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Your Future is NOW! Welcome To 2015! Communication is KEY 3 Tools You Can't Grow Without
RESOLUTIONS Or Good Intentions?
If you're thinking of taking a yacht vacation, no need to look any further than SELECT CHARTERS! – Carlene Robinson Dailey
www.SelectCharters.com Peggy@SelectCharters.com 4020 N. MacArthur Boulevard Suite 122-183 • Irving, TX 75038 (972) 659-8941
The OffBeat Business Show interviews experts in all areas of business, dishing up practical commentary and encouraging, actionable advice!
We talk about marching to the beat of ! your own business. Don't follow the crowd. The unsaid stuff. The basic stuff. The crazy stuff. The struggles and the triumphs of having your own business. Come take a listen...you'll have fun, learn from us and our awesome guests!
Listen to us on www.pegasusnetwaves.com/ To listen to past shows, go to our website, click on the calendar option to top right of the box and select a date. At this time, our shows began airing on July 8th. Select ‘Read More’ to hear the recording. Upcoming shows are listed. Please contact us if you would like to be a guest on The Offbeat Business Show. Check out our upcoming guests in January: Terry L. Hill – Listen in as Susan asks Terry to explain The Science of Happiness, and how we should be thinking about our financial future in business. January 6th John Nosal – John and Susan talk SEO: What, why and how you can begin to make simple adjustments right away. January 13th Lissa Duty – Susan asks her go-to social media expert some crucial questions, and gets some surprising answers! January 20th Taylor Kay Stephens – Have you ever met someone who actually ‘ate the elephant’? Don’t miss this heartfelt interview with a th warm and witty author and life coach. Find out why Taylor’s a highly sought after speaker everywhere. January 27 For upcoming shows, replays and your own subscription to The OffBeat Business Magazine, go to OffBeatBusiness.com. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Google + and YouTube If it matters to you, we talk about it on The OffBeat Business Show. Enjoy 20 minutes of lunch with us, and you’ll be ready to take your company to new levels the rest of the week!
03 | Table of Contents
Mindsets and Strategies for 2015
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EDITOR’S LETTERS | 06
Our New Year edition of The OffBeat Business Magazine is absolutely full of important kick-off mindsets and strategies for the entrepreneur and small business owner who want to take control of their company’s direction. I truly believe that with the right information at our fingertips, the right encouragement in our ears, and perseverance in the right direction – we don’t have to wait for the government to fix our nation.
Your strong business allows you to pay closer attention to the legislation that directly impacts business, family, healthcare and retirement. Your well-run company gives your voice valuable clout in the marketplace, and postures you to make a significant difference in your community. I support you with my whole heart!
My belief in the backbone of the American economy has never been stronger. When I was approached by Boomer Buzz Magazine to consider publishing a magazine, I knew I had an opportunity to reach millions with content that would support not only our business growth, but our crazy lifestyles as well. This year, we’re adding two additional columns that I think will support you even further. Both Rhythms in Parenting and Technology Beat are making their debuts in January and February, respectively. So often, as parents and business owners, we feel torn – maybe even shortchanged – with our decisions to grow successful businesses. What good is all the business success in the world if we feel unsuccessful with our families? Amy Hayes, founder of ParentingForLife.com, will reveal her tips for interacting with our kids while we take this wild ride – regardless if they’re young or grown! In addition, Marian LaSalle has agreed to share technology tips in Technology Beat. Be sure to check it out. While chasing every shiny button is a big mistake in business, understanding how technology serves us is a huge plus. Marian is a well-respected leader in the areas of technology, speaking, podcasting and more. Inside, you’ll find several articles on communication, mindsets, goals, money, speaking, health and travel – everything you need to grow your business wisely, without sacrificing your life! Do you have a favorite column or contributor? I’d love your feedback as we continue to bring you only the most useful and insightful information possible. Contact me at Susan@OffBeatBusiness.com with your comments and suggestions – any and ALL feedback is graciously accepted! ~ Susan Hamilton
07 | FEATURE
Welcome To A New Year! By Claire Billingsley How many of you are just now starting to think about goals and objectives for 2015? If you’re like the majority of business owners, you help everyone else first (your clients) and then you realize – “Hey! I have a business to run! Where do I want it to go?” Or, more to the point “where did last year go and how in the world can I get more done this year with the same amount of hours in each day!?”
of time requires preparing, planning, acting (moving the project forward) and follow through. Preparing
If this is how you are feeling, you are not alone. Many business owners run their business by the seat of their pants. It’s the successful business owners that take the time to plan and prioritize. Time management is the key to achieving your goals and objectives. If one of your resolutions this year is to run your business rather it run you, then you are in the right place!
