5 Key Steps to Getting it Done

As a person who needs a list to stay organized everyday, I'm always happy to see new time management strategies. Today business growth expert Diane Helbig shares her tips to getting it all done - without feeling overwhelmed!

There are steps you can take to get things back in line and start taking effective action:

1. Start by listing all of those to-do items. While it may seem scary, once you have them listed you can start attacking. If they only occupy space in your head they can seem bigger than they are. So bring them down to earth and onto paper.

2. Prioritize the list. This is a key part of taking action. There really are items that are more important or pressing than others. So, put the list in order of importance or urgency. As a part of this discovery process identify any items that you can delegate. Ask yourself what the best use of your time is and if anything on your list falls outside of that scope, delegate it.

3. Take the list of items you couldn't delegate and break them down into bite size steps. When to-do items are large they can seem overwhelming. However, remember the saying 'you can only eat an elephant one bite at a time,' and list the action steps that are necessary to accomplish the to-do item.

4. Then schedule those action items. When will you get them done? This may require taking a step back and looking at your calendar from a distance. Scheduling activities in a constructive way will help you spend less time on them and actually get them done. And keep your goals to three at most. Only add an item after completing one. If the deadlines are different consider staggering your activity so there is no down time.

5. Set up an accountability partnership. This is someone you can partner with to monitor your progress and celebrate your accomplishments. As you complete your tasks and move projects toward completion, make sure you acknowledge it. In addition, your accountability partner can help you schedule action items in a realistic way so you are more apt to be successful. And as a partnership, you will be helping them as well. I find that having these relationships helps me stay focused and on track.

Getting things done is an important aspect of success. You can't afford to allow a large list of to-do items paralyze you or derail your efforts. Remember that feeling overwhelmed is a common occurrence for small business owners. This feeling doesn't have to rule your world - you rule your world. So, take control, create your list, schedule your action items, and partner with someone who will help you stay the course. As you knock down item after item you will find yourself enjoying your business even more.

Diane Helbig is a Professional Coach, and President of Seize This Day Coaching. She works one-on-one and in groups with business owners, entrepreneurs, and salespeople. Visit her website at http://www.seizethisdaycoaching.com

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Do You Really Get It?

Sometimes traditional networking gets a bad rap - after all, just having someone's business card does not mean you know them - or can ask for a favor! Today business growth expert Diane Helbig serves up a networking reality-check.

A friend of mine called me the other day to tell me about a 'networking' experience she had. She met a man at an event and they exchanged cards. The man then contacted her and said he'd like to meet for coffee to get to know her business better.

So far, so good.

Unfortunately, when they met he started into his pitch. He monopolized the conversation and spent the entire time talking about his business, how it could help her, and how it could help her clients. Instead of creating interest he had completely turned her off.

Now this concerned me because I know this man and thought he understood the art of networking. Apparently, I was wrong.

The question becomes, do you really get it? Do you really understand that networking is about relationship building, about learning about the other person so you can refer them when possible?

Here's a checklist you can use when you enter a conversation to make sure you are keeping on track:

1. Do I know what this person does?
2. Do I know what they believe?
3. Do I know why they do what they do?
4. Do I understand the value they bring to their clients?

Notice I have not said anything about YOU! The checklist does not include whether you have told them anything. It does include guidelines for how much you are learning about the other person.

Before you open your mouth, ask yourself if what you are about to say or ask will answer one or more of the above questions. If not, your focus is in the wrong place.

Now go network!

Diane Helbig is a Professional Coach, and President of Seize This Day Coaching. She works one-on-one and in groups with business owners, entrepreneurs, and salespeople. Visit her website at www.seizethisdaycoaching.com

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Sales is a Verb

See how Diane Helbig redefines sales:

Sales is a verb. Okay, now settle down. I know if you look in the dictionary it says that "sales" is a noun. Stay with me here for just a minute. My point is that "sales" is an activity. It isn't something you do once the phone rings. It is something you have to actively participate in for your business to grow.

There are many ways to market and prospect. Your job is to consider them all and then select a handful that you are going to implement. From cold calling to social media, from public speaking to networking, there are many avenues you can take. Your goal is to get the word out about your business and to get yourself in front of the right people.

Who are those right people?
The first group is potential clients. This group does not contain everyone or every business. It does contain a number of people or companies that have a need or desire for your product or service. There may be more than one potential pool here for a variety of reasons. You may have more than one product or service that fits the needs of different segments. There may just be different segments that need that one thing that you specialize in. Whatever the case is, identify those target markets.

The second group is the people who know those prospects. These can be considered referral sources. They are people you want to get to know because they interact with your prospects. You want these referral sources thinking about you and referring you when they uncover or identify a potential client for you. You, of course, can be doing the same thing for them.

