WHAT To Implement or Not to Implement---THAT is the Question!

I have always known that implementation is a huge factor in business success.

Whether it is implementing a new tool that I have learned at a conference, or buying software that supports my accounting process, I have to actually take action and implement that new tool for it to work. This could make or break a business. Not the software per say, but the implementation process! This is where I see many of my clients get stuck: at implementation. Rather than move forward they hit a wall and don’t implement anything at all!

Unfortunately, finding particular tools, processes, procedures and actions to move your business forward is not a one-size-fits-all proposition. I came to this thought today while I was in the gym working out. My workout was a dynamic mix of kicking the hanging boxing bag, walking lunges, various weightlifting exercises, balance, squats, and jumping rope. I added in a few other exercises, some I had learned many years ago, old favorites and others, were brand new that I have recently seen or been taught.

I designed my workout to suit me and my body! I created a plan consisting of different exercises and then implemented them! I did each exercise in a particular order to get the results I wanted. My goals were to create a work out that would get my heart rate up, build strength and endurance and move me toward my larger goal of overall health. I combined the new exercises I learned from my trainer Megan Butacan and exercises that are tried and true favorites to get the results I wanted. I did it my way!

The same goes for business; implementation is key! However, you have to implement what works for you and your business model. Some people run marathons, some people do yoga and some people do both. Running a successful business means discovering the strategies and models that work well for you. Not only do we have to find what we enjoy doing and combine that with the proper tools that will move us forward; I believe we should enjoy the journey as well!

Running a thriving business is about trying different strategies, tools, processes, procedures, marketing and sales strategies (I could go on forever) and then putting into practice what works for you. Are you asking yourself this question: “How long does it take to know what works?” Here is an answer that you may or may not like, but it is the truth: “It depends.”

Here are some things to think about that will help you to determine your own personal business strategies:

What product or service you offer? You have to know your client and your marketplace in order to really understand what strategies you need to implement. This takes research and part of your research will be in the form of research and trial and error. This also determines your sales cycle and that will affect the amount of time you need to see which tools work best.

What is your business model? Are you a coach? Do you manufacture a product? Do you have a restaurant? Each of these businesses will need a different approach. You will need to narrow down your choices and try things out to see what works for you.

What are your goals? How intricate or expansive are your goals. This will make a huge impact on the tools and strategies you choose to implement.

My point is that building a business is a process and a journey to be enjoyed. It is a combination of strategies, actions and energy that you pull from different sources and you put them together to create your own design for success. HAVE FUN on your journey. If you aren’t having fun, what’s the point? Don’t you want to love what you do every day? Isn’t that one of the reasons you chose the path you chose?

Define your idea of success and don’t forget to include happiness and joy in your definition. Implement the tools that work for you. You can easily accomplish this with the proper support, structure, and balanced energy! Keep implementing and moving forward and you will ‘arrive’ at your personal definition of success.

For more information on how I can support you visit www.essentialselling.com

Make Your Way the Highway to Success!

Building a successful business in these ever-changing times might be more of an innovative process than it used to be a few short years ago.

Following established business models; once the standard for building new businesses, is not always the best course of action. Today, it may take more creativity, drive, passion and endurance to build a highly profitable company than ever before. The door has swung wide open and building your business while staying true to your core beliefs can be your highway to success.

I just finished reading Tony Hsieh's book Delivering Happiness -- A Path To Profits, Passion, And Purpose. Tony is the CEO of Zappos.com. He helped grow the Company from almost nothing to over $1 billion in gross merchandise sales annually. Change is one of the core values of Zappos: "Embrace and Drive Change."

Tony put all his eggs into the Zappos basket while remaining true to his core beliefs. Instead of launching a huge advertising and marketing campaign; he invested all his money and time in three areas: customer service, the 'culture' of the company, and employee training and development. He literally built the Zappos brand by offering a "WOW experience."

