Businessmarketingmagv1

September 2014 Volume 1 Issue 1

Business

Builder Guide What is Business Networking

Your Business Colors

Accomplishing More with Less

Capturing the Referral Market

From the Editor Greetings and welcome to the premier issue of Business Builders Guide and Directory.

www.businessmarketingmag.com Editor C. Franklin Nilson clair@fortunecookiecoaching.com Publishers Christy Smith csmith@darktwin-marketing.com

All rights reserved, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any from of by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo copying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher.

It’s our objective to provide you with a fantastic tool, designed to help you effectively run your business, by providing you with valuable information in a format that is easy to use and quick to apply. Our promise to you is that we’ll do our best to keep every single article practically relevant to you and your business needs – but also provide suggestions on how to get the most out of the included information. While this publication is complimentary – do not confuse that with the value of its content. Our intent is to pack each issue with important and significant content so that this ezine becomes something that you never want to miss. (Of course, past issues will be available on-line for your reference.)

Your comments and suggestions are both requested and encouraged. This publication is designed for you, with you in mind – so feel free to help us make it meaningful and timely. You can contact me directly at clair@fortunecookiecoaching.com. I look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.

Sincerely, C. Franklin Nilson

The publisher has no responsibility for external websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate.

Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been inadvertently overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent issues.

Business Builders Guide is a Dark Twin Marketing publication that is owned and managed by Cassie Designs and Marketing Solutions.

All correspondence and advertising request should be sent to Dark Twin Publications P.O. Box 100 Hyrum, Utah 84319

Find Us Online www.facebook.com/BusinessMarketingGuide www.businessmarketingmag.com Dark Twin Publications www.landscapeandgardenguide.com

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Table of Contents

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6 Page 6 Colors Affect Your Business Page 8 Call Measurements: The Ultimate Phone Tracking Page 10 Accomplish More With Less Page 15 Perseverance, Persistence, Tenacity, Stick-To-Itiveness Page 16 Capturing the Referral Market Page 13 Content is Key

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Contributors Stories in The Business Builder Guide and Directory are contributed by professionals in different areas intended to help small, medium & large companies build their businesses.

We hope to provide you with expert advice in areas that your business can use today, tomorrow and as your business thrives in the future.

Christy Smith Publisher

C. Franklin Nilson Editor Clair has been involved in sales, marketing, human resources, and personal development consulting for over thirty years.

A life-long student of self-improvement, Clair has degrees from Utah State University and the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California. He has also graduated from programs such as Dale Carnegie’s Humans Relations and Public Speaking, the Ritz Carlton’s Legendary Service, and is a certified Franklin Covey Instructor.

Clair and his wife JC have been happily married for over 30 years. They are the parents of six children and grandparents to thirteen.

Christy’s area of expertise is Internet marketing and website development.

She started her career in Computer Science when web development took ahold of her. She fell in love with Web Development because of the opportunity to still use her artistic talents in this new medium of web coding and development.

She has spent years researching and perfecting her SEO programs and has brought numerous small businesses to the top of Google and kept them there.

Michael Buzinski President/CEO of Buzzbizz Studios, LLC buzz@bbsalaska.com

Emily M. Staples www. SalesComm.com

Emily@SalesComm.

Become a Contributor Ben Nilson Ben’s area of expertise is the small and midsize business (up to 250 employees). His specialty is establishing profitable, win-win partnerships between organizations based on a referral business model.

Ben has a passion for personal development and self-improvement.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree from Utah State University and has completed numerous sales and personal development courses, including Franklin Covey, Sandler Sales, the DNA Selling Method, Dale Carnegie Public Speaking among others. Ben is also a former NCAA Division 1 coach (Utah State University, Women’s Gymnastics, 2004-2007).

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Build your business by becoming a contributor to The Business Builder Guide and Directory.

We are always looking for great information to share.

Become a Registered user and submit your articles for consideration to be printed in the Guide.

Many other programs exist to help you get traffic to your site. Try placing your company in the Business Builder Guide. Not only will you get a great link to your site for your Google SEO, but you can bid on quotes from your area, submit templates, and much more.

Come join our team.

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Networking

What is Business Networking

By Michael Buzinski President/CEO of Buzzbizz Studios, LLC buzz@bbsalaska.com

Every wonder how some people in business just seem to land all the great deals? Do you notice these same people seem to know everyone in your local business community? Every one of these people has one thing in common; they network.

