The Power of Consistent Client Communications

Did you ever get a call from someone that you had not heard from for months or years and wonder "what the issue or problem" might be? Has a long-lost relative surfaced and you look at that person with some trepidation and suspicion about what this sudden communication may mean?

Sometimes if we don't keep a consistent communications with our prospects and customers - and then try to touch base after a long period of time has passed with a special buying offer, our customer/client may begin to believe that they are only contacted when we need a sale!

The way to avoid that type of suspicion and distrust is to insure that you maintain continued and consistent communications with your ENTIRE client/customer and prospect base. If you don't have an established schedule for these communications, then you run the risk of losing touch with the lifeline of your business - your clients.

If you are unsure of how to establish these types of communications or feel you don't have the time to insure consistency in this type of marketing, let's talk about some of the easy to implement and cost-effective ways to keep your clients and prospects in YOUR COMMUNICATION LOOP. If these people are the recipients of consistent and well-planned commuications, then they will always come back to you when it is time to purchase products or services!

A Little Bit of Luck Even When It's Not St. Patrick's Day

I am someone who believes in being in the right place at the right time. I have very good things happen to me at some of the most unusual times in my life - when there was no indication that anything positive would occur from a meeting, a call, a networking event, etc. I don't know if this is LUCK or destiny or the Law of Attraction in action - but when it happens, I often wonder if the planets are in alliance or if an angel is sitting on my shoulder, and I am sure happy for the outcome.

I also believe we often make our own LUCK. If we enter into a situation dreading the worst, fearing rejection, unsure of ourselves and our product or services, maybe we are giving out bad karma and uncertainty. Does this negate LUCK and spell doom and disaster for our situation?

Let's delve further into an examination of luck and destiny and attraction as we go on in the next few weeks. In the meantime - keep a shamrock in your pocket, and if you happen to see a leprechan, hold on to him until he relinquishes HIS Pot of Gold!

The Ides of March - Reflections on Personal Power

Today is March 15 - the Ides of March. I am reminded of Shakespeare's Julius Ceasar and the theme of the play - power!

Do we realize the power that each of us possess? Personal Power is often allowed to be subjugated by "perceived authority" in our lives -- our boss, our spouse, our parents. Children often do not realize their boundaries and exercise their own personal power - but over time, they are reigned in and their ability to feel comfortable with their power starts to diminish. Once they go to school, teachers and administrators further take personal power away from students under the guise of maintaining order. And many times the loss of personal power is replaced with FEAR - fear of being an individualist, marching to the beat of a different drummer.

This all makes perfect sense and parents and educators alike need children and students to portray behavior that is socially acceptable - but isn't there a time when each of us -- reaching adulthood -- must reclaim our personal power in order to go out successfully in the world?

I meet with many smart and savvy people who have the intellect and the desire to start their own business, but they do not take that step - they have lost their personal power somewhere along the way and do not have the skill set needed to reclaim that power that will allow them to easily break out and make the move to personal and financial success and freedom. They have the desire but not the tools!

I am not advocating anarchy 0r chaos - but maybe we need to be more mindful that while we need to control personal power - we should not instill fear in its place. I have seen the effects of fear and it can be devastating!

FREE REPORT on LEADERSHIP at WEBSITE

For those who have been reading this blog - and I do appreciate the emails and the contacts - I am offering a FREE REPORT on LEADERSHIP - The Magic Tool for Success in Your Company.

You can either visit our website at: www.coachingqueen.com
or to call at 847-392-6886 and request the downloadable pdf e-report!

Waiting to Hear from YOU soon.....

The Coaching Queen

Dispelling the Fear of Affiliate Marketing

If you are "an expert" (we discussed that earlier this week) and looking to align yourself with experts in other fields, there is a great way to consumate the referral - and to still be able to profit from the referral - affiliate marketing or joint venture marketing!

Don't be afraid of this nomenclature - affiliate marketing is a legitimate way to insure that your clients and prospects have access to industry experts that are complimentary to the skills that you offer to your base.

It is critical that you investigate the "experts" that you feel can offer something unique and decide that you would want them to have access to your clients, customers, and prospects!

If you are unsure how to find and determine who these "experts" are and what they have to offer and how they might benefit your business, please contact me.

I am currently offering a FREE COACHING SESSION (30 minutes) to give you content and information on this topic - it is so near and dear to my heart and has helped me to achieve greater respect from my entrepreneurs and business owners.

When you offer the name of an expert that YOU believe in -- Your clients and customers and prospects will see you in greater terms of being interested in helping them with their business - and ultimately that is what you are trying to do.

Visit my site at www.coachingqueen.com

Go to the contact page and request a free coaching session - let's get your business to the next level of success and growth!

Tales of the Coaching Queen: Corporate Tax Filings Due - March 15

Tales of the Coaching Queen: Corporate Tax Filings Due - March 15

Corporate Tax Filings Due - March 15

If your business is a coporation of any kind (which it most definitely should be), your Federal Tax Filing deadline is March 15.

Due to the fact that March 15 this year falls on a Saturday, you have until Monday, March 17 to file.

This brings up the importance of "record keeping" in order to be able to insure that all the deductions and business expenses you have incurred in the last fiscal year are well accounted for. As part of our teleseminar on BUSINESS ESSENTIALS we discuss the importance of keeping your personal and business expenses separate -- it is easier to disallow a personal expense from a business account than to prove a business expense from a personal account!

So - if you have not prepared your return for the corporate filing (Chapter S corps won't need to be filed until April 15 - but you have to do the prelimary K-filing) contact your accountant, tax man, bookkeeper, financial advisor or get the forms ready for filing on Monday!

How Do You Become a Recognized Expert?