You are the catalyst for change in your organization. The way you show up every day is how everyone else will show up. Do you come to the office already prepared? Or do you saunter in, eat breakfast, check Facebook and then get your day started? I am not knocking any of those activities, but getting a lot done in a short amount
How do you prepare for your day? Great leaders of organizations use the last part of each work day to look ahead and see what is necessary to get done each day. Write down (yes tactile exercise!) what needs to be done, and then prioritize. Include professional and personal activities (we still want to maintain balance) and keep a record each day of what has been done. If you don’t get everything done, evaluate why. Can you delegate a task to another person? If it has to be you, why didn’t you make it a higher priority to complete? This self-analysis can help you become a much better leader by example – get it done, get it delegated, or get rid of it. Planning How much time do you spend strategically planning for the future of your company? Do you have goals set for the month? The quarter? The year? For five years? Or do you just show up each day and hope to just ‘make it through the day.’
FEATURE | 08
Those who plan short and long term goals are more easily able to get more accomplished, celebrate their accomplishments, and reward employees as a team because they have documentation to prove how far they have come. We forget at the end of the year all we have accomplished … if it is written down at the end of the year you can summarize, and show each employee how they helped contribute to the success of the organization. This not only increases productivity, but also morale and loyalty. They know you are paying attention!
Do you know where each project is in the course of its timeline? If employees are consistently missing the mark, then have a discussion. Perhaps the assignment is more complicated than originally planned. Or, perhaps the individual needs some personal coaching on time management and organization of their priorities. Lastly, it could be you have the wrong person in the wrong position. Finding your team’s gifts and talents allows you to get more done in less time because everyone loves what they are doing. If you have gaps to fill in any area, the temptation is for you to step in and do it, but then who is guiding the ship? Avoid being a worker bee. Plan for growth, and know when you need to hire which person to proactively move the company forward. Starting and stopping all the time slows momentum and fluidity.
Action and Follow Through How often are you checking in and seeing your progress? Strong organizational leaders check in every day. That doesn’t mean you become a micro-manager; as the leader you’re in charge of the big picture. You can’t and should never expect yourself to do everything. Hold yourself accountable in making sure you are holding others accountable for their assignments and deadlines.
Sound simple? Sure. Realistically? It’s up to you. Just like anything worth pursuing, a little time planning at the beginning of the year can create a great deal of momentum in moving forward. Don’t get left behind this year. Plan now for great success in 2015!
Claire Billingsley is an author, coach, mentor, Laughter Yoga Leader and radio show host. She uses improvisational comedy to help open lines of communication up for groups and organizations. Find more at www.billingsleyconsultinggroup.com
09 |FEATURE
Let Communication Guide Your Strategy by Susan Hamilton
We need to make more money and have more time to do the things we value most highly – like play with our kids and grandkids, volunteer, garden, complete a DIY project or research a new opportunity. We want to make a difference in our families, communities and organizations. When we lump our wants and needs in a great big pile, it gets overwhelming by the second week of the new year! But it doesn’t have to. When we strip away all the distracting elements, like LIFE, it really boils down to being the most effective communicator we can be. How’s that, you ask? Don’t we all just want to be heard?
We all want to be heard, but to become great at communicating, we’re going to have to master listening, too. What if listening better was the key to every change you want to make in your business? I believe it is. Well mastered, this practice will get you to that place you so desperately want to see. I coach people to recognize three main brick walls in their business.
Yes, and that’s the problem. Communication is multi-directional. Brick walls are areas in marketing, management and sales that you long to improve in, and you attempt to do so every so often. They become brick walls when you continue to find yourself in a familiar place where you have to stop and just get back to the sensible routine of making at least the only money you know how to bring in. After all, that lowball work or that excruciatingly difficult work is the stuff that makes the phone ring. Ignoring that is stupid, right? We gotta pay the bills!
