Powerful Lessons From a Mastermind Participant

Over 10 years ago I started a Mastermind group with one other gentleman. There was one individual I wanted to get to know better but we ran in different circles. I always respected this individual and told him that. I asked him if he would be willing to join me creating a group. He agreed and suggest he bring four and I would bring four (including ourselves).

We had many missteps in launching this group and creating the process we use now. We tried being a book club. That did not work. We tried using Dan Kennedy’s marketing material for discussion. That did not work. We tried being an accountability group. That did not work because we all had enough people to hold us accountable. We tried adding women to the group and that did not work (not sure why.) I tell you this because it would have been easy to throw in the towel and quit. It required open communication to work through the start-up issues and later the issues associated with creating a high performing group.

Here is what we needed to do to make the group work: Openness to give and receive constructive feedback, a willingness to be vulnerable (not easy for 7 middle-aged men), it required a commitment from all to play all out and a flexible format that allowed each person to play at the level that made sense for them that month (forgot to mention we meet monthly from 7-9 AM.)

We did turn over several people (for a variety of reasons) and we settled on a strong core of commitment members with the youngest member being in the group four years. Four of the members are original members.

At our last meeting, I asked them to talk about their biggest learning (both good and bad) they experienced in being a part of this group. Below is a summary of their answers.

“I learning how to asked good questions, not just questions.”

“I learned to be more interested in others and make myself less interesting.”

Several people mentioned the power of using “in what ways,” instead of “how,” and how it changed the both the quality of the question as well as the quality of the answer.

One gentleman spoke of how he would ask himself, “What question would the group ask of me when I share this with them?” We are his ghost accountability partners.

Another person spoke about how, “I learned to ask deeper questions and look for the connection between how someone feels about something and how they think about something.”

The consensus about the group’s success is around 100% ownership  of an issue and acting on that ownership.

One gentleman talked about the “power of transformation through the power of intention” with acceptance (not necessarily agreement) of each other and how he create lifelong friendship with each member of the group.

Others faced personal demons and with the help of the group, confronted them. Others made major life decisions (divorce, family priority, etc) based on feedback they received.

Finally, one person talked about how it is an oasis for him to be “self-reflective, force a pause in daily life and get clear on what is really important.” This allowed for a personal reboot.

I hope you understand that getting here was not easy. Beliefs were challenged, feeling were hurt, misunderstanding occurred, and  yet the group was committed to each other.

The most powerful change agent for me has been this mastermind group. I shared things I never shared before and I was accepted for all my flaws. It is a very powerful feeling to know such  respect and love.

I learned so much because everyone is a business owner or senior manager in a larger company. Sharing business problems and getting unvarnished feedback can be hard, especially if you are the problem.

There are many good groups out there. Some are business focused, some are marketing focused, and some are a combination of both. Some focus on the under 40 crowd and some on businesses with less than $10M in revenues.

Get clear on what you want from a group and visit groups you think will help. Look closely at the group’s culture. It might be a highly effective group, just not for you.   Are their members with more experience than you (you really want that, especially if business growth is your purpose.) The range of ages in our group is early 40s to late 60s.

Last resort, create your own group. Pick people who are different from you. It makes no sense to surround yourself with people just like you; how will you grow and learn without someone who not afraid to challenge you.

May Blessing Be Upon You!

Ron Finklestein
Marketing Strategist

www.akris.net
info@akris.net

 

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

The Definitive Sales Playbook: How to Grow Sales and Create Lifetime Customers

The Definitive Sales Playbook: How to Grow Sales and Create Lifetime Customers

Dr. Tony Alessandra and I are proud to announce our newest book  The Definitive Sales Playbook is now available on Amazon.  Brian Tracy was kind enough to write the Foreword.

The book was the outcome of a sales membership site Tony and I built with the help of TruNorth. The book reflects the different modules available in the site. The book is designed to be help new sales reps increase sales through the use of best practices, remind seasoned sales reps what they did to be successful and help take existing sales reps to a whole new level in their sales performance.

If you are interested in our sales training or coaching program please contact Ron Finklestein. To learn more about Ron Finklestein  or Dr. Tony Alessandra just click on the highlighted links.

I included the Table of Content for your review:

Introduction

Nine Behaviors of Successful Salespeople

The Platinum Rule ®   — Treating Others the Way They Want to be Treated!

