This week I was reminded about how important it is for us to really focus on and believe in the H.C.I.S.Y Business Model. The How Can I Serve You business model has slowly been coming to the surface now for the past few years – finally!  It may be the model you already follow or it may be the model that you are moving into.  Which ever it is – Welcome!

It hasn’t always been this way, and I remember when first starting out in business nearly twenty years ago, how an ‘expert’ made me feel wrong for wanting to focus on my clients success, rather than the money I could make. 

In this particular business training course, we were asked the reason why we were in business.  Most answered that they wanted to make money, whilst there were a few of us who actually spoke about our passion for being in business and the difference we felt we could make. 

Ever wondered where your next customer is coming from?  You’ve a great track record with your customers, they love what you do, but it seems that no-one other than your existing customers know about you. And you’re on a constant cycle of trying to bring more customers into your business. It’s often a frustration that I hear when I begin working with my students.

Over the past few months we’ve been sharing with you some of the strategies you can put into place to visually ‘get out there’, and today I’ve asked Kim Larochelle from Dennis Rutzou Public Relations to share with you some strategies about how to identify a news angle for your business.

As Kim explains, “It has been proven time and time again that media coverage (i.e. editorial published or broadcasted by media outlets) is much more credible and effective than advertising. The general public has become desensitised to advertising, understanding that the organisation behind it paid to have control of the content.”

What’s important to remember here is capturing the journalist’s attention is paramount is securing their interest in you and your story.

Below are Kim’s strategies for finding your news angle that will increase the likelihood of your story being newsworthy:

New is news

The release of new products or services is significant and this ‘newness’ gives your organisation a promotional advantage - this news value should be capitalised on while it is still current.

Timely

An angle that ties in with a hot topic, trend or current affair.

Human interest

People are interested in people! Show the ‘human’ element behind your business - challenges you have overcome, charity or local school you support, an interesting employee program, or corporate social responsibility.

News catalyst research

“According to a recent survey by…” - The media goes nuts for statistics and trends! One way to gain these is to undertake some research either via an existing database, via your website or through a research company.

A list

“The top 20 trends…” or “Ten tips for…” are headlines that appear on a daily basis in the media. Review trends that are happening in your industry or look at tips that your customers would benefit from, and format these into a media release.

Industry case study

Successful case studies of your clients using your services or products are particularly effective and interesting to media outlets in your industry. In addition, case studies carry an implied endorsement from your clients, showing you off as the organisation behind their success.

Launch a competition or organise a giveaway

The ‘Best job in the world’ competition by Queensland Tourism is the optimum example of a successful competition launch. But on a smaller scale, many media outlets run giveaways for their readers or viewers. 

Create or take advantage of an existing national ‘something’ day, week or month

Does your organisation have any relevant association with events like ‘Movember’, ‘World Environment Day’ or ‘International Women’s Day’? You might be able to come up with an angle that ties in with these events or even create your own!

Let me know how you go with creating your own news angles! 

If you would like to learn more about how publicity can impact the bottom line of your business, then you will want to listen to Kim as she presents at this month’s Business Building Blocks Inner Circle – Tuesday 12^th April at 8pm (Sydney Time)!

“You're right, Deb, blogging is such a powerful way of developing a relationship with your community, or tribe, or circle of friends (whatever you call them!). Twitter is like a calling card. Facebook is like a phone call. And blogging is like a full-fledged conversation!”. This is the comment  Sharon O’Day (http://sharonoday.com), left for me about my article on blogging last week, and I wanted to share it with you as I feel it encapsulates what you can really achieve by regular, consistent blogging.

You’ve heard it all before – the way we do business is changing and it changes every day, whether you like it or not.  Business owners are looking for more creative, cost effective and  unique ways in which they can market their products and services to their clients and customers.  Why not add blogging to the mix?

As Sharon mentioned, blogging is about having a fully-fledged conversation with not only your current clients, but also your potential clients.  These are the people, who up until now, may not have thought they needed to work with you, or buy from you.