"To live and deliver 'WOW'" was the Zappos mission. Tony's belief is that "WOW" means you have to be innovative and sometimes even unconventional. Go above and beyond what's expected. In 2009 Tony expanded the Zappos mission: "Zappos is about delivering happiness to the world." "Whatever you do, have an emotional impact on the receiver."

He knows his thinking is way outside the box. "There's a lot of buzz these days about 'social media' and 'integration marketing,'" he says in Delivering Happiness. "As unsexy and low-tech as it may sound, our belief is that the telephone is one of the best branding devices out there. You have the customer's undivided attention for five to ten minutes, and if you get the interaction right, what we've found is that the customer remembers the experience for a very long time and tells his or her friends about it".

Friendship will always lead you to something good. Tony says, "The more diverse your set of friends, the more likely you'll derive both personal and business benefits from friendships down the road". And what better way to connect with people than by being yourself and having one-on-one conversations with real people?

Reach beyond your 140 character status updates on Twitter and Facebook and pick up the phone. Make real connections with an open mind and with no agenda. You never know where or how you'll be led to an opportunity. I reached out to one of my Facebook friends, had a chat, met for coffee, and she led me here: to writing my blog on The Huffington Post.

Bart Greenhut and his wife, the founders of Bart's Bakery in Los Angeles, like Tony, are passionate about their mission and product: chocolate chip cookies. They are another example of a successful business built on a foundation of passion and integrity. According to Bart, "This venture is not about money--if a great cookie makes you smile, then in my small way, I've made the world a better place!" You don't hear that every day.

Their core belief is, "We strictly limit distribution & focus only on our quality & customers (you)... our mission is simple: to preserve a place in the world for untainted ideals, uncompromised quality, and the propagation of happiness."

Read the not so fine print on each of their cookie boxes : "Note: You will never see these cookies in any store that charges 'slotting' ... We believe that slotting fees cause the demise of many great products. We support only quality stores that respect the American virtue of fair competition!"

When a giant consumer products company offered to acquire Bart's Bakery, the Greenhuts walked away from the deal because it would have meant compromising the integrity of their product. The corporation told Bart that they would eventually put him out of business. Bart's Bakery embraced change, got creative and started private labeling.

Through their "Cookie Donation Program," Bart's Bakery sent cookies to Second Harvest Food Bank, for volunteers in the Louisiana Gulf Coast clean up. Their goal was to "help people smile during difficult times." A lot of hard working people enjoyed those delicious cookies. The unexpected bonus for Bart's was a Christmas order for 4000 boxes.

The Greenhuts and Tony Hsieh not only embrace change, they drive change. They lead by example, proof that you can build a successful company, large or small, grounded by your beliefs, your passions, and your integrity.

These are great times to make your way the highway to success!

How Are You Running?—Essential Thoughts For 2011

I went for a run this morning.

Today is one of those perfect-after-a-rain-clear-blue-sky days in Los Angeles. The ocean is blue blue blue and the wind strong. The visibility was amazing. The Santa Monica Mountains, the Ventura Mountains beyond them and my dreams were all right before my eyes.

I ran along the beach and made a left to run up my favorite hill. Today I went further than I normally go and I zigzagged the neighborhoods that overlooked the Pacific. I pushed, but I felt great and so it was easy to go beyond my normal limits. I kept running up, knowing, I would come down eventually and so could re-energize myself if I needed to on the downhill portion of my run. I didn’t worry about getting tired. If I got tired I knew I could keep going and focus on my goal of living healthy and living a vibrant life. That would push me forward!

When I started my run, I had the wind at my back and so I didn’t notice how strong the wind actually was. On my way back, my run got a lot harder!

This reminded me of what happens when we first get an idea…

When we first have an idea, the spark that flows into us, excites us. We are running with the wind at our backs because we are so excited about our new idea and all the possibilities. Everything seems easy and fun. That spark that ignites something deep within and we feel that fire in our belly!

