Leaders CAN be made. Here’s how.

Leaders CAN be made. Where will your next leader come from?

The saying is that leaders are born, not made. If you’re a parent, you know that’s not true. You were thrust into a situation of vital importance and stepped up to the challenge. Often, it’s outside events that ignite the leadership potential within each of us. When combined with dedicated and structured internal exploration, great leaders can indeed be made.

Simply adding a star performer to a team boosts the effectiveness of other team members by 5-15%. No wonder, then, that study after study shows stronger financial performance in companies that make proportionally greater investments in identifying and developing top talent.

-Harvard Business Review

Are you ready to invest in your top talent?

Vistage Master Chair Christine Spray will be taking a limited number of applicants for her Emerging Leader Program, kicking off on April 2.

The program curriculum is organized into four modules – Personal, Interpersonal, Team, and Organizational. Working from the inside out, participants will develop the core competencies necessary for successful leadership.

Here are self-directed exercises established and rising leaders can implement to enhance all four arenas where strong leadership skills are needed:

Build meaningful work relationships – Have intentional team interaction, like asking about interests outside the office or writing sincere thank you notes to individual members for jobs done well.
Motivate others – Write an open letter to acknowledge your team’s achievements, administer a team morale survey, or initiate a simple rewards program to show appreciation.
Strategize for improvement – Create a task force to make a “stop doing” list of outdated or cumbersome procedures and policies, ask individual team members to define quality and how the company achieves it.
Coach others – Conduct individual goal-setting meetings with your team, institute a new hire forum to discuss workplace excellence, and simply ask the team often, “how are things going?”
Drive positive work values – Openly discuss what it means to be value-driven, identify and clarify team norms for professional interaction, write the workplace values that define your leadership approach and share with all.
Build trust – Ask a small group to identify “trust busters” and work to eliminate these, establish a feedback group to discuss levels of trust within the team, define authentic behavior for yourself.
Conduct better meetings – Address latecomers to eliminate tardiness, let the team know you’re working on facilitation skills and ask for feedback, stop meetings midway to ask for suggestions, list ways to cut down on meetings.
Clarify issues – Create a committee to identify and prioritize team issues, find a personal mentor to talk openly about leadership issues, try to identify patterns in recurring issues, log how long it takes to resolve issues.
Vision – Discuss the future of the team with them often, keep a journal for visionary thinking of needs, wants, desire, and dreams, write the “best case” scenario for your team’s future and share with them.

Without the opportunity or external challenge, it’s hard to truly see a person’s intrinsic leadership capabilities. The Vistage Emerging Leader program provides the perfect opportunity for participants to learn the techniques of true leaders, and a forum to put those techniques to use to build confidence, face challenges, and make decisions.

Contact Christine to register today

WHO:

Companies with 20-500 employees
Employee is currently second/third in the management hierarchy, or poised to be in a management role soon, or identified as a rising star

WHAT:

2-year program with six full-day programs every other month
Interactive workshops on 12 core leadership competencies
Mentor/mentee training for on-the-job reinforcement

WHY:

Benefits to your organization

Bench strength
Employee retention
Improved execution

Benefits to emerging leaders

Develop core leadership competencies
Improve career advancement opportunities
Grow your network with other emerging leaders

Signs you may actually be a micromanager

Leader or micromanager?

Leadership can be defined as the art of motivating a group of people to act toward achieving a common goal. But when does leading take on the ugly face of micromanagement?

Many business owners and leaders don’t realize that they are micromanagers. When we become business owners, we typically add new staff out of necessity. Everything else we’ll learn as we go…right?

What is micromanaging?

An extreme micromanager is the business owner or manager who excessively supervises the employees; even the smallest details have to be reviewed. Micromanagement to varying degrees is more common than you might think.

How are micromanagement styles created?

1) Lack of trust: Lack of trust is one of the greatest factors in micromanagement. The leaders believe that no one can do the particular task as well as them.

2) Fear of failure: Fear of failure can feed these behaviors. Staff might not realize how much is at stake.

3) Being involved in every problem: Some believe that good leadership means “When my staff have a problem, they come to me to fix it.”

4) Unclear expectations: Leadership development is not deliberate with clear expectations and measurable results.

Before you realize it, your staff becomes dependent on you to keep the business running. Regardless of the situation, as the business grows, at some point a leader’s bandwidth cannot attend to a vast number of tasks.

A company’s staff is one of your more valuable assets; sometimes we overlook the impact on morale by not giving individuals the autonomy to perform routine work.

How to stop micromanaging your team

You need to take a leap of faith in your team. Recognize your fears. Share your desire to build an environment where you trust their ability make more decisions without your involvement every step of the way. Together, identify clear expectations between each of you.

