Business Blueprint Magazine - Issue 04

www.BusinessBlueprint.com.au

May 2011

. . . e r u t a e f l a i Spec

EMMA ISAACS

WHY IT PAYS TO GET A BUSINESS MENTOR

PLUS+ New Page:

Ask The Business Doctor

EMMA ISAACS

Founder of Business Chicks

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEWS Business News Photo Gallery Success Stories And More

FAST-TRACKING YOUR BUSINESS SUCCESS TODAY

From The Editor Welcome to our Magazine!

Dear Reader, Firstly, let me apologise for the delay in getting this magazine too you. As you might have noticed, there has been a bit of a break between issues. Rest assured we haven’t gone anywhere, we have just been working so hard on our new round of events that I have had to let the magazine take a little break.

Being too busy is obviously a good problem to have though because it means that we are reaching our goals and expanding our Business Blueprint Program which is what we set out to do this year. Also over the last couple of months we have had two new staff members join our team which is very exciting! So now that I am on top of things, it’s a great pleasure to bring you this new edition of the magazine. is month you can meet the wonderful Emma Isaacs who runs Business Chicks. She recently met one of her mentors Richard Branson so we sat down with her and chatted about the importance of having great role models in business.

Also this month you can learn about 7 Rules for Regular and Reliable Referrals and of course there is the usual photos, tips and hot seat interviews.

I promise that I will pick up my game and there won’t be such a long break between this magazine and the next one. anks for your patience and sticking with us.

Until next time, have a wonderful month.

Contact Us For any enquires please call 1300 782 734 or email editor@BusinessBlueprint.com.au

In this month’s magazine …

Check out our latest news and business briefs... Page 4 Feature Article: Networking Your Way To Business Success...

Page 6 Ask our new Business Doctor your burning questions... Page 8 Read about what Dale has been up to recently...

Page 9 Check out the photos from our latest Business Blueprint event in Sydney... Page 10/11 We speak to Wayne Berry about Sales and Negotiating... Page 12 Discover the 7 Rules for Regular and Reliable Referrals... Page 14 Claim your free audio, ebook and video... Page 16 Be inspired by this month’s success story - Andrew Carlton.. Page 18

NEWS IN BRIEF

S S E N I BUS S F E I R B Google Forecast: Cloudy Microso Office is packed with almost every imaginable feature, but one thing it lacks is a solid way to share and collaborate on documents with other people. Sure, the occasional collaboration add-on shows up — like OfficSync, which lets you access Google Docs from Microso Office’s ribbon. But now I’ve got a way that lets you share and collaborate native Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files in real-time.

It’s sort of like taking the best parts of Google Docs and merging them with the interface and features of Microso Office. To mix Google’s peanut butter with Microso’s chocolate, you need to just install Google Cloud Connect for Microso Office. is adds a new toolbar to Office 2003, 2007, or 2010.

Using it, you can share your Office document with other users, who can then make review and edit it at their leisure, without worrying about attachments or version control. Multiple people can collaborate simultaneously, and changes are reflected almost immediately. ere’s even a conflict resolution control that lets you choose which edit wins if two people make changes to the same section at the same time. at’s not all. Google Cloud Connect also ensures your files are constantly backed up online, and you have access to previous versions as well.

Groupon sales hit $760M, forecasts 'billions' Daily Internet deals site Groupon grew sales to $760 million last year and is expecting 'billions' in revenue in 2011. Groupon Inc. is marks a tremendous increase from the $33 million in revenue from 2009 according to the Wall Street Journal. e paper reported the financial information based on an e-mail Groupon CEO Andrew Mason sent to staffers last month, and it also said the company would look for billions in revenue in 2011. e report listed Groupon as being among the Internet companies that have achieved high valuations in private financing rounds that have caused some people to question if there is another Internet technology bubble coming on Wall Street. Among the other companies are Facebook, which has been valued at $50 billion and made its founder Mark Zuckerberg a media star and new billionaire, as well as LinkedIn and Twitter. e company also reportedly turned down a $6 billion takeover offer from Google. e discount deal website also is said to be opening an office in China to go aer that lucrative market. Any inroads Groupon makes into China would be a boon, as it has presented a huge potential market for many top American corporations, including such Internet giants as Google and Yahoo.

