The past week I’ve attended a couple of networking sessions and in one of those events we were talking about the lessons we’ve learned in our business careers so far.

The chair lady asked each of us to quickly share (in less than 2 minutes) what we will do if we had to start over from scratch. Since she knew I had online business, she asked me specifically to explain how to set up an online business and attract clients via your website. 

I actually smiled, because starting an online business and attracting clients via your website is a process. It takes time.

It is not something that necessarily happens overnight.

There is no quick fix or magic bullet for getting started and getting more clients. However, I also know that when you follow a process and a step-by-step plan, you can reach that point of getting clients and making money in your business much faster.

So, I stood up and this was my answer.

Here is exactly what I will do today if I had to start all over again.

Step 1: CHOOSE my audience

I will first of all choose and make a decision on a target audience. I will…

• Decide who I would like to work with;
• Find out what problems they have…. that I can solve;
• Craft a marketing message so they understand how I can help them and then
• Position my business in such a way to solve those problems for them;

Step 2: Identify where to FIND them

After I know who I want to work with and what I will say to them, I will start looking for places where I can find them in large numbers and inexpensively. This can include social media groups, forums, networking events, trade shows etc. I will ensure that I am consistently present in those places – either in person or via my marketing materials and will create a varied and continuous marketing outreach strategy to inform prospects how they can benefit from working with me..

Step 3: Set bait to HOOK them

I will direct all my marketing efforts (from Step 2) to my website.  So in Step 3 I will create a website and use the marketing message (from Step 1) to attract my ideal clients (the bait). I will put 1 or more valuable free resources on my site that addresses the specific needs of my target audience (the hook). This will provide me with an opportunity to capture the contact information of ideal clients that are interested in what i have to offer.

Step 4: Follow up to KEEP them

This is the important part. Having people in your client pipeline or on a list means nothing if you don’t create a relationship with them. So, I will use systems to  stay in touch with them on a regular basis and continue to deliver value. The truth is: you never know how long it will take someone to become ready to work with you. When you follow up, stay in touch, and send them great information that they can use, your prospects won’t forget about you. It furthermore gives them an opportunity to really get to know and trust you. When they are ready and need the solutions you provide, you will be the first person on their mind.

Step 5: Have something to SELL them

The truth is, you do not have a business and you cannot make money if you do not have anything for sale. Also, you need to ask for the sale in an authentic way. So, I will deliver a service and/or create a product or program that addresses the specific needs of my target audience (from Step1). This will be available through my website, and I’ll have a varied and continuous marketing outreach strategy to inform prospects of it and how they can benefit from working with me..

Step 6: Monetize and EXPAND

In this step, I will enroll clients into my business, enjoy my income and start expanding my business by better leveraging my time, money and knowledge.

In a nutshell, these are the 6 steps that I will take if I had to start from scratch. Obviously it sounds over simplified, but this covers the total process any online business can follow to grow and expand their client base,  from scratch.

The post If I Had To Start From Scratch – 6 Steps To Start An Online Business appeared first on CreateClientChemistry.com.

Email marketing

It all starts with incorporating an irresistible free offer on your website that invites your site visitors to give their name and email address in exchange for it. The process adds their details to your subscriber list and allows you to stay in touch with them via email on a regular basis.

Here are 4 simple steps to get started:

Step 1: Getting Email Marketing Software.

The first thing you need is email marketing software. This software allows you to put a form on your website to collect email addresses and other details from visitors in exchange for something you offer for free. It is similar to the one opt-in form on my website where people can sign up for free training. Companies like Aweber, ActiveCampaign, Convertkit, and Mailchimp are great when you just start out. Simply choose one that fits your budget best.

Email marketing software enables you to set-up and schedule a series of automated emails and/or once-off emails,  to all your subscribers. It also provides basic to detailed statistics to keep you updated with how many people open and read your emails.

Step 2: Develop an Irresistible Free Offer.

Your irresistible free offer is all about giving your website visitors a ‘taste’ of something they could not go without.  It’s giving them something irresistible that THEY want in exchange for something YOU want ….their contact details.

