Archive for the Articles Category
Risk Management Strategies: How to Make Sure You’re Replaceable
Running a small business has many perks . . . but it also has a few risks and one of these risks is key man dependency. In terms of risk management, what does key man dependency actually mean and how does this affect you?
Key man dependency is when one of your team members is solely responsible for something and there is no back-up plan. This could mean the techie stuff, the accounts or the copywriting and there is no-one in the business to call upon to do the same skills. So, if that key man disappears… your business would collapse in a heap.
Here’s 3 of the best risk management strategies we know to combat key man dependency:
- Cross-Train
This means you teach someone else in the
business to carry out the same tasks. This is useful for holiday leave, any cover and if your key man decides to leave suddenly. This is also called succession planning.
Which is basically making sure you have a contingency plan if one of your key men (or women!) should get hit by a bus!
- Identify Out-Sourcers
The disadvantage to cross-training is that a key member tends to be specifically trained in one area, so another staff member might not get as good results. Picture the copywriter trying to do
accounts . . . it could get messy. So although it is good to cross-train in basic skills, another solution is to identify out-sourcers who are specifically trained in your key-man area. These people tend to work on contracts.
A key risk management strategy is making sure you have some out-sourcers on tap you can turn to in busy periods or as a short-term stop gap should your key man get sick, take a holiday or have a baby!
- Systematize
One of the best risk management tools I know is also the simplest. It’s called having a system! So this means getting your key member to systematize as they go along. Whatever they are doing, get them to make notes along the way and then record these notes in a central place where everyone can access them.For example, if your techie person has a system around the launch of a new product, get them to transfer this system into a ‘How to Guide’. So if an out-sourcer has to come in unexpectedly, they have a check-list to work off.
Summary
Risk management is one of those processes a business tends to ignore until it’s too late. So to avoid risk in your business, try out some of the above strategies to minimalise your key man dependency.
7 Steps To Creating The Lifestyle You Desire
The lifestyle you desire, whether it be one crammed full of exotic travel, settled with a loving family around you, rich and famous, or recognized within your field as an expert . . . . all of this is possible when you remember the following steps.
- Let Go of Old Preconceptions of Success
Only when you accept it is possible for people, and that
includes YOU, to fulfil your dreams completely then and only then, you can create the lifestyle you desire. - Identify Limiting Beliefs
It might be you need to do an internal search to see what has been holding you back. Just as you would type a keyword into google to search for something, try a keyword search within your psyche and see what comes up. Try ‘typing’ in words which carry some sort of emotional charge for you and then either carrying on writing to lose this charge, or work with a coach to help let any ‘stuff’ go you may have around success. Or simply just be aware of it and it will lose its power. - Visualise
What do you want? Have you ever sat down and really thought about your ideal lifestyle specifically? Have a go in words, pictures, cut-outs from magazines etc. It’s a fun exercise to do and gets you focused on outcomes. - Act As If
When you’ve worked out exactly what you want from your lifestyle, the next step is to act as if you have already achieved it. It helps to get you aligned to the end goal and when energy is aligned, miracles happen. - Make A Plan
Miracles work better with some planning. It’s always a good idea once you’ve got your goals in mind, to work with someone to help map the way. This could be a business coach, a mentor or even just a good friend who has some business acumen. - Take Action
The ideal lifestyle doesn’t just happen, no matter how
much we wish it so. You need to take the required action steps. If this means meeting some of your limiting beliefs head on, then full steam ahead! You’re on your way. - Reward Yourself
Remember to treat yourself with every success, no matter how small it seems.
Summary
Creating your ideal lifestyle sounds easy . . . and it can be. All you need to do is get out of your own way, picture what you really want, allow yourself to have it and then take the required steps to get there. This week, why not take that first step? You never know, you might just be one step closer to the lifestyle of your dreams.
10 Simple Reasons Why YOU Should Run Your Own Virtual Office
- Location, location, location.
