Would you like to learn a simple skill to "skyrocket your business success?

Would you like more referrals? How about better referrals?

Read on for a key 7-step strategy that will help you get both more and higher quality referrals that are a better fit for you.

You've probably heard it before. To get more of what's working for you... do more of what's working. It seems almost too obvious but it's surprising how most of us miss this and instead keep trying to come up with something new. So the good news is... you don't need to reinvent the wheel to reap huge benefits :o).

So how do you figure out what's working when it's coming to referrals? Start tracking your results. One of my favorite sayings is "you can't manage what you don't measure." So start measuring your referral success by scheduling a coffee date with yourself and complete the following seven steps to get even better referral results.

1. Make a list of all your referrals

Start by making a list of all the referrals you've received in the past 3 - 6 months regardless of whether or not they resulted in any business. Make a note of which referrals you've received that did NOT turn into clients. This is a key step you don't want to miss

2. Consider how did you get those referrals?

Next, for each referral, record detailed information about who referred them. In addition, write down what follow up you did that may or may not have resulted in a sale.

3. Add the product and service(s)

List which products and services each referral purchased and the total value. Also note if they become repeat clients.

4. What do the successful referrals have in common?

Now go back over your lists of all referrals -- and look for a pattern. Look at the referrals who became clients as opposed to those who didn't. What seemed to have made the difference? Did they come from specific referral partners or referral sources? Were they looking for or purchased a specific product or service of yours?

5. What do the referrals who did not buy have in common?

Do the same for those referrals who did not end up buying. What happened? Was there a specific reason they did not buy? Were they looking for something else? Make a note of who referred them.

6. Which referrals became your ideal clients?

Now look back over the list of successful referrals and pick out those clients you'd consider as your ideal or best clients. What makes them different from your other successful referrals? Who referred them? Did they come through a specific referral source or were they referred by other clients?

7. Follow up with everyone who referred you

First of all, thank everyone for their referrals once again. You hopefully thanked them when you first got the referral! This time, though, also take time to give them some feedback on the outcome of the referral - even if the referral didn't turn into a client. This will give you the opportunity to share information that will help them find more and better fitting referrals in the future.

Taking time to work through this 7 step process helps you get clear about a few things:

1. How much business you're actually getting from referrals
2. Your success rate in closing referral business
3. Who's referring you and whether or not they understand enough about your business to do it successfully
4. Helps you build better referral relationships

As well, you may even get a better sense of who is your ideal customer - something that I find most biz owners often skip past!

Talk to you again soon

Yes, You Can Learn to Surf the Economic Wave When Everyone Else Is Getting Drowned

When the global financial crisis started to hit in mid-2007, everyone figured we’d just have to ride it out. The economy tends to move in cycles, after all.


But here we are in 2011, and you might have noticed that for many, times are still very tight.


Looking around, we have to recognize that we’re not just in another cycle — we’re in what some people call a “reset,” a basic shift in how money moves around.


That means that unless you have a trust fund, you’re going to need to take a hard look at how you make a living.


If you work for a company, there may be some big shifts behind the scenes that you can’t see yet.


If you run a business, your customers (or your customers’ customers) may be facing a lot of uncertainty — and it’s hard to sell in times of uncertainty.


The last five years have been a massive wave that’s swept over the world. That wave can cause destruction and misery … or you can learn to surf it. That’s what I want to talk about today.


Tough times create surprising opportunities


When times are tough, there are lots of people who need help.


And as it turns out, helping people is one of the strongest foundations you can build any business on.


That’s just as true for tiny part-time solo businesses as it is for giant Fortune 500 conglomerates. The trick is to find the right problems to solve, and then let the world know you’re here to solve them.


(We’re going to talk later in the series about ways you can identify the types of customer problems that you can build a great business on.)


Normal people are afraid of running a business right now


Fortunately, you’re not normal. (Neither am I.)


The normal human brain sees all of this uncertainty and risk, and thinks, Danger! Run away!


But if you can manage that fear, you start to notice some things.


The fact is, small businesses (including very tiny businesses) are going gangbusters right now. According to Inc. magazine, privately held startups (in every industry, not just tech) are where most of the new jobs are coming from … even while so many giant companies are laying people off in record numbers.


Yes, you can learn to ride the wave (if you’re strategic)


Learning to ride the wave instead of getting creamed isn’t just a matter of “feel the fear and do it anyway.”


