DON'T Build a Customer List - Build Relationships

Marketing 101 - Build a list of prospects and clients for the purpose of future sales and on-going income.

Wise Marketing 101 - Build a list of friends and future friends so that you can keep in touch, help them when and if then need help, and give them tangibly valuable information that will help them today. Be truly interested in their well-being - not your own.

The spirit behind the communication to your friends and future friends can be felt - even across the internet. So what's most important in using your list effectively is your heart's intention for the well-being of your friends. It doesn't really matter how skilled you are at copy writing or how smart you are. It matters how well you connect. And true connection takes a true heart. It takes a vulnerable heart - which requires far more bravery than bravado.

So stop thinking of your "list" in terms of dollar signs or "a hassle" and instead each time you send an e-mail or make an offer - imagine you're sending it to your best friend. You don't ignore your friends, you don't spam your friends, you don't dump your friends if they don't buy your service or product right now. You build a relationship with your friends.

"Some of the biggest challenges in relationships come from the fact that most people enter a relationship in order to get something. They're trying to find someone who's going to make them feel good. In reality, the only way a relationship will last is if you see your relationship as a place that you go to give, and not a place that you go to take." - Anthony Robbins

Think Of A Number Between 1 And 100.....

Because If You Don't - The Number Is ZERO

You've read the books, you've listened to countless videos, you've attended webinars and conventions and now you have the knowledge that you need to run your small business, MLM or online business. You're making the income you want and everything is just great. Right?

Maybe not so right. One of the biggest mistakes in the small business community is that they forget about the numbers. Numbers are critical to any business. But they are often the most ignored. The biggest reason that I've seen for this is that people take numbers personally. Numbers are tools - whether its the number of customers, phone calls, Twitter followers, or the amount that's in your bank account. A number is just a measurement tool that should be used for information.

If you're not making the kind of money that you want - that's great information!! It tells you to change course, to take different action - to take any action, to change your market niche, your marketing methods, your product mix, your social media. It's telling you something about business - not about your worth as a person.

But most small business owners don't want to look at the numbers. They bury their heads in the sand and pretend that they don't matter. Honestly though, like anything else important that we ignore, they scream louder and louder and LOUDER until we finally listen. Often, by then, it's too late and a crisis reaction takes place. Yikes - reacting in crisis is costly to mind, body and spirit.

Maybe you're thinking that concentrating on numbers takes the humanity out of your business. Not if you think of it positively - some examples might be:

I help 5 people a month get into better shape.

I help 10 people a month to achieve their financial goals.

I help 200 people a month to get XXX product at the best price.

Numbers critical to every business:

Monthly financial goal
Number of customers or units to achieve monthly goal
Number of leads or prospects needed to contact to attain the number of customers/units

So don't be a ZERO - think of a number.

Relevant scriptures: Proverbs 23:7, 1 Peter 2:9, Matthew 25:14-30

If You're Struggling in Business - Think of Goats

Small business, like every other aspect of our life, is a wonderful opportunity for learning and personal growth. There are seasons where things run smoothly and click right along. We like those seasons don't we? And then there are periods of time where the Lord is stretching us to a new place - this is the time where He trims away aspects of our "selves" and replaces them with more of Him.

Almost without exception we humans struggle and fight these growing pains until we finally relinquish our will to the Lord and give Him control of the things that we were never really in control of to begin with. Our friend Jacob "wrenched" his hip during one such struggle (Gen 32:24-25). The Lord says we are His sheep - but we're so stubborn sometimes that I think we're more like goats.

I was reminded of this last week when I helped my friend Joan shear 7 of her goats. We were a little late in the season to be shearing, so the goats had long and sometimes matted wool. Just like us humans sometimes, there was a great deal of "stuff" to remove. It was my job to hold the goats still during the process so they wouldn't get injured by the shears. Each goat started out fairly cooperative. But the longer the shearing went on - the more they started to struggle - especially as we got to some of the more "tender" parts of the body. Some struggled so much that I had to hold them very, very tight. Some got nicked by the shears. During this last part, I whispered in their ear: "It's almost over - you'll feel better when it's done - I promise".