The free offer can be anything from a PDF report, a small e-book, audio CD, workbook, e-course, checklist, video, consultation etc. Its purpose is to get your visitors to take notice and sign-up.

The moment your web visitors sign up to receive this free offer, they enter your client pipeline. People understand that by signing up, they are giving you permission to send them e-mails and to stay in contact with them. This is when the process for email marketing kicks into action and where you can (on a regular basis) provide your subscribers with valuable information, special offers and promotions via email to help build trust and credibility.

Tip: When you develop your free offer, put yourself in your ideal client’s shoes. Ask yourself what type of information would attract their attention and get them to sign up.

Step 3: Develop a Series of Auto-responders.

An auto-responder is an email that is send instantly/automatically to a subscriber who signs up to receive your free offer.  It can be only one email or a series of emails that are delivered over a period of time.

Your first auto-responder will typically introduce you and your business, letting your audience know the type of information they’ll be receiving and how frequently you will be sending e-mails. It will also contain a link to your free offer or explain how the subscriber could access the offer.

Send a second, third and fourth auto-responder email our 2 or 3 days after the previous one. These follow-up emails typically contain valuable and useful info. It could be a tip that will help them solve a problem or a tool that they will find useful.

Tip: Auto-responders are excellent time savers. You set it up once and then basically forget about it. The first 3 to 4 emails are really important since they build the initial trust with your audience. So they should contain high value content your ideal clients can use.

Step 4: Create an On-going Email Marketing Plan.

The value of an email marketing plan is to build a great relationship with your list by sending top quality content to them on a regular basis.

The purpose is to stay in-front of your potential clients on a frequent basis. As much as we would like to think that our subscribers are always thinking of us (wouldn’t THAT be nice?), it’s unfortunately not the case. So, repetition is necessary to remind them of you, your offerings and your expertise.

Tip: Establish objectives and build a plan for the year.  Start by mapping out what type of content to send on a regular basis. What type of information or topics you want your subscribers to receive? What promotions or campaigns you want to do and when you want to do it? This plan will help you reach out to your customers at the right time with the right information.

***

The truth is: You never know how long it will take somebody to decide to work with you. When you do not make use of an opt-in process on your website and email marketing, you lose the chance to:

• Capture contact details and build a database of people who are interested in your services;
• Regularly connect and provide additional value and

The post Email Marketing – 4 Steps to Get Started. Build a Warm & Responsive List appeared first on CreateClientChemistry.com.

And although not everybody will face the same challenges, here are some of the more common ones…

1) Self-discipline / Self-management.

Do you also find it is much harder to stay on task in a home office when there is no one watching over your shoulder?

It is easy to get distracted – even with the best intentions. A friend can show up unexpectedly; or you need to run to the shop for bread and milk; or there is a party coming and you need a new outfit; or the washing is piling up and you need to attend to it; or you lose yourself on the Internet and in social media.

There are so many things that can test your self-discipline at home.

If you also struggle with this type of self-discipline / self-management, possible solutions can include to….

Plan your day and set some rules – mostly for yourself.

Show up at your “office” at the same time each morning. Block out the times you will work and then stay focused on the tasks at hand. When you are in your office, you work.

When you know you get lost on the Internet, set a timer and limit yourself to the set time frame to search the Internet or to work on your social media.

Schedule specific breaks for times when you need to do the washing or other household tasks, and limit trips to town for weekends and after hours when your “work day” is over.

Another big challenge of working from home is that…

2) You’re “always” at work.

This is the one challenge that I struggle with the most. I often allow the temptation to work too much sneak into the picture. It is easy to quickly check some email while cooking dinner or run to the computer when you have a few minutes, or take work with you everywhere you go…

Technology even allows me to take my work on vacation (much to the frustration of my family).

Possible solutions when you feel “always” at work:

The easiest way to separate work from family life is to set rules and to have SPECIFIC working hours as the first wave of defense. But do it in such a way that it fits your lifestyle, because that is the only way you will really stick to those rules and working hours.

