Deb Pilgrim's Blog

My aim for this blog is to provide YOU with ideas, strategies, tools and knowledge about how to market and grow your business. These articles provide answers around how you can grow your business - faster and more successfully. Simple, how-to-solutions that can impact both your business and life success, in an easy to read format.

How Your Vision Statement Can Be Your Best Decision Making Tool by Deb Pilgrim

Deb Pilgrim - Thursday, March 01, 2012

Leading a small business, doesn't mean you can't have a BIG vision.  In fact - you want to extend yourself and have a huge vision.  Don't fall into the mistake of thinking that vision statements are for big businesses only, it's not.

 

It’s  for YOU – the small business.

The reason you want to take time to develop your vision is because it provides you with your end picture. It describes what you’re wanting to build at that higher level.   Let’s not make this hard, because it doesn’t have to be.  In fact once you’ve developed your vision, you want it to be no longer than a one to three sentence statement.

A simple way to begin is to ask yourself:

At the highest level, what do I want to achieve…

Be honest, what do you really want to achieve?  Is it market dominance, or is it to be the best at what you do.  There is no right or wrong here.  It’s about you, your business values and where you want to end up. 

To help you think about this, let’s have a look at some brands that you may already know:

Virgin Atlantic: “Our vision is to contribute to creating happy and fulfilling lives which are also sustainable.”

Amazon: "Our vision is to be earth's most customer centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online."

Zappos:  “One day, 30% of all retail transactions in the US will be online.  People will buy from the company with the best service and the best selection - Zappos.com will be that online store.”

DebPilgrim J: “To help you start, grow and lead your business, so that you have the freedom to live the life you desire.”

Make it BIG.  Make it something that others want to ask questions about it, want you to explain it further.  And don’t feel you have to put ‘corporate’ words in YOUR statement – be proud of your vision.

Once you are clear on your vision, the other parts of your business will fall into place.  From here you can develop your mission – that is why your company exists, what you do well every day?  Your mission will describe the ‘how to’, ie., your level of service, how you will deliver your products, all those things that bring your vision alive.

You vision is important because:

  1.  It can become your decision making tool.  You want to ask yourself when developing new products or services, or when asked to collaborate on a project, speaking engagement etc :  “If I do X, will it bring me closer to achieving my vision?”  If the answer is yes – perfect!  If the answer is no, then you know what to do!
  2. It helps you clarify your goals and objectives.  If you have trouble developing goals, once you’ve got your vision it becomes so much easier.  Your goals will lead to the achievement of your vision.
  3. It keeps you focused.  By looking at your vision each day – you will know exactly what you need to focus on.  When the ebbs and flow of business occur, you will be a stronger position to keep moving forward and not be distracted by those bright shining objects, because you are very clear on what you are achieving.

Your Success Assignment:

Block out some time over the next week, take out some post it notes, and ask yourself:

  • At the highest level, what do I want to create…

Go bold!

For more accountability and support, why not join the conversation our blog or our facebook page, and share with us your Vision.


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'Build Your Business & Get Results'

Deb Pilgrim - Tuesday, November 01, 2011

It's that time of year again, when it's important to start planning and making a decision about your business success for 2012... 

 

Our 2012 'Build Your Business & Get Results'

Coaching Program Is NOW Open!

Are you ready?  

 

In 2012, we are working with a limited number of clients to transform their businesses.  Over 6 months, we will be working together closely in our one on one and group coaching program - this is for those of you who are serious about making a difference to your business in 2012.

 

We are accepting ONLY the following clients:

  • 15 clients into our "The Essentials" Program
  • 10 clients into our "Essential Mastery" Program
  • 7 clients into our "The Maven" Program

 

For more details on each level  - click here.

 

Don't wait to make your decision!  Registration is OPENED, and with numbers limited - our programs will sell out...

 

These programs are going to be stronger than anything we've ever done before.  And I'm looking forward to seeing your business grow like you could never imagine.

 

If you're ready to put yourself forward, and take the required action, then I'm ready to bring to the table all I know and have learnt about building successful businesses.

I'm looking forward to working with you in 2012.

 

Yours in success

 

Deb

 

Ps.  Go ahead - let's work together in 2012



PPS.  Feel free to forward this email on to others you think might be interested in attending...

 

 

Helping you to start, grow and lead your business, so that you can create the life you want...



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Who is on your team?

Deb Pilgrim - Thursday, August 25, 2011

What I’ve learnt over the many years of being a business owner is the importance of having a strong team around you.  I've learnt that you don’t have to go it alone; in fact, going alone is taking the long (and risky) road to building a business.  Asking for support is more than okay, and having others who are there to challenge you is a good thing for your business growth and learning.