That's when it hit me. This is what our Father does when we're going through our stuggles. His strong arms are around us the whole time that we are being "sheared". He never lets go of us. And when it gets to the end when we get to the core of the struggle - our tender parts - He whispers in our ear. "I'm right here. I've always been here. We're almost through. You'll feel better - I promise".

So no matter what your problem is in your small business, whether its finances, marketing, product mix, employee relations, customer retention (you get the idea), take a lesson from our friends the goats. You can struggle all you want and maybe get a little nicked up in the process. Or you can stop resisting and just know that the Lord is holding you tight and whispering in your ear. It is His business after all - isn't it?

Gotta go and put a bandaid on now -

Barb the goat.... baaaaa

Golf and Network Marketing

I'm not a golfer - but the rest of my family loves to golf. Seems like a waste of a beautiful day chasing a little ball around a course - especially when you slice the ball (again) and goes into the rough or a stupid sand trap. But watching the US open at Pebble Beach reminded me of a great deal of the success and failure in small business - especially in network, MLM, and Internet marketing.

Most people join an MLM or network marketing company with the purest of intentions. They want to better provide for their family, spend more time at home and overall improve the quality of their life and the lives of their loved ones. I know many wonderful and talented people (women in my circle of influence mostly) who have been working their on-line businesses for months and haven't seen a penny of income. They follow the guidelines, attend vast numbers of seminars, and spend a great deal of money on classes, products and advertising. And because no money has been made - they feel like failures.

So how does this relate to golf? Seems a little random - but it's not really. First of all, the golfers at Pebble Beach didn't start out making millions of dollars. In fact they probably didn't start playing golf with the idea of making money at all. They love the game. Their love of putting that silly little white ball just where they want it to go is what drives them forward (pardon the pun). And it's that consistent and persistent goal to get better that allows them to make the millions.

How would it make sense to anyone that if you don't love what you do or what you sell that you could make any money doing it? Making money is only the by-product of doing what you love. Sure there are people whose only goal is making money - but those people probably aren't reading this blog.

The thing is that these wonderful friends of mine have learned a great deal from their adventures in on-line business. Almost all of them, to a T, are fabulous Internet marketers and know more than 95% of the world about marketing on the Internet. They discovered and developed skill sets that they didn't know that they had. They write articles, build websites, are social media queens and net workers extraordinaire. But they still haven't made a dime.

So here's a thought for those of you who might be finding yourself in a similar situation as my friends. Stop thinking of yourself as a failure. If you don't love selling ________________ (fill in the blank) then maybe it's time to move on to your next step. Maybe now that you know how to market and have discovered new skill sets that you never knew you had, maybe it's time to stop doing what you don't like to do and start doing what you love. Market the skills you've learned to other network marketers. The good Lord has given us all gifts and talents. So market your ideas, your homemade crafts, your non-profit, your small business, your photography. Leverage the power of the Internet just like you've learned to market you.

Take a tip from those crazy golfers. Do what you love. Be consistent and persistent. Keep your eye on the ball - then swing with all your good effort.

Then yell FORE really loudly. And sooner than you think - you'll make that hole in one.

FORE!!!!!

Plan for Success - Plow the Paperwork Mountain Down

I see so many small business owners and on-line entrepreneurs burdened by unaccomplished tasks. And everyday that the task goes undone - the larger the burden becomes. The mental weight of the undone thing becomes larger than the job itself. It's a negative snowball effect which turns a molehill into a mountain.

Here's what most business owners do to solve the problem: they tell themselves over and over again that they need to get it done. But telling yourself you need to get something done and doing it are two different things. OR I hear business owners say time and again that their not good at some aspect of their business that's vital to their success. Telling yourself that your not good at something only re-enforces that in your brain. So you'll never get good at it. So the simple solution is to stop talking and start doing.

We all know that this is easier said than done. Especially if your desk looks like a paper tornado just passed by or if you have 6 months of banks statements still in their envelopes. In business, there's no way around this mountain - you have to go through it. So start at the beginning.

