Here’s how to sell to a C-level executive…

Posted on March 16, 2012 by pinellasadmin

Notes from Tampa Bay Technology Forum’s March 7, 2012 Business Development Network Meeting

Summary Provided by Speaker: Ford Kyes, Founding Partner of ActionCOACH Pinellas (former CEO of St. Anthony’s Hospital and EVP of the BayCare Health System) 

Andy Swenson, CIO of Vology Data Systems and Ford Kyes, Owner of ActionCOACH Pinellas presented to the Business Development Network of TBTF on March 7, 2012. The goal of the program was to provide insight on how the C-suite prefers to be communicated to by sales and business development professionals. Attending the session was promoted as helping sales professionals to better understand the dos and don’ts of calling on executives. 

This program was designed to allow the audience to: gain insights into the mindset of C-Suite level executives as they are approached by sales professionals, to learn approaches which can be successful in catching the interest of executives to agree to respond to email or phone messages and ultimately to get agreement to take a face-to face meeting. Criteria used by executive decision makers for ultimately make a buying decision was also presented. They also discussed IT related issues relevant to all companies, such as project origination and justification, infrastructure, vendor selection and security. The goal was to give participants valuable knowledge that they could use in their own organizations as they design and execute their marketing and sales systems.  

If the key decision maker for your product realize that most leaders make their decisions based on WIIFM. Understanding how a CXO answers that question – “What’s In It For Me?” could make all the difference.

Understanding the CXO Mindset: What do they really care about?

Productivity & Profitability at the top of the list. 
- Keep “customers” happy (ALL key “customer” groups both internal & external)
- Wants to “look good” in eyes of peers & internal key customers
Employee Engagement is a key concern and they need to be on board.
Implications to Performance Indicators — concerned about direct results to business chassis. 
Accurately Forecasting Expenditures, Customer Service Results, and Change Management. Surprises are a BIG concern.

Strategies for Becoming Valuable and Overcoming Resistance

Einstein’s definition of insanity… many CXOs are doing the same thing over and over, getting the same results. It’s all about “What you don’t know, You don’t know” – many CXO’s have a very strong opinion of their very strong opinion based on what they know – this has to be overcome! Questions are the answers.

Match and Mirror… understand differences in how CXO’s communicate based on their fundamental differences (or similarities) in communications and personality styles.
- want options (so THEY can decide) but too many options seems overwhelming.
- want problem solvers vs. problem identifiers. Learn to speak & understand business language.
- want “hard” savings or “hard” profits vs. soft dollars. Hard is cash, soft is we’ll “save your employees time”.

Relate effects of technology to their basic business model. Short term during transition and long term.
- Understand and relate your product / service to their strategy (The core to a great business strategy is the intersection of what they’re passionate about, what they can be the “best” at, and their economic engine – what will make money).
- Think of Jim Collins’s SMaC Concept (Specific, Methodical and Consistent) to relate to CXO thinking.
- Cardinal rule no surprises – look to under promise and over deliver.
- Gartner’s Hype Curve CXO’s worry that a particular proposed technology’s value may not yet be well understood or proven.

The Top 5 criteria, research shows, used by All consumers (including CXO’s) to base purchasing decisions are the following :

#5 Price (It’s not #1), #4 Selection (people want options – but not too many), #3 Service (based on how they define it), #2 Quality (What they get out, not what you put in), #1 Confidence (consistency & reputation is key).

Proper strategy requires CXO’s to make trade-offs.

Choosing what not to do is almost as hard as choosing what to do. Business leaders always have too much to do and insisting on everything can cause a loss in credibility. Beware of the reality distortion field first coined from Steve Jobs and defined as the ability to distort an audience’s sense of proportion and scales of difficulties and make them believe that the task at hand was possible. The value proposition must be clear, compelling and proven.

For more free knowledge and discussion on how to grow your business with more effective sales strategies, click here to request a complimentary session to assess your sales process with a member of our coaching team.