You also have to be able to look at the situation clearly, and see where the points of opportunity are.


You don’t have to be some kind of Steve Jobs or Richard Branson, an entrepreneurial and marketing genius.


And you don’t have to risk losing it all. In fact, it’s a myth that the great entrepreneurs are huge risk-takers. In reality, they’re just the ones who see the hidden opportunities where everyone else just sees crisis and panic.


The foundation is always the same: Provide value


Every successful business is built on the same foundation — providing value in a way that resonates with their customers.


The luxury goods house Hermès provides value in the eyes of its customers when it sells a $96,000 crocodile handbag.


Apple provides value in the eyes of its customers with impeccable design and usability in everything they create, even though they’re virtually never the cheapest option.


(We’re going to talk more specifically about Apple in a later article as well, so stay tuned.)


Mcdonalds provides value in the eyes of its customers by delivering a break in a busy day, a consistent product, and the “third place” between home and work that was the driving vision for its CEO.


You may very well think people are foolish to buy from one (or all) of these companies. You may not see the value.


But you and I don’t get to decide what’s valuable. Customers do.


Good businesses know what their customers value today.


Great businesses know how they can deliver that value in an irreplaceable way. Their customers would never consider switching brands — because only their favorite can deliver the value they crave in the way they crave it.


What I want you to do this week


Think about what your customers value.


(If you don’t have any customers today, you can still do this exercise — just think about the kind of customer you want to work with.)


What does that person care about today? What’s difficult or painful? What’s so stressful they can’t sleep at night? What feels overwhelming, in this time when so many are overwhelmed? What’s changed for them in the past five years? In the past year?


Next week we’ll talk about how to take this essential of business — the customer who seeks an experience of value — and use it to discover a foundation we can build a business on.


Looking forward to seeing you there!


If you'd like to know more about my system for attracting more high-end clients, please join us for one of our workshops where I'll share details of this system. It's on Tuesday in PTA North or Wednesday in PTA East Click here and go to Events for more detail on specific workshops
http://ockertmoller.com//


Talk to you again soon

Tips to overcome your Fears and Really Start Building your Business

"Start by doing what's necessary. Then do what's possible. And suddenly you are doing the impossible." ~ St. Francis of Assisi

This quotation reveals a powerful promise. Let's face it, at some point in time almost everyone dreams of independence and of having the lifestyle and financial freedom to call your own shots, make your own choices, do what you want, when you want, with whom you want; and enjoy the personal fulfillment of knowing that you're valued and contribute in a significant and meaningful way to others, without being limited or constrained by a lack of money or suffering in an unrewarding job or unsatisfying vocation.

Many people dream of the independence and freedom of business ownership but most fail to realize that dream because of the fear of failure or the uncertainties and doubts they have about what's really possible for them. These (often subconscious) beliefs paralyze them and keep them from enjoying the abundantly and rewarding life available to them.

But the truth is that people do not fail at what they try because of a lack of, subject-knowledge, desire, commitment or a scarcity of effort. They fail because they do not command the key inner resources and disciplined success skills necessary to achieve what they desire.

Here are 5 simple things you can do right now that will automatically advance you significantly toward achieving all that is truly possible for you in life and business.

Begin with the end in mind -

Actor Ben Stein says "the indispensible first step to getting what you want, is knowing what it is." And he's right! In order for you to achieve the success you seek, you will need a clear and unambiguous mental image of exactly what success means to you in 7 different areas of life: Business or vocation, Money and finance, Personal Relationship, Health and fitness, Recreation and fun, Personal growth and Community contribution. Whatever business you decide to build must serve your heart's desire in all 7 of these areas. If not, no matter how much money you make, you will not experience it as success.

Take the time to create a list of the success accomplishments you intend for each of these important aspects of life. Record them on paper in declarative affirmations. Review them at least once every day.

Focus your most powerful mental energy on your strengths -

Each of us has strengths, talents and skills of a particular kind or in particular areas. None of us are good at everything. It is clear that when you are in a position to focus your energy where you are most talented and capable, the likelihood of increases dramatically. Failing to do this has disastrous consequences. Because you would be focused in areas you are less skillful, the quality of the work will not be what it must be, the results will suffer and your business will falter.

Take the time to identify your individual strengths. Confirm your perspective with others who know you. And organize the majority of your focus and activities around them.

