The Accountability Coach: Business Acceleration|Productivity

The important thing to remember when handling demanding clients is to take sole responsibility for establishing and managing their expectations. Manage them effectively - and everyone will remain on the same page and walk away satisfied. Fail to manage them effectively - and you’ll end up with some level of conflict (however minor or severe). Clients will follow your lead; they will be however demanding or easy-going as your client boundaries dictates, and it’s best to establish those boundaries before the contract is signed. 1. Establish Rules from the Get-Go Establishing rules from the get-go is ideal and will help ensure a positive client relationship. Ideally, all projects should be secured with a firm contract (that protects and supports you and your client) before any money is exchanged or any work commences. This not only ensures everyone is on the same page from the very beginning of a new relationship, it helps reduce the chances of possible conflict at any time during the project. If you’ve been doing business without any client boundaries in place, it’s best if you do not take on any additional clients until you establish a basic contract or service agreement. If you’ve never used contracts, approach it from this angle: • What are you clear on delivering and not delivering? • What problems or issues have you run into in the past? • How could you design your contract or service agreement to avoid those problems and issues in the future? • What are the expectations they can expect from you and you from them? You may also want to consider what you would like to do and how you would like to direct the outcome of future projects before you design the program. For example, if you design a program that makes you miserable, it’s going to be near impossible to create a positive experience for your clients. On the other hand, if you could design the program - and direct the outcome should problems arise - how would you like to do that and how would it best be done? (Be clear on what you’re willing and not willing to do.) If you’re just starting out in business or you’re new to a specific industry, it can be difficult to establish rules when you’re not always sure what exactly will be required. That’s okay. In the beginning, you’ll have to feel your way through, client by client, until you gain complete clarity. The best advice would be: don’t do anything in the beginning that you are not willing to continue throughout your client relationship and/or for future clients - although sometimes that may be hard to know in the beginning. The internet has many resources that can be found to help you in many situations. Communication is very important to any successful relationship. Tell the truth, succinctly and directly, and in a way that is all about them. As an example, if you’re not willing to work late hours or weekends, set your availability strictly to normal business hours, Monday through Friday (or Tuesday through Thursday). If you prefer clients do not have access to your cell phone, set up a business line with a virtual receptionist or automated voice mail that you check 2 to 3 times per day. 2. What to Do When You Change the Rules Mid-Game If you need to change the rules mid-game, be flexible. Remember that expectations were set in motion from the onset and changing them could lead to conflict. If you must change the rules mid-game, get clear on: 1) What the client wants and expects 2) Specifics of the agreement that must be adjusted 3) Specifics of the agreement where you are flexible 4) Specific ways you will meet/exceed client expectations, even with contract adjustments. Clarify these terms as clearly as possible before you arrange a phone conversation with the client. If you are unclear about any terms, clarify them before discussing “changing the rules.” Remember, the biggest trigger to conflict is not properly managing and meeting client expectations. If you know what

You have what they need! So, how do you get them to realize that you are the solution to what they are looking for, so they can be even more successful? Here are 5 steps for inspiring clients to want to work with you. It’s a win-win for everyone. Step 1: Get Them Talking First and foremost, make the conversation about them. Take the focus off “getting the sale” and instead use this time together to evaluate if you are the best person to assist them. Remember, you don’t want to work with anyone; you want to work ideal clients. Although you will be using this initial time together to evaluate if you want to work with them, keep the conversation focused on the prospective client. What is their current biggest struggle or challenge? What is their most immediate or long-term goal? What kind of support or guidance are they looking for? Step 2: Connect Them to Their Current Pain There must be a starting point where you help the prospective client see where they are right now. In other words, they must know where they are right now before they can receive guidance to get where they want to go. From there, it’s important to remember that there are only ever two driving forces behind customers and clients who sign up: 1) Reducing/Eliminating pain or 2) Increasing pleasure The first step in inspiring them to work with you (assuming they are an ideal client and you want to work with them) is to help them feel their current pain. Get them talking about their biggest struggle or challenge - help them connect to the discomfort - and then lead them through Step 3. Step 3: Inspire Them to Imagine Future Possibilities Help them see that what they desire is possible - and that you can assist them in achieving it. Get them talking about their immediate and long-term goal(s) - asking how they feel imagining the real possibilities of their future. Reassure them that achieving any goal is simply a step-by-step process of “right steps” - and that you can successfully guide them through the process with greater ease and improved results. Step 4: Explain How You Can Help Them Go deeper into detail of how you can help them reduce their pain/increase their pleasure and achieve their goals. Emphasize in this step why you’re the best person to assist them in this process, by detailing a brief overview of the steps involved. (Don’t give too much away.) Step 5: Paint the Bridge The final stage to inspiring clients to work with you is to paint the bridge. This is where you connect the dots by reviewing what you’ve discussed thus far. (If you are unclear about any information discussed, this is a good time to ask the prospective clients questions to clarify before you proceed with reviewing. You may also want to invite the prospect to share any last thoughts or ask questions they feel are important for you to know, before you proceed.) The key in Step 5 is to accurately recap: 1) Their current pain, 2) Immediate or future goal(s), 3) Reassure them the goal is possible (if it’s unrealistic, hint at how you can help craft a revised, attainable goal), and finally, 4) How you can effectively support them throughout the process and guide them to achieving their goals. Demonstrate that you understand, highlight your valuable expertise (and how it makes the process easier!) and instruct them how to sign up. Remember, you are the bridge to help them get from where they are to where they want to be. Go to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/Achieve.Your.Goals.Free.Gifts.Now/ and get 3 FREE gifts including a special report on 10 Power Tips for Getting Focused, Organized, and Achieving Your Goals Now. Join the Silver Inner Circle (IT’S FREE) and receive 10% off on all products and services in addition to having access to many assessments and complimentary resources so you can begin achieving your goals in the timeframe you want, so you can have the life you desire. Get started today by going to https://www.accountab