Groupon is reportedly considering an initial public offering later this year, possibly in the fall, that could value the company at $15 billion. e discount deal website has reportedly been talking to banks and investment advisors this week about a possible Initial Public Offering of stock that the Wall Street Journal reported would be most likely in the fall.

Dayton Business Journal

is is perhaps the best document collaboration tool I’ve seen, ever. Who would have thought that such great things could come from combining Google and Microso applications?

Dave Johnson www.bnet.com 4 Business Blueprint Magazine May 2011 www.BusinessBlueprint.com.au/Mag

NEWS IN BRIEF

Forget Apple iPad 2: Reports Say iPad 3 Is the One to Watch As the tech world got excited about Apple‘s nextgeneration iPad that was released in March, a new report suggests the iPad 2 is only a minor upgrade.

However, its future replacement--let's call it the iPad 3--will be a super-duper slate that rocks the tablet world.

Writing was on the wall for book chains

is latest gossip arrives courtesy the Cult of Mac blog, which reportedly got the inside dirt on the upcoming iPads from an anonymous Apple staffer. e source didn't divulge details on the iPad 2 or 3, but did provide this insight: "For the iPad 2 don't get your hopes up too high. at's all I'm going to say. ey've had a number of problems along the way, and the third-generation iPad is the one to make a song and a dance about."

A massive downturn in consumer spending, more Australians buying goods online and a surging Australian dollar have been cited as reasons why REDgroup (the company behind Borders Australia, Angus & Robertson and New Zealand's Whitcoulls chain) was placed into voluntary administration. ere have been forecasts of the demise of bricks and mortar bookshops. Many of these reports ignored the strategic blunders of almost non-existent customer service, out of date stock and a bizarre supermarket strategy that focused on non-books.

e remarks about "problems along the way" may explain why Apple has waited until March to announce the iPad 2. e company usually adheres to an annual refresh cycle for its products-a new iPhone in the summer, for instance, and new iPods in the falla schedule that suggests the iPad 2 launch is a month or so overdue.

e book industry is certainly under pressure, but some bookstores and chains like Readings are making money, building communities and targeting their markets with newsletters and events. e demise of Borders in Australia has nothing to do with the collapse of Borders in the US, but mistakes in one market mirrored the other.

e Apple staffer's lack of enthusiasm for the iPad 2 and praise for the iPad 3, which recent reports say will ship later this year, are in line with what IDC analyst Tom Mainelli told PCWorld in January.

Borders in the US was stone deaf to technology and made the fateful error in 2001 of outsourcing all its internet operations to Amazon. Amazon had simply digitised the space, while Barnes and Noble rebranded itself as a bookstore-library hybrid. It encouraged customers to hang out and read by using a library stack-like arrangement of bookshelves, and it spread comfy chairs and couches around the store. Borders, on the other hand, went for the bigger is better model, establishing mega-stores as it branched from books to music to DVDs.

At the time, Taiwanese trade publication Digitimes was reporting that the iPad 2 would have a screen resolution of 2048 by 1536 pixels--four times that of the current 1024-by-768 pixels.

So if the iPad 3 is the tablet to watch, what can we expect from the less-magical iPad 2? Apple will reveal all tomorrow, of course, but the expected upgrades include a thinner and lighter design; front- and rearfacing cameras; a larger speaker; a faster processor; more RAM; and possibly a dual-mode wireless chip for CDMA and GSM networks.

Jeff Bertolucci, PCWorld

When people no longer had to go to a physical store to find the book they wanted, because they were getting them cheaper elsewhere, getting them sent to their doorsteps or downloaded on to their mobile devices, Borders had nothing else to offer. And because it shunned the web market or mobile device integration, there was no back-up plan. To survive, many bookshops will have to change strategy.

Leon Gettler www.smh.com.au

www.BusinessBlueprint.com.au/Mag Business Blueprint Magazine May 2011 5

NETWORKING YOUR WAY TO

BUSINESS SUCCESS

Emma Isaacs is an entrepreneur who runs the membership and networking organisation Business Chicks. With over 25,000 members across Australia, Business Chicks is the premium network for professional women from both the corporate and SME sector. She talks to Emma Lyons.

You’ve been described in the media as one of the bestconnected people in Australia.

How have you achieved this?

I suppose it’s through having a real interest and curiosity about people.

My first business was a recruitment company and now it’s Business Chicks, so the common denominator has been people.