As a Vistage Chief Executive Chair, I lead a group of high performing CEOs and business owners that create organizational cultures that challenge and entrust employees to exponentially grow their companies beyond any single person’s capabilities.

What have other CEOs done to stop micromanaging to create high performing teams? Start by looking in the mirror. Ask yourself these questions:

“What can I do to demonstrate my trust in team members?”
“How effectively am I hiring and retaining employees that align with the culture I am trying to create?”
“What behaviors am I displaying or enabling that are preventing my team from rising to their fullest potential?”

Try the 100 List Exercise

Below is an exercise my Vistage CEOs found helpful to intentionally identify and reduce micromanaging habits.

Objective: Build clarity so team members can make more effective decisions by reducing dependency on the leader.

At your next staff meeting, ask your direct reports to create a list of at least 100 items that currently need your approval. Sit silently.
What is this list telling you about your micromanagement habits? Yes, you probably need to be included in the $100,000 purchasing decision. But do they really need to ask what flavor coffee to buy for the break room?
Now, let your team know you need their help. As their leader, it’s time for a paradigm shift. You hired them for their expertise and experiences. You want to empower them to make better decisions without always seeking your approval.
You rate each line item:

A = Only I can make the decision

B = You can make the decision after discussing it with me

C = You make the decision on your own

Challenge yourself over time to delegate more decisions to your staff.

Be honest and vulnerable. Ask your staff, “how else am I getting in the way of your success?” and “How can you help me recognize when I am micromanaging?”

Keep this open dialogue as an agenda item with your staff. When challenges arise, fight the urge to solve the problem. Instead, encourage the team to collaborate and find ways without your micro-involvement. Imagine how your workday will change when you can spend more time working “on the business” and less time caught micromanaging “in the business.”

by: Liza LeClaire, Vistage International

Photo credit: ID9928936 © Tamás Ambrits | Dreamstime.com

Joy to the world!

The holidays are here! Time for celebrations and good cheer!

It is the season when we gather with family and friends to acknowledge our blessings and remember those no longer with us. It is also the season to give yourself the gift of presence, both personally and professionally.

Love thyself and love others, in both word and deed. Give yourself and grant others grace; this time of year can be stressful and filled with a range of emotions. Know that you are loved and tell others you love them too.

Set goals and make a plan to be successful in the coming year. Stop to think about your most significant accomplishments and disappointments of the year. Commit to writing your goals for 2020. What is one thing you will start doing, stop doing, and continue doing to reach these goals?

Give more than you receive. Serving others can not only provide a sense of purpose, it also helps counteract the effects of stress, anger, and anxiety. Volunteer Houston is a great place to find the perfect way to give your time to those in need. They also have a special Holiday Project!

This year I will remember my Grandma who passed in September. I also give thanks for the countless memories I’ve made with family and friends. I stop to acknowledge the many clients who entrust me to help guide their businesses to success. And my daily gratitude goes to my very best friend, my wonderful husband. Indeed, I am blessed!

Best wishes to you and yours for a wonderful holiday season.

-Christine

Image: 106424271 © creativecommonsstockphotos – Dreamstime.com

Thankful

YOU are the reason my heart is happy.

Every person who has touched my life has added something to it. Family, friends, clients, partners – I am grateful for the countless people who bless my life, both personally and professionally. Thank you to those whom I serve; working with you and your teams brings me so much joy. Indeed, it is more blessed to give than to receive, and it is with a servant’s heart that I serve others.

As the holidays approach, and we remember those we love and those we’ve lost, remember to love yourself too. A little self-care goes a long way to help you be your best, for yourself and others. Stop every now and then to be present in the moment. Reflect on the passing year and know that joy and sadness can co-exist as you remember missing loved ones. And above all – breathe! Gentle, deep breaths ease stress, even if only for a moment.

May you and yours enjoy every blessing of the coming season. Thank you for being in my life; I’m better because of it.

All the best

♥Christine

photo: 109908122 © creativecommonsstockphotos, Dreamstime.com

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays – Celebrate YOU this season!

‘Tis the season for joy and celebration with loved ones. And ‘tis the season for hustle and bustle, planning and travel, stress and exhaustion!

It can be easy to get overwhelmed. These short reminders can help keep the season bright:

Love thyself. Self-care helps you be your best, for yourself and for others.
Be present. Stop planning and worrying to create space to savor the moment.
Consume in moderation. Practice a healthy relationship with food and drink.
Joy and sadness can co-exist as you remember missing loved ones.
Gentle, deep breaths ease stress, even if only for a moment.

2018 has been another year full of blessings, a journey of both ups and downs. Yet it is the journey which is the real blessing. However and whenever I encounter you on this journey, I am joyful because of it. You make a positive difference in my life. Thank you.

