“That’s not how I see myself!”

Is the usual response that I get from clients when I ask them, “Do you see yourself as a leader?” 

Then the conversation invariably turns into a discussion about how leaders are usually men and women who, in moments of crisis, stand up and make a great difference to a course of events.  Unfortunately, this image creates a belief that you can’t be a leader unless there is some type of crisis and through this you have the ability to inspire thousands.

But really, the definition of leadership is simply ‘the ability to guide, direct, or influence people’.  And the reality is, YOU lead every day!

Let’s remember:  Mothers and fathers lead, little children lead and as a business owner, you lead.

So tell me?  “How do you see yourself as leader?”

Still not sure how this fits into your circumstances?  Think about a time recently when you’ve influenced another by the decisions you made, or when a conversation you had affected someone else’s decisions.  You may want to consider when you’ve chosen to spend time focusing on the growth of your business rather than getting caught in putting out the day to day fires…..

This is leadership, it’s your own personal leadership and guess what – you are upfront leading…..

Now that doesn’t mean you don’t make mistakes and you don’t always get everything 100% correct, and that the wheels won’t come off on the odd occasion.  They probably will! 

But when you make the choice to see yourself as a leader, you know what value you bring to your business, to your clients and to yourself. 

You understand that at these times you still have to put out some fires, deal with the day to day events, as well as all that other *fun* stuff. But you know when you’re in this frame of mind, your focus is about managing and management, and you don’t stay there very long. 

And the reason you don’t stay there for very long is because you’ve made the decision to lead your life rather than manage it.

To lead your life - over the next few days, take some time and list all the roles you play in your business.  Identify where these roles fit – are they “Leadership” or are they “Management”?  Look at where you are spending most of your time. 

If you are spending more of your time managing, ask yourself:

“What impact does this have on my business and my life?” 

“What do I get from managing rather than leading my life?”

“What needs to change, so that I can spend more time leading?” 

“What is one action I can do today, that will move me from managing my life into leading my life?”

When you’ve answered these questions, take that one action step and do it, then tomorrow take one more action, keep this going until you are spending most of your time leading. 

Take a moment to comment below and let me know how it feels to lead rather than manage….

Oh, if you want to find out more about how you can lead rather than manage, then click here....

When we sent out a survey earlier this week, we wanted to find out what areas you were struggling in.  With the results coming in, you are telling me that the greatest struggle you have in building your business is not enough clients and lack of time.

In fact, more than 40% of you said that your key struggle in building your business was not having enough clients.

Another 40% said you didn’t feel like you had enough time….

Today, let’s focus on the area of you not having enough clients, and what you can do to change this.  There are numerous ways in which you can build your client list, and in later articles we will discuss these. For now I am going to focus on three strategies that you will be able to put in place that won't cost you the earth, and that can have immediate impact.

But before we go there, let’s just take a step back and make sure you have addressed the following two key areas:

1)  Do you understand who your ideal clients are, and do you speak their language?  This is one area that my clients have great success in – when they get into the heads of their clients and use their language.  Once you start to use your potential clients language, they will tell you the reason they want to work with you, is because when you wrote your newsletter or spoke on stage, it felt like you were speaking directly to them.  They feel you understand them.  If you want to take this a step further, and not only understand them from a head view, take the time to get into their hearts. This is were you can make a real difference for them.

2)  Are you sure that you are providing a solution that your clients need, and not providing a solution that you think your clients need? 

This one can be tricky! When was the last time you actually stopped to ask your clients what they need, or listened to what they are telling you, around what else they want from you.  Your clients are an endless source of information, so take the time to let them tell you want they want next.

Now lets say you have the two areas above sorted, what are three key steps you can take now, to make a difference in having enough clients for your business.

1)  Develop your signature speech, and present at meetings or conferences that are going to contain your ideal clients.

Now before you roll your eyes and tell me 'this isn’t going to happen', hear me out. 

If your service provides a solution for your clients, and you know your stuff, you will be able to develop a presentation that rocks! 