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The #1 Marketing Strategy for Most Businesses is Networking…

Posted on March 16, 2012 by pinellasadmin

The #1 reason businesses “network” is to increase leads to the business and make more money. When you ask a small to mid-size business owner where “networking’ ranks in importance in their marketing plans most will always say it’s in the top 3-5 strategies.

So, if the #1 reason businesses join the chamber is for networking (to grow their business) and networking is one of the top marketing strategies…then it begs the question: What are leaders doing, reading, seminars attending to increase their knowledge and skills in networking?

Here are some tips to make your networking a home run marketing strategy…

Three Phases of Effective Networking:

1. Pre-Networking

  • Be clear on ideal customers
  • Be clear on USP – you’re unfair advantage or point of difference
  • Identify the best networking functions to attend (ask chamber staff based on your ideal customer)
  • Set goals for how many new prospects you’d like to meet at the event
  • Arrive early- greet arrivals and find ways to add value

2. During Networking

  • Top 4 things that must exist if someone is going to buy from you: They must like you, believe you, have confidence in you, and trust you (if all four exist, they may buy from you. If any one of the four is missing, they will never buy from you.)
  • Of these four things (like, believe, confidence, and trust), like is the most important. It is the “ticket in the door”. A prospect must like you before they will ever believe you, have confidence or trust you. No one ever says, “I trust that person but I don’t like them…”
  • The way to establish likability is by focusing on the other person. Find ways to connect emotionally. Use questions like “where did you grow up?” rather than “Where are you from?” Remember “no puking” and “no wee-wees”. Script some questions like: “what is the most exciting thing you’re working on right now?” Drill down with questions like: “Who could I introduce you to that might help you accomplish that?” Remember networking is “net-working”, not net-socializing, net-drinking, or net-hanging out with people you already know!
  • Be clear and focused on meeting potential ideal clients (those you described in your plan) and people that might know and could introduce you to your ideal client.
  • Develop strategies for moving into and out of conversations. Develop a script- be up front with people: such as- “It’s been great meeting you. I’m going to move around the room to meet some more people. If I meet someone you’re looking to meet I’ll track you down for an introduction… Will you do the same? Great”.
  • The “close” in networking is to get an ideal target to agree to a one-on-one follow-up meeting. Get a very specific commitment if possible.

3. Post-Networking

  • Prompt follow-up (Have a system for same day if possible.)
  • Send a personal note by mail! (The average worker in the U.S. gets 52 emails a day and over 50% are deleted without opening. 6 billion individual pieces of mail are delivered each year in the U.S. – 75% are thrown in the trash without opening. But, over 90% of handwritten, hand addressed notes are opened and viewed – which statistic do you choose?)
  • Schedule follow up meeting when you said you would
  • Networking effectively is an acquired skill- so practice, practice, practice. You will not feel completely comfortable at first -push past it!
  • Word of mouth advertising (most often through “networking”) has long been recognized as the most cost effective form of marketing a business can use. But, in order for it to be effective you must be just as engaged , thoughtful, strategic and systematic as you are with any other form of marketing.

For more free tips and strategies on how to grow your business with more effective marketing, click here to request a complimentary marketing session with a member of our coaching team.

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ActionCOACH Pinellas Firm Expands Their Team

Posted on March 1, 2012 by pinellasadmin

Contact:
Juliet Kyes
Marketing Department
Juliet.kyes@acpinellas.com727-786-2900

The #1 Business Coaching Firm in the World, located in Pinellas County.

Palm Harbor, Fla. (March 1, 2012) – Let’s face it business owners are busy. They multitask all day putting on and off the many hats in their business. Often times so busy putting out fires and helping customers that there is no time for checking the financial “score” of the game, marketing for new customers, following up on the leads they already have, planning and projecting new growth, or even having time to thank their current best customers personally with loyalty membership programs.

ActionCOACH Business Coaching is the World’s #1 Business Coaching Franchise according to Entrepreneur Magazine‘s annual Franchise 500 listing and has been #1 in business services since 2002. It has won numerous awards including the International Steves Award (Oscars for Business) last year for Best Overall and People’s Choice. Operating in over 37 countries around the world with over 1200 offices – any business that gets to work with an ActionCOACH is sure to be getting the best of the best.

