How to Tell If You Are Doing Too Much or Not Enough
Here’s a question I’ve heard a few times recently, from clients and class participants: “How do you know in any growth process when it’s time to be still and when it’s time to push forward? I struggle with finding the balance between activity and inactivity.” You know the deal: some days you have to take […]
Is Your Business Suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder?
This was originally written as the events following Hurricane Katrina were unfolding in Louisiana in the U.S. How in the heck do you run a business in the face of disaster? It seems heartless to focus on growing a business when an entire city has been flooded, and thousands have been killed in the blink […]
Would Being a Cross-Dressing Dairy Farmer Increase Your Repeat Sales?
Professionalism is a curse for you as a small business owner. Just the other day, I read on a discussion forum someone asking: “I’m going to be published, but should I include my website as a contact? I’m afraid it will turn off people who are more conservative.” What I wrote to her was: “Be […]
How to Get Referrals By Making Your Business a "Problem Child"
I’m guessing that you would like to have more referrals in your business. More solid referrals. More effortless referrals. Referrals like these: Two weeks ago I got sick. Fever, cough, weak. And, I was out of town teaching. My roommate had just had the same sickness a few days earlier. “You know, you need to […]
A Really Inexpensive, and Personal, Marketing Method: Custom Cards
My buddy Jason was asking me the other day about some of the systems I have put into place to make my business work. “You know, all of this heart stuff is great, but you have some smart systems that are really dialed-in, and I want to know more about them.” It’s true. I’ve been […]
Are You Forcing Your Prospective Customers to Say, "No?"
Scenario: Me, dirty, tired, exhausted from yard work. Needing to rest before going out for the evening. Hungry, too. Did I mention hungry? What else is going on? Let’s see… still somewhat upset about having to push my new book release date back, a little upset about an issue confronting an organization that I’m on […]
"Are we there yet?" – How to create overnight success in your business
A person I admire has a very successful business. He’s sharp, personable, funny, smart, and helpful. And, the products and services he provides are top-notch. He’s sold thousands of them, and his business is operating at a level much higher than mine. Then he announced that he was celebrating three years in business. What! Only […]
How to Clear Deadly "Heart Blocks" In Your Business
I have a client who just broke through a haze of vagueness in her business. When she came to me, she had some extremely powerful skills, a sincere heart, but a floundering business. What was she vague about? She wasn’t vague about the skills she brought. Nor was she vague about the value she held […]
Four Sure-Fire Ways to Connect with Your Prospects and Make the Sale
I can’t seem to let go of this “sales” theme. And the fact that my wife and I keep successfully using the Sacred $ales approaches in our relationship builds my excitement to bring them out to you. This week I was in a conversation with her, it was going along perfectly well, and then, for […]
Be a Humble Equal or Lose the Sale
I remember two sales conversations I had with prospects, both of them several years ago. One was “successful” and one was “unsuccessful,” meaning one person hired me, and the other person didn’t. But, ultimately both were unsuccessful. How can a sale be unsuccessful? When you make a sale to a new customer, whether it’s for […]