Sales Tip # 9 – Stop Thinking

Sales Tip # 9 – Stop Thinking

Stop Thinking

Just stop thinking.

You did the analytics. You did the risk analysis. You know what can go wrong. You know you need to take action but you can’t stop thinking about what can go wrong, about what you may have missed.

You know you need to make that cold call but all you can focus on is the rejection. You cannot stop thinking about all the ways someone can reject you.

You want to call your accountant (financial advisor, friend, business associate) and ask for the referral. You can’t stop thinking about how asking makes you feel weak or what they might think of you for asking.

I could go on but you get the message.

There are things we want to do, we have to do, to get the results we want. Yet we don’t take action. We are afraid. We are afraid of what others might think, what they might do, or a whole host of others fears that are unlikely to happen.

Stop thinking and just do!

When I think about doing cold call I starting thinking of every reason someone won’t talk to me and I make every excuse to not pick up the phone. When I stop thinking about calling and just do it I have no problem picking up the phone.

When you see that beautiful girl, don’t think about it – just ask her out.

When you go to a networking event, don’t think about it – just introduce yourself to someone and find out how easy it is.

Here are some thoughts and beliefs I use to help and you might find them useful:

  1. If I am uncomfortable about something I assume there is a special gift on the other side so I just do it. Be reasonable. I am not talking about jumping out of a plane without a parachute.
  2. If I feel this way others do too. I am not alone. Others have overcome their fears and I can overcome mine.
  3. I surround myself with others who support reasonable risk taking.
  4. I ask for feedback and question the reason for the fear with my coach and advisor.
  5. I try to do something daily that makes me uncomfortable. I take action and when I am successful I wonder what it was that I was afraid of.
  6. I look for reasons it can and will work.

I was recently at a networking event and I received a great testimonial from one of my clients. Shortly thereafter I received a call from a business associate who wanted to know how much it was to join my program. I did not answer the question. Since I know him I asked him this question: You like to think. If you are willing to stop thinking and take action you will do well in my program. Are you willing to stop thinking?

His response was, “That will be hard for me.”

I love his honesty. He is joining and he knows what he has to do.

Can you be that honest?

Stop thinking and answer the question! No excuses!

To your success,

Ron Finklestein
Contact me now for your free sales assessment: ron@businessgrowthexperience.com
330-990-0788

 

 

53 Things I wish I Knew BEFORE I Started my Business

53 Things I wish I knew Before I Started my Business:

  1. How to write a business plan
  2. How to execute a business plan
  3. How to find a good coach
  4. How to park my ego and ask for help
  5. How to network and build an effective network
  6. How to build effective relationships
  7. How to sell
  8. How to manage money
  9. How to use marketing to build a brand and attract the right client
  10. How to find the right customers
  11. How to ask for the order and not expect them to ask
  12. The value of surrounding myself with others who are better than me
  13. How to be vulnerable
  14. When to say no
  15. When to say yes
  16. How to take calculated risks
  17. The value of ethical leadership
  18. When to hire
  19. How to hire
  20. When to outsource
  21. What to outsource
  22. To understand what people were really saying
  23. How to value my product
  24. How to price my product
  25. Understanding of my ideal customer from both a demographics and psychographics perspective
  26. How to find a good accountant
  27. How to find a good financial planner
  28. How to find a good graphic designer
  29. To set my goal higher
  30. To go for the “no”
  31. Take more risks
  32. Forgive myself sooner when those risks fail
  33. Test for understanding
  34. Learn to say no
  35. Learn to say no again
  36. Reward myself more often when good things happen
  37. The power of a goal
  38. The power of a goal that I have to report on
  39. When to give up on  an idea
  40. When to act on an idea
  41. The power of planning
  42. The higher power of a plan “B”
  43. How to take better care of myself
  44. The power of a great diet
  45. How to get to the feeling of “belief” sooner
  46. Setting up a good filing system
  47. How to write a book sooner
  48. No caring what others would say
  49. Doing what is right
  50. Sleeping better at night
  51. How powerful “brainstorming” is in understanding a problem
  52. The power of having a database of trusted people who can help solve a problem and letting them
  53. The value of being a friend

Sincerely,

Ron Finklestein
ron@akris.net
330-990-0788
www.businessgrowthexperience.com

 

10 Lessons Learned in 2013

2013 has been a good year for me. I introduced many new products, created new relationships, and had a total knee replacement. I learned much and as I reflect back I want to share the top 10 learning’s I experienced. As you plan your goals, dreams and aspirations for next year, I thought I would share some lessons early in the hope you will think differently about personal growth, wealth and health going into 2014.