You have what they need! So, how do you get them to realize that you are the solution to what they are looking for, so they can be even more successful? Here are 5 steps for inspiring clients to want to work with you. It’s a win-win for everyone. Step 1: Get Them Talking First and foremost, make the conversation about them. Take the focus off “getting the sale” and instead use this time together to evaluate if you are the best person to assist them. Remember, you don’t want to work with anyone; you want to work ideal clients. Although you will be using this initial time together to evaluate if you want to work with them, keep the conversation focused on the prospective client. What is their current biggest struggle or challenge? What is their most immediate or long-term goal? What kind of support or guidance are they looking for? Step 2: Connect Them to Their Current Pain There must be a starting point where you help the prospective client see where they are right now. In other words, they must know where they are right now before they can receive guidance to get where they want to go. From there, it’s important to remember that there are only ever two driving forces behind customers and clients who sign up: 1) Reducing/Eliminating pain or 2) Increasing pleasure The first step in inspiring them to work with you (assuming they are an ideal client and you want to work with them) is to help them feel their current pain. Get them talking about their biggest struggle or challenge - help them connect to the discomfort - and then lead them through Step 3. Step 3: Inspire Them to Imagine Future Possibilities Help them see that what they desire is possible - and that you can assist them in achieving it. Get them talking about their immediate and long-term goal(s) - asking how they feel imagining the real possibilities of their future. Reassure them that achieving any goal is simply a step-by-step process of “right steps” - and that you can successfully guide them through the process with greater ease and improved results. Step 4: Explain How You Can Help Them Go deeper into detail of how you can help them reduce their pain/increase their pleasure and achieve their goals. Emphasize in this step why you’re the best person to assist them in this process, by detailing a brief overview of the steps involved. (Don’t give too much away.) Step 5: Paint the Bridge The final stage to inspiring clients to work with you is to paint the bridge. This is where you connect the dots by reviewing what you’ve discussed thus far. (If you are unclear about any information discussed, this is a good time to ask the prospective clients questions to clarify before you proceed with reviewing. You may also want to invite the prospect to share any last thoughts or ask questions they feel are important for you to know, before you proceed.) The key in Step 5 is to accurately recap: 1) Their current pain, 2) Immediate or future goal(s), 3) Reassure them the goal is possible (if it’s unrealistic, hint at how you can help craft a revised, attainable goal), and finally, 4) How you can effectively support them throughout the process and guide them to achieving their goals. Demonstrate that you understand, highlight your valuable expertise (and how it makes the process easier!) and instruct them how to sign up. Remember, you are the bridge to help them get from where they are to where they want to be. Go to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/Achieve.Your.Goals.Free.Gifts.Now/ and get 3 FREE gifts including a special report on 10 Power Tips for Getting Focused, Organized, and Achieving Your Goals Now. Join the Silver Inner Circle (IT’S FREE) and receive 10% off on all products and services in addition to having access to many assessments and complimentary resources so you can begin achieving your goals in the timeframe you want, so you can have the life you desire. Get started today by going to https://www.accountab

If you want to understand how to effectively brand your name, you first need to comprehend the basics of business branding. Business branding isn’t a complicated process, but the success of your business branding relies on the relevance, quality and consistency of its design. Most business owners fall short when branding their business because they try to overcomplicate the process. However, if you follow the basics of business branding and resist the temptation to lose the focus of the message, you should be well on your way towards creating an effective brand. The most important basic factor in branding your business is conveying a message. You only have a few seconds to capture the attention of potential clients, and in those few seconds, your brand must clearly convey several points. Make those few precious seconds count by making it easy for your audience to comprehend your specialty with just a glance. Stick to these 4 Basic Rules of Business Branding and watch your business grow. Business Branding Rule #1: Choose colors wisely It may be your desire to choose colors that are most appealing to suit your personal taste, but they may not always be the most ideal for the success of your business. Advertising and marketing firms understand the emotions that colors convey and always choose the colors of their marketing carefully. Here’s a quick reference for the emotions conveyed by common colors. Red: Very emotionally intense color. Associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Use it as an accent color to stimulate people to make quick decisions. Orange: To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation. Use it to catch attention and highlight the most important elements of your design. Yellow: Yellow is the color of sunshine and produces a warming effect. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. Yellow is an unstable and spontaneous color, so avoid using yellow if you want to suggest stability and safety. Green: Symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety and has great healing power. Dark green is also commonly associated with money. Blue: Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Avoid using blue when promoting food and cooking, because blue suppresses appetite. Purple: Symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. Conveys wealth and extravagance and is associated with wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic. Light purple is a good choice for a feminine design; use bright purple when promoting children's products. White: White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. Considered to be the color of perfection and conveys safety, purity, and cleanliness. Use white to suggest simplicity in high-tech products. Black: Associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. It usually carries a negative connotation, but denotes strength and authority. Combined with red or orange – other very powerful colors – black gives a very aggressive color scheme. Business Branding Rule #2: Let the logo do the talking In those crucial first few seconds of grabbing a client’s attention, your logo must convey a clear, concise message that is easily understood. For example, if you fix computers, consider including an image of computer and stethoscope to convey that you’re a computer doctor. Or, if you own a hair salon include an image of old-fashioned vanity lights and shears. Get the idea? The key is to identify at least one tangible icon that represents your business. Th