The local Tampa Bay ActionCOACH firm, ActionCOACH Pinellas, opened in 2007 by power couple Ford Kyes, last CEO of St. Anthony’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, and Barb Kyes, recently featured in April’s Forbes Magazine, have experienced accelerated growth. Just this past year the firm reached #1  North American Firm ranking and achieved their best year ever sales revenue. The ActionCOACH Pinellas firm has also been involved in an outside study conducted with the University of Miami that proved clients on average getting a $10.80 return for every $1 invested in coaching.

The firm’s vision to be a key catalysis in the economic development of the Tampa Bay community has motivated the team to re-invest in the business to launch new programs to benefit the business community.

“The only way to help more businesses is to have more programs that fit their schedules, fit their budget, and fit their need,” said ActionCOACH Pinellas firm Managing Partner, Barb Kyes. “Our vision is to triple the amount of jobs we created our first 4.5 years in business and we need more rock stars on our team to accomplish that goal.”

One of the major strategies to raise awareness of these programs and world-class coaching knowledge is through community outreach. The ActionCOACH Pinellas firm is on the hunt for top talent appointment setters who desire working for a higher purpose. These appointment setter will be making friendly, outgoing, dynamic, yet assertive outbound calls to business owners asking questions to find out how we might help make them be more successful in 2012.

Who do you know who…?

• Have great communication skills
• Display a desire to learn
• Have a team-oriented approach
• Be results and KPI (key Performance Indicator) driven
• Have attention to detail
• Be computer literate
• Be punctual
• Be reliable

To apply please call 727-859-7215.

Successful candidates who make the shortlist will be invited for an interview.
Please note application must be made by calling the above number.

About ActionCOACH Pinellas

Relying on proven tactics and existing strategies to maximize individual potential, ActionCOACH uses a multifaceted framework for efficiency and profit by fusing powerful marketing, business and team building strategies that can result in dramatic improvements in revenue. The diverse team of certified business coaches at ActionCOACH Pinellas has been in mentoring and leadership positions for over a combined 55 years. The Pinellas Firm founders, Ford and Barb Kyes, have always been passionate about serving their community through their careers in health care and volunteer leadership work in numerous non-profit, civic and professional organizations. For more information, visit www.actioncoachpinellas.com.

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C-Level Dialogue-Closing the Communication Gap

Posted on February 28, 2012 by pinellasadmin

The TBTF  Business Development Network…..CEO meets CIO: Ford Kyes, Founding Partner and MasterCOACH of ActionCOACH Pinellas and Andy Swenson, CIO of Vology, will give you dialogue and insights to move your sales and business development  “game” to the next level.  It’s time to get out of the stands onto the playing field. By attending this session, you will learn how to better communicate and use the do’s and don’ts of calling on executives.

Must attend event!  Wednesday, March 7, 2012, from 7:30-9:00 a.m.at Peak 10. Peak 10 is located at 9411 Corporate Lake Drive, Tampa, FL 33634. For more INFO and to REGISTER click here.

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Lessons in Leadership: How Lincoln Became America’s Greatest President

Posted on February 21, 2012 by pinellasadmin

Happy President’s Day!  In celebration of President’s day, I thought you might enjoy this brief article from INC Magazine.  Have you ever been asked in  a workshop or class:  “If you could have dinner with any person in the world, living or dead, who would it be and why?”  I’ve had that question quite a few times over the years and President Lincoln, among a few others is always on my list.  This neat little article only serves to reinforce that choice!  Have a great President’s day!  A great day to reflect on the best traits of great leaders!

Feb 12, 2012

Lessons in Leadership: How Lincoln Became America’s Greatest President

It wasn’t Abraham Lincoln’s strengths but the self-discipline with which he used those strengths for the right purpose.

