Could you and your business benefit from a business coach? Coaching veteran Marshall Brown explains what entrepreneurs can gain from the process, and how to find and evaluate a good coach. From Newsweek.
“The Prisoner’s Dilemma” is a game about how people interact and negotiate, and one very simple approach succeeded more than any other. “Tit for Tat” has been tested over time and has consistently produced top results.
There are two main rules. When in interaction with a person, always start positive and then reciprocate how they behave back to you. That is, if they’re positive to you, be positive back, and vice versa with negativity. However, you may break the “spiral” of negativity with a positive comment to try to get back on a positive interaction track, but even after continue to follow the reciprocation rule.
The chances of cooperation are increased if:
- The participants are interested in working together in the future
- Participants have a lot to lose if they don’t work together
- There is a “caring” culture of participants
- People recognize and respond quickly; people are aware and don’t fudge it. If your partner does something unhelpful, react to it!
The chances of cooperation are reduced if:
- You are envious. You won’t start positive and reciprocate positive behavior.
- You are the first to be unhelpful. You could very well start an “unhelpfulness” spiral, which is not a good thing!
- You are too clever. Trying to be too smart will cause people to be unable to understand you. Just be calm and yourself.
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.
What does business coaching have to do with business software? It first starts with understanding what business coaching is all about.
Just like in sports, where athletes rely on coaches to look over their shoulder and help them plan everything from diets, training and rest periods, business coach is there to assist executives with managing a number of tasks and responsibilities that it takes to successfully run a business.
Most great executives today have a business coach. A business coach is someone to help them focus, which is necessary because there are sometimes just too many things to do in one day. The coach helps focus the energies of the top team to work on not just the urgent issues, but all of the important ones as well.
Typically an executive will find themselves faced with so many burning issues in one day that they struggle to focus on important issues, like ones that implement better systems and teams. This should be the core focus of a top executive. Too often, though, the business owner is the best salesman, or best accountant, instead of the best team and systems builder.
They key idea here is that with the top executive building better systems and teams, they are in turn able to support customers better, which leads to more customers, happier customers, and a strengthened business, which is the ultimate goal for almost all businesses. Often, a business owner loses track of this and works directly with customers himself, instead of working on implementing better systems and teams. This is a problem in small businesses where the owner was the chief bottle washer in all areas of the company. As the business grows, his need to focus on a stronger team and better systems grows, and this is where a business coach can help.
The coach helps to focus on important tasks first. This enables a business owner to start to build a strong foundation, starting with a clarity about where the company is headed, and focusing on the strengths o the business and its team members, to ensure better returns on the sales effort.
So what does this have to do with business software? In short, the best businesses run on fully integrated business software so that all information is available at all times. This is important in today’s fast paced business world, for the team to be agile, informed and able to make solid decisions quickly. However, an integrated system will only work if a great team and great processes are in place, and this is where synergy between business coaching and business systems are found.
Often, business software is 20% of the business systems and the rest is made up of the people and the business processes. While system implementers typically help with the 20% of the software, the other 80% is where a business coach comes in. To some extent, system implementers also coach businesses, designing processes and helping teams to adapt to new software, but this is a small part of what is necessary to build a great business.
In today’s business world, a good business coach and good business system are not luxuries, but rather necessities to compete. A business coach to a growing company is like a swimming pool to an Olympic trainer.
Call us today at 727.786.2900 and let us help you with your executive business coaching needs.
ActionCOACH Pinellas has a wealth of information available to you and it is all just a click away. Your business coaches have access to a business library that will help improve your business.
Each section contains valuable information you can use in the everyday running of your business. In addition to the library, you can also get access to our Business Health Check. Instantly check the status of your business and find out how a business coach can help. This check is the first step in assessing the strength of your business.
Just a Sample:
* Getting More for Your Marketing Dollar
* Increasing Your Company’s Sales
* Creating Profitable Partnerships
* Creating More Loyal Customers
* Leveraging Customer Referrals
* Cost-Effective Advertising
You can also take advantage of at free business coach session. Start today and learn how to make more money, work less hours, get control of your business. This complimentary coaching session is valued at $375.00 What are you waiting for, click here to start.
Juliet Kyes, one of our Certified Business Coaches for ActionCOACH Pinellas, was fortunate enough to attend the St. Petersburg Area Chamber Foundation’s 2011Women’s Symposium on March 3, 2011. The keynote speaker was Elizabeth “Liz” Smith, CEO of OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC. Juliet took some great notes and wanted to share them with you.
