Letting Go.

How many times have you made a good decision, did everything you could to make it a success and still it wasn't going well? It's hard to let go but sometimes that is the best decision of all. The dog we adopted last month, that I mentioned in an earlier blog, came to display some serious aggressive behavior and even with training, it was not meant to be.

Did we invest money? oh yes. Did we invest lots of time? oh yes. Did we get attached to her? You bet!

Just like with a project,employee or vendor, at some point it is better to admit "this is not working" and the best decision is to let go and move on. Is there anything not working in your business you need to let go of and start fresh? Think about it.

Stop Being Afraid To Sell

It’s easy to think that if your audience loves you, all that love will translate automatically into paying customers. It just isn’t so. Building relationships is key to gaining new business but you also have to connect with willing buyers. They need to be in the market to buy. Ask probing questions and be quiet. Probing questions persuade your audience to explicitly tell you what it would take to get them to buy. Then wrap your message up with a strong call to action and a fair price.

To learn more, click here and go to LBM seminars and articles.

You don’t need to be able to sell ice to Eskimos to use these techniques. Use empathy, respect and natural conversation—tools you use every day.

Economic Woes Got You Down?

DON'T PANIC!

The economic news has most people pretty freaked out right now. Abrupt interruption to your cash flow or having your 401K lose half its value are real and significant problems, but the biggest problem in any kind of crisis is mindset. Panic makes things worse. Fear is the enemy of good decisions, and panic simply makes them impossible.

I believe this time of great stress is also an opportunity to create new ideas. When you look at solving problems as your key to success and cultivating your own optimism, you’ll see your business in a new way. This is a time to re-evaluate everything in your business- financial, operational, human resources, marketing and sales- and look for efficiencies as well as new growth opportunities. Tear apart all the pieces, look at them in a different light and begin to re-position the building blocks to survive and thrive in this mess. Be realistic, this mess is going to be around for at least 18- 24 months. Take your anxious energy and direct it in a positive way for you, your business and your employees.