Do the RIGHT research before you begin -

One of the principle reasons business ventures fail is because the founder failed to do the right research before they began. Some-one had a brilliant sounding idea, got a few others excited about it and went to work investing in and building a product. Most of these end up as solutions looking for a problem. I can tell you from personal experience, there is nothing more difficult than creating demand for a product that does not solve a problem or dissatisfaction people care about solving.

If you have an idea for a product, invest the time necessary to clearly identify and articulate the problem your product is intended to address. Is it a mild annoyance, a problem of some importance or something that needs and urgent solution? Then thoroughly characterize who has the problem and how important it is for them to solve. Then verify with a representative sample of prospects to learn how they would go about making the decision to invest in your product.

This will allow you to quantify the time, money and effort involved and accurately calibrate your expectations of a return, BEFORE you sink some or all of your life savings in the idea. If an idea doesn't pan out during the research phase, no problem. You'll still have plenty of time and money left to try another.

Plan your work and work your plan -

Having an action plan is one of the easiest ways to overcome fear and uncertainty. Start simple. Read through the list of intentions you created for all 7 of the success categories you defined previously. For each, list 3 simple 1-step actions or activities you can complete immediately to advance you in the accomplishment of that goal. Estimate the amount of time it will take to complete the task and dedicate a corresponding block of time on your calendar.

Now all you have to do is what your calendar instructions you to do and you'll be making steady progress to enjoying the accomplishment and success you desire. Then repeat the process each and every day and you'll have everything you expect and deserve in no time at all.

GO FOR IT - What are you waiting for?

The right time to come along to start a business? I am here to tell you, the right time is now. Follow these simple steps, trust yourself and your vision, develop the skills necessary to make the right decisions and take the right actions, overcome your fear and uncertainty about starting the business you have always dreamed of and suddenly you will be doing (what today seems like) the impossible. You can start now by visiting one of our business group coaching sessions on relevant business building techniques in an area near you. Drop us an email ockert@icon.co.za and we’ll send you the detail

Talk to you again soon :--

Myth 1: All it takes to run a successful company is common sense

The biggest myth about business is that all it takes to run a successful company is common sense. “How hard can it be?” you might ask. The truth is that many of the characteristics of successful businesses run contrary to what common sense might dictate.

While many people dream of being their own boss, setting their own hours, and raking in money, the truth is that most people don’t create a business – they create a glorified job for themselves. The problem is – if you are your business, you don’t have a business but the worst job in the world. Let me explain …

Michael Gerber first wrote about this in his seminal book, The E-Myth Revisited, which talks about how many small-business owners become workaholics chained to their business. Most small businesses are started by “technicians” – people who love and are good at doing a particular task (i.e. musicians, bakers, lawyers, computer programmers, designers, etc.). When these “technicians” start their own businesses, they continue to focus on doing work they are skilled at, while ignoring the fundamental tenets of business. They never set real business goals for themselves. They hate marketing and sales. And they aren’t good at managing their finances or delegating work to employees, outsourcers, or partners. They may do these things because they must, but they do them reluctantly.

As time wears on, these technicians fall into the following cycle:

• they realize they need customers and clients so they do a bunch of marketing
• they get a few projects and quickly focus their attention back to being “technicians”
• as they finish up their projects, they realize they don’t have any work coming in, so they again return to marketing

The cycle repeats itself and leaves the technician burnt out, often living paycheck-to-paycheck and never knowing where their next client will come from. During the times they have a few client projects, they find themselves overworked and understaffed, but because they aren’t good at money management, they find themselves too cash-strapped to hire people to help them. Often, they may come to hate the work they do.

In order to break out of this cycle, every business owner must initially see themselves in, and set time aside for, three roles: the technician (who produces the product or services the client), the manager (who manages operations and finances), and the entrepreneur (who sets goals and keeps the business on track). Eventually, the goal is to hire employees, virtual assistants, and partners to fill these roles and take some of the burden off the small-business owner.

Myth 2: Your business serves you.

Most small-business owners go into business for the lifestyle. They want to work less, have flexible schedules, make more money, etc. The truth is that if you want to create this type of lifestyle, or even create an asset you can sell or pass on to your children, you must expand the business beyond a one-person shop. Doing this takes hard work.

Raising a child. As an infant, your business needs a lot of care and guidance from you. You’ll likely put in long hours marketing and selling your products and services, serving your customers, generating income, managing expenses, finding people to hire, and dealing with bookkeeping, legal issues, and taxes.