Wishing you every blessing now and in the new year to come,

♥ Christine

Photo: dreamstimefree_27896421

Prospecting & Lead Generation – Pt 3, Marketing Tactics

Marketing Tactics

In Part 2 of this series, we began looking at lead generation. More specifically, that article outlined ways to set yourself apart as an established and trusted expert. This article wraps up the series and explores another aspect of lead generation – marketing. These are tactics you can execute yourself for your direct benefit, as well as tactics that your internal marketing team or a consultant can execute on your behalf for the wider benefits of others who are a part of your salesforce.

Traditional marketing methods are tried and true. They have been used for years, and they are still effective when done correctly. By blending traditional and newer methods of marketing to prospects, you will improve your chance of success as you approach prospects and generate leads.

Cold Calling

The success of cold calling often depends on the attitude of the caller. A salesperson who does not believe in the effectiveness of cold calling is not going to project the confidence necessary for success. Maintaining a positive attitude will go further than you think. Cold calling has become increasingly difficult, but it is worth the reward. Do not expect to close a sale with a cold call. While it may happen, the purpose is to connect with the prospect.

Successful cold calling requires extensive preparation. You need to understand the prospect and how your product relates to the prospect’s needs. You need to focus on:

Introducing yourself and your company
Questioning the prospects about their needs
Educating the prospect about how you can meet needs
Maintaining contact with the prospect

Direct Mail

Direct mail is a familiar marketing method that uses physical mail, making it simple and affordable. The effectiveness of direct mail requires choosing the mailing list carefully. You must create the list of prospects based on the niche that your company provides, your ideal customer. Once you have created your list, create the piece. Direct mail advertising is more effective when there is a call to action, such as a special offer. The direct mail piece should not be educational, make it playful or creative. You may test the direct mail on a sample of your mailing list before completing the direct mail campaign. This will help you make any adjustments you feel are necessary.

Trade Shows

Many companies can benefit from trade shows. A trade show is a wonderful venue for meeting new prospects, but trade shows are typically crowded, which means that there is great competition. There are a few steps that you can take to ensure that you benefit from the experience:

Plan in advance: this includes finding the booth space and choosing how to decorate it so there are no surprises. You also need to choose highly energetic people to handle your booth.
Create goals: Do not simply show up. You need to create goals to keep on track. This could include the number of prospects you wish to meet.
Advertise: Make sure that you advertise your presence and invite customers. You will enhance advertising if you are a speaker.
Follow up: Take the time to connect with prospects after the trade show is over.

Networking

Networking is a frequently used buzzword. Networking, however, is one of the most effective methods of prospecting. Networking requires more than simply meeting people; it requires the time to build relationships. The process is slow and often begins at events. When going to a networking event, you need to actively work the room. Your focus should be to offer value and sell yourself. Network with different people. Once you meet new prospects, follow-up and connect with them. As you build relationships, your network will develop.

As technology changes, so do the marketing methods used. Some newer marketing methods, such as social networking, will be very familiar. Search engine marketing may be less so. When you combine the newer marketing methods with the traditional ones, you have the opportunity to make the most of your marketing strategies.

Social Networking

Social networking is commonplace in the modern world, and it is rapidly growing as a method of advertising. There are different methods of advertising in social media. First, you can advertise promotions directly to followers. Another method of advertising is placing ads on social media networks. Popular networks are Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Advertising on social networks does cost, so it needs to be considered in the advertising budget. For example, you can promote tweets for a price or place ads on Facebook that target specific demographics. LinkedIn also offers company promotions or pay-per-click ads. Paid per click ads are more expensive than promotions.

Search Engine Marketing

Search engine marketing (SEM) increases the visibility of your company online by advertising and optimizing the ranking in search engine results. SEM uses different services. Organic services are based on algorithms that assess different sites. Many people attempt to increase placement by padding the text with search terms. This can damage the quality of the writing and lower rankings. Search engine marketing also includes paid listing options to increase the placement ranking in search engines such as pay-per-click advertising.

When using search engine marketing, you must know your audience and choose keywords they are likely to search. Implement the keywords throughout the text, but make sure that the text is well-written and the website structured correctly. Next, it is important to get the site indexed by Google and other search engines. The final step is implementing a pay per click program and measuring ROI to determine if any adjustments are necessary.

Email Marketing

Email marketing can be very effective at generating leads. In order to reap the rewards of email marketing, you need to do more than send out mass emails. You need to craft emails that will be seen and inspire a response. There are a few things to remember when creating an email campaign:

Avoid typing in all caps and overusing buzzwords like FREE! These actions will increase the chance of the spam filter catching the email.
Create a simple design someone is likely to read. Limit yourself to three fonts.
Include an incentive and call to action with visible placement.
Make the subject lines brief but compelling. There is no reason to make them over 30 words.
Test the email, make sure the landing page link works and is closely tied to the email.