Leaps of faith and unexpected detours always lead to my best career moves.
1. Being a nimble, agile leader that are willing to figure it out, open, comfortable with ambiguity.
2. Follow your heart; not what is trendy or sexy.
3. Find ways to differentiate yourself because you can no longer compete on price.
4. Take the time to mentor and teach.
5. Final Thought… My entire identity is not tied up in one outcome.
Ended with a quote from Jim Collins from Good To Great – who was also one of her university instructors.
This was a great symposium for me to attend. I took away great things that will not only help me be a better executive coach but a better person. If you would like to learn how you can improve your business and yourself, visit ActionCOACH Pinellas. You will learn simple and effective strategies that you can implement immediately.
Sometimes, the things we learn as business coaches come from the oddest places. This video is about how one guy’s quest for the perfect drumstick turned into a business that has lasted over forty-five years. Vic Firth just wanted to create a better drumstick for his students and ended up growing his small business into an empire. Who knew salt & pepper shakers could be made using the same technique as drumsticks.
To be successful, you really have to test your own limits. Throughout the video, you will hear many of the same things management consultants tell their clients:
As an executive coach, these are great ways to improve your small business. If you need help improving your small business, ActionCOACH can help. Our results are guaranteed or your business coaching is free*. Find out more now, right here.
The Global Conference for Business Coaches is being held in Miami and there will be plenty opportunties to learn. Business Coaches from around the country will gather to share ideas and grow in their business. This pletha of knowledge will then be shared with their clients. These business consultants will be not only better themselves but also better their clients. ActionCOACH Pinellas is here to serve you!
Posted on February 4, 2011, 8:00 pm, by stevezog, under Brad Sugars’ Blogs.
We are going to Miami for the 2011 Global Conference and couldn’t be more excited. While the prospect of the heat in Miami during the month of August may be daunting to some, the atmosphere promises to be even hotter in the Fontainebleau Hotel from August 21 through the 26 as some of the top speakers in the world of business deliver their message to the top Business Coaches from around the world.
On Monday August 22, Stedman Graham will be the featured speaker. Graham is a best-selling author who is well known for his two New York Times bestsellers, “You Can Make It Happen: A Nine-Step Plan for Success” and “Teens Can Make It Happen: Nine Steps to Success. Build Your Own Life Brand!”
Graham is also an educator, having taught a leadership course based on his Nine-Step Process at the University of Illinois-Chicago and at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, where he taught a management strategy course entitled “The Dynamics of Leadership.”
Dr. Ivan Misner will be the featured speaker on Tuesday August 23. Dr. Misner has been called the “Father of Modern Networking” by CNN and the “Networking Guru” by Entrepreneur magazine.
He is the Founder & Chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization, which has over 5,800 chapters on every populated continent in the world. Last year alone, BNI generated 6.5 million referrals resulting in $2.8 billion dollars worth of business for its members.
Dr. Misner is considered one of the world’s leading experts on business networking. He has been featured in the L.A. Times, Wall Street Journal, and New York Times, as well as numerous TV and radio shows including CNN, CNBC, and the BBC in London.
Finally, on Wednesday August 24, motivator Les Brown will be the featured speaker.
Brown has become one of the top motivational speakers in the world through diligence, determination and focus. From humble beginnings he rose from a morning DJ to broadcast manager, then from community activist to community leader. From there he became a political commentator to 3-term legislator in Ohio.
Brown is the author of “Live Your Dreams” and “It’s Not Over Until You Win.” Few speakers have the power to motivate audiences the way Brown can and his speech promises to be one of the “can’t miss” events at the 2011 Global Conference.
Each of the featured speakers brings a skill set and knowledge- base that will only help the Business Coaches who attend Conference achieve their goals. The entire week in Miami will be a great time with lots to learn.
Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Click here to take ActionCOACH‘s Busines Health Check to assess the strength of your business. Call us today 727-786-2900.
Rhonda Abrams who frequently writes for USA Today recently took a flight of a lifetime. Virgin Airways had a contest for entrepreneurs. The basic idea was to load over 250 entntrepreneurs on a plane for seven hours and see what happens. Rhonda said that for the full seven hours of the flight, she did nothing but coach entrepreneurs and offer business coaching advise.
She also learned a few things herself. This is her list:
1. Seize opportunities. The winners of this trip saw an opportunity in the British Airways contest, and they pounced on it.