How do you get in front of them?
Depending on what you sell, who you sell it to, and who you are, you need to identify a handful of marketing and prospecting methods that you will use. Because sales is an activity you want to have methods that you can implement in concert with each other. This helps build energy and activity around your business.

I submit that if you pick one at a time you will find it difficult to generate real activity and interest in your product or service. Whatever you choose, make sure they are methods that require action on your part. For example, if you are going to send an introductory letter, end it with a statement about how you will be following up with the prospect. Not the other way around!

If you send out a mailer or deliver flyers to businesses in your area, follow them up with a phone call. Don't expect your phone to ring simply because you dropped off a piece of paper.

Make sure you choose methods that fit with who you are. If you are uncomfortable talking to a group of more than 3 people, don't pick public speaking. The key is to select the methods that map with who you are so you'll do them. I'm not a big fan of cold calling so to include it in my plan is a bad idea. I don't like it so I won't do it. So much for activity! It really matters that you consider a variety of possibilities and choose the ones that you feel comfortable with. It's the way you ensure the implementation.

And don't forget about your current clients. They are a great pool of potential business. Keeping in contact with them will help you find out what's going on with them. You'll be able to uncover whether there are any additional opportunities there. It isn't their responsibility to reach out to you. Remember, sales is an activity. Don't miss out on these possible opportunities. I see too many business owners and salespeople who believe that their clients will call them when they need something. Then they are surprised to find out the client went someplace else. Didn't they know we offered that, they ask themselves? Well, no; not if you haven't been in front of them, talking with them, and building the relationships with them.

Getting the picture? Great! When you realize that your business growth is up to you and the action you take, you'll be way ahead of the game. You'll no longer sit by the phone waiting for it to ring. Instead, you'll be picking it up and reaching out to others.

Now you can see what I meant at the beginning - sales is a VERB. So go on, take action; go get that business! It's not going to come get you!

Diane Helbig is a Professional Coach, and President of Seize This Day Coaching. She works one-on-one and in groups with business owners, entrepreneurs, and salespeople. Visit her website at www.seizethisdaycoaching.com

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Opportunities in a Recession

Odd concept? Not according to John DiJulius. Today business growth expert Diane Helbig shares DiJulius' "opportunities" from his keynote at the COSE Small Business Conference.

1. New revenue streams

2. Fish when the fish are biting

3. Experience wars vs Price wars

4. Less competition now

5. Back to the basics

"The way I read these he is saying that you now have the opportunity to consider other revenue streams, different target markets, and innovation," says Helbig. "With point 2 he is reminding us to pay attention to where our prospects are and when they are buying and with point 3 he is telling us to focus on the experience we provide to our clients. Create value and price will not be the top issue."

"That there is less competition now is not a question. It is an opportunity to gain market share. However, that alone will not propel your business to the top of the totem pole. You still have to provide value and service. You still have to have a worthy product or service. THIS is where we get back to basics. Remember the rules of sales and the guiding principles that help companies succeed."

"These principles are integrity, value, customer service, and giving back," continues Helbig. "Provide a quality product or service at a fair price on a consistent basis with the customer's needs in mind and you will find your company succeeding in this, or any, economy."

Diane Helbig is a Professional Coach, and President of Seize This Day Coaching. She works one-on-one and in groups with business owners, entrepreneurs, and salespeople. Visit her website at www.seizethisdaycoaching.com

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Rude is the New Normal

Today's topic is a little controversial, but I felt compelled to post it, especially after yesterday's quote about always trying to do what is right. Sales and business growth expert Diane Helbig recently wrote on her blog about rudeness in the business world - read on, and definitely let us know what you think!

"People ask me all the time what to do when people won't call them back," says Helbig. "They'll have a great meeting with a prospect and when they call to follow up, they can't get the prospect on the phone. Or they are cold calling and always getting voicemail. They can't seem to reach a human."

"As businesspeople we've lost the value of communicating directly," explains Helbig. "It's so much easier to hide behind our email and voicemail systems. On the one hand, I'm not sure the majority of people realize they are being rude. I think they need to say "no" but don't like being the bad guy. It's easier to avoid what they see as a confrontation."

"The next time you encounter this situation and have to leave a voicemail message, provide the prospect with permission to say "no." Tell them that "no" is an okay answer and that you don't want to be a pest, calling them all the time. You'll make it easier for them to communicate with you."

"In addition, reality check your own behavior," says Helbig. "Make sure you aren't participating in this practice. When people leave you messages, call them back, whether or not you are interested in what they offer. It seems we've all fallen into this pattern. Maybe we can affect a change beginning with ourselves."

Elie Wiesel said, "But where was I to start? The world is so vast. I shall start with the country I know best, my own. But my country is so very large. I had better start with my town. But my town, too, is large. I had best start with my street. No: my home. No: my family. Never mind, I shall start with myself."

Diane Helbig is a Professional Coach and President of Seize This Day Coaching. She works one-on-one and in groups with small business owners, entrepreneurs, and salespeople. Visit her website at http://www.seizethisdaycoaching.com.