I was reminded of this earlier in the week, when one of my mentor clients posted a blog in our VIP clients' secret facebook group. Kim Wight and I have been working together for the past 12 months, and she had decided to write about her experience in building a strong support team around her and her business.  I thought I would share her experience with you as follows...

"I have now been in business for eight years, but 12 months ago my business model changed when I split from my business partners and was on my own. I admit that I was a little scared and worried if I could do it by myself.  While I knew I had the expertise in my role as a mortgage broker, I was concerned about how I could grow my business.


But I believe the universe has a way of opening doors for us and it certainly did in my case.   


About the same time as my business changed, I attended a networking event where the keynote speaker was Deb Pilgrim, who described herself as the 'Entrepreneur’s Business Mentor'.  After hearing Deb speak I decided to take up her offer of having her mentor me. I had spoken with other mentors and business coaches in the past but there was something about Deb that made me feel I needed to use her service. Was it business chemistry, or that inner sense that tells you this is the right thing to do?


We talked about my business, my personal life, my fears, and my plans, and together started to chart a course of action. Notice how I've kept saying ‘my’, because with Deb it is about what you want, and about how you will achieve it. It is not about an old business model pulled out for each client regardless of their experience or challengers as many other mentors or coaches do. 


In the beginning there were times when I put up road blocks and thought I would never get to the place I wanted to be. There were tears as I started to underestimate myself, but at all these times Deb was there quietly asking the right questions and giving tremendous insight and guidance to me.


It was during one of these times that Deb introduced me to Joanne Prior of Think Yourself Successful.  Joanne has this amazing ability to focus on your life and make such positive affirmations that you cannot help but be inspired and rejuvenated. I would recommend everyone needs a bit of Joanne in his or her life.


My business is part of a franchise group, but my goal was to develop my own brand of Kim Wight and be known and recognised as an expert in my field.  To do this I had to start promoting myself. I needed to make myself stand out from all the other mortgage brokers.  We worked on my core messages and elevator pitch, so that at networking events I would stand  apart from other brokers who tended to churn out the same old content. I had always wanted to be a keynote speaker, so one thing I began to do was write e-books which I could offer to people after each presentation as an add value.


Then with the support of Deb I launched into social media. I interviewed a number of experts before deciding to work with Tracey Jarvis of Social Media Girl. Tracey had her work cut out as I had dabbled in Facebook, but Twitter and Google were like a foreign language to me. Tracey helped me to further see my Kim Wight brand. She set up my web page and taught me how to not only use social media, but to enjoy it!  I now get such a buzz when people ‘like’ my page, follow me on twitter, and then mention or retweet me –  this is my greatest compliment.


So where has my business gone in the last 12 months? Well, I have had a 50% increase in profit. I am now having my blogs pinged to other sites; I have journalists contacting me for comments on finance, and I am a regular finance commentator on Angela’s Business Mix on 99.7FM.   


I am being asked to present not just on finance matters, but also on networking and the use of social media in small business.


In essence that networking meeting where I meet Deb Pilgrim opened a wonderful new world for me. The value of my time with Deb has far exceeded my expectations, and my goals have not only been met but in fact I feel as though I have been blasted into another universe of opportunity.


So I say “Thank You’’ to my team: Deb Pilgrim for your support, guidance, understanding and enthusiasm for my success, to Joanne Prior who empowers me to be magnificent, to Tracey Jarvis for sharing her expertise of marketing and social media and to Angela Vithoulkas who has been so generous and given me the opportunity to speak with thousands of people through her program Angela’s Business Mix.   Cheers to the team who changed my life.’  Kim Wight

So who is on your team?


Let's continue our conversation, feel free to jump over and leave your comments and ideas around what your offers are on our blog.

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Is Your Offer Irresistible?

Deb Pilgrim - Thursday, August 18, 2011

When a new client comes on board, one of the areas that we look at fairly early on in the coaching process, is what their offer is to their potential clients, and how can they best position this offer to bring in new clients to their list. 


You’ve all heard that you want to be able to capture people's details when they land on your website, but putting up an opt-in form for a newsletter these days is just not going to cut it!  Email addresses have the same value as your personal home address, which is not something that you are willing to give out to just anybody.


To have the honour of someone giving you their email address, you want to make sure you give them something of value in return.  There are many ways in which you can offer this value.  It could be a special report, an audio CD, an introductory teleclass, a workbook, an e-course, a downloadable audio, a video or a checklist.  The possibilities are endless!


Take a moment now and check out your website:  Do you have an offer of value there waiting for your clients to download, or are you asking them to sign up for your newsletter or to just stay in contact?  If you don’t have an offer of value, then over the next week, I’d like to encourage you to spend time developing your free offer.  And YES, I did say a free offer! 


