What do Dogs and Marketing Have in Common

What do Dogs and Marketing Have in Common –  how not to get choked

I have two good size dogs (both greater than 50 pounds.) I installed an invisible fence to give them some room to run without hurting themselves.

An invisible fence shocks (via the collar) the dogs when they get too close to the fence. It is not  a harmful shock, just enough to let them know the boundaries.

Yesterday, I wanted to take the dogs for a walk and removed their collars so they could leave the yard. Neither dog wanted to leave the yard for fear of shock. I had to carry both of them across the fence line. One on the other side both had a great time.

How does this apply to marketing?

When to comes marketing many of us wear our marketing collar. When our marketing does not work, the shock we experience is lack of results, spending money, and wasting time. The collar limits what we might try; we say to ourselves, “after all I tried that and it didn’t work” or “what if it doesn’t work and I waste all this money (time)?”

I once had a roofing client and we were planning some marketing tactics. Every  tactic I suggest his response was the same, “I tried that and it didn’t work!” After the 10th suggestion I finally said, “these tactics have worked for thousands of companies but they don’t work for you, what is the one thing they have in common?”

He thought for a moment and said, “me!”

This gentleman was never trained is marketing and he made several fundamental mistakes that, if corrected, could have a big impact on his business. But his invisible fence would not allow him to try something different. His yard was pretty small and his company was suffering.

What is your invisible fence? Is it spending money on marketing or on marketing coaching? Is it trying something you never tried before? Is it fear of failing or not knowing who to trust? What is the shock you feel: shame for failing, embarrassment for not knowing, fear of being taken advantage of or not being in control?

Marketing can be easy and fun when you know what you are doing. And it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money because you can do it yourself. It is not that hard.

Let’s remove your collar or at least provide you the opportunity to remove the collar and learn a proven  marketing system that works to generate more leads, convert more leads to customers, get customer to buy more, sell value – not price, make more money, learn how to build a website that generates leads, learn dozens of up sell, down sell and cross sell strategies that your competition does not know or use, learn how to put your follow-up on auto pilot and so much more – all at your own pace.

For a free trial go to akris.net and download your free report, The Three Biggest Lead Generation Mistakes.

May Blessing be Upon You,

Ron Finklestein
International Author, Business Coach, Speaker
info@akris.net
www.akris.net

330-990-0788

 

 

 

 

 

How to Get RESULTS!

How to Get Results
Getting results is easy. Just take action. Most people act on the wrong things. It is about execution.

If you prefer video, I added a video link after each principle (where I have them) to make it easier. I have been a student of how successful people get results for many years. I once did an informal study of 1,000 successful small, business owners and determine they all did the same actions, all nine. This study took over seven years to fully understand the power simply changes in your thinking and behaviors can have on your success. If you read no further know the secret lies in execution.

Probably the most important concept is the first one: Enlightened Self-Interest (ESI). Enlightened Self-Interest is understanding what is in your best interest with the intent to choose and take action resulting in the highest value to the most people. When this is determined (and it can and will change) you are more effective at managing your time, energy and money by working with people who support your ESI.

How does ESI apply in your life and business?

In your family: Enlightened Self-Interest is being the best husband, father, wife, mother, etc., you can be and taking steps to grow and improve your skills were needed because it is in the best interest of your family for you to improve.

In Business: Enlightened Self-Interest is understanding your purpose for being in business and training your staff, implementing process and helping your clients understand you are there for them. When they understand you are there for them they will be there for you.

In Sales: Enlightened Self-Interest is understanding how you can enrich the lives of those you sell to so they see the value and they are will pay you for this value. We define enrich as changing your prospects opinion of you, your company, products and services so your prospects and customers know how you will help them.
Once we are clear on our ESI, you are ready to take action.

Below is a short YouTube video with Robert Schepens interviewing Ron Finklestein to help you understand both the power and simplicity of ESI.

In this video ESI is sometimes referred to as Intelligent Self-Interest.

Principe Number Two: People. We are dependent on people and is understanding that our success is dependent on how well you coach other to purposeful action (ESI).

If certain people thrive in our business, we must be disciplined in hiring the right people; people who support your ESI. By this, I mean putting the right people in the right seats and empowering them to take the right actions.

Principle Number Three: Results. If we know what to measure, we know if something is working. But, we must measure those processes that support our ESI.

Principle Number Four: Ownership. This is simple and powerful. We must own what happens otherwise we cannot change it. It is not your family holding you back, the bad economy, not enough customers or other excuses that hold us back. Usually, what holds us back is right between our ears.

Principle Number Five: Persistence. Persistence is defined as the continuation of an effect after the cause is removed. Persistence is fueled by our ESI. ESI/ISI helps us understand the interconnectedness we have with people we interact with regularly. ESI/ISI asks us to become the type of people we need to become to achieve our desired commitments. ESI/ISI asks us to take 100% ownership for what happens in our lives and helps us understand we can choose how to respond instead of reacting.

Principle Number Six: Focus. Focus is just two questions. Is what I am working on taking me closer to my ESI? If not, then why am I doing it? Do not underestimate the power of these two questions. They can be powerful in transforming your life if you apply them diligently.

Every day we need to ask ourselves if what we are doing is taking us closer to our ESI. If the action we are taking does not support our ESI, why do it. This is an example of how you can protect your time energy and money.

Principle Number Seven: Discipline. Discipline is taking the results that work and building measurable, repeatable and predictable processes give us the knowledge that all problems are handled the same way. This frees us to move to the next opportunity to grow the business.

Principle Number Eight: Ideas. When you get clear the number of ideas that you have will grow. This is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because you will see things differently and with greater clarity. A curse because of the excitement of new ideas, you can lose focus. Be careful here. Put the ideas away for a few weeks and then if you are still excited it may be time to implement a few of them.

Principle Number Nine: Action. Taking Action is simply moving in the direction of your ESI.

All nine actions are documented in my book Make a Difference: From Being Successful to Being Significant, available on Amazon.com.

 


If you want some help implementing these concepts, please let me know.

May Blessings be Upon You,
Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788
ron@akris.net
www.akris.net

The Three Biggest Mistakes Small Business Make When Marketing Their Business…And How To Avoid Them All

The Three Biggest Mistakes Small Business Make When Marketing Their Business…And How To Avoid Them All

It  has been a while since I wrote anything significant. There is a good reason. I have spent the last six months implementing a elearning systems to help any small business get unlimited leads, at no cost for marketing. This article will explain how to do that. I’m going to reveal to you the three biggest mistakes small business make… and show you how you can overcome them all.