2. Believe in yourself. I’m sure some entrepreneurs considered entering the contest then decided they weren’t good enough. We never got the chance to see them.
3. Make the most of the opportunities you get. The winning entrepreneurs typically made many appointments at their destinations — often even extending their trips to other locations.
4. Be fierce. Learn from Marx-she wanted a meeting with Harrod’s. She was absolutely, positively determined to get the meeting she wanted, and she exploited every avenue she could possibly think of.
5. Toot your own horn. Don’t be afraid to let people know you’re a winner.
6. Be open. These entrepreneurs were like sponges — wanting to soak up every bit of knowledge they could find.
7. Share. The program was great in part because the entrepreneurs shared their knowledge, resources and ideas.
8. Take advantage of Champagne. The Champagne kept flowing throughout the flight, keeping everyone loose and happy. (Don’t drink alcohol? How about some ginger ale to keep you bubbly?)
Click here to get your own copy of FREE surefire marketing secrets that will double your business in 4 weeks. Call ActionCOACH Pinellas at 727.786.2900 to find out how business coaching can help you.
Well, we’re in the second month of 2011, where does the time go? Did you hit the goals you set for January? If not, are you marketing yourself, and if so are you marketing yourself properly? As your business coach, I recommend that if you want to make money in 2011, you need to market yourself or your business. I found a tidy list of marketing tips to keep in mind as you think about your marketing efforts. It is courtsey of Rhonda Abrams of USA Today.
Recommened marketing tips from Tampa Bay Business Consulting Services, ActionCOACH
1. Get out there. People do business with people they know, so build your business network. Attend industry conferences, join community organizations. Be seen frequently. Connect in person and not just online.
2. Get listed — free. Want to show up in search engines and mobile devices without spending a cent? Be sure to set up your free business pages in Google Places, Yahoo Local, Yelp and others. You can list your products and services, hours of operation, specials, even add photos or offer specials. It’s a key, free way to market on mobile devices and Web search engines.
3. Keep your top prospects in view. Make a list of your top 10 prospects or referral sources and keep it on your desk, your mobile phone, or use it as the “wallpaper” on your computer. Contact each of these key income-generators at least once a month.
4. Create a strong company brand and identity. Start with a distinct look-and-feel — logo, colors, typeface, etc. — that conveys what you’re about. Use those consistently on everything — your website, business cards, packaging, newsletters, marketing materials, job ads. If possible, give your brand some zip and personality that makes it memorable.
5. Repeat, repeat, repeat. This is the golden rule of marketing. Whatever marketing tactics you use, you must repeat your message to the same audience in the same place, over and over again. It takes a long time for your message to sink in.
6. Tell people what they get, not what you do. In your marketing materials and messages, focus on the benefits the buyer receives — rather than just long lists of features of your products or descriptions of how you perform your services. Of course, customers compare features and services, so you’ll need to include those. But always emphasize the benefits those features bring.
7. Create an e-mail newsletter. An e-mail newsletter is one of the most effective and inexpensive ways to regularly stay in front of customers, prospects, and referral sources. Make sure your newsletter provides some value for the recipient, such as useful information, details on discounts or a special offer.
8. Get a tagline. Devise a short phrase conveying what you do or makes you special (like “The world on time” for FedEx). Even a simple descriptive phrase can set you apart (like “Bonded janitorial services for banks”). Give prospects a reason to remember you. Use your tagline on your website, business cards, even e-mail signature.
9. Attend or exhibit at a trade show. Trade shows are great places to find many customers in one place, do research on your competition and meet referral and information sources. Research which trade shows target your customers attend and check them out.
10. Be visible online. Make sure you have a website. Learn about social media. If you sell to consumers, get a Facebook page and consider a Twitter feed. Monitor your reviews on Yelp and other review sites. If you sell to businesses, look for industry-specific social media sites.
11. Get a contact management system. Keep track of past and current customers, prospects, referral sources, and more. This data is an invaluable business asset — use it for staying in touch, making sales calls, announcing new products or sales and more.
Do you have any marketing tips that aren’t included on this list? If so, contact your ActionCOACH and let us know what they are.
Brad Sugars, business advice expert and CEO of ActionCOACH, interviews author of Guerrilla Marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson.
Brad Sugar, founder of ActionCOACH sits down with Jay Conrad Levinson to talk about marketing during tough economic times. Responding to market conditions is a matter of finding the right answers and not necessarily luck.
Jay gives several great ideas on how to build up your business in this recession.
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