Here's a blog post from Hugh Tafel, a great FocalPoint Business Coach who is in Canmore, Alberta. I think you'll enjoy this story... This story really matches Hugh's easy going style and its easy to see why he gets such great reslts. - He just keeps it real.
Thanks Hugh....
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by all the new sophisticated
ways you could be promoting your product and services? It's
tough
enough designing a good website, understanding key words, SEO,
beta and meta-tags and auto-responders.
Now we are told we must also figure out how to use Web 2.0
with interfaces like Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter and
countless other ways to connect with prospects and move them
to buy from us.
Which is why you'll like this story.
A colleague of mine was telling me recently of challenges he
had in finding tenants for a small house he owned
containing two suites.
Over the past several years, whenever a tenant was vacating a
suite and he needed to find a suitable replacement, he would
simply run a little ad in Craig's List - a popular website for
finding and advertising almost anything.
So a month ago, he does the same thing - runs a small ad in
that site.
Nothing - nada. No response what so ever.
Then to make matters worse, his second tenant also decides to
move out. Now he is looking at an empty house and his previous
method for obtaining tenants is not working. An asset (the
house) is fast becoming a liability.
What to do?
My friend decides to do what nobody seems to do these days. He
gets himself a simple sandwich board sign and writes on both
sides: "For Rent" along with his telephone number and places
this sign on the lawn in front of the house near the sidewalk.
He does this on a Sunday.
24 hours later, he has over 30 calls from potential renters.
Great success right? Not quite.
Almost all of those calls were unqualified because most
understood the sign to mean that the entire house was for
rent. He was renting suites.
So he changed his message to read, "Suites For Rent" with a
contact number. This time, he received a similar number of
"qualified" inquiries and was able to return his property into
the nice, paying asset it was before.
Two principle lessons you should get from this story.
1. Simple is often better, cheaper and more effective than
complicated and sophisticated. Low tech can beat hi-tech.
2. Make sure you match your message to your target audience.
Otherwise you may find you attract a lot of the wrong crowd
and that only wastes your time and money.
Hugh Tafel,
FocalPoint Business Coach
Canmore, Alberta
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
How a Business Coach is Like a Good Fishing Guide
**This is a different sort of blog post. Carlos is a leading FocalPoint Coach and, like many of us is an excellent story teller. He uses this skill to make business improvement easier to understand and relevant. We hope you find his story thought provoking, useful and entertaining.
Dominic Rubino, FocalPoint Coaching
When my youngest son Brennan was in high school, he and I would schedule a trip together just before summer ended and the new school year began. If at all possible, our journey would include fishing.
On one such occasion we went to the White River in northern Arkansas near the Bull Shoals Dam. I had heard about a fishing guide there named Johnny - who was said to be the best- and so we booked him, our hotel, and we headed north. The experience turned out to be one of the best ever and we caught fish everyday.
When I reflect on that experience, it occurs to me that a business coach is a lot like a good fishing guide. As a business coach I guide my clients on not only how to catch more fish (customers,) but I know all the best spots (best business practices) so they will succeed in business.
A good fishing guide usually has four qualities; experience, knowledge, passion & teaching skills.
Experience
Johnny had fished in Northern Arkansas his entire life. His real life experience in all conditions taught him what bait to use, where to look for the big ones and exactly what tackle was best. The first day on the river, all five generators at the dam were running. The river was high and fast. Johnny came prepared. We limited out on Rainbows and I caught a five pound Brown that was a keeper. It was an exciting first day!
Overnight the generators were turned off and we awoke to a totally different scene, the river level had fallen four-feet. The dramatic drop exposed boulders everywhere. I was concerned, but not our guide. Based on his experience, Johnny changed our fishing style and we still caught our limit of Rainbows!
A good business coach comes from a solid business or executive management background with real life experience. Based on this know-how he can navigate the dicey rivers of business and he knows where the dry holes are. He truly understands that as business climates change, his coaching will change as well.
Knowledge
Although Johnny was an experienced guide, he never stopped learning. He kept current on the hottest lures. He knew the best bait for the situation. He also stayed up-to-date on the best tackle and equipment that would maximize his time in the water. Johnny stayed abreast of all the latest rules and regulations making sure he and his clients were always on the right side of the game warden.
Your business coach likewise needs to be fully trained and certified in a coaching discipline. He needs to be a student of business principles always keeping current with trends and the best practices.
In order to guide his clients, the coach must understand all phases of business: sales, marketing, accounting and production. His comprehension of how a business works and what makes it successful is paramount!
Passion
One thing everyone knew about Johnny was he loved to fish! Not only did he love to fish but he loved the river. He loved the area and most of all he loved to share his passion with others. As we traveled the river we learned many things, not only about the fish that were native to the White River, but many interesting facts about the area. His passion for his craft was contagious!
Any successful business coach must first have a passion for helping people. His passion must also be for business and how to run one successfully. The best business coach understands that he must clearly help align the client’s goals with those of his family and teach him the importance of maintaining balance.
Teaching Skills
One of the things I enjoyed about our time on the river with Johnny was his patience and skill at teaching us about the art of fishing. He took the time to show us how to cast based on different fishing styles. Whether we were drift fishing or trying to hook a big one in a still pool, he was careful to teach us the best technique.
The greatest business coaches are also great teachers. They know how to make the most complex principles understandable. They are experts at helping their clients realize the importance of understanding their individual values and setting clear goals. They thoroughly comprehend how to work with different personalities. They understand that all clients do not learn in the same way.
Changing Conditions
Like Johnny a successful business coach will use these four skills and many more to help clients reach their goals and objectives regardless of the business climate. Whether the river is running fast and high or low and slow - a good business coach will help his client maneuver the waters and always catch the big ones!
Carlos Rosales is a Certified Business Coach and owner of FocalPoint Coaching of Greater Houston. www.fpcgh.com
Copyright protected. Reprint by permission only-Roslan & Company, Inc. Contact us here for permission
Dominic Rubino, FocalPoint Coaching
When my youngest son Brennan was in high school, he and I would schedule a trip together just before summer ended and the new school year began. If at all possible, our journey would include fishing.
On one such occasion we went to the White River in northern Arkansas near the Bull Shoals Dam. I had heard about a fishing guide there named Johnny - who was said to be the best- and so we booked him, our hotel, and we headed north. The experience turned out to be one of the best ever and we caught fish everyday.
When I reflect on that experience, it occurs to me that a business coach is a lot like a good fishing guide. As a business coach I guide my clients on not only how to catch more fish (customers,) but I know all the best spots (best business practices) so they will succeed in business.
A good fishing guide usually has four qualities; experience, knowledge, passion & teaching skills.
Experience
Johnny had fished in Northern Arkansas his entire life. His real life experience in all conditions taught him what bait to use, where to look for the big ones and exactly what tackle was best. The first day on the river, all five generators at the dam were running. The river was high and fast. Johnny came prepared. We limited out on Rainbows and I caught a five pound Brown that was a keeper. It was an exciting first day!
Overnight the generators were turned off and we awoke to a totally different scene, the river level had fallen four-feet. The dramatic drop exposed boulders everywhere. I was concerned, but not our guide. Based on his experience, Johnny changed our fishing style and we still caught our limit of Rainbows!
A good business coach comes from a solid business or executive management background with real life experience. Based on this know-how he can navigate the dicey rivers of business and he knows where the dry holes are. He truly understands that as business climates change, his coaching will change as well.
Knowledge
Although Johnny was an experienced guide, he never stopped learning. He kept current on the hottest lures. He knew the best bait for the situation. He also stayed up-to-date on the best tackle and equipment that would maximize his time in the water. Johnny stayed abreast of all the latest rules and regulations making sure he and his clients were always on the right side of the game warden.
Your business coach likewise needs to be fully trained and certified in a coaching discipline. He needs to be a student of business principles always keeping current with trends and the best practices.
In order to guide his clients, the coach must understand all phases of business: sales, marketing, accounting and production. His comprehension of how a business works and what makes it successful is paramount!
Passion
One thing everyone knew about Johnny was he loved to fish! Not only did he love to fish but he loved the river. He loved the area and most of all he loved to share his passion with others. As we traveled the river we learned many things, not only about the fish that were native to the White River, but many interesting facts about the area. His passion for his craft was contagious!
Any successful business coach must first have a passion for helping people. His passion must also be for business and how to run one successfully. The best business coach understands that he must clearly help align the client’s goals with those of his family and teach him the importance of maintaining balance.
Teaching Skills
One of the things I enjoyed about our time on the river with Johnny was his patience and skill at teaching us about the art of fishing. He took the time to show us how to cast based on different fishing styles. Whether we were drift fishing or trying to hook a big one in a still pool, he was careful to teach us the best technique.
The greatest business coaches are also great teachers. They know how to make the most complex principles understandable. They are experts at helping their clients realize the importance of understanding their individual values and setting clear goals. They thoroughly comprehend how to work with different personalities. They understand that all clients do not learn in the same way.
Changing Conditions
Like Johnny a successful business coach will use these four skills and many more to help clients reach their goals and objectives regardless of the business climate. Whether the river is running fast and high or low and slow - a good business coach will help his client maneuver the waters and always catch the big ones!
Carlos Rosales is a Certified Business Coach and owner of FocalPoint Coaching of Greater Houston. www.fpcgh.com
Copyright protected. Reprint by permission only-Roslan & Company, Inc. Contact us here for permission
Friday, March 27, 2009
Brad Ness, Business Coach Trainer Press Release
Press Release re: Brad Ness As Trainer March 9, 2009
San Diego, California, and Columbus, Ohio. March 9, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Brad Ness, a FocalPoint Business Coach in Columbus, Ohio was recently promoted to International Coach Trainer for FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy.
Widely recognized for his client results and contributions to the profession of business coaching, Ness is himself an accomplished business coach. He has proven to be “a dynamic and passionate business strategist and leader” says Dominic Rubino, CEO of FocalPoint International. “Our International Training team is growing to keep up with the rapid growth of our franchise system. It only makes sense that we promote from within and leverage the real world experience of our top coaches to train other business coaches.”
FocalPoint Business Coaching is proud to have Brad Ness on the training team, where he joins James (Jim) Masters (Omaha, Nebraska), and Ian Hayman (London, Ontario).
Brad has been proving himself a leader among leaders since he first volunteered his time to join the Strategic Advisory Group at FocalPoint. This group represents the franchise partners in the field and acts as a liaison with Head Office. Ness is no stranger to volunteering, having proudly served in the US Navy from June 1988 to June 1992. During this time Brad, was on board USS Arkansas (CGN-41) and saw action in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm and in the Philippines, after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, during operation Fiery Vigil.
“Strong leaders make for a strong company”, says Brian Tracy of Brad Ness’ recent appointment. That’s what our clients expect, and that’s what we’re built on.”
FocalPoint Business Coaching uses the long proven methods and strategies of Brian Tracy as the infrastructure for coaching business owners. Tracy is an author of over 40 books and has been speaking, mentoring and training business owners worldwide for over 30 years.
Business Coaching has seen an exponential boom on two fronts. Senior Executives who are disillusioned with corporate America are seeking ways to gain control back of their lives. They join FocalPoint to leverage their past management and consulting expertise and use it in a new and exciting way – as a certified, professional business coach.
Business Owners are also looking to business coaching as an answer to the uncertainties of the current economy. As more business owners use coaches to maintain a competitive advantage, other owners are forced to adapt or fall by the wayside.
For more information on FocalPoint Business Coaching, please contact Dominic Rubino at 702-622-9694 or refer to the website www.focalpointcoaching.com.
To contact Brad Ness directly, email him here, or please call him directly at 1-740-548-7849.
San Diego, California, and Columbus, Ohio. March 9, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Brad Ness, a FocalPoint Business Coach in Columbus, Ohio was recently promoted to International Coach Trainer for FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy.
Widely recognized for his client results and contributions to the profession of business coaching, Ness is himself an accomplished business coach. He has proven to be “a dynamic and passionate business strategist and leader” says Dominic Rubino, CEO of FocalPoint International. “Our International Training team is growing to keep up with the rapid growth of our franchise system. It only makes sense that we promote from within and leverage the real world experience of our top coaches to train other business coaches.”
FocalPoint Business Coaching is proud to have Brad Ness on the training team, where he joins James (Jim) Masters (Omaha, Nebraska), and Ian Hayman (London, Ontario).
Brad has been proving himself a leader among leaders since he first volunteered his time to join the Strategic Advisory Group at FocalPoint. This group represents the franchise partners in the field and acts as a liaison with Head Office. Ness is no stranger to volunteering, having proudly served in the US Navy from June 1988 to June 1992. During this time Brad, was on board USS Arkansas (CGN-41) and saw action in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm and in the Philippines, after the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, during operation Fiery Vigil.
“Strong leaders make for a strong company”, says Brian Tracy of Brad Ness’ recent appointment. That’s what our clients expect, and that’s what we’re built on.”
FocalPoint Business Coaching uses the long proven methods and strategies of Brian Tracy as the infrastructure for coaching business owners. Tracy is an author of over 40 books and has been speaking, mentoring and training business owners worldwide for over 30 years.
Business Coaching has seen an exponential boom on two fronts. Senior Executives who are disillusioned with corporate America are seeking ways to gain control back of their lives. They join FocalPoint to leverage their past management and consulting expertise and use it in a new and exciting way – as a certified, professional business coach.
Business Owners are also looking to business coaching as an answer to the uncertainties of the current economy. As more business owners use coaches to maintain a competitive advantage, other owners are forced to adapt or fall by the wayside.
For more information on FocalPoint Business Coaching, please contact Dominic Rubino at 702-622-9694 or refer to the website www.focalpointcoaching.com.
To contact Brad Ness directly, email him here, or please call him directly at 1-740-548-7849.
Lance Armstrong Coaches your Business
Lessons Learned from Lance Armstrong....
So often, top athletes provide business owners with wonderful examples of what it takes to be the best.