Display Advertising

Display advertising is an alternative to basic text advertising. These ads implement the use of videos and images. Display advertising includes the familiar banner ads as well as rich media, which incorporates text, video, and images. You will probably need the aid of an expert to create display advertising. Once the advertisement has been created, they should target specific demographics. You can assess the effectiveness of your ads and make adjustments as necessary. Your cost will depend on the advertising method you choose.

Cost per click: You pay when someone clicks the ad.
Cost per thousand impressions: You pay with every appearance of the ad.
Cost per acquisition: You only pay when there is a sale from the ad.

Like any other method of advertising, you must communicate a clear message to your customer. Useful tips for display advertising include: using a call to action, having ads that complement the website, and testing ad campaigns.

Content Creation

Part of developing the relationship with potential customers requires educating them about you and your company. Sharing knowledge and displaying expertise will develop trust with consumers and expand the customer base. Creating and sharing high-quality content is an important part of establishing yourself as an expert. In order for content to be effective, however, must be professional and informative. There are many different avenues of content creation, and you may develop it yourself or hire an expert. Types of content include:

Newsletters
Case studies
Blogs/ Vlogs (video blogs)
Podcasts
Webinars
Social media
Interviews
Books

Once you have created content, you need to do everything you can to share it. Apply the skills in marketing methods to help spread your knowledge.

Differentiation

Standing out from the competition relates back to branding. Remember that your brand is your public image. Your brand will help differentiate you from the competition. Once you understand your customers and how your brand relates to them, you need to establish your niche and take on roles specific to your company. For example, a company that offers delivery or free gift-wrap will stand out from competitors. Once you know how you stand out from the competition, you must advertise it to your prospects.

Fill Customer Needs

As we have already established, you will never develop prospects without establishing value for your customers. It is a good idea to gather data about what your prospects want and then find gaps in your competition that your business will be able to fill. For example, you should improve customer service if your prospects have a problem with the customer service of your competition. Once this is done, you must educate your prospects about the ways in which you will fill their needs.

ALWAYS Deliver on Promises

Part of educating consumers is showing that you always deliver on promises. Customers will share their experiences, and it will damage your chances with new prospects if you develop a reputation for not keeping your promises. The best way to deliver on your promises is to avoid overpromising. While you should go the extra mile for prospects and customers, never make promises that you know you can’t keep. If you develop a reputation for keeping your promises, you improve your standing with your prospects.

Mind the Pipeline

The pipeline should be a familiar term for anyone with sales experience. The sales pipeline has several basic steps: make contact and collect information, meet, make proposals, and close. You may alter the stages based on your company needs. Monitoring the pipeline allows you to monitor prospecting and lead generation.

Contact

The first stage of the pipeline is contact. You may contact a prospect through cold calling, but the prospect will often contact you in response to your marketing. Regardless of how the contact occurs, you must take the opportunity to learn about your prospect. Check the website history and look up your prospect online. Take the opportunity to ask questions if the contact comes through a call or meeting.

After making contact, companies typically compile information on prospects after making contact. Use websites, questionnaires, and conversations. Choose a method of storing information that works best for you, a database or even a spreadsheet. As you catalog information, organize them based on needs, interests, etc. This information will be used to connect with prospects.

Meet

After gathering information about the prospect, it is necessary to meet with the prospect. This does not need to be a face-to-face meeting; the meeting may be online or over the phone. Regardless of how the meeting occurs, it is important to be prepared. The meeting should allow you to develop your business relationship and explain ways that you can meet client needs. The first meeting is often too early to present a proposal, but the sequences of the pipeline are not static.

Propose

The sales proposal is based on communication with the prospect. The proposal will depend on your business. Some will be based on standard rates and prices, while others will require more research to develop. Once a proposal is submitted, it is important that you follow up with the prospect. Do not simply trust in fate, be available to answer questions or make adjustments. The proposal must include a timeline, and the details should be based on earlier discussions. You cannot consider the sale to be complete at this stage. The proposal stage leads to closing at a 1:3 rate. The proposal must be officially accepted before the sale is made.

Close

The final stage is closing. The sale is not finished until it is closed. It may be necessary for you to negotiate with the customer to officially close. Closing occurs when the contract or order is signed and the sale implemented. It is important to carefully guide customers through the closing process; just because someone accepted a proposal does not mean the sale is firm. Additionally, it is important to close quickly. The more time that you give customers to consider their purchases, the more likely they are to think of reasons to avoid the purchase.

Follow-up Communication

Without following up, a terrible thing can happen – nothing! You should not allow too much time to pass between making contact with your prospects and moving them towards customer status. Communication will help you better understand your leads and respond to their questions appropriately. Correct follow-up communication is essential to success.

Know your Leads

As we have already established, you need to understand your customer base to meet their needs. It is not enough to research a generic customer base; you need to get to know your individual leads. You need to gather information and then pay attention to it, and follow up communication is the perfect opportunity. Every time that you follow-up with a lead, take the opportunity to get better know him or her. There are steps that you can take to help you.

