To help you determine the current viability of your marketing elements (and ultimately, your marketing system) let’s see what you have in place.

• How about an active mailing or email list? Do you have from 500 to 2,000 on this list that are your ideal, target market? How often do you add to it, or are people opting in?
• Do you keep in touch with this list on a monthly basis? Many of the strategies that you will employ for your marketing and sales will come from the connections you have made and continue to make with your list.
• In this hi-tech world, having a good, working web site that gets serious inquiries from prospective clients/customers is also a foundational element for your marketing system. Have you checked the analytics of your pages to see what is attracting visitors’ interest and made adjustments accordingly?
• In addition to having a consistent marketing message, prospects want to know your product/service has worked for someone else. How many of your past clients have you asked for a written testimonial or developed a case study on?

Now the basics are in place, what are the strategies you will use to put the “wheel” in motion? Each strategy takes these things into consideration but determines the how of your marketing. The web site can be a strategy; if you look at most e-commerce stores, there is an ongoing system of changes, messages, sales to keep the flow of people to those sites.

If networking is a strategy you like to use, you know you can’t just show up every now and then, it takes joining appropriate associations and working your way into the power circles. Run for and serve on the Board of Directors or critical committees where you will garner attention for your skills. Make yourself a “player.” If the association has a newsletter, be a frequent contributor.

Now, before you determine whether social media or if direct mail is still an effective way to generate leads, start at the point where you will ultimately create the greatest possible impact – strategy and utilize the elements of your system for marketing and sales success!

People say it is having a passion for what we do and want. Others say it is sticking to a plan, or being accountable to someone. It is probably all of that plus “awareness.” Here is what I mean by awareness. If you haven’t tapped into a passion then it is easy to get distracted. If you haven’t set goals and created the plans to achieve them, then it is easy to lose sight of where you are going. Being accountable to someone says to me you have to be clear about where you are going in order to ask someone to help you hold the vision of what you want.

Time is a precious gift that gives you the ability to learn and grow. So awareness of how you are using time affects your progress.

What do you need to be aware of?
1. Are you abdicating your “gift” of time to others?
2. Are attitudes from a past condition affecting your time responses?
3. Are you aware of what your time is worth?
4. Are you aware of the habits that automatically control your actions?

With awareness, these things can lead to that self-starter quality:
1. You will be able to say NO to the things that lead away from your goals and plans.
2. You will take responsibility for the control and use of your time.
3. You will make better choices about how and where to invest your time when you know what your time is worth.
4. You can be in control of your own time and direct its investment in activities that have personal meaning and worth.

So how can you begin this awareness process?

Ask the right questions – what needs improvement?
What went well? This is your playback of what worked for you and what is working in the business. It allows you to look back to the extent required to give you a proper perspective on the present impact changes might have on the business, your results and your market.

Have Goals that excite you and results that will get you there. By keeping clearly set measurable goals with specific timelines in front of you — as well as carefully thought-out action plans to help you hit those goals you will have a reminder of what is important to you.

Know what your time is worth. Unless you do and evaluate the time cost of what you do, it is almost impossible to make a correct decision or evaluate properly what action to take in any given situation. Review how much time you spend in a week on the high priority and low priority areas of your business, it will give you a “big” awareness.

The Challenge: Begin your day with a list of 5 things you want to accomplish. Your awareness of what is important will be strengthened and you will better enjoy the benefits of these activities.

What is the one thing you must do in your business to be successful? What is more important to focus on above everything else? The One Big Thing is an absolute commitment to attracting new customers.

Have you implemented new ways to attract customers, keep them interested, built committed client relationships so they continue to respond. How prepared are you to meet customers in the changing market place?

Designed to deepen business acumen, broaden decision making capability and strengthen self-discipline, the Mind Masters Quarterly Strategy Refocusing workshop is your best ally as you operate under difficult conditions. We know what it takes to make things happen in a business – strategic thinking, powerful plans, commitment to action and time to work on the business not just in it.

The Mind Masters 5 Stage Business Strategy System guides the process for a more powerful outcome, increased profits, innovation and visionary thinking. It is a proven results-oriented system that directs you to get maximum results from your time, money and effort. Participating in the process of strategizing provides a formula that helps you envision, enact and engage in focusing on that One Thing – attracting customers for consistent growth and success.