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Friends, everyone has been here. That’s why this scenario rings true to your ears. My advice? Create and develop access to free tools to cover the lower paying work that you can no longer afford to do, and begin to get really strong at attracting the higher paying, less excruciating work you really desire. You’ve probably started to do this multiple times before. But it’s January 2015, and I want to encourage you to take the LEAP. As bad as we hate it, brick walls we can’t even see get in the way of improving sales, marketing and management for our best interests. Let’s do it differently this year.
not. It’s about fully recogn izing your solution to someone’s problem. That being said, it’s in your best interest to master scripting. Not so you can sound canned. Not so you can memorize magic language. But so you can be aware of the necessary components of the sale. In this way, you can then masterfully guide someone through their issue to see clearly that you offer the best solution. How many times have you missed an opportunity because you walked away forgetting to mention an important benefit that may have made the difference? In this magazine, you will see a full page ad for 10 Essential Habits of Sales Superstars and for all my clients, it’s a ‘must-read.’
Here are my suggested areas to focus on improving our listening skills, see if you don’t agree: Sales Friends, we’re simply giving up too early here. One reason is that we think sales is about getting a ‘yes’ and some money. It’s
When you master the use of a script, you will be able to relax and listen, and respond to the real issues your valuable prospect is telling you about. You’ll also prompt yourself to ask the questions they may not have considered as they discuss what they’re experiencing as the result of their need. Sales is really advocacy. People need to know you have their best interest in mind, not just closing the sale. But don’t forget to close the sale; get the book!
11 | FEATURE
Marketing Who has heard, seen, or been exposed to your message? And when people hear it, does it matter to them? Are you just another so-and-so company, offering the expected? OR do your products and services, including customer service, offer value above expectation? The only way to get this right is to listen to all the nuances of the pain people experience when they lack what you offer, and express it everywhere.
meet you there, and be disciplined to learn the etiquette necessary to earn the audience you desire. But remember, marketing is NOT only an online experience. Invest in promotional products, appropriate marketing collateral, and advertising. Get trustworthy advice here, because it’s expensive to use ineffective tools, and you don’t need to spend a zillion dollars to get the job done well if you use one or two tools extraordinarily well. Management And that’s where management comes in. Sales and marketing only get you so far. Management is what makes these efforts consistent and management is the only way to truly be accountable for performance improvement.
If your approach doesn’t include social media, how will you do that? Social media use is nothing to scoff at. Many marketing agencies who offer assistance in this area are willing to get paid to do the ‘automatic messaging’ people believe gets noticed on social media. But that’s just broadcasting, and in this arena, not effective in the least. Instead of paying someone to post and monitor your social media, instead of spending hours you don’t have shouting in the dark at people who don’t respond, learn to be truly effective in one area at a time. Be disciplined about the frequency of your message, be disciplined about reaching out to others and training your customers to
Whether you employ a team of technicians, outsource your efforts, or are trying to accomplish it all by yourself while you grow the capital necessary to hand it off, communicating metrics and expectations is extremely important. When we’re a oneman show, it’s easy to deceive ourselves into thinking we can look at metrics and effectiveness later. Not true. Every single week you must schedule time to address these areas so you can see quickly what areas need immediate attention. It’s also imperative that you listen to your team, to make certain you understand what the roadblocks are. Often, a simple lack of communication is the reason we do
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results. We all have hang-ups, learn to recognize yours and learn to recognize them in the team you’re managing. You may be able to work around those hangups, approaching them differently, or reconsider your expected results. I’m not telling you to keep the bar low; I’m suggesting that expectations may not be realistic. Some areas may need quarterly refinement, even when reviewed weekly. Use Tools That Communication Possible
Make
Great
Many tools exist that help you get a handle on your goals, timelines and accountabilities. Remember, like buying a stereo, you can spend as much as you want. Most of the time, when I begin to explain these tools, people tell me that they already have ‘something like that’ but have not been taking advantage of all the bells and whistles. It’s in your best interest to learn and maximize the tools at your disposal so you can manage more effectively. In the absence of your own tools, here are my suggestions:
Deskaway – Deskaway allows you to track your projects and timelines with expected milestones among a couple of people or a whole team. Go to Deskaway.com, and set up a free account and check out the tutorials. The most comprehensive features are unleashed at the pro level, and run around $20 a month. Even if you outsource, this is a marvelous way to communicate
with an agency that supports your admin or marketing. It takes some learning, but well worth an hour a day to figure out a system that uniquely fits your needs and staff.