Track what the leads look at on your website
Make notes after contact
Send online surveys
Ask questions
Use social media to understand what the lead likes

Move Quickly

Whenever you follow up with leads, it is important that you move quickly. Do not allow time to lapse after making contact. If the customer makes first contact, respond as soon as possible. After the first discussion, you should follow up with the relevant information within 48 hours by phone, email, or social media. You want to stay present in the minds of your leads. Set up a meeting as soon as possible, and establish a date. Make contact with your leads regularly. This does not have to be a long, personal meeting. Maintaining contact is necessary because the probability of making a sale decreases substantially 72 hours after the first meeting. It is important to help the relationship progress without making the prospect feel rushed.

Know How to Respond

The success of a sale increases greatly when the initial response is made between five and 30 minutes of the initial communication. While it is important that you move quickly when responding to leads, you need to know what you are communicating. Some companies use autoresponders to make the response immediate, but personal communication is always more effective. If you do implement auto responses, find a system that allows you to personalize it.

When responding to a lead, you should rely on your understanding of that person’s needs. You need for your call back to be relevant to the prospect. Many people choose to base their response on scripts that they tailor for individuals. Regardless of the method you use, make sure that you have the information that your lead needs.

Set Future Meetings

Hopefully, a follow up will result in setting a meeting. A future meeting increases the chance of making a sale. There are a few things that you need to remember when setting appointments:

Offer value: I know this is repetitive, but you need to offer a reason for the meeting, such as information, a free estimate, etc.
Be accommodating: Agree to the time and venue that your lead prefers. The meeting does not have to be immediate or in person. The point is to set the time and date.
Keep trying: If a lead refused to set a meeting, revisit the question when following up.

Track Activity

Prospecting and lead generation requires you to track activity. This may seem daunting at first, but there are many useful tools that can help you keep up with your prospects. Tracking and assessing results will help you determine how to alter your prospecting to convert more leads into sales.

Use Appropriate Tools

There are a number of tools that assist in tracking lead generation. Customer relationship management systems (CRMs) are very popular. They track marketing, emails, and customer interactions. The programming makes tracking easier because it collects information from multiple departments, simplifying the process of finding and tracking leads. Along with full CRM programs, there are apps available for small businesses. Of course, some companies attempt to handle the information on their own, using spreadsheets and other programs to track progress manually, which is very time-consuming. In the end, you must choose the best tool for your business.

Assess Your Advertising Sources

You should have multiple advertising sources in place to attract leads, but you need to assess how each source performs for you and make adjustments as needed. First, you need to determine what you want to assess. You can assess the increase in traffic, the number of leads generated, or conversion rates? Your assessment will depend on the goal of your advertising. Do you want to attract more leads at this point, or are you looking for higher conversion rates. For example, a campaign may attract prospects or social media likes, but this does not translate to conversions. You might need to target your demographic better to increase conversion rates. Once you determine what you want to assess, collect the data with the CRM tool, ROI, or other tools for each individual source.

Record Information About Leads

We have already addressed keeping a database of leads. This should be more than a list of names and company needs. The information recorded should be extensive, and more information should be recorded with every interaction.

The source of the lead (referral, banner ad, etc.)
Customer needs
Competitor offers
Objection to sales
Birthday
Demographic information
Conversion

This is not a comprehensive list. Your business will dictate what you need to record. This information should be kept even if there is no conversion.

Assess ROI

As with every other project that your company undertakes, you need to keep track of your return on investment (ROI). The basic ROI calculation is:

(Investment Gain – Cost of investment) / Cost of investment

Prospecting and lead generation are complex because there is not a single investment cost. Common costs include wages, ad posting, the cost of lead qualification, and conversion tracking, etc. The exact cost of your program will depend on the unique circumstances of your organization. Fortunately, there are different calculators and programs online to assist you with the assessment.

Create Customers

It is important that you do more than close sales. You should attempt to create a loyal customer base. Customers have relationships and feel connected to businesses. By showing interest, being professional, and being reliable, you will soon find that leads appreciate your business and become loyal clients and customers.

Develop Relationships

The customer relationship is like any other. The relationship requires time and energy to develop and maintain or it withers. Contact your customers regularly, and always address them by name. This does not need to be face to face. Send out emails or connect on social media. Additionally, it is a good idea to seek feedback from customers to create a dialogue. Customer rewards are another method of relationship development. Examples of rewards include:

Coupons
Rewards programs
Birthday cards
Friends and family promotions

Show Genuine Interest

Customer relationships turn sour when salespeople do not show genuine interest. People do not want to feel like they are viewed as walking debit cards. You will improve customer relationships by showing genuine interest in them.