Business networking is using business and personal relations to

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bring you a consistent stream of new business and resources. It is how people get things done in the modern world.

From sales to project collaboration, the best networkers usually have the highest success rate in their profession. So how does one network?

Business networking is more than showing up at networking functions,

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shaking everyone’s hand and collecting a plethora of business cards. It is about getting out of your office and finding like-minded people who you can connect with and start relationships with. Some of these relationships will yield immediate results and others will grow over time. The important thing is that you are constantly meeting new people. Where do you find these “like minded people?”

Networking can happen almost anywhere

if you keep an eye out for opportunities. When starting out, it is easiest to get your feet wet by attending networking specific functions. Trade associations and business related organizations like the Chamber of Commerce offer many networking specific opportunities. Most are listed on the organization’s website.

There are other organizations dedicated solely to business networking.

They are usually exclusive in some form or fashion. Some examples

are Woman Entrepreneurs (WE) and Business Network International (BNI). Other sources of networking opportunities can be found through the charitable organizations you volunteer for. Think of all the memberships you belong to like church, PTA, and Rotary. Each one of these organizations is a great place to build relationships with like-minded people.

Choose your networking involvement based on what type of relationships you are looking to build. It might be futile to join a business referral club if you are solely looking to collaborate.

In this case, it would be better to find a trade association where you can connect with colleagues willing to share information.

Regardless of where you network or why you network, it is important to remember to stay proactive. Creating a plan and scheduling your networking activity will help incorporate networking into your daily routine. Keep track of your success by quantifying each networking event. Look at the quality of people you met and make sure they are the caliber of professionals

you want to associate with. Be critical of yourself as well and hold yourself accountable to meeting new people

stones. The clearer your goals, the more likely you are to realize how much you are reaping from your networking

every time.

activities. Make your goals just out of your comfort zone, but be realistic. Remember that quality is always better than quantity when it

“Stay Positive, Business Networking is like a sports activity”

Give yourself goals.

Break your goals down from yearly to monthly and even weekly mileBusiness

comes to building relationships.

Finally, stay positive.

Business networking is like a sports activity; the more you practice, the better you get. If you are just starting out, don’t be discouraged if you don’t find your next big client the first time out.

The best relationships evolve over time. If you are genuine and true to yourself, you will connect with the right individuals. Then you will be one of those people you envied before using business networking to your advantage.

Marketing Success

Marketing your business is becoming more complex every day with the rise of social network sites and the fall of traditional media outlets such as newspapers and radio stations.

We offer a whole new outlook on marketing your business and some creative new ways for you to get your name out there. In the months to come, look for new tips on how to find your customers with new tools and learn how to find out where your customers are looking for you. www.businessmarketingmag.com

Branding

How Affect Your Business

By Christy Smith President/CEO of Dark Twin Marketing Group Dark Twin Publications csmith@darktwin-marketing.com www.darktwin-marketing.com www.cassie-designs.com Do you consider the colors you use when marketing your business?

Do you think that a green logo could improve the way customers look at you?

The color of FedEx is blue, yet its competitor UPS is brown, McDonald’s is red and yellow, while Burger King is red and orange.

How much affect does color choice have on consumers in general, and your customers in particular? Understanding the importance of correct use of colors in your business and your business’s per-

sonality is vital in creating a positive image to your prospective and current customers. The colors you use can create emotions, stimulate senses, and even initiate a need to purchase.

The opposite is also true if you use the wrong color in the wrong situation, you can turn prospective buyers off. Some colors in small doses stimulate the senses that make you want to buy. But when used in large amounts can have the exact opposite effect. Every business has its own personality, its own customer base and its budding brand.

Depending on what you want your customers to think, should determine what colors you use and the correct intensity and color quantity.

tomers the urge to buy.

When choosing colors to brand your business, it is important to have a

Green: The color green creates balance and harmony. It brings peace of mind to your emotions, while creating equilibrium between your heart and your head.

main color and a complimentary color that focuses on important points.

In this issue we will look at the colors green and orange. The positive and the negative aspects of each color, then we will find a way to use the positive traits of both to create a brand that will not only be memorable, but give prospective cus-

Imagine using the theory of yoga in branding your business. Green would be calming to your core, restoring energy to a depleted body. Green is also the color of growth and nature. It creates a sense of calm and quiet, think about the sound of dew running off the morning leaf. Your brand is now a sanctuary to prospective

customers.