Take Lance Armstrong for instance.
He is a 7 time Tour de France cycling champion – the toughest test for long-distance cyclists in the world. He did this after being diagnosed, then treated for cancer.
He is back at it again. At 37 years of age, Armstrong is training to win the Tour de France an unprecedented eighth time.
In a recent race in Spain, Armstrong was involved in a crash of riders and broke his collarbone – severely. While this bone heals relatively quickly, he will feel pain for some time to come, particularly when he gets up off the bike and stands on the pedals, bearing more of his weight on the handlebars.
Most people would be depressed and lament on the lost training time or even take this accident as an omen to quit.
Armstrong, instead, almost relishes the accident. Sally Jenkins, (Wall Street Journal, Mar 25) writes: “He views pain as corrective, and cleansing. At a time when so many people seek shortcuts to wealth, and crave indulgences and exquisite personal comfort, he voluntarily seeks out severe discomfort because he likes what it does for him. He wants things the hard way -- in the cold, and rain, with his backside on a bike for six hours at a time -- because he finds it clarifying. He knows exactly who he is: He's the guy who can take it. "I have the will to suffer," he says. "I do have that."”
So – what is the connection for business?
Several things really. But let’s look at the “pain” aspect in particular.
To achieve success down the road, it is critical that you focus on the 1 or 2 most important tasks that you need to do to achieve your long-term goals. Often, the most effective, important thing a business owner can do to move his business forward is something that he actually feels uncomfortable doing.
Let me give you two examples:
1. In many businesses, the easiest and most cost effective method available to them to increase their sales leads is to simply pick up the phone and call qualified prospects. Most people hate cold calling and will do anything to avoid it – even when they know, if done properly, it can and will help them generate needed new business.
2. In another example, a business owner may realize or decide that she should advertise more. She does not, however, spend the necessary time or resources in researching who her best clients are, what they really want and how best to “talk” to them. That is too much work and not as interesting or glamorous as putting out an ad.
In both of these cases, the business owner does not do the necessary work that he knows will help his business. Doing this kind of work takes him out of his comfort zone as it is different or new. It is “painful” to do.
Dr. Phil, love him or hate him, has this great line he directs at those folks who continue the same behaviour – hoping for a different and better result. He says: “How’s that working for you!?”
If you want to improve or change the results of your business, you need to be open to and embrace the “Pain” required to try and implement new ideas and tactics. Adopt this mindset and you too can achieve “Lance Armstrong” like greatness in your business.
Wishing you business success,
Hugh Tafel
Certified Business Coach
P.S. The second key lesson from the Armstrong example, though not visible in this story, is that he sets goals, then works backwards and designs a daily plan, that he follows with great discipline.
I have discovered a great online tool that will help any business owner in setting and writing down goals, assist with drawing up plans to achieve them and then provide a documented trail of what was done to achieve the goal.
Hugh Tafel is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Alberta, Canada.
If you’d like to contact Hugh about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
http://focalpointcoaching.com/
www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
www.briantracy.com/coaching/
www.askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
So often, top athletes provide business owners with wonderful examples of what it takes to be the best.
Take Lance Armstrong for instance.
He is a 7 time Tour de France cycling champion – the toughest test for long-distance cyclists in the world. He did this after being diagnosed, then treated for cancer.
He is back at it again. At 37 years of age, Armstrong is training to win the Tour de France an unprecedented eighth time.
In a recent race in Spain, Armstrong was involved in a crash of riders and broke his collarbone – severely. While this bone heals relatively quickly, he will feel pain for some time to come, particularly when he gets up off the bike and stands on the pedals, bearing more of his weight on the handlebars.
Most people would be depressed and lament on the lost training time or even take this accident as an omen to quit.
Armstrong, instead, almost relishes the accident. Sally Jenkins, (Wall Street Journal, Mar 25) writes: “He views pain as corrective, and cleansing. At a time when so many people seek shortcuts to wealth, and crave indulgences and exquisite personal comfort, he voluntarily seeks out severe discomfort because he likes what it does for him. He wants things the hard way -- in the cold, and rain, with his backside on a bike for six hours at a time -- because he finds it clarifying. He knows exactly who he is: He's the guy who can take it. "I have the will to suffer," he says. "I do have that."”
So – what is the connection for business?
Several things really. But let’s look at the “pain” aspect in particular.
To achieve success down the road, it is critical that you focus on the 1 or 2 most important tasks that you need to do to achieve your long-term goals. Often, the most effective, important thing a business owner can do to move his business forward is something that he actually feels uncomfortable doing.
Let me give you two examples:
1. In many businesses, the easiest and most cost effective method available to them to increase their sales leads is to simply pick up the phone and call qualified prospects. Most people hate cold calling and will do anything to avoid it – even when they know, if done properly, it can and will help them generate needed new business.
2. In another example, a business owner may realize or decide that she should advertise more. She does not, however, spend the necessary time or resources in researching who her best clients are, what they really want and how best to “talk” to them. That is too much work and not as interesting or glamorous as putting out an ad.
In both of these cases, the business owner does not do the necessary work that he knows will help his business. Doing this kind of work takes him out of his comfort zone as it is different or new. It is “painful” to do.
Dr. Phil, love him or hate him, has this great line he directs at those folks who continue the same behaviour – hoping for a different and better result. He says: “How’s that working for you!?”
If you want to improve or change the results of your business, you need to be open to and embrace the “Pain” required to try and implement new ideas and tactics. Adopt this mindset and you too can achieve “Lance Armstrong” like greatness in your business.
Wishing you business success,
Hugh Tafel
Certified Business Coach
P.S. The second key lesson from the Armstrong example, though not visible in this story, is that he sets goals, then works backwards and designs a daily plan, that he follows with great discipline.
I have discovered a great online tool that will help any business owner in setting and writing down goals, assist with drawing up plans to achieve them and then provide a documented trail of what was done to achieve the goal.
Hugh Tafel is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Alberta, Canada.
If you’d like to contact Hugh about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
http://focalpointcoaching.com/
www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
www.briantracy.com/coaching/
www.askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
How to Waste time and not cheat your employer!
How to Waste time and not cheat your employer!
According to a July 2005 survey conducted by Salary.com and AOL, Americans waste more than 2 hours each day at work costing companies $759 Billion annually. That's 2x as much wasted time as employers expect. The top culprits...internet surfing (44.7%) and socializing (23.4%). And now, with March Madness right around the corner, a March 2008 Inc. report, says the NCAA basketball tournament costs our economy $2 Billion in lost productivity.
So, here's how to get in your time wasting and still not cheat your employer. Begin planning every day in advance! According to time management experts, this will save you as much as 2 hours per day because you will get started and stay started instead of doing one task and then stopping to figure out what you should do next.
So at the end of today, make a list of everything you did not get done, that needs to be done tomorrow. Then, add as many things as you can think of to the list. Once you have completed the list, prioritize it. That is re-order the list from most important to least important. Tomorrow morning, when you come in, pull out your list and get to work. Don't stop to visit your Twitter account, Facebook page or ESPN.com until you have completed the most important item on your list. Then, maybe reward yourself with 5 minutes of surfing or a coffee break. As soon as the 5 minutes is up, get back to work and do your next most important task. And so on and so forth until the end of the day.
Try it, take 10-15 minutes at the end of today to make your list. If you will do this, you will find that you are not only being more productive, but that you are staying in integrity because you are giving your employer the full day's work you promised when you accepted the job.
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
http://www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
http://www.briantracy.com/coaching/
http://askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
According to a July 2005 survey conducted by Salary.com and AOL, Americans waste more than 2 hours each day at work costing companies $759 Billion annually. That's 2x as much wasted time as employers expect. The top culprits...internet surfing (44.7%) and socializing (23.4%). And now, with March Madness right around the corner, a March 2008 Inc. report, says the NCAA basketball tournament costs our economy $2 Billion in lost productivity.
So, here's how to get in your time wasting and still not cheat your employer. Begin planning every day in advance! According to time management experts, this will save you as much as 2 hours per day because you will get started and stay started instead of doing one task and then stopping to figure out what you should do next.
So at the end of today, make a list of everything you did not get done, that needs to be done tomorrow. Then, add as many things as you can think of to the list. Once you have completed the list, prioritize it. That is re-order the list from most important to least important. Tomorrow morning, when you come in, pull out your list and get to work. Don't stop to visit your Twitter account, Facebook page or ESPN.com until you have completed the most important item on your list. Then, maybe reward yourself with 5 minutes of surfing or a coffee break. As soon as the 5 minutes is up, get back to work and do your next most important task. And so on and so forth until the end of the day.
Try it, take 10-15 minutes at the end of today to make your list. If you will do this, you will find that you are not only being more productive, but that you are staying in integrity because you are giving your employer the full day's work you promised when you accepted the job.
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
http://www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
http://www.briantracy.com/coaching/
http://askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The Concept of Hourly Rate for Better Time Management...
The Concept of Hourly Rate for Better Time Management...
In recent posts, we've talked a lot about improving your skill of time management. Before turning to other subjects for a while, I wanted to offer one last idea to help you better refine your ability to choose your highest value activities.
I've said before that time equals money. Either you spend money for time or time for money. The most important part of the equation is to ensure that you are getting the best return on both your time and your money.
To help our business coaching clients with this differentiation, we often discuss the concept of selecting your highest value activities based on your hourly rate. Why? Because most business owners and entrepreneurs don't think in terms of hourly rate, yet, often do work that does not justify the hourly rate (extrapolated to annual income) they want to earn. Here's a great question to help you focus in on your highest value activities (i.e. activities worthy of your hourly rate), "Would I pay someone else my hourly rate to do this task?"
Don't know your hourly rate? Well, here's a simple formula: determine how much income you want to earn and then divide that number by 2,000 (2,000 is based on fifty, 40 hour work weeks). Obviously, to be more accurate, you would take your actual number of work weeks (read this post if more than 50) and divide by your average number of hours per week.
So for instance, if you plan to earn $200,000 this year, then your hourly rate is approximately $100 per hour ($200,000 / 2,000). Whenever you decide to personally do or not do something, the clarifying question you would ask yourself is this, "Would I pay someone else $100 per hour to complete this task?" If the answer is no, then this is not one of your highest value activities and it should be delegated to an employee or subordinate or outsourced to another firm for completion.
The only way you will earn $200,000 is by consistently doing the tasks that you would pay someone else $100 per hour to complete.
Like any new skill or habit, this will be a struggle at first, because being an entrepreneur, you are used to doing it all yourself.
You will have to make the decision on the outset of the task..."Do I do this task, or do I delegate this task?" Because in my personal experience and in working with many of my coaching clients, I know that once you are into fixing a printer (or whatever the task may be) that you thought would take less than 30 minutes and now it has been two hours, you are more likely to push forward and complete the task yourself.
And at the end of the day, you are either having to work longer to make up for the miss-spent hours or you have missed out on significant opportunities during the time you should have called in a printer repair person to fix your problem. You spent $200 or more of your time on a task worth probably less than $50.
Not a very good return on investment.
The more you discipline yourself to focus on only the things you can do and delegate the rest, the more comfortable you will become with this concept and its application and the more likely you are to earn your desired annual income. Here's a great article on how Pfizer is empowering their managers and employees to utilize this concept to its fullest and spend more time on their core work and highest value activities.
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
http://www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
http://www.briantracy.com/coaching/
http://askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
In recent posts, we've talked a lot about improving your skill of time management. Before turning to other subjects for a while, I wanted to offer one last idea to help you better refine your ability to choose your highest value activities.
I've said before that time equals money. Either you spend money for time or time for money. The most important part of the equation is to ensure that you are getting the best return on both your time and your money.
To help our business coaching clients with this differentiation, we often discuss the concept of selecting your highest value activities based on your hourly rate. Why? Because most business owners and entrepreneurs don't think in terms of hourly rate, yet, often do work that does not justify the hourly rate (extrapolated to annual income) they want to earn. Here's a great question to help you focus in on your highest value activities (i.e. activities worthy of your hourly rate), "Would I pay someone else my hourly rate to do this task?"
Don't know your hourly rate? Well, here's a simple formula: determine how much income you want to earn and then divide that number by 2,000 (2,000 is based on fifty, 40 hour work weeks). Obviously, to be more accurate, you would take your actual number of work weeks (read this post if more than 50) and divide by your average number of hours per week.
So for instance, if you plan to earn $200,000 this year, then your hourly rate is approximately $100 per hour ($200,000 / 2,000). Whenever you decide to personally do or not do something, the clarifying question you would ask yourself is this, "Would I pay someone else $100 per hour to complete this task?" If the answer is no, then this is not one of your highest value activities and it should be delegated to an employee or subordinate or outsourced to another firm for completion.
The only way you will earn $200,000 is by consistently doing the tasks that you would pay someone else $100 per hour to complete.
Like any new skill or habit, this will be a struggle at first, because being an entrepreneur, you are used to doing it all yourself.
You will have to make the decision on the outset of the task..."Do I do this task, or do I delegate this task?" Because in my personal experience and in working with many of my coaching clients, I know that once you are into fixing a printer (or whatever the task may be) that you thought would take less than 30 minutes and now it has been two hours, you are more likely to push forward and complete the task yourself.
And at the end of the day, you are either having to work longer to make up for the miss-spent hours or you have missed out on significant opportunities during the time you should have called in a printer repair person to fix your problem. You spent $200 or more of your time on a task worth probably less than $50.
Not a very good return on investment.
The more you discipline yourself to focus on only the things you can do and delegate the rest, the more comfortable you will become with this concept and its application and the more likely you are to earn your desired annual income. Here's a great article on how Pfizer is empowering their managers and employees to utilize this concept to its fullest and spend more time on their core work and highest value activities.
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
http://www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
http://www.briantracy.com/coaching/
http://askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
The "1 Thing" Concept...
The "1 Thing" Concept...