Google Analytics – Free and necessary. You absolutely must know what kind of traffic comes to your site, where they start and where they end up. You need to know how long they hang out on your money pages, and you need to know if the numbers correspond to increased sales. If the stats are great and sales have not increased, the problem is probably at the front line. Knowing that will help you address those areas so you can continue to improve. You can do everything right online, and still not close the sale. That may not mean you need a new online strategy, it may mean you need to adopt some more favorable routines when people reach out to you. At the same time, if you close every sale that comes in, but you’re not getting any numbers to your website – know that improving your online efforts will change the landscape of your company for the better for years to come. Email Service - such as AWeber, Mailchimp, or Constant Contact. These tools allow you a greater chance of longer term communication with everyone that comes to your website. On average, only 20% of your website visitors will sign up for your newsletter, free product or other email product - but think about the difference a 20% increase in your client base could mean.
13 | HEADER
Email subscribers are 50% closer to a sales decision, and have given you permission to get into their inbox, and we all know how valuable that space is. Using an email service will help you understand the needs of your customer. You will learn who opens those emails, what time they like to get them, and whether or not your subject line interests them. You’ll also learn to craft messages that successfully encourage them to go back to your website and what content they enjoy once they get there. This is not a short term try-it-and-see-maybe kind of deal. You’ll need to develop a strategy that is consistent with your other marketing efforts and get ahead of your content through scheduling. I’ll be covering this in more detail for the next several months in The Richardson Copywriter and The OffBeat Business Magazine upcoming editions. It’s easy to see what poor communication is doing to our families and our nation.
We don’t have to settle for what we see – we CAN improve, if we take some initiative. Clearly, our businesses are directly impacted by internal and external communication, every bit as much as our lifestyles are. Let’s take the bull by the horns and resolve to diligently pursue excellent listening skills, while we learn to express our expertise and sincerity in the most beneficial way for all involved. Happy, Happy New Year!
Susan Hamilton is The Richardson Copywriter, owner of Leaping Walls Consulting & Services, and host of The OffBeat Business Show and Magazine. Contact Susan@OffBeatBusiness.com for coaching and speaking opportunities.
10 Essential Habits of Sales Superstars: Plugging Into The Power of Ten By Butch Bellah “Butch Bellah makes selling fun again!” The Best $12.99 You’ll Spend All Year! If you’re as good as you’re going to be, life is as good as it’s going to get. Don’t limit yourself. EVERYBODY is in sales, like it or not. Sales is something we do for people, not something we do to people. Wrap your head around successful mindsets and start taking simple steps forward every day to dramatically increase your income NOW.
“The power of this book is how it gives the reader simple techniques that dramatically improve results. Butch's combination of creativity and common sense makes this a fun book to read. The strategy for getting past gate keepers makes the book worth the time and money ant that is just the tip of the ice berg!”
Noble L. Feldman, Amazon review
15 |FEATURE
Is Your Business Ready to Go Mobile? By Shari Voight My husband and I had talked about growing a mobile business for years before we made the leap to our full-time RV lifestyle. With a national customer base, we were connected primarily through Internet and telephone. We had only a handful of local customers. In fact, we’ve found long distance customers easier to work with because in-person meetings generally aren’t required. Having a truly mobile business requires some forethought and planning. It’s fine to say that you can do business wherever there’s a data connection, but there’s much more to it than that.
Our first two lessons stung a bit: 1) Not all local long-time customers are willing to make the transition. Some need the security of a local person they can call in when needed. 2) Cash flow is of critical importance, especially when out of the range of a branch of your business bank. A simple bookkeeping error on my end caused us a lot of stress when we needed to make a quick deposit to our bank, and couldn’t do so. Withdrawals are immediate, but deposits can take days. Choose a bank that offers mobile deposit through an app on your smartphone.
FEATURE | 16 Here are some other things you need to consider before taking your business fully mobile: Mail Delivery Most full-timers use a mail service. There are several to choose from, depending on what state you call home. As Wisconsin residents, we chose to keep our mail instate and buy forwarding service through our local UPS store. All mail is sent to a box in their store and they notify us every Monday morning of the contents in our mailbox. If we want it, we tell them where to forward it. If it’s not worth sending, we have them hang onto it for another week.