I ask a lot of questions, I’m friendly to everyone I meet, I don’t make judgments of others, I try and help out everyone who I come in contact with. And that style builds reciprocity – I’ve found that people are happy to help me in return.

I’m also the type of person who puts myself out there. I’ve sat on different boards and contributed my time to different organisations, and that’s opened doors for me.

I network everywhere I go – nowhere is off limits. I chat with people on planes, in the li, in cafes, while I’m on holidays… but I never sell anything. at’s tacky. Networking is about relationship building, and it takes time to build a relationship and to build trust.

Business Chicks has obviously been great for me too – I’m lucky to have the experience of meeting so many incredible people on a regular basis – from our speakers through to our members and sponsors all around the country [Business Chicks is sponsored

by Commonwealth Bank, Telstra, Travelscene American Express and Republica Coffee].

timid or being too brash – both can be just as bad. And the worst one is asking “what do you do?” too early in the conversation. at question is asked by people who don’t know what else to say. It’s important to build rapport and find commonalities first.

You can learn about ‘what they do’ later or when you exchange business cards at the end of your chat.

I also find that people don’t ask enough to be introduced to others.

People can’t read your mind that you’re looking to get to know the brand managers at Coca-Cola, or the partners at PwC. You have to ask to be introduced, and then take action.

What mistakes do people make when networking?

What would you suggest to people who are fearful of networking?

e obvious ones… rusting business cards in people’s faces; not really listening; not following up; not asking enough questions; being too

Networking has so many negative connotations and people are reticent to put themselves out there. I’d

6 Business Blueprint Magazine May 2011 www.BusinessBlueprint.com.au/Mag

FEATURE ARTICLE | NETWORKING YOUR WAY TO BUSINESS SUCCESS

suggest that if you’re looking to improve your networking results that you find some non-threatening environments to practice in, and then fake it ‘til you make it. To start with, all you really need is a smile, and the ability to say “Hi, I’m Dale”, and the rest flows from there.

Networking has been said to be one of the most career-critical, yet underdeveloped tools that managers need to have. It requires training, confidence building, and strategy. A lot of the best businesses I talk with have networking plans for their people, and this aids in their development and growth.

You’ve met Richard Branson and spent one on one time with Bill Gates. How did this come about?

I was introduced to Richard through a mutual friend and he came and spoke at Business Chicks. e event sold out within four hours and we had around 1600 guests there. It was great – he’s just a nice, fun guy who’s taken tremendous risks and he’s mastered the art of delegating and getting good people around him. He’s got a magnetic energy – he just kind of draws people in, but he’s

also not what you’d expect – he’s more considered and reserved.

I was lucky to spend some time with Bill Gates at a really small party last time he was in Australia. We sat on a lounge, in front of a fire and just chatted. We talked about the early days in business and how he remembered clearly being a team of six people working from his garage.

We talked about his kids, about Melinda. It was amazing. I pinched myself when I le.

How do you top that?

Well, they are some of the best experiences I’ve had, but I get the same type of buzz from meeting an entrepreneur who’s re-mortgaged their house to get their business to the next level, or anyone who’s shown huge courage. One of the frustrating things about the events we run for Business Chicks is that the big names sell events, but it’s the lesser-known speakers who are usually the best.

We’ve had Gregory David Roberts who wrote the bestseller Shantaram who escaped prison, fled the country on a fake passport, set up free health clinics in the slums of Bombay, was a guns runner, a drug dealer... We’ve had people who have started orphanages; people who have led

teams into disasters like the Bali bombings and the ailand Boxing Day tsunami. We’ve had paralympians and comedians and people who’ve overcome tremendous adversity – they’re the real people I love to meet. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had our members write to me saying “that changed my life”, so it’s nice to know we have such an impact.

What are your top tips for networking?

1) Dedicate time for networking and research which groups or events you enjoy the most 2) When you network, always have a focus on others, asking lots of questions and showing a genuine interest 3) Don’t be embarrassed to move around at a networking event – the worst outcome is to get stuck with the one person the whole time. Speed networking events work are great for meeting lots of people at once.

4) Be positive, upbeat, friendly. People will gravitate toward you.

5) Remember your manners and always follow up. Handwritten notes always trump emails. Ask people if you can stay in touch (but never ever add them to your mailing list unless they’ve specifically asked for it, or you’ve asked them and they’ve accepted.)