Brian Tracy often talks about a clarifying time management question aimed at helping you focus in on the most important things in your business and life and get those things done first.
Here is the prioritizing question he recommends: "If I could do only '1 Thing' all day long, what '1 Thing' would provide the greatest value to my business or life?" From your list of things to do today, choose that '1 Thing' and put a #1 next to it.
Then go back through your list and ask the same question again, "If I could do just '1 More Thing' all day long, what '1 Thing' would provide the greatest value to my business or life?" Answer this question and put a #2 next to that item.
Continue to ask and answer this question until you have gone through your entire list prioritizing the list based on the value of your activities from highest value to lowest value.
Armed with this clarifying question, will you begin to prioritize your tasks better and focus on your most valuable tasks?
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
www.briantracy.com/coaching/
www.askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
Brian Tracy often talks about a clarifying time management question aimed at helping you focus in on the most important things in your business and life and get those things done first.
Here is the prioritizing question he recommends: "If I could do only '1 Thing' all day long, what '1 Thing' would provide the greatest value to my business or life?" From your list of things to do today, choose that '1 Thing' and put a #1 next to it.
Then go back through your list and ask the same question again, "If I could do just '1 More Thing' all day long, what '1 Thing' would provide the greatest value to my business or life?" Answer this question and put a #2 next to that item.
Continue to ask and answer this question until you have gone through your entire list prioritizing the list based on the value of your activities from highest value to lowest value.
Armed with this clarifying question, will you begin to prioritize your tasks better and focus on your most valuable tasks?
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
www.briantracy.com/coaching/
www.askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
What Gets Prioritized Gets Done First!
What Gets Prioritized Gets Done First!
Earlier this week, I talked about the value of working from a prioritized task list. Today, I want to talk about some ways to prioritize, or identify your most important and valuable tasks.
First, always look for tasks that provide the biggest bang for your time buck. In 1895, Italian Economist Vilfredo Pareto made a startling discovery that basically 20% of the population owned 80% of the land and conversely that 80% owned only 20% of the land. Since then, what is commonly known as the 80/20 Rule has been found to have relevance to almost all aspects of business and life. For instance, 20% of your customers typically provide 80% of your revenues and profits or 80% of the time, you eat at 20% of the available restaurants. In using this rule to prioritize, always strive to identify the 20% of tasks on your list that produce 80% of your results.
Second, consider the consequences of doing or not doing something. Often, in time management workshops, a 4 quadrant diagram is used. In the upper left is urgent/important, upper right is non-urgent/important, lower left urgent/non-important, lower right non-urgent/non-important. To maximize your use of time, focus on doing only things in the upper quadrants, those are the things that are important and most likely have severe consequences if left undone.
Finally, to further refine your list, use the ABCDE method. An A-task is something that is both urgent and important. A B-task is something that is important but not necessarily urgent. A C-task is something that would be nice to do, but could go undone without much consequence. A D-Task is something that should be delegated and placed on someone else's list. And an E-task should be eliminated altogether.
Once you have separated your tasks by ABCDE, then go back and assign A-1, A-2, A3, etc. to the categories where you have more than one task.
The point of a prioritized task list is to always be doing first things first! As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, "Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
www.briantracy.com/coaching/
www.askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
Earlier this week, I talked about the value of working from a prioritized task list. Today, I want to talk about some ways to prioritize, or identify your most important and valuable tasks.
First, always look for tasks that provide the biggest bang for your time buck. In 1895, Italian Economist Vilfredo Pareto made a startling discovery that basically 20% of the population owned 80% of the land and conversely that 80% owned only 20% of the land. Since then, what is commonly known as the 80/20 Rule has been found to have relevance to almost all aspects of business and life. For instance, 20% of your customers typically provide 80% of your revenues and profits or 80% of the time, you eat at 20% of the available restaurants. In using this rule to prioritize, always strive to identify the 20% of tasks on your list that produce 80% of your results.
Second, consider the consequences of doing or not doing something. Often, in time management workshops, a 4 quadrant diagram is used. In the upper left is urgent/important, upper right is non-urgent/important, lower left urgent/non-important, lower right non-urgent/non-important. To maximize your use of time, focus on doing only things in the upper quadrants, those are the things that are important and most likely have severe consequences if left undone.
Finally, to further refine your list, use the ABCDE method. An A-task is something that is both urgent and important. A B-task is something that is important but not necessarily urgent. A C-task is something that would be nice to do, but could go undone without much consequence. A D-Task is something that should be delegated and placed on someone else's list. And an E-task should be eliminated altogether.
Once you have separated your tasks by ABCDE, then go back and assign A-1, A-2, A3, etc. to the categories where you have more than one task.
The point of a prioritized task list is to always be doing first things first! As Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, "Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least."
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
www.briantracy.com/coaching/
www.askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
THE MYTH OF MULTI-TASKING…
THE MYTH OF MULTI-TASKING…
Now that you are working from a prioritized task list, here's the next step in spending your time wisely!
On June 12, 2008, Business Week reported these study results from New York City business research company, Basex: "Roughly once every three minutes, typical cubicle dwellers set aside whatever they're doing and start something else--anything else. It could be answering the phone, checking e-mail, responding to an instant message, clicking over to YouTube or posting something amusing on Facebook. These distractions consume as much as 28% of the average U.S. worker's day, including recovery time, and sap productivity to the tune of $650 billion a year."
The Solution...consider that being a good multi-tasker is a myth and instead, choose to focus single mindedly on each and every task until completed. Lock the door, clear off your desk, silence your email notification, turn off your phone and finish something! You will get more done in less time and reduce your stress level.
For more great time management tips, be sure to get a copy of Brian Tracy's "Eat That Frog!" . Using "eat that frog" as a metaphor for tackling the day's most challenging and most prone to procrastination task, "Eat That Frog" shows readers how to zero in on these critical tasks and organize their time. This means not only getting more things done, but getting the right things done.
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
http://www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
http://www.briantracy.com/coaching/
http://askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
Now that you are working from a prioritized task list, here's the next step in spending your time wisely!
On June 12, 2008, Business Week reported these study results from New York City business research company, Basex: "Roughly once every three minutes, typical cubicle dwellers set aside whatever they're doing and start something else--anything else. It could be answering the phone, checking e-mail, responding to an instant message, clicking over to YouTube or posting something amusing on Facebook. These distractions consume as much as 28% of the average U.S. worker's day, including recovery time, and sap productivity to the tune of $650 billion a year."
The Solution...consider that being a good multi-tasker is a myth and instead, choose to focus single mindedly on each and every task until completed. Lock the door, clear off your desk, silence your email notification, turn off your phone and finish something! You will get more done in less time and reduce your stress level.
For more great time management tips, be sure to get a copy of Brian Tracy's "Eat That Frog!" . Using "eat that frog" as a metaphor for tackling the day's most challenging and most prone to procrastination task, "Eat That Frog" shows readers how to zero in on these critical tasks and organize their time. This means not only getting more things done, but getting the right things done.
Ron McNutt is a certified FocalPoint Coach in Charleston, South Carolina.
If you’d like to contact Ron about this article or on any business improvement strategies, you can email him here.
Thanks for joining us,
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
www.focalpointcoaching.com
http://www.fbr50.com/profile/FocalPoint-Coaching
http://www.briantracy.com/coaching/
http://askabusinesscoach.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
How Can I Get My Employees To Do Their Jobs The Way I Want?
How Can I Get My Employees To Do Their Jobs The Way I Want?
Now here’s a question that entrepreneurs often ask me. There are two fundamental causes of this issue. The entrepreneur either hired the wrong people, or he/she hired the right people but managed them incorrectly after hiring.
On the question of hiring the right people, entrepreneurs often focus their hiring activities on filling a technical need. Employees who are very competent in their field but lack the “softer skills” can become real problems for their employers. Consider the waiter that is very efficient in taking the order, delivering the food to your table on time, and completing the check accurately. If that person lacks enthusiasm, good interpersonal skills, and the commitment to customer service and the success of the business, then it doesn’t matter how efficient they are, they will always disappoint you.
What should the business owner do about poor performing employees? If you want to try to salvage this employee, then you need to specifically instruct the employee on these aspects of their job. Give them a limited amount of time to change their work behavior, 30 to 60 days. If you don’t see a significant improvement, then you have to terminate them. If they improve, make sure you recognize this change and compliment them in front of your other employees. Try to give them positive reinforcement for this change in their behavior. And make sure that they understand that this change needs to be permanent. Let them know that if they fall back to their old ways, they will be on the path to termination.
What the about the employee who has the technical and personality skills but just doesn’t apply their skills at the level you need? Once again, the employee needs specific direction from you on what you expect from them. Make sure you impress on your employee how important they are to the company. Take the time to tell them about your plans and objectives. Make them feel like they are on the inside and explain the role they play in the success of the business. In a survey of thousands of employees from several different companies, employees rated “meaningful and interesting work” as the number one criteria for their “ideal job.” Frequent, repetitive verbal messages, with a good dose of pats on the back, go a long way to reinforce their role in the overall success of the business.
What about hiring the right people? There are several basic techniques that when implemented, will result in better quality new hires. They are too lengthy to discuss here, but they range from
o How to write an effective employment ad to attract the best candidates …..to
o How to keep them motivated through an effective orientation process and employee development plan.
When it comes to hiring and firing, remember this well-founded concept: Hire Slow, Fire Fast.
Action Steps
1. Sit down with pen and paper and write down your assessment of each employee’s strengths and weaknesses.
2. Rank your employees from high to low.
3. Start at the bottom and develop an employee improvement plan that results in the employee either improving their performance to your satisfaction or eventual termination. (Either result will get the attention of your other employees.)
4. Start conducting short daily meetings (first thing every day, and no longer than 10 minutes) to reinforce what’s going on in the company-daily wins, obstacles, and goals. Every employee should speak to the wins and obstacles. You, the business owner, can speak briefly about the goals and where you stand.
5. Make a point to look for someone doing something “right” every day and make sure you tell them, preferably in front of other employees.
6. When hiring new employees, look for those strong behavior skills. It is much easier to train someone on the technical skills, than it is on “how to smile.”
Ray Mead
Certified FocalPoint Business Coach
Now here’s a question that entrepreneurs often ask me. There are two fundamental causes of this issue. The entrepreneur either hired the wrong people, or he/she hired the right people but managed them incorrectly after hiring.
On the question of hiring the right people, entrepreneurs often focus their hiring activities on filling a technical need. Employees who are very competent in their field but lack the “softer skills” can become real problems for their employers. Consider the waiter that is very efficient in taking the order, delivering the food to your table on time, and completing the check accurately. If that person lacks enthusiasm, good interpersonal skills, and the commitment to customer service and the success of the business, then it doesn’t matter how efficient they are, they will always disappoint you.
What should the business owner do about poor performing employees? If you want to try to salvage this employee, then you need to specifically instruct the employee on these aspects of their job. Give them a limited amount of time to change their work behavior, 30 to 60 days. If you don’t see a significant improvement, then you have to terminate them. If they improve, make sure you recognize this change and compliment them in front of your other employees. Try to give them positive reinforcement for this change in their behavior. And make sure that they understand that this change needs to be permanent. Let them know that if they fall back to their old ways, they will be on the path to termination.
What the about the employee who has the technical and personality skills but just doesn’t apply their skills at the level you need? Once again, the employee needs specific direction from you on what you expect from them. Make sure you impress on your employee how important they are to the company. Take the time to tell them about your plans and objectives. Make them feel like they are on the inside and explain the role they play in the success of the business. In a survey of thousands of employees from several different companies, employees rated “meaningful and interesting work” as the number one criteria for their “ideal job.” Frequent, repetitive verbal messages, with a good dose of pats on the back, go a long way to reinforce their role in the overall success of the business.
What about hiring the right people? There are several basic techniques that when implemented, will result in better quality new hires. They are too lengthy to discuss here, but they range from
o How to write an effective employment ad to attract the best candidates …..to
o How to keep them motivated through an effective orientation process and employee development plan.
When it comes to hiring and firing, remember this well-founded concept: Hire Slow, Fire Fast.
Action Steps
1. Sit down with pen and paper and write down your assessment of each employee’s strengths and weaknesses.
2. Rank your employees from high to low.
3. Start at the bottom and develop an employee improvement plan that results in the employee either improving their performance to your satisfaction or eventual termination. (Either result will get the attention of your other employees.)
4. Start conducting short daily meetings (first thing every day, and no longer than 10 minutes) to reinforce what’s going on in the company-daily wins, obstacles, and goals. Every employee should speak to the wins and obstacles. You, the business owner, can speak briefly about the goals and where you stand.
5. Make a point to look for someone doing something “right” every day and make sure you tell them, preferably in front of other employees.
6. When hiring new employees, look for those strong behavior skills. It is much easier to train someone on the technical skills, than it is on “how to smile.”
Ray Mead
Certified FocalPoint Business Coach
Sunday, February 15, 2009
A Shift in Leadership Focus
A Shift in Leadership Focus
Earlier this week, I met with a client that is the President/Owner of a large Real Estate enterprise. His business, like many others, has been challenged in the current market due to the global financial crisis. The effect on his business has been a decrease in revenue and profitability, as well as an increase in uncertainty in the market. This seems to be the case with almost every business owner I speak with today.
The challenge for most business owners is that they look at where their business is today and compare to where they’ve been in the past and wonder why things aren’t working like they used to. Newsflash: The change in the economy has changed the rules of game, the easy money is over, and we must look at business from a different point of view in order to navigate through the minefields of this economy. From my point of view, there are two critical shifts in mindset that are necessary:
1. What worked in the past, may not work in the future – To achieve something you have never achieved before, you have to become someone you have never been before; you must learn things that you have never known before. In order to not only survive but thrive in this economy, you must be open and willing to learn and expand the tools in our tool belt, and you must also be open-minded to the new ideas that enter your peripheral vision.