I want to take action fast! I start writing so I can turn my idea into a vision. I list the possibilities, what my idea can become and what it will look like when it materializes into something real.

Sometimes the initial excitement and pure adrenaline we feel when we start on something life changing can lessen. Like a fire, you have to keep feeding it, but you have to give it space to breathe and become bigger. You just can’t keep piling logs onto it, if you do, it will most likely go out.

It is like running into the wind. It is challenging, but we can do it. We become overwhelmed with all that we need to do in order to create our dreams. We come up against an obstacle and we are running into the wind. We have three options: give up, keep going into the wind or change course.

Today, I kept going. I dug deep to remember my primary goal to be healthy and live a vibrant life. My secondary goal, my run, supported my primary goal. I kept running into the wind. That was my solution. I kept going with my goal, literally in sight. I didn’t have far to go though. I was able to focus on the beauty around me and move toward my goal step by step.

When we have a much longer run in front of us—a big dream—we don’t want the whole run to be into the wind. But, when the wind shifts we need to keep going. Simply change course. Make a shift that supports your final vision so that it isn’t a fight against the wind your whole journey.

In life and in business, we want the wind at our backs as much as possible. If everything is a struggle, look inside. Ask yourself some simple questions. What are you fighting against? What might you do differently? What adjustments can you make that will bring you the support you need?

When we lead with our hearts and believe in our dreams more than not we will be running toward them with the wind at our backs. We are meant to run this way, to be supported and joyful.

We may come across an obstacle or two, a naysayer, someone that doesn’t see your vision. Alter your course and keep the end destination—your dream--in sight. Move past an obstacle using creativity and strategic action; don’t listen to a naysayer, a non believer, YOU believe in yourself no matter what; if someone doesn’t see your vision, don’t force the issue, move on, the right people will see your vision!

As you move into 2011 I wish for you a fun run toward your vision with the wind at your back. May you feel and be supported each and every step of your run towards your dreams!

Happy New Year!

Taking Failure Off the Table--Really!

My father helped me get a summer job on a movie my first year in college.

I was excited to be working on a major motion picture and a little nervous. I wanted to be a success, not a failure! My Dad gave me some great advice. He said, "No matter what anyone asks you to do, just say yes, even if you don't know how to do something, say yes. Then go and learn what you need to learn to finish the job". I took this advice to heart.

On that movie set I learned what it meant to be solution-driven. I learned how to be creative and resourceful by focusing on solutions. On movie sets, there is only yes for an answer, it is all about finding a solution. Failure isn't even an option! Now, if I find myself presented with a challenging situation, I don't get discouraged or feel defeated. As long as I'm working toward my dream, I'm OK.

Most successful people know on some level that they're going to achieve their dreams. No matter how out of reach their dreams might seem, they take steps each day to move forward. If things don't go exactly as planned they still keep moving forward. Adapting this mindset will allow you to succeed in big ways. Failure is never the option; the only option is finding a workable solution.

That is what Allison Maslan, CEO of Blastoff Life and Business Coaching, did when she had an idea for coaching software: Blastation Interactive Goal Setting and Life Coaching Software. Allison wanted to create an online software experience for her clients. Rather than buy someone else's software, she developed her own. Although she didn't know the first thing about software development, she didn't let that stop her. Allison takes failure off the table. It is never one of her options, period.

Allison developed Blastation when she was unable to find adequate goal setting software to use with her coaching clients. "It's a lively software that helps keep you organized, optimistic and inspired so you can stay on track to make your dream life a reality".

This unique web-based software can be accessed anywhere there is an internet connection. "Blastation will help you to clarify and attain your large and small life dreams and visions in an exciting and stimulating way". The software enables users to break their goals down into easy-to-follow incremental steps, called 'Mini Feats', that allow bigger projects to be more easily achieved.