A schedule that works for me is to mainly work in the mornings. The afternoons are usually occupied by my daughter, and playing “mom’s taxi”. I rarely get to do any work during the afternoons and early evenings when the whole family is together. But, at night when everybody goes to bed and the house is quiet, I can return to my office and put in another 2-4 hours of working time.

If you are like me, one of the reasons we started a home business is to be more available to the family, right?

So we need to create some balance – even when it is difficult. Apart from setting work hours and rules for yourself regarding your business, also create a rule to “be in the moment” with your family.

Train yourself that when you are in the office, you work. But when you are with your family, you are fully present with them – not thinking and worrying about uncompleted work still waiting for you. Simply have fun as a family and create time to talk to each other.

The third big challenge I see all around me is…

3) Staying professional.

Working from home inherently lends itself to feeling less professional than when you have to dress up and go to a more formal office environment. And to add to this, many of our clients – especially when we work with corporate clients – sometimes also struggle with the idea that we can still be professional working from home.

Things that can diminish the professional image you want to portray are the way you answer your phone, or your appearance when we have a video Skype session with a client. Also a lot of background noise when you speak to a client on the phone or via Skype – noises like children playing and shouting in the background, the dog barking outside the window, the TV or radio playing.

Possible solutions to remain professional can include…

To have a dedicated workspace, preferably in a room with a door you can close to block out background noises.

If space is a problem, be creative to find somewhere you can put a desk away from the noisiest areas of the house, and or schedule client appointments at times that you know the house will be relatively quiet.

When you answer your phone, do it in a way that instills trust. Don’t just say Hi or Hallo. Always include your name as well, so that the caller knows he’s talking to the right person.

And when you have a meeting with a client – even if it is via Skype, dress up and apply some make-up. When you feel good about yourself, it boosts your confidence levels, shows you take your business and clients seriously and might even help to clinch the deal with a new client.

Lastly, one of the biggest challenges with your own business is you have…

4) No fixed income.

Many women start their new business to be in control of their financial destiny. This financial destiny can be very rosy, but it can also be disastrous for some.

Working from home inevitably means that you do not have a fixed pay-cheque every month. Your income varies from month to month and especially in the beginning, it is difficult to earn the same you’ve earned while working in corporate.

A possible solution can be to…

Evaluate your situation before you start your VA business. Are you the sole provider for your family? Do you have a savings fund that is big enough to pull you through six months without any income from your business? Do you have a spouse that can take care of your day-to-day living costs for an indefinite period until your business is sustainable and profitable?

If not, consider not quitting your job immediately. Rather start your VA business part-time because you need to live first. It’s quite stressful living off your savings and seeing it reach a point where you are forced to take up employment again.

When you are already in business and feel that your financial situation is not what you expect it to be, try to improve on your marketing, and take a different approach if your current marketing is not working. The only thing that will turn your financial situation around is to get more paying clients.

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I’m curious. What are some of the challenges you are facing when working from home and how do you deal with it?  Share them with us in the comments below.

To Your success

PS: If the challenge of “ no fixed income” is something your struggle with, then here is a free resource and a very effective “get-more-clients-strategy” that might help you with getting new clients. Check it out, here.

The post How to Beat the Top 4 Challenges Of Working From Home appeared first on CreateClientChemistry.com.

If you have valuable belongings, you keep them locked up – you put it in a safe or in a bank vault or even in a locked wooden box under your bed.

Locks are also used to prevent someone or something to get in or out – like a yard, prison or a safety den….

But sometimes, the success of your business is also securely locked up.

In principle there are basically 2 kinds of locks.

There are locks that require a key to open and then there are locks that require a combination.

Although both locks have the same purpose, they are quite different.

For the one, you only need a single item, a key, to successfully open it. For the other you need a combination of numbers to successfully unlock it.

So which of these 2 are keeping your business success securely locked up?

You often hear people say: “I found the key to unlock my business success. It’s ….(a shinny object or the newest fad)”.

I however believe that in business it does not always work like that.