In my first article on blogging, I spoke about understanding what your niche is and the areas you have experience in.  This time, I want you to focus on the benefits and results that you want your blog to provide your readers, so that you can really start the conversations.

Ask yourself:  “What benefit/s will my clients receive from reading my blog? What will keep them coming back, day after day to learn from me?  What do I need to do, to engage with those who are following me and my blog?”

Firstly, what is the mission or purpose of your blog? Do you know?  If not, take time over the next day or so and think about this question.  Once you are clear on the reason you are writing your blog, then you can let your clients know.

For example:  My blog is committed to providing small business owners with ideas, strategies, tools and knowledge about how to market and grow their businesses.  Some of the areas that I write about include: the best ways to identify and target your ideal clients, how to attract more clients through your specific messages and offers, and what you need to do from a personal level to develop your successful business.

Secondly, why would your clients want to visit your blog regularly? Once you’ve identified the purpose of your blog, think about why your clients would want to keep coming back to your blog.  What are the results/benefits you provide to their challenge and/or problems?  What are you providing that is different to the blog up the road?  What value do they receive from your blog?

For example, if you are a boat trailer company who specialise in fixing boat trailers, your readers may look at your blog to find out how they can maintain their trailers outside of the boating season. A variety of other topics may include where the best local boat launching ramps are, safety considerations when taking their boats away with them on holidays, or something different like how to keep the kids happy when you are out boating or fishing. A key here is to provide information that others aren’t bothering to share or explore with their clients.

Thirdly, test, test and re-test.  Blogging is about creating a community that will want to communicate with you.  If readers are not commenting regularly on your blog, then you need to take some time to identify what isn’t hitting the spot.  Working out what works for your readers takes research,some experimentation, time, and overall testing.  So take the time to evaluate your blog regularly and make the necessary changes as you see fit.

If you are still feeling resistance around the whole blogging process, I want to reassure you that really you can't mess it up.  Even if you don't get a response after your first, fifth, or tenth post, remember that every post is a new day!  Don't get caught up in trying to be the next literary genius, trying to make it perfect, just be natural, in the chosen "voice" of your business.

Let me know how you go!  And continue to provide me with  your thoughts or fears on blogging?  What benefits have you seen for yourself or others when they blog regularly?  I would love for you to share your thoughts with us.

Every once in a while, life hands you a lesson about something you teach your clients every day...

Over the past few weeks, I had been cataloging all my training audios and webinars, thinking about how I can add more value to these products for you.  One thought has been to have them transcribed, so not only will you have the audio or webinar available in audio/video form, but also as text.  I've been keeping a look out for someone who I can trust and rely to transcribe them for me.

A funny thing happened last week when I noticed a post on Facebook, where a friend mentioned that he recently had an interview transcribed by a contact of his.  Bingo – I’ve found someone to contact in relation to transcribing these into the written word.  It was a recommendation from someone who I not only respect, but trust.

It also made me think about this; How do we make purchases?  Now, I know there is a complete theory around the buyers’ journey (which I will be presenting to the North Sydney & CBD Athena Network in Feb ;-)). For now however,I'm going to keep this simple and ask: "Do you buy from people you trust, know, and like when you have a specific need?"

Let’s have a look at three ways in which people will buy from you….

1)  Current client.  If you are already satisfied with the service and experience you currently receive, you will buy again.  And you will most likely continue to buy as long as you stay satisfied. 

As the supplier of this service it is up to you to make sure that your current clients are in fact satisfied. I would take this one step further and encourage you to look at the experience your current clients are receiving.  As you have no doubt heard me say many times before, your clients will stay with you because of the experience they receive from you. It’s important to make this experience worth staying for!

2)  Referral source. This is what happened for me when I was starting to look for someone to transcribe my programs!  Normally, if I have a need for something, I will ask those within my immediate network that I trust, if they know of or have used someone suitable.  I may also send it out on Twitter or Facebook, which usually takes just a few minutes to give me a number of names I can follow up with.