Phone Service We started out with US Cellular, but changed to Verizon as soon as our contract was up. There were too many gaps in the US Cellular coverage. Verizon and AT&T have the best coverage nationwide. Internet Service Our business relies heavily on a strong Internet connection. Some RV parks have good Wi-Fi, but most have only marginal at best. We have a 40 GB data plan on our Verizon phones and a 2 GB backup Mi-Fi with another provider. When the RV park Wi-Fi is strong, we make good use of it. That lets us save some of our Verizon data plan for fun stuff - like Google Hangouts with family and friends, or the occasional Amazon Prime movie.
Discipline Sometimes it seems like everyone around you is out having fun, and it’s really tempting to go day-to-day as if you’re on vacation, too. We work really hard at striking a balance between work and play. Factoring in the Unforeseen Stuff happens. You can either roll with it or let it ruin your week. We broke down for two weeks with a very costly repair in Fredericksburg, VA. All of our plans came to a screeching halt, but we trusted God to provide and show us our next steps, and He did. Alternative Revenue Streams It’s wise for every business to have alternate revenue streams, and even more so for the full-time traveler. We work as brand ambassadors for two manufacturers and travel store-to-store and show-to-show to demonstrate their products. We also host and develop secure WordPress websites, create unique ads with custom photography, provide marketing consulting services, and are building other passive income streams. We used to fit our lifestyle around our business and it wasn’t very satisfying. Taking our business mobile has given us the opportunity to fashion our business around a new lifestyle. It’s not always easy, not always ‘lollipops and roses,’ but it is satisfying and we love it. If you’re a traveler at heart, I’d love to hear from you. Visit our website at USA-RVNomads.com and/or connect with us at Facebook/RV-Nomads. Shari Voigt and her husband Gerald are business owners on the move! Discover more about their experiences on USA-RVNomads.com, and connect with them on Facebook/RV-Nomads.
17 | LIFESTYLE CHORD/Rhythms in Parenting
Business Owner & Parent By Amy Hayes Running a business is like two full time jobs. Then add to that the job of parent, and you have one busy life! You may feel your children are being neglected, many of us do. But I'm here to tell you that it doesn't take a lot of time to be a good parent, just the right tools. Maximize the snippets of time you do have with your child, and use some clever techniques for when you are apart, and your child will feel how much you really do love them.
Let's talk about a very powerful tool that will enable you to connect at the heart level and develop a deep, lasting relationship, in spite of your lack of time together. In fact, this one skill can revolutionize ALL your relationships, from your spouse to your employees.
Rhythms in Parenting/LIFESTYLE CHORD | 18
Connecting at the heart level is overlooked by most parenting ‘experts,’ although I've begun to see some articles on connection parenting. I've been teaching this for years and it truly will change your life forever. The foundational skill used is identifying and affirming feelings. The good news is this isn't something you have to add to your calendar! In other words, it isn't going to take up chunks of time. You don't have to plan elaborate outings or spend any money. All it takes is your willingness to be attentive at the right moments in an effective way. I use a too called The Heart Minder, so you can begin to get inside your child's life. You can begin to open up his heart in a way that allows him to share his deepest self with you. Most of the time parents deal with the external needs of their child, such as getting them where they need to be, feeding them, making sure they have clothes and school supplies, and providing opportunities to develop their gifts and interests in the form of sports, arts, and other activities. These are the things that require resources of time and money. And in all of this, the heart can still be lost. Believe me, I've been there. It is vital that parents learn to connect with their child at the heart level for their own sake but also for their child's. If a child does not get the emotional support he needs at home, he will look for it elsewhere. This can lead to dangerous associations and activities. The Heart Minder gives you that effective tool you need to connect with your child. At the foundation of this tool is the idea of affirmation. We all want someone who will understand what we are feeling and accept us regardless. Children are no different. For young children, much can be accomplished simply by identifying their feelings. This helps them understand feelings and that they are not unusual. By identifying, accepting and affirming feelings for older children they begin to realize you understand what they are going through. They will be more open to your input and even seek out your counsel as you begin acknowledging their feelings and allowing them to have them.
Amy Hayes is the Parenting in Business contributor for The OffBeat Business Magazine. Amy is the mother of 8 children, from grown to adolescent, and coaches business owners, church groups and others to improve effective communication for parenting success. Discover more about The Heart Minder at parentingforlife.org. You can also reach me at profparent@gmail.com.
19 | LIFESTYLE CHORD/Health
Resolute or Well Intentioned by Clint Fuqua
level of intention and resolve. Make sure your picture is clear, your path is laid out, and you are fully resolute. The best way to get from A to Z is to make sure you don’t stop before you make it to B. The great thing about big life changing goals is that they are grand and incredible and impossible - and that is also the problem with them. To conquer a mountain, a large goal, or a totally life altering habit you must start small and then work your way up. When it comes to improving your health and creating solutions, start with the smallest easiest things to solve and master them first.