Building And Maintaining Rapport Throughout The Connecting Phase

Building And Maintaining Rapport Throughout The Exploring Phase

Building And Maintaining Rapport Throughout The Collaboration Phase

Building And Maintaining Rapport Throughout The Confirming Phase

Building And Maintaining Rapport Throughout The Assuring Phase

Negative Preparation Leads to Positive Results!

The Power of Testimonials

Lead Generation with Social Media

Blogging as a Sales Tool

What is the number one thing that business owners want from their sales rep?

Behaviors of Non-Performing Sales vs. High-Performing Sales Reps

Why Goals Fail

How to Build Trust Quickly

Why People Won’t Buy From You!

Question #1: “What do you do?”

Question #2: “How are you different?” or “What’s in it for me?”

Question #3: “Why are you the right and safe choice?”

Question #4: “What do you do better than anyone else in the world (in your industry)?”

Question #5: “Why is that important to my prospects?”

Question #6: “Why buy from me?” or “Prove it.”

Sustaining Motivation

Bite-Sized Training

Selling by the Numbers

Identifying Lucrative Prospects

Identifying Your Best Prospects

Incoming Prospecting

Visibility Strategies for Incoming Prospecting

Prospecting

Asking for Referrals

Knowing Your Competitive Advantages

Your Competitive Advantage Statement

Contacting by Phone—Key Telephone Skills

Using the Phone as a Prospecting Tool

Contacting Prospects Online

In-Person Contacts

Common Up-Front Objections

Skills For Responding To Resistance

Three Steps to Successful Sales

Identify Customer Needs

Question Topic Categories

Exploring Important Topics

Ten Tips for More Effective Questioning

Identifying Success Criteria

Ten Commandments of Powerful Listening

Active Listening

Types of Decision Makers—Understanding the Cast of Characters

Features versus Benefits

Five Key Elements of Presentations

Proposing Solutions

Price Concerns

Product Concerns

Postponement Concerns

Product-Price-Postponement Concerns Worksheet

Negotiating Tips

Confirming The Sale Signals

Benefit Summary

Stairs of Customer Loyalty

Commitment To Your Customers

Effective Communication With Customers

Enhancing the Customer Relationship

Thirteen Ways To Assure Customer Satisfaction

Monitoring & Measuring Success Criteria

The Annual Check-Up

Expanding Your Sales

Time Analysis Questions

Return On Time Invested

ROTI Account Classification

Appendix A — Quick Reference Guide

Building Rapport Throughout the Sales Process

About Dr. Tony Alessandra

About Ron Finklestein

 

Click here to purchase the book  The Definitive Sales Playbook.

Click here to learn more about our sales training and sales coach

 

To your success,

 

Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788

 

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

This is why I do what I do!

This is an unsolicited email from a client in my sales training program. It helped me to remember why I do what I do.

Good Morning Ron;

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  I wanted to take  a few moments out and write to you because I had one of; if not the best holiday I have EVER had.  I was sitting here this morning reflecting over my weekend trying to figure out what was different this year so I could recreate it for Christmas! My realization is I was what was different this year.

To give you a brief history I come from a very broken home.  I have actually been on my own since I was 16 years old ( I left on my birthday) I had a lot of abuse both mental and physical from my parents and step-parents alike.  My father was an addict (recovering since 2003) and my mother is still an alcoholic, a functioning one but an alcoholic none the less

I love my parents but one could say I wasn’t dealt the best hand in life.  I have always tried very hard to look at things in a positive light and honestly I just never wanted to end up like my family.  I have always wanted to be the “one who got away” as corny as that sounds.  The way I see it is some people get parents and families who guide them in the ways of life. I figure I was given people who showed me what NOT to do in life.

Enough of that…Going through the program I really have been changing.  I have changed the way I am speaking and most importantly the way I have been listening.  I have learned that my mother is a socializing socializer to the extreme it is her show and if you just sit back and watch the show for a bit it doesn’t drive you crazy and she tends to tone it down some,  if she thinks she is getting the attention she so clearly needs.

My father is a director to the Hitler extreme and as long as he feels he is running the show life gets A LOT easier .  So in short thank you Ron.  Thank you for bringing some calm to my life and an understanding of my parents that I have never been able to have.