A question to ask yourself:  "Are you on the top of people’s recommendation list for your industry?  If not, what can you do to be at the top of this list?"

3) Have a relationship, but have not yet purchased.  You may belong to a networking group, where other members may like you and trust you, but they have not yet purchased from you. This may be fine for the moment, but when they do have a need for your particular service, how can you make sure you are the first person they think of calling?

These are only three ways in which people may purchase from you, and I know you may have more ideas about this.  What I like about these three methods, is that there is already a level of trust involved in the purchasing process, as well as an established relationship. You can cut through many buyers' objections when you have this level of trust in your relationship.  And for me, I would much rather spend the time to develop strong, trusting relationships when doing doing business...

What do you think?

I always find the time immediately after a holiday, as an exciting time in business.  Your thinking is clearer and more creative, and you are open to possibilities that you may not have been just prior to your break.  I know this has been the case for my VIP mentor clients and myself!  There is a buzz in the air around business, and it’s as if everyone has their mojo back!  Do you feel the same?

If so, you’re ready to do things differently……

You want to know what are the core foundations you have to put in place for your success in 2011.  You know that 2010 doesn’t count anymore, as this is the New Year!

So, here are two key foundations that you will want to put in place for your success in 2011… 

1.  Taking action, without any excuses!

Taking action and being persistent is the difference between the successful and the not so successful.  It’s something that I learnt many years ago in my very first business!  After studying successful business people and then being mentored by some of these individuals, I realised that the difference between them and myself, was that they took action.  They made their decisions and acted upon them almost immediately!  They believed in themselves and they trusted the vision they held for themselves. 

Unlike myself, who at that time, would…make a decision, think about it, research it a little more, maybe do a course about it, think about it a little more, second guess myself…. (I know, you get the drift here now)…and then wonder why I was still running around chasing my tail while making limited profits!  Sound familiar?

It wasn’t until one of these mentors stopped me in my tracks one day, and said: “Deb, it’s time for you to stop thinking about it, stop learning about it, and just start doing it.  You spend too much time ruminating and not enough time taking action.  It’s time for you to take action, especially if you want to be a successful entrepreneur!  Otherwise you might as well close shop and go home.” 

Ouch!!!! Closing shop and going home, just wasn’t an option, so it was time to take action and be persistent.  It was time to stop thinking and start doing.  Time to believe in the vision that I held for myself and my business.

I want you to ask yourself:  “What do I need to do today?”  Once you are clear on the exact tasks you need to do, make a commitment to do them!

Sounds straightforward? That is until the self-sabotaging behaviours begin to rear their ugly heads, which leads nicely into the next foundation for your success…

2.  Removing Those Limiting Beliefs that are Holding You Back.

These are the stories that you tell, to keep yourself ‘safe’, to keep yourself where you are currently.  To stop you from focusing on the real action you need to take.

Removing your limiting beliefs, can be as difficult as culling your wardrobe!  You know you should get rid of some of your things, but even through much of it is totally out of fashion, not very flattering and you’ve not worn it for years, you insist on hanging on to it all.  Every time you open the wardrobe, staring back at you, is that white jacket with gold buttons and big shoulder pads!  It gets in the way of all the other great clothes that you could be wearing, if only you could see them.

We do the same with our beliefs:  we keep them when we don’t need them any more, when we have outgrown them.  Some of them have been with us for years.  Despite the fact they’re not really relevant anymore, we find them comfortable and familiar and insist on keeping them.  It’s worth acknowledging that limiting beliefs sometimes hold us back as a form of protection against the very success we are striving for.  So if you want success rather than to be a wannabe, you’ve got to get rid of these beliefs.  Make room for something new.  If they won’t go, change them so that they work for you more positively.

It’s time to put away those beliefs that are holding you back, away once and for all!  Take a moment to think about what your future will be like, what it will feel like with your old beliefs put away where they belong.  Notice again how this looks, feels and sounds for you. 