If you want to understand how to effectively brand your name, you first need to comprehend the basics of business branding. Business branding isn’t a complicated process, but the success of your business branding relies on the relevance, quality and consistency of its design. Most business owners fall short when branding their business because they try to overcomplicate the process. However, if you follow the basics of business branding and resist the temptation to lose the focus of the message, you should be well on your way towards creating an effective brand. The most important basic factor in branding your business is conveying a message. You only have a few seconds to capture the attention of potential clients, and in those few seconds, your brand must clearly convey several points. Make those few precious seconds count by making it easy for your audience to comprehend your specialty with just a glance. Stick to these 4 Basic Rules of Business Branding and watch your business grow. Business Branding Rule #1: Choose colors wisely It may be your desire to choose colors that are most appealing to suit your personal taste, but they may not always be the most ideal for the success of your business. Advertising and marketing firms understand the emotions that colors convey and always choose the colors of their marketing carefully. Here’s a quick reference for the emotions conveyed by common colors. Red: Very emotionally intense color. Associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Use it as an accent color to stimulate people to make quick decisions. Orange: To the human eye, orange is a very hot color, so it gives the sensation of heat. Represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation. Use it to catch attention and highlight the most important elements of your design. Yellow: Yellow is the color of sunshine and produces a warming effect. It's associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. Yellow is an unstable and spontaneous color, so avoid using yellow if you want to suggest stability and safety. Green: Symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety and has great healing power. Dark green is also commonly associated with money. Blue: Blue is the color of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Avoid using blue when promoting food and cooking, because blue suppresses appetite. Purple: Symbolizes power, nobility, luxury, and ambition. Conveys wealth and extravagance and is associated with wisdom, dignity, independence, creativity, mystery, and magic. Light purple is a good choice for a feminine design; use bright purple when promoting children's products. White: White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. Considered to be the color of perfection and conveys safety, purity, and cleanliness. Use white to suggest simplicity in high-tech products. Black: Associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. It usually carries a negative connotation, but denotes strength and authority. Combined with red or orange – other very powerful colors – black gives a very aggressive color scheme. Business Branding Rule #2: Let the logo do the talking In those crucial first few seconds of grabbing a client’s attention, your logo must convey a clear, concise message that is easily understood. For example, if you fix computers, consider including an image of computer and stethoscope to convey that you’re a computer doctor. Or, if you own a hair salon include an image of old-fashioned vanity lights and shears. Get the idea? The key is to identify at least one tangible icon that represents your business. Th

Use the time log sample to help you know where you are actually spending your time during the day. Periodically use this time log to help you continue to be time efficient. This tool can be utilized by everyone on your team. After 2 weeks of tracking what you are doing against your calendar that has what you needed to do, what will you change to help put you in a higher probability position to achieve your goals in the time frame you desire? To download my complimentary Time Log Sample and help you be even more time efficient so you are in a higher probability position to achieve your goals, go to: http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/time-log/. My sample document can easily be modified to be of value to you and everyone on your team. If you do get value from these Accountability Coach Podcasts, please take a minute to leave me a short review. It is very much appreciated. To obtain high-content business success webinars, go to https://www.accountabilitycoach.com/free-articles/free-webinars/. Review the options and pick the ones that will best help you be even more successful and download and implement those concepts. Remember to Join the Silver Inner Circle if you haven’t done so yet. IT’S FREE! You will receive 10% off on all products and services in addition to having access to many assessments and complimentary resources so you can begin achieving your goals in the timeframe you want, so you can have the life you desire. Get started today by going to https://www.accountabilitycoach.com/coaching-store/inner-circle-store/ and Join the FREE Silver Inner Circle. Aim for what you want each and every day! Anne Bachrach The Accountability Coach™ The Results Accelerator™ To help you stay focused and on track to achieving your goals, check out these other high-value resources. - Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/annebachrach) - Subscribe to my Blog (http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/blog/) or Subscribe to my blog on Kindle and receive business success tips http://www.amazon.com/The-Accountability-Coach/dp/B003JBHR4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1315931264&sr=1-1 - Anne’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TheAccountabilityCoach) - Anne’s Linked-in page http://www.linkedin.com/in/annebachrach Business professionals and entrepreneurs who utilize Anne Bachrach’s proven business-success systems make more money, work less, and enjoy better work life balance. Author of Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule, Live Life with No Regrets, No Excuses, and the Work Life Balance Emergency Kit. Get your audio copy today.