Like a child, as your business grows, it will require less effort on your part. You’ll have put in place people to tend to the daily operations, systems to automate common practices, and marketing that you’ve tested to generate measurable results. The bigger the business becomes, the easier it will be for you to step out of the day-to-day grind and take on a management role. Usually, at this stage, you’re able to achieve some of your lifestyle goals (you can take vacations, you’re making good money even when you aren’t working, etc.) – but the business now no longer serves you. It’s beyond you and has taken on a life and purpose of its own – and now it has become a sellable asset.

Myth 3: Selling means convincing customers to buy what you offer.

Pick up most sales books and you’ll find techniques for how to get people to buy what you are selling. Often, they use high pressure sales tactics that focus on you making money at the customer’s expense.

Instead of creating win-lose situations with customers, start with them. Ask your prospects and customers what their biggest problems, concerns and fears are – and then create a product or service that solves or alleviates those issues.

Myth 4: Your marketing materials must tell prospects who you are, what you do and what you’ve accomplished.

Most marketing materials focus on the company. They describe the company history, what products and services are offered, the company founders and staff, and awards won – details that aren’t remotely interesting your prospects and only serve to boost the ego of the business owner. These types of marketing materials are a waste of money and do nothing to sell your services.

Instead, the best marketing materials are written by putting yourself in your prospect’s shoes and asking: “If I was this person, what, specifically, would I be going through? Where would my biggest problem or pain lie? What would I be feeling?” The marketing piece would then be written to that person, describing in detail the problems he faces, the frustrations he feels, and finally, how to solve or alleviate those problems.

The truth is, your prospects don’t know or care about you. They are much more interested in their own problems and concerns and don’t have time to figure out if and how you can help them. When your marketing talks of specific problems they have and offers them a way to take steps immediately to relieve that pain, then you have their attention because you’ve demonstrated you understand what they’re going through.

Myth 5: You should focus on short-term results.

It’s human nature to want something as quickly, cheaply and easily as possible. We don’t like to delay gratification when we can have things now, so when we make a few sales or take on a few big clients, we’ve already spent the money in our heads.

Small businesses aren’t alone in this type of thinking. Wall Street is obsessed with quarterly reports. If large companies aren’t showing growth quarter after quarter, investors dump their stocks for more-lucrative investments.

The problem with short-term thinking is that it’s not always in line with your long-term goals. For instance, you may decide to take on a new client’s big project because of the short-term cash influx without weighing the amount of resources and work required to complete the project against other potential (and more lucrative) projects in the future.

Myth 6: You should pursue every opportunity that comes your way.

Trying to take advantage of every opportunity that comes your way is a recipe for failure. The more projects you get involved with, the less resources you have to devote to each – which often means you end up with lots of half-done projects and no results to show for any of them.

Creating goals and a business strategy for your company requires that you determine upfront what types of opportunities you’ll pursue and turn down any opportunities that aren’t a good fit – despite whether they’ll be good in the short term.

Myth 7: Go with your gut.

Small-business owners are notorious for hiring people they “like” or pursuing opportunities because they have a “good feeling” about them. Often, these gut decisions lead to taking on more risk than your company needs to.

When hiring new people, make sure to check out references and do a thorough background check. Hire them on a short-term basis with the potential for long-term work and start them out with smaller projects to evaluate their working style and results.

When making decisions about which opportunities to pursue, find ways to test different options and make your decisions based on testing and data rather than your gut instinct or making an impulse purchase.

Myth 8: Do what everyone else is doing.

There’s a common perception that if other businesses like yours are doing something, you should be doing that, too. This is extremely common with advertising and marketing as companies feel if their competitors have a cool new feature on their web site, are sending out postcards, or are advertising in certain publications, they should be too because their competitors must know what they are doing.

Unfortunately, doing what every other company out there is doing is often like the blind leading the blind. Few companies base their marketing materials on their prospects’ needs (Myth 3) and even fewer companies test whether their marketing and advertising brings in consistent results. You’d most likely be more successful taking what everyone else is doing and doing the opposite.

As you can see, business often isn’t just common sense. To be successful, you must create long-term goals and make decisions based on those goals. You must pick projects and opportunities that are aligned with those goals, turn down projects and opportunities that aren’t aligned with long term goals, and focus your time and resources on high-priority tasks that will move you closer to achieving your goals.

Talk to you again soon