 

Thank you for the email

Ron Finklestein
here is the program this person is in http://www.businessgrowthexperience.com
330-990-0788
ron @ Akris.net

Basics of Healthy Sales Relationships

Basics of Healthy Sales Relationships

Nothing can bring more satisfaction to a business owner than knowing they have a healthy relationship with their customer and vendors.

And, of course, as many people find out, nothing can bring so much pain as a broken relationship.

Yes, relationships make the world go ‘round. For better or for worse. There are basics that govern most human relationships, and these basics are what I want to cover below. So here is my list of the three essentials that I believe make up the basics of healthy business relationships.

1.      Honesty. Honesty is the backbone of a great business relationship. If you do not trust your customers how can you expect them to trust you? I recently had an experience where the vendor really messed up and instead of telling me the truth and letting me decide how to respond, he kept the issues from me. Things got progressive worst until we split on less than friendly terms. I would have preferred to salvage the relationship if possible.

Communication is so important because it is the vehicle that allows us to verbalize what is inside us and enables it to connect with another person. Isn’t communication amazing? One person is feeling one thing, and through communication, another person can find that out and feel it, too—amazing. And this is a vital goal in good relationships—to communicate, to tell each other what we are thinking and what we are feeling. It enables us to make a connection. Sometimes we are the one speaking, and other times we are listening. Either way, the central tenet is communication for the sake of building the relationship and making it stronger. And here’s what’s exciting: If we just communicate, we can get by. But if we communicate skillfully, we can work miracles!

It helps if we can communication our message in a way our customers understand. There are six questions our prospects wants answered before they buy from us. Go to the Business Growth Experience web site  and download this report. This report documents the basic communications our prospects and customers want from us.

2.      Integrity. Do what you say you will do, when you say you will do it. Nothing is more frustrating than making a plan based on the action of someone else and then at the last-minute finding out they did not do it. Be respectful of your customers and business partners and expect the same in return. People make decisions on what you say and do; sometimes very important decisions. We need to respect that.

I once had a vendor who never returned calls. I could not make any plans and any decisions that were made always changed because of his lack of follow through. Needless to say that relationship did not last long. If he had only responded and followed through things would have been great.

3.      Common Sense. Every relationship must have a win-win component. If either person in the relationship feels taken advantage of, feelings are hurt and rash decisions are made.  Jim Rohn calls this common purpose. Think about how many friends you have met through the years while working on a common purpose. With common purpose there is something in it for everyone. You had that strong common bond of purpose that brought you together and held you together. Working together, building together, failing and succeeding together—all while pursuing a common purpose—that is what relationships are made of. Find people with whom you have common purposes and sow the seeds of great relationships, and then reap the long-lasting benefits.

To Your Success,

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

 

Why People do not Trust You!

Why People do not Trust You!

People do not trust you!

Why should they?

There is so much information available and much of it is junk.

How do we get through the unsolicited info?

How to we manage the onslaught of information and determine what is real?

How do we know the info is the most current?

How do we deal with the contradiction?

Unless you can help your prospects and clients answer he above questions they will never trust you.

There are six questions your prospects want answered before they buy from you.

Go here www.businessgrowthexperience.com and download my free report that not only helps you define those six questions, it will help you answer them.

Ron Finklestein

330-990-0788 ron@ businessgrowthexperience.com

Want to learn more call for your free assessment!

15 Things and Some Feedback

I wanted to share with you some articles to help you grow sales and share with you some good news.

First the good news: We open a Business Growth Experience Sales Rainmaker office in Solon. This office will be run by Tom Schroth. This is important to you as a client, because you can attend any of our sales training session, in any office, as part of your membership in the Business Growth Experience. Our goal is to make life easy for you and you can expect more announcements. To find out more call Tom @ (440) 836-4211 / tom@tomschroth.com.

Many people have wrong ideas of what selling is all about. We challenge these myths in this brief article entitled: 15 Things I wish my Mother told me about Selling

If the hyperlink does not work just click here: http://businessgrowthexperience.com/?p=801

Many people go about asking for referrals in a way that leaves a bad impression. Here is one I recently encountered that I want to make you aware of so you do not make the same mistake. The article is called: How to Alienate your Referral Partners

If the hyperlink does not work just click here: http://businessgrowthexperience.com/?p=781

Many people in sales understand how important it is not to take things personally. When you realize it is just feedback you can respond as the situation calls for not jump to conclusions.