 There is much we can learn by studying Abraham Lincoln’s journey from being just another politician to becoming America’s greatest president.  (Wikipedia provides a compilation of “Historical rankings of Presidents of the United States” which makes it clear that in the eyes of many experts, and the public, Lincoln has consistently held this status).  A key to this transformation was how Lincoln, whose birthday is today, developed the self-discipline to take one of his signature strengths—his mastery of language—and used it to serve the interests of the American people rather than his own.    

One of the best communicators of all time

Lincoln was undoubtedly one of the greatest communicators among all American presidents.  His words—as a public speaker, writer, debater, humorist, and conversationalist—continue to entertain, educate, and inspire us to this day.  With only one year of formal schooling, Lincoln consciously cultivated this mastery of language and expression.  As a young boy he would practice public speaking by gathering his friends together and stepping onto a stump to address them.  During his days as a lawyer in Illinois, Lincoln would frequently meet up in the evening with friends at a tavern where they would engage in story-telling contests.  And he gleaned valuable lessons in rhetoric by diligently studying Shakespeare. 

As he began forging his political ambitions, Lincoln recognized the power of words to weaken and even destroy his opponents, and so he started to attack them with powerful volleys of criticism and mockery.  Upon provocation at a political gathering in 1840, Lincoln mimicked and ridiculed his opponent, Jess Thomas, to uproarious cheering of the crowd.  Thomas, who was present at the event, was reduced to tears, and for years afterwards, the people referred to it as “the skinning of Thomas.” 

Lincoln was also in the habit of writing anonymous letters to newspapers to sharply criticize his adversaries.  On one occasion in 1842, for instance, he used the fictitious identity of “Rebecca” to castigate and deride the state auditor, James Shields, calling him “a fool and a liar” in a letter, and making mock-allegations of an unflattering conversation that James had had with Rebecca. 

How Lincoln began to use words for a higher purpose

But the Lincoln we know as president was not this brash, impulsive politician who launched personal attacks on his opponents.  What made him change?  All along, something had been stirring within him.  Right after the “skinning of Thomas” in 1840, one of his friends reported that “…the recollection of his own conduct that evening filled [Lincoln] with the deepest chagrin.  He felt he had gone too far and to rid his good nature of a load, hunted up Thomas and made ample apology,” according to an excerpt in Benjamin Thomas, Lincoln’s Humor:  An Analysis.  

This inner stirring intensified when some of his verbal attacks drew unfavorable consequences for Lincoln himself.  In fact, when the letter he signed as “Rebecca” was published, the recipient of his reproach, Shields, was so enraged that he forced the newspaper to divulge the writer’s identity, and, when he was told that it was Lincoln, accosted Lincoln and challenged him to a duel.  Good sense prevailed on both men just moments before they were to commence this fight-unto-death.  Having learned a lesson by coming so close to an inglorious death, Lincoln never wrote such anonymous letters again. 

Gradually molding his character this way, Lincoln also became highly attuned to the feelings of others, including his enemies, and highly measured in the way he communicated in adversarial situations.  This was a crucial quality for leading America at a time when the nation was so divided, and the wounds of a Civil War had to be rapidly healed. Once, as he and his wife Mary Todd Lincoln were approaching Washington in a carriage, she remarked, “This city is full of enemies,” Lincoln injected, “Enemies? Never again must we repeat that word,” as told in Lincoln As I Knew Him: Gossip, Tributes, and Revelations from His Best Friends and Worst Enemies. 

On an earlier occasion Lincoln had explained about Southerners: “They are just what we would be in their situation. If slavery did not now exist amongst them, they would not introduce it. If it did now exist amongst us, we should not instantly give it up,” as recorded in Lincoln-Douglas Debates.  And, in a stirring testimony to his power over words, the President pleaded, in his first inaugural address, “We are not enemies, but friends.  We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.” 

Lincoln had not lost his propensity for ridicule, but now it was mostly directed at his own self, in a self-effacing manner.  When, during one of their debates, Stephen Douglas called Lincoln two-faced, Lincoln responded, wryly, “I leave it to my audience.  If I had another face, why would I be wearing this one?”  (This is from Presidential Anecdotes.)