Use the time log sample to help you know where you are actually spending your time during the day. Periodically use this time log to help you continue to be time efficient. This tool can be utilized by everyone on your team. After 2 weeks of tracking what you are doing against your calendar that has what you needed to do, what will you change to help put you in a higher probability position to achieve your goals in the time frame you desire? To download my complimentary Time Log Sample and help you be even more time efficient so you are in a higher probability position to achieve your goals, go to: http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/time-log/. My sample document can easily be modified to be of value to you and everyone on your team. If you do get value from these Accountability Coach Podcasts, please take a minute to leave me a short review. It is very much appreciated. To obtain high-content business success webinars, go to https://www.accountabilitycoach.com/free-articles/free-webinars/. Review the options and pick the ones that will best help you be even more successful and download and implement those concepts. Remember to Join the Silver Inner Circle if you haven’t done so yet. IT’S FREE! You will receive 10% off on all products and services in addition to having access to many assessments and complimentary resources so you can begin achieving your goals in the timeframe you want, so you can have the life you desire. Get started today by going to https://www.accountabilitycoach.com/coaching-store/inner-circle-store/ and Join the FREE Silver Inner Circle. Aim for what you want each and every day! Anne Bachrach The Accountability Coach™ The Results Accelerator™ To help you stay focused and on track to achieving your goals, check out these other high-value resources. - Subscribe to my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/annebachrach) - Subscribe to my Blog (http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/blog/) or Subscribe to my blog on Kindle and receive business success tips http://www.amazon.com/The-Accountability-Coach/dp/B003JBHR4Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1315931264&sr=1-1 - Anne’s Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/TheAccountabilityCoach) - Anne’s Linked-in page http://www.linkedin.com/in/annebachrach Business professionals and entrepreneurs who utilize Anne Bachrach’s proven business-success systems make more money, work less, and enjoy better work life balance. Author of Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule, Live Life with No Regrets, No Excuses, and the Work Life Balance Emergency Kit. Get your audio copy today.

When it comes to making decisions that positively affect your life, there is only one thing to do. First, ask yourself how you feel about the opportunity. Do you get butterflies because you’re excited or does your gut feel heavy or weighed down, as if you’ve got a feeling that something bad is about to happen? Sometimes it’s hard to tell how you feel about something. Perhaps you feel great about it, but it’s far outside your comfort zone so you have a lot of fear attached to it. Maybe your heart is telling you to go for it, but that means you’ll be placing hardship on someone else – and that causes feelings of guilt. So how do you make important decisions that positively affect your life? Grab a pen and paper and go to a quiet place where you are happy, comfortable and will not be disturbed. At the top of the page, write the opportunity in question form. Start the question with, “Should I…..” or “Is it right for me to…” Read the question over a few times and then close your eyes. The purpose of this exercise is to remove visual distractions and move your attention from your head to your gut. Sit silently and wait to see what feelings come up for you. If your gut feels light and full of excitement, this may be an ideal opportunity for you. If your gut feels heavy, low or uncomfortable, it’s probably not the right thing for you at this time – and you pretty much have your answer. Trusting your decision on emotion alone can be a lot to ask for most of us. Although we are each born with a sort of emotional navigational system to help us make the right choice, you will not find “Learning to Listen to Your Gut” as part of your curriculum in high school or college. Rarely are we taught how to listen to our emotional navigational system, so as adults we just have to use it until it becomes second nature. Your emotional navigational system is rooted in your “gut” and acts as the sort of sensitive, emotionally based female. Your brain on the other hand, is like the typical male: it is only concerned with logical reasoning. In order to rest easy with your decision, you have to satisfy both aspects of your being. I’m going to share 3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Making Important Decisions. Question 1. Does this opportunity align with my short-term goals? Yes or No? If the answer is yes, continue to Question 2. If the answer is no, go no further. If it doesn’t align with your short-term goals, it definitely won’t align with your long-term goals. Remember, you are only going to take steps that lead you closer to your goals – no exceptions. Question 2. Does this align with my long-term goals? Yes or No? If the answer is yes, continue to Question 3. If the answer is no, this is not the right time to pursue this opportunity. Question 3. Am I making this decision from faith or fear? Faith or Fear? This is where you tie your feelings to your logical reasoning. What are you saying to yourself when you think about this opportunity – are your statements based on faith or fear? These are not necessarily things you are saying aloud – these may be thoughts running around in your head. Here are a few examples. Statements based on faith “I’m not sure how this will come together, but I know and believe it will work.” “I’ve been waiting my whole life for an opportunity like this.” “I’m a little nervous, but I know I can do it!” Statements based on fear “If I don’t make this work, I could lose everything.” “I’ve got to find a way to take care of my family, I hope this works.” “I’m desperate; I’ll take anything I can get.” See the difference? Faith statements are based in words like, “I know I can – I know it will work.” Fear statements are based in words like, “I’m desperate – I could lose everything.” Never, ever make important decisions from fear. If you cannot find a way to feel good about the opportunity, let it go. An opportunity that is a bette