Here are the three mistakes. Mistake #1… they fail to get professional help.   Mistake #2… they don’t know the fundamentals required to successfully market their business and attract as many new clients as their business can handle.  And mistake #3… they have no idea how to use their marketing to generate immediate cash flow. Let’s explore these three in depth, and show you how you can easily and systematically overcome them all.

Mistake #1… small business fail to get professional help.  Can you name me just one professional athlete who does NOT have a coach? There aren’t any. Tiger Woods has 9 coaches guiding him in everything from his golf game to his financial investments.  But do small business owners really need professional help? Remember the TV ads we previously discussed? Those ads are created by “professionals.” Unfortunately, those professionals have no clue what they’re doing.  Everything they’re doing in marketing and advertising today is wrong! But let me prove that to you right now.

If you currently use any form of marketing such as a print ad, brochure, postcard, flyer… or for that matter… your company website, take it out and look at it carefully.  And if you don’t have any form of marketing right now, stop this presentation for a few minutes and take out a sheet of paper and sketch out what you think would make for an effective ad for your new business.  It doesn’t have to be anything formal or fancy…  just create a basic outline of the ad and where you would locate the various elements on the page.

Now that you have your ad… or a mock up of your ad sitting in front of you, let me provide you with the little known secrets that produce more leads than your business can handle.  99% of all marketing professionals DON’T know the lead generation secrets I’m about to reveal to you.  This information is so powerful and compelling, it will position you in the top 1% of all lead generation professionals today.  This example will show you why every small business start-up should acquire our step-by-step roadmap as they start to generate leads for their new business.

Here’s what a true marketing professional will know… and help you implement into your marketing.  It’s known as the “marketing equation.” Our marketing equation will make sure you NEVER have to compete on price.  Instead, you will start selling your product or service for what it’s really worth the moment you open your doors for business.  You’ll drive in more leads  than your more established competition… and increase your initial advertising response by 10 to more than 100 times.   You will convert a higher percentage of those leads and dramatically increase your number of sales.  You will get a bigger bang for your marketing buck.  The bottom line is this…  you will literally create a profit faucet that you will have TOTAL control over.

But first, you MUST understand what marketing is supposed to do. Its purpose is actually three fold.  Its first job is to capture the attention of your target market.  Second, it must give them the hope that reading or listening to your marketing will give them enough information to help them make the best decision possible when buying whatever you sell. In other words, train and teach them how to recognize the true value of your product or service… and conclude that you… and you alone… offer the best value versus your competition.  Marketing’s third job is to lower the risk of taking the next step in the buying process… and if necessary… continue to educate the prospect regarding the value you offer.

Marketing that accomplishes these three objectives will result in your prospects and customers coming to one single conclusion…  that they would have to be an absolute fool to do business with anyone else but you, regardless of price. It’s estimated that as many as 96% of all small business start-ups fail within their first 5 years. The main reason for this tremendously high failure rate has to do with the lack of expertise when it comes to generating leads and making your phone ring.

Most small business start-ups don’t know anything about those three things we just discussed that marketing is supposed to do. But there’s also an additional problem to consider.  Most start-ups use a tactical marketing approach instead of a strategic approach. Let me explain.

Running an ad in the local newspaper… sending out an email or direct mail letter… airing a radio or TV ad on a local media station are all examples of tactical marketing. Now don’t get me wrong… the newspaper, radio or direct mail can be successful marketing channels… IF you’re marketing message is powerful and compelling. But that’s the problem… the message is the strategic side of marketing… and yet, it’s the most neglected.

This distinction between strategic and tactical marketing is huge and one you need to be acutely aware of anytime you start talking about generating more leads.  Many start-up businesses mistakenly assume that when you talk about lead generation, you’re automatically talking about tactical lead generation…  placing ads, sending out mailers, joining a networking group, attending tradeshows, implementing a prospect follow up system and so on.

They fail to realize that the strategic side of the coin, what you say in your marketing and how you say it is almost always more important than the marketing medium where you say it. If you fail to make this distinction, then you risk becoming jaded towards certain forms of marketing and advertising that should be a part of your tactical plan, but you eliminate them from consideration because they haven’t worked for you in the past.

When lead generation results are less than optimal, small business start-ups tend to almost always blame the marketing medium… like the newspaper the ad ran in or the postcards they sent out. They blame the tactical part of the plan… without any regard for how good or how bad the strategic messaging in that marketing piece was. New business owners often say things like, “we tried radio and it doesn’t work for our kind of business,” or “we sent out 50,000 pieces of direct mail and only generated 3 orders. It just doesn’t work.”

Just because it didn’t work, don’t assume that it won’t work. Most new business owners don’t have the evaluation skills or the know-how to judge whether poor marketing results from poor strategy or poor tactical execution. This is where our step-by-step roadmap can generate more leads than your new business can handle.

For example, most start-up businesses rely heavily on platitudes in their marketing. They say things like…  we have the lowest prices…  the best service…  we’re family owned and operated…  we offer convenient hours…  and the best value. Look at your own marketing that I asked you about earlier. How many platitudes did you use in your own marketing?

By the way, this is NOT your fault. Most, if not all small business owners have been conditioned to think this is the proper way to market their businesses… since most advertising follows this same pathetic marketing formula… including the Fortune 500 types.

As human beings, we’re all after just one thing when we buy something… the best deal!  Unfortunately, when you use platitudes in your marketing, there’s absolutely no way to tell who is actually offering the best deal. Everyone says they have the lowest prices, the highest quality and the best rates. So who do you believe? There’s only one way to know… and that’s to research every single business that offers what you want to buy. How many of us have the time or patience to do that?

So most of us just automatically assume that everyone is pretty much the same, and therefore we default to calling on the business that offers us the lowest price.  When you can’t communicate the true value your business offers, you’re doomed to forever compete on price.  Our marketing equation will change all of that for you forever. It’s going to be the backbone of your strategic marketing plan right out of the gate. It’s the foundation on which everything else we build for you is based. Let me give you a quick overview and then spend some time going through it with you in detail.

Our marketing equation has four main components.  First, we must interrupt your prospect. We must get your qualified prospect to pay attention to your lead generation marketing. Simple enough to say, but a lot more difficult to pull off in real life unless you understand what you’re about to learn here.  The interrupt is done through your headline if your marketing is in print… or it’s the first thing you say if you’re marketing through radio or TV.  The second component is engage. Once your prospect is interrupted, it’s critical we give your reader the promise that information is forthcoming that will help the prospect make the best buying decision possible. In other words, it must help facilitate their decision to pick you over anyone else.  This is the job of our subheadline.

The interrupt is our headline that highlights a specific problem that your prospects are looking for a solution to… and the engage is our subheadline that promises them that you offer a solution to the problem we mentioned in our headline.