2. Focus on the cause and not on the effect – The effect of a slowing economy on business is a decline in revenue and profitability. What is the cause? Or a better question may be, “What can I do differently in my business to increase revenue and profitability?" Or, "what are the critical drivers that influence these effects?”
There are a number of ways to create these critical shifts in business, most of which are strategies, tactics and methodologies to adjust to market forces. As a FocalPoint Certified Business Coach, I am well-equipped with an arsenal of such strategies, tactics and methodologies to help business owners in this challenging economy. Having said that, I believe the most important element for success in this economy is that business owners fully embrace their role as leader of the organization and do whatever it takes to step-up to meet the challenge of that role.
As the leader of his organization, the owner of the Real Estate firm I previously mentioned has changed his role from CEO to CMO (“Chief Morale Officer”). We’ve determined that the most important role he serves in his business today is to inspire, support and encourage his team to get out in the field and make things happen. In their organization, they’ve determined that talking to clients by e-mail and phone aren’t getting the job done, they must get out and meet clients face-to-face in order for them to engage in business. In his new role as CMO, he is more hands-on and he finds his team more engaged because they know he is in the trenches leading them. They have changed the way they are doing things to create the outcomes they desire.
Most businesses will have to do things differently than they’ve done them before to survive in this economy. If you are a business owner:
1. What will it take for you and your team to remain inspired and create the results that you want this year?
2. Where do you go, to talk to someone who is as bright as or brighter than you are, to help you get what you truly want from your business?
3. Remember…nobody does it alone! A barber doesn’t cut his own hair nor does a dentist drill his own teeth!
In these challenging times all businesses need support, so find someone who can help you look at your opportunities from a fresh point of view and help you lead your team where you want to go.
This article was written by Gil Lederhos, a leading FocalPoint Business Coach. If you'd like to contact him, or comment on this article, Click here
Come back often to hear what Gil and the rest of our coaches have to report as a result of coaching in the field. Take what's here and use it!
Thanks
Earlier this week, I met with a client that is the President/Owner of a large Real Estate enterprise. His business, like many others, has been challenged in the current market due to the global financial crisis. The effect on his business has been a decrease in revenue and profitability, as well as an increase in uncertainty in the market. This seems to be the case with almost every business owner I speak with today.
The challenge for most business owners is that they look at where their business is today and compare to where they’ve been in the past and wonder why things aren’t working like they used to. Newsflash: The change in the economy has changed the rules of game, the easy money is over, and we must look at business from a different point of view in order to navigate through the minefields of this economy. From my point of view, there are two critical shifts in mindset that are necessary:
1. What worked in the past, may not work in the future – To achieve something you have never achieved before, you have to become someone you have never been before; you must learn things that you have never known before. In order to not only survive but thrive in this economy, you must be open and willing to learn and expand the tools in our tool belt, and you must also be open-minded to the new ideas that enter your peripheral vision.
2. Focus on the cause and not on the effect – The effect of a slowing economy on business is a decline in revenue and profitability. What is the cause? Or a better question may be, “What can I do differently in my business to increase revenue and profitability?" Or, "what are the critical drivers that influence these effects?”
There are a number of ways to create these critical shifts in business, most of which are strategies, tactics and methodologies to adjust to market forces. As a FocalPoint Certified Business Coach, I am well-equipped with an arsenal of such strategies, tactics and methodologies to help business owners in this challenging economy. Having said that, I believe the most important element for success in this economy is that business owners fully embrace their role as leader of the organization and do whatever it takes to step-up to meet the challenge of that role.
As the leader of his organization, the owner of the Real Estate firm I previously mentioned has changed his role from CEO to CMO (“Chief Morale Officer”). We’ve determined that the most important role he serves in his business today is to inspire, support and encourage his team to get out in the field and make things happen. In their organization, they’ve determined that talking to clients by e-mail and phone aren’t getting the job done, they must get out and meet clients face-to-face in order for them to engage in business. In his new role as CMO, he is more hands-on and he finds his team more engaged because they know he is in the trenches leading them. They have changed the way they are doing things to create the outcomes they desire.
Most businesses will have to do things differently than they’ve done them before to survive in this economy. If you are a business owner:
1. What will it take for you and your team to remain inspired and create the results that you want this year?
2. Where do you go, to talk to someone who is as bright as or brighter than you are, to help you get what you truly want from your business?
3. Remember…nobody does it alone! A barber doesn’t cut his own hair nor does a dentist drill his own teeth!
In these challenging times all businesses need support, so find someone who can help you look at your opportunities from a fresh point of view and help you lead your team where you want to go.
This article was written by Gil Lederhos, a leading FocalPoint Business Coach. If you'd like to contact him, or comment on this article, Click here
Come back often to hear what Gil and the rest of our coaches have to report as a result of coaching in the field. Take what's here and use it!
Thanks
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Charleston South Carolina Business Coach plays crucial role in International Business
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 2009
Charleston, South Carolina and San Diego, California
Local Charleston S.C. executive plays crucial role in International business
Ron McNutt, a leading FocalPoint Business Coach who operates out of Charleston South Carolina, has accepted the position of Chairman of that company’s Strategic Advisory Group. This group acts as a direct liaison between business coaches, who are franchisees of the system and FocalPoint’s head office.
“This is a great chance to give back to the system, commented McNutt, “I can really have an impact and help shape the future direction of the organization”.
The Strategic Advisory Group casually referred to, as “the STAG” is a combination of elected and nominated coaches who have proven themselves by attaining high levels of success in their own business and with clients. It helps prioritize initiatives that affect the global organization, as well as the US and Canada.
“The STAG plays a critical role in the direction of our business”, noted Steve Thompson, President of FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy. “ We attract the highest quality of executives to FocalPoint, those who have left the corporate world and want to be independent, yet still be on a team. Ron McNutt is an outstanding business coach and we’re proud to both have him on our team, and have him as Chairman of the Strategic Advisory Group.”
FocalPoint Coaching is a professional business coaching organization that operates as a franchise so that all coaches understand business ownership and the realities of business that go with that.
McNutt delivers FocalPoint Business Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy to clients in South Carolina from offices in the Charleston area. His client list includes several of the area’s most prestigious companies as well as smaller businesses who are looking for aggressive growth and/or efficiency.
McNutt brings a strong sales and management background to FocalPoint with prior success in the medical and pharmaceutical field. His experience working with both large and small organizations, combined with FocalPoint’s coaching systems allows McNutt to quickly identify and streamline systems.
“We really get measured by bottom line results”, says McNutt, “and the brand and systems that I tap into with FocalPoint really help me to do that effectively. “
Brian Tracy also commented on McNutt’s posting.” “FocalPoint Business Coaches impact local communities and our country every day, by working with business owners directly. Through coaching, businesses and the people that work in them all win.” Tracy said. "Ron McNutt has been a leader among leaders within FocalPoint - we're proud to have him on our team."
FocalPoint Business Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy is the most recognized brand in business improvement, worldwide and is growing quickly, having recently passed the 50-coach mark. This explosive growth reflects the realities of today’s business world – more executives are leaving the corporate world and more business owners are looking for ways to improve their bottom line. To find out more about us, visit us at www.focalpointcoaching.com
February 2009
Charleston, South Carolina and San Diego, California
Local Charleston S.C. executive plays crucial role in International business
Ron McNutt, a leading FocalPoint Business Coach who operates out of Charleston South Carolina, has accepted the position of Chairman of that company’s Strategic Advisory Group. This group acts as a direct liaison between business coaches, who are franchisees of the system and FocalPoint’s head office.
“This is a great chance to give back to the system, commented McNutt, “I can really have an impact and help shape the future direction of the organization”.
The Strategic Advisory Group casually referred to, as “the STAG” is a combination of elected and nominated coaches who have proven themselves by attaining high levels of success in their own business and with clients. It helps prioritize initiatives that affect the global organization, as well as the US and Canada.
“The STAG plays a critical role in the direction of our business”, noted Steve Thompson, President of FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy. “ We attract the highest quality of executives to FocalPoint, those who have left the corporate world and want to be independent, yet still be on a team. Ron McNutt is an outstanding business coach and we’re proud to both have him on our team, and have him as Chairman of the Strategic Advisory Group.”
FocalPoint Coaching is a professional business coaching organization that operates as a franchise so that all coaches understand business ownership and the realities of business that go with that.
McNutt delivers FocalPoint Business Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy to clients in South Carolina from offices in the Charleston area. His client list includes several of the area’s most prestigious companies as well as smaller businesses who are looking for aggressive growth and/or efficiency.
McNutt brings a strong sales and management background to FocalPoint with prior success in the medical and pharmaceutical field. His experience working with both large and small organizations, combined with FocalPoint’s coaching systems allows McNutt to quickly identify and streamline systems.
“We really get measured by bottom line results”, says McNutt, “and the brand and systems that I tap into with FocalPoint really help me to do that effectively. “
Brian Tracy also commented on McNutt’s posting.” “FocalPoint Business Coaches impact local communities and our country every day, by working with business owners directly. Through coaching, businesses and the people that work in them all win.” Tracy said. "Ron McNutt has been a leader among leaders within FocalPoint - we're proud to have him on our team."
FocalPoint Business Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy is the most recognized brand in business improvement, worldwide and is growing quickly, having recently passed the 50-coach mark. This explosive growth reflects the realities of today’s business world – more executives are leaving the corporate world and more business owners are looking for ways to improve their bottom line. To find out more about us, visit us at www.focalpointcoaching.com
Friday, February 13, 2009
Nebraska Business Coach makes International impact with FocalPoint Business Coaching
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February, 2009
Nebraska executive makes his mark internationally amongst business coaches.
Omaha native James (Jim) Masters has just completed his term as leader of the Strategic Advisory Group for FocalPoint Business Coaching. This group leads important initiatives that drive the future of business coaching.
“It’s been my honor to lead this great team”, says Masters a leading business coach and Area Developer in Nebraska. “Our group has the kind of diverse business backgrounds you’d expect a business coach to have. We focus our energy on making sure that FocalPoint drives massive value with our clients and amongst our larger team”.
FocalPoint’s Strategic Advisory Group – joking referred to as the “STAG”- is made up of leading business coaches worldwide. Each coach serves as a volunteer for 12 months before stepping down.
“We’ve been very fortunate in the quality of people we’ve attracted”, comments Steve Thompson, President of FocalPoint Coaching. “ Jim Masters has done a fantastic job leading the STAG and now Ron McNutt (Charleston, South Carolina) will take over as chairman. This kind of representation keeps the STAG relevant and valuable to our entire coaching family. “
"Our STAG is made up of 2 Area Developers, and 6 Business Coaches who have been voted in by their peers", continues Thompson. "This gives us a realistic representation of our entire coaching team, and helps FocalPoint move quickly to stay on top of trends in this ever-changing market.
I think they see in FocalPoint a chance to really have an impact using their business experience. Of course, being in control of your own destiny plays a part as well. "
About FocalPoint Business Coaching
FocalPoint Business Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy is a group of dedicated, professional business coaches who have leveraged a proven brand and system for the benefit of their clients.
Our coaches are executives and entrepreneurs who have left the corporate life and want to use their professional backgrounds to grow their own business. FocalPoint Coaching provides them with training and support in a team environment that keeps them on the path to success. For additional news and more information about us, please refer to www.focalpointcoaching.com
February, 2009
Nebraska executive makes his mark internationally amongst business coaches.
Omaha native James (Jim) Masters has just completed his term as leader of the Strategic Advisory Group for FocalPoint Business Coaching. This group leads important initiatives that drive the future of business coaching.
“It’s been my honor to lead this great team”, says Masters a leading business coach and Area Developer in Nebraska. “Our group has the kind of diverse business backgrounds you’d expect a business coach to have. We focus our energy on making sure that FocalPoint drives massive value with our clients and amongst our larger team”.
FocalPoint’s Strategic Advisory Group – joking referred to as the “STAG”- is made up of leading business coaches worldwide. Each coach serves as a volunteer for 12 months before stepping down.
“We’ve been very fortunate in the quality of people we’ve attracted”, comments Steve Thompson, President of FocalPoint Coaching. “ Jim Masters has done a fantastic job leading the STAG and now Ron McNutt (Charleston, South Carolina) will take over as chairman. This kind of representation keeps the STAG relevant and valuable to our entire coaching family. “
"Our STAG is made up of 2 Area Developers, and 6 Business Coaches who have been voted in by their peers", continues Thompson. "This gives us a realistic representation of our entire coaching team, and helps FocalPoint move quickly to stay on top of trends in this ever-changing market.
I think they see in FocalPoint a chance to really have an impact using their business experience. Of course, being in control of your own destiny plays a part as well. "
About FocalPoint Business Coaching
FocalPoint Business Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy is a group of dedicated, professional business coaches who have leveraged a proven brand and system for the benefit of their clients.
Our coaches are executives and entrepreneurs who have left the corporate life and want to use their professional backgrounds to grow their own business. FocalPoint Coaching provides them with training and support in a team environment that keeps them on the path to success. For additional news and more information about us, please refer to www.focalpointcoaching.com
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Sales Team Building
Business Success Means Learning to Multiply
Here’s a common fantasy we often hear from business coaching clients, “If I could just afford to add one more person to my team, we’d really start making money!” Why do I call that a fantasy? Because some of the most successful teams we’ve coached are also some of the smallest!
If you’re scratching your head over that statement, stay with me. You see, what we’ve learned as business coaches is that, contrary to common belief, more people don’t always equal more productivity. That one statement should have you, as a business team member or manager, jumping for joy! That means, my friend, that with the right hiring and leadership strategies in place, you can actually reduce your workforce while increasing your company’s income.
What’s the secret? It’s simply learning to multiply. Here’s how Brian Tracy explains ( read Focal Point if you like) if you’ll strategize your recruiting so that you’re hiring team members with complementary skills, rather than hiring a team of people with identical skills, you’ll build a more productive team. And you can keep building that productivity by facilitating the use of each team member’s skills in a way that multiplies the team’s productivity.