Green is also the color of finance. When customers see a strong green logo it tells your customers that your company is

financially secure. Seeing green gives a sense of prosperity and makes one think they can have the same sense of financial comfort. Creating a combination of green and yellow, or green and blue will cause mental clarity and an optimistic point of view.

much better than forcing a negative one.

Orange: Orange is a complicated color. Never use orange without caution. It has great power

that can move potential customers in either direction. Orange is a bright and cheerful color that makes you happy, and happy customers will hang around longer and spend more money.

When packaged in or-

ange, products appear more affordable, stand out in a crowd of other products and say in a playful and gentle manner, “Buy Me.”

to use when branding your business. When you use orange correctly, it can be one of the most powerful colors in your palette.

However, when used in abundance it can appear to be cheap and lacking in quality. At its best orange can feel warm and vibrant, its energy can be fun and adventurous, with optimism and sociability. The right color of orange can stimulate the appetite and start social conversations. This is why you see orange in restaurant décor and branding.

We have touched upon two great colors and several ways to use them in building your business.

Branding and marketing are core parts of building your business and should never be taken lightly.

Getting the most out of your brand is the power of great marketing.

When combined with the right colors, orange can bring class to almost any business, while it still brings a touch of fun. It is one of the greater colors

Get a color profile for your business for FREE at Dark Twin Marketing Group.

Give us a call at (435) 554-8352, or email us csmith@ darktwin-marketing.com.

Now that we have made you feel secure and calm in your business and your finances, let’s focus on the negatives of green.

Large amounts of green or multiple shades of green feel greedy and possessive. You don’t want your customers to feel like they are being controlled by overbearing colors. I think we should go back to feeling a sense of calm and security.

Luring them in with a positive emotion works

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Tracking

Call Measurement: The Ultimate in Phone Tracking Bill picks up the phone. He thumbs through the

phonebook, and sees that quarter-page ad you posted. This is the fifth time he’s tried calling you.

He dials your number, and the phone rings, and rings, and rings! A less patient man would have hung up long ago, but Bill just happens to have time today. Finally, that receptionist of yours picks up the phone. But she’s having a bad day; she and her boyfriend are fighting again. Bill asks her some questions. She, meanwhile, doesn’t feel the motivation to do more than answer them. In fact, she might even be a little rude today, (but you’re not watching, so who cares, right?) She neglects to take his number or even his name. Displeased with the service and the information she gives him, he hangs up, but not before mentioning that he’s in fact Mr. Bill of Big Money Industries and would have been willing to pay big money for the job. He then proceeds to call that competitor of yours who was also your sports rival in high school.

If this sounds like actual nightmares you’ve had, you’re probably a business owner or manager. Now most billionaires probably don’t bother much with phonebooks these days, but the sad truth is calls like this happen every day in companies just like yours, and unless you have a staff of cheery robots, chances are it has happened to you. But as long as you aren’t there to babysit them, you can never know for sure just how many times it has hap-

Strategies you can teach your staff to make them better phone salesmen

Here are 5 Tips and Tricks to booking appointments over the phone: 1. Don’t talk price! Instead, focus on them and their problem, and what your company can do to fix it.

2. Ask lots and lots of good, open-ended questions.

3. Never ever pause after making a statement; only pause after asking a question.

4. Make sure you take down the caller’s name and number at the beginning of the call, especially if you’re transferring them to another department.

5. Tones are everything! Do your best to engage the caller with your voice.

pened, right?

Call Tracking is a system and process that records your company’s phone calls and helps you understand what is happening when people dial your number. You can have access to a plethora of useful data critical to knowing where your company’s dollars are going.

Recommended Call Tracking features: • Recorded phone calls that can be easily filtered by date, department, length of the call, and the call’s result.

• A staff of real-live people listening to your calls 24/7 and categorizing each one by call result.

• An easy way to track which advertisement sources, such as websites, phonebooks, and fliers, are being used the most and which ones are just money drains.

• Summary reports that will tell you how many calls were missed, how many customers were booked or not booked, which advertising source people are calling from, and more!

Now, Call Measurement and Tracking isn’t

right for everyone. It might not be a good fit for you if you: • Have time to sit by your customer service representatives every single time they answer the phone to make sure they don’t say anything wrong.

• Don’t mind customers calling your company seven times before finally reaching the right person.

• Have a staff full of perfect people who never mess up on anything or make mistakes that could damage your company or its reputation.

• Can afford to let substantial numbers of potential new customers hang up and start looking somewhere else.

• Don’t want to know how many people are actually looking at that obscure advertisement source you’re paying hundreds of dollars for.