6) Have fun. Don’t think of it as networking, but a chance to meet other great people who you can share a genuine connection with.

Emma Isaacs writes a regular blog at www.emmaisaacs.com and you can find out more about Business Chicks at www.businesschicks.com.au www.BusinessBlueprint.com.au/Mag Business Blueprint Magazine May 2011 7

BUSINESS DOCTOR | ASK A QUESTION

Ask The:

BUSINESS DOCTOR How can I get more people to sign up to join my database?

Firstly its great that you're actively looking for ways to increase your database, as many businesses don't give this any focus. A key thing to perspective to have, is to realise that few of your potential clients actively go around seeking to join databases. Many people want less emails today, not more! So getting the "opt-in" is all about making a fair exchange. You need to give something away of genuine value in exchange for the right to bother them...I mean let them know about your product or services.

Now you've got to get creative about this, gone are the days where people want to receive your newsletter. I don't remember the last time I read one of those things.

Depending on your service you might want to think about giving away the following: A 3-part video course, a Magazine, a DVD of your top 10 tips, a discount coupon or 5part MP3 series. ink creatively! ink abundantly! If you can give something of great worth away for free your potential clients will rightly assume that you've got a lot more where that came from.

Finally automate your contact collection form on your website with your online database (such as SendPepper) to create a streamlined process. Make this

form big and attractive, with a 3D graphic of the gi, include a gi value and where possible ask for as little information as possible to keep those opt-in rates high.

How do I differentiate myself and find my niche?

I meet so many people these days that started up a new enterprise full of excitement and passion, but the reality of trying to stand out in the market has taken its toll on their entrepreneurial spark and their either struggling to make enough cash-flow or they've had to go back to a JOB. ere's two ways of attacking your niche.

Firstly look at yourself. What are you the best at? What skills and life experiences have shaped you to be an expert? It takes a lot less effort than you'd think to be an expert at something, and if you've got some handy communication skills then its even easier. If you can explain or communicate something in a way that someone can understand you've suddenly become a commodity.

Secondly, there's a lot more ways to differentiate yourself than you think. Here's a bunch of criteria to niche with: your age, their age, demographic, income, sex, location, quality, quantity, value, frequency, cost, online/offline,

8 Business Blueprint Magazine May 2011 www.BusinessBlueprintMag.com.au

amongst many others...Yeah there might be a lot of people in your industry, but you've got to decide who your ideal client is and decide how to structure yourself around reaching this person.

So when asked what you do, rather than saying you're a business coach, say that "I help new-mums under 30 in North Brisbane, who want to start a home business, to make $1,000 a week, which I deliver through a weekly online webinar and monthly live masterminds."

Chances are you'll get a lot more referrals when people actually know what you do and suddenly you've created a niche that you can dominate.

Do you have a question for the Business Doctor? Simply email Support@BusinessBlueprint. com.au with your specific question and we will publish the answer in the next issue of Business Blueprint Magazine.

Diary Dates Power Hour Class Thursday 19th May Hot Seat Interview Thursday 2nd June Power Hour Class Thursday 16th June The Business Blueprint Winter Conference is being held from Thursday 14th July - Sunday 17th July

Business Blueprint Members Area e last time I wrote an update here we had just returned from Fiji and were gearing up for a series of events called e New Rules of Business. With any new project, there was lots of work to be done but the team pulled together beautifully to get us to our first event in Brisbane which was run on the 25th and 26th of Feb. Fast forward to May and we have run this event 7 times and in the process visited four major capital cities, three of them twice. I’m pleased to report that the event has been a huge hit with many people saying that it’s the best two days that they have ever spent in their business.

We also held our April Business Blueprint Conference in Sydney which was fantastic. It was wonderful to catch up with our members again and see how much they had achieved since we last saw them. We also had some amazing speakers, one being Mike Klassen who came all the way from the USA to talk to our members about Magalogs.

Check out the photos on the following two pages from this conference.

Hot Seat Interview Thursday 4th August Business Blueprint Social Queenstown Event Monday 8th August Saturday 13th August Power Hour Class Thursday 18th August Hot Seat Interview Thursday 1st September Power Hour Class Thursday 15th September The Business Blueprint Spring Conference is being held from Thursday 6th October - Sunday 9th October

Having done a massive amount of work and spoken to over a 1000 people, I figured I’m in need of some rest and relaxation therefore in just a few days from now I’m heading off overseas to Europe and visiting 20 plus cities over 6 weeks. Travel is a major passion of mine so to have this opportunity to experience the world with my family is something that I live for.