Snow? What snow? No longer will the miseries of
the English winter dampen your commute into work. There is no commute! All you need to do is pull on a warm dressing gown, do a few yoga stretches and mosey on over to your desk. *Note for Australians please replace snow for intense, heat-wave and replace slippers for thongs. (The Aussie kind of thongs mind. . . ) - Alarm Clock Bliss
Following on from the previous point, running your own virtual office means you can set your alarm clock half an hour to an hour later than anyone else! Yes, that extra 30 minutes snuggled up under the sheets on a cold winter’s day is truly worth it. OR if you’re keen to make the most of your day, use the extra time for some meditation, a jog, a gym fix, a lingering homemade weekend kind of breakfast or even some work. - What did you do last night?
Once you’re stuck into your workday, you might notice a strange thing. And that’s the sound of silence. Yes, in your own virtual office you will not be subject to the intricacies of what your fellow office colleagues did last night, what they ate last night, what they thought about what they ate, who they ate with, how much it cost and best of all, you won’t even have to pretend you care. In your own virtual office you can tell yourself your own stories and laugh or not. It’s your choice. - Bad Hair Day
Another joy, perhaps one of the biggest, of running your own virtual office is the fact that no-one will see you. That’s right. The days of desperately trying to tame your hair into shape with minutes to spare are long gone. Now you can saunter downstairs with twigs in your hair for all your clients care (as long as you
don’t do any video conferencing or video skype calls . . .). Have the hairstyle you always craved. In fact, I recommend going to work with a Mohican just for a giggle. - Ditto Clothes.
Wear what you want and wear it bad. If Lady GaGa can wear a telephone why can’t you? - Who Wants A Cup of Tea?
You know what I mean right? You’re sitting in the office desperate for a cup of tea but no-one’s made any for a while and the energy of the office is wilting. But you know if you step up and make a play for the kitchen you have to run the mug gauntlet. You not only end up making tea for yourself but for the dozen or so lazy so and so’s in the office who have been waiting with parched mouths for this very moment for the past 3 hours. Ha! In a virtual office there’s only you to make tea for you and even better . . . you only have to wash up your mug! - Air Con? What Air Con?
No more hot summer days sat sweating at your desk. In your own virtual office you can go where ever you please . . .and I don’t just mean the local Starbucks. I mean anywhere in the world . . . imagine that! - Working 9 to 5
Sang Dolly Parton but what did she know? Working virtually means you can more or less work the hours you please. Just as long as you get the work done and the results on the board. - Happy Birthday
OK, working virtually might mean you miss out on a birthday cake. But think positive! If you work in a team, your virtual team can sing happy birthday
down skype to you from anywhere in the world! If you’ve never experienced this . . try it. It’s more fun than it sounds. - Productivity
I saved the best till last. Running your own virtual office often means you get more done. Why? Because you’re free to focus on the tasks that really matter and then you’re free to get the results you really want.
How To Communicate With Your Team In 4 Easy Steps
This Article comes to you courtesy of Donna Powell
In the previous video tip I talked about external communication – with customers and suppliers. Equally important is how you communicate within your organization, i.e, with your team members or your staff.
Starting Out
When you first start building your business you’ll probably be a one-man (or woman!)
band – doing everything yourself – answering the phone, responding to emails, managing the website, writing all the copy, doing the accounts etc etc. But as you become ever more successful, you’ll employ or contract people to carry out various parts of your business for you. This means you can stay in your flow and focus on the things you want to.
Why You Need To Communicate With Your Team
As you grow, effective communication between you and the members of your team becomes more and more vital. Why?
- So everyone in the team gets exactly what they need to know to do their job effectively
- You can inspire and incentivise your team making sure everyone is heading in the same direction towards your vision
- To teach and train your team
- For team connection and bonding
How Do You Communicate With Your Team?
Within Shift, we have employees in Australia and the UK. This means that somewhere in the world there is someone working on the business 24 hours a day.
One of the questions I’ve been asked a lot is how do we manage that? So here’s a peek behind the scenes of what works for us and 4 of the tools we use for effective internal communication:
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The 4 Steps To Effective Communication
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I’ve used them for everything from meetings with the accountants to other staff. Summary
There are many tools out there that you can use in your business to communicate with your team. For us, having a variety of options available allows us to pick the right one for the situation and gives us the flexibility to ensure we can communicate dynamically and stay connected as a team.
