Are You Listening?

| September 14, 2010

There was a saying I learned many years ago about the sales process that said “selling ain’t telling, it’s asking questions”. I think we can all agree that we don’t want to be told about a product or service, but respond well when someone spends the time to really understand what we want and why it is important to us. The key here is good listening skills. Do you understand the difference talking, telling and communicating? Effective, Successful, result-oriented, persuasive communication is far different from the day to day version – it takes Knowledge, thought, planning and execution.

  • How would
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Delegation and Growth

| September 8, 2010

I had a meeting with one of my members who was sharing his frustration about the way his vision for the business just wasn’t happening. He kept getting bogged down in things that didn’t allow him time to work on creating the vision. He came to realize that although he had job descriptions, he had not fully delegated all of the work to the people he had hired.

Small business owners often ignore the need for an organizational chart. This is a mistake, because when you detail all of the roles and/or positions necessary to profitably manage the business and … Read More

Closing Time

| August 14, 2010

   Small business owners often find sales the most difficult part of being in business. In fact I have found they don’t want to be categorized as “sales” people. Often during Mind Masters meetings I suggest they reframe how they see the process.

   Selling in today’s environment requires an inquisitive mindset. So the consultative sales process is a way to gather as much information as possible about a prospect and then be able to prescribe one’s product or service solution to the prospect’s problem/issue. If this process is followed carefully, the close (asking for the “order”) will follow easily also keeping … Read More

The Power of Ideas 3

| July 13, 2010

How many times has someone let you know there was a misspelled word on your flyer, brochure or web site? Those mistakes affect how professional you are perceived you to be. Again, when Mind Masters members’ have an expertise, they willing share it so their fellow members can gain some insight. Since small business owners do it all, Laurie’s editing tips were the perfect information we all could use.

Quick Proofreading Tips

Let’s face it: spell-check isn’t enough. Word processing software just isn’t smart enough to distinguish between “to,” “two,” and “too”; only a human brain can do that. The … Read More

Meet Our Members

| July 12, 2010

Upcoming event information:

Interview with Kathy Cazin and Linda Harris Online – Details will be sent upon registration

Date: 15 July 2010, Thursday 02:00 PM

Kathy Cazin of Accountkeepers of San Diego helps clients set up an accounting system that is custom tailored to their needs.

Kathy and her staff help make it work for clients because they are QuickBooks experts who specialize in setting up home and business financial records for keeping track of where the money is being spent. Their instructions are explained at a level that’s easily understood by everyone, beginners to advanced. Soon a “word person” … Read More

The Power of Ideas 2

| July 8, 2010

Mind Masters members’ have skills, experiences and expertise that they willing share with fellow members each week. Again how you present yourself to your market creates a perception. With a highly visual audience, a good photograph is on of the essential tools. Our member Barbara Steinberg shared her expertise, so we all can manage the perceptions we want our market to have.

Tips from a professional photographer for a successful portrait session.

  • Review the photographer’s portfolio to see the style of his or her work.
  • Request a variety of expressions. Include a fun smile, a warm friendly smile, or a
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The Power of Ideas

| June 28, 2010

When you have a team of people who support each other in getting clear and sharing ideas, great information is produced. This of course has produced tremendous power in our Mind Masters groups. Napoleon Hill commented about it in Think and Grow Rich, when he wrote “Power is essential for success … Gaining power through the … coordination of knowledge and effort. . . .”. I want to share with you some of the knowledge that members have shared, that if used can affect how you show up in your market place for a more powerful brand.

Communication is one … Read More

10 Ways to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

| May 24, 2010

It is easy in any economy to get stuck in a comfort zone. When things are going well, you stop doing the necessary things consistently; prospecting, following up and saying thank you, In a slow economic time, fear sets in, you stop investing in the things that keep you visible; networking, advertising, asking for testimonials. Your Success is built on a variety of choices you make, review the following to tap the potential you have barely scratched the surface of.

1. Redefine your Goals: Get crystal clear about the goals that motivate you to do the work it takes to … Read More

Priceless Relationships

| April 13, 2010

Over the winter perhaps it has been easy to slip into the habit of staying in the office and doing business by phone and email. But Spring is here and in these economic times it is important to lock in customer loyalty and make customer satisfaction your number one priority. Drop by or schedule a time to meet with clients. Listen for opportunities where you can offer a solution for their problems.

Not only do you need customer goodwill but you need to understand customer problems. Get as close to your customers as possible. Call and ask your customers how … Read More