Be engaging: Ask customers personal details and remember them. Do not limit conversation to business.
Anticipate: As you develop a relationship with your customer, you will learn how to anticipate and fulfill customer needs.
Follow up: Thank you notes and phone calls help customers feel appreciated and show your interest.

Be Professional

While it is a good idea to be personable and inviting, you also need to remember to maintain your professionalism.

Be courteous (say please and thank you.)
Keep your private life to yourself.
Dress appropriately for your position.
Do not become too familiar (avoid off-color jokes and comments.)

Show Reliability and Integrity

Customers trust companies and individuals when they show reliability and integrity. Integrity displays morality and honesty. For example, a company that mislabels the price to the benefit of the customer will display integrity by honoring the price and taking the financial loss.

Reliability means that the customer can expect a consistent experience when the dealing with your company. Your prices will be consistent and any changes explained and announced. Employees will all be courteous and attentive, and the quality of the service and product will be uniform time and time again.

In conclusion

Effective prospecting and lead generation requires constant commitment if you want to reach your sales goals. It is work necessary to undertake for your business to succeed. Keep these words from the wise in mind during your journey.

Ray Kroc: If you work just for money, you’ll never make it. But if you love what you are doing, and always put the customer first, success will be yours.
Ashleigh Brilliant: Good ideas are common – what’s uncommon are people who will work hard enough to bring them about.
Zig Ziglar: Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, and no trust.
Beverly Sills: There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

By Christine R. Spray

Photo: © creativecommonsstockphotos – Dreamstime.com

Prospecting & Lead Generation Pt. 2 – Brand Building

Brand Building

Part 1 of our series laid the groundwork needed to implement a prospecting process – making it a priority, identifying the ideal prospect, choosing the best prospecting methods, and making it a habit. With a prospecting process in place, it is time to start generating leads.

Generating new leads requires gaining the trust of your prospects. It is not enough to have an online presence. Prospects need to see you and understand you as a brand they can trust. Trust in a brand is created by showing expertise using blogs, webinars, videos, and other tools.

Become a Brand

Never underestimate the power of branding. Your brand is how your customers view you, so it needs to be authentic. Begin by defining your brand.

Review your company mission statement and company goals
Determine how your product or service benefits the customer
Choose how you want customers to see the company (luxury, reliable, affordable, etc.)

Once you determine your brand, it is important that you express it clearly and consistently. Integrate it into every aspect of the business. This includes the voice in communications, décor, and employee activity. For example, you would not want to write casual communications for a luxury retail brand.

Make sure that the brand is communicated in advertising. This includes marketing materials, logos, and taglines. Once the brand is communicated, you must be consistent in the execution.

Webinars

Webinars are wonderful tools you can use to generate new leads and demonstrate your expertise. Webinars do require considerable work and preparation, but they are worth the effort.

Create a webinar with a title that is likely to be searched by prospective customers.
Choose a provider such as Adobe Connect, brightTALK, and WebEx.
Develop a landing page for registration.
Advertise the webinar. Use social media, ads, blogs, and newsletters.

The webinar needs to be prepared well in advance of the scheduled post date and completed flawlessly. A well-executed webinar should be rehearsed. Additionally, the technology should be tested beforehand to ensure there are no surprises.

Blogs

Blogs are effective marketing tools. Blogs can be written content or done as a video so anyone can create a blog. Do not create a blog unless you are committed to it; create a blog posting schedule and stick to it. Blog posts need to be well-written or filmed, and blogs should be updated regularly. Your content should demonstrate your expertise and engage your audience with valuable information.

Tips for increasing blog exposure:

Comment on other blogs
Ask for comments
Guest blog for other outlets
Make the link to your blog easy to share
Choose topics that your prospects are likely to search

Engaging Videos

Companies can benefit from creating videos for various purposes. Videos can be entertaining or educational. When creating videos, however, it is important to produce a high-quality video – both in content and production – so that they will become visible in the rankings. There are specific steps that must be taken to create effective and engaging videos.

Create videos that will appeal to your target audience
Introduce your topic immediately (the first 10 seconds)
Spend adequate time planning the production
Write an intriguing title with likely keywords in search engines

Avoid Common Lead Generation Mistakes

The failure of lead generation to be successful can often be tied to common lead generation mistakes. Being aware of these common mistakes will help you to avoid them. This list is not all-inclusive, but it is a great starting place.

Limiting Channels

A common problem that occurs in lead generation is limiting the channels being used. While it is reasonable to invest in activities that have a history of success, you should never limit yourself. Try new strategies because the marketplace is constantly changing. For example, do not limit yourself to traditional methods of finding prospects and generating leads. This will cost you exposure and potential customers. Likewise, limiting yourself to high tech channels means that you are overlooking avenues to new prospects.