I’ll be back in July ready for our next conference, hopefully supporting a Mediterranean tan and maybe a few new Italian made shirts.

If you want to see some photos while I’m away, make sure you add me on Facebook and I’ll be sharing some pics along the way.

While I’m away, I’m very lucky to have a fantastic team that will be taking care of everything.

So for now, Bon Voyage

SEE MORE PICS AT

www.flickr.com/ BusinessBlueprint 10 Business Blueprint Magazine May 2011 www.BusinessBlueprint.com.au/Mag

SEE MORE PICS AT

www.flickr.com/ BusinessBlueprint www.BusinessBlueprint.com.au/Mag Business Blueprint Magazine May 2011 11

HOT SEAT

Wayne Berry

In 1991, Wayne founded the TOP GUN Sales Academy and he is now regarded as one of Australasia’s leading speakers on sales, sales management and negotiating. He is a best-selling author of four books and has recorded more than 40 audio and video programs.

In the beginning, what were some of the sales skills you were lacking and what did you do about it?

In the beginning I lacked all of the selling skills – I had none. I had no idea how to go about selling. One of the most important skills I developed in those early stages was the ability to prospect (I call it making your own luck). So many salespeople lack this skill. If you can’t get yourself in front of potential buyers then all of the other selling skills are worth next to nothing. I think this is one of the major pitfalls that cause salespeople to fail or not be as successful as they could be.

What can a salesperson do to tap into the emotional needs of their customers? e salesperson needs to understand the emotional needs of their prospect.

To do this they need to ask questions and listen (don’t just use informationgathering questions, use emotive ones as well).

I teach that if you ask the right questions, a prospect will sell themselves. Why? When a salesperson talks about the benefits of their product or service, the prospect is oen sceptical because it is the salesperson’s words they hear. But if we ask the right questions, we can encourage the prospect to respond with the benefits and because they are coming out of their own mouth, the words must be true.

ese kinds of questions have a dual purpose. We use them to understand the prospect’s needs, but we should also ask questions to ‘disturb’ the prospect at an emotional level so they become aware of their emotional needs. is makes them ready to hear the salesperson’s recommendations. en when the salesperson offers the solution, the prospect will really listen and, more importantly, act.

Should salespeople aim to reach a win-win situation in a negotiation or should they aim to get the best deal they possibly can? e two are not mutually exclusive.

We can oen get the best possible deal for ourselves while creating a win-win situation. I define win-win as when both parties get what they want and both parties feel like they have won. It takes skill to do this, but the beauty of a win-win is that we are then able to do business with them again. I call this an expandable pie negotiation – I help you get what you want and in doing so I get what I want. e real key to this is understanding what the other person really wants (and it is not always what we first believe it is).

Sometimes they don’t want what we want so the outcomes can be different for each person.

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What do you love most about being in the career of selling?

Selling is a career that almost anyone with the desire for success can get into if they are serious. It does not matter what your background is or what your level of education is. It’s a career that can be enjoyed by anyone if they choose to become very good at it. If one decides to become a true professional and develop the skills and make it a lifetime career, there is no telling how far that person can go and how much they can achieve.

Sales took me from a school in Brisbane to the lights of Las Vegas by 19 and has allowed me to enjoy an extraordinary lifestyle ever since.

How do you define negotiating and how does it differ to normal selling?

Negotiating is all about getting what you want in life, without rubbing people the wrong way. It is a part of selling and selling is a part of negotiating. Negotiating strategies, however, are a whole different set of steps and techniques to selling.

Negotiating skills are important to develop.

To find out more about Wayne Berry and Top Gun Sales Academy, visit: http://www.wayneberry.com.au/

HOT SEAT

Terry Hawkins

Over the past 18 years, Terry has built a reputation for heading up one of the most innovative, dynamic and successful training companies in Australia. She is also one of the most highly sought-after female speakers in Australia and New Zealand.