When it comes to making decisions that positively affect your life, there is only one thing to do. First, ask yourself how you feel about the opportunity. Do you get butterflies because you’re excited or does your gut feel heavy or weighed down, as if you’ve got a feeling that something bad is about to happen? Sometimes it’s hard to tell how you feel about something. Perhaps you feel great about it, but it’s far outside your comfort zone so you have a lot of fear attached to it. Maybe your heart is telling you to go for it, but that means you’ll be placing hardship on someone else – and that causes feelings of guilt. So how do you make important decisions that positively affect your life? Grab a pen and paper and go to a quiet place where you are happy, comfortable and will not be disturbed. At the top of the page, write the opportunity in question form. Start the question with, “Should I…..” or “Is it right for me to…” Read the question over a few times and then close your eyes. The purpose of this exercise is to remove visual distractions and move your attention from your head to your gut. Sit silently and wait to see what feelings come up for you. If your gut feels light and full of excitement, this may be an ideal opportunity for you. If your gut feels heavy, low or uncomfortable, it’s probably not the right thing for you at this time – and you pretty much have your answer. Trusting your decision on emotion alone can be a lot to ask for most of us. Although we are each born with a sort of emotional navigational system to help us make the right choice, you will not find “Learning to Listen to Your Gut” as part of your curriculum in high school or college. Rarely are we taught how to listen to our emotional navigational system, so as adults we just have to use it until it becomes second nature. Your emotional navigational system is rooted in your “gut” and acts as the sort of sensitive, emotionally based female. Your brain on the other hand, is like the typical male: it is only concerned with logical reasoning. In order to rest easy with your decision, you have to satisfy both aspects of your being. I’m going to share 3 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Making Important Decisions. Question 1. Does this opportunity align with my short-term goals? Yes or No? If the answer is yes, continue to Question 2. If the answer is no, go no further. If it doesn’t align with your short-term goals, it definitely won’t align with your long-term goals. Remember, you are only going to take steps that lead you closer to your goals – no exceptions. Question 2. Does this align with my long-term goals? Yes or No? If the answer is yes, continue to Question 3. If the answer is no, this is not the right time to pursue this opportunity. Question 3. Am I making this decision from faith or fear? Faith or Fear? This is where you tie your feelings to your logical reasoning. What are you saying to yourself when you think about this opportunity – are your statements based on faith or fear? These are not necessarily things you are saying aloud – these may be thoughts running around in your head. Here are a few examples. Statements based on faith “I’m not sure how this will come together, but I know and believe it will work.” “I’ve been waiting my whole life for an opportunity like this.” “I’m a little nervous, but I know I can do it!” Statements based on fear “If I don’t make this work, I could lose everything.” “I’ve got to find a way to take care of my family, I hope this works.” “I’m desperate; I’ll take anything I can get.” See the difference? Faith statements are based in words like, “I know I can – I know it will work.” Fear statements are based in words like, “I’m desperate – I could lose everything.” Never, ever make important decisions from fear. If you cannot find a way to feel good about the opportunity, let it go. An opportunity that is a bette

As a business owner, there are things you must do in order to accomplish your goals so you can have the kind of business and life you have dreamed of having. From managing a team to handling clients - and everything in between - it can be easy to lose complete control of your day. We all have the same 24 hours available each day; it’s how we chose to use those 24 hours that’s makes the difference. Meetings, client services, and a To-Do List a mile long are frequent daily tasks in the world of running a business. The key is find an effective way to handle our daily routine to stay focused and on track to achieve your goals in the shortest amount of time and the least amount of effort. Tip #1: Break Goals Down in to Daily Action Steps - and Track Them Somewhere between running a business and having a personal life, it’s not uncommon for our goals to fall by the wayside. If you are not paying attention to your goals on a daily basis, you’re probably taking the long way around. Break goals down into daily action steps and put them into your daily calendar/diary/planner. Those action steps should be labeled high priority and handled as early on in the day as possible, or at the best time that leads to the best result. No excuses. Tip #2: Remove Distractions and Interruptions from Your Life Wasting time on low priority tasks is one of the most common sources of interrupting your success. Email - texting - social media - internet surfing - personal phone calls - chatting - etc. are time wasters for many of us. Work hours should be reserved for work. Close email and internet outside specific time blocks. Turn off the ringer on your phone or filter calls through a team member. Remove paperwork that you are not currently working on from your sight. Create a system that works best for you - and stick to it. Consistent execution of new habits that put you in the highest probability position to make better progress, so you can create the business and life you want. Tip #3: Be Aware of Sabotaging Habits No one is ever completely free of self-sabotaging habits, which is why it’s important to be aware of your tendencies. When you are aware of your sabotaging habits, you can easily spot them - and stop them - from distracting you from your success. Whether you create procrastination, overwhelm, emotional crisis, physical exhaustion, relationship drama - or a host of other common habits - you’re creating self-sabotage. Achieving your goals becomes a lot easier when you can spot troublesome habits, and consciously and quickly get yourself back on track. Tip #4: Get Clear on the Why When you get clear on why you’re working on any particular task, you can intellectually grasp whether you really need to be doing it at all or having someone else do it. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing ___________________ (insert task)?” If your answer isn’t a good enough why, you know you shouldn’t be spending your valuable time on it. Tip #5: Chunk Like-Tasks Together Prep time and pre-task setup can eat up huge amounts of your time, so chunk like-tasks together. Another benefit to chunking? Reducing the “scatter-brain” effect. Multi-tasking and jumping between tasks reduces your brain’s ability to maintain focus, effectiveness and efficiency. Examples of chunking your time include: Listening to voicemail/returning important phone calls - reading emails/replying to urgent inquiries – making prospecting calls – seeing clients in your office – creating marketing materials - coordinating off-site meetings with other appointments/errands - etc. Along this same line of thinking, consider scheduling time to really prepare for the meeting on your calendar (5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes). Also, schedule time after your meeting to complete any actions you need to so you don’t have to try and remember them later in the day, two days later, or at the end of the week. Get things done and the move on to the next meeting with a clear head for tha

