onestepfurther.co.uk - Quickstart - Do You Waffle Your Way Out of Business?



	Quickstart - Do You Waffle Your Way Out of Business? (Please add bev@onestepfurther.co.uk to your address book so your issue of *Quickstart* reaches you each week. *Quickstart* *Grow a Profitable Consultancy and Still Have Time for a Life* In this issue Note from Beverley - Do You Want to Earn While You Sleep? One Step Further - Are you a Waffler? What's Out There? - Resources and Support Personal Reflections - Not So Common Knowledge Note from Beverley I'm excited to announce this week the launch of my affiliate scheme for my ebook Take Control of Your Time: 7 Straight shooter Strategies for Success. Why am I excited? Because it means YOU can earn some revenue simply by promoting the ebook. Promote it on your website, promote it in your newsletters send out an email to all your contacts. For every ebook that is sold via your own personal affiliate link you get 25% commission. So why not start making some extra revenue go to www.TakeControlofYourTime.com and scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on affiliate sign up - that's all you have to do. Here's to more revenue for us all! Have a good week Beverley bev@onestepfurther.co.uk +44 (0) 1344 625713 www.onestepfurther.co.uk Author of Take Control of Your Time: 7 Straight Shooter Strategies for Success Upcoming Event * Imagine being personally introduced to interesting people so you don't have to break the ice. * Imagine having 20, 30, 40+ new ideas/suggestions for your business * Imagine learning some new ways of improving your marketing and sales activities * Imagine learning how to network so that you REALLY connect with people. If you want a different approach to your networking try Business Unusual One of our speakers for this event is Jonathan Posner who will offer words of wisdom on "Presenting on Paper: How to get what you want from written communication" * Unleash the power of presenting ideas on paper * Pitfalls to avoid: 5 common errors that reduce the chances of getting your message across * Tips for success: 5 great ways to create highly effective communications. Date: 15 March Time: 6.30pm welcome reception 7pm start Venue: Heckfield Place near Reading (J11 M4) and Hook (J5 M3) Investment: £27+vat 20% of places have already been reserved - so don't delay and don't miss out. To find out more, register and reserve your place go to www.BusinessUnusual.net Business as usual is NOT what we're about One Step Further * Do you waffle your way OUT of business? * Do you drone on about how great you are and how great your services are? * Do you focus so much on trying to get your message across that you don't listen? If you even think this might be you on occasion - read on! Your clients and your potential clients are bombarded with information. Your clients and potential clients are surrounded by products, services, knowledge and people all trying to persuade them to part with their time, money and soul! So how can you be different and what will enable you to get the business on your clients' terms? Here are 3 factors to consider Clarity, Connection and Specialism Clarity "...the most persuasive evidence of people's expertise is the clarity with which they communicate" Harry Beckwith When you are speaking with a client/prospect, be clear about what you are about. Be clear about what differentiates you and be very clear about the results you can deliver in line with the problems they need solving. Speak in language that is non-jargon, non-clichéd and is clear and to the point. Speak in stories and pictures sometimes as you describe successes you have had in the past. Speak in linear terms as you describe a process you will carry out. Speak in terms of the emotional needs that you can address. In whatever manner or medium you communicate, be clear. To do this effectively, all the time, you need to be clear yourself about your purpose, message and outcome from the meeting/phone call/marketing collateral. If you don't have clarity it's certain your prospects and clients won't. Connection Create a connection with your clients. If you woo them then ignore them you may have short term business but not a long term relationship. Simple ways to stay in touch are not expensive or time consuming but they are effective and help your clients feel valued. A short "how's it going" phone call - when you don't have anything to sell! A quick "thought you may find this article interesting" email An invitation, introduction or complementary gift goes a long way to keeping you in touch with your clients, maintaining the relationship and if and when new opportunities come up who do you think they will most likely talk to? Specialism As more and more consultants set up in business the competition gets greater. For independent or small consultancies the ability to win great business consistently, means getting known. How do you get known? - by being a specialist. By being great at one or two things. By being THE consultancy that does X. Specialism is the way forward. If you try and be all things to all people a number of things happen. 1. prospects get confused about what you do 2. prospects are not sure what you are REALLY good at 3. prospects find it harder to choose 4. prospects have too many messages to cope with 5. you get less business If you try and offer too many services or say you can do too many things, there is a danger that you do nothing well and spread yourself and your resources thinly as you try to cope with every demand as you become desperate for business. Desperation shows and is not attractive. Whilst it may be hard to turn down business it shows you know what you are about and your prospects will recognise that. To complement your specialism you need to collaborate with other specialists that can support what you do or take business that you are not a specialist in. Forming strategic alliances is a good way to manage this. (See This Edition of *Quickstart* for more on alliances) "Consultants must first recognize that they are selling a relationship rather than competence and advice. You must win the person to win the business, and you must keep winning the person to keep the business." Harry Beckwith So this week focus on how you can win new relationships through clarity, connection and specialism. If this topic's of interest you may like to read What Clients Love by Harry Beckwith What's Out There? * Are you trying to be all things to all people and struggling? * Are your marketing messages confused and too general? * Are you waffling your way through business meetings? * Are you unsure how to take your business One Step Further? If the answer might be YES and you want to do something about it sign up for The Power of 4 Short, focused, specific and individual support to get you on your right track. Find out more at The Power of 4 For more articles and to view past issues of *Quickstart* go to Resources Next week we'll be starting a series of guest articles on topics such as how to write sales proposals that win business, how to use newsletters as part of your "Attraction Pie", and how written information products can help you build your business. Personal Reflections It's amazing what we take for granted. Last week I had a conversation with a lady who has been in business about 2 years. During our conversation I asked if she had a business plan and a marketing plan. She said "I didn't know I had to have a business plan" and "what's a marketing plan?" I was shocked, amazed, dumfounded and stumped. How could anyone who has been in business for 2 years not know what a marketing plan is? Then I stopped and thought about it. If no one had ever mentioned business plans and marketing plans why should she know that they might be a good idea? It was also obvious that she had managed reasonably well without them for 2 years. I thought about this some more and realised that what I might take for granted as common knowledge, common sense, obvious and "right" - other people might not. Sometimes we are so sure of what we know, because we are absorbed by it day in and day out, we believe that everyone else must know it too and of course that's not the case. We don't know what we don't know. What do you know that you believe your clients, colleagues, family or friends know which if they don't could be causing a problem or preventing an opportunity being grabbed with both hands? To quote an old RAF phrase "Don't assume check. Ignorance is not an excuse" Rgds Bev bev@onestepfurther.co.uk PAY IT FORWARD & Tell a Friend - Who do you know that’s a Marketing, HR, Sales or IT consultant who wants to increase their productivity, grow a more profitable business and still have time for a life? Please tell them about *Quickstart* so they can subscribe immediately and get their free ecourse Discover the 5 Most Incorrect Assumption that Independent Business Consultants Make. Just click on this link Newsletter One of my goals is to achieve 1000 subscribers to *Quickstart* and we grow by recommendation. So please help me in spreading the word to other consultants. If you have received this Newsletter from a colleague and you would like to receive future issues, please click here to subscribe. Thank you.





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