So, why not focus on how effective communication would benefit your business and then see which of these above tools you could implement now. Good luck!
It’s All About Image
When it comes to speaking, we like to think that what we say and how we say it is more important than what we look like and how people see us. But the truth is that people do judge us by our appearance and by our offstage behavior.
When you are portraying an image that fits in with your brand,
you will really have the audience in a place where they’re going to be very receptive to what it is that you’re talking about.
Your Brand: What Everything You Do Says About You
The most important thing in terms of making the right first impression is brand. How do you decide what your personal brand is going to be? Well, it takes a bit of research and it takes a bit of digging. Some simple things that you can do first is:
Personal Research
Research the brands that you are attracted to is the first step in recognizing your brand. What brands do you like, what brands do you resonate with? What brands will accurately represent the image that you want to have?
When you start to get clearer in that, you can get some clarity around how you’re going to position yourself.
Magazine Research
Grab all different kinds of magazines: lifestyle, beauty, business.
Go through and tear out images that speak to your values and your brand. Create a “Brand Board” around what look and feel you want to project into the marketplace based on images. Then create a list of value words around those images.
Words that Define Your Brand
So for us, that is Shift Lifestyle, and the words that define our brand are fun, anything is possible, looking for the bigger pie, contribution, lifestyle, freedom, and a myriad of other words. And around these words that’s the brand we created.
Your Dress and Image
What you wear is going to be influenced by your brand. You rarely see Richard Branson wearing anything other than a sweater, a pullover, a jumper and looking unshaven with unkempt hair. He’s got that relaxed look around him at all times. That’s his style.
On the flip side, you never see the royal family, for instance, wearing anything other than expensive tailored suits. There’s a certain look and feel to what you wear if you’re a royal.
It’s the same for a speaker. When you start your speaking career you need to choose your brand. And then everything you wear onstage and off needs to reflect your brand. So you need to get really clear about that.
Your clothes = Your Brand
Summary
So this week, have a think about your personal brand. Who is it you would like to model? Create a ‘brand board’ and look at the words which describe your brand. Also look at what it is you are wearing onstage and make sure that your clothing backs up your brand. And remember, have fun!
First Drafts Made Easy
After watching the video tip from earlier this week you’ll know that writing a book is one of the KEYS to success. But the biggest block to actually writing a book is taking the first step. Where do you start? How do you start? If you have articles and reports and ebooks, you can of course merely adapt these into a book by writing them up or elancing then out. But let’s imagine you don’t have any of these. Let’s imagine you want all the joy and satisfaction of writing your book yourself. This article is for you.
Let’s look at some strategies to get you writing your book NOW.
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What is it you like about them? Or don’t like? Are there any common themes/traits that link the books? Is there anything that you can model? Look at the structure – what things would you do the same? What things would you do differently? Choose a couple of your favourites. These are your models.
outlining what you want to say. Explore it in your own mind and give up the need for it to be perfect at this stage.
time after time is rushing headlong into the book without a plan. This is like a runner attempting to run a marathon without ever having trained. What is going to happen? You will put all your energy into the beginning and run out of steam, both in terms of content – because you will have crammed chapter one with far too much information – and in terms of energy – you’ll tire and potentially give up.
Summary
Writing a book can be easy and fun. In fact, it’s possibly one of the most rewarding things you can ever do. If you have a dream of writing a book, or you’re canny enough to realise this is a smart career move, make the time in your schedule to get started. It really is about taking that first step…
Raise Your Game In 3 Steps
Here’s 3 HUGE impossible to ignore reasons why all magnificent speakers spend time sharpening the saw.
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currently playing; there is always a bigger game to play. So wherever you are at in your speaking business, what is the next level for you? Is it simply standing on stage and having the courage to sell something? Is it increasing the numbers in your room? Is it improving your big pack? Is it upping the conversation rate by 5, 10, 25%?
stage and selling your product. It’s also about the business you have set up around your presentations. What business do you have in place? Does it support your speaking? Does it get the most out of you? Is it set-up to ensure you get maximum return on your energy?
Summary
All great speakers never assume they have ‘made it’. They spend time, energy and money in improving their game. There’s always another level of expertise. In the long run, this investment not only saves money, it generates money.