Join Us:
April 2, 2012
9:30 am-12:30 pm

Where:
3111 Camino del Rio North #400
San Diego, CA 92108

Cost:
$29 Active Members
$39 Alumni
$49 Everyone else

Learn to:

• Take stock of your business
• Invest time for optimal performance,
• Turn “intention” into action
• Shift into high gear
• Transform your effectiveness
• Choose the tools and tactics you need for success
• Learn to turn intention into ACTION with the 5 Stage
• Business Building Process

Strategy Refocusing Workshop

Active Members $29.00 USD Inactive Members $39.00 USD Visitors $49.00 USD

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Recently on a TV episode of Undercover Boss, The President & CEO of The Dwyer Group®, a company that has 8 Different Franchises across the Country was featured. Like most companies, The Dwyer Group® has an official mission statement and vision; however, they also have a Code of Values that each employee is urged “to know and follow by heart and with heart”. The Code of Values serves as a set of universal guidelines to which they strive to adhere, from the bottom of the organization all the way to the top. In fact, any meeting of three or more employees of The Dwyer Group begins with reciting the Code of Values. As the under cover Boss, the CEO was delighted to see how this was adhered to in all but one of the franchises and took immediate action to rectify the situation.

Values are at the heart of your decision making, direction, marketing and positioning in the marketplace. Business values are the talk. The more important question is, “Where is the walk?” The walk refers to the actual actions that a business takes. If your business boasts excellent customer service, but falls short and offers mediocre customer service at best, then you are not walking the walk.
But What are Values?

Values are an internal standard or quality, a conception of the desirable which influences action and helps you determine right from wrong. A values based business provides Clarity, Confidence, Direction, Motivation, Consistency and Meaning to everything you do.

There are different values for businesses then personal ones. But living your values authentically means you can go forward in trust and collaborate more with other businesses. You can stand out in this changing marketplace . . .

• Start with identifying your core values, (they should be unique, based on your experience, essential to how you conduct yourself and universal so that they apply in all circumstances).

Achievement Community Efficiency
Excellence Empowerment Family
Growth Innovation Integrity
Leadership Learning Quality
Compassion Communication Cooperation
Creativity Credibility Dependability
Drive Knowledge Loyalty

• Then ask; How are these values are expressed and acted on each day?

• Being honest with yourself, how does the business show up contrary to these values?

• What needs to change?

Coming from your values allows you to put down your marker in the world of economics and commerce and to grow your business authentically in service to your clients and those who come searching for solutions to their problems.

The Challenge:Set your sights on success, define a set of core business values and spell out the behaviors that will reflect in all that you do and watch the business grow.

Ultimately, your business exists to do two things:

• Attract customers

• Satisfy customers

If your business doesn’t perform these two fundamental functions, it doesn’t matter how well you do anything else.

What are your points of “value?”

• What is the promise that you’re communicating to your customers in your message?

• Can customers trust that you will fulfill that message to the best of your ability?

• What expectations will they have when they come to you?

• Are you listening so you can identify their problem?

• Do you treat customers as you would like to be treated?

Bloomberg Businessweek Research Services again found, that the companies which stand out in creating the customer experience believe that by focusing on customer value,”they can become more profitable and sustain these profits longer than the competition”.

Many companies now ask customers to call or go online and answer survey questions about their experience, others use secret shoppers. Do some inspecting of your own; look at your business with a set of fresh eyes – the eyes of your customers. What do they see? Walk through each step of their experience as if you were a new customer – from the initial visit to your website, to the time they leave your store or office. A great way to organize this is to create a checklist of every customer touch point. Make notes of each step in the process. Does their experience make you stand out from your competition? Are they apt to spend more, pay higher prices and recommend your company because they have become loyal and emotionally connected to you?

The Challenge: Strive to develop loyal, engaged advocates who would not even consider a competitor, because they trust you.

 Are you keeping up with the pace of change?  The pace of technology? The pace of your marketplace? The pace of your competition?  The Yearly Dilemma is how much do you and your business have to change to keep pace?  As a business owner you need to have information at your finger tips that help you make the best decisions. 

 Planning each year is a hands on process.  You might start by asking some tough questions. 

 Do you recognize the need for change?

Are you prepared to look reality in the face?

Are you willing to change the way you do business – and change        yourself?

Will you turn the plan into action?

Do you have the guts to take your business in new directions?

