Money?

Is there usually a little too much MONTH left over at the end of your MONEY?

Come to a free event that could change your life…for the better!

Seating is very limited.

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Tuesday the 18th at 7pm?

Have you always wondered what it takes to start your own business? It’s easier than you think.

HOW TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS ON A SHOESTRING BUDGET, IN YOUR OWN HOME, IN YOUR SPARE TIME.

When: Tuesday, July 18th, 2017, 7-8pm

Where: The 100 Club, 100 Market St, Portsmouth, NH 03801

RSVP HERE

Seating is limited.

If I offered you a job…

If I offered you a job with a growing company that currently has offices in 8 countries, soon to be 12, and you had the ability to name your own hours, would you be interested?

What if I told you that you can work from home and make an unlimited salary? Take vacations whenever you want. Earn company bonuses. Attend fun company events.

I KNOW…you think it’s too good to be true.

WELL…it’s not and I help people do it all the time.

What if I told you this is actually not a job offer, but an opportunity for you to start your own home-based business and be your own boss.

Contact me for details. Let’s have a 20 minute discussion to see if it would make sense for you. If not, no big deal, but it couldn’t hurt to talk.

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The Early Bird

“The early bird catches the worm” so the old saying goes, but what does it really mean?

If you ask most people, they would probably tell you it means you have to get up earlier than everyone else to beat them to the worm. While that may make sense, they are really referring to another saying, “You have to get up pretty early in the morning to beat me.”

Unfortunately, the thought that you need to get up early to beat everyone else comes from a position or attitude of ‘lack’. It comes from a thought that there are a limited number of worms and the first person to get there wins. This is not a good leadership mentality because the premise is incorrect and leads to competition, not teamwork.

The truth is that there are plenty of worms to go around, BUT…they are only around for a short time during the early morning hours when the ground is cool and wet. That is why the early bird will get the worm while those who sleep late will not.

Worms are the metaphor for opportunities, and like opportunities, worms don’t just lie on the lawn all day waiting for you to be ready to pick them. Reality is that worms only come to the surface in the early morning hours and a bird needs to be up early to catch them. If they wait too late, the worms go back in the ground and the opportunity may be lost. The bird will go hungry that day and their children may also.

Opportunities come to us at various times and usually there is a short window of time for us to recognize the opportunity and take action on it. Like the worms, opportunities don’t just keep popping up until we are ready. We must be ready at all times to take advantage of the right opportunities when they present themselves. This is an attitude of abundance which leads to success. Opportunities are endless for those who are open to possibilities, not limitations and competition.

If you found value in this post, please share.

If you would like to discuss how business coaching can help grow your business, contact me. Opportunity is knocking! Will you answer?

Networking Tip #7

Networking Tip #7 – Choosing the right team

Follow this logic for a bit:

If you are going to get serious about networking, then joining a referral networking group is a good idea.

But, which group is right for you?

Too many people join a networking group simply because they like the people in it. That’s all we’ll and good, but you’re there for the referrals and to build your business. So, it stands to reason that you should check how many referrals are being passed every week. If the group isn’t passing referrals consistently, then they are not a networking group. They are a social club. Since I’m a business coach, I tend to like groups that tract their numbers carefully. That way I know how serious they are about business.

In order for the group to pass you qualified referrals, they need to have a network of customers that fit your target demographic. Take a look at what businesses are members and ask yourself if their client base is also a good fit for you. Does your product or service offering compliment theirs or conflict?

You also need to be able to give referrals in return. So, would your client base have a need for the products or services offered by the other members? Not all, but maybe at least half of the group.

Does this networking group have the right level of structure for you? Is it very loose in the meeting agenda or possibly too strict for your taste. Can you see yourself adjusting to the format or will that always be a source of frustration for you?

What is the cost of membership? This is a touchy question for some people. If your mindset is that you want to spend as little as possible, then I humbly suggest the group you join will have a similar mindset and the referrals you receive will be of similar quality. There are many networking groups who are proud to say that they don’t have any kind of financial commitment for membership. Take a good look at the group. Check the size of its membership. How long do members stay? And, of course, are referrals being passed every week? Often, you will find that low commitment leads to low performance. On the other hand, there are some groups that charge a hefty fee for membership and they still don’t pass many referrals. But, in general, the more commitment that is required, the more serious the members are about passing well-qualified business to each other. By and large, you get what you pay for with networking groups.

Another point to consider is whether the networking group offers education and tools for the members to learn more about networking effectively. Books, videos, articles, newsletters, podcasts, weekly educational moments, public speaking training, etc. can help the members gain confidence in their networking skills.

Still, one more thing is whether the networking group has connections outside of its membership such as, is it part of a larger organization that can help expand your sphere of influence? You may be a local business and don’t care or you may have unlimited geography and this could be helpful.

I don’t know if my networking group is right for you, but I invite you to check it out.

If you found value in this post, please share.

If you want some assistance with choosing the right networking group for you, contact me.

Formal Education V Self Education

Thank you to the late great Jim Rohn for this – “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.”

I’ve been self-employed since I was 18. Yes, along the way, I have held jobs with other companies, but I remained self-employed at the same time. Now, in many regards, I’m unemployable.

Today, one of my missions is to help other people escape the Rat Race and build their own businesses. There are basically four types of business models (with many sub categories):

• Manufacturing
• Distributor
• Retail
• Franchise

Whichever model you choose, I can help you get it started properly. Business coaching is the shortcut to making sure you don’t waste money and become another statistic on the business roadkill highway.

If you have toyed with the idea of becoming an entrepreneur, contact me. Maybe it’s right for you and maybe it’s not. Let’s see if you have what it takes.