10. Life planning as well as business planning is essential. Create a life plan and get really focused on what is important, what makes you happy, and what provides peace of mind. Life is an experience to be lived and not a lesson to be learned.

9.   I like learning. It does not matter what it is. I realized it is important to me to bring value to every relationship and I give away too much. Not sure I want to change this too much.

8.   People who get both knees replaced (AT THE SAME TIME) impress me, I think. I know how much work it was to recover from one knee replacement, I could not image doing two at the same time!

7.   I now see the medical industry as a customer service organization. The positive service I experienced, at the hospital was extraordinary; from the nurses to the nutritionist to the physical therapist was incredible. Made the whole stay that much more pleasant and I believe my recovery time faster.

6.   I realized the value of good friends. Several stepped up to help out when I was in the hospital. I was amazed and impressed that people would be so open and sharing with their time, talent and money. What was really cool was I did not have to ask!

5.   One of our dogs died this year. The other became very depressed. It is very clear to me they need company and create deep relationships that benefit all.

4.   I love being greeted so warmly by my dog when I come home. I will take time and allow him to greet me when I walk in the door and I will greet them with the same level of love and enthusiasm (this was on the list last year.)

3.   Honesty, integrity and common sense make me tick. I love business and personal relationships with people where I know what makes them tick. I want to know what is important to you. I can always get better at communicating my intent and cultivating valuable relationships. Some people will love you and some won’t. Some feel it is ok to criticize because they can do it anonymously and no one will know. Relationships can be difficult. Always give them the benefit of the doubt and trust that when the time is right, things will be ok.

2.    Nothing is as valuable as your health. Having experienced a number of health challenges with a new knee make me aware of how I value mobility, sleep and activity. It is amazing how my attitude got better when the body feels better. Enough sleep is essential to great health and a positive attitude.

1.    Getting back to “my why.” For years I had a strong spiritual practice. I got away from it due to family obligations, business challenges and other reason. I changed and my spiritual practices did not change as I changed. I will implement practices that keep me grounded and focused on what is important. When the “why” is clear, life gets easy.

Bonus Lesson: The same challenge will keep showing up in your life until you learn the lesson life is presenting to you.  You would have thought that I would have learned that by now!

Another bonus lesson: Be Grateful. Share your gratitude.

Happy New Year,

Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788
RON@businessgrowthexperience.com
www.businessgrowthexperience.com

 

 

 

Not making your sales numbers?

If you are not achieving the level of success you know you are capable of achieving, take five minutes and go through this sales assessment. There is no charge and I will not ask for your email address. This will give you an indication of what you need to do differently. If after taking this assessment you want to learn more, just send me an email.

Here is the link. http://businessgrowthexperience.com/do-you-need-us/

Business Growth Advisor

Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788
ron@ businessgrowthexperience.com

Make a Difference: From Being Successful to Being Significant

Make a Difference: From Being Successful to Being Significant

As I get ready to go to Washington DC to testify in a court cases, I received notification that my next book is being released. It is called Make a Difference: From Being Successful to Being Significant.

It is short read about a successful business owner who forgot why he is in business.

He lost a major sale and was on his way to the account to save the deal when he is in a car accident. A special teacher shows up and helps him understand that he can be both successful and significant by making a few simply changes in his life.

It is a story modeled after the many clients I had who struggled in growing their business and finally understood there is really no difference when you are successful because you are significant.

I invite you buy this book and incorporate these powerful lessons in your life. My hope is it will change how you think, what you do and how you do it.

If you want to learn more about implementing these concepts in your business please go to Business Growth Experience and download our free report. It is a good start.

Sincerely,

 

Ron Finklestein

330-990-0788
ron@ronfinklestein.com

 

 

Rynd Speaks

This is the first chapter of my next book. It is a parable on how Bob uses  the Nine Laws to solves some very difficult personal and business problems. The Book is called Rynd’s Nine Laws for Personal and Professional Success – Going from Success to Significance. My coauthor Mike Larocca and I are very proud of this book because of the compelling story, the easy read and lessons learned. It will be available on Amazon in shortly!

Please read and enjoy.

Bob’s Drive

 

“Why am I the only person in this office who can do sales?”

Bob is seated in an elegant office, in a luxurious black leather chair at a cherry wood desk, none of which he ever seems to notice. He’s wearing a tailored gray business suit. His jacket is draped over the back of his chair.