Think about the gaps in your knowledge and take whatever steps necessary to become the expert.
Reconnecting To The Colours Of Life
If you’ve been feeling that life has been black and white of late here’s 3 easy steps to reconnect you to all the beautiful colours that life can offer us.
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They are living in sunshine. When we forget our ego and get lost in a moment of pure playfulness, it not only raises our frequency, it brings that shaft of sunshine to our day.
What happened to these dreams? Because they’re not just pipe-dreams, never to be realised, they’re dreams waiting to be coloured in.
stranger, trying that sky-dive, booking that holiday to Egypt.
Summary
Breathing colour back into your life doesn’t have to mean making huge changes – it’s as simple as trying new things, taking the time to reconnect to your dreams and having fun.
So see what colour you can add to your life and make a mental note of the impact that this has on your sense of possibility in all areas of your life. I think you’ll be amazed.
4 Common Fears Around Selling From Stage And How To Overcome Them
Many of us have blocks around selling from stage – when this is one of the most sure-fire ways to make money! So let’s look at the 4 common fears around selling from stage:
It’s now time to get honest and discover whether your mindset is set up in the most powerful way for you to succeed at Platform Sales so let’s look at how to overcome these fears to make you as successful and as abundant as you deserve to be: 5 Step Plan For Overcoming Fears
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Have a look at the following common fears and see if any relate.
Summary
Don’t let your fears be the reason you don’t get out there and give these things a shot. 
You will always have doubts and reservations about things, but let that be the reason to get out there and do it; rather than stopping you. Until you actually start, you will never really learn these tools. You will never do it perfectly, I have never done it perfectly and I doubt I ever will. There’s always more to learn – but the fastest way to learn is to do!!
The Importance Of Passion In Selling
For me, the importance of passion in selling is probably the most powerful piece of advice I can give to new speakers. I always try to speak from the heart and connect with the audience in this heart-felt way. When I bring my heart into my speaking, it always follows that my sales increase. And believe me, this isn’t about trying to create more sales; it’s simply about being passionate about what I do.
Bring Your Heart Into Your Sales
Think about it. Children are some of the best sales people around, not because they know all the tips and tricks on creating a masterful close, but because they are undeniably passionate about their view point and their outcome. They will not take no for an answer and they are not afraid to show it.
Likewise your passion for your product, service or message will shine through over and above any techniques you learn. I’m not saying don’t learn the techniques: you must. But technique without passion is fruitless.
Passion on stage comes from being passionate about what you do in life.
The Attractor Factor
In the Attractor Factor, Dr. Joe Vitale cites a study where a group of 1500 people were given the option of joining two groups. Group A was a group of people who were going to pick a career they believed was going to be a practical way to make a lot of money and then they were going to follow their passions after they made enough money.
1255 people joined Group A.
Group B was a group of people who were going to pick a career that they were interested in and passionate about and just trust that the money would come. Only 245 people joined Group B.
20 years later there were 101 millionaires out of the 1500 people who signed up for the study. 100 of the millionaires came from group B, the group of people who followed their passions and just trusted that the money would come.
Only 1 out of the 1255 people who picked a career because they believed it was a practical way to make a living actually became a millionaire.
This study shows that you do not need to have a plan or know how you are going to make money by following your passion. All you need to do is to follow your passion. Remember the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said,
“I have a dream! . . .”
He did not say:
“I have a plan.”
The Key
Discover what you are passionate about. You may already know this exactly. What is it that lights you up? How can you use this to inform your sales presentations? Try asking yourself some of the following questions to connect with your passion:
· What did you love to do as a child?
· What do you love about your product or service?
· Why do you want the world to know about it?
Summary
It’s clear from this that living from that heart-felt passion will not only give you a sense of purpose in your career – and on stage – but it will also attract more abundance to you. There’s no more compelling call to action from an audience’s perspective than watching someone come from a place of true authenticity and love. Forget about getting ‘it’ right next time you speak, just try connecting more with your passions in your next presentation and see the effect on the audience this has.
In the Blueprint Chapter you will discover:
How to create a magnetic and attractive offer that has people leaping out of their seats to buy from you, without ever looking or feeling "sales-y"...
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