As a business owner, there are things you must do in order to accomplish your goals so you can have the kind of business and life you have dreamed of having. From managing a team to handling clients - and everything in between - it can be easy to lose complete control of your day. We all have the same 24 hours available each day; it’s how we chose to use those 24 hours that’s makes the difference. Meetings, client services, and a To-Do List a mile long are frequent daily tasks in the world of running a business. The key is find an effective way to handle our daily routine to stay focused and on track to achieve your goals in the shortest amount of time and the least amount of effort. Tip #1: Break Goals Down in to Daily Action Steps - and Track Them Somewhere between running a business and having a personal life, it’s not uncommon for our goals to fall by the wayside. If you are not paying attention to your goals on a daily basis, you’re probably taking the long way around. Break goals down into daily action steps and put them into your daily calendar/diary/planner. Those action steps should be labeled high priority and handled as early on in the day as possible, or at the best time that leads to the best result. No excuses. Tip #2: Remove Distractions and Interruptions from Your Life Wasting time on low priority tasks is one of the most common sources of interrupting your success. Email - texting - social media - internet surfing - personal phone calls - chatting - etc. are time wasters for many of us. Work hours should be reserved for work. Close email and internet outside specific time blocks. Turn off the ringer on your phone or filter calls through a team member. Remove paperwork that you are not currently working on from your sight. Create a system that works best for you - and stick to it. Consistent execution of new habits that put you in the highest probability position to make better progress, so you can create the business and life you want. Tip #3: Be Aware of Sabotaging Habits No one is ever completely free of self-sabotaging habits, which is why it’s important to be aware of your tendencies. When you are aware of your sabotaging habits, you can easily spot them - and stop them - from distracting you from your success. Whether you create procrastination, overwhelm, emotional crisis, physical exhaustion, relationship drama - or a host of other common habits - you’re creating self-sabotage. Achieving your goals becomes a lot easier when you can spot troublesome habits, and consciously and quickly get yourself back on track. Tip #4: Get Clear on the Why When you get clear on why you’re working on any particular task, you can intellectually grasp whether you really need to be doing it at all or having someone else do it. Ask yourself, “Why am I doing ___________________ (insert task)?” If your answer isn’t a good enough why, you know you shouldn’t be spending your valuable time on it. Tip #5: Chunk Like-Tasks Together Prep time and pre-task setup can eat up huge amounts of your time, so chunk like-tasks together. Another benefit to chunking? Reducing the “scatter-brain” effect. Multi-tasking and jumping between tasks reduces your brain’s ability to maintain focus, effectiveness and efficiency. Examples of chunking your time include: Listening to voicemail/returning important phone calls - reading emails/replying to urgent inquiries – making prospecting calls – seeing clients in your office – creating marketing materials - coordinating off-site meetings with other appointments/errands - etc. Along this same line of thinking, consider scheduling time to really prepare for the meeting on your calendar (5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes). Also, schedule time after your meeting to complete any actions you need to so you don’t have to try and remember them later in the day, two days later, or at the end of the week. Get things done and the move on to the next meeting with a clear head for tha

Have you found yourself in a revenue crunch with your business? Generating revenue - fast - is your first priority, but how can you do that when your marketing budget is small or nonexistent. At one time or another, every business owner has stumbled across this same challenge. The challenge being, how do you boost revenue when you have none to spend? Making money doesn’t always take money. These 4 Bootstrapping Marketing Ideas will help you to boost revenue, fast. Bootstrap Marketing Tip #1: Reach Out To Past Clients We’ve all heard the business adage: attaining the business of new clients far outweighs the cost (expenses, time, and effort) of attaining repeat business of existing clients. Reaching out to past clients via phone or email is one of the fastest ways to boost revenue easily. Action: Pick up the phone. Call your past clients and remind them you are here to help them in whatever way you can. You don’t need to hard-sell…just extend a genuine offer of service that you think will benefit them in their business and/or life. Bootstrap Marketing Tip #2: Create a Solution This is the time to get back to the basics: How can you solve your clients’ problem(s)? Identify their biggest point of pain or challenge - and create a solution. Bootstrap Marketing Tip #3: Everyone Loves a Sale Everyone loves to save money; to feel like they are receiving even more value than what they are spending. To boost revenue, offer a 10% - 20% discount on services or programs, while offering deeper discounts (25% - 50%) on passive income items like products. Action: When designed properly, sales will not sacrifice your profits. Generally speaking, offer minimal or moderate discounts (10% - 20%) on high-cost items like services and programs, while offering deeper discounts (25% - 50%) on passive income items like books, ebooks and other strictly passive income items. Make sure to have the sale for a specific period of time to get people to act quickly to get the ‘deal’ before it ends. Bootstrap Marketing Tip #4: Leverage Free Networking Resources Of all business challenges, leveraging the right resources at the right time is an endless refining process. Action: You never know where your next client will come from. Instead of worrying about being “sales-y” to the people in your personal life, approach connections with people as an opportunity to be of service. Genuinely engage in conversations without being pushy. Find out how you can help them - and be a good listener. Take the “sale” out of it…build the relationship first. Relationships are key to a successful business... Remember, you don’t always have to spend money to make money. There are thousands of ways you can market your services without spending a dime - these are just a few examples. Above all, keep in mind that marketing is a 24/7, 365 days per year part of running your own business. One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is stopping the marketing process once they find clients. The key must be to market continually, even when you have clients, so you don’t find yourself backed into a corner, so to speak. You are as much a marketer, as you are a business owner. You must get over being shy or reluctant about talking about your business. Get off the ‘rollercoaster ride’ and smooth out your revenue stream so it is a consistent incoming flow of ‘green.’ My hope for our time together is that you got value and an idea or two that will help you be even more successful – personally and professionally. If you get value from these Podcasts, please take a minute to leave us a short review. Go to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/Achieve.Your.Goals.Free.Gifts.Now/ and get 3 FREE gifts including a special report on 10 Power Tips for Getting Focused, Organized, and Achieving Your Goals Now. Join the Silver Inner Circle (IT’S FREE) and receive 10% off on all products and services in addition to having access to many assessments and complimentary resources so you ca