Bob is facing Richard, who wears a tailored navy Armani suit despite holding the title Inside Sales Manager and thus rarely leaves the office. Richard begins to formulate a reply, but Bob cuts him off.

“No, scratch that,” says Bob. “Okay, fine, maybe I’m not the only person who can do sales. But I am the only person who will do sales, who does do sales. It’s not difficult. Everyone we contact needs this service. It’s a great service. It’s simple to see this. It’s simple to explain this. But why am I the only person who’s actually doing the work?”

“I –”

“Don’t answer that. I’m not in the mood right now.”

Bob realizes that right now’s not the time for a reasoned conversation. After a brief, almost guilty look at Richard, Bob says, “Let me go calm down first. Then tell me what happened with Greg and the Eastern contract.”

My reaction was unreasonable, Bob realizes as he leaves his office. But being annoyed at this problem is not.

Bob briefly wonders how long it’ll take Richard to return to his own office, and almost smiles, but his amusement quickly gives way to his annoyance.

Bob doesn’t mind doing sales. He’s good at it. It’s not what he would have envisioned himself doing twenty years ago, but he doesn’t mind sales. Or marketing. Or customer service. Or even purchasing, receivables, payables, or payroll.

Well, maybe not payroll.

No, the problem is that he is either doing or overseeing all of them, in too much detail, being pulled in 94 different directions at once. He owns a business that grossed four hundred grand last year and he’s still working harder than he would in a 9-to-5.

It just doesn’t make sense.

Bob enters the break room and is halfway to the water fountain before he stops. The table is cluttered with napkins and plates. On the counter beside the sink are several bottles of soda.

Unfortunately, Bob’s secretary chooses just that moment to open the opposite door and enter the break room. Ella’s smart “office chic” business suit, silk blouse, expensive shoes, and styled black hair make her look almost as efficient as she actually is.

“This is just ridiculous.” Bob throws his hands in the air. “Am I a business owner or a babysitter?”

“Bob, I thought you were –” she begins.

“Am I the only person who is even marginally engaged in this place? I can’t believe I have to tell you to keep the kitchen area clean, to take out the trash, to answer the customer emails on the same day. It’s ridiculous that you don’t know all this. It’s ridiculous that you aren’t already doing all this. Is it ignorance or apathy? No, wait, let me guess – you don’t know and you don’t care.”

Ella knows this isn’t true. She also knows that Bob knows this isn’t true. She enjoys working for him most of the time, but he can overreact on occasion. She suspects it’s the result of keeping such a tight lid on his feelings, but it wouldn’t be appropriate to tell him that.

The atypical situation in the break room leaves Ella stunned for a moment. In that moment, Bob leaves the room. He’s out of the building before she ever gets the chance to tell him that the so-called mess was in fact Bob’s workers setting up the break room for his 45th birthday party.

Bob quickly drives his silver luxury sedan from the parking lot, enjoying its smooth handling and easy power. He always enjoys the first minute of every drive, before his thoughts and plans move to the front of his mind and distract him from his surroundings. The first car he looked at cost more than he was willing to spend, but he likes what he bought instead.

He drives half a block along the access road, stops at the intersection where it meets the four-lane “proper” road, turns left when the light changes, and starts using his hands-free phone.

“Ella, it’s Bob. I’m sorry about that. Really. I shouldn’t have done that, okay?”

“Sure.”

“I’m going to Eastern to see if I can save this contract. I don’t know when I’ll be back. I’ll keep you posted.”

“Okay.”

Bob drives his car onto the interstate and accelerates rapidly. He notices that Ella seems subdued, which makes him feel guilty. “I’m sorry I blew up back there. You do a great job. I’d be lost without you.”

“No problem.”

“Okay. Bye.”

Bob ends the call, swerves around someone who apparently doesn’t realize that interstates also have minimum speed limits, and makes another call.

“I’m sorry I blew up back there,” he tells Richard’s voicemail. “It’s not your fault. Since this is a local customer for a change, I’m going down there to save this one in person. Keep pulling those numbers together. I’ll catch up with you later.”

After quickly checking his GPS to remind himself which exit to take, confirming that his memory is accurate, he makes another call.

“Greg,” he says. “Bob. Tell me what happened.”

“I –”

“Give me the short version.”

Greg pauses. “The guy with the title Purchasing Manager does not, in fact, make purchasing decisions.”

Bob exhales.