What you want to make sure is that as you develop your signature speech, you put in place a process that will allow you to effortlessly sell from stage. And, whether this is one of your big-ticket programs or your list building product, it doesn’t really matter. 

What you are doing is building more credibility, because you see, the moment you step on stage you automatically have authority, and people want to know more about what you do. In most cases, you’ve automatically gained their trust and as you know when doing business, trust is a must.

2)  Identify businesses or Joint Venture Partners who can refer clients to you.  

This particular action can create an influx of new clients to you, if done well.  Let me share a story of one of my VIP mentor clients, who when we started working together, needed to find new clients quickly.

What we did was brainstormed all the different types of businesses in their area that could possibly refer work to them.  Once we had a list together, my client committed to making contact with these possible referral partners.  At first she was sceptical as to whether this would work, so to support her, we developed a meeting script that she could use to make sure she was as effective as possible.  As she started meeting with these referral partners, a funny thing happened -  they began to refer their clients to her!  Now she wasn’t in competition with these referral partners, in fact her service provided a solution for them, so it was easy for them to refer to her.  

In your own business, who could be a referral partner for you? 

3)  Attend business clubs or networking functions.

There are lots of different referral groups, networking events and business clubs out there for you to attend.  Identify the right one for you and begin to engage and connect with other members.

Depending on what type of group it is, will depend on how quickly you may start to receive referrals.  Remember to engage and connect with other members, so that not only do you know better how to support them, but they will also understand how they can support you.

Now….time to take action!  What strategy will work best for you?  Once you decide then go off and put it into place.  What have you got to lose? 

I would love for you to share your thoughts with us!

When working with entrepreneurs’ one area that many seem to get stuck on is the area of delegation. It can be the hardest job an entrepreneur learns, in fact some never do. They insist on handling the work themselves, running themselves ragged in the meantime. Others think they are delegating but in fact are only paying lip service to the word!

So to help you let go, here are some steps you can put into place that will allow you to be more effective at delegating.

1. Decide what needs to be delegated.
Whether you can delegate it to a staff member or outsource it - ask yourself:

~What am I doing that does not need to be done at all?
~What am I doing that could be done by somebody else?
~What am I doing that only I can do?

2. Select the individual

How far you can delegate projects will depend on the skill, experience and reliability of the person you've engaged. When you decide on the right person – think about your reasons for delegating to this person? Do they have the right capabilities for performing this task? What are you both going to get out of this?

3. Delegate the complete project

It is much more rewarding to work on a single project than on many fragments of the project. It you delegate a complete project to a capable staff member; you are also more likely to receive a smarter, tightly integrated result.

4. Explain the reasons for the project

When you delegate a task, you must explain why this task or responsibility is being delegated. Why you are delegating it to this person? How does it fit into the overall picture of what you are trying to achieve.

5. What results are expected?

Ensure you communicate effectively:
Ø the results that must be achieved
Ø the importance of the task
Ø the constraints within which it needs to be carried out
Ø the deadlines for completion (as well as any consequences of not meeting the deadline)
Ø reporting dates, when and how you want information on the progress of the project

6. Then let go!

Once you have decided to delegate a task, let them get on with it. Follow up and review on the agreed reporting dates, but don’t constantly look over their shoulders. Recognise that they may have a different (and or better) way of doing this task than you do. Remember to accept mistakes that can be fixed and ask what can be learned from this.

7. Support and coach when requested

It is important to provide support when they are having difficulties, but do not do the job for them. If you do, they will not develop the confidence and capabilities to do the task themselves.

8. Accept only finished work

You have delegated a task to reduce your workload. If you accept only partially completed work back, then you will have to invest time in completing the task yourself and they will not receive the experience they need in completing projects.

9. Feedback on results

It is important that you let the person know how they are doing, and whether they have achieved the desired results. If not, you need to review with them what did not go to plan, how could it have been completed differently to achieve the results and deal with any problems that arise. You need to absorb the consequences of failure and pass on the credit for success.

10. Give credit when a project has been successfully completed!

Let me know how what you think - is letting go and delegating something that you do effortlessly? Or does it idea of not being in control of every aspect of your business, scare you? 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.