How Lincoln masterfully handled criticism

Lincoln by now was also showing remarkable self-mastery in gracefully fending off the frequent attacks hurled on him by critics, even those within his inner circle.  On one occasion, he was informed that the Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, had refused to execute a presidential order—and further, had called the president a “damn fool.”  “He called me a damn fool?” Lincoln asked.  ”Yes!  Not once, sir, but twice!” replied the excited congressman, who had brought him this news.  “Well, Stanton speaks what is on his mind, and he is usually right about what he speaks, so if he called me a damn fool, I must be a damn fool.  I will go to him now and find out why,” according to a 2005 Time magazine article The Master of the Game.

But changing oneself isn’t easy, so even as president, Lincoln’s anger occasionally consumed him, making him pour it out in letters to critics, errant generals, and others.  He had the self-discipline though to not dispatch these “hot” letters; they were later discovered, unsigned, in a drawer in the president’s desk.  In this way, one small step at a time, Lincoln built his self-discipline, and through it, the character of his presidency. 

Lincoln’s journey suggests that the true measure of a leader lies not in how much we cultivate and exploit our strengths, but in how we work on tapping, in Lincoln’s words, the “better angels of our nature” to use our strengths in the service of a cause much higher than our own personal gain.

Do you have the discipline to sculpt your character?

Do you view yourself solely as who you are today—some good, some bad—or do you see the potential for gradually sculpting your character further, the way Lincoln did?

How aware are you of your strengths?  What have you been doing to nurture them?  Are there times when you have misused these strengths? Has this led to any inner stirring in you, and have you been striving to discipline yourself to use your strengths in more and more purposeful ways?  What kind of life story could you craft for yourself if you chose to do that?

Hitendra Wadhwa is a professor at Columbia Business School, where he teaches a popular class on personal leadership, and founder of the Institute for Personal Leadership. He has also worked at McKinsey & Company, and founded Paramark, an online marketing firm. @hitendraw 

 

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Iconic Women of St. Petersburg Nominates Barb Kyes

Posted on February 21, 2012 by pinellasadmin

Barb Kyes, ActionCOACH Pinellas Executive Leader, Nominated for Iconic Women of St. Petersburg

The #1 Business Coaching Firm in the World, located in Pinellas County.

St. Petersburg, Fla. (February 17, 2012) – While people in business today may find business growth unusual, Barb Kyes, president and managing partner of ActionCOACH Pinellas reports that they had their best year in 2011. Their success has been a result of following what they teach their clients.  Barb has been nominated for this prestigious award that is being sponsored by Ceridian and the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce to celebrate women with vision in the business and the non-profit community. As Barb was moving from Hillsborough County to St. Petersburg, she had the vision to attend the very first Entrepreneurial Academy that was offered by the St. Petersburg Chamber.  As a result of that connection when she arrived in the community, she already had a group of friends, chamber members and business owners to help guide her growth.  Her passion to have a” real” business someday has become a reality from a “dream” and now a “calling” for her.

Coaching is not for everyone. To find out more about how we work with our clients and if coaching would work for you or not, click here to submit your top challenges and you will receive a call from our coaching team.

ActionCOACH Pinellas opened their doors in the fall of 2007 with the global franchise mission of business re-education.  The ActionCOACH franchise, originated by Brad Sugars 18 years ago has over 1000 offices worldwide creating jobs which are reflected in the economic growth of our ActionCOACH communities around the world.

A recent study with the Florida ActionCOACH coaches and the University of Miami, found that the companies engaged in ActionCOACH coaching had a return on their coaching investment of $10.80 for every dollar invested.  ActionCOACH is also the ONLY coaching company that offers a guarantee. You may read about the details at the following  hyperlink  http://actioncoach.newscactus.com//newsrelease-cid-1-id-10832.html

At ActionCOACH Pinellas, Barb and Ford Kyes, the company’s founders, have built their company on a strong foundation of values.  They are very well connected in the St. Petersburg community and have invested immense hours providing volunteer service to the Tampa Bay community since they arrived in Florida in 1992.