“Exactly,” says Greg. “All that effort explaining what we do, winning over a guy – and we did win him over – who can’t say yes or no. He’s got to go run it by his boss, and we’ve never spoken to her at all –”

“And he’ll lose something in translation.”

“Right,” says Greg. “That’s exactly right.”

“So we find out who she is and then we start over again.” Bob bangs on his steering wheel in frustration.

“It gets worse. While we were busy with the gatekeeper, Dickson got into the company president. She’s the one making the decisions.”

“Oh… fudge.” Bob breathes deeply. “Dickson. How did they find out who the decision maker is before we –? No, never mind how they found out. The question is, how do we fix this?”

Oh great, he thinks, flipping on his headlights and windshield wipers. Rain.

“Recommendations,” says Greg. “Testimonials.”

“What about them?”

“If we start over now, we sound like salesmen.”

“That could be because we are salesman,” says Bob, chuckling.

“We know why we’re different from our competition, why Eastern should hire us instead. But we can talk ourselves blue in the face explaining that and it won’t be as effective as recommendations from our customers.”

“This is true,” says Bob. “But unless you know how to get our customers to drop whatever they’re doing and just jump in ahead of Dickson right now to tell Eastern just how great we are…”

Ahead of Bob, a car brakes suddenly. The lanes on this stretch of interstate have a way of suddenly ending or turning exit-only and panicking those unfamiliar with it, so he isn’t surprised, but he is annoyed. He swerves left and wonders why he’s so easily annoyed these days.

“We could always sabotage them,” Greg mutters, followed by a noise that doesn’t travel well from hands-free phone to hands-free phone.

“Did you just laugh nervously?” Bob asks.

“What?”

“I’ve read about that in books – oh, how I wish I had time to read books again – but I don’t believe I’ve ever heard it before. Was that a nervous laugh?”

“Um… no… um, I was just joking about sabotage –”

“Of course you were joking. Sabotage would be unethical.”

“It would,” Greg quickly agrees.

“So we don’t do that. We don’t sabotage Dickson. We reframe the job.”

“Reframe.”

“Sure. Reframe. If we’re bidding against an incumbent, we make the old entrenched methods look bad. If we’re the incumbent, we make our insider knowledge critical. If we’ve got a better reputation for data security, we play up the threat and likelihood of compromising a system. If none of our competitors provide a single point of contact, stress that we do and why it matters. If we’ve got a less experienced team, we play down the need for expertise and talk up our ability to do the same work at lower cost. If we’ve got a more experienced team, we play up the value of experience, and the peace of mind they’ll enjoy knowing that our people are all hired, trained, and in place. Make what we do best seem vital and what others do well seem not so important. Stress the critical importance of anything we know that our competitor doesn’t. Reframe.”

“Ah,” says Greg.

“Ideally before they call for bids, of course.” Bob takes the exit that leads from the interstate he’s on to the interstate he wants to be on. “Oh, have they called for bids on this yet?”

“Not yet.”

“Great! We are in there! We can help them decide what to stress in the RFP. If Dickson can beat us on what does matter to the customer, we bid on what should matter to the customer. Can you meet me in –”

Bob is driving in the leftmost of five lanes, which quickly narrow to four and then three lanes, and he needs to shoot to the far right lane within the next mile. This particular stretch of interstate brings out the worst in the lane jockeys, no matter the weather, especially if there’s a slow-moving bus or truck.

Bob is momentarily distracted by his phone call and therefore unaware of the car on his right, in his blind spot. The car veers to its left and smashes into Bob’s car at 73 miles per hour.

The road is newly wet, when the asphalt is at its slickest. Bob’s car skids. Badly.

Failing Forward,

Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788
ron@ businessgrowthexperience.com
www.businessgrowthexperience.com – Download the free report
www.businessgrowthexperience.net – Sales Membership Site – try it today!

 

 

Choice Points!

What is a Choice Point?

A Choice Point is a point in time where you choose – make a decision to do something different.

In one of my mastermind groups, we were on-boarding a new member and each member discussed the value they received as a member:

  • I am lonely because there is no one I can discuss important issues with. My wife doesn’t understand, my employees have hidden agendas, and others simply do not understand the complexity of what I do.
  • I need someone to hold me accountable. I know what to do but many times I won’t do it.
  • When I am making a big decision I ask myself what questions would my mastermind group ask me. I make better decisions as a result.
  • There are no hidden agenda and I know the feedback I receive is real. The members only have my success in mind.
  • And I could go on!