These steps are then posted on your personalized online Blastation Calendar to keep your personal and professional life organized. Allison thought of everything: Blastation can even send e-mails and host your online address book.

"If you are creating something new and you have a fear of failure, you can take a different approach. Whatever happens, whatever wall I hit, I just have to figure out a solution and then I can never fail, I just find a solution". Allison's right, when you shift your focus to finding a solution, you rewire your brain.

According to David Rock in his book Your Brain at Work, "unmet expectations often create a threat response" and the "brain is built to avoid threat, people tend to work hard to reinterpret events to meet their expectations". In other words, if we tell our brain something, it listens.

Look for solutions and adjust your expectations. David Rock recommends the following: "stay in a positive state of mind, find ways to keep coming out ahead of your expectations over and again, even in small ways". And maybe most importantly, "when a positive expectation is not being met, practice reappraising the situation".

Direct your brain's energy into finding solutions. Focus on learning new tools to support your goals. Explore new ideas and new ways of doing things. Allison's solution was simple: she reached out to an expert software designer.

Allison had an idea. She didn't know how to develop software, but she knew what she wanted and focused on that. She found a solution and her dream materialized in a big way: her software is used internationally! First say "yes" to yourself and your dreams, then take the necessary steps to achieve them. Allison's motto is, "keep your head pointing towards your dream, walk towards it daily and don't let anyone tell you it can't be done"!

With this kind of solution-driven attitude anything is possible.

As seen in The Huffington Post

Passion in Business: Moving Out of Your Head, Into Your Heart

When I left recruiting in 2008, I made a conscious effort to change the face of my business.

I spent thirteen years operating my executive search business from my “to do” list. There wasn’t enough room for inspiration, passion and heart. Wake up, go to the gym, get to the office, get on the phone, find the candidates, schedule the interview, prep the candidate, negotiate the salary, and close the deal. Do it again and again and again. Where is the passion in that?

My business was too much head and too little heart. Of course I had a heart and felt it when I couldn’t help a candidate, or they didn’t get the job they wanted. But my day to day was all form and structure. This leaked out into my personal life too, I needed structure there too and quite frankly didn’t know how to stop, slow down and relax. I wasn’t happy every day!

When I started my sales consulting business in 2008 I ran it the same way I ran my recruiting business: more form structure than true creativity. I was doing what I thought I was supposed to be doing. I had imagined somehow I would be happier. I thought I was following my heart.

I was following my heart, not leading with my heart.

I would work so hard that I would burn out and on those “burn out” days, out of sheer exhaustion I was forced to relax. I would leave the office and not think about where my next client was coming from. On these days, I was able to reconnect to my core mission. I began to be aware of the contribution I was meant to be making. Something amazing started happening. On these “burn out” days, I would literally attract my best clients. I noticed a pattern. The harder I pushed with my head, the more my clients went running for the hills. The more I focused on what I could do for others, the contribution I could make, the more clients would seek me out.


It was time to reconnect to my passion and my purpose. I needed to map out a new strategy for myself. I had to figure out what I wanted from my business, where I wanted to be and why. I didn’t want to forget the reasons I left recruiting and the contribution I wanted to make. I tapped into my passion and realized that I wasn’t moving toward my core mission, because I didn’t know what it was. I was still in my old corporate mindset and I wasn’t running my business, it was running me.

We hear it over and over, successful entrepreneurs follow their passion. They know what they want to do and why they want to do it. Every action they take is fueled by that drive, that fire in their belly, their reason for doing what they do.

Recently on Facebook, a video of Kevin Spacey from “Inside the Actor’s Studio” went viral. Its title: “Kevin Spacey—Motivational Speech”. He says, “The only prize is this one: what you feel and what you want to accomplish…to want and to be ambitious and to want to be successful is not enough; that is just desire…To know what you want and to understand why you are doing it…if you feel you have something to give…worth caring for, then there is nothing you can’t achieve”.

Kevin Spacey is absolutely right!