However, if you don’t meet the criteria listed above, you might consider implementing call tracking for your company.

By Emily M. Staples, www. SalesComm.com Contact Emily at: Emily@SalesComm.com

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Trending

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f you have any employees, or are in a position of management/leadership in your company and have people reporting to you – then you have personally experienced the rapidly changing “whitewater world” in which we live. There is a high probability that downsizing, and being under increased pressure to accomplish more with less is the norm. We’re constantly faced with less time, human and physical resources, budget constraints, inadequate training, support from management and other departments, and even less encouragement and advice.

Accomplishing More: With Less By: C. Franklin Nilson www.fortunecookiecoaching.com

Is there an answer? If so, what is it? This multipart article will explore a possible solution – one that will work whether you have 1 employee, 100, or 1000 and more, whether you have a service entity like a landscape construction, or maintenance company, or are in a white collar professional engineering firm. Consider how the words Trust and Synergy seem overused in today’s business nomenclature. They certainly are among the buzz words of our decade, however their genuine application and benefits are scarcely realized- but why? Trust leads to Synergy, where team members working together in almost perfect unison accomplish results far greater than whatever could be accomplished as a group of individuals. Synergy (which requires Trust) is defined by the late Dr.

Stephen R. Covey as one plus one equaling three or more – perhaps much more.

In a nutshell – the answer, and the most rapid way to accomplishing more with less is by enhancing the synergy of your workforce! It’s actually a “lighthouse” principle – it’s Habit 6 of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Dr. Stephen R. Covey. Lighthouse principles cannot be violated with impunity. We cannot break lighthouse principles – if we persist in trying we find that we break ourselves against them.

They are timeless and universal.

Consider the ramifications of delegating a task to a subordinate that you do not really trust, don’t have confidence in, one who lacks the skills and knowhow to ‘get the job done’ but circumstances require you to take this step.

Are you at peace with your decision? Do you rest comfortably with the knowledge and understanding that you have nothing to worry about? Is this task no longer on the top of your mind? Or, are you

working behind the scenes to micromanage?

Are you making alternative plans so that the customer will be taken care of? Consider the wasted effort and duplicated time and energy.

The end result will surely be damaged company morale and a decline in company synergy.

Now, consider the opposite – consider the ramifications of delegating a task to a subordinate that to you is trustworthy, one in whose abilities you have abundant confidence, one that has a proven track record of success.

What’s going on in your mind? You have peace because of your level of trust and confidence – efforts are not duplicated, and time and energies are not wasted. The end result is enhanced company morale and synergy.

Ponder the parallel of a horse pulling contest.

Clydesdales are often used because of their immense size and power. Several years ago the record pull of a single Clydesdale was 6 tons.

The almost unbelievable result of two Clydesdales pulling “synergis-

tically” was nearly 52 tons!

The great Albert Einstein once defined insanity as: “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

So – if you want your business to actually experience an exponential leap in effectiveness because of enhanced synergy – it’s safe to say that you cannot continue to do the same things over and over again and achieve this coveted result.

Trust is a great lubricant to accelerate progress – but the lack of trust in any organization is for certain a TAX that carries a troublesome burden. This TAX negatively impacts speed and certainly causes all costs involved to dramatically increase.

Francis Fukuyama, an Economist quoted in the best seller, “The Speed of Trust” said, “Widespread distrust in a society…imposes a kind of tax on all forms of economic activity, a tax that high-trust societies do not have to pay.”

Thankfully, the opposite also exists as a benefit

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to your organization.

Increased trust equals increased speed and decreased costs (the ability to accomplish more with less) – as illustrated in the second example above. You can achieve the benefits of a trust dividend instead of bearing the burden of a trust tax.

Over a decade ago, a study by Watson Wyatt indicated that total return to shareholders for organizations with high trust was almost 3X’s higher than those with low trust! So this is not simply a concept that “feels good” – this is an objective that has tremendous power to help make you and your company become a positive force to be reckoned with, in your marketplace as you strive to improve the trust and synergy of your organization.

Albert E. Gray in his essay, The Common Denominator of Success, said “Successful people have the habit of doing the things failures don’t like to do. They don’t like doing them either, necessarily, but their disliking is subordinat-

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Trending

Teamwork and Synergy of the 2011 NBA Finals While this happened several years ago, the lessons learned in sports parallels are timeless. Lets reflect on the NBA chanpionship of 2011 ed to the strength of their purpose!”