Decide to do something and schedule time to do it. If you don't plan it on your calendar - it won't get done. Whether you want to just get it over with and schedule a full day or you want to tackle the job an hour or two at a time, schedule it and stick to it. In my experience it takes 2-4 hours per month that you're behind to catch up. So if you haven't filed or done your bookkeeping in 6 months it will take 12 - 24 hours to catch up depending on the nature of your business.

Recruit friends or family members to help or hire someone to help - just having someone working along side you will help get the job done and keep you accountable.

Here's the road map that I use when I help someone over the paperwork mountain:

1. Get your paperwork organized into the following categories: financial documents (bank statements, credit card statements, accounts receivable), filing (receipts, correspondence, important papers), contacts & customers (follow up phone calls, updating contact and customer lists), other (whatever is left over).

2. Start with the hardest job first - for most people this is the bookkeeping and related work like accounts receivable and collections. Getting this job done first creates a great sense of relief for most small business owners.

3. Remember to delegate.

4. Take a break if you get overly frustrated but stick to the time you've allotted to get this done.

5. Reward yourself for sticking to your goals.

6. Congratulate yourself when you've finished plowing down the mountain.

7. Schedule time every day, week or month to deal with your paperwork or hire someone to do it for you. You don't want to have to go through mountain plowing again - it's really hard work.

Just get started and it will get done!

Still Learning - Remembering and Using our Strengths

I've recently been through a period of testing and trial in my life. And through that time, I've forgotten who the Lord made me to be. I forgot who I was in Christ. I allowed the voice of the enemy to ring loudly in my ears. Probably because his words were spoken by someone whom I loved and cherished so very much.

Then the Lord encouraged me to start my own business. And to tell the truth, I didn't have a very successful start. I wandered around in the wilderness trying to emulate others and find success while in the midst of believing lies about my strengths and concentrating on the sins of my past. I believed the words of the one I loved instead of THE ONE who loves me.

You may not have had this same experience, but perhaps you're in the same position - not knowing or remembering what your strengths are, especially as it relates to business. If you've been called to start a small business or already have one and just can't seem to find your groove, here's what worked for me. Maybe it will help you as well.

First, be encouraged and know that the Word of God is true. He made you for a reason and gave you a unique set of skills, talents and gifts (Psalm 139:14). He wants you to share these with others - so that they can see His light shine through you (Luke 8:16). Recruit your friends, family or church family to reflect truth to you (1 Cor 13:12). Ask those that really love you to think about and then tell you your three greatest interpersonal and business strengths. Know that if you pray about this, that the Lord will answer you (although not always in the way you think He will).

If you listen with a discerning spirit and open heart you will find your way through the small business wilderness and find your purpose. The Lord will tell you how He wants to use the wonderful gifts that He gave you. You'll accept that the Creator of the universe has a purpose for you. Most of all you'll remember how unique, special and loved you are.

I pray that you come to know how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and that He uses your business venture to show you.

Here's a video that may be of some encouragement: http://wisdomfilms.com/?a=tr&cid=31370

Learning Who You Are Through Business

The good Lord uses many avenues to teach us about Him and about ourselves. For the small business owner, whether brick and mortar, home-based or on-line, tackling hurdles as you start or grow a small business can be an amazing learning experience.

With an open, grateful and willing spirit, business owners can discover so much about themselves and their mindset while walking through the maze of business ownership. The challenge comes in finding, concentrating on and developing abilities instead of focusing on weaknesses.

Remembering and using our strengths and gifts glorifies the Lord - since He's the one that endowed us with these "talents" to begin with. To stay focused, it's helpful to acknowledge and give thanks everyday for these skills. And since we know that He does nothing without purpose, to me it's imperative that we ask each day how He wants us to use them so that we many serve Him throughout the course of running our business.

It's so easy to get caught up in the daily grind, money, tasks, schedules, marketing and the thousands of other aspects of running a small business. But in order to succeed, we must first remain grateful for what we have. Then we can concentrate on our weaknesses (things that we don't have).