Now when I plan my day or my week or even my month, I plan from my heart. I make sure that everything I am doing lines up with my core mission, my beliefs about who I am and how I want to contribute to the world.

For me it was taking a leap of faith. It was about rewiring how I think, how I react and how I run my business. I still have structure, I always will and it is important for a thriving business to have some structure. I know what I want and mostly how I am going to get there, but I am not so inflexible as to close myself off from opportunity.

My strategic plan is all about heart and is based on my core mission. More than ever, my heart leads and my head follows. Opportunities appear to land in my lap with more ease and clients reach out to me more than ever. I am not saying to stop marketing, stop selling, stop accounting and operations. I am just suggesting you lead from a different place. See what changes for you when you are fully connected and operate from this place of remembering your passion and your purpose.

You know what I’ve discovered? I’m happy every day!

You can be happy every day too! I can help!!! www.essentialselling.com

10 Sales Tips That Can Help You Sell More---NOW!

We all sell.

We sell every day! Even when we aren’t “selling” our products or services, we sell. We spend time at networking events, on the phone, on Facebook, on Twitter, on LinkedIn building our network, our businesses and our brand.

It is never too late to improve your selling skills.

I wanted to offer some tips that you can implement immediately so that as you reach out at all the upcoming holiday networking events and parties, you can be even more successful than you already are!

Have a Sales Strategy
Like anything being built, a business needs a blueprint too! Your sales strategy is your blueprint for your selling success. It is the map you follow that guides you to your final destination: SUCCESS! It will ensure that you are focused and moving forward to achieve your goals.

Know Your Target Market
During your Sales Strategy Session you will define your ideal customer or your target market. If you don’t know what kind of plants you want to grow in your garden, you don’t know what kind of seeds to plant. First learn what you want in an ideal client; then do the research to determine what your ideal client wants from you! You can’t sell anything without understanding the person, group, or company you are selling to.

Schedule Time to Sell
Once you put your sales strategy together; then break it out into action steps to move you forward. Make a daily, weekly and even a monthly plan. Work your plan! When you work your plan you will reach your goals. Even if you only set aside one hour a day to make calls, set appointments and follow up, you will see some results. Consistency will move you forward and closer to your goals!

STOP TALKING
Yes, you have heard this many times before AND it bears repeating: “Don’t talk so much!” LISTEN. Really listen to your prospect as he/she speaks. (Take notes if you can). You will hear important clues that will guide you toward your sale. Selling isn’t telling your story, it is listening to theirs. Let them do most of the talking and you most of the listening!

Be Curious and HEAL THEIR PAIN
Selling isn’t pushing, it is a gentle pulling…pulling a thread of discovery. Be curious and ask questions to discover how you can work together and what your customer might need. You can’t solve their problem without knowing what it is. So ask questions that will get you the answers that uncover their pain and then you can heal it! That’s selling!

The Money shouldn’t be the Goal
At the end of your life, you won't care about being rich (you can’t take it with you), but you will want to be known as the best in your field. Make that the goal and the money will follow.

Attitude Attitude Attitude
It should be a good one! Don’t take the “NO” personally. Starbucks may be right across the street from Coffee Bean and they are both crowded. It is a “taste bud” thing. When someone says NO, we can ask why and learn, we can say “thank you” and ask for a referral, or just move on. Don’t worry your ideal client is there. He or she might just be across the street at the Starbucks, so continue on with a smile.

Relationship Relationship Relationship
I buy from people I like. Don’t you? So do your customers. People buy on emotion and back it up with intelligence. So you want to connect with your customer and be yourself. You are building a relationship. This might take one call or two or seven or more, but keep at it and your prospect will appreciate your efforts!

Show Value
Selling is a process and closing is part of the process. In this process you MUST show VALUE to your prospect. When you do finally quote a cost, remember to reiterate all the value your customer will get for their hard earned money. When you show value you are more likely to hear “yes”. You aren’t “closing” someone you are offering value and filling their need.