This is indeed the age of specialization - and if you are an entrepreneur with your own business or a business owner, you have to let the world know - I AM AN EXPERT!

No matter what your industry or marketplace - by being in business, you are an expert - but if you don't let people know that you are, you may be loosing out on possibilities for more business and more exposure.

There are 3-4 very easy ways to do this: I have not only established these protocols in the growth of MY own business, but I work with Entrepreneurs and Business Owners every day to help them realize "expert status" in their field.

Be open to the idea - it is not arrogant or bragging. Doesn't everyone want to be affiliated with "the expert" in the field? Well, if your prospects and clients don't think it is YOU who is the expert, you may lose these relationships if someone else comes along with that claim.

You are an EXPERT - and I can help you become RECOGNIZED for your Expertise. Drop me a line and let me begin to help you on this very easy but fruitful quest!

Happy Monday, Expert!

Have You Considered "Multiple Streams of Income" in Your Business Plan?

Do you often worry about billing and cash flow? Are you desperately seeking customers? Are you ever in a panic about making the monthly bills?

Maybe you need to consider Affiliate Marketing and Network Marketing as MULTIPLE STREAMS of INCOME as you are building your business.

I have a few different streams of passive income that help me over the times when I am not able to keep the "pipeline" filled with clients and customers.

There are many reputable affiliate programs - and network marketing has been called the NEXT GENERATION of direct and indirect selling.

No - Network Marketing is NOT pyramid schemes (those are illegal). If you want more information on any of the research that I have done and some of the companies that I have investigated for both Affiliate Marketing opportunities and Network Marketing Programs, just shoot me an email, and I will gladly share my knowledge with you!

Happy Weekend -- Don't forget to SPRING AHEAD this weekend -- time to turn the clocks up an hour, Sunday, March 9, 2008!

Thank Gosh It's THURSDAY???

Today is Thursday - and this is my "whew" day. I know I still have one more day to get all my projects and proposals and phone calls that I had scheduled for the week completed.

When I was working in the telecom company - Friday was a big day in our office - and TGIF was the "employee mentality" that many people in the organization had. I never bought into that - as COO of the company, I tried to keep the staff focued even on Fridays.

But now that I have my own business (3 actually) Thursday is the day I focus on to make sure that I am on track for the commitments and deadlines of the week. And if I am running behind (as I am 95 percent of the time) then I have Friday to make it happen -- and I do (95 percent of the time).

So as you approach the end of Thursday - give yourself a break - you still have that glorious day tomorrow -- and then you can celebrate TGIF!

Look for the SILVER LINING......

Sometimes after all the hard work, the proposal, the presentation, the follow up calls, we hear the final customer decision -- "No." It is at that point that we usually ask ourselves, "What went wrong?"

Maybe instead of asking that question, we need to ask ourselves, "What went RIGHT?" After all, even though the client or customer already had a vendor for the product or service we offer, they were impressed with our offering to take a meeting, look at a presentation, request a proposal. And after that, we did the proper amount of follow-up via phone and email so that the client did not feel harangued by our desire to push the process along. And when the client told us NO - we used that moment to ask for a referral - and THEY GAVE IT TO US (one of the best times to ask is if we are turned down) and there is our SILVER LINING. And when the referral was happy to become our client or customer, we went back to the giver of the referral and drop them a card, send over a small token of appreciation - and that kept us in their mind for the future. That is RELATIONSHIP MARKETING.....

I have had many of these SILVER LININGS in my career - and what I have learned is that NO sometimes can be seen as a YES and a MAYBE for future business and growth - and those are some of the times for learning and growth!

Look for the Silver Lining......

Relationship Marketing Magic - Networking

I am often asked about "Relationship Marketing" and how it differs from "normal" marketing.

Relationship Marketing is based on the premise that by establishing and nurtuing "relationships" with your clients and prospects, there is a greater opportunity for a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship between marketeer and marketee!

Now how exactly can you intitiate relationship marketing into your business?

There are many aspects of relationship marketing - and today we are going to talk about one of the easiest to implement -- NETWORKING.

For Solo Entrepreneurs and Business Owners of emerging businesses, Networking can be one of the best ways to expand your business. There are so many formal and informal networking opportunities throughout the business communities. Do a "google" search and locate a chapter of one of the national networking communities -- LeTip, BNI, NAWBO, etc.

If you feel you are "geographically challenged" or don't feel comfortable in face-to-face networking situations, there are online "networking" sites that are well established and can provide you a forum for talking about your expertise. These sites include: FastPitch, LinkedIn, etc.

I cannot over emphasize the results you can glean from networking -- you will meet other professionals who may have similar business challenges as you have - you will meet business owners and entrepreneurs who can use your services or purchase your products, and you will be INVOLVED!

If you have any comments or questions about NETWORKING, please contact me! I would love to hear about your experiences........

Marketing - The Power in Your Business Engine!

So many times, business owners and entrepreneurs ask me about the value of marketing. They assume that a good reputation and word-of-mouth referrals is all they will need to be successful in their industry.

Unfortunately, you may be the best-organized organization and have the greatest product since the "widget" was invented, but if a limited number of people know about you, your products and services, it is very difficult to grow and expand your marketshare. This is where targeted, well-planned and executed marketing campaigns are the quickest and most effective way to achieve the growth and success you desire and DESERVE.

Another important part of marketing is "client retention!" How often are you in touch with clients who you have not done a project for or sold a product to in more than 90 days? If you aren't in touch with your clients - you might be losing business to a competitor who is aggressively marketing to prospects - and those prospects may include YOUR CLIENTS and CUSTOMERS.

Let's really look at marketing as a MISSION-CRITICAL TOOL for business success! No, it doesn't have to be expensive or time-consuming, but it just might be the key to your future growth and expansion......