How would that look in a real-world situation? Imagine a company that sells washers to hardware stores nationwide. If you, as the sales team manager, hire a team of high-powered sales people with connections to hardware store chains, you’ll probably start out selling a lot of washers. Predictably, though, if all of your sales people are working the same market, you’re eventually create an atmosphere of cutthroat competition for the same customers. That kind of sales force will stagnate unless the sales manager learns a new strategy.
What if, instead, by hiring one person with strong connections to the hardware store chains, plus someone with a network of buyers in the manufacturing sector, as well as a real go-getter who’s constantly looking for new markets for the products she sells, you were able to multiply the impact of your sales team into new markets?
You could really ramp things up by encouraging, at the same time, an atmosphere of excellence that challenges the team to provide great service, appreciate each other’s accomplishments, and work together toward reaching team goals.
Do you see the difference? It might be easiest, in the beginning, to just hire a lot of really good sales people and let them “have at it”. But you’ll see better, more profitable long-term results by hiring a team of people with complementary skills and encouraging an atmosphere of excellence within the team.
Wondering if that could work for your team? I hope you’ll comment on this post about the challenges of maintaining great teams. Remember, you don’t have to know how to do this by yourself. That’s where a professional business coach can help. This is a great time to become an expert at hiring good people and multiplying their efforts with good management strategies. Let me know when you’re ready to get started!
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
Here’s a common fantasy we often hear from business coaching clients, “If I could just afford to add one more person to my team, we’d really start making money!” Why do I call that a fantasy? Because some of the most successful teams we’ve coached are also some of the smallest!
If you’re scratching your head over that statement, stay with me. You see, what we’ve learned as business coaches is that, contrary to common belief, more people don’t always equal more productivity. That one statement should have you, as a business team member or manager, jumping for joy! That means, my friend, that with the right hiring and leadership strategies in place, you can actually reduce your workforce while increasing your company’s income.
What’s the secret? It’s simply learning to multiply. Here’s how Brian Tracy explains ( read Focal Point if you like) if you’ll strategize your recruiting so that you’re hiring team members with complementary skills, rather than hiring a team of people with identical skills, you’ll build a more productive team. And you can keep building that productivity by facilitating the use of each team member’s skills in a way that multiplies the team’s productivity.
How would that look in a real-world situation? Imagine a company that sells washers to hardware stores nationwide. If you, as the sales team manager, hire a team of high-powered sales people with connections to hardware store chains, you’ll probably start out selling a lot of washers. Predictably, though, if all of your sales people are working the same market, you’re eventually create an atmosphere of cutthroat competition for the same customers. That kind of sales force will stagnate unless the sales manager learns a new strategy.
What if, instead, by hiring one person with strong connections to the hardware store chains, plus someone with a network of buyers in the manufacturing sector, as well as a real go-getter who’s constantly looking for new markets for the products she sells, you were able to multiply the impact of your sales team into new markets?
You could really ramp things up by encouraging, at the same time, an atmosphere of excellence that challenges the team to provide great service, appreciate each other’s accomplishments, and work together toward reaching team goals.
Do you see the difference? It might be easiest, in the beginning, to just hire a lot of really good sales people and let them “have at it”. But you’ll see better, more profitable long-term results by hiring a team of people with complementary skills and encouraging an atmosphere of excellence within the team.
Wondering if that could work for your team? I hope you’ll comment on this post about the challenges of maintaining great teams. Remember, you don’t have to know how to do this by yourself. That’s where a professional business coach can help. This is a great time to become an expert at hiring good people and multiplying their efforts with good management strategies. Let me know when you’re ready to get started!
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
A tip - How to Get Business Results faster
A tip on How to Accelerate your Business Results
Here’s something a business coaching client asked me recently that really made me stop and think. She asked why she was still losing clients when she’s careful and methodical in her dealings with them. At first, I thought she might be feeling the effects of a soft market. Then I backed up and considered the words she chose, “careful” and “methodical”.
I then asked her whether being careful and methodical might mean it takes her longer than her competitors to deliver what her clients need. You see, doing what business coaches do all these years has tuned me in to some code phrases clients use that obscure the real problem. Sure enough, her “careful” and “methodical” sales process was actually slowing down delivery, several weeks in some instances.
I’ll tell you what I told her—in today’s market, if you can’t deliver your product quickly, get ready for hard times! The speed of business has moved into overdrive due to improved technology. Any business team not on board with that reality is going to get mowed down by their competition.
That’s why Brian Tracy, has Acceleration as part of his Grand SLAM Formula . Accelerating your efforts to satisfy your customers’ needs, according to Tracy, is a sure way to stay ahead in your market. Hanging on to inefficient business processes, on the other hand, lets your clients know their needs are secondary to yours. To really put it into perspective, think about which kind of company you prefer to do business with.
So the lesson for the day is this: cross all your “T’s” and dot all your “I’s” so that your quality standards don’t slip, but find ways to do that as quickly as possible if you want to keep driving in the business fast lane.
I hope you’ll send me your comments on slow business processes you’d like to improve. I’d love to talk to you about how a professional business coach can help you streamline them.
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
Here’s something a business coaching client asked me recently that really made me stop and think. She asked why she was still losing clients when she’s careful and methodical in her dealings with them. At first, I thought she might be feeling the effects of a soft market. Then I backed up and considered the words she chose, “careful” and “methodical”.
I then asked her whether being careful and methodical might mean it takes her longer than her competitors to deliver what her clients need. You see, doing what business coaches do all these years has tuned me in to some code phrases clients use that obscure the real problem. Sure enough, her “careful” and “methodical” sales process was actually slowing down delivery, several weeks in some instances.
I’ll tell you what I told her—in today’s market, if you can’t deliver your product quickly, get ready for hard times! The speed of business has moved into overdrive due to improved technology. Any business team not on board with that reality is going to get mowed down by their competition.
That’s why Brian Tracy, has Acceleration as part of his Grand SLAM Formula . Accelerating your efforts to satisfy your customers’ needs, according to Tracy, is a sure way to stay ahead in your market. Hanging on to inefficient business processes, on the other hand, lets your clients know their needs are secondary to yours. To really put it into perspective, think about which kind of company you prefer to do business with.
So the lesson for the day is this: cross all your “T’s” and dot all your “I’s” so that your quality standards don’t slip, but find ways to do that as quickly as possible if you want to keep driving in the business fast lane.
I hope you’ll send me your comments on slow business processes you’d like to improve. I’d love to talk to you about how a professional business coach can help you streamline them.
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
The L-Word in Business during a Recession
The L-word in Business during a Recession
Wow, Have you ever heard so much bad news about the economy in your life? Honestly, turning on the financial news is enough to make someone throw in the towel. Capitalism doesn't work anymore! Stocks are plummeting, Real Estate is a bad investment.
Stop, please.
When everyone is selling, stop and ask yourself “Who is buying?” Now, just because you and I can’t imagine who would be buying doesn’t mean they aren’t. They are. Entrepreneurs, and people who can see the future.
Imagine if, in 1970 you had bought a small 10 unit apartment building. Back then, that investment would have been an astronomical $300,000 ( or less). Today, in this down market, a building like that, in a fire sale is 1, 000,000 - and you'd still have the cashflow coming in.
What if you bought that building today for 1 million? How much will it be worth in 3 to 10 years from now? It will be "more" - and if you bought it today, you'd earn the difference!
Deals are still happening - someone has to BUY for someone else to SELL.
That is the kind of thinking that builds wealth. That is smart, tactical thinking.
Really, that’s how a coach thinks. Here is a glimpse into the psyche of a business coach a la Brian Tracy.
In one of Brian's books (FocalPoint) he talks about the Grand Slam formula. This is more about the “L” word, the Leveraging of Resources to reach new goals.
We aren’t just talking about your own skills…if each of us was limited to the success our own talents could bring, we would eventually hit a ceiling. But when we leverage the resources available from our connections to other people, that’s when things get exciting! That’s the kind of business strategy that keeps building success, even when Wall Street says “give up!”
So, let’s do a quick rundown of the resources Tracy assures us are available to every business person (and team).
1. Other People’s Knowledge – the crucial information we’re missing that other people can supply to propel us to the next level
2. Other People’s Energy – the ability to delegate activities that bring low return on our investment of time
3. Other People’s Money – the money other people are willing to invest in our efforts, resulting in more income for them and for us
4. Other People’s Successes – the ability to learn from others’ successes and make their strategies our own
5. Other People’s Failures – the willingness to look at what hasn’t worked in your field and avoid the same mistakes
6. Other People’s Ideas – what great idea is out there waiting to be combined with your particular skills before it can succeed?
7. Other People’s Contacts – what introductions or referrals can other people make that can help you reach the next level?
A day in the life of a business coach is exciting, because we get to work through these steps with motivated businesses.
We know that, sooner or later, the light bulbs will start going on and the leveraging phase will go into overdrive. That’s because, as business coaches, we’ve learned it only takes the right questions and the right feedback to help move a great team into new territory.
Listen to the news if you have to, but don’t fall prey to the “doomsayers”! With a little leverage, you and your team are going to reach your goals and start setting new ones.
Can’t wait to prove me wrong? I’d love to hear your comments! Keep talking to me, and keep reading. We’re going to make this your best year yet.
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
Wow, Have you ever heard so much bad news about the economy in your life? Honestly, turning on the financial news is enough to make someone throw in the towel. Capitalism doesn't work anymore! Stocks are plummeting, Real Estate is a bad investment.
Stop, please.
When everyone is selling, stop and ask yourself “Who is buying?” Now, just because you and I can’t imagine who would be buying doesn’t mean they aren’t. They are. Entrepreneurs, and people who can see the future.
Imagine if, in 1970 you had bought a small 10 unit apartment building. Back then, that investment would have been an astronomical $300,000 ( or less). Today, in this down market, a building like that, in a fire sale is 1, 000,000 - and you'd still have the cashflow coming in.
What if you bought that building today for 1 million? How much will it be worth in 3 to 10 years from now? It will be "more" - and if you bought it today, you'd earn the difference!
Deals are still happening - someone has to BUY for someone else to SELL.
That is the kind of thinking that builds wealth. That is smart, tactical thinking.
Really, that’s how a coach thinks. Here is a glimpse into the psyche of a business coach a la Brian Tracy.
In one of Brian's books (FocalPoint) he talks about the Grand Slam formula. This is more about the “L” word, the Leveraging of Resources to reach new goals.
We aren’t just talking about your own skills…if each of us was limited to the success our own talents could bring, we would eventually hit a ceiling. But when we leverage the resources available from our connections to other people, that’s when things get exciting! That’s the kind of business strategy that keeps building success, even when Wall Street says “give up!”
So, let’s do a quick rundown of the resources Tracy assures us are available to every business person (and team).
1. Other People’s Knowledge – the crucial information we’re missing that other people can supply to propel us to the next level
2. Other People’s Energy – the ability to delegate activities that bring low return on our investment of time
3. Other People’s Money – the money other people are willing to invest in our efforts, resulting in more income for them and for us
4. Other People’s Successes – the ability to learn from others’ successes and make their strategies our own
5. Other People’s Failures – the willingness to look at what hasn’t worked in your field and avoid the same mistakes
6. Other People’s Ideas – what great idea is out there waiting to be combined with your particular skills before it can succeed?
7. Other People’s Contacts – what introductions or referrals can other people make that can help you reach the next level?
A day in the life of a business coach is exciting, because we get to work through these steps with motivated businesses.
We know that, sooner or later, the light bulbs will start going on and the leveraging phase will go into overdrive. That’s because, as business coaches, we’ve learned it only takes the right questions and the right feedback to help move a great team into new territory.
Listen to the news if you have to, but don’t fall prey to the “doomsayers”! With a little leverage, you and your team are going to reach your goals and start setting new ones.
Can’t wait to prove me wrong? I’d love to hear your comments! Keep talking to me, and keep reading. We’re going to make this your best year yet.
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
Press Release New FocalPoint Business Coach Indonesia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 28, 2009
Indonesian Entrepreneur forms Alliance with Brian Tracy
World Famous Author and Business Coach, Brian Tracy, awards Franchising rights to leading Jakarta Businesses Woman.
Recently, after a long selection process, FocalPoint Business Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy awarded the right to develop and sell this leading coaching system in Indonesia to Ellies Sutrisna.
Sutrisna is one of an elite few who have been passed the rigorous selection criteria in place for FocalPoint’s International expansion. Indonesia is a critical proving ground for all of Asia.
Sutrisna will grow FocalPoint Business Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy by recruiting and supporting local Business Coaches from offices located in Jakarta, Indonesia.
“I’m excited to bring Brian Tracy’s Coaching program to businesspeople in Indonesia”, Sutrisna said. “FocalPoint is an organization that has extremely high standards and results, - I will be looking for strong businesspeople who we can train and support to deliver Brian Tracy’s proven business building strategies”.
“FocalPoint Business Coaches impact local communities, our country, and the world every day, by working with business owners and executives directly. Through coaching, businesses and the people that work in them all win.” Tracy said.
Steve Thompson, President of FocalPoint International comments that "Ellies Sutrisna has impressed us from our first meeting with her professionalism, drive and determination. She truly cares about helping others to succeed. We’re confident that she’ll build a very strong team in Indonesia. “
Thompson continues in saying “ it’s important to understand, that at FocalPoint Business Coaching, we award Franchises, we don’t sell them. Ellies has met the highest levels of our selection process. We’re very proud to add her to our team.”
Sutrisna brings a strong entrepreneurial background that will aid the expansion in Indonesia. She is an accomplished Author and Book writer, Entrepreneur, Speaker & Trainer. She has written 2 books: '5 Jurus Jitu Melejitkan Karir' & 'Tetap Nyaman Bekerja dengan Bos Temperamental'., which can be found at major Indonesian bookstores.
Sutrisna recently completed a rigorous special training session held as part of the FocalPoint Business Coach training in held in December, in San Diego, at Brain Tracy’s offices. Coaches from the USA, Canada and England filled out that roster.