So, here are two key foundation pieces that you will want to put in place for 2011 - TAKING ACTION and removing your LIMITING BELIEFS.  If you have been thinking about doing something different, now is the time for you ACTUALLY do something different.  Step out of the sea of sameness and make it happen in 2011.

I can’t wait to support you further and hear about what you are doing different in 2011.  If you have your 'must-does', why not take a moment and share them with us here.

We're all on the same playing field....right?

If that’s so, then what makes one business owner more successful than another? I was thinking about this today,  after speaking with one of my mentor clients – let's call her Liz.  During our call today, she was reflecting on the difference that our work together had made on her business the past three months.  For me, it was very humbling to be there on the other end of the phone, listening to her reflect on what our working relationship meant to her.

Liz had asked me to work with her at a time when her sense of hope was failing.  Her business had hit rock bottom, she had sold her family home, and taken on two more jobs to pay back creditors, just so she could keep her family fed.

After listening to her story, I agreed to work with her.  At our first face-to-face meeting, we spoke about how we would work together, and established our guidelines for success. Our expectations were that she would do everything she committed to in our calls, and I would do everything I could to support her. We agreed that if nothing had changed by the end of 2010, she would close the doors and walk away. Liz left that meeting with the first of her action steps….

I remember going home that night and sitting at my desk thinking:  “Can this turn-around happen?”.  “By agreeing to work with her, am I giving her false hope?".  There have been times previously, when after having my first meeting with new clients, I have decided not to move ahead and work with them.

However, there was something about Liz that made me believe she could turn her business around. 

Was it tenacity, was it belief, or was it a desire to succeed, and change the tide?  I think it was all of these things and more, but I also think it was having someone who believed in her and the legacy she wanted to create. Someone who would hold the space for her, and give her honest feedback in the process.

Liz was the one who took the very first step to change and grow her business by engaging a mentor.  After each call, she walked away with, and committed to her action list.  Step by step, things began to change. 

Some of the areas that we focused on included re-establishing monthly financial targets for the business to meet, identifying referral partners, and organising one-on-one meetings. A step-by-step marketing plan was developed that included both on-line and off-line strategies.  A communication plan was developed and implemented.  Everything was tracked and if something wasn’t working, then changes were made.

Liz was totally committed, and put everything into making sure that the turnaround occurred.  Everything we spoke about was implemented, and action was taken straight away.  At times there was a sense of being overwhelmed, there was exhaustion, but still there was hope.  As each call progressed, I began to hear the difference in her voice, her language had changed and a lightness began to appear.  Things were beginning to turnaround.

As things stand now, Liz is not out of the woods completely, but three months on, she is now working in her business.  She’s paid off all outstanding debts, and has started taking a wage from her business again.  She’s there in the morning to get her kids ready for school, and in the evenings to have dinner with them all. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

I’m going to let you in on a secret:  What we did wasn’t rocket science; in fact it was an easy, step-by-step, practical, results driven process.  It’s what we all need to do to have successful businesses.  I often hear other business owners who aren’t running successful businesses say, “Yeah, I know this stuff already.".

But do you want to know the difference between them and my mentor client?

She implemented it all, she took action and she believed in what she was doing.  She didn't sit back and say, "I know this stuff already.". Liz took it all on board and now has a proven process that she can continue to use.  2011 is going to be her year for building a stronger, more successful business - mark my word on this!

I’m going to make a presumption here – you’re in business to make money, right?

Then, if your business hasn’t grown in the past year, wouldn’t it make sense to make changes around what you are currently doing?

Let’s acknowledge that the internal conflict we have around change is real, it is also normal and it can be very scary.  The fear of not knowing can hold you where you are.  But is that where you really want to stay, doing the same thing over and over, and all that is really changing are the days…

Probably not!  It’s time to dip your toes into the water of change. 

Block out time this week and commit to really looking at the way you do business. Ask yourself:

“Is my current way of thinking serving me?”.