Have Fun
Remember that you have a core mission and part of this is sharing your knowledge, your value, your product and your service. So have fun! No matter what, this should all be fun and it can be! Selling is nothing more than learning about another person, being interested, curious, open, and honest and making someone’s day with a smile. So have fun and sell lots!

I hope that this has been helpful! If you need more, or have specific questions I am here to help and look forward to our collaboration!

Visit my website for more on how I can help you: www.essentialselling.com

Are You Thinking Big…Enough?

A few weeks ago I decided to really start saying “yes” to myself and with that I started stepping way outside of my comfort zone.

This led me to some really unique and exciting opportunities as well as another great question, “Am I thinking big enough?”

Before I could answer that loaded question, I felt a shift. You know, “shift happens” and sometimes it happens without a lot of effort. Things can change in your life just by asking yourself different types of questions.

All I did was ask this question and it somehow changed the way I think in general. My brain took over and answered the question quickly. You know what; the answer was “No”! Just by asking the question I had to rethink what I was doing in my business (and in turn my life). I had turned on the light in a dark room and unless I closed my eyes, I had to see what is in front of me. That was the truth of the answer “No”.

Instead of beat myself up for not dreaming as big as I could dream, I looked toward living an even bigger life. What I saw in front of me was a path opening up. Ideas began to flood my mind and I realized that there is so much more I can be doing! I took pen to paper and started writing at once.

I created a vision for my life that was so big; it almost seemed like a fairy tale. I kept writing. I turned off my very strong editing mechanism and wrote and wrote and wrote until my hand got tired.

I immediately started asking myself bigger questions. Like what can I do differently right now that will help me to think big? What can I offer my clients that is bigger than what I offer them now? Maybe people need more support, not just a five week course about how to sell, but maybe they need a 6 month program that offers them ongoing support, education, training, and fun! Maybe they need support in areas like their core mission, their value proposition, their strategy and how this will tie into their bigger picture and change their lives, as I am doing with mine!

Are You Asking Yourself Big Enough Questions?

If you want to learn how to think big, ask yourself big questions. Ask yourself questions that tap into your imagination and your dream life. Ask yourself the questions that might seem completely out of line or like a fantasy. Questions like, “What if I were interviewed by Oprah”? This may seem like a pipe dream as you ask yourself, but ask it anyway. Maybe just by asking yourself a question like this you plant a seed. You may never be interviewed by Oprah, but you just might end up on The Today Show. Do you have a favorite conference you attend every year? What if next year you were up on stage with the speakers that you admire rather than being an attendee? Who knows what a question like that could change for your business and in turn your life.

Your brain will naturally look to answer the big questions just as easily as it does the small questions, so why not focus on the big ones? Instead of worrying about why there is a traffic jam on your way to a meeting, let your brain answer something like, “How can this meeting be beneficial for all involved?” Let your brain be creative about how to really get the most out of a meeting or a conference or a networking event. You need to be able to focus on things that will make you expand your perspective and your life.

You know what else will most likely happen, the opportunities will show up as well. At least that is what has been happening for me. The bigger I think; the more actions I take and the more opportunities are presented to me. I also find I say “yes” a lot more to myself and those around me!

Commit to yourself now! Commit to living a big life and ask yourself some different questions. Commit to letting yourself feel a little bit uncomfortable for a few minutes. Just breathe through that bit of discomfort and remember that you are committed to expanding your comfort zone. So think big enough, or even bigger. See what unfolds when you start asking yourself the BIG questions. I bet the opportunities will come flooding in as quickly as the ideas!

The bigger our dreams the bigger the questions we ask ourselves and the bigger our lives.

Have fun being as big as you can be! I would love to hear your experiences, so please email me to share: Carolyn@essentialselling.com or visit my FB page to share your experiences. http://www.facebook.com/?ref=logo#!/essential.selling