Jan 1 signifies the start of the year, remade resolutions, and the best intentions of making new habits not to be broken again, again. No matter how well the diet and new healthy lifestyle went those first 10 days, last year’s resolution dump day may have found you on Jan 15th. Will you stand resolute this year or give in to well intentioned, but poorly executed ideas? The best way to stop breaking those resolutions is to create solutions and a road map to success. Stating a goal and painting a pretty picture of the future is great if you are running for office or pitching a movie project, but those things are completely useless when trying to create a better life for yourself when reality hits. A wellintentioned person may live in that stated dream for a moment, but then fall back into their normal life. The resolute person will create a new life, step by step every day, living a new reality every moment. This is where dreamers and goal setters differ in life and in business, though they both need each other. Dreamers can show goal setters a better place or way to live, and goal setters and show the dreamers how to get there. The one thing that will make a person successful in each endeavor is their
Find something basic like drinking more water and start having an extra glass every evening and every morning. Once that becomes habit then add on some thing else. These small basic habits will form a solid foundation for you to grow from and fall back on if you fail with a larger challenge. As the basic healthy habits add up, your health will improve and larger challenges will be realistic, fun, and even more life changing. Set your intentions, make your plans, and stay resolute in all you do for the best rest of your life. Action Steps: 1. Find the three biggest health problems you need to solve and create a realistic solution for each one. 2. Create a road map to success for each solution. Start moving down the shortest, easiest road so you can get that first taste of healthy success. 3. Create solutions for your next 3 health problems or create a health challenge for yourself to conquer the next year. This insures you will always keep moving forward. Visit me at ClintFuqua.com and contact me with any questions, comments, request, recommendation, proposals, fan mail, or hate mail at Clint@ClintFuqua.com.
Money/LIFESTYLE CHORD | 20
WHY KEEP PERSONAL AND BUSINESS EXPENSES SEPARATE by Christi Rains
Follow these steps and eliminate reporting headaches! There are so many reasons to not mix business and personal bank transactions and credit card expenditures on the same accounts. Whether you are a sole proprietor or have formed an entity, such as a LLC or a corporation, one of the first steps for the business is to establish a business checking account and lines of credit. These accounts should only be used for the business. They should not intermingle personal expenses and deposits. This is something I run into all the time. It’s one of the first questions I ask a new client and one of the first requests I have before taking over their books. I beg of you, please don’t mix business and personal expenses or income. The consequences of this form of bad bookkeeping far outweigh any potential benefits: Personal transactions have to be entered into your accounting system in order for your bank accounts to be balanced. The only way to produce accurate financial statements is to pull those personal transactions from your personal banking. This can be cumbersome and confusing resulting in unnecessary errors. Mixing your transactions will make tax time a nightmare. You are likely to end up filing without
being able to claim all of the deductions you are actually owed. You also increase your chances of sending up a red flag with the IRS audit department, never a good thing. An audit could result in large fines and will most certainly place you forever on the IRS’s radar. The third reason has to do with the IRS again…imagine that. If you have formed an entity, such as a LLC or corporation, which offers personal liability protection, you can lose this protection. The IRS can ‘pierce the corporate veil’, which means you lose all personal liability protection, placing your personal assets at risk. If you are currently mixing business with personal I hope you decide to stop doing this immediately. Trust me, it will streamline your bookkeeping and reporting, which I find to be invaluable. If you would like more easy-toimplement bookkeeping information, you can find it on my blog, SensibleBusinessOwner.com.
Christi Rains is the President of Alpha Omega Consulting Bookkeeping, LLC. You can find her blog at Sensiblebusinessowner.com. For more information, email Christi@AOBookKeeping.com
21 |LIFESTYLE CHORD/Communications
Business Speaking the Bob Way by Jeff Klein Lots of people call themselves speakers. Most of them are thinking about public speaking. Public speakers are focused on speaker fees and building an audience.
Bob calls groups of property managers and real estate professionals and presents his topic title. Some of them schedule him to come speak. Some of those audience members buy Bob’s workbook and mp3 to learn about better ways to set up offices. Some of them ask Bob to come to their office and review their space. They pay him for this. Some of them hire his firm to design spaces and buildings. Bob signs up for his very own online radio show. He asks his clients and business contacts to be guests on the show.