In the next issue we’ll continue to explore how increasing trust and synergy is worth whatever effort is needed.

Plus, implementable methods will be revealed that will accelerate the process so you can begin immediately to accomplish more with less.

C. Franklin Nilson is a CEO with Fortune Cookie Coaching. www.fortunecookiecoaching.com

By. C. Franklin Nilson The Mavericks are one of only three teams in the history of the NBA to have 11 consecutive 50 win seasons. So we know from their record that they’ve been practicing synergy like few teams ever have! Synergy is defined

by Dr. Stephen R. Covey as, “one plus one equaling three or more.” The selfless play of the Mavericks certainly brought Dr. Covey’s definition to life. It’s an interesting tidbit to realize that only Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry remained from the team that lost

to the Heat in the 2006 championship! Since 2006, these guys have played like a team. They never stopped believing in themselves and their ability to make it happen, often coming from behind in the 4th

a fantastic player, but in his 39th year, even his teammates called him the “Fossil.” The star-studded Heat had superstars to spare: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

While these three “I’s” had their moments, they were unable to selflessly play as a team enough to be victorious.

These three supposedly were unbeatable. Flash back to the 1980 Olympic hockey victory of the USA over Russia, portrayed in the movie “Miracle.” Coach Herb Brooks was looking for the ‘right players’ not

“One Plus One equaling three or more.” quarter.

Let’s compare the Mavericks to the Heat at that time. Dirk Nowitzki was the only real superstar on the Maverick roster. Now don’t get me wrong, Jason Kidd was

necessarily the ‘best players’ – after all, according to the media, the best players already played for the Heat.

Rick Carlisle (the Mav’s head coach – and now an elite member of a team of 10 who have NBA rings as both players and coaches) said, ‘’This is a true team, this is an old bunch. We don’t run fast or jump high. These guys had each other’s backs. We played the right way.’’

Tyson Chandler, the Mav’s 7’1” reserve center said, “We’re a team with players that have been bounced around, traded, people forgot about us. And we came together and we won a title.” Maverick’s general manager, Donnie Nelson, called his roster the “cast-offs!”

The superstars of the Heat were only a warm flicker compared to the synergistic selflessness of the Mavericks. John Wooden said, “A player

who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group for the good of the group, that’s teamwork.”

Working with the Heat following this disappointing loss, Pat Riley was able to enhance the teamwork aspect of his top three players, resulting in the 2012 NBA Championship victory for the Miami Heat.

What’s the lesson for

us? We can be extraordinary (ordinary + do a little extra). Just like the Mavericks, we just need to forget who gets the credit, and do the little bit extra all the time. We don’t have to be individual superstars, but we can all contribute to making our team great!

The more synergistic we become, the better things will be for us.

Feature

Content Is Key

By Christy Smith President/CEO of Dark Twin Marketing Group Dark Twin Publications csmith@darktwin-marketing.com www.darktwin-marketing.com www.cassie-designs.com

Why should ‘Content Marketing’ be the key to your marketing strategies? Consumers have tuned out traditional marketing. And let’s face it we have moved into a generation of technology, where content is more interactive than ever. We as consumers want to be educated and entertained at the same time. We are visual and attracted by colors and images.

Smart business owners and managers are learning that traditional marketing is becoming less and less successful and that creative marketing is now essential to successful growth - in walks ‘Content Marketing.’

So first let’s answer the

basic question: what is Content Marketing?

Content Marketing is a creative technique of developing unique and evolving content with the intent of attracting and maintaining the attention of a distinct audience. All of this is done with the intent of drawing profitable attention to your business.

So how do we go about creating content that will change a consumers behavior to the point where marketing becomes an ongoing relationship between you and your current and prospective customers?

By creating an open line of communication, you alter the mindset of your audience from one of see and ignore,

to intrigue, interest, and interaction.

Before we get started talking about how Content Marketing works we need to understand that Content Marketing is not one thing, it is a series of outlets that support and feed each of the others. You cannot have one form and expect to be successful.

You must learn how to create a symphony from all of your mediums. We will discuss each one briefly and then quickly

show how to combine them all together to create a successful, and affordable Content Marketing campaign.

Beginning Content Marketing Let’s start with the basic. Everybody these days has a website. You can even create one for free on thousands of difference “freebie” sites. Just a side note here, you get what you pay for. Now you have a domain or url (your

www). You have your pages, which most likely contain a home page, a contact us page, and a few information pages.