Whether the prospective business is medium or large, the combined experience and talent of the ActionCOACH Pinellas team is tangible especially when you think about the “butterfly effect”. “Our success and rapid growth has been a result of following what we teach our clients.  And by the way, we have a coach that we have invested in who keeps us on target.  Without that outside eye and someone to run things past, we would not have had the success we have had in this economy.”  exclaimed  Barb Kyes

About ActionCOACH Pinellas

Relying on proven tactics and existing strategies to maximize individual potential, ActionCOACH uses a multifaceted framework for efficiency and profit by fusing powerful marketing, business and team building strategies that can result in dramatic improvements in revenue. The diverse team of certified business coaches at ActionCOACH Pinellas has been in mentoring and leadership positions for over a combined 55 years. The Pinellas Firm founders, Ford and Barb Kyes, have always been passionate about serving their community through their careers in health care and volunteer leadership work in numerous non-profit, civic and professional organizations. For more information, visit www.actioncoachpinellas.com.

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NEW! ActionCOACH Program Announced…ActionCLUB

Posted on October 26, 2011 by pinellasadmin

ActionCOACH Pinellas is bringing one of the most successful mastermind programs used all around the world by ActionCOACH business clients to your community.  Your business coaches have decided to start the mastermind mastery program in your Tampa Bay area (training center in central Clearwater) as a resource for the smaller business owners who aren’t yet ready for one-on-one coaching. 

How can ActionCLUB and its strategies get real results for a small business owner on a tight budget?

It’s a question that makes many business owners really stop and think.

Are you driving your business, or is your business driving you?

It’s unfortunate that most business owners end up being driven by their businesses rather than the other way around.

In fact, many owners find that instead of being in charge of their companies, they have simply worked themselves into another job – one that may or may not pay them as much as the job they left to start their businesses.

A Shocking Statistic

While 4 of 5 businesses fail within five years of start-up, and 80% fail within the first two years, there is another statistic even more discomforting for owners who have passed that mark.

“Less than one in every 100 business owners will ever create the wealth, lifestyle or level of success they are after,” ActionCOACH Juliet Kyes says. “That’s a result of a lot of different factors. But the bottom-line is that there is definitely room for improvement for those numbers – and that’s what ActionCLUB is all about.”

Like anything else, a business is either growing or dying – there is no in between.

The key to long-term survival is to focus on a direction for the business, and gather momentum to begin the journey.

Getting serious about business
ActionCLUB is one way to get the fundamentals in place to make more profit, win more deals, improve numbers across the board and get the business back on track – or simply on track for success.

 “ActionCLUB is a program that builds a strong foundation for a business around all the key fundamentals,” Kyes says. “It is designed as a set program of seven 2½ hour sessions every two weeks – and each session leads you through the key components of running a business.”

“ActionCLUB is continually reviewed as one of the the most practical, dynamic, and profitable business, sales and marketing programs participants have ever attended and invested in,” Kyes says. “A big key to that is that owners leave the program knowing exactly what they need to do to get ahead.”

The ActionClub Game Plan

With over 328 business building strategies, ActionCLUB packs a wealth of information into a lively and highly motivating setting – one in which owners join other owners to help grow each other’s companies.

The goal, however, is the same:  to boost profits and free up time – as quickly as possible:

 
• Session 1 – Setting Your Future

If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you get there? In this session,you will st your goals, your company’s vision and mission statement – and you’ll learn how to build a great business from the ground up.

• Session 2 – Generating Cashflow

You will learn all about the principles of Leverage and Cashflow Marketing, and you’ll focus in on the fastest ways to immediately increase your marketing results.

• Session 3 – Streetwise Marketing

You will extract your uniqueness – the one thing that sets you apart from your competitors – and learn how to use it to get more of the customers you want. You will also learn about developing customer loyalty so that these customers keep coming back, time and time again.