If the hyperlink does not work just click here: http://businessgrowthexperience.com/?p=768

To learn more we are conducting a workshop on how to grow sales. It is 10/10/12 at the Wellness Center in Montrose. In this workshop you will learn some of the common “secrets” successful sales people know and use daily: Six reason prospects do not buy, the one major hurdle we must all overcomes, three proven ways to grow sales and so much more. There is no charge but registration is required.  We are filling up fast and I would encourage you to sign up now while you are thinking about it. We are limited on space and we are only allowing ten people into this event. If the hyperlink does not work just click here: http://becomearainmaker.eventbrite.com/

Lastly, we like helping people grow sales, increase revenues and shorten the sales process. As a result we are making available to you a eBook to simplify your sales process. If you are having trouble getting in front of the right people or closing the sales, this report is for you. It is called Six Questions Your Prospects Want Answered BEFORE They Buy. Just go to WWW.BUSINESSGROWTHEXPERIENCE.COM to download your report.

To Your Success,

Ron Finklestein
330-990-0788

ron @ businessgrowthexperience.com

p.s. please drop me an email and let me know how you are using the articles I post. I will share selected comments going forward as a way to share ideas transfer knowledge.

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

Well I hate being sold to!

I have been a big fan of Neuromarketing. Neuromarketing is simply understanding how the brain like to process information and creating a marketing message that resonates with the brain. A business associate of mine, Dennis Andrew, wrote a really good article on how to sell using some simply Neuromarketing techniques. Below is his article unedited. I know you will enjoy this.
If you want to reach Dennis here is contact info: Dennis Andrew, NNOS Studios, 503.877.4880 ~ direct

 

It seems that most of the emails I get are just selling, selling, selling. Well I hate being sold to. When I meet someone I want to know how they think, not if I’m a qualified buyer.

Here’s a bit of info you’ll probably enjoy. It’s on how clients make decisions.

Understand that the “decision-making” part of the brain is like a child, not an adult. It needs to be unlocked, not forced. It doesn’t choose something because it is a logical decision. If it did, everyone’s products would be sold. People make decisions based on emotions and (after the decision is already made) then it mixes with another part of the brain that FINDS (creates) a logical justification.

To unlock it, you must work around the fact that this part of your client’s brain is self-centered. That’s why it is all about them and little about you or your company. This part is always searching for any disruptions and things out of the ordinary. It is also searching for things that are familiar, concrete, recognizable…all tangible input.

Be sure to use contrast like before/after, fast/slow, with/without, and express it visually as much as you can. The optic nerve is some 40x faster than the auditory nerve.

When you engage with them, it is the beginnings and endings that get remembered. Talk about the most important info first and repeat it at the end. Don’t talk about who you are and what you do first.

Since we all have preconceived biases about products/services, it is very important to note that we rate experiences not by the experience as a whole, but by the best/worst moments, and the beginning/ending. What is ugly (or beautiful) here, is that we form our perception of the person/company by the ending of the experience. Don’t end the client experience with a bill.

People don’t remember you by what you tell them, but by how you made them feel. Likewise, they won’t remember your company by what they gave you or got from you, but by how they FELT as a result of that.

Clients’ brains are looking for the gap…what you offer that others don’t. Present these in sets of three. The brain likes “3.”

I ran across a statistic showing that people are willing to pay 4x the price if they know they’re getting twice the value. If the value of your product is unknown, only then does price become the default differentiating factor between you and competition. Price is what they pay, value is what they get.

Don’t sell the features, sell the benefits those features provide.

If you have any question or want to learn the six questions your prospects want answered before they, go to www.businessgrowthexperience.com and download the free report.

If you want to learn more on how to grow your business, give me a call. We specialize in helping business owners grow sales, increase revenues and shorten the sales process.

Sincerely,
Ron Finklestein
www.ronfinklestein.com
330-990-0788
ron@businessgrowthexperience.com

 

Eleven Cardinal Sins of a Sales Representative.

Eleven Cardinal Sins of a Sales Representative.

If you are in sales or wonder why your sales are suffering, ask yourself if you are hurting yourself by:

  1. Being desperate. If you are desperate, do not let the prospect see it. It will chase them away faster that junk yard dog.
  2. Being artificial. People are looking for authenticity in their relationships, especially a sales relationship. People want to know you can be trusted.  You do not want your prospects thinking of you as Jerry Springer.
  3. Being unprepared. There is no excuse for not being prepared. With the internet you can find most everything you need to know before the sales call. You can bet the prospect did his homework on you. You are not John Wayne. Don’t try to wing it.
  4. Not planning your sales call. Walking into meeting without an agenda is inexcusable. I was in a meeting where the sales rep did not have an agenda and he did not confirm what he thought was the agenda, and the prospect was not happy.
  5. Being late. Most prospects take being last as a sign of disrespect: of his time. This is a great way to start off on the wrong foot.
  6. Taking longer than you said. If you asked for 30 minutes don’t take a minute longer. Ask for permission to continue if you must or schedule a second meeting.
  7. Not focusing on solving the problem. Most business owners are busy and they do not care to create a relationship with you unless they have a reason. Talking about your hunting trip may be fun for you but your prospect is not particularly interested. Focus on him and his problem.
  8. Talking too much. If you are talking you cannot be listening to the prospect and his problems. A great sales rep is an excellent listener. They listen with purpose: to understand.   Watch Dr. Phil if you want to see how it is done.
  9. Being a liar. Be honest. If you cannot help them tell them. They will respect that and listen the next time you request a meeting. Jim Carey you’re not (I hope)!
  10. Being a liar again. Don’t lie and tell them your product does something it can’t. It takes a short time to destroy your reputation you took a life time to build.
  11. Not be respectful. Do what you say you will do when you say you will do it. Many times a prospect needs something from you to do his work. Deliver what you said you would when you said you would do it.

 

Need help with growing sales, increasing revenues and shortening the sales process? Give me a call for a free not obligation discussion of your most pressing sales issues.

 

Ron Finklestein
Business Growth Experience
www.aboutbusinesssuccess.com

330-990-0788 / ron@businessgrowthexperience.com

 

Making the Most of Your Networking Time

Making the Most of Your Networking Time.

I was facilitating a Business Growth Experience group today and we were discussing the value (or lack of) different networking events.

Assuming the networking event is the right networking event for you, here is how you can make the most of any networking event you attend:

  1. Treat it as a job. Be serious. You are not there to eat or drink, you are there to meet people.
  2. Set a goal for the event. How many A contacts do you want to meet?
  3. When you receive someone’s business card determine if and when a follow-up is required. I do this by writing a A, B, or C on the back of the card. A means immediate follow-up for immediate opportunity, B means follow in the next few days, possible opportunity, and C means I send them a “nice to meet you” email and file the card.
  4. After you meet your goal, eat, drink and be merry.
  5. Next day do your follow-up.

Ron Finklestein
Business Growth Facilitator
Need high quality, low-cost business training? If so check out http://www.aboutbusinesssuccess.com.

 

The Power of Focus. The New Way to Get Results

One of the biggest problems I see with small business owners is that they chase the money. When you chase the money, you lose focus, and people do not know what you stand for.

Focus is principle number 6 of my Nine Principles for Inspired Action.

After working with a client in the Business Growth Experience and suggesting she gets focused, I received the following email less tha a week later.

“I also want to give you some feedback on a suggestion you made for me in the last Business Growth Experience meeting. We discussed just focusing on 3 types of businesses. Well I’m getting more referrals for those types of businesses. I’m truly amazed. I’ve received about 10 referrals between cleaning, insurance, and real estate in the last week. Thank you.”

Stop chasing the money. Get focused on your customer. The money will come.

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

 

 

Trust But Verify

I published a blog post about the Speed of Trust last week and how quickly things get done when you trust someone. I received this email from a friend that suggested trust takes time to develop.

Here is his comment: I would like to suggest that “”Speed of Trust” entry, because your point here is so precious and powerful.  Trust takes time, not to mention “due diligence” of a different sort, no?”

My Response: “…trust does not necessarily take time – in the early stages it takes verification. Think of it as trust but verify. What the article did not say was that Buffet makes the  decisions quickly, he does send in a team to do high level verification. The point is he trusted the reputation, he validated that trust through due diligence. He did not go overboard but he does do his diligence. ”

Trust must start somewhere. If the rapport is there and there is a common understanding between all the parties, start the trusting process – but verify. Contracts are used for this purpose – to implement the verification process. Contracts define what each party will do, what happens if they don’t do what they said, how to dissolve the relationship if things do not work, etc. Once everyone understand roles, responsibilities and expectations, the actual act of trust can be verified.

