?
• Is that value provided to: consumers, governments, kids, small businesses, giant corporations, humanity?
• Is your organization a corporation? A loose alliance? A strategic partnership? A virtual company?
• What form is it?
• Who owns the company – you? Partners? Outside investors? The public?
• How big is your organization?
• How many people work at/for your company?
• What kind of people are they?
• What role do you play daily?
• How much revenue and/or profit do you generate?
• What does the press say about your company?
• Are you leading edge / bleeding edge / innovative or just a cash cow?
• Where are your headquarters?
• Where are your remote offices?
• What is special about working for/at your company?
• How is your company growing? Sales? New product/service lines? Acquisition?
• How would you describe your company culture?
• What do your customers say about your company?
• What is your company known for?
• How do you redefine the industry you are in?
• What is the future of your company?
  

The 10 Commandments of Networking

1. Thou shalt drop the "what is in it for me?" attitude.
2. Thou shalt listen.
3. Thou shalt build a relationship.
4. Thou shalt give the first referral.
5. Thou shalt not tell others of the referral you require; thou shalt "show them" with a story.
6. Thou shalt be specific of the type of referral.
7. Thou shalt reciprocate when appropriate.
8. Thou shalt participate in the network executive, functions, and network time.
9. Thou shalt thank the person who gave a referral.
10. Thou shalt follow up on the referral within 24 hours.

10 Strengths of a GREAT Goal setter

1: Be Specific

This strength is particularly relevant when setting "Smart" goals because some of your projects will require detailed planning. The more specific you can be on the next step or action required, the more likely you are to take that step and get closer to the goal.

2: Be Tenacious

"Never giving up" may or may not be a wise thing to do. Rather than banging your head against the wall, tenacity can be effectively displayed by looking for another way around, over or under that wall.

3: Be Results Driven

Many people take this for granted but sell themselves very short by settling for limited results. Challenge yourself to be looking for results as a form of positive feedback. This is a world away from the stereo-typical 'Type-A' Maniac.

4: Be Enthusiastic

From the root meaning of the word, the "theos" within, this is one of the most important inner strengths to draw on. It is a wonderful thing to feel the power of enthusiasm at work on a desired change or goal.

5: Be Noble

Perhaps this translates best as civility or politeness. Being noble will also do wonders for your stress levels!

6: Be Grateful

You can exercise this strength by simply being grateful for your family and friends, for the opportunities that come your way and for the breath that keeps coming.

7: Be Trusting

It is possible to trust the best intentions of yourself and others without being gullible or naive. By looking for and expecting the best of yourself and others, you may also learn to trust your intuition when something doesn't seem quite right.

8: Be Happy

This refers to the predominant feeling you wish to experience while achieving this goal. It is an ongoing and an inner experience from a place within. See strength number 4 for a useful ally!

9: Be Serious

"You cannot be serious!"; as the tennis player John McEnroe used to bawl on the tennis courts of the world. Oh, but I am! You can become serious when you need to apply focus and attention, yet also remain discreetly happy within.

10: Be Curious

A strength many of us let lapse from early adulthood. More's the pity because a curiosity for what you are capable of in the world helps sustain most of the other 9 strengths - just as oxygen fuels a fire.

The 15 Keys To Running Team Meetings

The 15 Keys To Running Team Meetings

These are the 15 keys components of an effective and efficient team meeting – whether it’s for management, administration, sales or production.

Set a time
Make it the same time every time, so that people book it in as a habit
Set a Frequency
Make it consistent so that’s it’s booked it in as a habit
Select a location
In the office, café or on the phone – make it the same place each time
Publish an agenda
So that the team knows what’s being covered
Start on time
Reward the organised people, train the tardy people to be early
Welcome!
Thank them for making the time
Your Say
Allow everyone to have ‘their say’ on how they are feeling – 1 minute max. This gets participation and everyone involved.
Check In
Each person to talk about what they have done from the previous weeks action list. If they have done them – congratulate them. If they haven’t done them, get them to commit to getting them done and ask “how can I/we support you on getting it done for next week?”
Celebrate the wins
Acknowledge and recognize the achievements
Anything to add to the agenda?
Gives the team the opportunity to add topics they want covered
Business
What’s happening with the business good and bad. Important to get this out of the way early (there can be negatives that need to be addressed) and then end with positives so that the team leave the meeting on a high.
Training
Keep it fun and lively. Get everyone involved. (A great way to get people learning fast is to set them a topic that they need to work on as a teaching topic for them the following meeting or meetings.)
To Do’s for the next meeting
Each person is to list down the things that they will commit to doing before the next meeting.
Share action commitments
Each person reads out their commitments to the group
Finish on time

The feature of demonstrating the benefit!