• Session 4 – SalesRICH

You’ll learn all about the different types of salespeople and the difference between old selling and new. You’ll also understand the question funnel, performance standards, phone power and how to handle objections.

• Session 5 – TeamRICH

This session is all about building the dream team you’ve always wanted. Learn how to become a great leader that inspires your team each and every day. Learn how to recruit great people and lead them to a business that works without you needing to be there.

• Session 6 – Systems and The 6 Steps To Massive Results

Discover the only ways to leverage your business. Learn how to create systems that run your business to produce massive results – by working ON your business, not IN it.

• Session 7 – Leverage – The Board Game

This session focuses on some fun by putting into practice everything you’ve learned about business during the over the course of the program. Plus, you’ll get to bring a friend along to learn more about business.

The perfect players – Who should enroll in ActionCLUB?

“This workshop is perfect for small business owners, independent operators, start-up business owners, franchisees, trades people and anyone who is self-employed,” Coach Juliet Kyes says. “It is a great introduction to what ActionCOACH – and business – is all about. And the lessons learned can be applied no matter what kind of business an owner has – or wants to be in.”

During the program, ActionCLUB teaches owners how to:

  • Achieve more by improving priority setting and time management skills
  • Define your company’ unique selling proposition and turn it into a powerful, competitive weapon
  • Dramatically increase your company’s lead generation and your own conversion skills
  • Develop loyal, profitable customers who keep coming back
  • Differentiate between cashflow and profit margin
  • Hire, develop and retain the best people
  • Create systems that allow the business to run without you
Posted in Business Coach Tips, Increasing Sales, Marketing, Tampa Bay Business Coaching | Leave a comment

Executive Business Coach Barbara Kyes Featured In Forbes Magazine

Posted on April 27, 2011 by pinellasadmin

Executive Business Coach Barbara Kyes

Barbara Kyes, managing partner and certified BusinessCOACH for ActionCOACH Pinellas Firm has been featured in this month’s Forbes magazine.

Here is an excerpt of the article:

In her former role as a medical practitioner, Barbara demonstrated her empathy for others and a knack for delivering unvarnished but critical truths. This made her a natural at business coaching. After years of running small businesses and yearning for greater opportunities, Barbara and her husband established ActionCOACH’s Pinellas Firm in 2007. Soon after, they hired their daughter, who recently completed her coaching certification.

Like her fellow coaches, Barbara helps clients break through to business success using ActionCOACH’s signature approach. Affectionately referred to by clients as the “Five Ways,” it fuses powerful marketing, sales, business and team-building strategies, and shows clients how to best channel their resources. Its impact is immediate and dramatic. Within a single year of coaching, ActionCOACH’s clients see their business income grow by at least 61 percent and, quite often, far more.

Early in her ActionCOACH career, Barbara earned an Action Systems Award
for her work on ActionCOACH Pinellas’s business model. In 2010, Barbara was
a finalist for Business Woman of the Year (Tampa Bay Business Journal) and the
St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce’s Business Woman of the Year.
“Women must realize they have the potential to achieve big things and
not be afraid to take that first step toward their dream. It requires a lot of
determination and ‘stick-to-it-ness,’ because it’s not easy. The key to business
success is a championship mindset.”

If you would like Barbara or any other certified business coach to help grow your business, give us a call today at 727.786.2900.

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Business Coaching: Invest in ActionCOACH and Enjoy Great Returns

Posted on April 22, 2011 by pinellasadmin

business coachingThis press release shows how well your business can grow when you hire an ActionCOACH Business Coach. Don’t let your business halt to a growth stop, hire a business coach to help yourself, your employees and your company grow to heights bigger than your expectations!

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/businesses-that-invest-in-an-actioncoach-enjoy-great-returns-120396819.html

For nearly 20 years, ActionCOACH Business Coaches have been teaching businesses how to be profitable and business owners how to find more time in their lives. There have been many studies showing that the coaching process works and the most recent offers powerful evidence of the impact of business coaching.