The third component we need to include is educate. Once we’ve interrupted and engaged your prospect, we have to give information that allows them to logically understand how and why you solve the problem they’re facing.  This is accomplished by giving detailed, quantifiable, specific and revealing information.  This is typically done in the body copy of your ad. When we educate, we need to reveal to your prospects the important and relevant information they need to know when making a good decision, and that your business… and yours alone… provides it to them. The interrupt and engage hit the prospects emotional hot buttons. Educate is the logic they need to justify picking up the phone and calling you.

The fourth and final component of our marketing equation is your offer. Now that we’ve interrupted your prospect based on problems that are important to them… engaged by a promise of the solution… and they’ve examined the educational information that makes your solution real and believable…  the last step we need to take is to give them a low risk way to take the next step in your sales process.  We do this by offering a free marketing tool, such as a report, brochure, seminar, audio, video or something that will continue to educate them.  Your offer will allow your prospect to feel in control of their final decision to call and buy from you.

So our marketing equation is interrupt, engage, educate and offer and together they equal market domination. Now here’s the problem.  Most marketing today only contains two of these components.  They interrupt by throwing something at you that’s either familiar like Tiger Woods… or unusual like a monkey or talking pets. Sometimes they like to use both, as in the case of the E*Trade baby.   Then once they grab your attention, they make you some type of offer such as “call now for whatever.”  They have left out the engage and the educate, and marketing seldom succeeds when that happens.

In fact, the only time this type of marketing does succeed is when you can afford to run the ad over and over nonstop for an extended period of time. Plop, plop, fizz, fizz… melts in your mouth, not in your hand… and things go better with Coke have literally been rammed down our throats by Fortune 500 types.  After hearing these slogans thousands of times, of course we’re going to remember them.  But how can a small business start-up like you… that doesn’t have a billion dollar marketing budget… successfully market your business. The answer… you can’t… UNLESS you follow our entire marketing equation. Here’s a simple example to prove this to you.

Years ago there was a moving company that was on the verge of bankruptcy. They were paying $3,000 per month for a full page ad in their Yellow Pages directory. They were averaging just 70 calls per month, and their conversion ratio was only 16%. So out of 70 calls every month, they were only getting 11 moving jobs. No wonder they were starving.

The reason their ad wasn’t working was their failure to follow our marketing equation. In fact, the only marketing equation component they had in their ad was an offer, and that offer was “call us”… and then they listed their phone number. They had no interrupt at the top of their ad whatsoever, just the name of their company.  Then they listed all the generic and “me too” services that every one of their competitors also listed in their ads.  Things like local and long distance, residential and commercial, reliable and careful, fully licensed and insured, free estimates, quality service at reasonable rates, complete packing services, local, regional, national and so on. Then at the bottom of the ad was their phone number.

Again, look at your own marketing that I asked you about earlier.  Does your marketing format look exactly the same as the one this moving company was using? Did you place  the name of your business at the top…   list your products or services in the middle  along with a layer of worthless and meaningless platitudes such as lowest prices, highest quality and best rates?  99% of all small businesses follow this EXACT format, and then they wonder why they aren’t generating any quality leads.

If you want your phone to start ringing… then you MUST follow our marketing equation of interrupt, engage, educate and offer.  So using our equation this moving company redesigned this lead generation ad, and here’s what happened.  First, they identified the biggest problem their customers had when moving.  Without hesitation, it was DAMAGE! 72% of all moves result in something being damaged. That’s the area they need to focus on then, and create what we call a market-dominating position around that hot button issue. But why is damage such an important issue…  since all moving companies listed in the Yellow Pages say they’re “fully insured.”

It turns out that all movers MUST be fully insured…  but that the general public has NO idea what “fully insured” really means. When you hear someone say they’re fully insured, don’t you automatically assume that means that if they break your $5,000 HDTV, they will reimburse you $5,000? I certainly would.

Well, it turns out that in the moving business, that isn’t what fully insured means at all.  Legally, a moving company can claim they fully insure their customers belongings based on “per pound of damage.”  The national average is 40 cents per pound. So in other words, if a mover destroys your $5,000 100 pound HDTV… they’re only legally obligated to pay you $40.  Unfortunately, the poor unsuspecting customer doesn’t find that out until AFTER the damage has taken place… and they receive their miniscule reimbursement. But for this specific moving company this policy was never an issue because they didn’t believe in this deceptive industry practice.

They actually provide their customers with what’s known as “full replacement value” insurance. If they break your $5,000 HDTV, you’re reimbursed $5,000… no questions asked. But how could they afford this much more expensive insurance?  It was due to their extraordinary 3 step packing process that ONLY their company offered, and thanks to this process… their actual breakage and damage totals were below 3%.

And what little damage did occur typically involved a broken dish or plate… relatively minor items that had little to no replacement costs… and certainly no sentimental value that would create an emotional situation with their customers.  Their unique packing process allowed them to carry a $5,000 insurance deductible, and their premiums for this superior insurance were actually lower than their competitors paid for the inferior and deceptive insurance.

Their 3 step packing process… coupled with their superior full replacement value insurance coverage… became their market-dominating position.  All that’s left is to position that information in their ad and follow our marketing equation.

Let’s first create a headline for the top of their Yellow Page ad that interrupts. This must address the main hot button issue or problem that their prospects are looking to solve… in this case… damage!  So the headline should say something like this… “Last Year, More Than 4,000 Damage And Negligent Lawsuits Were Filed Against Moving Companies By Outraged Homeowners!” Think that headline will grab the attention of prospective movers? You bet.

But let’s not stop there. Next, let’s engage the prospect by promising them a solution to the problem we referenced in the headline… in this case, damage prevention.  What do you think of this subheadline? “Ask Any Mover These 2 Questions To Insure You Won’t Be Victimized Or “Ripped Off” By Deceptive Industry Practices.” Now, when a prospect reads this subheadline… do you think they will want to immediately find out what those two questions are? Of course they will.

Now let’s educate them by providing them with two questions that the prospect can ask any mover they choose to contact. What about these two questions…  do you follow a minimum 3 step packing process for every item you place in your truck… and second, do you carry full replacement value insurance? We already know that their competitions answer to both of these questions is no, since this mover had previously surveyed all of them.  This ad educates prospects on the realities of what actually takes place in the moving industry, and highlights this moving company’s market-dominating position that makes them the obvious choice to do business with.

Their offer was a free moving company comparison checklist that highlights the survey they did… showing the prospect that they were the ONLY moving company in town that offered all of these desired benefits. This will make them the no-brainer choice in the moving industry, and the results they generated from this new Yellow Page ad sealed the deal.