 I would like to lay out a road map that will get you to view your business through a lens that eliminates the distortions of everyday business.  Let me warn you, you may not like what you see.  But if you are going to meet the year head on it is a necessary process.  Let’s look at what a strategic plan could do for you.

            1. Develop a statement of purpose.  Why does your business exist?

Sometimes why we started the business is not the same as why we continue to work it.  One of my long time clients over the years has added staff, and possibly her successor, so that now she can travel more.  The business was started so she could support her family.

            2. Conduct a SWOT analysis.  This will help you evaluate your business’ internal strengths and weaknesses, along with the opportunities and threats you face in the market place.  It will give you a basis for developing a plan.

            3. Crystallize your thinking – Determine what specific long range goals you want for your business.  It is never enough to just want more money.  They should cover all aspects of the business.

            4. Create benchmarks, with specific results for meeting those goals.  It is easier to make adjustments along the way without losing sight of the long range goals.

            5. Brainstorm strategies for reaching each of the results.  There is more than one way to achieve a result, ask others for ideas.

            6. Develop a Plan of Action.  Plan the progressive steps, along with who will do what when.  Nothing ever happens without action, but there is a world of difference between mere action and constructive action.

            7. Be confident in yourself and your own abilities.  Be determined to follow through on your plan, because without determination the plan will deteriorate.

 The 8^th step is to track your progress.  Write out your numbers (yes I said write), know your sales number, gross profit, cost of goods/time.  It is a sure way of staying focused. 

 The Challenge: Turn the yearly dilemma into a solid strategic plan.  If you need help, Mind Masters has a Planning sessions each quarter, check it out at www.mindmasters.com.

The internet has created a false sense of hope about millions of customers out there waiting to beat a path to your door. Having people friend you or like your business page, or those who comment on your postings aren’t the answers to generating the sale.

Prospecting demands a more proactive approach. Suspects still have to get to your web site or you have to meet them face to face so you can begin prospecting (finding out what their needs/problems are).

A true master Prospector has specific daily goals for new prospects, goals for having an unlimited number of “class A” prospects (these are people or companies that fit your ideal target market) which trigger a relentless pursuit of Prospecting knowledge, skill and habits.

A must part of becoming a Pro at Prospecting is mastery of your database. When you think about and plan to have hundreds and thousands of leads and prospects – they must be filed, categorized, classified, rotated and accessible. The database becomes your Money Box! For detailed information on how to develop your Money Box, check out Michelle Bergquist’s book, How to Build a Million Dollar Database at http://www.shop.michellebergquist.com/category.sc?categoryId=2.

Know what an “A” is. Know how and what questions to ask so you can

properly classify them as quickly as possible. An “A” prospect is anyone you feel has a good chance of becoming a client in the next year.

 Mastery requires tracking your progress so that you are getting maximum results from your prospecting activities. Set the goal to have an unlimited supply of “A” prospects. Make Prospecting your OBSESSION with every fiber of your being.

It is your KEY to ongoing success.

As you head into the last months of 2011 it is important that as a business owner you begin to take stock of the business in order to begin your process of preparing for next year. Many people know that a successful strategy puts a lot of different factors into consideration and uses these factors to make adjustments. Every successful entrepreneur will tell you that there are four things that play a part in the development of any successful business strategy, while looking at the 4 major areas of the business (Management/Operations, Marketing/Sales, Financial and Leadership (Personal/Personnel):

1) Strengths – You must always consider the various strengths that your business has. These strengths should be present within both you and the business. Knowing your strengths enables you to use them in order to achieve the desired goal. It is clear that every business has strengths which it could use to gain advantages over the competition. These strengths could range from having more resources to having more experience. Your strategy must utilize the strengths to the maximum to insure greater success.

2) Weaknesses – Just as every business has strengths, every business also has its weaknesses. As you plan your strategies, you need to take these weaknesses into account in order to overcome them. Be realistic regarding weaknesses in order to truly be effective. These are factors that are under your control, but for a variety of reasons, are in need of improvement to effectively accomplish your objectives. Being aware of the weaknesses, you will be able to address specific ways of overcoming them.

3) Opportunities – In any business environment smart business owners have always taken advantage of every available opportunity for advancement. What opportunities exist in your market, or in the environment, from which you hope to benefit? These opportunities reflect the potential you can realize through implementing your strategies. Opportunities may be the result of market growth, lifestyle changes, resolution of problems associated with current situations, positive market perceptions about your business, or the ability to offer greater value that will create a demand for your services. If it is relevant, place timeframes around the opportunities. Do they represent ongoing opportunity, or are they a window of opportunity? How critical is your timing?