Each member came to a point in their career where they made a decision to get involved, to be committed. They came to a Choice Point and made a decision to do something different.

Choice Points can be the results of external events (the economy, death in the family, divorce, etc.) The can also result from internal events (decision to get married, have a child, change jobs, etc.) A Choice Point comes from the need to do something different. It can be embraced as a positive event and proactively embraced or actively resisted.

One choice suggest acceptance. One choice suggests struggle.

It is a choice – a Choice Point!

Some members join the Mastermind and actively embraced the change. Others joined the Mastermind and resisted the groups’ participation. The ones who resisted are no longer members. The ones who proactively embraced the Mastermind are growing personally and professionally. It is just a choice!

To Your Success,

Ron Finklestein

Check out http://www.businessgrowthexperience.com and download our free report: Six questions Prospects Want Answered Before they buy.

If you work in Northeast Ohio and want to attend our Sales Lunch & Learn events please click here http://saleslunchandlearn.eventbrite.com.

 

 

Why you don’t want to move away from pain?

Don’t move away from pain?

Many people decide to make a change. Change is good.

The problem I have seen is that they people move away from want they don’t want –pain, not towards what they do want. This approach causes problems with long-term motivation.

For example, if I try on my clothes and notice they are a bit snug, I might decide to drop a few pounds. The desired outcome is for the cloths to fit better.  As a result, I decide to move away from wearing uncomfortable clothes.

As I lose weight and the clothes start feeling comfortable again, the tendency for me is to stray away from what works and start eating the junk that made me fat to start with. This happens because as I move away from pain (tight-fitting clothes,) the motivation is not as strong (because there is not as much pain because the clothes are starting to fit better.)  As I move away from pain of tight-fitting clothes, I think it is ok to stray and again eat food that are not good for me.

If we take that same example and move toward our goals of achieving and maintaining our ideal weight (say 200 lbs.,) as our clothes start fitting better, we are motivated to maintain the changes that helped move us in the right direction, making it easy to stay on the diet and resist temptation to start eating junk. Since we are not moving from pain (though the pain is what started the change), we are moving toward a specific outcome (weighting 200 lbs.) we can continue along the path that is working without worrying about slipping back into the old behavior the caused us to gain weight.

How does this concept apply to sales and business?  

Let’s discuss cold calling as an example. If we focus on the possibility of rejection, it will be difficult to make the call. Let’s shift our focus on why we need to make the call. One of my clients would rather lay off an employee that pick up the phone and solicit new business. Once he got clear on “why” he was picking up the phone (to provide a great living for his family,) He was able to solicit enough business to generate more proposals in 30 days they he did in the prior five years. We needed him to focus on what he wanted, not on what he did not want.

Try it. Pick something that is hard for you and focus on the positive you will experience when you perform the action. Stay focused on the positive. Watch how motivated you become. Watch how much easier it is to stay focused.

I invite you to try out our www.businessgrowthexperience.net/ron  membership site. Our goal with this site is provide actionable contents to help you grow sales, increase revenues and retain happy customers. You get a two-week trial for only $1. If you chose not to continue the free gift is yours as a thank you for trying us out. Why reinvent the wheel. For only $1 you can learn and implement best practices that work. Go to www.businessgrowthexpeience.net/ron to learn more.

Ron Finklestein
www.businessgrowthexperience.com
ron@businessgrowthexpeirence.com
330-990-0788

Can being in sales be a true spiritual approach to business and life? Ron Finklestein

Can being in sales be a true spiritual approach to business and life?

Jim Cartcart was recently on our radio program (WELW.com every Wednesday from 4:30 to 5:30 PM EST) and he gave a definition of selling that transformed my view on sales, how I sell and the contribution I make on the lives of others.

Jim Carthcart’s definition of sales is “Changing the lives of others – profitably.”

When I sell the Business Growth Experience Sales Rainmaker program I no longer feel as if I am selling. I know the material I teach will change their lives of people who participate and I am proud to call myself a sales professional. I feel good asking to be paid because of the value I am providing.

But is sales a spiritual approach to life?

Why would I say that?

Most people don’t get into sales because they want to be in sales. They get into sales to help solve a problem and being in sales is a byproduct of accomplishing a larger goal, a higher purpose.

I started looking at doctors, teachers, priests, and other helping professions and I realized I am doing the same things they do: solving a problem to make a persons’ life better.

I like to think of what we teach as using sales skills that you will use in every area of your life. These skills will work with friends, family, children and significant others and you will be a better person for it as I feel I am a better person for teaching it.