Instead of averaging just 70 calls per month… their new ad averaged 955 calls per month.  Instead of a 16% conversion rate, their rate jumped to 68%. Their new ad generated so many new clients asking for their services, they had to partner with 4 of their competitors to handle the increased volume. And listen to this.  Those 4 competitors bought this company out 9 months later for $2.3 million dollars.  All of this from simply changing the strategic message in their Yellow Page ad… and without spending an extra cent.

This is why every small business start-up needs to seek out our professional help. But finding professional help is often frustrating… and at times, a crapshoot at best. That’s why I wanted to teach you our marketing equation of interrupt, engage, educate and offer.

The moving company trained their prospects on the relevant and important issues they needed to know when moving so those prospects knew what to ask for when they sought out the services of a mover. Now you know our marketing equation… and you can use it when seeking out the professional help you need for your new business. A true marketing professional will know this equation, and if they don’t… run away as fast as you can!

And by the way, did you notice that in the information we just discussed we also covertly covered mistakes #2 and #3.  Earlier I said that the second biggest mistake small business start-ups make involved the fact that they don’t know the fundamentals required to successfully market their business and attract as many new clients as their business can handle.  Well, now YOU do know the fundamentals… and you can use them to out-market and outsell your competition right from the start.  First, create a market-dominating position for your business…  and then insert that position into your marketing by following our marketing equation to the letter.

And the third biggest mistake small business start-ups make focused on the fact that they have no idea how to generate immediate cash flow.  When you follow our marketing equation in every form of marketing you do… from your business cards to your company website, the financial results are instantaneous and immediate. Consider the following example.

Consider a recent situation involving Dr. John Smith… a child psychologist who specialized in helping parents with out-of-control kids. You know the kids I’m talking about don’t you? The ones at the store that are yelling, screaming, throwing a tantrum and completely out of control. These kids range in age from 6 years old up to teenagers. Dr. Smith’s original website had all of the classic mistakes that are typical in small business today.  He had the name of his practice at the top of his site.

The only thing even resembling what you might call a headline said “Parenting Advice & Resources From Dr. John Smith.” Does that headline really appeal to a parent who is dealing with a screaming, out of control kid? Would that headline hit their emotional hot button? Do they really care anything at all right now about “advice and resources?” Or… are his prospects looking for a solution to their problem?

Remember, you must always start your marketing with an Interrupting headline that’s focused on the problem your prospects are experiencing.  Then you must have a subheadline that engages the prospect by promising them that there’s a solution to that problem. Remember our first two Marketing Equation components… Interrupt and Engage. That’s the job of the headline and subheadline. And this applies to every form of marketing, including websites.

Dr. Smith’s website headline… “Parenting Advice & Resources From Dr. John Smith” does NOT address the problem his frustrated parents are experiencing with their child.  And to make matters worse, his website has no subheadline whatsoever, so there is no way for him to engage his prospects to keep them interested.

In fact, it’s doubtful that any prospect visiting his site will stay here more than a few seconds. The latest research shows that the typical prospect visiting a website remains on the site for just three to five seconds. If during that brief period of time they don’t find something that looks like it will provide them with a solution to their problem, they’re gone for good.

The third component of our Marketing Equation says to Educate the prospect. This simply means that you must educate them with what it is that makes your product or service so much better than your competition. On a website, this is done with either body copy… or in Dr. Smith’s case, by video. Just make it short and sweet when it’s the point of first contact. You can then offer much more information once you have them compelled to want to know more about what you do.

And the final component of our Marketing Equation is your Offer. A low risk… or better yet NO RISK offer gets them to take a specific action such as request more information, take a test drive, and register for a free thirty day trial, an educational presentation or similar offer. The key here is to make the offer so compelling that it’s literally irresistible to the prospect. In fact, you want them to be thinking to themselves that they would have to be an absolute fool to NOT take your offer.

Dr. Smith’s offer was a white paper titled… The Secret for Parents: a special report on how you can learn the secrets of nurturing well behaved children. Here’s the problem… his prospects don’t have well behaved children. They have one that’s screaming, yelling, cursing, belligerent, back-talking and completely out of control. Nurturing a well behaved child is NOT the solution they’re looking for. Getting their kid under control RIGHT NOW is what they’re looking for.

Can you see why Dr. Smith’s website failed him in every area? This site wasn’t building his business. It wasn’t helping him generate leads, attract new clients… or generate additional revenue for his practice. It simply doesn’t follow our Marketing Equation. So Dr. Smith changed his website so it did follow our proven step-by-step roadmap.

He placed a headline at the top of his site that said… “Are You Sick and Tired Of The Yelling, Screaming And Belligerent Attitude Of Your Child?” Would you say that headline hits the major hot button for virtually every prospective parent that comes to this site? Do you think that these prospects… the moment they read that headline… will immediately think to themselves that they have just come to the right place where they can find a solution to their problem?

In other words, did this headline just Interrupt Dr. Smith’s prospects? Of course it did.  Now let’s Engage those prospects by promising them a solution in the subheadline.  It says… “now you can discover the secrets to controlling your child and instantly restore peace and quiet in your home.” Isn’t that what his prospects want… and will do almost anything to get? Absolutely.  See how the headline and subheadline work closely together to Interrupt and Engage every single prospect who comes to this site?

Now that they’re Engaged,  the video can spend one to three minutes reinforcing the fact that our good doctor has the solution they so desperately seek,  and his offer has been changed so it’s not only more relevant to the prospects situation, but so compelling it’s virtually irresistible. The offer says… “Learn the Secrets To Gaining and Maintaining Complete Control Of Your Child In Less Than 60 Seconds.”

Show me just one prospective parent visiting this site that WON’T download that report. They all will. And when they do, Dr. Smith captures their contact information so he can continue to keep his prospects informed until they’re ready to buy his services.  This revised site exploded Dr. Smith’s business to unprecedented levels. And best of all, our marketing equation can work for your business as well… producing immediate results. So to quickly recap.

The three biggest lead generation mistakes people make when looking to get started in business are #1… They fail to get professional help.  #2… They don’t know the fundamentals required to successfully market their business and attract as many new clients as their business can handle.  And #3… They have no idea how to use their marketing to generate immediate cash flow.

Our marketing equation contains the fundamental components you need to insure your new business is successful from the very start. The marketing equation will make your phone ring and position your new business as the dominant force in your market.   It provides the marketing foundation that will enable you to generate immediate cash flow.  And as you get started, you can use this information as a minimum standard when seeking out professional help for your business.

When you can overcome these three biggest lead generation mistakes, you will generate all the leads your business can handle… and turn your dreams of owning your business into reality. Want proof?

Suppose we could provide you with professional help…  teach you some basic fundamentals that will allow you to market your business successfully and help you to attract as many new clients to your business as you want…  while simultaneously helping you to develop compelling marketing that will generate immediate cash flow for your business?