You sit back and take a look at your new website and you think it looks awesome and you are proud of this great creation you have made.

Consider this, 90% of all text on your website will never be read. The only real value that text has is for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). So when somebody comes to your website and sees your content, they are usually looking for the 1 specific thing (usually they are researching target information).

If your website has not been SEO’d to that specific keyword these prospective customers will never find you in the first place. Second, if you don’t answer their question in an easy and user friendly way, they will not stay long enough to go search for the answer. Let’s face it, they are not going to find your website by accident and then sit and read all the information on your site because they have nothing better to do with their time.

Let’s expand this thought about your

website for just a moment. If they aren’t going to come to your website to just read your pages, then what information can we put on our website that will 1) bring people in and 2) give them a reason to stay and read?

Extend and Have Fun

I have always suggested that every business, no matter what they do, maintain a blog. This gives you a place to have ever changing content, and show a level of experience on your part and the part of your employees. You can always make this a business wide adventure that everyone can participate in. Now when someone starts surfing google for the answer to a question, the odds of your website being found increase, especially if you keep your blog optimized for search engines, and you have supplied a service to a prospective client by answering their questions. Now the chances of them contacting you for a complete solution have increased. You can increase this even more by offering a way for readers to comment on your article. Now you have opened the lines of

communication without ever having face to face contact.

Just the Beginning

think differently, behave differently, and communicate differently.

A few more great outlets that I have not covered With this great content but are powerful on that shows knowledge their own: webcast or and experience we need podcast, newsletters, to find a way to put that videos, mobile apps, and information in front of infographics. as many prospective clients as possible. The Regardless of the type best way to do this is of marketing that you to know the behaviors choose to use, Content of our target audience.

Marketing is essential to Once we have deteryour marketing tool box mined these behaviors and should be used to we can use the power accentuate and support of social networking, your current marketing newsletters, targeted plan, it becomes the e-zines, etc. core marketing outlet that you use, because The difference between it is highly focused and Content Marketing and local. Quality content is traditional marketing is a key part of all forms of relevance and informamarketing, how you use tion. All other marketing it can determine your is just spam. Good Consuccess. More on this tent Marketing makes topic in future issues… a person stop and look,

Goals

Brand Awareness Lead Conversion Customer Creation Customer Loyalty 13

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Perseverance, Persistence, Tenacity, Stick-To-Itiveness, Dogged Determination, Grit Whatever You Call It – It is the Ultimate Key to Success By: C. Franklin Nilson Fortune Cookie Coaching www.fortunecookiecoaching.com

With it – your success is only a matter of time.

Without it – your success is only a feeble fantasy!

Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States said it best when he said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan `Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Zig Ziglar once said, “It’s better to borrow from brilliance than to create mediocrity.” And in this spirit of borrowing from the greatest minds that have graced planet earth, consider these words carefully.

“Many of life’s failures are prople who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” Thomas Edison. “Genius is 1% talent and 99% hard work….” Albert Einstein. “Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” F. Scott Fitzgerald.

“Continuous effort – not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our true potential.” Winston Churchill. “In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins; not through strength, but through persistence.” Buddha. And from Abraham Lincoln, “When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”

Can one learn to have more perseverance, persistence, tenacity, stick-to-itiveness, dogged determination and grit? Consider the following dozen steps! Work on them one or two at a time if you must – but work on them and you’ll find that the answer to the above questions is a resounding YES!

1. Take Responsibility for Yourself. Realize that if you want more - you need to get better.

There is no ‘secret sauce’ the reality of life is that we are all the culmination of the choices we’ve made up to this point, wherever this point is! Luck

is not some grace that falls upon us indiscriminately; it’s Laboring, Under, Correct, Knowledge. We make our own luck. If we don’t like where we are – we CAN change and be something better in the future, but that requires us to be true to ourselves and follow the advice of Socrates and examine our life and take responsibility for it!

2. Aggressively Seek Positive Influences

Recent scientific evidence indicates that negative experiences are up to 5 times as powerful in the chemistry of the brain as positive ones. We must carefully guard what we allow to enter our minds.

We talk to ourselves at up to 800 words a minute and we must be positive with ourselves. We must intentionally select positive reenforcements. This includes the books and CD/DVD programs, movies, and the music we select for our entertainment – we must seek those with strong, uplifting themes. This also includes the people we spend time with – if they’re the ‘Well Poisoner’ type that Walt Disney describes then we should avoid them where possible.