Some of you are thinking that if you trust someone you do not verify. That may be true if it is a long-standing relationships but early on the in a relationship, trust needs to start with the first step. Take the first step. Verify the correct actions were completed and take the relationship to a new level.

BTW, this post is oriented towards the business relationship. Personal relationship have a different tone and texture. Trust usually does take a bit longer in the personal relationship. With that said, how many women run a background check BEFORE they get involved. They want to verify what they know and think they understand before moving forward. This is just a different type of verifying.

To Your Success,

Ron Finklestein
Business Training

For Business Growth

To Have Ron Speak

 

Living on The Edge of Chaos…

Living on The Edge of Chaos…

We all live on the edge of chaos every time something changes. It does not matter what the change is or when the change occurred. This change can be personal, national, financial, emotional, or psychological. It can be external or internal. When change happens  we are forced to move to the edge of chaos to deal with it.

This is particularly true if the situation forcing our change is new to us: divorce, bankruptcy, unanticipated wealth, death of a loved one, business failure, rules change, failed relationships, etc.

Living on the edge of chaos is where all great ideas happen and real change (personal, professional, interpersonal) occurs. This is what we need to learn to deal with and manage so it does not destroy us, force us into fear based decisions or make us complacent.

Living on the edge of chaos forces us to think differently to solve a problem. Living on the edge of chaos forces us to make sometimes painful choices, to think differently about a situation, to solicit new inputs, and take new actions to eliminate the pain this change has caused.

Living on the edge of chaos, for this change to be effective, requires we take in data that may not have been important in the past. It requires we take total ownership for the situation, for in total ownership are we empowered to take the action required. If we do not own something we cannot effective change it.

Living on the edge of chaos requires we think about situation from a more global perspective. It requires we see things as they are, not as we want them to be. It requires we understand the impact of our actions on others. It requires we make an informed, responsible and deliberate choice.

If you are living on the edge of chaos and want help, call me. I can help because I have been living on the edge now for quite a while. It is not fun but with the right tools, support, and perspective, great things can happen if you have the disciple to let them.

Creating order out of chaos required creating (or recreating) a sense of order that puts you back in control and allows you be flexible enough to deal with the problems of being human.  It does not require you judge yourself. If does require you evaluate your actions and how you contributed to the chaos. Be gentle with yourself but be fair and objective.

To managing Chaos and Creating Results.

Ron Finklestein

330-990-0788
www.aboutbusinesssuccess.com
ron@akris.net

 

 

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.

 

10 Steps – Blue Print to Success

Jason Orman sent this out and it is so good I thought I would share it.

Here are the 10 steps. Enjoy the read.
http://www.ronfinklestein.com.php53-8.dfw1-1.websitetestlink.com/110-blue-print-for-achievement.html

Ron Finklestein
Consultative Business Coach
330-990-0788
ron@akris.net

What is the Difference between Being Effective and Efficient?

I recently ran Business Mastery Advisory Boards for small business owners (www.rpfgroupinc.com) and this problem came up time and time again: owners not doing something because it takes to long.

You want an example? One business owner did not do billing because it took over one hour to create an invoice and he did 10 invoices a month. His total process should take 10 minutes per month.

The problem: he tried to force fit a tool that he used every day to do a task it was not designed for. He was using Outlook to do time and billing functions. He was over thinking it by trying to save money. As a result he did not do his billing until the end of the year and he let his clients use thousands of dollars of his money for free for almost a year. When we looked at his existing process, he came to the conclusion he could make this change in just a few hours.

If he focused on being effective, the right amount of efficiency would have been introduced. Since he focused on efficiency, his effectiveness was being compromised. Effective in this case was producing an invoice monthly in the fastest, more effective time frame possible.

Time is short. It is the only thing was have. Focus on the best use of your time, not the more efficient use of your time.

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


 

Discipline

Be Disciplined by Creating Corporate Habits that Work Discipline is controlled behavior resulting from training and self-control. Your mind is made up. You have decided to achieve your marketing goals.

 

Being disciplined means you will not abandon your goals. Discipline has taught you that business life is not smooth and that there will be rough spots. Experience has taught you that by being disciplined, you can get through the tough spots. Your eye is on the target, and you have the discipline of a laser-guided missile; you seek out your objectives, and your focus never falters. Think of discipline as the creation of personal and corporate habits that you do over and over again, because they work.  

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