Have you found yourself in a revenue crunch with your business? Generating revenue - fast - is your first priority, but how can you do that when your marketing budget is small or nonexistent. At one time or another, every business owner has stumbled across this same challenge. The challenge being, how do you boost revenue when you have none to spend? Making money doesn’t always take money. These 4 Bootstrapping Marketing Ideas will help you to boost revenue, fast. Bootstrap Marketing Tip #1: Reach Out To Past Clients We’ve all heard the business adage: attaining the business of new clients far outweighs the cost (expenses, time, and effort) of attaining repeat business of existing clients. Reaching out to past clients via phone or email is one of the fastest ways to boost revenue easily. Action: Pick up the phone. Call your past clients and remind them you are here to help them in whatever way you can. You don’t need to hard-sell…just extend a genuine offer of service that you think will benefit them in their business and/or life. Bootstrap Marketing Tip #2: Create a Solution This is the time to get back to the basics: How can you solve your clients’ problem(s)? Identify their biggest point of pain or challenge - and create a solution. Bootstrap Marketing Tip #3: Everyone Loves a Sale Everyone loves to save money; to feel like they are receiving even more value than what they are spending. To boost revenue, offer a 10% - 20% discount on services or programs, while offering deeper discounts (25% - 50%) on passive income items like products. Action: When designed properly, sales will not sacrifice your profits. Generally speaking, offer minimal or moderate discounts (10% - 20%) on high-cost items like services and programs, while offering deeper discounts (25% - 50%) on passive income items like books, ebooks and other strictly passive income items. Make sure to have the sale for a specific period of time to get people to act quickly to get the ‘deal’ before it ends. Bootstrap Marketing Tip #4: Leverage Free Networking Resources Of all business challenges, leveraging the right resources at the right time is an endless refining process. Action: You never know where your next client will come from. Instead of worrying about being “sales-y” to the people in your personal life, approach connections with people as an opportunity to be of service. Genuinely engage in conversations without being pushy. Find out how you can help them - and be a good listener. Take the “sale” out of it…build the relationship first. Relationships are key to a successful business... Remember, you don’t always have to spend money to make money. There are thousands of ways you can market your services without spending a dime - these are just a few examples. Above all, keep in mind that marketing is a 24/7, 365 days per year part of running your own business. One of the biggest mistakes business owners make is stopping the marketing process once they find clients. The key must be to market continually, even when you have clients, so you don’t find yourself backed into a corner, so to speak. You are as much a marketer, as you are a business owner. You must get over being shy or reluctant about talking about your business. Get off the ‘rollercoaster ride’ and smooth out your revenue stream so it is a consistent incoming flow of ‘green.’ My hope for our time together is that you got value and an idea or two that will help you be even more successful – personally and professionally. If you get value from these Podcasts, please take a minute to leave us a short review. Go to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/Achieve.Your.Goals.Free.Gifts.Now/ and get 3 FREE gifts including a special report on 10 Power Tips for Getting Focused, Organized, and Achieving Your Goals Now. Join the Silver Inner Circle (IT’S FREE) and receive 10% off on all products and services in addition to having access to many assessments and complimentary resources so you ca