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Referrals are your best and least expensive marketing

Referrals are always your best and least expensive marketing resource…that’s assuming that they are qualified referrals. Unqualified referrals are no better than a cold call.

How do you get better qualified referrals?

While I could write a lengthy dissertation on the process of developing a team of business associates who know, like, and trust you enough to refer business to you on a regular basis…it would be far easier just to invite you to see how it’s done.

 

2017 Event Schedule

The 2017 Event Schedule, being hosted by TimberWolfCoaching.com, is currently in construction.

Below is the proposed list of topics and it would be helpful if you could comment on which events you might like to attend. Thanks in advance for all your support.

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May 19 – Unleash Your Social Media Marketing Potential

Tips, tricks, and strategies for learning to use social media most effectively.

June 9 – Your Website Sucks! (but, it can be fixed)

Website design, SEO, Google Analytics, Content, Blogs, Vlogs, Shopping Carts, etc.

TBD – True Colors with Yvonne Prince

A Women’s Empowerment and Motivation Series

TBD – Women Business Leaders

What does it take for women to be successful in today’s business world?

TBD – Step-By-Step

How to start your own business

TBD – Top Earners Summit

New England Network Marketing leaders discuss what it takes to earn 6 figures.

TBD – Ladies Night – Merlot and Mud

Learn how to have a luxury facial at home for less than $20.

TBD – Internet Security at Home and Office

A panel discussion about protecting your information on PC, tablet, smartphone, and cloud.

TBD – Light the Fire!

Health and Wellness for the busy and stressed CEO or Manager.

TBD – Men’s Night – Scotch and Skin

For guys who want look and feel younger.

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Event sponsorship opportunities available.

Get your brand in front of hundreds of local business leaders and consumers.

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Interested in hosting an event?

Let TimberWolf Coaching help you with planning, preparation, marketing, and possibly hosting.

Contact us first to do it right.

The 411 on 1-1’s-part two

The 411 on 1-1’s – meeting #5

In the previous post about 1-1 meetings (review here) we discussed how the first 4 meetings with a networking partner should be handled. Now, let’s make a few assumptions.

• Assuming that you have established KLT (Know/Like/Trust) with your referral partner
• And, you understand their business well
• And, you have been able to find a few referrals for them (hopefully they have for you as well)

…what more would you have to discuss?

Well…plenty. Using the CANEI principle (Constant And Never-Ending Improvement) you need to assess whether the referrals you are passing are actually resulting in closed business.

Meeting #5 is a quality control check up.

In this meeting, you review the referrals that have been passed and ask some very important questions. Assuming that you track your referrals, you present your list and check off each in this fashion:

• I sent you a referral to Jennifer.
• Did you contact her?
• Did she make an appointment with you?
• Did that turn into a sale for you?
• Was she a good referral for you?
• Do you want more referrals like this one?
• Is there anything I could do to find better referrals for you?
• Who do you want to meet next?

From this quality control check up you can make changes and improvements. Without it, you may be sending leads, not qualified referrals (the subject of another post), or it’s possible that you are sending the wrong type of referrals.

I recommend doing regular QC check ups as often as you can.

If you found value in this post, please share.

If you would like more information about networking more effectively, contact me.

The 411 on 1-1’s

The 411 on 1-1’s – The first 4 meetings

For those small business leaders who are members of networking groups, you will understand the title. For those who aren’t yet, I encourage you to find a networking group as they can be a very good source of referrals and connections.

What is a 1-1? In networking terms, this is a chance to sit down with a fellow networker to learn more about them and their business so that you can refer business to each other. It is not, I repeat NOT, a sales presentation.

Some networking organizations, like BNI, have outlines you can follow for conducting a proper one-to-one meeting. These usually include structure for learning about a person’s goals, accomplishments, interests, networks, and skills. You can find plenty of information about this on the internet.

BUT…there is a big difference between official doctrine and reality. The idea of a structured first 1-1 meeting is nice, but seldom happens. The reason is that people naturally want to work with someone they know, like, and trust (KLT). Without the proper amount of KLT in the business relationship, referrals will be hard to come by. So, experience has shown that the first 1-1 is usually more of a personal ‘get to know you’ session, and that’s fine.

Then how should the process work in reality?

Here is my suggestion for the first four 1-1 meetings:

1. KLT – Take time to get to know each other and develop a basic level of trust. It’s hard to refer to people you don’t know, like, and trust, no matter how good they are at their job.
2. In the second meeting schedule 45-60 minutes to cover the business topics for just one person. Skills, talents, interests, experience, prior jobs, etc. Then cover the really important questions; Who is a good referral for you? Who is your target market? Who is a bad referral for you? Who was your last customer and why did they buy from you? Treat this like a job interview. Again, on the internet there are plenty of great ideas for which questions to ask.
3. In the third meeting change roles and grill the other person until you have a fine understanding of what they do and who they want to clients.
4. In the fourth meeting it’s time to pull out the contact list and simply ask “Who do you want me to connect you with?” If they are looking for someone in a particular vertical market such as contractors, healthcare, legal, etc. then see who you know in those markets. Maybe they want certain departments such as marketing, human resources, or finance. Write them down. Call, email, or text the contact and ask if you can make an introduction. Get serious at this point and make some solid qualified referrals.

I take networking very seriously and work hard to find referrals every week for my ‘team’. Treat your networking group like your marketing team, give to them, and they will return the gift. Being part of a networking group is an investment in time and sometimes money. Work that investment. Treat it like any other piece of your total marketing plan. I highly recommend the book, ‘Givers Gain’ by Ivan Misener.

In the next article, I’ll cover what to do in the 5th meeting.

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If you want to know more about how to network more effectively, contact me.