And suppose we could do all of this for you for free…and do it in just 7 days… just to prove to you that everything I’ve said in this is 1000% true? Go to http://www.akris.net and enter your name and email address in the box on the right, and I’ll send you 4 videos over the next 7 days that will do all of this… and more!

Each video is short and to the point…  but the results you will experience will astonish you.  We’ll even show you how to monetize the information we’ll send you so you can see an immediate increase in your revenue and profits. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

So don’t wait.  Go to www.akris.net and receive your videos today. Ask if you qualify for our $5000 grant to cover the cost of this program. Enter your name and email address right now, and we’ll show you how to out-think, out-market and out-sell your competition.

 

Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788
info@akris.net

I decided to Resign!

I received a call and the first words I heard were, “I just resigned!”

It is not often that I receive a call like this so naturally I was curious. Frankly, I was concerned this may have been an emotional respond and I was hoping he was not rash in making the decision.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE FRONT COVERThe call was from a TV producer who watched an interview I did to promote my book, “Make a Difference: From Being Successful to Being Significant.” All he said was, “after watching your interview I realized what I was doing was not consistent with my Enlightened Self-interest, so I resigned.”

It all started several weeks ago when I was approach by a local television producer to do a 30 minute interview on my book. As we were going through the process I wanted to know the person a little better so I asked him why he was doing what he did (TV.) When I asked the question, “what’s in it for you?” he did not answer and skillful redirected the question. We planned the interview and set the date.

After the interview we had lunch and I asked him again why he did what he did. Again, he skillful deflected the question. I decided to let the issue drop. It was two weeks later that I received the call.

“After watching the interview,” he said, “I decided what I am doing is not consistent with my enlightened self-interest and I decided to resign. I have other project that I am more passionate about and I will pursue them.” As we talked I asked him why he made the decision and he said, “You did not try to get an invitation back and you asked me questions no one has asked me before. You seem to have my best interest in mind.”

After our discussion I reflected back and realized he sounded happy and excited as he told me about his plans.

If you want to watch the 26 minute interview, just press the play button. If you decide to buy and read the book please post your comments on Amazon.com as well.

 

Please let me know your thoughts.

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

 

Expand Your Box (ESI)

Enlightened Self-Interest.

I created a concept called Enlightened Self-Interest (ESI).  ESI means to understand what is in my best interest with the intent to choose and take action. It allows you to get clear on what is important to you and marshal your resources to focus your time, energy and money to accomplish great things (for you). This concept is documented in more details in the book, Make a Difference: From Being Successful to Being Significant, available on amazon.com.

To accomplish anything important in our lives we have to do things have not done before. We need to solicit feedback from others to better understand our impact. We need feedback systems in place to allow us to self-correct. We need to understand how our actions and behaviors impacts others. When we do these things we do not get out of box – we expand our box!

It is impossible to get out of our box. We can only expand our box, make it larger. This expands our visions and allows us to see things differently; to see possibilities where none existed before. This is what a leader does. A leader create the vision (ESI), sells that vision, communicates that vision and helps others to see the bigger picture; whether in sales, personal development, business growth or personal growth. A leader helps others expand their personal box (vision of the world.)

When you embrace your ESI, you expand. Many time your ESI changes and you expand further. You might start out solving a specific problem (I need to grow sales). You might then grow your ESI into a strategy (this is how we will do things.) Ideally your ESI will evolve into your purpose (I will change the lives of one million people.) It is, as most things, an evolution an expanding, a becoming.

So what’s in it for you? The more selfish you become in executing your ESI, the more you expand you personally. You create a larger view of the world.

And…

As you expand yourself you are able to give more to others, to expand their box, to grow their perception. You can do this because you are seeing things differently, thinking differently and acting differently.

As human being we are driven to continually prove to ourselves the vastness of our influence and connectedness. You realize your boundaries are nearly limitless. Every business owner wants to expand his business, every mother wants their children to expand and become all them can be, each of use wants to know we are leaving a mark and our time spent (in business, in life, in a relationship) was purposeful.

Explore your ESI and give yourself permission to expand your boundaries and see who you really are and what you are capable of.  This is about personal leadership, business leadership and community leadership.

Enjoy!

Ron Finklestein

www.businessgrowthexperience.com
ron@businessgrowthexperience.com
330-990-0788

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

Learn why so many smalll businesses fail! Please join me

DocFred Presents Ron Finklestein-

Why does a small business fail?

                             Sept 20, 2013

 

Friday, Sep 20, 2013, DocFred with Ron Finklestein-Why does a small business fail?You will learn:

1- Why do so many small businesses fail?
2- What are the business issues business owner’s biggest weaknesses?
3- What prevents them from seeking help?
4-  What they can do immediately to start making a difference in their success and much, much more…

The Amazing Women and Men of Power Network and Raven International presents this Friday’s- Amazing Men of Power & Music

This show will broadcast twice Friday, Sep 20, 2013, 10AM and again at 4PM CST.

You can also listen in: Friday, Sep 20, 2013 or any time by going to Visions of Success Talk Radio. All links below:
http://amazingwomenofpower.com/radio/amazing-men-of-power/ (for Friday’s show on ITunes also, AWOP 24.7) or even today at

http://lifecareerbusinesscoach.com/visions-of-success/programs/

If you found this interesting, pass it on to a colleague, family member, or friend.
DocFred would love to hear your feedback on this subject. Email: fredsimkovsky@yahoo.com 

Sincerely,

 

Dr. Fred (DocFred) Simkovsky, CMCP
LifeCareerBusinessCoach.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

 

 

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

Have a Hero – Be a Hero!

Have a Hero – Be a Hero!

I am planning to do a series of posts on what people to do to make positive change in their life. I asked many people their tips and strategies for making change and have received over 100 good comments. Over the next several months I will be posting these tips and strategies. I am not sure if I will do all 100 but I will share some very good ones going forward.  

Before I post the first tip, let me give you some background. I wanted to help a client make some personal changes and I was getting stuck in helping him through some personal changes so I asked for some help. I sent out an email to several trusted advisors asking them how they introduce change in their lives and the outcome they experienced in introducing change. Their responses were incredible.

The most notable outcome they experienced in creating personal change is the expanding of their three foot circle. They created a more global view of the situation. They saw thing differently and they are better able to choose their response for the situation.

These articles will occur in no particular order. I am writing about them as it makes sense for me. I would encourage you to share with me you particular strategy for dealing with change, creating changes or helping others deal with change.

Here goes. The first one is – Have a hero, be a hero! (Special thanks to Joe Smucny for this one!)  