I’d like to talk to you about business speaking. Business speakers speak for exposure; as a marketing strategy, as a path to new clients. A business speaker is someone who has a job title that has nothing to do with speaking. Lawyers, accountants, consultants, doctors, and other subject-matter experts can grow their client base by deciding to add speaking to their strategies. Bob’s story is a great example of how we teach business speaking the Speaker Co-op way. Let me share it with you: Bob owns an architecture firm. Bob loves to be the center of attention. He finds speaking fun. So, he writes a speech titled An Organized Office is a Happy Office. In it, he explains the importance of furniture placement and office traffic patterns, and how cluttered offices hurt productivity. He includes some humor and makes the topic light and packed with valuable information. Next, he creates a workbook for office workers to use to improve their work spaces. He gets a colleague to interview him and creates an mp3 people can listen to about his topic.
He creates a newsletter to send to the people who sign up asking him for more information on happy offices. Bob builds a fan following without borders. His listeners from all over the world buy his book and mp3 and support his radio show and share his newsletter. Some of them book him to speak for their companies and conventions. Some of these bookings are paid, and some are not. They all present more opportunities for Bob to meet prospective clients. He is now the recognized authority on happy offices! Bob’s architecture firm grows. Nice, right? Consider adding business speaking to your marketing strategy efforts. It’s a great way to become the thought leader in your industry. Jeff Klein is a speaker coach who helps people improve their speaking and learn to effectively sell from the stage. He is founder of the nationally associated Speaker Co-op. Contact Jeff@SpeakerCoop.com
OFFBEAT BUSINESS | 22
2015: A Year of Good Fortune & Prosperity By John Carroll According to the Chinese zodiac, which begins on February 19th, 2015 is the year of the sheep. The sheep is the eighth sign in Chinese astrology and the number “8” is considered to be a very lucky number. It symbolizes wisdom, good fortune and prosperity. The business decisions we make about the future; however, have little to do with astrology. Rather, the focus is on economic indicators, market trends, past performance and a realistic assessment of the business opportunities and challenges ahead. When I think of the challenges most business leaders face today in aligning the organizational goals and plans with their future vision for the company, I'm reminded of a quote from Isaac Asimov: "Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It's the transition that's troublesome." Getting to where we want to go from where we are today is the ultimate challenge for most business leaders, and it is this transition that's the most troublesome. For many, it necessitates a paradigm shift from prior habits and traditional thinking to ensure that newly minted goals, objectives and plans align with the going-forward direction for the company. Why is it such a challenging exercise? Because most business leaders have yet to answer the most fundamental questions that ultimately lead to success, “Who are you?”, “What do you really want?” and “What are you willing to sacrifice to get there?” After you have addressed the critical ‘who’ and ‘what’ questions, there are some other “take-aways” you will want to consider in developing a roadmap to future growth and prosperity: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Desired Outcomes. Where do we want to go? Strategies. How do we get there? Metrics and Targets. How do we measure success? Results. How did we do? Continuous Improvement. How can we get better?
Goal-setting and planning should be a continuum process. So, stay engaged, keep the plans for success in front of you and your team, and make course corrections where required to enable your future vision to become a reality. May you have wisdom, good fortune and prosperity in 2015 and always. Enjoy the journey! John COPYRIGHT © 2015 John Carroll
23 | OFFBEAT BUSINESS
Media Placement Made Simple by Jack Bick
Your advertising campaign becomes a campaign once you start making decisions about placement. The two laws about media placement are reach and frequency. Reach is how many people will see the message for the fewest dollars. You do not want to miss important market segments that are essential to your success. Frequency is how many times those people will see the message to get a response. People need to see your message several times to be motivated to react. Educators say that we need to be exposed to something 10 times to really learn it. Here are the three factors to consider: First, consider the budget. If you have a small budget, then use fewer outlets with enough frequency to get a response. Start with your most important market segment and deliver your message until that segment is saturated. Remember, frequency, read consistency, is an undeniable rule in media. Second, start strong and taper down once people begin to react. Many business people want to test a message or a medium by doing a small ad to see if it works. That is like starting off the tee with a putter in golf. It is not test at all. The first rule of communications is to get attention.