FocalPoint Business Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy is the most recognized brand in Business Improvement, worldwide. To find out more about us, go to www.focalpointcoaching.com
Friday, January 28, 2009
Indonesian Entrepreneur forms Alliance with Brian Tracy
World Famous Author and Business Coach, Brian Tracy, awards Franchising rights to leading Jakarta Businesses Woman.
Recently, after a long selection process, FocalPoint Business Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy awarded the right to develop and sell this leading coaching system in Indonesia to Ellies Sutrisna.
Sutrisna is one of an elite few who have been passed the rigorous selection criteria in place for FocalPoint’s International expansion. Indonesia is a critical proving ground for all of Asia.
Sutrisna will grow FocalPoint Business Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy by recruiting and supporting local Business Coaches from offices located in Jakarta, Indonesia.
“I’m excited to bring Brian Tracy’s Coaching program to businesspeople in Indonesia”, Sutrisna said. “FocalPoint is an organization that has extremely high standards and results, - I will be looking for strong businesspeople who we can train and support to deliver Brian Tracy’s proven business building strategies”.
“FocalPoint Business Coaches impact local communities, our country, and the world every day, by working with business owners and executives directly. Through coaching, businesses and the people that work in them all win.” Tracy said.
Steve Thompson, President of FocalPoint International comments that "Ellies Sutrisna has impressed us from our first meeting with her professionalism, drive and determination. She truly cares about helping others to succeed. We’re confident that she’ll build a very strong team in Indonesia. “
Thompson continues in saying “ it’s important to understand, that at FocalPoint Business Coaching, we award Franchises, we don’t sell them. Ellies has met the highest levels of our selection process. We’re very proud to add her to our team.”
Sutrisna brings a strong entrepreneurial background that will aid the expansion in Indonesia. She is an accomplished Author and Book writer, Entrepreneur, Speaker & Trainer. She has written 2 books: '5 Jurus Jitu Melejitkan Karir' & 'Tetap Nyaman Bekerja dengan Bos Temperamental'., which can be found at major Indonesian bookstores.
Sutrisna recently completed a rigorous special training session held as part of the FocalPoint Business Coach training in held in December, in San Diego, at Brain Tracy’s offices. Coaches from the USA, Canada and England filled out that roster.
FocalPoint Business Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy is the most recognized brand in Business Improvement, worldwide. To find out more about us, go to www.focalpointcoaching.com
Business and Golf Chapter Eleven ( no, not that one!)
I thought you might like to read an article one of our coaches put together. He writes it for an old fashioned - print only magazine in Nebraska. I think you'll enjoy it!
The Business Golfer….Chapter Eleven.
This Installment: Don’t Just Stand There….Swing Into “Action”!
A number of years ago, I decided to take a golf lesson from a new pro at a local course. I didn’t know much about his teaching style, but my game was in the dumps and I decided that I could use a dose of “hope”. During the course of the lesson, it became clear to me that the “new pro” was searching for a teaching concept that might really “stick” in my mind. We tried a number of things…a little bit of this, a little bit of that, including some hi-tech contraption to anchor your right arm to your body, while keeping your left arm straight. We even tried having me swing inside a tilted hoola-hoop in hopes that it would give me a “feeling” of what a proper swing plane felt like. The only real “feeling” I got was one of confused frustration.
The next day, I went to play with friends. On the first tee, I placed the ball on the tee, took my address position and just “froze”. After what seemed an eternity, I started to laugh and my golfing partners asked what was wrong. I said, “I don’t know what to do to get this swing started!!” I had so many thoughts going through my head I literally was paralyzed and could not take “action” to begin the swing.
I see this same thing happen in business all the time. A business person will do so much analysis, have so many thoughts, outcomes fears, and possibilities spinning in their heads, they become unable to take action. This has never been more true than now, given the current economic situation. So many business people are doing their best impression of a turtle….pulling into their shells and hoping this whole thing passes, desperately clinging to a belief that everything will be the same as it was. The problem is that this inability to take action will likely a) get you fired/downsized or b) put you out of business. The old plans simply don’t work in the current environment. The time to take action is NOW!
As with a golf swing, there is a time for analysis and a time to act. Before the swing (action), a good player will analyze the conditions, take into consideration their strengths and weaknesses and possible outcomes. They know it’s important to get this analysis done first because when it’s time to act, it must be decisive, confident, and committed.
Implementing a business action plan operates in exactly the same way. Brian Tracy, world renowned author, speaker and business coach, addresses how best to respond to a crisis in his book “Crunch Point. Tracy writes: “Since your natural tendency when you hit crunch time is to withdraw, cut back and play it safe, you must resist this urge and instead dare to go forward, to seize control of the situation and too attack your difficulties with firmness and decisiveness.
Recently, in a national teleconference, Brian identified several key factors to surviving and thriving in the current economic environment. Some key points:
-Cash Flow is the most important number on the balance sheet. “You cannot cost-cut your way out of a financial crisis. You have to generate revenues and the only way to do that is by selling something to someone.”
-Consider alternatives to current business activities. Where you are today won’t be enough to get you where you need to go.
-Think from an environment of calm. Our instinct, in time of crisis, is to resort to “fight or flight”. Only by consciously and immediately asserting mental and emotional control can you take positive and appropriate actions.
-Thinking comes from clarity and clarity comes from writing down your thoughts on paper. The brain is wired directly to the hand and when it sees the hand write things, it processes and analyzes the information much more efficiently. Do your analyzing on paper and put your actions in writing.
-The turnaround principle…Operate your business as if you’d been hired to be a turnaround artist. Look at everything freshly and objectively, letting go of past decisions. Along with this, cut losses quickly and admit mistakes. Ego just doesn’t’ fit into the equation.
-Focus on your core business…What is it that you do really well? What business are you really in? Why do your ideal customers buy from you? Who are our ideal customers? What are their characteristics? How do we keep them and how do we find more of them?
-Look for objective opinions. One of the greatest attributes of a swing coach or a business coach is to work with their clients to create an action plan which places them in the best position for achieving success. Too many business people tend to think they can fix it themselves or do more of what they’ve been doing. One of my favorite questions is this: “How is what we’re doing working out for us so far….and will doing more of it produce different results?”
-Focus on “high return” activities. Apply the 80/20 rule to everything, because I almost guarantee you that 80% or your current activities are of little or no value.
As you can see, there really is no excuse for inaction. Procrastination = Failure. When you take action, do it with single-minded determination. Allow for no distractions or anything to get in your way. You’ve already analyzed the situation, now is the time to simplify, lead, and act with confidence. Harvey Penick, legendary golf instructor summed it up this way in his “Little Red Book: Penick said, “Take Dead Aim”….”Take dead aim at a spot on the fairway or the green, refuse to allow any negative thought to enter your head and swing away.” A proper action plan also has built in assessment points and results should dictate changes to the actions as needed. In business or in golf, taking positive, well thought out action liberates you from your fears…so, don’t just stand there, swing into action!
This is another in a continuing series of articles relating the similarities of being a good golfer to those of a being a good businessman. Some of Jim's past articles are on this blog too. The author is Jim Masters, a FocalPoint Business Coach and Area Developer in Omaha Nebraska.
Thansk for reading!
Steve Thompson,President
FocalPoint Business Coaching
The Business Golfer….Chapter Eleven.
This Installment: Don’t Just Stand There….Swing Into “Action”!
A number of years ago, I decided to take a golf lesson from a new pro at a local course. I didn’t know much about his teaching style, but my game was in the dumps and I decided that I could use a dose of “hope”. During the course of the lesson, it became clear to me that the “new pro” was searching for a teaching concept that might really “stick” in my mind. We tried a number of things…a little bit of this, a little bit of that, including some hi-tech contraption to anchor your right arm to your body, while keeping your left arm straight. We even tried having me swing inside a tilted hoola-hoop in hopes that it would give me a “feeling” of what a proper swing plane felt like. The only real “feeling” I got was one of confused frustration.
The next day, I went to play with friends. On the first tee, I placed the ball on the tee, took my address position and just “froze”. After what seemed an eternity, I started to laugh and my golfing partners asked what was wrong. I said, “I don’t know what to do to get this swing started!!” I had so many thoughts going through my head I literally was paralyzed and could not take “action” to begin the swing.
I see this same thing happen in business all the time. A business person will do so much analysis, have so many thoughts, outcomes fears, and possibilities spinning in their heads, they become unable to take action. This has never been more true than now, given the current economic situation. So many business people are doing their best impression of a turtle….pulling into their shells and hoping this whole thing passes, desperately clinging to a belief that everything will be the same as it was. The problem is that this inability to take action will likely a) get you fired/downsized or b) put you out of business. The old plans simply don’t work in the current environment. The time to take action is NOW!
As with a golf swing, there is a time for analysis and a time to act. Before the swing (action), a good player will analyze the conditions, take into consideration their strengths and weaknesses and possible outcomes. They know it’s important to get this analysis done first because when it’s time to act, it must be decisive, confident, and committed.
Implementing a business action plan operates in exactly the same way. Brian Tracy, world renowned author, speaker and business coach, addresses how best to respond to a crisis in his book “Crunch Point. Tracy writes: “Since your natural tendency when you hit crunch time is to withdraw, cut back and play it safe, you must resist this urge and instead dare to go forward, to seize control of the situation and too attack your difficulties with firmness and decisiveness.
Recently, in a national teleconference, Brian identified several key factors to surviving and thriving in the current economic environment. Some key points:
-Cash Flow is the most important number on the balance sheet. “You cannot cost-cut your way out of a financial crisis. You have to generate revenues and the only way to do that is by selling something to someone.”
-Consider alternatives to current business activities. Where you are today won’t be enough to get you where you need to go.
-Think from an environment of calm. Our instinct, in time of crisis, is to resort to “fight or flight”. Only by consciously and immediately asserting mental and emotional control can you take positive and appropriate actions.
-Thinking comes from clarity and clarity comes from writing down your thoughts on paper. The brain is wired directly to the hand and when it sees the hand write things, it processes and analyzes the information much more efficiently. Do your analyzing on paper and put your actions in writing.
-The turnaround principle…Operate your business as if you’d been hired to be a turnaround artist. Look at everything freshly and objectively, letting go of past decisions. Along with this, cut losses quickly and admit mistakes. Ego just doesn’t’ fit into the equation.
-Focus on your core business…What is it that you do really well? What business are you really in? Why do your ideal customers buy from you? Who are our ideal customers? What are their characteristics? How do we keep them and how do we find more of them?
-Look for objective opinions. One of the greatest attributes of a swing coach or a business coach is to work with their clients to create an action plan which places them in the best position for achieving success. Too many business people tend to think they can fix it themselves or do more of what they’ve been doing. One of my favorite questions is this: “How is what we’re doing working out for us so far….and will doing more of it produce different results?”
-Focus on “high return” activities. Apply the 80/20 rule to everything, because I almost guarantee you that 80% or your current activities are of little or no value.
As you can see, there really is no excuse for inaction. Procrastination = Failure. When you take action, do it with single-minded determination. Allow for no distractions or anything to get in your way. You’ve already analyzed the situation, now is the time to simplify, lead, and act with confidence. Harvey Penick, legendary golf instructor summed it up this way in his “Little Red Book: Penick said, “Take Dead Aim”….”Take dead aim at a spot on the fairway or the green, refuse to allow any negative thought to enter your head and swing away.” A proper action plan also has built in assessment points and results should dictate changes to the actions as needed. In business or in golf, taking positive, well thought out action liberates you from your fears…so, don’t just stand there, swing into action!
This is another in a continuing series of articles relating the similarities of being a good golfer to those of a being a good businessman. Some of Jim's past articles are on this blog too. The author is Jim Masters, a FocalPoint Business Coach and Area Developer in Omaha Nebraska.
Thansk for reading!
Steve Thompson,President
FocalPoint Business Coaching
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Make More Money in Your Business
The Way to Wealth *
...Finally! A business tool you can use....
Can a business increase sales 10%, keep expenses constant and still see a 61% increase in profits?
It can if it looks at increasing the bottom-line in a systematic way. This came up with a client the other day, and I think you'll like this "what would a business coach show me" insight.
In this approach, each variable gets multiplied - for extraordinary results.
When you utilize the “Way to Wealth” all business is driven by five key profit generating areas: Lead Generation, Conversion Rate, Average Dollar Sale, Average Number of Transactions and Profit Margins. These areas are highlighted in the following equation:
Understanding Lead Generation, Conversion Rates and Average Dollar Amounts
In today’s highly competitive business world, it is not possible for business owners to sit back and see the profits roll in....unless you are strategic and tactical!
It becomes vital for businesses to test and measure everything. A good place to start is lead generation. This is defined as the total number of potential buyers that a particular business contacted or that contacted the business last year. Leads are also known as “potentials” or “prospects.” With an effective ‘Marketing Parthenon you can create strategies that are Tested and Measured to increase the numbers in this category.
Most people confuse responses, or the number of potential buyers, with results. The sound of ringing phones does not mean that the cash registers are ringing as well. This is highlighted by conversion rate, or the percentage of people that did buy versus those who could have bought. An example of this is 10 people walking through a store with three people buying something. For the day, the shop had a conversion rate of 3 out of 10, or 30%.
The next part of the “Way to Wealth,” is the number of customers. This is the number of different customers a business deals with, and it can be determined by multiplying the total number of leads by its conversion rate.
Average number of transactions is the number of purchases the average customer will make over the course of a year. It helps to keep a database of past customers, and many business owners make the mistake of subscribing to the myth of “once a customer, always a customer.” The average number of transactions is closely related to the average sale of each purchase, which is also forecast over the course of a year.
Discovering Revenues and Working on Margins
The next important concept in the model is revenue, which is computed by multiplying the total number of customers by the number of times that they bought, multiplied by the average amount they spent.
The resulting number is “revenue,” or the total amount value of overall sales for a business.