How did you fall into becoming a global business trainer? e global part happened many years aer I started as a trainer. When I look back on my early history, training seemed to be a common thread. Before I started college, I had a job with the YMCA which was extremely varied. I taught gymnastics to primary school kids and fitness to adults. I also worked with Down Syndrome kids teaching physical awareness, and ran holiday programs for latchkey day care kids. When I dropped out of college I had a short stint selling photocopy paper and was then asked to train the telephone sales team. So I suppose training was always there, I just never saw the common thread until I looked back. My first ‘real’ training role came about when the state trainer for the jeanswear company wanted to be the receptionist! I ambitiously applied for the job because at the time I really didn’t know what it involved. Aer getting the role however, I just relished in it. Seven years later I started my training company, People In Progress, which has given me the opportunity to train and speak all over Australia and the world.

Why are the words we say to ourselves so powerful?

Whatever we say to ourselves, our unconscious mind believes. So when we say ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘I’m no good at something’ our unconscious mind believes us. Most of us are completely unaware of the language that we use, therefore we create negative outcomes.

For example, statistics show that on average 75 per cent of the communication in a relationship is negative and only 25

per cent is positive. I think this is because we get into the habit of speaking in a negative manner. Aer a while we stop paying attention to what we say to those we love, and how we say it. I think we become very conditioned to negative language and stop noticing the damage it causes. Years later we wonder why we don’t love each other anymore. Test it for yourself. Ask someone how he or she is.

Chances are they will reply with, ‘Not bad’, ‘Getting there’, ‘I’ve been better’ or something similar.

What do you think holds people back from achieving their goals?

Two things: 1. Worrying too much about what other people will think of us – we tend to make decisions that make us look good and we fear putting ourselves in a vulnerable position. When I first started People In Progress Pty Ltd I had $167 in my wallet, no job and a spare bedroom as my office. I used a $25 card table as a desk for a long time, had an old secondhand computer held together by a rubber band and a big yellow book filled with potential clients – the Yellow Pages! I was new to Sydney so I literally had no contacts and no network to help me. So I sat on that phone every day – calling, calling, calling – being rejected, day aer day. en it happened.

Someone said, ‘Yes! I’ll see you!’ Nothing comes easy and if I worried about ‘looking good’ I would have never had the guts to put myself out there to be rejected so many times.

successful at anything; there are no short cuts. ere is a lot of talk these days about accelerated learning but I believe there are some things you can’t and shouldn’t accelerate. I have always pushed harder, worked longer, just kept moving forward even when everything in me wanted to stop. I can honestly say that I have never allowed my feelings to get in the way of what needed to be done. Nerves, sickness, tiredness, insecurity, heartbreak, fear – I just keep doing what needs to be done in all parts of my life and in the end the results are there.

Is there a significant quote or saying which you live your life by?

Yes, and I named my first book aer it: ‘ere are only two times in life – now and too late!’ I love it because it’s true. e only time we have is this moment, right now. e past is gone, even the last two minutes are over and the future hasn’t even happened yet so the only power we truly have is in this moment, right here, right now. So give this moment your best.

To find out more about Terry Hawkins visit: http://www.terryhawkins.com/

2. e lack of sacrifice and not wanting to do the hard yards – so many people want all of the trappings of success but are not willing to do whatever it takes to get there. It takes serious hard work to be www.BusinessBlueprint.com.au/Mag Business Blueprint Magazine May 2011 13

The Seven Rules for Regular and Reliable Referrals Referrals are the best type of marketing you can have. They’re more likely to be trusted than any other form of advertising. Here we discuss the seven rules you can use to inspire regular and reliable referrals in your business...

1 Referrals are not icing on a cake.

Too oen referrals are a BTW - “By the way, got any referrals for me?”

Yuck!!! Instead of tackily tacking it on the end of your service, start with the referral in mind.

Most people ask for a referral aer the product or service has been delivered.

Yet, the best time to ask is before you even start! In this way referrals become a condition of doing business and you set the expectation for what’s to come.

Alert your customer in advance about your desire for referrals. en, exceed their expectations. is can be as simple as adding an unexpected bonus.

Action: Pre-empt referrals by asking for them in advance.

2 Referrals are like playing snooker. e average snooker player concentrates solely on the ball in front of them. is will get you so far…

e professional snooker player thinks several balls ahead. 'If I can pocket this one and roll to there it will set me up on that ball too...'

When we think short term, we get short-term results. To build a referral based business you need to think long term.

