Entries from November 2008 ↓

Dawn of the Dead trailer

I was inspired to blog today about an email I received from a client who is in a dark place regarding the state of his business.  He writes: “I’m on the verge of tears alot so I hide.  I haven’t been in this situation before.  I am in uncharted waters, working to figure out how to pull it all together.” Continue reading →

‘Salem’s Lot hd Dawn of the Dead dvd

At the recent BNI International Conference in Los Angeles, almost one-thousand small business owners gathered to learn new revenue generating strategies, network with other like-minded entrepreneurs and create strategic relationships geared towards growing their business.

The special guest presenter, Brian Tracy, spoke on business building topics such as doubling your income and achieving financial independence.  And as much respect as I have for the brilliance that Mr. Tracy brings to the business and sales world, I couldn’t help but think that he was not presenting any new ground breaking material…there was no rabbit in the hat, no magic blue pill…though as I looked around the room, all I saw was big eyed optimists looking for the ‘Answer’ to solve their problems, to get them focused, to generate more business and money than they could ever imagine.  And as I continued to listen to Mr. Tracy present the importance of how the 80/20 rule relates to your daily activity and the overall results you are getting in your business, I noticed a strange act among the small business owning participants.  In unison, they were nodding their heads up and down, they were taking notes, they were turning to the person next to them to say things like; ‘yes, he’s right’, or ’so true’.  Now I understood.  It wasn’t the fact that the information was not new.  It was the unfortunate reality that small business owners are NOT doing what they are supposed to be doing on a daily basis, to generate the desired results that they truly want in their life and their business. The average small business owner is overwhelmed, unfocused and wearing al the hats!  They know all of this stuff, their just not doing it.

What does this mean?

Well sure, it means that to increase revenues and profits and grow your business, you cannot allocate the same amount of time to all of your business management activities.

And of course, the secret to running a successful business—whether you have $1 million or $1 billion in annual sales—is to find out what you should be doing and hire, barter or outsource people to do everything else.

But this information alone is useless…you must TAKE action!  You have to DO something about it!!  If you choose to download this worksheet, promise me you will commit to taking action.

Change your ways, change your results

• Memphis Belle release

Kiss Of The Vampire aka Immortally Yours dvdrip No Mercy divx According to Malcolm Gladwell in “Tipping Point”, there are two things faster than light:  thought and feeling.  People will feel about you way before they think about you.  And, they’ll think instantly

So What?

I consistently see some very good products and services in the small business community.  But a small business owners’ ability to persuade others to buy is the single biggest critical element I see missing.

Sales is at the heart of every company. If you want people to say YES to your product or service then you, or someone on your team, must master the art of persuasion.  I said persuasion, not manipulation.  Here’s the difference:

Sales is the transfer of energy.  Sure, we make up all kinds of other things about it…and we have our stories around how we hate it, or it doesn’t feel right.  Here’s the deal.  If it feels funny to you, it will funny to the other person who you’re trying to persuade.  And not just in words, but in the transfer of your energy to them.

Everyone wants to do business with someone they like.

First, you must believe you are a feeling creator.  Through confidence, certainty and the psychology that what you have to offer can help improve the life of someone else, you must create the feeling in your prospect that you’re the real deal.  And you’re prospect will make that decision in milliseconds, often non-consciously.

Build rapport.  This is critical.  Find commonality.  Be curious.

It helps that every time you meet someone you ask yourself “how can I help them?”.  When you are desperate for milk money, that’s the feeling your prospect gets.  See what you can do for them, not what they can do for you.  Be a ‘go-giver’ and not a ‘go-getter’.

And please, please know what you’re going to say when someone asks what you do.  Practice, drill and rehearse the single biggest benefit you offer someone.   What you practice in private will reward you in public.

Everyone wants to feel good.  When you make someone feel good they’ll say yes.

• Breach rip

Hurlyburly

I stumbled upon this great article by Sarah Caron, which I found to be so empowering for all small business owners right now. It is very easy to get wrapped up in the “gloom and doom,” of our current economic conditions, however, this mentality is not healthy for your business. If you buy in to the idea that you can not grow your business right now, then…you’re right, you probably can’t. But what if you changed that beleif? Do you think that with a different belief, you could produce a different result? These 14 companies did it, so can you.

14 Big Business that Started During a Recession

By Sarah Caron | November 11, 2008
It might seem counterintuitive to start a new business when the economy is in the dumps. But a recession can actually be the ideal time for launching a company. In fact, many well-known and successful organizations were born during an economic slump.

Why do these companies succeed? Usually it’s because the founders recognized a market need and filled it. Identifying that need — whether it’s related to entertainment, travel or even streamlining how businesses operate — is the key to any thriving enterprise, regardless of the economic climate in which it begins. The following major corporations made it big during recessions by doing just that.

Hyatt Corp. opened its first hotel’s doors at the Los Angeles International Airport during the Eisenhower recession (1957 to 1958). The chain rose to worldwide fame in the following decades and now operates more than 365 hotels in 25 countries with premium services such as wifi hotspots.

Burger King Corp.,

with its flame-broiled burgers, is another recession startup. The company began in 1954 when James McLamore and David Edgerton opened a Burger King restaurant in Miami, Fla. During another recession in 1957, the company introduced its successful signature burger — the Whopper. Today, the company operates more than 11,100 locations in 65 countries.

IHOP Corp. is another star from the Eisenhower recession. The first restaurant in the now national chain opened its doors July1958 in Toluca Lake, Calif. Owners Al and Jerry Lapin were at the helm of the fast growing company, which began franchising just three years later. Today, there are more than 1,300 locations across the U.S.

Continue reading →

On any given day in Los Angeles, a small business owner has the choice of participating in a variety of activities to grow their business whether through a workshop, a tele-seminar, a networking event or maybe a special presentation.  This coming Tuesday November 11th at the Sheraton Gateway Hotel Los Angeles, - two top entrepreneurs, Bill Harris

Rise full

and Roger Hamilton have gotten together to explain how to thrive in tough times.

SInce we at WorkSmart LA are huge proponents of spending quality time ‘working ON your business’ as well as ‘working IN your business - what better way then surrounding yourself with motivated like-minded entrepreneurs on the road to success.

Presented by XLNT Events, a forward-thinking events company that puts on a variety of inspirational and empowerment events around the United States, seek out speakers from all over the world and bring them to events in cities around the USA.

In this informative and fast-paced evening, you’ll learn:

* How those who know what to do can turn bad times into golden opportunities…

* How you can position yourself to be part of the solution and, in doing so, become wealthy while others are losing everything…

* How you can take advantage of an amazing breakthrough that protects you from the crippling physical, emotional, and psychological effects of stressful times  while making you more creative…

About the presenters;

Continue reading →

• Garfield download

That was the overall theme last weekend at the Mind, Marketing and Millions small business conference in Marina Del Rey, hosted by OneCoach International - in uncovering the 3 essential ways to grow any business and triple revenues;

1. Generate more profits per sale

2. Generate more sales per customer

3. Attract more clients

It’s that simple. Really. download - 3 ways to grow your business

The challenge most small business owners face, is that they don’t know what they don’t know - so they end up focusing on just one of these ways…can you guess which one?  Yep, attracting more clients.  Which turns out to be the most expensive way to grow a business.

This past weekend, while a majority of Angelinos were spending their time working IN their business - some 200+ LA small business owners filled the Marriott in Marina Del Rey to spend time working ON their business and tripling their revenues.

For Conference Breakdown: Continue reading →