This figure leads to the concept of margin, which is the profit percentage of each and every sale. Simply put, if a business sells something for $100, and $25 was profit, the profit margin is 25%.
The final step takes the resulting revenue number and multiplies it by a company’s profit margin percentage to reach bottom-line profit.
The innovative idea around the “Way to Wealth,” is that businesses can leverage the concept even if they have a product or service with a long-term buying cycle or a limited number of transactions.
In those cases, a business could work with the other variables to improve bottom-line profit, including boosting its marketing efforts to capture more qualified leads, finding ways to increase conversion rate to customers, raising prices to leverage average amount sale or upgrading profit margins.
By stepping outside the conventional accounting perspective of profit, and recognizing that a number of additional variables drive the bottom-line – you can get a new perspective on business, and equips yourself with the tools that positively impact each variable of the equation.
This article was written by Phil Gilkes , a leading FocalPoint Business Coach. Click here to contact him.
*Ref:
The Way to Wealth, parts 1, 2, 3, Brian Tracy, all editions
FocalPoint Coaching System, Brian Tracy & Campbell Fraser, 2004
...Finally! A business tool you can use....
Can a business increase sales 10%, keep expenses constant and still see a 61% increase in profits?
It can if it looks at increasing the bottom-line in a systematic way. This came up with a client the other day, and I think you'll like this "what would a business coach show me" insight.
In this approach, each variable gets multiplied - for extraordinary results.
When you utilize the “Way to Wealth” all business is driven by five key profit generating areas: Lead Generation, Conversion Rate, Average Dollar Sale, Average Number of Transactions and Profit Margins. These areas are highlighted in the following equation:
Marketing Leads x Conversion Rate = Customers
Customers x Average Dollar Sale x Sales Per Period = Revenue
Revenue x Gross Margins = Gross Profits
Gross Profits x Net Margins = Net Profits
A closer look at each of these variables reveals how an increase in any or all of them can increase sales and profits, while keeping expenses constant.Customers x Average Dollar Sale x Sales Per Period = Revenue
Revenue x Gross Margins = Gross Profits
Gross Profits x Net Margins = Net Profits
Understanding Lead Generation, Conversion Rates and Average Dollar Amounts
In today’s highly competitive business world, it is not possible for business owners to sit back and see the profits roll in....unless you are strategic and tactical!
It becomes vital for businesses to test and measure everything. A good place to start is lead generation. This is defined as the total number of potential buyers that a particular business contacted or that contacted the business last year. Leads are also known as “potentials” or “prospects.” With an effective ‘Marketing Parthenon you can create strategies that are Tested and Measured to increase the numbers in this category.
Most people confuse responses, or the number of potential buyers, with results. The sound of ringing phones does not mean that the cash registers are ringing as well. This is highlighted by conversion rate, or the percentage of people that did buy versus those who could have bought. An example of this is 10 people walking through a store with three people buying something. For the day, the shop had a conversion rate of 3 out of 10, or 30%.
The next part of the “Way to Wealth,” is the number of customers. This is the number of different customers a business deals with, and it can be determined by multiplying the total number of leads by its conversion rate.
Average number of transactions is the number of purchases the average customer will make over the course of a year. It helps to keep a database of past customers, and many business owners make the mistake of subscribing to the myth of “once a customer, always a customer.” The average number of transactions is closely related to the average sale of each purchase, which is also forecast over the course of a year.
Discovering Revenues and Working on Margins
The next important concept in the model is revenue, which is computed by multiplying the total number of customers by the number of times that they bought, multiplied by the average amount they spent.
The resulting number is “revenue,” or the total amount value of overall sales for a business.
This figure leads to the concept of margin, which is the profit percentage of each and every sale. Simply put, if a business sells something for $100, and $25 was profit, the profit margin is 25%.
The final step takes the resulting revenue number and multiplies it by a company’s profit margin percentage to reach bottom-line profit.
The innovative idea around the “Way to Wealth,” is that businesses can leverage the concept even if they have a product or service with a long-term buying cycle or a limited number of transactions.
In those cases, a business could work with the other variables to improve bottom-line profit, including boosting its marketing efforts to capture more qualified leads, finding ways to increase conversion rate to customers, raising prices to leverage average amount sale or upgrading profit margins.
By stepping outside the conventional accounting perspective of profit, and recognizing that a number of additional variables drive the bottom-line – you can get a new perspective on business, and equips yourself with the tools that positively impact each variable of the equation.
This article was written by Phil Gilkes , a leading FocalPoint Business Coach. Click here to contact him.
*Ref:
The Way to Wealth, parts 1, 2, 3, Brian Tracy, all editions
FocalPoint Coaching System, Brian Tracy & Campbell Fraser, 2004
Friday, January 23, 2009
Business Coach Tip Brian Tracy
Business Coach Tip # 72 B v3.7a
…Heck of a title , isn’t it?
Well, this is one of many, many strategies professional business coaches use with business leaders.
Have you ever thought of the power certain words have on your life? Take, for instance, the word “zero”. Who wants to be a “zero”, really? I think most of us would prefer to be seen as “tens”! I want to talk today, though, about how the word “zero” can be the most important one you add to your success-building vocabulary this year.
If you’ve been following the blog, you know our business coaching principles are based on Focal Point, Brian Tracy’s incredibly successful book on how to achieve success. ( If you'd like a free copy of this as an e-book, contact me at drubino "AT" focalpointcoaching.com )In that book, Brian talks about a concept he calls “zero-based thinking”. Before we move on, think about the images that phrase, “zero-based thinking” conjure up in your mind. “Ground Zero”, “zero possibilities” and “all the way back to zero” are responses our business coaching clients have given. Those seem like pretty negative concepts, don’t they? Well hold on, because I’m going to show you how “zero-based thinking” is an incredibly powerful, positive step in building your future success.
Here’s how Brian defines the concept: “Is there anything that I am doing right now that, knowing what I now know, I wouldn’t get into again, if I was starting over today?” In other words, what business relationships, product lines or sales strategies have proven over time to have a negative impact on your success? When you really zero in on your daily activities, what’s hurting more than helping? Where are you spending your time with zero return on that investment?
Now, apply those same questions to the team you’re supervising. What are you doing, individually and as a team, which is actually unproductive? It’s going to surprise you how much time you’re spending on things that have a negative effect on your ability to succeed! We all fall into this trap; it’s sometimes easier to form negative habits (keep selling the same old product line, keep meeting with contacts who bring no benefit) than it is to turn our energies toward the things that will bring greater success.
Going through this process helps you “zero in” on the things that are draining the energy out of you and your team. Can you see how powerful “zero-based thinking” could be in moving you toward success?
Finding the answers to those questions, and helping clients discover ways to remove those unproductive things from their business strategy is exactly what business coaches do. I’d like to hear your feedback on this concept! Talk to me about what you might need to remove from your life. I’ve got some great strategies for you, when you’re ready to ask the hard questions.
Steve Thompson, President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
…Heck of a title , isn’t it?
Well, this is one of many, many strategies professional business coaches use with business leaders.
Have you ever thought of the power certain words have on your life? Take, for instance, the word “zero”. Who wants to be a “zero”, really? I think most of us would prefer to be seen as “tens”! I want to talk today, though, about how the word “zero” can be the most important one you add to your success-building vocabulary this year.
If you’ve been following the blog, you know our business coaching principles are based on Focal Point, Brian Tracy’s incredibly successful book on how to achieve success. ( If you'd like a free copy of this as an e-book, contact me at drubino "AT" focalpointcoaching.com )In that book, Brian talks about a concept he calls “zero-based thinking”. Before we move on, think about the images that phrase, “zero-based thinking” conjure up in your mind. “Ground Zero”, “zero possibilities” and “all the way back to zero” are responses our business coaching clients have given. Those seem like pretty negative concepts, don’t they? Well hold on, because I’m going to show you how “zero-based thinking” is an incredibly powerful, positive step in building your future success.
Here’s how Brian defines the concept: “Is there anything that I am doing right now that, knowing what I now know, I wouldn’t get into again, if I was starting over today?” In other words, what business relationships, product lines or sales strategies have proven over time to have a negative impact on your success? When you really zero in on your daily activities, what’s hurting more than helping? Where are you spending your time with zero return on that investment?
Now, apply those same questions to the team you’re supervising. What are you doing, individually and as a team, which is actually unproductive? It’s going to surprise you how much time you’re spending on things that have a negative effect on your ability to succeed! We all fall into this trap; it’s sometimes easier to form negative habits (keep selling the same old product line, keep meeting with contacts who bring no benefit) than it is to turn our energies toward the things that will bring greater success.
Going through this process helps you “zero in” on the things that are draining the energy out of you and your team. Can you see how powerful “zero-based thinking” could be in moving you toward success?
Finding the answers to those questions, and helping clients discover ways to remove those unproductive things from their business strategy is exactly what business coaches do. I’d like to hear your feedback on this concept! Talk to me about what you might need to remove from your life. I’ve got some great strategies for you, when you’re ready to ask the hard questions.
Steve Thompson, President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
Business Coaching’s Secret Formula : The “Grand SLAM” of Business
Business Coaching’s Secret Formula : The “Grand SLAM” of Business
Here’s a story from the field that’s not uncommon, but just surfaced again earlier this week. Like the common cold, this story comes and goes, with hot spots throughout the country here and there at any given time.
One of our coaches had just started with a new client ( retail optical, Wisconsin). He and his team had been working too many hours with little visible results, and he wondered if it was time to hire a new team. He had even gone so far as to have a plan for re-starting his entire team from scratch. It was sketched out , and he was going to discuss it with his coach at that weeks coaching session.
Hold Everything! Here’s what he was asked: before you fire your team, is there a better way? The coach, referring back to the coaching system, worked with the owner to get Clarity on this point. ( For your reference, see the Grand Slam Formula found in Brian Tracy’s Focal Point . To email me for the free e-book, just send a request to us at drubino “AT” focalpointcoaching.com)
When he hesitated, we asked him another question: did he, himself, want to continue spending too much time at work, no matter who he hired for his team? You see, we’ve learned as business coaches that managers with the wrong focus tend to create teams with the wrong focus, and see the same results over and over.
That question pulled him up short and made him realize we might be onto something. Once he agreed, we began to explain the Focal Point Grand Slam Formula:
1. Simplification,
2. Leverage,
3. Acceleration
4. and Multiplication.
We worked through each step with the team, refining their goals, eliminating unnecessary activities and building on their successes.
I’ll be talking more in future blog posts about how each of these principles work, but I can share with you now that this simple focusing method breathed new life into the client’s work team. Once they focused in on the essential elements of their shared mission, it was amazing how productive they became!
It’s hard to imagine how productive our country could become, even when the financial forecast is bleak, if the Grand Slam Formula was incorporated, team by team, into every company’s mindset. Want to be in on the revolution? Then let’s keep talking! Keep sending me your feedback, questions and frustrations, and I’ll keep telling you how our clients have found success.
It’s going to be a great year!
Steve Thompson, President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
Here’s a story from the field that’s not uncommon, but just surfaced again earlier this week. Like the common cold, this story comes and goes, with hot spots throughout the country here and there at any given time.
One of our coaches had just started with a new client ( retail optical, Wisconsin). He and his team had been working too many hours with little visible results, and he wondered if it was time to hire a new team. He had even gone so far as to have a plan for re-starting his entire team from scratch. It was sketched out , and he was going to discuss it with his coach at that weeks coaching session.
Hold Everything! Here’s what he was asked: before you fire your team, is there a better way? The coach, referring back to the coaching system, worked with the owner to get Clarity on this point. ( For your reference, see the Grand Slam Formula found in Brian Tracy’s Focal Point . To email me for the free e-book, just send a request to us at drubino “AT” focalpointcoaching.com)
When he hesitated, we asked him another question: did he, himself, want to continue spending too much time at work, no matter who he hired for his team? You see, we’ve learned as business coaches that managers with the wrong focus tend to create teams with the wrong focus, and see the same results over and over.
That question pulled him up short and made him realize we might be onto something. Once he agreed, we began to explain the Focal Point Grand Slam Formula:
1. Simplification,
2. Leverage,
3. Acceleration
4. and Multiplication.
We worked through each step with the team, refining their goals, eliminating unnecessary activities and building on their successes.
I’ll be talking more in future blog posts about how each of these principles work, but I can share with you now that this simple focusing method breathed new life into the client’s work team. Once they focused in on the essential elements of their shared mission, it was amazing how productive they became!
It’s hard to imagine how productive our country could become, even when the financial forecast is bleak, if the Grand Slam Formula was incorporated, team by team, into every company’s mindset. Want to be in on the revolution? Then let’s keep talking! Keep sending me your feedback, questions and frustrations, and I’ll keep telling you how our clients have found success.
It’s going to be a great year!
Steve Thompson, President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
4 steps for growing in this economy
Four Steps for battling this economy and growing your business .
Let me start with the 5th step first. Think about how this economy is good for you and your business – because, there are opportunities now that will make you grow far beyond your competition.
I get to talk to our coaches all the time, and this gives me a pulse on the business economy that even reporters can't get. Our coaches are in the field every day, working with two kinds of people. Business Owners and Executives within larger firms.
What I’m amazed about today is not only the amount of new business, but the attitude shifts that are already apparent. If we use Bears Stearns as a guidepost, it’s been about 7 months since the first whiff of trouble.
And since that time, we’ve seen market leaders emerge in almost all markets. Who are they? Those same smart, quiet, hardworking business owners and executives who have made the mental shift and looked for roses among the thorns.
If , as a reader you think you’re on the outside looking in, take heart. You can join this group of leaders by changing (or continuing) to think with success in mind. Be one of the people who will just keep succeeding, regardless of the economy. Now that’s lasting change.
And it works for teams, departments and companies in the same way! Imagine leading your team to record sales, production or customer satisfaction, just by focusing their efforts using our key success (coaching) principles.