Can you imagine how you will live your life knowing you are a hero to someone: a child, employee, coworker, wife or husband? What if you knew someone would ask you why you did something. What would you say? How would you say it?

Can you imagine how you would live your life if you had to answer to your hero for every action you took: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Ben Franklin, Jesus, Buddha, or any of the thousands of people who could qualify as heroes? How would you answer their questions?

This raises the bar. It requires that you think about your actions and the impact they have. It requires that you take action, ownership, and responsibility for all things in your life.

This set the bar high and I like it.

Who is your hero and what action do you take to be like them?

Who do you want to be a hero to and what examples will you set for this person?

Please share your strategy for personal growth and change. You can email it to me or you can post it here. Please know if you send something to me you are giving me permission to use it.

Sincerely,

Ron Finklestein
www.businessgrowthexperience.com
ron@ businessgrowthexperience.com

330-990-0788

 

You Just Made me Wrong

You Just Made me Wrong

I was in a meeting a few weeks ago with a business associate and we were talking about what it means to collaborate.

When he finished his long definition, I made the statement that what he said sounds like adaptability and not collaboration.

Here looked at me as said, “You just made me wrong.”

I have been thinking about this meeting and his statement for a while and I asked myself this question: By suggesting a different definition of what he was saying, did I make him wrong? Or did he decide, that by not agreeing with him, he was wrong.

What I realized is this form of miscommunication is what causes problems in all relationships: family, business, friends, etc.

Recently, I wanted to attend an event and I could not make it because of a schedule conflict. I called the creator of the event and express a desire to attend and I was unable because of a schedule conflict. His comment was, “we can’t please everyone.”

What he was really saying is when you do an event it is hard to accommodate all schedules. What I heard was, “you are not that important.” I know this individual and we discussed the implications of that discussion and we both realized we did not communicate effectively.

Do we make others feel wrong, unimportant or insignificant?   Is it our beliefs that make us feel wrong, unimportant or insignificant?

Did the transmitter communicate wrongness or did the receiver translate what was said into wrongness?

This is where the sales process breaks down. We use words and communicate that meaning that both the transmitter and the receiver do not understand to have the same meeting.

I was in a meeting and the individual used the words, “I want to create a community of…”

When I heard the words “community” I think Facebook, LinkedIn, Monster, etc. I then asked what the word community meant and she gave me an entirely different definition. If I did not ask that question I would have taken her down a marketing path that was not what she wanted to achieve.

The real lesson here is ask, don’t assume. Clarify your words and don’t expect the receiver to understand your meaning. If you are the receiver it is ok to ask for clarification.

To Your Personal & Business Growth (because there is not difference)

Ron Finklestein 330-990-0788 ron@akris.net

p.s. Please download the free report, The Six Questions Your Prospects Want Answered Before They Buy at Http://www.businessgrowthexperience.com to prefect the message you communicate with prospects, customers, and business associates as a thank you for reading this blog post.

 

Shut the Front Door

 

I received this email form a friend and I thought it was very good advice. I am posting it here just as it was written – without edits. To provide some context, the author is an emergency room doctor who deals with the trauma of our humanity daily. Frank is a good person who asks the hard questions.  This advice is advice to live by, both in your professional and business life.

April 19th, 2012

 Shut the Front Door

“When you’re the victim of the behavior, it’s black and white; when you’re the perpetrator, there are a million shades of gray.”

-Laura Schlessinger

 

Ever ask yourself, “How do I get out of here?”  It seems like everyone in the Emergency Department is constantly complaining about someone or something!  Arrrgh!  Somedays it’s hard to even walk in the front door.  But the reality is we actually have great jobs.  The hospital is an amazing place to work where we get to do incredible things everyday.

When we really feel the need to get out of Dodge, all we need to do is shut the front door!  We, just like our patients, almost always create our own problems.  My hero Albert Einstein taught us, “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

If things are bad for us now and we want to make them good, we only need to think and act differently!

Just like there is black and white, there is wisdom and stupidity.  These opposites exist so we can see the difference.  In a place where there is no wisdom, exists stupidity.  Speech, the words we say, can be of only two types:  we can either speak wisdom, or stupidity.  If it does not help, it hurts.  It really is that black and white.

“Badmouthing Others”, “Gossip”, and “Trash Talking” can seem to bring instant relief when we are in discomfort, but this type of speech is nothing but stupidity.  This behavior of ours—and we all do it—actually creates the heaviness and toxicity we experience with each other at work.

But we always have a choice.  We can speak words of sharing, support, and positivity.  Or we can speak words of negativity and stupidity.   There is nothing neutral.  You either want to help or you actually intend hurt. It all comes down to “we” or “me.”  We is positive.  Me is negative.  We is unifying.  Me is separating.  Whatever is not “we,” must be “me.”

We need to remember that if we, in everything we do, would include the “we”, “the other guy,” then everything would work out great for everyone.  Win-Win solutions would be the norm rather than the exception.  Whenever we are thinking only of me, there is going to be trouble.  We will create chaos, we will create bad feelings, we will hold grudges and we will never be happy or satisfied.  We will be hurt, angry, sad, and disconnected.

Any interpersonal difficulty or chaos we have at work usually comes from our need to be right!  When we say something less than kind in order to prove a point or to look good, does it help or does it hurt?  Is it about “me,” or is it about “we?”

There are really only two options.  If it’s not good, it’s bad.  If it is not wise, it’s just plain stupid.  If it doesn’t help, it hurts.  If it does not unify, it separates.  So how do we speak in a balanced way?  How do we give to others and invest in ourselves at the same time?

Balance comes from setting priorities.  So make your number one priority reconnecting with your pure and altruistic desire to care, to make things better.  And when you want to say “me,” instead of “we,” simply shut the front door!

Action:  Think before you speak!  I once worked with a nurse named Wendy.  Nurse Wendy was seasoned, experienced, good with people and levelheaded.  She was a great person and such an amazing nurse.  She did not often join in the department banter or offer up unsolicited opinions.  However, when she did speak, her comments were insightful and exceptionally helpful.

One day, when I was complaining, she took me aside to offer this piece of real, sound wisdom. She told me when we are tempted to talk about someone to someone else, we should first ask ourselves three things:

  1. Do I know this story to be true, or is it something I was just told?
  2. Is it necessary for me to repeat the story?
  3. Is telling this story positive and loving, or is it destructive?

Sometimes, the easiest way out of a negative place is to just shut the front door, unless you have something really wise to inject into (y)our situation!

Give us your best!

Care, make a difference and change (y)our world!

 

Frank Pinchas Gabrin, D.O.

Thanks Frank for your wise advice. 

Ron Finklestein
Business Growth Experience
330-990-0788
ron @ businessgrowthexperience.com

www.businessgrowthexperience.com

Customers Lie

Customers Lie!