Firstly, think of the specific value you provide for your customers. Measure this and referrals will naturally occur.

Secondly, think of the lifetime value the customer provides to you. And, not just in terms of the income they bring. e bigger opportunity is in the number of referrals they can provide.

Action: Build a referral culture that includes systems, processes and your team working towards the same goal.

3 Referrals require two niches.

As a generalist, it's hard to cut through the flood of information and marketing hype. us, the common wisdom for business today is to be a niche player.

14 Business Blueprint Magazine May 2011 www.BusinessBlueprint.com.au/Mag

With regard to referrals, you need two niches.

Firstly, you need to be really, really clear about what do you do. Your Core Difference needs to be unique, worth talking about and concrete. And, most importantly, for someone to blow your trumpet effectively, they need to be able to speak what you do clearly, accurately and simply.

Secondly, you need to be really, really clear who is your ideal customer. A referral for the wrong customer can be worse than no referral at all. You need to know who you're working to attract and where they hang out. Plus you need to be able to educate your customers so they can refer others to you.

Action: Be really clear on what you do and know how to communicate this to your ideal customer.

4 Referrals crave a kiss, a cuddle and a good scratch.

If you’re going to start with the referral in mind and the lifetime value of the customer, then every single

ARTICLE | SEVEN RULES FOR REGULAR AND RELIABLE REFERRALS

point of contact and influence with them needs to be considered.

Here’s seven questions to consider as you build your business and referral systems.

How do you make a good first impression?

How do you scratch their itch?

How do you build trust before a customer buys?

How does a customer sample your wares?

What's the customer buying experience really like?

What measurable results do your customers achieve?

How do you monitor who is referring whom?

Action: Design ways to make every interaction with your customers build trust and inspire referrals.

5 Referrals are an on and off marriage.

It’s no longer enough to rely on faceto-face contact to attract customers.

Today, we achieve our best results when we marry our online and offline efforts.

Here’s the Four Cs of Online Marketing to consider: Content: Educate your customers with white papers, blogs and videos.

Context: Assist customers to make informed decisions by filtering out the clutter, noise and mis-information.

Connection: e better you can tune into the human condition, the better your relationship and referrals.

Community: Create ways for your customers to meet each other to share their common interests.

Action: Weave your online and offline marketing into a consistent and reliable lead-generating system.

6 Referrals are the result of good schooling.

Most of us are skeptical when it comes to advertising. We don't want to be interrupted, mislead or persuaded by it anymore. e new fuel for lead generation is content. Stop selling. Instead, educate, teach and let your customers learn so they can make their own informed decisions.

Let them: Sample your wares

Action: Teach your existing customers how to refer you. And, for double the impact, create your own network of referring businesses.

Your 30-day Challenge How many new referrals can you generate in the next 30 days? Start by counting them. en build systems to attract more and better-qualified leads.

Derived from John Jantsch's The Referral Engine. The Book Rapper summary of The Referral Engine is available at: http://www.bookrapper.com/wpcontent/uploads/2011/01/ Book_Rapper_Referral_Trumpet.pd f

Learn tips and tricks to get the most from your product and services, and Instruct your advocates how best to refer you.

Action: Create a content marketing plan to educate your customers.

7 Referrals work best in pairs.

Where are you going to get your referrals from? ere are two potential sources. One is obvious, the other less so. e obvious source is people who have already experienced your product/service firsthand. Teach them how best to tell others about you. e less obvious source is business owners who cater to the same ideal customer. Simply form a partnership to offer referrals to each others business. Warning: Don't accept just anyone. When you refer them it's your reputation on the line. www.BusinessBlueprint.com.au/Mag Business Blueprint Magazine May 2011

15

FREE AUDIO... READING... VIDEO

FREE AUDIO

Winning Jack Welch is best known for his visionary leadership of the General Electric company. He began work as a chemical engineer with the company, working his way through the ranks to become the youngest ever chairman and CEO of the massive organisation. During his twenty years of innovative leadership, Jack Welch increased the value of GE from 13 billion to 400 billion dollars, making it the worlds most valuable company.

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• An important strategy that will ensure that demand is created for your product!

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• How changing your thinking can go a long way to your success

•Learn the importance of developing a strong work/life balance

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To Access This Free Audio, Visit: http:// www.BusinessBlueprint.com.au/ Winning

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16 Business Blueprint Magazine May 2011 www.BusinessBlueprint.com.au/Mag

everything seems to just happen effortlessly? Have you thought about what makes certain day just so good.