So what’s the secret? Let me explain it this way: in Focal Point, Brian Tracy tells us that success comes by taking four different steps.
1. Start doing more of the things that bring you the greatest rewards.
2. Spend less time doing things that ruin your chances for success.
3. Third on the list of steps to success is to learn to do new things, gain new skills or find a completely different focus to turn your energy toward greater achievement.
4. Stopping altogether the activities that keep us from succeeding.
If you want to do this as an exercise, grab a piece of paper and make a list, answering the 4 questions above.
Sound easy? Does it sound too easy? Success in business comes from simplicity, not complexity. Keep it simple, execute it well.
As Coaches, that’s one of our biggest challenges – working with Executives and business owners to identify, simplify and execute. We have a system for that, of course!
Fortunately for you, that’s what a good business coach should be able to do with you. I hope these blog posts have convinced you that success is within your reach. All most of us need is someone to help us put it all in perspective and turn us down the right path.
Have a thought, comment, or question? Let us know, we’re here to answer.
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
Let me start with the 5th step first. Think about how this economy is good for you and your business – because, there are opportunities now that will make you grow far beyond your competition.
I get to talk to our coaches all the time, and this gives me a pulse on the business economy that even reporters can't get. Our coaches are in the field every day, working with two kinds of people. Business Owners and Executives within larger firms.
What I’m amazed about today is not only the amount of new business, but the attitude shifts that are already apparent. If we use Bears Stearns as a guidepost, it’s been about 7 months since the first whiff of trouble.
And since that time, we’ve seen market leaders emerge in almost all markets. Who are they? Those same smart, quiet, hardworking business owners and executives who have made the mental shift and looked for roses among the thorns.
If , as a reader you think you’re on the outside looking in, take heart. You can join this group of leaders by changing (or continuing) to think with success in mind. Be one of the people who will just keep succeeding, regardless of the economy. Now that’s lasting change.
And it works for teams, departments and companies in the same way! Imagine leading your team to record sales, production or customer satisfaction, just by focusing their efforts using our key success (coaching) principles.
So what’s the secret? Let me explain it this way: in Focal Point, Brian Tracy tells us that success comes by taking four different steps.
1. Start doing more of the things that bring you the greatest rewards.
2. Spend less time doing things that ruin your chances for success.
3. Third on the list of steps to success is to learn to do new things, gain new skills or find a completely different focus to turn your energy toward greater achievement.
4. Stopping altogether the activities that keep us from succeeding.
If you want to do this as an exercise, grab a piece of paper and make a list, answering the 4 questions above.
Sound easy? Does it sound too easy? Success in business comes from simplicity, not complexity. Keep it simple, execute it well.
As Coaches, that’s one of our biggest challenges – working with Executives and business owners to identify, simplify and execute. We have a system for that, of course!
Fortunately for you, that’s what a good business coach should be able to do with you. I hope these blog posts have convinced you that success is within your reach. All most of us need is someone to help us put it all in perspective and turn us down the right path.
Have a thought, comment, or question? Let us know, we’re here to answer.
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
Thursday, January 22, 2009
The Success Habits of Business
The Success Habits of Business
I want to talk to you today about something each of us does that can mean the difference between being happy and successful or constantly experiencing failure. That one thing we all do is this—we form habits. Even the most random person you know is actually the product of his habits.
Here’s why: if that person makes the choice to never do anything consistently, he’s formed a habit! He’s in the habit of being random about his life. Whether he’s inconsistent about following up on sales calls or careless about completing his sales reports, he’s formed a negative habit. Every business coach I know has seen the effect of bad habits in their clients’ lives.
If you’ve read Brian Tracy’s groundbreaking book, Focal Point, you know that he spends a lot of time helping readers identify the habits that keep them from success. That’s because he understands that our habits are the foundation of our success or failure.
Think about it—if we never spend time developing the habits shared by successful people, our actions are constantly working against us. Our habitual behavior is what really drives our days. Whether it’s habitually missing appointments or being in the habit of calling our clients monthly, those repetitive behaviors are the building blocks of our future achievements.
One of the great things business coaches do is to help their clients identify negative habits and begin to do the hard, but rewarding, work of turning them into productive behaviors. Changing a habit isn’t easy! If it was, we’d be a nation of slender, healthy folks with fabulous incomes! But given the right motivation and the help of a great coach, business people everywhere are learning the value of developing positive business habits.
I’m going to be talking more in coming weeks about the sticky subject of habits. Stay tuned for those discussions, and be sure to let me know what habits are keeping you from realizing your goals.
Actually, come to think of it, why not break a blog habit of telling you things from our point of view? Do you have a business tool business strategy, great business idea or technique for making or breaking habits? If you do, why not share it with us here?
Coaching is about Adult Education. It’s about learning new things. A great coach is a student AND a teacher, so let’s hear from you!
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
I want to talk to you today about something each of us does that can mean the difference between being happy and successful or constantly experiencing failure. That one thing we all do is this—we form habits. Even the most random person you know is actually the product of his habits.
Here’s why: if that person makes the choice to never do anything consistently, he’s formed a habit! He’s in the habit of being random about his life. Whether he’s inconsistent about following up on sales calls or careless about completing his sales reports, he’s formed a negative habit. Every business coach I know has seen the effect of bad habits in their clients’ lives.
If you’ve read Brian Tracy’s groundbreaking book, Focal Point, you know that he spends a lot of time helping readers identify the habits that keep them from success. That’s because he understands that our habits are the foundation of our success or failure.
Think about it—if we never spend time developing the habits shared by successful people, our actions are constantly working against us. Our habitual behavior is what really drives our days. Whether it’s habitually missing appointments or being in the habit of calling our clients monthly, those repetitive behaviors are the building blocks of our future achievements.
One of the great things business coaches do is to help their clients identify negative habits and begin to do the hard, but rewarding, work of turning them into productive behaviors. Changing a habit isn’t easy! If it was, we’d be a nation of slender, healthy folks with fabulous incomes! But given the right motivation and the help of a great coach, business people everywhere are learning the value of developing positive business habits.
I’m going to be talking more in coming weeks about the sticky subject of habits. Stay tuned for those discussions, and be sure to let me know what habits are keeping you from realizing your goals.
Actually, come to think of it, why not break a blog habit of telling you things from our point of view? Do you have a business tool business strategy, great business idea or technique for making or breaking habits? If you do, why not share it with us here?
Coaching is about Adult Education. It’s about learning new things. A great coach is a student AND a teacher, so let’s hear from you!
Steve Thompson,
President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
Business Efficiency and Being Efficient in Business
Business Efficiency and Being Efficient in Business
I met with a coaching client the other day, and she asked an intriguing question. “Why”, she asked, “Do I work so much harder than our lead salesman and still earn less than half what he does?” I have to admit, I smiled as I listened to her concern, because I knew I’d be able to help her.
The particular principle I went on to introduce her to was what Brian Tracy describes as the “Efficiency Curve”.
Here’s a snapshot of how the Efficiency Curve improves, or destroys, your chances for success. As Brian Tracy explains, learning how to do something like converting prospects to clients takes more time when first approached. As you spend the time learning to do it well, your investment of time should pay off in increased sales and income. That’s an improved Efficiency Curve.
But what if your time is divided between learning how to increase your conversion rate, and five other tasks that have little impact on your success? If you have a choice how to spend your time, doesn’t it make sense to invest the most time on the activities that have a direct impact on your income? In other words, shouldn’t you be focusing your time, effort and intelligence on the most important things, rather than allowing yourself to be distracted with unprofitable activities?
Imagine the improved Efficiency Curve you can experience with each new challenge if your resources are completely focused on that goal. Our race to success is a lot like skiing in a downhill race where one contestant skis in a straight line and everyone else zigs and zags off-course throughout the race. Which skier do you suppose will hit the finish line first? That’s the essence of the Efficiency Curve. Learning to focus your time and effort on the things most likely to result in success will always bring the greatest reward.
So are you ready to find your best Curve? Any resource that shortens the Curve is money well spent, after all! Until next time, let’s work on identifying the things that deserve our focus. That will bring you one step closer to success.
Steve Thompson, President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
I met with a coaching client the other day, and she asked an intriguing question. “Why”, she asked, “Do I work so much harder than our lead salesman and still earn less than half what he does?” I have to admit, I smiled as I listened to her concern, because I knew I’d be able to help her.
The particular principle I went on to introduce her to was what Brian Tracy describes as the “Efficiency Curve”.
Here’s a snapshot of how the Efficiency Curve improves, or destroys, your chances for success. As Brian Tracy explains, learning how to do something like converting prospects to clients takes more time when first approached. As you spend the time learning to do it well, your investment of time should pay off in increased sales and income. That’s an improved Efficiency Curve.
But what if your time is divided between learning how to increase your conversion rate, and five other tasks that have little impact on your success? If you have a choice how to spend your time, doesn’t it make sense to invest the most time on the activities that have a direct impact on your income? In other words, shouldn’t you be focusing your time, effort and intelligence on the most important things, rather than allowing yourself to be distracted with unprofitable activities?
Imagine the improved Efficiency Curve you can experience with each new challenge if your resources are completely focused on that goal. Our race to success is a lot like skiing in a downhill race where one contestant skis in a straight line and everyone else zigs and zags off-course throughout the race. Which skier do you suppose will hit the finish line first? That’s the essence of the Efficiency Curve. Learning to focus your time and effort on the things most likely to result in success will always bring the greatest reward.
So are you ready to find your best Curve? Any resource that shortens the Curve is money well spent, after all! Until next time, let’s work on identifying the things that deserve our focus. That will bring you one step closer to success.
Steve Thompson, President,
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Becoming Your Own Boss, Even if You’re Not Self-Employed
A question we’re often asked by our business coaching clients is how to succeed while working for a difficult boss. Good question.
We don’t know the answer.
However, the path we follow is one they almost never expect! When someone tells us he can’t succeed because his boss is difficult, we have to do some digging.
At some point, we’ll turn the mirror back on the client. What that means is that, in coaching people to business success, we follow the principle of personal responsibility that Brian Tracy discusses in Focal Point.
Here’s what he has to say that turns the average person upside down, “The acceptance of personal responsibility lies at the core of the personality of every outstanding man or woman.” What that means is that, no matter the situation, when things don’t go as you’d planned, you take responsibility for the outcome.
So, how would we, as business coaches, use that principal with someone who believes a “bad boss” is holding them back? We’d first begin to share the tools to understnd how a person can take responsibility for their own success, just as if they were self-employed. Using that approach, rather than blaming the system in which he works, helps us to move a client to a place where he’s making decisions and acting upon them as though the buck stops at his desk.
For some, this is a major shift. For others, it’s tiny shift in perception. It’s a lot of fun when we get to do it with entire teams ( divisions, groups, etc)
In Executive Coaching that one shift in thinking can be seismic in a client’s future! Every decision is suddenly seen in the context of “how do I want to run my business?” whether it’s how he wants to find new clients for his employer or how he can better manage his department. When you can define what you do for a living as a business that you control, it becomes worth careful planning and extra effort.
That’s a lot different than feeling trapped in a job!
This is part of showing our clients how to get control over their day, their career, their life.
You see, once an executive sees themselves from the viewpoint of “self-employed”, rather than someone at the mercy of a system, they start meeting and redefining their goals at warp speed! You don’t need to quit your corporate job and start your own business to benefit from this move toward becoming responsible for your success.
And so, now you’ve had a glimpse into how a business coach works to help a client succeed. Our clients are smart, motivated people who simply want a shift in worldview to help them achieve their goals.
If you have a though, post a response to this blog. We’d love to hear from you.
Steve Thompson
President
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
If this economy has you thinking about how to get the edge, here’s someplace you’ll want to visit: FocalPoint Coaching. And if you have questions about how you can become a business coach, why not learn more about one of the premier business coach training systems?
We don’t know the answer.
However, the path we follow is one they almost never expect! When someone tells us he can’t succeed because his boss is difficult, we have to do some digging.
At some point, we’ll turn the mirror back on the client. What that means is that, in coaching people to business success, we follow the principle of personal responsibility that Brian Tracy discusses in Focal Point.
Here’s what he has to say that turns the average person upside down, “The acceptance of personal responsibility lies at the core of the personality of every outstanding man or woman.” What that means is that, no matter the situation, when things don’t go as you’d planned, you take responsibility for the outcome.
So, how would we, as business coaches, use that principal with someone who believes a “bad boss” is holding them back? We’d first begin to share the tools to understnd how a person can take responsibility for their own success, just as if they were self-employed. Using that approach, rather than blaming the system in which he works, helps us to move a client to a place where he’s making decisions and acting upon them as though the buck stops at his desk.
For some, this is a major shift. For others, it’s tiny shift in perception. It’s a lot of fun when we get to do it with entire teams ( divisions, groups, etc)
In Executive Coaching that one shift in thinking can be seismic in a client’s future! Every decision is suddenly seen in the context of “how do I want to run my business?” whether it’s how he wants to find new clients for his employer or how he can better manage his department. When you can define what you do for a living as a business that you control, it becomes worth careful planning and extra effort.
That’s a lot different than feeling trapped in a job!
This is part of showing our clients how to get control over their day, their career, their life.
You see, once an executive sees themselves from the viewpoint of “self-employed”, rather than someone at the mercy of a system, they start meeting and redefining their goals at warp speed! You don’t need to quit your corporate job and start your own business to benefit from this move toward becoming responsible for your success.
And so, now you’ve had a glimpse into how a business coach works to help a client succeed. Our clients are smart, motivated people who simply want a shift in worldview to help them achieve their goals.
If you have a though, post a response to this blog. We’d love to hear from you.
Steve Thompson
President
FocalPoint Coaching, powered by Brian Tracy
If this economy has you thinking about how to get the edge, here’s someplace you’ll want to visit: FocalPoint Coaching. And if you have questions about how you can become a business coach, why not learn more about one of the premier business coach training systems?
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