Michael Jordan said, “If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome.” Choose to associate with people who can provide you with a hand up, and a vote of support. These are the people Walt Disney describes as ‘Life Enrichers’ – be one, and associate with those who enrich your life.

3. Healthy Living is Key to Managing your Stress.

Healthy living is a decision that is crucial for you because your energy and stamina are necessary for perseverance, and essential in combating stress.

You need to be in top form for focus, resilience, self-confidence, optimism, clarity and intensity.

The word s t r e s s evokes scenes of breakdown, unhappiness and disruption of normal body functioning. Actually, stress is the effect of any external, physical or mental pressures on your well-being.

Continue on Page 18

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Capturing the referral market referrals: give extraordinary service. Ask yourself, would you rather have a satisfied employee, or a loyal employee?

Would you rather your spouse be satisfied, or loyal? There’s a big difference between loyal and satisfied, isn’t there!

or call, a personal visit while you’re in the area to drop off next year’s price schedule or a complimentary coupon booklet, or spending an additional 5 minutes to clean up branches from a portion of the client’s yard that perhaps isn’t

Loyal clients will give referrals; satisfied clients might not. To build loyal clients, we need to provide extraordinary service. ‘Extraordinary’ service is just ‘ordinary’ service plus that little ‘extra,’ that extra mile that means so much to clients in today’s business world. This aboveand-beyond is actions such as; a personal phone call in place of an email, a handwritRule #1 for gaining ten ‘thank-you’ card www.businessmarketingmag.com

a part of the service arrangement but you know they’d like to see cleaned-up. This uncommon level of service doesn’t necessarily require a lot of time or effort, just a thoughtful “how can I better serve my clients today?” mindset. When we give extraordinary service, our clients aren’t just satisfied, they become loyal. Loyal clients will jump at the chance to give a referral because

By: Ben Nilson

Business Building Coach www.fortunecookiecoaching.com

What would your business look like if your best 50 clients referred just one buying customer to you? Your best 25 clients?

Even your best 10 clients? Naturally, we’d all welcome these new customers, and we’d all make more money if this was the case.

Well, have you asked your best clients for these referrals? As simple as it may sound, very few businesses have a standing referral-generation process in place! This process can be as simple as just asking one simple question: “Who do you know who would also benefit from our service?” This article is meant to be a basic primer on how to capture one of the most lucrative and easily accessed market segments out there – the referral market.

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they know that whomever they refer us to will receive the top-notch service that they’re accustomed to.

Rule #2 for gaining referrals; ask! Almost no matter how much a client likes your services, almost no matter how great someone’s lawn looks or how much time or money they’ve saved by working with your company, relatively few people will refer clients on their own initiative. They need a little nudge from us. We need to ask the referral question. The more naturally, and more mixed-in-with-regular-conversation that we ask the referral question, the better our results will be. Even when asked bluntly and clumsily, however, the worst the client can say is “not really,” and we might be surprised by how many of them respond with, “well, actually, I do know someone who might be interested…” Ask this question often, create your own phrases that fit your business and your own personal style

so that asking becomes natural, be tactfully persistent but not overbearing, and be sure to follow up when someone replies that they need to “think about it.” Also, keep in mind that certain customers will not give referrals no matter how pleased they are with your service, and that others will give you names even if they’re only satisfied and not yet loyal. One more tip when it comes to asking: be specific and mention the unique ways you’ve serviced clients’ lawns. For example, “Who else do you

know whose lawn is as difficult to mow and as thick as yours?” or “Who else do you know who’s got hills and uneven turf in their lawn, like you do?” This type of specific question will not only remind them that their lawn is tough and time-consuming to mow because of all the hills, and thank goodness they have your service that takes care of it, but it will also get them thinking about specific people they know.

Many successful landscaping businesses offer incentives to their clients who give them re-

ferrals, such as $10 off a service, or for every certain number of clients referred they receive a free service. Such incentives aren’t essential, but can be very lucrative to the business when used properly! To make the best of these types of incentives, make sure that the primary focus is on the customer’s referral receiving outstanding service, and that the reward for the client is of secondary focus. Some referral-focused companies prefer to not even mention the incentive until after the referral has been given.

This approach can even garner an additional referral or two when the client gets that credit applied to his account or that $10 bill in his hand.

Remember to deliver tangible, hard-copy referral rewards in-person, and notify the client with a personal phone call if the gift is non-tangible, such as a credit to their account.

As you give extraordinary service and ask, ask, ask, you will build your customer base and your bottom line.