We, as sales professionals, are constantly told that customers lie. They never address the reason customers lie nor do they tell what you can do about it.

Customers lie because they do not want to hear how stupid they are if they do not understand how your product or service will help them.

Customers lie because they feel you will take advantage of them if you learn some sensitive piece of knowledge.

Customer lie because they fear you will charge a higher price if you knew how painful the situation really is.

Ok, customers lie because they need to protect themselves. They lie because we, as sales professionals, have lied to them. I cannot tell you how much sales training I have received where the instructor would say something like, “tell them what they want to hear, even if it not true, to get the appointment. You can always fix it later.” We wonder why customers feel the need to protect themselves. I refuse to be party to this kind of mind-set.

As a sales professional, we need to change that. We need to act with the best intentions and the highest effort to do what is in the best interest of our customers. We need to understand their problems and help them solve it.

As a sales professional, we have to assume they are lying to protect themselves and it is our job to act with honesty, integrity, and while having the best interest of our customer in mind at all times so they do not have to (or feel the need to) protect themselves. They understand we are on the same team.

As a sales professional, we must understand how to build rapport quickly and effectively because building rapport is the first step in building trust.

As a sales professional, we must always treat the customers the way they want to be treated so they understand why your product or service is the right and safe choice for them.

If our customers are lying to us we need to stop blaming them and implement actions that allow them to trust us.

If our customers are lying to us we must look inside and see what we are doing they makes them want to lie to us. Then we need to fix it.

To learn more check out www.akris.net

Call me if you are not getting the desired results.

 

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

www.businessgrowthexperience.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

Did anyone tell you something like this? Or How to ask for a referral!

Did anyone tell you something like this? Or How to ask for a referral!

I met with a client on Friday and he gave me this feedback:

“You helped me grow sales (2.7 to 7 new clients each month), you provided objective feedback on my ideas to provide clarity, you challenged my thinking in new and different ways so I make better decisions and everyone needs what you do. How do I tell them that?”

The more I thought about his question the more I realized that people need to experience what I do. When the process is experienced they can then make an intelligent decision to see if I can add value.

What prompted his comment? I run a group coaching process called The Business Growth Experience and as part of the process we share both good news and problems we need some help with. My good news was that I picked up three new clients as a result of referrals. My dilemma, how can I get more referrals?

Here is what they suggested. Call each of your client (who are happy with your work) and ask them to bring one of their client who they think can use your service to a lunch (I Pay) for an introduction.

What a powerful idea.

I knew about this process and simply forgot about it. So today I am going to do just that. I am going to call my clients and referral partners and ask them to introduce me to one of their client (over a lunch).

Since you read this far, send me an email and I will provide you a 30 minute free coaching session if are the first 10 reads who responds to this email. Consider this my Christmas gift to you. Send the email to ron@businessgrowthexperience.com with the subject line “Free Coaching.” In the email please provide a short description of what you want to discuss so I can prepare. Also, your time zone is important. I will then send you a link to schedule your coaching session. Please note you must use this email address and subject line or I will not see the message. This offer expires 12/15/11 so please act quickly. This offer is available to anyone.  My strengths are working with owners of small businesses to help them grow sales, increase revenues and influence others.

May your self-talk always be positive, your life meaningful, and your thoughts happy.

Ron Finklestein
www.akris.net
330-990-0788

 

 

 

“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

 

 

 

 

What is the Difference between Personal Development vs. Internal Development?

Personal Development vs. Internal Development.

What is the difference between personal development and internal development?

Personal development is intended for use by one person. Personal development is usually skills based, the learning of new skills for example.

Internal Development exists in the interior of something. Internal Development is creating change from the inside out and focuses on changing beliefs and behaviors.

In my mastermind group, the people who have been in this group for 10 years have one thing in common: the desire for internal growth. The people who do not stay with the group leave quickly if they do not share this value.

Internal development (growth) is more difficult and longer lasting, if you can be open to new things, new ways of thinking and implement what you learned.

In personal development, after a new skill is learned the purpose of participating ceases to exist.

Which is more important to you?

Ron Finklestein

ron@ronfinklestein.com
330-990-0788

www.ronfinklestein.com

To receive these posts directly please go to www.businessgrowthexperience.com and sign up for the free eBook, “Six Questions Your Prospects want Answered before the Buy.” You will then be added to the email list.

To receive great business training at an even better price please check out www.aboutbusinesssuccess.com

Ten Time Wasting, Productivity Stealing, Resulting Robbing Excuses that Make Life Hard.

Ten Time Wasting, Productivity Stealing, Resulting Robbing Excuses that Make Life Hard.

As a business coach I work with people who could improve their results and productivity by making simple yet powerful changes in their approach to decision making. If you are not achieving your desired results, here are ten possible reasons why.   As you read, think about what you are doing and why you are doing it. The biggest reason productivity suffers is because of poor decision making. This wastes time and valuable resources. Time is wasted when we confuse activity with accomplishment. Activity is purposeless action. Accomplishment is purposeful action that leads to the results you want.

Getting clear on what is important and focusing on those activities will increase your productivity, save you time, and simplify your life. Take a look at these 10 time wasting, productivity robbing, and frustrating actions people take. How many of these apply to you?

  1. Not staying focused. Stay focused on what is important and ignoring any other opportunity that comes along will increase productivity. Jumping from activity to activity will ruin your productivity!
  2. Stop Multi-Tasking. You cannot focus and do multiple things well. Your productivity suffers. You think you got a lot done but none are done well and you would have completed more had you stayed focused. Studies show that focused activities allows you accomplish more.
  3. If you are a business owner do not discount your product. You are not the Banker. On more than one occasion I wanted to help someone so I gave them some help by discounting my product. The ones that I offered this help to were the ones who valued it the least, who took the most time and accomplished the least.
  4. You do not need to be an expert. People will be confused if you explain every detail. They really want to know why it works not how it works. It helps with your confidence level to know this info but you do not have to tell everyone unless they ask. Do not spend time trying to figure out every nuance of your product. Just go do what you have to do. If someone asks you a question you cannot answer, tell them you will find out and set a date and time when you will get back with them.
  5. Stop waiting for your family’s approval. They want you safe and many time what you want, they see as risky. It is your life. Live it by your rules not theirs! Decide. Take action.
  6. Stop going to networking events. Spend your time where your prospects are, not where it is safe. Most people you meet at networking events want to sell you their product. That is why they are there. I cut way back on my networking because the same people show up. They were becoming more like reunions.
  7. Avoid the tire kicker. They want to tell the world they tried everything when in reality they will suck you dry and never take action. Do not waste your energy on tire kickers. On the flip side, work with people who are where you want to be. Be open and coachable. This will shorten your time to success.
  8. Why do you do what you do? To be truly successful, spend as much time working on you as you do on your business. Results happen when you change what you do. The best way to change what you do is to change how you think. This could be learning new things, taking different actions, and being exposed to people who think differently than you do.
  9. Stop believing the wrong thing. It is not skills that hold us back but our beliefs. Anyone can learn anything, assuming they have the desire and interest. I cannot tell you how many audio programs I listened to and did not implement what I learned. I would then listen to the same program 10 years later and wonder why I did not trust (believe, implement, execute, etc) what I first learned. I think of all the time I wasted.
  10. Do not believe your limitations. Those limitations are things you learned as a child and you do not have to have the same beliefs now. It is not your fault if you are not happy with your life as it exists today but you are responsible and you can change it. As Michelangelo once said, “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.” Aim High  and take purposeful action