It is seldom just one thing that is needed to unlock your success. You cannot ONLY deal with a lock and key – one aspect of business. You most of the time have to deal with a combination lock – many different aspects of business – to successfully unlock your success.

But, here’s the problem with combination locks…

They require different numbers, and if you only have 1 or 2 of the numbers to a 3 number combination lock, you might spend endless hours trying different combinations to unlock it – often without success.

And even when you have all the numbers to the combination lock, you are still unable to unlock the damn thing. Why?

Because it’s not enough to have all of the numbers…

You need someone to give you all the numbers AND in the right order!

It is the same with business.

You cannot only rely on one aspect of the process or only have some of the elements required, because you might then still end up spending too much time trying to unlock your success.

You need to work on all the different elements and implement them in the right order, if you want to stop the struggle and find the success you rightfully deserve.

If you are tired running around in circles and are frustrated with not getting the results you want, it’s perhaps time to get the correct number combination for YOUR business and put it all in the right order to unlock your business success.

To Your Success

PS: Contact me today for a personalised Business Breakthrough Session. Let’s spend some time together to work on your combination lock and see if we can move your business forward a little faster this year.

The post Is The Success Of Your Business Locked Up? appeared first on CreateClientChemistry.com.

And I realised if you are living in SA, there are 9 billion reasons why investing in and building a website is a good idea.

What? You can’t even count that far? Well, me neither!

But it’s true…, there are 9 billion reason to invest in a website, because 9 billion rand is the amount of money spent PER YEAR by business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce in SA.* In other words, people buying products and services via the Internet!

This is serious money. Spent by serious people…

And if this is the amount of money spend in only ONE small country, think about the money spend globally!

But let’s focus on South Africa as an example of some more mind-boggling Internet usage stats.

According to Internet World Stats* (2014), there are 23.6 million Internet users in South Africa – almost half of the population.

The biggest single age group is 30 to 49 years old – representing 42.9% of the online population. 18.6% is older than 50 years and about 30% is between 20 and 29 years old.

Thus, more than 60% of the Internet users in South Africa are part of the economically active population!

…and with an online spend of 9 billion per year they certainly have money to spend. (Whatever country you are in today, the stats will probably have the same trend.)

So in my humble opinion, I’d say there is some disposable income in there with your name on it!

BUT, if you cannot be found online, and if you do not have a website, you might be missing out on that income.

Apart from these mind-boggling stats – and before we get too overexcited about all these big numbers), here are 8 more practical reasons why you need to consider having a website for you business.

# 1: Your Clients / Potential Clients

Will potential clients use the Web to look for information specifically about you?

Yes, they will. Potential clients may hear about you from a friend or see your business card; perhaps read an article you’ve written or follow you on social media.

When people are curious to know more about you, they’ll probably do an internet search or try to find your website before they decide to contact you. Will they find you?

Will potential clients randomly search online for the specific services you offer?

Yes, they will. Doing some quick keyword research will reveal that tens of thousands (even millions) of searches monthly are done for the specific services or products you provide.

Will they be able to find you?

If you do not have a website, the chances are they won’t and you’ll have to pass this potential client opportunity on to a competitor who is online

Do your potential clients or target audience have web sites themselves?

If they do, they will without doubt consider the web to be an important business tool and might find it strange if you don’t have an online presence.

# 2: Your Own Business

Do you want to reach a wider client base?

A website is not geographically bound and can extend your reach. It helps you to increase your business footprint to attract potential new clients locally, nationally or even internationally?

Even when you have a purely services based business and only work with clients locally, a website can serve as a platform to diversify your income and or add additional passive income streams to your bottom line.

Do you want your business to project a professional image?

Off course you do…even when you work from home (and sometimes in your pyjamas – who needs to know 🙂) .

A well designed web site can project a professional brand to the world – no matter your office location or your clothing preferences.

Are you running on a tight budget and want to optimise marketing costs?

Creating a website, can be an initial capital outlay. Thereafter, continuous online marketing can be cost effective.

When you use your marketing efforts to drive traffic to your website, you can implement an effective lead capture strategy on your site, to trigger more business as well.

# 3: Your Competitors

Do your competitors have web sites?

The Internet opens up the availability of choices and many people love to “research and compare before they commit”. If you don’t have a website, but your competition does, potential clients cannot include you in their comparisons or decision making processes, and will probably go with who they find online. So you are losing out on potential income.

With a website you are on equal footing with you competitors and can inform and pre-sell interested prospects with all the reasons why they should rather work with you.

If your competitors do NOT have a website, you immediately differentiate yourself when you do have one. Plus it gives you the opportunity to attract web visitors (and potential clients) looking for those things you offer.

Are your competitors longer in business?

If you’re just starting out, a web site can help you to level the playing field. A well designed website gives the appearance that your business is well-established already and provides an added layer of trust.

So, this is what I want you to take from this article:

If you do not have a website yet, then evaluate your business and start taking action towards getting one in place.

If you already have a website – think about how you can refine and update it to help you stand out and attract more of your ideal clients.

To Your Success

* Internet World Stats

The post Do You Need a Website For Your Business? Hell Yeah! appeared first on CreateClientChemistry.com.

When someone new lands on your site, you want them to stay a bit longer, browse around and when they like what they see, take some sort of action… calling for an appointment or signing up for your mailing list.

This however pose a huge challenge for website owners.

The reason?

Competition on the web is increasing daily.

You do not only compete with other websites in your niche. You also compete with Social Media, Email, Smartphones, Online Games, News sites… all designed to minimise the time people spend on yours!

And on top of that you also compete with the dwindling attention span of people these days.

According to recent research by the National Center for Biotechnology, the average attention span of people is about 9 seconds, and the average website visitor has an attention span of 3-5 seconds the first time they’re on your site.

Not very good news for us as solo-preneurs…

So to use your website as a client attraction tool, you have to grab your visitor’s attention within the first couple of seconds, because only when you have their attention they’ll be persuaded to stay a bit longer and hopefully take the action you want them to take.

So, here are 4 easy-to-implement tips to grab their attention and get them to stay longer.

1. Know Who You Want To Keep on Your Site

In the first 3 seconds when someone lands on your site they ask the questions:

• What is it?
• Why should I care?

…and you have to instantly answer these questions through your logo, your headlines, your images and eventually every word you write.

Knowing your target audience, who you write for and thus want to keep on your site…PLUS  understanding their needs, wants and desires, will make it easier to convey your unique value proposition in those critical first 3 seconds.

So, write your website with your ideal client in mind. The thing is, you don’t know where your visitors will first enter your site. It may be the home page of your website, a blog post, a sales pages or even your contact page. Every single webpage therefor has to convey the message of what you do, who you serve, what their problems are, and how you can transform their lives.

2. Use Striking Headlines

Headlines, and titles, are one of the most important parts of your site, whether it is on your home page, a blog entry, a standard web page, an article, or your sales copy.

Why?

Because your site visitors use headlines to decide whether or not to read further.

And if they don’t read past the headline, it doesn’t matter how good or bad your actual content is, it won’t get read.

So, write headlines that are clear, relevant, exciting and contains a solution to a pain point or challenge your audience have.

3. Make Your Content More Readable.

People don’t read everything on your site. They usually just scan the content. So help them stay longer and encourage them to continue reading by…

• Breaking your content into shorter paragraphs;
• Using subheadings;
• Using lists and bullet points;
• Formatting text with bold, italicize, and underline to emphasize important points
• Creating more white or open spaces.

4. Use Relevant Images

Humans are visual creatures and images help your visitors connect and feel comfortable on your site. It is important to use images that are relevant to the content as it is a way to attract attention and help your reader to visualize the information in a simple way that makes sense to them.

Also select images that align with your audience because remember you want to grab their attention. Thus your images should be appealing to your target audience and not only to you.

Even though the odds are stack up against us in terms of competing with big brands and everything else out there that demands the attention of our ideal clients, these easy-to-implement changes can make a world of difference on your website to help you attract and win more clients through it.

So go out today and create a jaw dropping website to wow your ideal clients, keep them longer on your site and attract them into your client pipeline.

And if you’d like support on crafting a powerful and effective message that magnetizes and gets your web visitors to take action on your site, schedule a free Business Breakthrough Session. Let’s talk.

To Your Success

PS:  If you use other easy-to-implement tips and tricks to keep visitors on your site, Please share it with us in the comment section below.

Feel free to use the buttons below to share…

The post 4 Easy-To-Implement Ways To Keep New Visitors On Your Website appeared first on CreateClientChemistry.com.

As a service professional, I sometimes find it funny (or actually scary) when people drop all professionalism the moment they start working from home – especially when it comes to the way they answer the phone.

So in the post below I’ll give you a couple of telephone etiquette tips to ensure your phone conversations build your business and don’t break it down.

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But first, let me tell you about an interesting telephone experience I had recently…

I’ve been struggling with some technical integrations on my website and decided to get some help with it. So, I phoned someone, who came highly recommended and was ready for the (in my mind) professional / technical discussion to see if this person will be able to help me.

But my excitement and expectation soon turned into irritation, then frustration and then a clear “No, Thank You!” – all within one telephone call.

The phone started ringing …. one, two, three,… eight …

I was about to hang up when I heard: “Jellooo!!”

Just “Jelloooo!” – with the last syllable a long singing sound. No name to introduce her. No business name. Nothing.

I smiled, kept my cool and after establishing it is indeed the person I was looking for, I started to introduce myself and began to state the reason for my call.

Huge was my surprise when she interrupted me to ask if I could phone her back in ½ an hour since her neighbor is at the door!

Her neighbor…

Mmmm…

Well, perhaps she didn’t need new business or it was a “life-or-death” situation with the neighbor. I’ll never know.  It goes without saying that I didn’t phone back and found someone else to help me.

As a service provider myself, I believe first impressions count – even over the phone. And to ask a potential client to call back… well, it didn’t “gel” with me. I was speechless about that one.

The thing is, your telephone is not just a communication tool. It is often the first opportunity you have to showcase your professionalism, and I see it as the image projector of how you conduct business overall.

As coaches, consultants and virtual assistants, we rely on a telephone for business. So, we can never really let our guard down since we don’t know if the next caller is a potential client.

Here are 10 easy telephone etiquette tips to ensure a positive client experience, every time…

Answer with a smile

Although this is an age-old tip, it really works. Make sure you speak clearly and are smiling when you answer the phone. This not only puts you in the right mindset to assist the person on the other side, but also lets the caller feel good about phoning.

Always identify yourself at the beginning of all calls.

When in your office, answer the telephone by stating your business name, then your own name, e.g.“Be Virtual Assistant Wise good morning, this is Francis speaking”.

You may even add “…how may I assist you?”. If you allow family members to answer the phone on your behalf during office hours, inform them of the way you want it done.

From a cell phone, simply say, Hallo, and state your name: “Hallo, Francis van Wyk here”.  Do not answer using words such as “yeah” or “yes.”

Answer quickly

As a general rule of thumb, a business telephone should be answered by the fourth ring, preferably sooner. If the telephone rings so long that the caller wonders whether you are there or not, you are not practicing telephone etiquette.

Be prompt in answering the phone, be warm and enthusiastic and treat each call as if it is the most important call of the day.

Don’t interrupt when the caller is speaking

Never interrupt a person when he/she is talking to you and never give the impression that you are rushed. Listen closely in order to understand their needs and requests. Give the person time to explain his or her situation. Remember, listening makes the clients feel that their needs are important. Don’t sound bored or indifferent. Put energy into your voice, even if you are not having the best of days.

And don’t become distracted by e-mail popping up on your computer screen or other household activities … pay full attention to the caller.

Ask permission to put a caller on hold

If you have to put a person on hold (for what-ever reason), first ask their permission and get back to them as soon as possible. Say something like:  “May I put your call on hold for a moment while I pull the information for you?”