Features and Benefits
Commonly accepted marketing wisdom suggests that customers like benefits. They don’t give a damn about features. A classic Marketing 101 exercise suggests that you take a piece of paper, and on the left side, write down a list of your product or service’s features. On the right side, list the corresponding benefit(s).

Heaters Feature: It comes with a timer.

Benefit: Your house will be warm when you get home from work.

Lipstick Feature: Fancy-pants patent-pending co-enzyme light-diffusing blah blah blah.

Benefit: Your lips will be glossier.

Trousers Feature: Lycra panels at the waist

Benefit: You will look 10 pounds slimmer.

It’s a little harder to delineate when you’re selling a service.

Features and benefits tend to look alike. Here are a few:

Phone service

Feature: Call forwarding

Benefit: You’ll never miss another important call.

Internet service

Feature: 7 megabyte per second download speed

Benefit: All those mp3s you’re stealing come much faster.

Web design

Feature: Knowledge of PHP, AJAX, JavaScript, etc.

Benefit: You get a pretty website.
What if you can’t figure out if something is a feature or a benefit?

If you don’t know, drill down. Ask why whatever it is you’re thinking about is important to your customer. When you arrive at an answer that even a three-year-old could understand, you’ve found your benefit.

For example, let’s say you run a freelance writing business. You have a network of other writers to whom you can subcontract. Is your network a benefit or a feature?
You: I have a team of freelancers available to me.

Customer: Why do I care?

You: Because you can have your stuff done 5 times faster.

The Four Stages of Learning

STAGE 1:
UNCONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE

Not only do you not know what to do, you have no experience of it either. An example that could be used is for a child, car driving is a mystery. They have no fear and no awareness of what they do not know.

STAGE 2:
CONSCIOUS INCOMPETENCE

Practising the skill takes all your concentration – it can be very uncomfortable. You have an awareness of what you should do/know, but you do not always succeed

STAGE 3:
CONSCIOUS COMPETENCE

You can do it, but it takes attention and concentration

STAGE 4:
UNCONSCIOUS COMPETENCE

The skills becomes almost a habit, you are able to be successful without concentration and your conscious mind is free to take on other things

You don’t have time to be late!!

6 ways to stop being late

1. Schedule and block.Put the appointment in your calendar and block out the duration of the engagement. This way you will not create overlapping commitments that will get you into a time trap.

2. Run the clock backwards.If you have a meeting at 2pm and it is going to take you 35 minutes to get there and 10 minutes to organize your things for the meeting then you need to have a hard stop on whatever you are doing at 1:15pm. If you are that unconscious you can set an alarm on your phone or watch for that time.

3. The graceful exit.Here’s a great thing to say: “Excuse me, I hate to cut you off, but I have an appointment.” It is hard to cut someone off, but they will respect you for sticking to a schedule. The more successful the person you are dealing with, the stricter they stick to a schedule. This not only gets you out of the current obligation, but garners you respect as you demonstrate you respect for time.

4. Be a pessimist.Assume everything will take a little longer than your first estimate. This will either make you right on time for everything, or it’ll make you a little early. People who run early are calm, organized, and always ready. Not a bad place to be.

5. Prioritize.Some people are late because they simply don’t have enough time to do everything. The only way to change this is to stop doing so much. Face the reality that you cannot get your whole list done. Figure out what’s most important and just get that done. Tell the people who depend on you that you can only do what you have time for, and things at the bottom of their list of priorities will not get done: a reality check for everyone in your life.

6. Take a good hard look in the mirror.Why do you let yourself be late? It is disrespectful and makes you look unorganized and out of control. Why are you not getting control over your time? So much about being on time is actually about self-knowledge. Often, we are scared to make the decisions that we must make in order to get control over our time and become someone who runs on schedule. But there is no other way to run a life. To run on schedule is to plan the life you want to live and execute that plan