If you are a small business owner who is struggling with sales, give me a call. The first thing we will do is help you understand how you can use your product or service to change someone’s life for the better. This is a great first step in realizing the meaning and purpose in what you do.

When I wake up in the morning and I know I am having a positive impact on the lives of others, I am inspired, motivated and compelled to work harder because I know I am making life better for others.

In the business growth experience here is what we do: We tell people to stop selling and teach others to buy. We do that by combining sales and marketing so that our clients know more about their customer then the customers know about themselves. Then we teach them to sell the way the customer wants to buy. That way the product sells itself. When you master this process life gets easier, sales is fun and life is more rewarding.

To a more spiritual approach to selling!

Thanks Jim Cathcart. You changed another life!

Ron Finklestein

330-990-0788

ron@businessgrowthexperience.com

www.businessgrowthexperience.com

I AM NOT DONE!

What is holding you back?

I recently went on a weekend retreat with several members of a group I started many years ago. The agenda was simple. All each participant had to do was answer one question: What holds you back? You could discuss personal, business, relationship issues or anything important to you.

Without a doubt the most common answer was – ME! I hold myself back. As we probed deeper we heard such things as:

“I am afraid of failure/success.”

“I fear rejection.”

“I need to forgive.”

“I know what I need to do but I am not doing it because it is not fun.”

“I need to be liked.”

“I am not a salesman.”

I could go on but you get my drift.

My experience is that business skills are easy to teach but the beliefs we have about ourselves are the deciding factors.

Can you put your biggest fears out for all to see? If you say “no,” you will have serious problems overcoming them. They lose much of their power once they are shared with others.

Each of us had a chance to put our issues on the table for the world to see. It took courage, intestinal fortitude and a willingness to risk it all. What I found was the group was supportive, nonjudgmental, accepting and each and everyone expressed a sincere effort to understand and help me go deeper.

My awaking was that we all suffer from the flaws of being human. Though I was in the room with people I consider to be successful, I realized we are all human, we all have our fears and doubt AND we are all capable of more.

Share your fears and risk being human. You will find another human will respond. It is liberating to feel heard and understood.

I now know what “I am not done” means to me.

Thanks to all who shared a powerful weekend with me. You know who you are.

 

Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788
ron@businessgrowthexperience.com
www.aboutbusinesssuccess.com

What Can You Learn from Business Failures? What Can You Learn from Business Failures?

What Can You Learn from Business Failures?

It’s a well known saying that you can learn from your failures and this is supposed to apply to business as well, but is it true? Do failures really teach anything that doesn’t lead people into another failure later in life or do people who have failed magically become model businessmen and women?

Business failures are often blamed on some specific occurrence or on somebody else. Perhaps only those who can accept responsibility can move on to be better business people rather than hoping for the perfect balance transfers to get them out of their one way ticket to bankruptcy.

What failure means

One of life’s most stressful times is when a business fails. It is like a death in the family and there is a grieving period to mourn through. Failure brings up thoughts of negativity. Most business people want to just get up and move on to their next venture but the personal and financial problems may not disappear as soon as another business begins.

People close to the entrepreneur will feel the sadness in losing their baby – their business. Some of those close enough to the events may never want to go near a business again if they have to be involved in its formation and then production. For some, it can be even more serious and the loss of their business can lead to more serious personal problems, some which even lead to the need for alcohol or drug abuse treatment.

Unfortunately, even in those trying times you need to turn around and be positive. It is part of a life journey and with those experiences you may recognize the problem if it occurs again. You will be able to see the situation and react differently and much quicker to solve the issues that caused your business to fail.

There will need to be an evaluation of why you failed. These results should set you on the right path so you will be confident you won’t fail again.

The choice is yours

Whatever happened and whatever will occur in the future, you bear the responsibility to make a successful business. How you present yourself is the first choice you make which will affect how you recover from an initial failure.

You need to be able to take the positives from your failures and build on them. You learnt how to get past failure in school. You didn’t know the alphabet to begin with, but after many failures you knew it off by heart quite soon. Business is much the same, except there is always a bigger financial and personal risk.

Failing is succeeding

Failing is a tough pill to swallow and no one wants to give up, but seeing the positive side of one’s circumstances positions you for greater chances to find success in the future.