In this video, Vishen Lakhiani from ‘Finerminds’ talks about what he calls “FLOW”.

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• Characteristics of the four states of mind that you might be living in • How to “bend the universe” in your favour.

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Part 1: http:// www.businessblueprint.com.au/ Vishen1 Part 2: http:// www.businessblueprint.com.au/ Vishen2

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BUSINESS BLUEPRINT SUCCESS STORY

Andrew Carlton How My VA Transformed My Mind It’s Thursday around noon, my planned block of time for working “On my business” has been hijacked by a combination of client needs and the fact that my mother-in-law just flew in from the US this morning.

Among other things I remember that I want a dozen of my wife’s favourite roses to arrive at the house for her birthday the next day. I spend 30 seconds tops explaining the roses to my new virtual assistant (the peach petals with the yellow tips) and leave the task to her. At that moment I am reminded how much my life has change in 6 short weeks since taking her on. In fact my wife has commented that she’s glad that she’s a confident women for the amount of times I say “I love my virtual assistant.”

Since completing Profile Accelerator and starting with Business Blueprint last June, I have been bombarded with amazing tools and advice to turbo charge my business. Database tools, Wordpress, video, automation, systems enhancement, the list goes on. But in that first weekend Dale introduced the concept of virtual assistants. The thought of having a team member on board at a cost that any new business could incorporate into their budget was intoxicating. Then, with each BP event, the issue kept getting addressed, headed by Pete’s passionate embrace of outsourcing using tools like Odesk. (Anyone who wasn’t stirred by his demonstration of getting a database created in 24hrs for $5 needs their head read). But despite all this, the BP team’s advice was getting me to the line, but for some reason, not over it.

Enter Tyrone Chum. Tyrone’s association with BP took the whole concept of VA’s to the next level. His foolproof method and the ability to outsource even the recruitment was the last straw and my sense of logic finally overpowered my procrastination with me contacting Chris Ducker at Virtual Business lifestyle (Tyrone and Dale’s recommended recruiter) just before Christmas. The timing was important as I had set a goal to do this before the end of the year. The turnaround to find and start working with a VA is normally around 10 days but with the Christmas break and my insistence on finding someone with some background in media stretched it out a little. However I was determined to announce my achievement at the conference in Fiji so I began working with Ellana on February 1st.

Now I don’t know of any of your religious beliefs but in my experience the universe (or whatever you call it) has a funny way of giving you what you declare you’re ready for.

Firstly I took the plunge and went for a full time assistant- someone who’s business is ‘my business’. The day I did it, I received a phone call and closed a sale that guaranteed that my new running cost was covered. Hmmmnn. Funny that.

The very next day I had a sales meeting with a new potentially huge client. For those of you that don’t know me, I am one of Australia’s leading voiceover artists and I now work with business owners, high-end execs and politicians to enhance their vocal communication and image. (www.thecorporatepresenter.com ) At the same time I have an entire division devoted to empowering performers with business and cashflow generation tools. (www.thebizofshowbiz.com) The voiceover work alone is enough to keep me busy so as you can imagine, time is by far my most valuable commodity. So when I went into that meeting, just knowing that I had an extra 160 hrs a month of productivity in my pocket completely transformed what I was able to offer and negotiate. As a result I turned a 25k opportunity into a potential 500k opportunity. (Ari Galper’s “Unlock The Game” tools from the BP weekends also played a huge part in that one.

Thanks Ari for teaching me to listen until I found out the truth) Taking on a VA has began as quite a task, firstly I didn’t really know what to get her to do so we spent the first couple of days talking about the business and discussing tasks. Training Ellana, or ‘Gunnie’ as I call her (NCIS fans understand) is time consuming but the benefits are unbelievable. My new motto is ‘teach an assistant to fish and they feed YOU for a lifetime.’ With the forced implementation of strict systems, less than two months into having a VA, my business is transforming. But more importantly, so is my mind. What I think is possible has changed because now, human resources are no longer a limitation but an opportunity.

In case you were wondering, my wife was blown away by the divine roses from Roses Only. They were worth every penny of course. I love my wife. And in case you hadn’t noticed, I love my virtual assistant.