“Am I achieving the results I really want?”. 

If not, than it’s time to make some changes. My guess is that you already  know what you need to be doing differently.  Make a list of the things you want to change, and then be willing to move further along the left of the continuum of change.  In fact, challenge yourself to do something different within your business, your life or the way you think in 2011.  Just be willing to make changes, open your mind to the possibilities that when put into action, blast your business forward out of stagnation.

What really do you have to lose? 

A thought to consider: By letting go, you actually gain! 

That’s right I did – I came kicking and screaming to the whole social media platform.  Even after 12months of working from this platform – I feel as if I am still learning.  I often wonder if one will ever not stop learning when it comes to Social Media – it moves so quickly, that at times I feel like I’m just not keeping up.

But, Twitter has begun to make an impact on my business!  Over the past few months I have been having some great conversations with others on Twitter. In fact, I’ve also meant a few amazing people for coffee that I would never have met if I wasn’t tweeting away. 

One in particular is Janna Fikh from Fletcher Tax (@fletchertax) and as an accountant, I believe through her tweets, Janna’s followers have benefited greatly from her.  She provides great accounting tips, updates on financial and tax information as well engaging in conversations with those that follow her. Janna says, “Twitter has been an incredible tool for my business growth and development. It has allowed me to keep up to date with things in my industry but more importantly with issues my prospects and clients face in their daily lives. I highly recommend for all businesses to at least check if it is a useful medium for their business.”

I asked Alexandra Popovic from VIP Virtual Solutions (@VIPVirtualSols) to guest present to members of my Business Building Blocks Club around the impact that Social Media and in particular Twitter can have on your business.  Alex herself has had great success on Twitter and so has the growth of her business.  Alex says, "Twitter is a part of the current online communication revolution which is social media, and not to be overlooked. Over the past 2.5 years I've watched it evolve into such a powerful and easy way of networking and marketing, providing so many benefits to its users both on a personal and professional level. It's such a simple and fun platform, that it has become an essential tool in your marketing toolbox.”

Here are some of the main points from Alex’s presentation:

1. Build your presence – be consistent with your Tweeting.

There is so much ‘white noise’ on Twitter that a single tweet every now and then couple of days is not going to get you noticed, create a loyal following or develop a community.  To build your presence, you want to be consistent, but you don’t have to be tied to your Twitter account all day.  Choose a time of the day that suits you to regularly tweet for five minutes.  Maybe every morning once you’ve done your emails or three evenings a week, and stick to it. You only have 140 characters to get your message across, so be articulate, conversational and listen.  This will ensure you give a great impression with every tweet, and will also bring in more followers.

2.  Tweet quality – add value to those who take the time to follow you and be appreciative. 

Take time each day to think about what is the message about yourself and your business that you want to send out into the ‘twitterverse’. How can you make yourself stand out, and add great value to those who follow you?  What can you share with them around your particular area of expertise?  Speak with them, rather than at them.

If someone has a challenge or problem and you can help them, take the time to reply.  Contribute to conversations that you find interesting, as people are there to engage with others.

3.  RT ~ Retweet content that you find valuable.

If you read something either on twitter itself from someone you are following or an article from a blog, news site, YouTube or wherever you may find it – retweet it if you feel it is of value.  When constructing your own tweets, try to keep them to 120 characters, as this will allow others to retweet to their followers, leveraging the tweet more effectively with the possibility that it may go viral. And above all else:  Be YOU.  Don’t try to be someone you’re not.  Give your thoughts, give your opinions, and talk about your interest.  Be respectful and have fun while you are tweeting.

Above all else:  Be YOU and have fun!  Don’t try to be someone you’re not.  Express your thoughts, opinions & tweet about your interests.  Try to be positive, informative but don't make it all about marketing or business. It's about crafting your own community, so it really is what you make it!

Let me know how you go.  In fact why not join in my conversation at @debpilgrim1.  See you there!