You will need to see failure as a building block for success. Only quality entrepreneurs can see the opportunity when failure is all round. The growth of your new business will be based on the positives from your previous business coupled with the lessons you have learned. Failure is only a state of mind after your business has closed. The business is gone and it is up to you to ensure the future holds a better run business.

Time management

You will need to assess your time management and decide if this had anything to do with your business failure. Being in control of your time is a major step in moving a business forward. Too many people concentrate on the wrong priorities in business and often fail to see the bigger picture. You should excel where you have the skills to succeed and employ others to control the aspects of your business that are not your best areas. When you are not a master accountant, have someone else manage your accounts and learn how to check them carefully. If you spend too long on the wrong side of your business you can’t be expected to see the problems as they happen.

Moving with technology

You can’t expect to run your business with technology that is years out of date. Computers, software and business machinery have developed so far in the last few years that you must move with the times if you are to keep abreast of the best aids to help your business. If your web presence is lacking, your competitors will sleep easy at night.

Learn from your mistakes and plan properly to maximize the education you gain through your failure. Success might be just around the corner.

To Your Success

Ron Finklestein

330-990-0788

www.aboutbusinesssuccess.com

ron@ronfinklestein.com

A Year in Review for a Great 2012 A Year in Review for a Great 2012

I am a co-host on Small Business Talk radio with Dale Stefancic. Dale wrote an article for a local newspaper that I wanted to share. It does a great job of helping you get ready to have a great year. If you would like to contact Dale, you can reach him at dale@dalestefancic.com. We invite you to listen to our radio program at welw.com, Be sure to press the listen now button. We are on air every Wednesday from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM EST.

A Year in Review for a Great 2012

 

For many small business owners 2011 was more of a game of survival. Many challenges still face us and the economy as we try to press forward and identify opportunity and how we can take full advantage of it.

We discussed many items and topics this past year in my effort to try and make you better in your business and create some awareness of what needs to be accomplished to move forward and be more profitable.

So what I wanted to do being the end of 2011 and as we think and decide what 2012 may bring is a review that I hope renews some fresh ideas and thinking of how to win the challenges ahead of all of us.

LEADERSHIP:

People identify with leaders. They are well respected and have a strong voice with accomplishments in their field of expertise. As a business owner, you must constantly strive to be the leader in what you do. Some of the points of leadership to keep in mind are:  Leaders should know and understand that people are the core building blocks of their team and/or organization.  To be an effective leader, you need to understand the core building block of your people and their respective values.  Leadership begins from within.  Identify core roles, prioritize them and plan on development and then acting on them.  Any relationship begins with you.  Leadership begins with you.  To be effective, it is dependent on your ability to communicate effectively.

 

NETWORKING:

 

This is a great time of the year. The holidays are here and the thoughts of 2012 and what we might expect in the new year with business.

Many of us will be at social and business events meeting  many new people as well as many friends.

For these reasons the topic of networking is very timely.

Today  if you are networking correctly, it’s more than meet and greet with an exchange of business cards and contact information.

You have to network with the intent of turning contacts into connections and eventually business allies or customers.

As you attend your events you need to have a specific game plan in mind.

Make your connections, and then build relationships with these individuals.

The relationships can range from identifying some of the needs of your business or relationships that will bring more business to your company.

The key here is to develop your network with great people and cement those relationships to be a resource for you.

You cannot do it alone. All great businesses have very successful networks in place.

Also keep in mind the relationship is a two way street. Don’t just talk or think about what’s in it for you but lead with a value proposition that will make the person you are connecting with have a reason to develop the relationship further.

Over deliver and your investments of time, money and energy will be repaid ten fold.

TIME AND PRODUCTIVITY:

Time relates to productivity more than you might realize. Time can be as big a loss of profits for your company as almost anything else. When you better manage time you will be more productive. When you are more productive you will make more profit.

Here are some SMART things to think about. S.M.A.R.T. being an acronym for:

S- SPECIFIC- Being as specific as you can with bringing the reality in site of your goal.

M-MEASURABLE- You must be able to measure your results.  You can only measure your results if you are tracking all your activity that pertains to your business.

A-ATTAINABLE- Is your goal one that is reachable and in the time that you have allotted?

R-RELEVANT- Is the goal relevant to the purpose of your business or

your  personal life?  Is the goal you set bringing you closer to that purpose?

T-TIME SENSITIVE- Does your goal have a deadline?  With a deadline in front of you, your mind realizes it has to accomplish certain tasks within a certain time.

So to be productive, be S.M.A.R.T.

I think as business owners, we all realize what it takes as well as what we need to do.  But, how we measure, track and evaluate the activities we do, will help in becoming better, more profitable and leaves  us with more time to do the things we enjoy.

 

SELLING:

We may not like it but we have to constantly adjust and adapt to the process and fully understand the needs of the market and the consumer. Here are some points to keep in your selling mindset.  First, people in your target market will first buy you. Also making sure you know your market and the needs and what your market is looking for will be key in this step.

If your prospect has not bought into you, I doubt if you have any shot at a sale even if you are the cheapest price in town.

I’m sure you have heard the phrase that attitude is everything, well if you are in sales, it’s a really big key to your success in sales.

People will pay more for an agreeable, enjoyable experience with a great product than just one based on it’s the cheapest.

The individual that combines a great product with a great attitude can be unstoppable.

Today, many  companies are basing lost sales because of price. Granted some people do just shop price, but in most categories on products and services, price is only a factor in 14%-20% statistically.

Secondly, you need to think more in line with the buyer’s thinking. While your buyer may be objecting to price, here’s what is swimming around in his or her mind.

1.)Is there a better product? 2.) Is the proposal right? 3.) Will this really solve my problems? 4.) Will we use it? 5.) What will others think if I buy this? 6.) Will the company really service me and honor the guarantee?

With this partial list of objections, you need to be going through your prospects thought process and be prepared to present in a more thorough manner making the buying decision safe for you prospects instead of just driving the price factor home.

Too many businesses today are leading there marketing and advertising campaigns with price and not with value, experience, quality, strong guarantee’s and taking the risk out of the buying process.

Many times the sales person is just not totally prepared or has not taken the time to identify the needs of the prospect, as well as what the prospect is truly looking for.

Today as consumers become more savvy and aren’t as willing just to throw their money around without thinking about after the sale, don’t be afraid to lead with the value, expertise, quality and guarantee of what you are selling.

Communicate to your buyer that your service after the sale will be unmatched as you take the risk out of the purchase and make buying a pleasure for your prospect.

If you are leading with price and doing comparisons, good luck. Trying to be successful on the cheapest price is a tough place to live in.

 

Thirdly, sales for the most part always has the numbers factor.  You can make the numbers work in your favor.

With the correct and precise market analysis, knowing the needs and wants of your market, and taking massive action, you can make the numbers work more in your favor.

In sales, massive action is one surefire way to increase your response and success rate. Take enough action and you will achieve more.

Fourth, know where your prospects are in the sales funnel. Deliver your commitments on time and over deliver. Your prospects may be evaluating you every step of the way. Make sure you have addressed all their needs and have provided the best solution.

Fifth, don’t be afraid and come out and ask for the sale. Lead your prospect with a series of yes answers to what you have delivered in the sales presentation that makes good sense for the prospect to buy.

Enhancing Your Life so You Can Enhance the Live of Others

Ron Finklestein
www.businessgrowthexperience.com
www.akris.net
330-990-0788
ron@akris.net

 

“Observe everything as you walk your path (in life).”

Akita Mani Yo.

Robert Schepens, is part Native American and he often reminds me of the Native American saying “Akita Mani Yo.” This saying means “Observe everything as you walk your path (in life).”

Observing everything as we walk our path is hard to do. It requires both internal and external awareness.

Internal is defined a our reactions, feeling and emotions and external our environment, others and our ecology (relationships.) It requires seeing things we often pay no attention to.

It requires us to understand our life and the meaning of our life as defined by the contrast between ourselves and others. This contrast is what is observed. In this contrast lie the secrets we miss, the lost loves, the beautiful flowers that we ignore, the pain we inadvertently inflicted and the joy others experience. This observing shows us the pains of others that we missed, the opportunities lost, that opportunities missed, the opportunities we gained. It shows the joys that passed us by.

In NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) this is referred to as “Our perception is our reflection.” Stated another way, what we see and perceive is what we notice and what we reflected back to others.

If things are not what you want, shift your attention to notice the things you do want. What more customers? Shift your attention to being grateful for your existing customers. Want more love in your life, be a more loving person. Want more friends, be a better friend. Remember to Akita Mani Yo.

Ron Finklestein
Someone who is learning to be a better student.

ron@akris.net

330-990-0788

 

 

 

 

Don't Quit

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won if he’d stuck it out.
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow –
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man;
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out –
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are –
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit –
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

Author Unknown

Ron Finklestein
www.rpfgroupinc.com
330-990-0788
ron@akris.net

Last updated by at .