A recent study has shown that businesses that work with an ActionCOACH Business Coach had grown their revenues, despite the recession, by more than $12 million in South Florida. Those same businesses had also grown their profits by more than $4.3 million, for average increases of 79 percent for revenues and 106 percent for profits. All in all, those businesses saw a return on investment of $7.5 for every dollar they spent.

ActionCOACH CEO Jodie Shaw was happy with the results of the study, but hardly surprised.

“We know that business coaching works, and more importantly, our clients know that it works. They see it in their ledgers and in the quality of their lives,” Shaw said. “But the fact that businesses have grown so rapidly with coaching is just more proof that, no matter what the economy is like, working with an ActionCOACH Business Coach delivers outstanding return on investment.”

ActionCOACH is the world’s leader in business and executive coaching. ActionCOACH Founder, Chairman and President Brad Sugars started the company in 1993 and began franchising in 1997. Since then, the company has led an industry that is recognized as the second fastest growing business category behind Information Technology.

“Our systems, and our coaches, are the best in the world so we expect to get outstanding results from people that are committed to following our methodology and willing to be accountable. This study shows how much can be accomplished when people are committed and how much we, both individually, and as a franchise, can accomplish,” Shaw said.

ActionCOACH offers business owners a proven and guaranteed system of business building that focuses first on growth in cashflow and profits, as well as systemized ways to retain customers and generate qualified new leads for any business in any business category.

You can also take advantage of a free business coach session. Start today and learn how to make more money, work less hours, and get control of your business. This complimentary coaching session is valued at $375.00 What are you waiting for, click here to start!

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Business Coaching: 5 Questions to Ask Yourself

Posted on April 15, 2011 by pinellasadmin

As business coaches, we maintain that personal goals and business goals are interlinked.  We need to dig into your personal goals so that we can adequately help you meet your business goals.

Sometimes you may find yourself unable to get out of a mess or unable to answer your questions for yourself, because you aren’t asking the right ones. Here are five simple questions for a person to ask themselves when it comes to the business world.

What motivates you in life right now?

Why do you wake up every morning? What do you get out of bed for? Do you “love” your job, or is it maybe because of your spouse or children? What makes your life worth living for today?

If you don’t know the answer to that question, there may be very little reason to get up and going every morning. A similar question which could shed more light would be, “What are you grateful for?”

What is currently preventing you from reaching this goal?

You may know where you want to be a month, a year, five years from now. But what is keeping you from reaching those goals? You might have set a goal, and didn’t reach it, and are becoming frustrated and are setting the same goals over and over again.

One of the wrong questions is whether you have enough willpower. You can accomplish any real goal you set for yourself.

What are you tolerating right now in your business and personal life?

This includes anything you “put up with”, things that zap your daily energy level, and the compromises you’ve made yourself take. There are only two motivations in life, pleasure and pain. What in your life is causing you pain right now?

Make a list and develop a plan of eliminating each thing you are tolerating from your life.

What are you willing to do in the next 30 days?

Instead of simply giving people a plan, ask yourself what you are willing to do. Then, develop a plan from there. What’s the point of a step-by-step system if you aren’t willing to do 50% of the steps? It doesn’t work; could you imagine baking a cake with only 50% of the steps? You won’t have a cake, you will have a mess.

There are tons of ways to succeed online. In fact, most marketers go into overload with the amount of information available online. Lots of techniques work; the question is, which techniques will you work?

You won’t change anything doing what you are currently doing. What actions are you going to do in the next 30 days to change the ways you are trying to reach your goal?

Where are your customers currently buying products similar to yours?

This is an important business coaching question. Instead of focusing on all of the internet and marketing techniques available, spend some time figuring out how to reach the perfect client. Describe them to yourself; who they are, where you can find them, how to reach them.

You can also take advantage of a free business coach session. Start today and learn how to make more money, work less hours, and get control of your business. This complimentary coaching session is valued at $375.00 What are you waiting for, click here to start!

Posted in Business Coach Tips | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment