Bill Gluth's Creative Business Strategy Blog

Here’s One ReasonYou May Feel Depressed About Your Business

There are days in running a small business when you may feel depressed, overwhelmed and hopeless. If you ever experience those depressed feeling days, here’s what to do about it.

Business owners feel depressed because they don’t see a path. They never developed the strategy, tactics and systems to attract interested prospects, generate sales, and build their business consistently.

The best way to get back on track is to focus on sales. Few people ever feel hopeless when business and money is rolling in the door.

The reason is, revenue generating activities give you hope of a brighter future while increasing your cash flow today.

Start by talking to a knowledgeable friend.The best knowledgeable friends you can ever talk to are your existing clients.

Start by talking to clients who you know really find value in what you do.

It’s easy to do if you just tell them, “I’m working on my business and wondered if you might tell me what the greatest value you feel you’ve gained from working with my company is.”

Then listen and write down what they say. The answer they give you is the key to the door of sales increases.

This understanding allows you to reach out to other people who are just like them. It makes sales more enjoyable. If you enjoy sales you’ll focus on it more.

When you focus on sales, everyday is hopeful. Every day brings the potential of growth and success.

The Easiest Way to Train me to Ignore You

I belong to an email list about creative thinking and life philosophy that I have enjoyed reading for over a year now.

This group formed a membership site. I belonged for a while, did not see any real value from the membership site and left.

About three months ago the publisher, who developed the material and membership site, started emailing me to join again. "I'm missing so much" was the plea.

Now the same exact message is coming to me two or three times per week. When I see messages from this sender I just delete them.

In essence, the publisher has trained a once interested and engaged person to ignore their messages.

Frequency is proven to work, but give me new messages. Build the value of the offer.

Please, don't keep sending me the same message over and over again. It bores me and I'll have to leave to maintain my sanity.

How to Get Sent to Junk Mail Immediately

Here are a few top tips for everyone who sends email as a primary marketing method.

Get my permission to send or don't send at all, please!

If I see a name in the subject line I don't recognize, I hit the junk button immediately.

If your company name is one I don't do business with or don't recognize, I hit the junk button immediately.

If your subject line promises fame, fortune and the "next best marketing tool" I hit the junk button immediately.

If you want to network with me, write me a personal email, let's talk about the value we can provide one another. I'm always open and receptive. If you  just email me a social network invitation, I'll probably hit the junk button immediately.

... and please, in the name of all that is professional and responsible, take me off of your list of people to send your new social media site introductions to. I'll hit the junk button immediately.

It's a busy world out there. Unfortunately, the majority of emails I receive get sent to junk immediately and there does not seem to be an end in site.

Use Friendliness, Caring and a Desire to Help Others to Build a Successful Business

We all like to do business with people we know, like and trust.

A successful business model is created by understanding what a niche group of people want and then creating a value that they are willing to exchange money for.

With that in mind, how can anyone in business stand out from competitors, gain market share and be seen as a leader in their industry?

Sincerely care about the outcome your niche market gains from using your service or product then give prospects what they want instead of what you think they need.

Take your sales hat off. Understand the challenge your prospect (the stranger) wants to solve by listening; just like you were listening to a friend.

Show them how you can help solve the challenge they’re facing by offering ideas they cannot see.

Ask if they’d like to partner with you to overcome the challenge.

Here’s why this method works.

You were concerned enough to listen. You offered good advice. You turned a stranger into a friend by authentically caring. You just made a sale. Keep following this process and your sales will soar.

You’ll also notice more happiness and satisfaction creeping into your life at the same time.

Michael Gerber and The EMyth Revisited Reminder

I picked up a new copy of EMyth Revisited yesterday. After visiting their Web site I was inspired to read the book again.

I love the quote on the last page. It is so true and often forgotten. As a reminder, here it is:

When you hear something, you forget it. When you see something, you remember it. But not until you do something will you understand it.

Great quote from a brillant man, Michael Gerber. An inspriation to us all.

Can a Corporate VP Give Good Advice About Working From Home

MSN posted an article about the pitfalls of working from home.

The problem is, the advice was provided by Rosemary Haefner who is the Vice President of Human Resources at Career Builder.

My question is, can someone who is definately in the office everyday give practical knowledge advice on working from home.

It goes back to the idea I've always embraced. When you want to learn how to do something, find someone who does it and learn from them.

Homeworkers, did you find the article at http://tinyurl.com/5pzt8n helpful?

The Overused !

I was going over value statement replies for one of my clients and noticed something very interesting. The majority of people (including my client) end many of their sentences with an exclamation point.

Now ! is fine if used in moderation. BUT it seems that moderation is thrown out the window in many cases.

Here's an example. My child loves your classes! Thanks !! Or the every popular, I can't tell you how happy we are now that we signed up!!!

I know we're all motivated and excited about life and good results, but please, limit your use of ! to one sentence per message. After all, how excited can everyone really be?

Thanks for sharing your ideas on the use of ! too. I appreciate it!

How to Write a Weekly Newsletter

Communication is a great way to take part in the conversation going on in your clients and prospects mind. When your category comes up in these internal conversations, you want to achieve top of mind awareness in your business category.

Here’s how to easily create a weekly newsletter communication to send to your clients and prospects.

First realize that when it comes to your business, you know more than 98% of everyone else.

Talk about things you know. Start by writing down 3-major points about your product or service. Focus on ideas that help other people achieve what they want out of life or business.

Next, create 3-subpoints that reinforce the 3-main points.

Once you’ve completed these two steps, all the major creative thinking is done. Now all you have to do is “fill in the blanks” to complete your article.

Then manage the task every week.

Consider ideas that you want to write about during the week.Write down ideas in a notebook, journal or even your database or time planner as they come to you.

Set a time limit. Set time aside a specific amount of time every week to create your outline and write the article.

If you can’t seem to sit down at the keyboard to write your article, try writing on a legal pad using a favorite pen. My client, author, B. L. Hyde wrote her book, We the People, on legal pads while having breakfast at her favorite diner and while waiting for appointments.

If writing on a keyboard or longhand is a challenge then just simply talk. Get a digital recorder, talk about the idea you would like to share and send the recording to http://www.idictate.com/ for transcription.

Once you have your words on paper, you can either edit it yourself or use an editor or virtual assistant to do the article creation and final formatting for you.

Communicating your business ideas and expertise consistently increases your value in the minds of clients and prospects. Articles (known as "content") also begins to position you as a “Thought Leader” in your business category.

Michael Port Has Great, New Ideas

I was recently sent a preview copy of Michael Port's new book called Beyond Booked Solid. Since I enjoyed his first book, Book Yourself Solid, I knew his latest effort was going to be a great read.

What I didn't realize is the impact Michael's latest work can have on any business owner. This is one of those books, like Michael Gerber's, The E-Myth Revisited, that can change a persons perspective on business.

More than anything, Michael Port's new book gets readers thinking bigger. It shows them how to see things from a larger view and make the most of their business and life.

There are great examples and step-by-step methods that help anyone take their business from successful operation to all it can be. Michael provides logical steps and real world examples that inspire readers to intelligent and focused action.

I highly recommend picking up a copy of Beyond Booked Solid, by Michael Port. It's a book that can change your entire outlook on business.

Reading Your Prospects Mind

Mind reading is actually easy. All you really have to learn is how to be perceptive, listen and trust your personal intuition.

It’s even easier in a selling situation, because prospects will give you easy to spot clues.

Listening and observing are the keys. You must understand the challenge your prospect wants to solve.
What you think they need is irrelevant to the conversation. When potential buyer’s get what they want, you’ll create a sale.

Here’s how can you become a mind reader at your next sales call.

Begin the meeting by asking the question, “Based on what we talked about previously, what made you think it would be a good idea to meet?”

Then listen. I mean actively, take notes and hear what the other person is saying kind of listen.

Based on what the client told you they wanted, is this a project that fits your working style?

Was your recap of the challenge the prospect faces well received?

Did the prospect like your ideas?

Do you think this is a person or company you would like to work with? Can you do your best job for them?

In your close, make the case based on your observations and gut feel. When you feel great about client interactions, so will your clients.

When your clients feel good about you, backend sales, referrals and a strong client base is the result. That means more sales at a lower cost all because you learned to read your prospects mind.