If you’re not sure how to begin, then think about your ideal clients, and ask yourself "What are some of the challenges they are currently facing?"   Make your offer something that will solve one of their challenges.

From here, you can then decide which delivery mechanism would work best for these potential clients.  Would they prefer to receive an audio download or a white paper?  Perhaps they might prefer a workbook or simple checklist.  Because you know your ideal clients so well, you’ll easily know which method is more likely to have them opting in quicker.


There may be no charge for this offer, but that doesn’t mean it’s not of high value.  Don’t be scared to give something away that is of extremely high value and quality content.  You want these potential clients to remember YOU, and not your competitor up the road! Remember that there is now so much information out there, that it’s easy for them to do a search and find the information they are after. But who knows if this information is the right information?


You know that when they land on your website, your offer is not only of high value and content, but it will give them the results they need, as your past clients have proven that your information works! In addition, when your offer is high in value, you build credibility as well. 


Now I’m not saying that you give away the whole box and dice.  That just wouldn’t be a good financial move.  What I am saying is that you give away the ‘what’, but not the complete ‘how’.  You want to engage them, so that they come to you for assistance in the execution.


As we know, your offer is created to bring prospects into your community, so that you can stay in touch with them, continue to add value to their day through your services and products, and build a strong, trustful relationship with them.


As I mentioned earlier, if you don’t yet have a high value offer in place on your website, now is the time to go and create one. 


If you do have such an offer, excellent!  Although, can you check your facebook page: do you have this offer on your welcome tab as well?  Too often I see clients who may have an offer on their website, but on their facebook page they still want people to opt-in to their newsletter list. You don’t want to do this, because the conversion rate won't be as high as what it could be, if you had your value-add offer there.  


Let's continue our conversation, feel free to jump over and leave your comments and ideas around what your offers are on our blog.

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First Step to Growing Your Business

Deb Pilgrim - Thursday, August 04, 2011

Our mission is to support you in starting, growing and leading your business.  To do this, we provide you with the tools, strategies and knowledge that will help you get the edge in your industry.  Over the next few months, we have new programs coming out to support those of you who are new to business, as well as higher end programs for those of you who have been in business for a while and want more personalised business growth coaching.


The key foundations we’ve developed that run through
all parts of our coaching, focuses on FOUR Foundations: You, Your clients, Your offer, and Your message.

When you have these four foundations in place, your business is growing strong.


Although I would love to walk you through specifically what modules, key points, and measures form the basis of each of this foundations, we really don’t have the room here in today’s article, so what I am going to do is share with you some of the key snippets about the first foundation. 


The first of these foundations is: YOU!  And yes, mindset is very much a part of this foundation.  I’m going to say this as it is - it really doesn’t matter how educated you may be, if you don’t have the right mindset for business success, you will struggle to grow your business. 


There is more to the YOU than just a positive mindset – it’s also about how you think about work, what you do to structure your days, how you lead your business, and what you do to continually stay ahead of what is happening in the marketplace. 


The key point here is being clear on your work ethic. What actions do you do day in and day out that are building your business?


Growing a business takes time; it takes energy, focus and hard work. But it doesn’t need to be rocket science. You can grow your business by working smarter, not harder.  Be smart about how you build your business, don’t wipe yourself out or put those closest to you on the ‘back burner’, thinking they will be there when you reach your goal.  They may not! 


Another important point is to look at the activities within your business that you can outsource.  What is it that you don’t need to be doing, that you can outsource to someone else?  

Make a list of all the critical and non-critical tasks and then look at what competencies some-one needs to have to work on the non-critical tasks for you.  Once you're clear on what type of person you need, take time to either bring some-one in to do this work for you, or outsource it.  Remember that you can bring contractors in and out of your business on a project-by-project basis if you need to. 


It’s important to take time to detach from your work, and to nourish the people and activities that are important to you.  Using the excuse that you’re too busy to spend time with those who mean the most to you just doesn’t cut it.  I see it all too often, in fact I’ve done it myself, and it makes having a successful business very hollow.


Another key point is take time to detach each day from your business. 

What can you do at the end of the day, that will allow you to detach from your business?  Make a list of the things you can do and work your way through this list – have some serious fun!


Finally, I would like to leave you this final key point, which is to have a vision for your business that is bigger than you!

I would love to hear back from you, about what you believe also sits under the YOU foundation.  As mentioned earlier, our aim is to support you as much as we can, so please let us know what else you need from us.


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Deb Pilgrim Empowers Women In Business Through Exclusive 90-Day 'Get More Clients' Coaching Group

Deb Pilgrim - Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Business mentor, Deb Pilgrim, launches an exclusive 90-Day 'Get More Clients' Coaching Group on Aug. 8, 2011 for 20 participants. Through the program, women in business will learn essential marketing strategies to target core clients.

Click here to Read More.

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