Third, make your decision based on the quality of the audience for your business, not on price or ego. Many people want to be in a certain publication because it is prestigious. Actually, there is no prestige in a failed ad campaign. Similarly, you usually get what you paid for. Media does not sell cheap if that media really pays off for its advertisers. In addition, color and premium position are valuable enhancements. Color will increase the readership of your ad by 60% in print publications. Premium placement will keep you out of the clutter in almost every medium. For instance, the first ad of the half time in the Super Bowl gets more eyes than the fourth spot when people have already headed to the restroom or the snack table. With media placement, common sense will be your best partner. If you are taking a long shot you have a high percentage for failure. If it seems too good to be true, it probably isn’t going to be true to your success. Jack Bick is an expert in the publishing arena, a business coach and speaker. To learn more, go to JackBick.com
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Professional copywriting gets results. Marketing Copywriters Know Language that converts Word placement that gets noticed And reputation building in an online atmosphere that attracts higher paying customers and clients to YOU “Hi, Susan Hamilton here. Host of The Offbeat Business Radio Show, Co-Editor of The Offbeat Business Magazine and owner of Leaping Walls Consulting & Services, inviting you to subscribe to my weekly newsletter, The Richardson Copywriter. I know the language of money-making, and I’m dedicated to YOUR success in business! Get The Richardson Copywriter, and join a fastgrowing list of business savvy entrepreneurs who want to learn everything they can to be the BEST.”
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25 | HALF NOTES/Book Beats
The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John C. Maxwell
Don’t you love a good book that motivates you? With action steps at the end of each chapter, you’ll not only be motivated, but challenged to continue to improve. One perspective I found very helpful was John’s approval of the ‘pause.’ In today’s busy world, we feel like we’re getting slung from one activity to the next. It’s one of the biggest reasons we fail to get to the next level in business, too. In the fourth chapter, The Law of Reflection, Mr. Maxwell says that when we pause, we allow our growth to catch up to us. I love that! I’m reflective by nature, but routinely become frustrated by circumstances that don’t seem to favor my time spent like that. With Mr. Maxwell’s encouragement and permission, I can plan time for regular reflection so that I get the most out of each experience. The planning of it removes that frustration, because reflection then becomes an accepted and expected behavior, rather than something I feel I have to excuse. In Chapter 11, he talks in detail about the Law of Trade-offs. I think this chapter is significant for every business owner. He says the higher you climb, the tougher your trade-offs; and they’re to be expected. That’s good to know! “There is no future in any job. The future lies in the man who holds the job.” ~ George W. Crane Every quote memorable; every chapter actionable. Start your year right with John Maxwell’s 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth.
Susan Says/HALF NOTES | 26
Susan Says … “What we do on some great occasion will depend on what we are; and what we are will be the result of previous years of self-discipline.” H.P. Liddon
I can’t do all that, but WE can do all that. And more. I’m convinced that as we aspire to become excellent in business, we can also become more active and impactful in the world around us. I’m convinced that nothing happens on the outside that doesn’t happen on the inside first. I’m convinced that the biggest obstacles we face are the ones in our minds. I’m convinced that when like minded people work together, fear is eradicated and power is released. I’m convinced that we must become aware that though we haven’t seen success in these areas, there’s a first time for everything.
Want to change the world? I can only hope so. I do. I see problems with it, don’t you? I’m plagued with the ‘what if’s in this life: What if no one let another go hungry? What if people could do fair jail time and come out improved? What if all the children ever sold into slavery were saved and renewed? What if our food and our water were safe to consume? What if people understood how close Jesus is? What if our debts were cancelled; and we all took time to vote? What if senior citizens were respected and cared for?
We didn’t always have mobile phones. Touch screens and laptops were once unheard of. When my grandfather was born, his parents rode a horse and buggy. During his lifetime, he drove a Model A, owned a television set and watched a man walk on the moon. Before he died, he saw phones that could be held in the palm of your hand – with no cords. I think his generation was amazing. If you limit what you intend to do with your life to what you’ve already seen done, than remind yourself that you’re not promised tomorrow. If this is all there is, then why bother? Because life doesn’t just ‘get better.’ We have today to make a difference, and that inspires me with urgency to do the very best I can – to have the biggest impact for positive good that I can. For me, that means ‘encourage others to stand.’ What does it mean for you? Send your response to info@OffBeatBusiness.com.
For Advertising Opportunities Please Call Susan Hamilton at info@offbeatbusinesss.com
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