Do You Run Your Business Or Does It Run You?
Do you ever get the feeling that you’re not really in charge in your business? That it has a life of its own and no matter how hard you try, you can never quite seem to get it all under control? Building a business is always a juggling act isn’t it? There are soooo many things to focus on and that to-do list has a life of its own doesn’t it? Which is why this week’s vlog shares a couple of key reasons why your business is likely to feel as though it’s…
Should I Negotiate On Price?
Do you negotiate on price? Or are you adamant that your price is your price and everyone pays the same? Now some of you here know me very well and know that 99.999% of the time I think that discounting is bad for you and bad for your business. But I do admit that in 0.001% of the cases there may be a valid reason for it. For those of you who don’t know my views on this quite so well here’s last week’s vlog which explains why price negotiations might be stealing…
How To Review & Plan Your Next Steps
Can you believe we’re already in the second half of the year. The first half went in an absolute flash didn’t it? Now, at this time of year I’m definitely a fan of reviewing the progress so far, learning whatever lessons we can, and incorporating those into our businesses for the second half of the year. But I think it’s fair to say the first half of the year has been anything but normal! BUT … that doesn’t mean that it hasn’t revealed some very interesting and useful insights into the sustainability & resilience…
How can you work with me?
Are you really good at letting your potential customers know exactly what they can buy from you and how you can help them? I’m very good at that in theory but the truth is that I know I don’t do it anywhere near often enough and I tend to talk about one thing at a time rather than laying out all of the options, so I thought I’d take the liberty of sharing all the possibilities with you this week. I’ve explained a little bit about each service in this video and here are all…
Do You Need Processes In Your Business?
Do you have clear systems and processes in your business that keep you on track? Now I know that a lot of people think systems are going to pin you down, destroy your creativity, and hem you in. But actually what they create is consistency, efficiency and professionalism. They stop you from forgetting things, missing out steps or constantly feeling as though you’re reinventing the wheel. Anything that you do regularly is something that you could create a system or process for to help you save time and deliver an even better service.
Are you easy to buy from?
Do you make it really easy for potential customers to quickly find the answers to all their potential questions? Or do you play your cards close to your chest because you want to speak to people personally to help them make a decision? If it’s the second one then you may find that you’re accidentally outing customers off and losing business. Evidence shows that customers these days like to do a lot more research about a potential supplier before they ever get in touch and that once they do get in touch they’re pretty…
Do You Really Need A Sales Process?
Do you think you’re grrrreat at sales? Or does it give you the complete heebie jeebies so you try and avoid it at all costs? Do you also have those awkward moments with potential customers when you think they’re really interested but you’re not quite sure and you just don’t know how to help them make a final decision? This is often down to not having a clear enough process that will keep you on the straight and narrow. Now I know that a process, and especially a sales process sounds like it…
How To Explain Your Value
Are you confident about explaining what difference you make to your customers? Can you quickly tell somebody why they should work with you? Or do you find yourself scrabbling around when you try to talk about the impact you have and the value you add to your customer? I honestly think this is one of the biggest challenges for lots of people in business. We’re all taught as youngsters not to show off and to be quiet and humble. But unless we can clearly quantify the value we add to our clients…
How To Get More Done In Less Time
Have you ever had one of those situations where you’ve spent what feels like hours & hours of your time talking to a potential customer. You’ve helped them, advised them, given them some tips, talked about your service, sent them a lovely proposal. And then they lose interest. And you feel like a total mug! Or how about all those times in the dim and distant pre-lockdown past when you’d go and meet a great prospect for coffee only to find out that they wanted to pitch to you. What a waste of…
How to get to grips with the numbers in your business
Hands up who loves working on the numbers in your business? Spreadsheets and balance sheets – woohoo! No??? Bane of your life? Stuff you constantly shy away from and leave until the last possible moment to deal with?!? OK, let’s be honest, most people do NOT love the accounting bits of their business. It’s easy to feel out of your depth and a bit overwhelmed by it all isn’t it? Which is why last week’s vlog explains exactly how to work out one of the most important figures in your business…
How to handle negative feedback
Have you ever had some feedback from a customer that you found really hurtful? Have you wondered why they could be so brutal with what they say & seemingly not give a monkey’s about how they made you feel? Did it upset you? Or make you really bloody angry? Or do you just take it all in your stride and chalk it up to experience? My vlog this week talks about how to consider negative feedback in a much more objective way. And how to separate yourself from the customer’s emotions…
How to add subtitles to your videos
I’ve had looooooads of questions recently from people asking how I subtitle my videos. And the answer is that I actually have absolutely no idea! Because my trusty VA Kylie takes care of the whole thing for me. Which is why, instead of a vlog from me this week, I asked Kylie to film a short training video that walks you through the exact process she uses, including which apps and the process she follows. Now this is no mean feat because Kylie is definitely NOT a fan of being the one on…
Do I Need To Pivot?
How many times have you heard the word ‘pivot’ recently? Is it more than a bazillion or just slightly less? Have you already pivoted in your business as a result of the current situation? It feels as though EVERYONE is doing it & for some it’s undoubtedly the right thing to do. But it isn’t right for everyone. In fact all this hype could lead some people to go racing off at a tangent that they’ll later regret. What are your thoughts on this – a necessary evil, a great idea to…