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The Do's and Don'ts of Sales

This article from business growth expert Diane Helbig is a great reminder of the basics we should all pay attention to in sales. Even if you're a seasoned professional with years of experience, it can never hurt to get a refresher. Think about these do's and don'ts over the weekend - and go back to basics if you need to!

Here are Helbig's Do's and Don'ts for salespeople:

Don't:

--Act like the person you are cold calling should know you
--Use email to cold call
--Try to pressure the prospect into buying
--Offer bribes to close a sale
--Lie
--Offer objections you think you'll quash
--Promise what you can't deliver
--Fail to follow up

"Sounds simple, doesn't it? Yet day after day people are assaulted with these anti-sales behaviors," says Helbig. "They don't promote relationships or instill confidence and trust. Quite the opposite. They cause suspicion and distance."

Do:

--Plan and execute with a positive outlook
--Target Market
--Nurture Relationships
--Build a referral network
--Follow up
--Be honest, giving and a partner
--Offer what your prospect needs - not what you want to sell them

"The Do's may actually seem more complicated than the Don'ts," says Helbig. "Or maybe they seem harder. In reality, they make the sales process easier. When you set your mind to what you want to accomplish, you can then set up the plan for making it happen. The Do's help you create that plan. Take a look at the list. Plan and execute is number one for a reason! The remainder of the list shows you the foundation to build your plan upon."

"Think about your behavior in the past year," continues Helbig. "Now think about the behaviors of others. Can you remember times when 'salespeople' used the Don't list? Did you use any of the items on the Don't list? Remember the result? Remember how it felt? Use these lists as a reminder of what TO DO as you create your plan for the coming year."

Diane Helbig is a Professional Coach, and President of Seize This Day Coaching. She works one-on-one and in groups with business owners, entrepreneurs, and salespeople. Visit her website at www.seizethisdaycoaching.com

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Don't Use My Name!

Getting a referral from a friend is great - up until the moment they ask you not to mention their name! All of a sudden your referral is a cold call. Check out this story from business consultant Diane Helbig and remember her advice to make sure you have a good quality referral.

I have a friend - we'll call him Bill. Bill told Ralph that he was targeting CPAs. Ralph said, 'One of my clients is a CPA. Here's his contact info.' So, Bill called the CPA and left a message. A day later Ralph called Bill and asked how it went with the CPA. Bill explained that he had left a message. Then Ralph told Bill that the CPA had called him and asked him not to give his name out anymore. Yikes!

This kind of story is being played out every day all over the world. And the damage it does is deep and wide. My other friend Betty was in a leads group the other day and said she was targeting Human Resource professionals. Roger passed her a lead but had written on it 'don't use my name.' Huh? Don't use my name? Again, this happens daily. 'Roger' doesn't realize the harm he is inflicting - on himself!

How are these referrals? According to the dictionary, a referral is 'a person recommended to someone or for something.' The dictionary definition of 'recommend' is 'to praise or commend to another as being worthy or desirable; endorse.' 'Recommend; worthy; endorse.' Interesting words.

First I'd like to address the damage caused by these actions.

The referrer (and I use the term lightly) damages himself for the following reasons:

--The person he gives the referral to feels that his referrals are empty.
--The person he refers others to becomes unhappy with him.
--People talk and his behavior will be shared with others, thereby damaging his relationships with them.

The person who received the 'referral' is damaged because:

--In the first example he can't approach those referrals again. They have just experienced him in a negative way.
-- Now his pool of referral sources has gotten smaller. He knows now that he can't trust that guy to provide him with quality referrals.
--Getting a referral that says 'don't use my name' is really getting just a name. It's a cold call. He's no better off than he was before.

So let's talk about quality referrals.

The best way to get quality referrals is to be known as someone who gives them. Certain elements must exist in order for a referral to have quality.

They are:
1. You know the person you are going to refer very well.
---You are aware of their professionalism, their performance, their customer service.
---You believe in them completely.
---You would do, or have done, business with them.

2. You know the person you are referring to very well.
---You know what their needs are.
---You know how they feel about being contacted by strangers.
---You know what they look for in a vendor

3. You know the best way to conduct the referral.
---Do you make an introduction?
---Do you contact the person for them?
---Do you provide background information to your associate so they are equipped when approaching?

"Knowing the answers to these items will help you in creating a referral system that works consistently and productively," says Helbig. "Then as you work your system, you'll position yourself as a networking pro. In addition, you'll find you are referred more often because you can be trusted. Did you notice? This system treats everybody fairly and respectfully." Quite a difference from 'don't use my name!'

Diane Helbig is a Professional Coach, and President of Seize This Day Coaching. She works one-on-one and in groups with business owners, entrepreneurs, and salespeople. Visit her website at http://www.seizethisdaycoaching.com

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