A Vision is Carried All the Way Down The Company Line  

Crafting a vision statement can sometimes feel a bit odd when you are starting out.   Mike Woeckener continues his discussion of writing for the future of your business.  This week he shares how and why vision statements are so important.   

Mike shares that, "the objective behind a vision statement is supposed to be a short paragraph and it guides you through the obstacles and tough places,...And it is actually what is your target? What is, you know, your five to 10-year or beyond? What are you trying to accomplish? That's, that's part of it, too."  Moving a business forward is not always about making another sale. Developing a foundation upon which you can grow is more important for the future than any money you make today.

Writing Out What You Do, Helps You Sell What You Do

No matter where you are in your business development journey, it's always a good idea to take a moment to write out exactly what and how you are planning on selling your services.

In this episode I chat with Mike Woeckener about the ins and outs of writing a value proposition so it's effective for you and your clients. Mike explains that it can take time to get everything down on paper and gives a few tips on how to kick start your writing.

He shares, These are three, three kind of checkmarks, if you will, the products or services or both that you provide, the benefits that your client is going to receive, and why working with you is better than working with anyone else. And I call that last little piece, your secret sauce, what makes you special, what makes you different? And you want to start the journey on to developing this with these three, you know, thinking about these three items. And a good way to do that is you can actually, if you're already in business, and you haven't done this yet, contact your previous clients. What was great about working with me, why did you choose to work with me? And how was your experience when we were working together? And so that's a good way to go."

Understanding what you're brining to market makes selling feel like having a gentle conversation with a friend. Do yourself and your potential clients a big favor, write your unique selling proposition today!

Power Up Your Social Media Strategy, Get A Scheduling Software!

 Let's face it running a business by yourself is like being pulled in a thousand directions at once.    This week Amanda Mundo, our social media expert, shares her thoughts on adding third-party scheduling software to your own strategy.    Here's what she shares about the benefits, "[use] schedulers for your social media so that you can schedule out posts ahead of time, instead of trying to scramble and figure out what you're posting on the same day. And it just really takes out a lot of that time suck that you would have throughout the week, especially that overwhelm or burden."  Time is a precious resource, use it wisely to get the biggest bang-for-your-buck.  Look into schedulers to reduce the stress around being consistent in social media posting.

Need help deciding on a strategy and software that works for you? Tap here to connect with Amanda

No Matter How Many Chats Are Needed  

High-pressure sales tactics are really not what potential clients are looking for, they want connection and authenticity.   People want to do business with other humans, and most importantly they want to feel they know and trust you.   While giving us her wisdom on the topic, our sales expert Alison Proffit shares, " a sales cycle doesn't have to be a one-call close it can be. But depending upon where that person is, where they were coming into that conversation, making, making the mental shift for yourself that the coffee chat doesn't have to turn to a sale right away".  Taking the initiative to be bold and take the actions necessary to move a relationship forward will grow your business faster than any passive marketing.   Get out there and turn your chats into relationships that will lead to sales.

Are you great at chatting but not so great at sales? Connect with Alison for tips and more!

More Distractions Doesn't Mean Less Work  

Summer brings fun and distraction to workdays.  As a business owner, it's important to find a way to maximize your work time so you can get more out of your playtime.    Mary Gaul, our productivity guru, shares her method for keeping focused even when stress is high. " if you find your brain just kind of spinning out of control, you're trying to work on a project and you just keep spinning and, and you know, you are having a hard time focusing. So the first thing is just to take a deep breath. The second thing I love to do is just keep a little brain dump sheet beside where you're working."  Being mindful in all situations is a skill that comes in handy for small business owners. Get yourself a braindump journal and give Mary's advice a try next time you find the distractions of life calling.

Connect with Mary

Set-it Then Forget-it Instead  

Does this sound familiar?  Each time you get the money you want to save, but the money is not there to save.  In this week's Budget Like a Boss session, our expert LeAndra Foster chats on the importance of including savings in your budget.   She shares that the best part about this is, "setting a budget up, it's front end work, and then it sort of runs itself. So this isn't something that you're doing every month, we're looking at this maybe once a year."  When you set up a budget with a savings amount, then you can automate how much you save every month.  Now your cash is flowing and your savings are growing!

Need help setting up your savings? Tap here to connect with LeAndra

Big or Small All Businesses Have One 

Starting out in business is a challenge even if you have $1,000,000 to start.  Steve Krausse, our operations expert, shares how the money you start with is just that, a place to start.  In fact, he muses that if you say, " I've got a million dollars to build my company, or I've got $12 to build my company, it doesn't. Neither of those things means you're going to have success or failure. They mean you have a different set of constraints."  Understanding your starting place gives you a chance to take only those necessary steps. The key few that will move your business to the next step.   Focus on one step at a time in business and in life to achieve your goals.

Want to find your boundary? Connect with Stephen

Writing Out What You Do, Helps You Sell What You Do

No matter where you are in your business development journey, it's always a good idea to take a moment to write out exactly what and how you are planning on selling your services. 

In this episode I chat with Mike Woeckener about the ins and outs of writing a value proposition so it's effective for you and your clients. Mike explains that it can take time to get everything down on paper and gives a few tips on how to kick start your writing.

He shares, These are three, three kind of checkmarks, if you will, the products or services or both that you provide, the benefits that your client is going to receive, and why working with you is better than working with anyone else. And I call that last little piece, your secret sauce, what makes you special, what makes you different? And you want to start the journey on to developing this with these three, you know, thinking about these three items. And a good way to do that is you can actually, if you're already in business, and you haven't done this yet, contact your previous clients. What was great about working with me, why did you choose to work with me? And how was your experience when we were working together? And so that's a good way to go."

Understanding what you're brining to market makes selling feel like having a gentle conversation with a friend. Do yourself and your potential clients a big favor, write your unique selling proposition today!

Don't Be Scared, It's Just Video!

If Content is King, Video Queen  

As a small business owner, any marketing that helps you stand out will draw a larger audience. One way to get in front of your potential clients is through videos.   Our social media expert, Amanda Mundo, shares her thoughts on how to use video to enhance your strategies. She shares it can be scary to start, "Because, to be honest, and frank video can kind of be a pain point for all of us at some point, you know, it's like, oh, my gosh, how am I gonna say this? Do I feel like I'm being transparent and authentic enough, this is great. But you know what, testimonials are a great way to start.  Remember video content can be just as authentic, maybe even more, than written content.  Like all things in business getting started is 90% of the effort.   So if you're considering video content give client testimonials a try to start.

Need to layer in more strategy in your social media posting? Tap here to connect with Amanda. 

Peel Back the Curtain  

Alison Proffit, our sales expert, shares a little secret with us during a recent session.    What's her secret? Sales happen naturally when they come from an authentic place.   She shares that being authentic is easy, " it's just showing up. Showing up fully, not hiding the truth, peeling back the curtain, and sharing about your own challenges because often in your business, you're solving problems for people that are similar to you."   How easy is that? Just be yourself and allow your clients to know you and just like that you will be flowing in sales.

Are you struggling to show up authentically in your sales conversations? Connect with Alison