Failure to Provide Value

Part 1 of this series stressed the importance of providing value to prospects; providing value is a critical piece of earning prospects’ trust. Unfortunately, prospecting and lead generation is often relegated to a sales pitch. Your prospects and customers do not want to feel like they are being forced to listen to an individual who is only interested in their money. Failure to provide value will almost always result in potential customers tuning out your message. Remember to always provide value when you are prospecting and generating leads.

Failure to Connect

Lead generation requires building relationships. Failing to connect with prospects often occurs in the follow-up stage. Sometimes people forget to follow up or wait too long to connect. It is important to follow up within the first three days of meeting a new prospect at the very latest. Additionally, you need to do more than making a phone call and a sales pitch. You need to build a connection. This will create trust and help solidify the relationship, which will improve the chances of a sale.

Failure to Try

A far too common mistake is the failure to try. We have already addressed making it a priority, but some people refuse to even try. People use a number of excuses to avoid prospecting and lead generation. This might include time, money, and lack of customer interest. Most excuses boil down to a fear of failure. For example, someone who has failed at lead generation might avoid attempting it again. It is easier to assume that lead generation does not work than to make changes and risk failing.

As stated in Part 1 of this series, success in prospecting and lead generation ultimately comes down to the salesperson. As renowned author and businessman William Clement Stone said, “Sales are contingent on the attitude of the salesman, not the attitude of the prospect.”

By Christine R. Spray

Overcome procrastination

Overcome Procrastination – NOW!

Don’t blame it on the Internet. Procrastination dates back to ancient civilization. The Greek poet Hesiod wrote around 800 B.C. not to put your work off until tomorrow and the day after.

There are many reasons why people tend to procrastinate:

No clear deadline
Inadequate resources available (time, money, information, etc.)
Don’t know where to begin
Task feels overwhelming
No passion for doing the work
Fear of failure or success

The ability to select your most important task at any given moment, and then execute that task both quickly and well, will probably have the greatest impact on your success more than any other quality or skill you can develop! If you nurture the habit of setting clear priorities and getting important tasks finished efficiently, the majority of your time management issues will simply fade away.

Assuming that you have already established the foundation of successful time management (setting goals, committing to a calendar, and maintaining focus, as detailed in my last blog post) here are simple ways to overcome procrastination:

Delete it. What are the consequences of not doing the task at all? Consider the 80/20 rule, that 80% of your results come from only 20% of your actions. Maybe the task doesn’t need to be done in the first place.
Delegate. If the task is important, ask yourself if it’s really something that you are responsible for doing. Know your job description and ask if the task is part of your responsibilities. Can the task be given to someone else?
Ask for advice. Asking for help from a trusted mentor, supervisor, coach, or expert can give you some great insight on where to start and the steps for completing a project.
Chop it up. Break large projects into milestones, and then into actionable steps. As Bob Proctor says, “Break it down into the ridiculous.” Huge things don’t look as big when you break it down as small as you can.
Obey the 15-minute rule. To reduce the temptation of procrastination, each actionable step on a project should take no more than 15 minutes to complete.
Have clear deadlines. Assign yourself a deadline for projects and milestones and write it down in your day planner or calendar. Make your deadlines known to other people who will hold you accountable.
Give yourself a reward. Celebrate the completion of project milestones and reward yourself for getting projects done on time. It will provide positive reinforcement and motivate you toward your goals.
Remove distractions. You need to establish a positive working environment that is conducive to getting your work done. Remove any distractions.
Do it now. Do your most important task as early in the day as possible. EAT THAT FROG!

Why would anyone ever eat a frog? If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the rest of the day knowing the worst thing likely to happen to you all day is already over. Your frog is the task that will have the greatest impact on achieving your goals, and the task you are most likely to procrastinate starting.

On a related note, “If you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first!” This is another way of saying that if you have two important tasks before you, start with the biggest, hardest, and most important task first. Discipline yourself to begin immediately and then to persist until the task is complete before moving on to something else. Resist the temptation to start with the easier task. You must also continually remind yourself that one of the most important decisions you make each day is your choice of what you will do immediately and what you will do later, or postpone indefinitely. It is OK to say no to requests from others that are in conflict with your goals.

Finally, “If you have to eat a live frog, it does not pay to sit and look at it for a very long time!” The key to reaching high levels of performance and productivity is to develop the lifelong habit of tackling your major task first thing each morning. Don’t spend excessive time planning what you will do. You must develop the routine of “eating your frog” before you do anything else and without taking too much time to think about it.

Successful, effective people are those who launch directly into their major tasks and then discipline themselves to work steadily and single-mindedly until those tasks are complete. In the business world, you are paid and promoted for achieving specific, measurable results. You are paid for making a valuable contribution. But many employees confuse activity with accomplishment and this causes one of the biggest problems in organizations today, which is failure to execute.

by Christine Spray

Mastering your time during crunch time

Mastering Your Time During Crunchtime

Every type of business has periods of high demand. Whether you’re currently in your busy season or ramping up to it, some preparation right now can help you keep your workload and well-being in check.