Be alert to the fact that these opportunities are often shrouded and you need to keep a keen eye and a good sense to take advantage of them. In taking advantage of opportunities, however, you must not lose sight of your main goals through which you can measure success.

4) Threats – Since the market contains opportunities for the business, it should also be mentioned that it does contain threats. As a business owner you should be aware of any potential threat that could place the business itself, at risk.

These are also external – you have no control over them, but you may benefit by having contingency plans to address them if they should occur.

A threat is a challenge created by an unfavorable trend or development that may lead to deteriorating revenues or profits. Competition – existing or potential – is always a threat. Other threats may include intolerable price increases by suppliers, governmental regulation, economic downturns, devastating social media or press coverage, a shift in consumer behavior that reduces your sales, or the introduction of technology that may make your products, equipment, or services obsolete. Get your worst fears on the table. Some of these threats may be speculative in nature, but you need to recognize them to add value to your incoming year’s strategy.

Having a clear handle on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in your business will position you to develop the strategies you need to meet the challenges of the 2012 marketplace. Next time we will look at how to develop and execute your strategies.

Are you scrambling to finish out the year? Or are you just going to get by and get through to Thanksgiving and Christmas and THEN ramp up to go for your important goals in January?

Three months is plenty of time to make some serious progress on the goals you want to achieve. And in doing so, you could really position yourself for an exceptionally successful 2012. Now is the time to get clear, stay focused and take consistent action to achieve the success you want and deserve. What are you going to do to accelerate your results?

Unleash Your Power, Today, nothing plays a greater role in the success of your company then focusing on new strategies. And if you are going to succeed in today’s ultra competitive climate, you’ve got to take time to do it. Danger awaits those who wait for the once-a-year performance review with a tax accountant.

If the dreams of taking your business to new heights hasn’t materialized, perhaps it’s because not enough people know about who you are and what you can offer. Or you’re doing as much as you can in the business but you’re just not getting the results you think you should be getting. You’re looking for ideas, brainstorming, inspiration and feedback to get you on track and keep you there. You need a structure of support that can help with any and every issue.
Join Us and:

• Take stock of your business,
• Invest time for optimal performance
• Change a habit or strategy
• Shift into high gear
• Transform your effectiveness
• Choose the tools and tactics you need for success
• Learn to turn intention into ACTION with the 5 Stage Business Building Process

Register Now!

Choose One

Active Member $29.00 Inactive Member $39.00 Visitor $49.00

Having just finished Mind Masters 3^rd Quarter Strategy workshop I always stress that a specific plan of action is essential to progress and success. A worthwhile plan is more then a to do list, it is a design, a blueprint. 

        ~Action steps implement the chosen strategy and tactics to realize chosen goals and   results. 

        ~Action steps or action planning is a tedious, but critical, part of the planning process. It is a matter of spelling out step by step each of the accountability steps that must be completed. It requires careful thinking about the timing involved and the manpower requirements. 

        ~Action steps with completion dates can also provide a measurement of progress towards any objective. Breaking each task down to small steps keeps the process from being overwhelming. It allows time for skill development. Complex skills take practice. Small action steps increase the mastery of the game, which adds to the passion, and creativity needed to sustain the motivation for winning.

 Over the years my own experience of working with a PDA caused me to be overwhelmed.  I went back to a system that had helped me put organization into my to do list.  It’s called a Planner Pad (www.plannerpad.com).  It has been the key for me to take control of my plans, projects and goals once I have clearly defined what I wanted to accomplish.

 Yearly, quarterly and monthly planning has been an important aspect of Mind Masters from day one – but having a way to filter those plans into productive action needed a tool that would get me the results I wanted.

 The key is to categorize your high priority, high payoff items first, both business and personal.  They can be referred to as:

            Activities             Results        Projects     Commitments 

Some of the things we do are routine, but we still need to be reminded about them, while projects or results require a more detailed list for completion along with time frames. It helps balance everything you do – in your work, home and personal life. 

On a weekly basis, when you do your planning, it is easy to choose the things from each list that must be done within that time frame.  Each day, based on your schedule you can easily funnel specific actions down knowing you have allotted the time to complete them.