Who will ask for a referral today?

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continued from P 15 The primary causes of stress are anxiety and tension, which is much easier managed when we’re as healthy as possible.

4. When seeking advice, carefully consider the source!

It would be good to ask, “What is true?” not “What do others think is true?” If you want to shorten the distance from perseverance to achievement, you want to learn from the mistakes of others rather than repeating them yourself. And you want to use the methods that have brought others the success you seek. Practice does NOT make perfect – but perfect practice does, so be very careful whose advice you follow.

5. Avoid Inaction and the common alibis used to justify.

Remember how to spell Rationalize? Rational LIES! Don’t allow yourself to rational lies about your accomplishments – remember, “If it’s to be it’s up to me!” Peter Drucker said that a “B” plan well executed is much better than an “A” plan that isn’t acted on. Get busy – the key is ACTION. Not mindless action, but the kind of action that leads to accomplishment – but don’t become hung up on analyzing to the point that it becomes “anal”-yzing because excuses will flourish!

6. Eliminate Counter-productive Habits.

Retain teach-ability or become teachable! Realize that being mentally or emotionally rigid means that you hang on to habits that no longer serve you.

These habits can make you unproductive, frustrated and unfulfilled. Some examples of counter-productive habits that may reduce your accomplishments:

Bellyaching about politics, problems at work or the neighbors…

Making mountains out of molehills…

Dwelling in the past or future…

Excessive worry about stuff that may not happen or

that you can’t control anyway…

Having a “victim” mentality…

Focus on what you can do, not what you cannot do.

When you focus on what you cannot do, you get more of it – that’s the way the mind works… We’re kidding ourselves by doing the same things over and over and expecting different results. Drop your bad habits by replacing them with good habits… If this seems difficult, realize that life is a marathon not a sprint and remember the classic Aesop fable of “The Tortoise and the Hare.”

7. Willingly forgive yourself and others.

Do this for your own sake, your own peace of mind.

Harboring grudges, disapproval, hatred or disappointment can poison your spirit of perseverance and accomplishment. Whether the subject person is someone else or yourself, you are the one feeling the wound. You don’t hurt others when you hold hatred toward them; you only hurt yourself. Because the mind isn’t capable of simultaneously experiencing anger and joy - you need to make plenty of room for the joy!

8. Take Reasonable Risks.

You must not be afraid to take reasonable risks.

Without risk, there is no reward. Risk management is more important than risk avoidance. Risk avoidance dampens the spirit, undermining the will to persist in the face of obstacles and reversals. Thomas J. Watson, the founder of IBM said that the sure way to increase your success rate is to double your failure rate! It’s OK to fail, if we learn from those failures… Basketball’s greatest player, Michael Jordan said, “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed!” Zig Ziglar gave us some fantastic advice when he said, “Remember that failure is an event, not a person.”

9. Get Support.

No man is an island, everyone needs a support system, none of us can be successful by ourselves. We are a team and together every one of us will accomplish more. Synergy is KEY. Every one of us can do a better job supporting those around us – you be the catalyst – NOW. 10. Plan your Work.

Without a plan you’ll keep plenty busy with minutia – but what’s the point? Chuck Coonradt, author of the book The Game of Work said, “In the absence of clearly defined goals we’re forced to concentrate on activities and ultimately become enslaved by them.” Why become a slave to non-productive activities? Take the time to plan your day – every day, even if it’s nothing more than to identify the top 5 or 6 things that you must accomplish on a daily basis.

When planning your work remember WHY SMART Goals: W = Written H = Harmonious Y = Yours S = Specific M = Measurable A = Attainable R = Realistic T = Timely 11. Do not Quit.

Perseverance is the insurance policy and common

denominator for success. So powerful is perseverance that failure cannot exist in its presence.

Lessons from history are legion – learn from them, parallel them.

Remember and apply these words from Calvin Coolidge, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.

Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan `Press On’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

12. Have Fun! Love your work! Sadly only 6% of Americans claim to love what they do for a living. Be among that minority! Your attitude and personality can help make what you do for a living fun! We’re rarely extraordinarily good at doing things we hate to do.

If we’re having fun, we’ll do more and do it better.

Finally, Confucius provided the nutshell to success when he wrote more than 4,000 years ago in China, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” To me, this is a yardstick article! One that you can measure yourself against now, tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. If you inspect in yourself what you expect from yourself – you’ll make tremendous progress.

Just remember to always get up, and always keep moving towards your goals.

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