Then, to gain the clients attention when you return to the line, call them by name and wait for the response, e.g. “Mr. Smith? (Pause for him to respond)…Thank you for waiting, I do have the information for you.”

Don’t use speaker phone

Don’t put the caller on speaker phone. Although a speaker phone might be very convenient, your client may not think so as speakerphones tend to pick up every background noise. This may give your client the impression that you are not focusing on what they say.

Speakerphones sometime also have an acoustic background effect where the caller hears a repeat of his discussion (much the same as with some long distance/international calls) that can be very distracting.

No eating, drinking or chewing

Don’t eat, drink or chew gum when talking on the phone. Aside from being very rude, these sounds become magnified over the phone. It can also make your words difficult for callers to understand.

Try also not to cough, sneeze or clear your throat into the phone. If it so happens that you must sneeze or cough, move the mouthpiece away and cover it with your hand.

Be sensitive to the tone of your voice

Clients are unable to see your face when they call, so the way your voice projects will either win them over, or chase them away. An angry or overly anxious tone might scare potential clients away.

Use a professional voice message

If you make use of an answering machine or answering service ensure that you have a professional recorded message that will give the caller the assurance you’ll get back to them. It can be something like: “Hallo, thanks for calling. This is Francis. I’m not available right now, but please leave your name and number and when I return your call, I’ll be glad to answer your questions. I’ll be in touch soon.”

Return calls promptly

If possible return calls the same day they are received. If you’re “out of office” for an extended period of time, update your recording and tell clients by when you’ll be able to return their calls.

Apart from these, what other telephone etiquette tips do you have? Please share it with us in the comment box below.

The post 10 Easy Telephone Etiquette Rules To Ensure A Positive Client Experience, Every Time… appeared first on CreateClientChemistry.com.

Assuming you want to start your own business. Where do you begin?

• Now is not the right time. She made the time
• I don’t have any money. She found the money
• I don’t know where to start and what to do. She did the research and found the answers she was looking for.

The post Are You Making The Right Decisions? appeared first on CreateClientChemistry.com.

Different people may have different answers and all of them might be correct.

In my opinion, the absolute starting point for creating business success is to truly know yourself – to know and understand who you are as a person: your personality, strengths, weaknesses, behaviors, beliefs, motivations, emotional reactions and everything else that makes you tick..

The reason why self-knowledge is so important is because it increases the likelihood that you can create the results you want in your life and your business. When operating your own business, you can read every business tip out there, you can model the practices of others, and you can eat up every piece of self-help that comes across the computer screen, but it’s completely pointless if you don’t know yourself well enough to put the correct advice into practice.

So, self-knowledge helps you to figure out what you want to do, what you will enjoy, and what you are willing to let go. It helps you make much better decisions in terms of

• What type of business to start
• The services you offer
• How to perform your work
• The type of clients you work with
• How you interact with clients
• How you manage your business and resources to progress faster
• How to manage and grow your finances
• How you market and attract clients

When you understand who you are as a person, what you are willing to do, what you want in life and why you want it, you can start creating the business success you want. Because only then, you can change behaviors that don’t suite you, and direct your thoughts, plans and actions to achieve all the things you want.

But, getting to know yourself doesn’t just happen.

It takes conscious effort and a lot of stripping back the layers, one by one.

It also takes a lot of courage. (But it’s worth it!).

So, to help you on this journey of self knowledge, here are a couple of important thought-provoking questions to ponder on.

17 Thought Provoking Questions to improve your self-knowledge

1. How would you describe yourself?
2. What makes you happy
3. What motivates you?
4. What are your top five values?
5. What are you most grateful for in life?
6. What you are really passionate about.
7. What do you dislike?
8. What makes you angry?
9. What do you fear most in life?
10. What limiting beliefs are you holding on to?
11. What empowering beliefs can you take on to help you achieve your goals?
12. What bad habits do you want to break?
13. What good habits do you want to cultivate?
14. What are your greatest strengths?
15. What do you want from your business…from life in general?
16. Why do you want it?
17. What will you do anything for (to have or get)?