 

Call today for a free consultation. I can be reached at 330-990-0788

Ron Finklestein

Business Coach

ron@businessgrowthexperience.com
http://www.aboutbusinesssuccess.com

How do you spell RESULTS?

How do you spell RESULTS?

The word “RESULTS” is unique. It is unique because it means many different things to many different people; mostly psychological (more money, better relationships, more customers, weight loss, better health, etc.)

Though the word “results” means different things to different people, the way to results has not changed, if you are willing to do the work. Let me share with you a simple process I teach all my clients to help them get clear on achieving the results the want to achieve.

R – Results – Defining a specific outcome that you want to achieve. Think of this as your intelligent self-interest, your burning desire, and the end results you will achieve.

E – Enthusiasm. You must be passionate about what you want to achieve. This enthusiasm will provide the motion to get you over the bumps you will experience. Without enthusiasm, action quickly fades.

S – Singular focus. Every decision you make must focus the outcome you want to achieve. You must measure all your actions on how your actions (or lack of) are taking you closer to your specific outcome.

U – Unvarnished truth. There are no excuses. You own it. Don’t hide from it. Don’t try to sugar coat the results with excuses like it is the economy. If something is truly outside your control, it may not be your fault but it is your responsibility. You chose to how you want to respond. You can thrown in the towel or you can draw on your enthusiasm and passion to get you through the tough times.

L – Leadership. Show your personal leadership and just do it. Lead by example.

T – Test, fail quickly, try something else, and test again. I call this failing forward. Test until you find what works (repeat as often as necessary).

S – Start the process over. Do it again. Do more of it. Do it faster. Do it with greater focus.

In the next 60 days I will be announcing a 90 days to massive results program. Let me know if you want the details and I will include you in the formal announcement.
If you would like these blog post to be emailed to you, go to http://www.businessgrowthexperience.com and download the report. “Six Questions Your Prospects Want Answered Before They Buy.” Each time a new blog is written you will get an email letting you know.

To your results,

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

Please Don’t Ring The Bell!

Have you ever felt lost, stuck, confused and closed off?

As a small business coach, I work with many small business owners who are stuck, depressed, closed off and fearful.

When I found myself in that space a few weeks ago, I had no idea what to do. I couldn’t even sleep. Four AM was my regular wake up time and I felt blessed to sleep that long.

I knew I had to call my coaches (advisors).

You see I practice what I preach. I felt weak asking them to help.

I did not want to see them. I did not want to talk to them. I did not want to share with them how it felt to feel like a failure.

But I swallowed my pride and I meet with my advisors. I put my ego in park and went to the meeting. By the way they are what I consider to be my board of advisors.

Was it scary? Yes.

Was it hard? Yes.

Was it difficult? Yes

I could go on but you get the picture.

After a difficult few hours I received this advice from one of my advisors. “You are a coach, coach yourself. Step back, remove the ego, define the problem, and fix it!” Those were hard word to hear.
I went home and felt sorry for myself (for about an hour) and started to do as advised.

I realized my problems were the same problems I help others with daily: focus, discipline, and execution. As I started to define the problem I realized I got away from the basics everyone, without exception, needs to follow.

I knew I needed to create a process I could follow to keep me focused. I spent the next few days creating, testing, implementing, and testing again. I solved this problem by creating what I call the “Promise Setting Process.”

I am so excited by the results, focus, discipline and execution that I am going to roll this out as a product in the near future.

But talking about the product is not the reason for this blog post.

The true reason for this post is the email I received from one of my advisors after our meeting. It touched me deeply, changed my perspective and gave me hope. I want to share it with you because everyone needs someone like this in their corner: someone to ask the hard questions, someone to care about them, someone who believes in their dreams, and someone to hold them to a higher standard. Here is his email.

“Thanks for sharing this morning, old friend. How much of your current questioning of your career direction is related to the feeling of helplessness from your recent encounter? When we feel “out of control” or in the dark without a flashlight, we all attempt to question our worth or direction. Those challenges in life, are more often than not, met with an insecurity as large or larger than the monster in front of us. If we didn’t feel that way, we would not be “human”. Our reaction needs to be part attentive to the issue and part “I am better than this”. Where are you? All of us at the table have stories of coming out of a personal image crisis, and you don’t need to hear those now. How you gird your loins and deal with it all with logic and fortitude will determine who you are in the coming weeks and months. May I suggest both logic (a plan) and an ego. You are a great man, with great ideas. Use them on yourself. “The only easy day was yesterday”, now what are you going to do today? Ring the bell, or put on the 90 pound pack and run the 29 miles in the top 10? I’m betting you can be right there at the finish line.”

For those of you who don’t know, when someone quits (or washes out) in the process of becoming a Navy Seal, he must ring the bell letting everyone know of his choice. Otherwise he is expected to pick up his pack and start running to the finished line.

This email prompted me to fix my own problem and I realized I am not alone with this problem. Half the world feels the same way. If I fixed it for me, then half the world needs to hear about this so they can put themselves back into control. More on this later.

Today, find someone you can call and share your fears, frustrations, pains and choices with. Don’t judge yourself, their responses or the situation you are in. When you do that you start the process of feeling free. Everyone of us needs to feel heard. We need to know someone cares.

Then make a decision, no, a promise, to make something happen. No excuses. Track your progress, measure your results. If you are not getting the results you want, repeat the process. But find someone who can help. DO NOT RING THE BELL.

Thank you to my advisors who listened, shared, and would not let me fail; who held me to a higher standard than I could hold myself. The true meaning of friendship was reinforced and redefined for me as a result of this meeting.

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

Ps. If you don’t want to ring the bell and want to understand how to “ANSWER the Six Questions Your Prospects Want Answered Before They Buy From You,” the check out About Business Success and watch the short video.

 

Last updated by at .