Before you reach a breaking point with work, make the time and effort to implement some simple steps into your daily, weekly and monthly routines.

Set Goals

The key to effective time management, both professional and personal, is goal setting. Working towards a goal will help focus energy and reduce the stress that comes with not having a purpose.

Give yourself the best possible chance of success by setting SMART goals:

Specific: Goals should be clear and state what you want to accomplish and why it’s important.
Measurable: Measurable, quantifiable goals let you know when you’re successful.
Attainable: All goals, particularly short-term goals, must be achievable with respect to all pertinent constraints.
Relevant: Goals must be relevant to the situation and align with other goals.
Timely: Goals require specific deadlines.

Keeping an overarching positive approach to all goals not only keeps propelling you toward completion but can help release your internal “happy drug”, dopamine. Dopamine produces that feeling of pleasure when goals are achieved. Break down your big goals into smaller goals so you have more frequent dopamine releases.

Set goals for the two quarters preceding your crunch time. Based on those outcomes, set goals for each month prior to your deadline. Further break down monthly goals into weekly goals; remember, give yourself the best chance of success!

Commit to Your Calendar

Anytime, but particularly busy times, your calendar is your best tool for managing your priorities and reaching your goals. The secret is to put EVERYTHING in your calendar.

Before your first work day of the week, review your calendar to make sure all tasks related to your goals have an appropriate amount of time scheduled. Client and team meetings should be included of course, but look closely at every deadline for the week and make sure time is allotted for everything. Do you need to do research on a unique client circumstance? Schedule it. Is there a client who is typically slow to send required documents? Schedule time to make a list of outstanding materials and send a reminder. Many people find it helpful to also schedule a time block for making and returning phone calls, rather than constantly being interrupted throughout the day. Be sure the timeframe for each task is realistic.

There is an abundance of calendar apps and software, for both individuals and teams. A tool that allows setting reminders is helpful for more time-consuming tasks. For calendars shared with others, one nice function is the ability to set a “do not disturb” notice. Sure, things will come up. But set your schedule, protect your boundaries, and you, your colleagues and your clients will all be happy.

Do not forget to schedule personal time too!

Take “Me Time”

Even during the busiest days and weeks, a healthy, balanced life is critical for meeting goals during the busy season. While it may seem counterintuitive, work-life balance can actually increase productivity.

The risks of extended periods of intense work are well documented. Overworking takes a physical toll on your body and health. It can also lead to alcoholism, sleep disorder, depression, and damaged personal relationships.

“Me time” doesn’t have to be a spa day or something else extravagant. True “me time” is much simpler. It’s anything you do just for yourself. There is no set expense or time frame to follow when taking “me time.” It can be as simple as taking a walk or browsing the Internet for 15 minutes. The only imperative concerning “me time” is that you actually take it. This is where the calendar comes in!

Put your “me time” on your calendar, and honor it as you would any other task or meeting. You will likely have to adjust your personal preferences during busy time, say working out for 20-30 minutes rather than your usual 60 minutes. During busy times, it’s also important to put all personal and family obligations on the calendar, too. Your pet’s annual vet visit, movie night with your family, grocery shopping – life must continue during peak work times. The people in your personal life are likely supporting you during this time. Be sure to thank them and recognize that time with them is equally as important as the time at work. Your calendar is your reliable resource to make sure you keep all the balls in the air.

Stay focused

Even with SMART goals in place and reliance on your calendar, everyone struggles with focus at some point. And of course, there are always unforeseen “fires” that pop up.

Many people confuse the urgent with the important. Urgent tasks do need to be done quickly, but that does not make them important. We are often stuck completing urgent tasks at the expense of the important ones. Important tasks are the ones that help us meet goals. Often, urgent tasks, such as fixing the copy machine, are distractions from what is important. Learning the difference between urgent and important helps maintain focus.

The Urgent/Importance Matrix

Recognize too, when you are not making progress on your tasks. It may be a sign to take a short “me time” break. Maintaining flexibility is an important skill that takes practice. There are many influences on your schedule beyond your control. Being flexible simply means you are not resisting the inevitable changes of life. Flexibility is not passivity. It is being able to embrace change. This will reduce stress and improve focus and balance. For example, clients that do not remit their information on time will impact your schedule, so adjust your calendar for that day and move the late client to another day.

Too often, the phrase “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” is used to describe the journey toward meeting goals. However, life can be a bit of sprint during busy time. And like any good athlete, training and preparation are critical. Make the time to set your goals, schedule the time to meet them, keep your eyes on the finish line, and you’ll be a winner.

By Christine Spray