You set goals, yet you don’t achieve them. Time and time again you find yourself stopping midway between the start and finish lines. You start off running out of the gate, enthused and driven to make a difference this time, but each time, something derails you from sticking to the game plan. It’s the classic paradox of Dreamer vs. Doer. As you know, my Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule (https://www.accountabilitycoach.com/excuses-dont-count-results-rule-book/) philosophy is the basis for my coaching business because excuses are never the real reason you stop short of your goals. No, the real reason is something entirely different. So, what’s the real reason behind all those excuses you make? You are simply not willing to do what it takes to achieve your goals. You just don’t want what you say you want badly enough to actually do what it takes. This is the real reason, and the only thing, stopping you from achieving your goals. Plain and simple. Commitment is what separates the dreamer from the doer. No matter what the nature of the excuse is the only reason you stop short of achieving your goal is because the desire to do whatever it takes to achieve the goal isn’t strong enough. In other words - you don’t want it bad enough to commit to being a doer. If you’re tired of start-stop goal setting, here are some tips for helping you understand the reasons behind not wanting it bad enough: The Payoff Isn’t High Enough Sometimes the payoff (future benefit) of goal achievement isn’t enough to maintain your motivation in the now. That last mile....that last lap…that last squat… another phone call to a prospect… it can be challenging to find the motivation from the payoff - especially when it isn’t high enough. Your payoff should be so enticing that there is no question in your mind that you are sticking to your game plan. No questions, no excuses. You desire that payoff so deeply that you will to do whatever it takes to achieve your goal. Just being willing to do something doesn’t mean you will actually do it. Flip The Payoff/Pain Coin If you simply cannot find a future payoff worth your commitment or high desire, flip the coin and focus on the current pain of remaining where you are. You can bet that at some point you will have to do what you don’t feel like doing in order to get where you want to go. It is in those crucial moments where you must decide if you desire to remain a dreamer and become a doer. Whatever is not motivating you - flip the coin and focus on the contrasting factor. Payoff or Pain? Choose the motivating factor that helps you move from dreamer to doer. Your Current Pain Isn’t Great Enough Perhaps you stop yourself from achieving your goals because your current pain is simply not great enough. The idea of achieving the goal incites your interest, but not your commitment. The end result sounds nice, and if you could wave a magic wand without having to do the work, you gladly would; but you’re not so bad off. Here’s how the internal conversation plays out: I’d like to lose those last 10 lbs., but I feel okay about my body the way it is. I’ll starting worrying about when my pants quick fitting. Sure, I’d like more clients, but that means more calls, more times I have to ask for referrals, more networking, and more marketing - time and money I don’t have. I’m getting by - I guess I’m doing okay. It’s not so bad here. Do you want to be here - in this same place – tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, three years from now? Do you want to continue the start-stop game of self-sabotage? Do you want to negotiate your happiness? Or do you finally want to get on with it? Going from a dreamer to a doer isn’t always cut-and-dry. It’s up to you to become your own best motivator by paying attention to how you’re feeling and leveraging it. If you’re currently motivated by the positive feelings of a future payoff - go with it. On the other hand, if you’re current motivation is the displeasure of a

You set goals, yet you don’t achieve them. Time and time again you find yourself stopping midway between the start and finish lines. You start off running out of the gate, enthused and driven to make a difference this time, but each time, something derails you from sticking to the game plan. It’s the classic paradox of Dreamer vs. Doer. As you know, my Excuses Don’t Count; Results Rule (https://www.accountabilitycoach.com/excuses-dont-count-results-rule-book/) philosophy is the basis for my coaching business because excuses are never the real reason you stop short of your goals. No, the real reason is something entirely different. So, what’s the real reason behind all those excuses you make? You are simply not willing to do what it takes to achieve your goals. You just don’t want what you say you want badly enough to actually do what it takes. This is the real reason, and the only thing, stopping you from achieving your goals. Plain and simple. Commitment is what separates the dreamer from the doer. No matter what the nature of the excuse is the only reason you stop short of achieving your goal is because the desire to do whatever it takes to achieve the goal isn’t strong enough. In other words - you don’t want it bad enough to commit to being a doer. If you’re tired of start-stop goal setting, here are some tips for helping you understand the reasons behind not wanting it bad enough: The Payoff Isn’t High Enough Sometimes the payoff (future benefit) of goal achievement isn’t enough to maintain your motivation in the now. That last mile....that last lap…that last squat… another phone call to a prospect… it can be challenging to find the motivation from the payoff - especially when it isn’t high enough. Your payoff should be so enticing that there is no question in your mind that you are sticking to your game plan. No questions, no excuses. You desire that payoff so deeply that you will to do whatever it takes to achieve your goal. Just being willing to do something doesn’t mean you will actually do it. Flip The Payoff/Pain Coin If you simply cannot find a future payoff worth your commitment or high desire, flip the coin and focus on the current pain of remaining where you are. You can bet that at some point you will have to do what you don’t feel like doing in order to get where you want to go. It is in those crucial moments where you must decide if you desire to remain a dreamer and become a doer. Whatever is not motivating you - flip the coin and focus on the contrasting factor. Payoff or Pain? Choose the motivating factor that helps you move from dreamer to doer. Your Current Pain Isn’t Great Enough Perhaps you stop yourself from achieving your goals because your current pain is simply not great enough. The idea of achieving the goal incites your interest, but not your commitment. The end result sounds nice, and if you could wave a magic wand without having to do the work, you gladly would; but you’re not so bad off. Here’s how the internal conversation plays out: I’d like to lose those last 10 lbs., but I feel okay about my body the way it is. I’ll starting worrying about when my pants quick fitting. Sure, I’d like more clients, but that means more calls, more times I have to ask for referrals, more networking, and more marketing - time and money I don’t have. I’m getting by - I guess I’m doing okay. It’s not so bad here. Do you want to be here - in this same place – tomorrow, next week, next month, next year, three years from now? Do you want to continue the start-stop game of self-sabotage? Do you want to negotiate your happiness? Or do you finally want to get on with it? Going from a dreamer to a doer isn’t always cut-and-dry. It’s up to you to become your own best motivator by paying attention to how you’re feeling and leveraging it. If you’re currently motivated by the positive feelings of a future payoff - go with it. On the other hand, if you’re current motivation is the displeasure of a