Obviously, these questions are just a starting point, but knowing the answers and delving a bit deeper to understanding yourself better, will in the end drive your overall behavior and impact on all the decisions you make regarding your business and your life.

So take some time out today, and start stripping back those layers to get to the real you.

Let’s start creating your business success, today.

To your Success

Francis

The post Want a Successful Business? 17 Thought-Provoking Questions to Gain Self-Knowledge appeared first on CreateClientChemistry.com.

Are you like me?

When I started my business, I had clear goals of what I wanted to achieve – e.g. how many clients I want to work with and the income levels I want to reach. But at the time, I didn’t really create a solid marketing plan around it.

It was just easy to go with the flow and do what feels right in the moment. Can you relate?

If so, is it working for you?

After my first year in business, I knew this hum-ham approach wasn’t working for me. At all.

What I found, was that without a plan, important projects were often put on hold, or they crept up on me and there was simply no time to create effective marketing campaigns around them, or things were simply forgotten, and at the end of the year, I didn’t reach my business goals.

But then I got a little bit smarter and decided that it is important for me, for my business, and for my life to create a written, yearly marketing plan of what I want to achieve within a given year.

I am not talking about a plan incorporating ALL the little details. I’m just talking about a plan where I can see the whole year at a glance. A plan to make sure that I schedule the most important business and marketing activities, so that I…

• don’t forget about stuff,
• give myself enough time to pull things off and
• easily monitor the progress I make against my goals.

I call this my annual marketing and event calendar.

It’s a  1-page document that incorporates the weeks of every month to give you a full-year at a glance.

Every year, I populate this document with the most important events and projects that require any sort of marketing activities. I also make sure that there is at least one event or marketing campaign each month that can lead to new clients and new income.

Within this plan, I don’t put down specific dates; just a rough idea of when I want to implement or do something. Then, I print a copy and keep it next to my computer (a printed copy is handy for making quick notes and for referencing where I am currently).

The results of this?

For the past 3 years, I not only reached all the goals and activities on the annual plan. I’ve doubled my income year on year.

So for me, a yearly written marketing plan – even if it is just a basic overview of the most important activities – is an absolute must in any business.

Here are 7 reasons why I believe an annual marketing plan is important:

1. An annual plan will help you clarify your ideas and most important priorities. It will help you determine what you want to focus on for the year, and when you want to focus on it.

2. An annual plan will help you make crucial decisions. With your plan, you know what is important, and is now in a great potition to say “yes” or “no” to opportunities coming your way. With your plan in hand you have more clarity – and the courage – to manage new opportunities rather than to be managed by them.

3. An annual plan will enable you to maintain balance. You’ll be able to quickly see which months are extremely busy and which months are not. It will help you spread out activities so that you do not overwhelm yourself and have enough time to complete things. Also when you are not able to move things around, it will help you to plan in advance on how you will manage those busy times. And, when you find some months are completely empty, it will give you the motivation to find opportunities and activities to grow your client base for that given month.

4. An annual plan serves as a road map for accomplishing what matters most. It gives you a quick glance of what is coming in the next few weeks or months and prompt you to start thinking about those things that will need attention in the near future. It’s like identifying the markers and waypoints along the journey, so that you have enough time to create an action plan for completing them successfully.

5. An annual plan is a valuable financial tool. When planning out your projects and marketing activities per month it is easier to make projections about the number of clients and income per month to ensure it all adds up to your yearly financial goal . Then you can simply evaluate your actual income per month against the projected income to see if you are still on track.

6. An annual plan measures your progress. It tells you where you are and what you still need to do to reach your ultimate goal.

7. An annual plan helps ensure that you don’t finish the year with regrets. For many entrepreneurs, their years are not turning out like they had hoped. They are disappointed, confused, and discouraged. But it doesn’t have to be that way. While you can’t control everything, you can manage your business with a plan and dramatically improve your chances of closing the year on a high note.

So, get started today with creating your own annual plan and let’s make this year your best year, yet.

To Your success

*Photo courtesy of  twobee | freedigitalphotos.net

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