by Paul Barrs
Remember those days when we used to have to get up to go to work, and ever Monday morning following after a great weekend we'd struggle to pull that tired old body up from under the covers and into the office or the factory or wherever it was that someone else was paying you to be?
Are you still there (maybe)?
I remember those days and if I remember correctly I could accurately say "they sucked"! You know, it's been nearly 15 years since I've had to *do that* for someone else; it's what you would call "living the dream baby."
The thing is, whilst the problem may be different, for many of us Monday Mornings are still the same - we just don't start the week the way we want to.
So here's what I'm doing this Monday morning; from it, I hope that you will glean some ideas of you can connect better with your business (your "people") and build a better income for yourself.
I started the day off with some light exercise. I never get into it too heavy in the mornings simply because this old body ain't what it used to be - but I understand a fit body builds a fit mind. The better shape my body is in day by day the better shape my mind is in and the better decisions I can make, products I can create and so on. It's a great way to start every day.
Next I sit down in my "thinking chair" (my old comfy lounge recliner) and pull out a new copy of my custom weekly "to-do" list.
But now, sitting in my chair I review last weeks' checklist and see if anything needs to be carried over. Then slowly, between measured sips of my morning brew I start to design my action list for the coming 5 days.
At the top of my list is a place for "Consulting / Coaching Clients". I have special place for these people as I am working with them directly; I create action plans for them and they go and do. If I say I'm going to *do* something for them I sure as hell don't want to forget - so at the top of my action plan for consulting / coaching is **check follow up list **.
Here's the thing... I have a great client management program on my computer. It handles details on prospecting, follow ups, action plans record keeping and so on. But truth is, no matter how darn wonderful the program is, it doesn't do squat if I don't "turn it on" and open it up! First thing on my "list" each and every day is to OPEN my follow up action planner...
90% of all potential business that a business could earn is LOST because if you don't FOLLOW-UP!
... which then leads to seeking out new "potential" business prospects, or 'prospecting' as it's called in the sales business. Here's the thing, to be successful in the running of any business, you need to determine where your "bread and butter" comes from. This is the income that you generate that pays your bills, your wages, and your staff. It's the stuff that no matter what happens in the economy, you're still going to have to pay it if you want to "keep your doors open".
This is your bread and butter income.
For me, my bread and butter is local business. It's been that way for 8 years and I'm sure will continue to be that way for 8 or more years to come. Whilst I don't always "actively peruse" local business 'business', I ALWAYS keep my finger in the pot; which for me means each month I make contact with a couple of dozen local business people and offer them free advice on how to improve their websites. Many times, this comes back to me as a job and revenue earned.
Remember; right now I'm just writing my list. It's Monday morning and I'll spend and hour writing my list while planning the week to come in my mind.
Next up I'll look at how I can make new connections in the 'internet world'. This week I'll be looking to communicate with my JV partners. I don't have any particular promotions on, so my goal is to simple "connect" with some of them; nothing more. I'm just looking to build the friendships.
Next on my custom list is Communication. Now whilst it may seem similar to Connections, I see communication more as keeping in touch in a general way with "my people" - you, whoever you are reading this; with my affiliates, with my members. It's vitally important to any business to communicate with your people and hopefully have them communicate back with you. It's always a good idea to ASK.
For me, writing this right now (and posting it to my Website) is one of my communication tasks for the week. I want to publish at least 2 personal posts and share with you what's happening in my business.
The last two areas of my own custom list are Creation and Content.
These two can often go together but usually they will begin with the creation of a some product (be it a full seminar, a special report or brandible eBook), which is then followed by making content which is then published on one or more of my websites.
But all in all, everything works together. This week I will complete the creation of another special report. Once that is done, I will then communicate with my affiliates that a new brandable report is available for them to help them with promotions. If I wanted to (though I won't be this week), I could also create a mini-seminar or video series based on the content of the book and publish it to YouTube, or to my video blog...
... as a matter of fact, there's an idea... I was recently contact by a new JV partner who asked if I could create some content slides for him with which he would then create some custom videos for me in a joint venture share arrangement. I could EASILY create some slides based on the subject matter of the book I was talking about a moment ago -
Better go write that on to my list!
Then of course, once it's done I can then connect with my own JV partners and share the content with them. I could also communicate the message in another post....
Do you see how this works?
By the end of my first hour on Monday morning do you think I'm going to be suffering any "Monday Morning Blues"? Hell no! I'm pumped! I'm looking at my list and thinking, "OK, there's too much for me to do here, how much can I outsource?"
And the week begins.
You see, the thing is, the running of a successful business doesn't always involve "selling of product"; yes, you NEED a product to sell to generate income, but once that's up, the most important thing you can do is start communicating with people - talking to them - not trying to "sell" them.
What are you waiting for? Go to it!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6397959
15 years ago
