soartosucessmagazine.com SOARTOSUCCESS November2022 Magazine Drawbacks ofOferinga HybridWorkplace HowtoBuild Credibility withanAudience 8Steps forBeter Engagement
PAT ALTVATER Being Grateful For Your Manifestations Elite Experts Network AFP Marketing PatAltvater.com I love to discuss gratitude because I believe it is our perfect expression! According to the late, Wayne Dyer, “The nature of gratitude helps dispel the idea that we do not have enough, that we will never have enough, and that we ourselves are not enough.” To practice an attitude of gratitude and generosity consider: 1. Being thankful and avoiding complaining as much as possible. When you hear yourself complaining about a situation or person, stop yourself and instead become a love finder (instead of a fault finder). 2. Becoming a person willing to tell others how much you appreciate them. Practice with your family as well as strangers. Say something appreciative to the overworked waitress who waits on you. 3. Beginning and ending each day with an expression of gratitude. At both of these times, take in a deep breath and be grateful for your life and everyone in it. 4. Practicing generosity every day. This includes offering kindness, care, love and nurturing where it is needed as well as freely giving what is needed. Spend this month of Thanksgiving practicing gratitude and generosity.
Personal Growth Strategies SOAR to SUCCESS CONTENTS Magazine 04. 12. 16. 18. 14. 38. 36. 34. 32. 30. 21. 29. 22. 24. 26. 40. 42. Core Business Strategies Business Acceleration Strategies Drawbacks of Offering a Hybrid Workplace By Lisa Ryan How do we Scale Our Company Effectively? By Mark Allen Roberts Focus to Bring Clarity By Megan Patton How A Leader’s Network and Community Matter By Janet Kendall White Strategic Sales Systems By Diane Helbig 8 Steps for Better Engagement By Jack Klemeyer All I Want For The Holidays Are Record Sales! By Melanie Rembrandt Cash Management Tips for Small Businesses By James Fisher Why Your Business Continuity Plan Needs to Include Cloud By Jeanne DeWitt Book Recommendation Soar to Success With Speaking Podcast Patience – The Virtue of the Ages By Karen Cupp How to Build Credibility with an Audience By Pat Bennett Breathe Easier with Essential Oils By Heather Wiegering, PhD Our Favorite Videos Our Contributors Cover Feature: Mark Allen Roberts Helps Companies Soar to Success
Mark Allen Roberts Helps Companies Soar to Success Mark Allen Roberts has been helping his clients grow their sales and profitability for over 37 years. He found his passion early in his career while working with a small plastics company that had $4 million of annual sales, but with his help, it eventually sold for $300 million. “Growing a business is my passion. I want to help a business grow at 20%, or more annually. After working with me, a few companies have doubled their sales in 18 months. That’s the kind of company I like to work with.”
SOAR TO SUCCESS / Feature Article Mark has found that working with a CEO and their Senior Management Team to determine what their business needs to grow and become more profitable is an intriguing challenge. “Many times a company decides they are growing too slow, or may have just received an influx of capital from an outside investor and are looking to increase their overall scale of operations. They find they don’t have knowledgeable staff in-house to handle the immediate jump and are looking for the right individual to oversee the process. I have helped many companies in these types of situations and can prevent wasting time, money, and other resources.” Mark understands the various phases a company experiences. During the ‘Launch Phase’ a new business will solely be concerned about serving clients and is very product focused. In the ‘Sales Phase’ the business needs to increase sales, but also balance that with production and delivery capabilities. More attention to detail is necessary to keep everything in balance. “Systems and processes must be put into place to document efficiency and effectiveness.”
Once sales and production have been scaled up the company begins to focus on the ‘Profitability Phase.’ To assure a profitable operation every area must be examined and evaluated. Systems must be in place to continually evaluate every aspect of the business from production, quality control, sales performance and employee evaluations. “Plus, during the ‘Profitability Phase’ the company may launch a new product and start the whole process over again.” Mark is currently working with a new client that is looking to expand internationally. “We have taken more of a diagnostic approach with a current client. We first asked, ‘Where are we? What’s the current state? What is the direction and vision for the company? Why do they want to go there?’ Once we understand these answers and the “Why,” we can digest the data and help them make an informed decision, then develop a plan.” Once the plan is in place it is normal for a company to train current employees for new tasks, or to hire additional staff to fill critical roles. Adequately training people for new roles, or assuring new employees fit the company’s culture is another hurdle to cross.
SOAR TO SUCCESS / Feature Article Outsourcing extra staffing needs can be a valuable tool for business today. Over the years Mark has developed working relationships with other entrepreneurs for social media engagement, video marketing, and assessment data to accurately project market data that can help a client grow without adding additional staffing costs. When the pandemic presented new challenges to train employees, virtual sessions became the new norm. “During COVID, I was concerned because everyone was working remotely, and no one wanted strangers in their building. I quickly researched virtual training via Zoom and other programs to keep my clients’ businesses on track.” Mark was able to convert many training courses to a virtual format. The classes involve student/teacher interaction and have been created to improve retention. He was able to use his proven training methods virtually and never lose a beat. “We found that people really enjoyed the virtual training. I was able to ask questions and they were able to reply and ask me questions just like we were in a live setting. We were able to transfer knowledge and work together. I could assign homework
and build a sales playbook without actually being in the same room.” Mark likes to train a company’s sales staff to become trusted advisors. He helps them discover what problems a client may be facing and find solutions to those problems. “Managers today don’t want to be force fed a bunch of product features. They want answers to questions that they are actually facing, plus find ways to increase their bottom lines.” Mark helps his client’s create a ‘Sales Playbook,’ that results in salesmen spending less time on the history of their company and product information, while spending more time demonstrating the value proposition of engaging their company, thus creating real value. Mark has even created talking points to easily start a conversation with discovery questions to demonstrate competence and build trust. He also teaches qualifying questions to identify the decision maker and who has the control of the budget to buy your products. “Our ‘Playbook’ features several digital assets that can be used for business development efforts to help current employees, as well as new hires.” Mark has found the value of asking good questions, during the sales process demonstrates competence and builds trust. “What I have found is that CEO’s and managers want business consultants, not salespeople. When you’re one of those, the sales process becomes much easier.” Becoming a ‘Trusted Advisor’ takes more time and effort than just trying to make a sale. Mark has created courses that teach this process and help salespeople to become an advisor and not just someone trying to make a sale. “It involves a completely different way of doing business. You have to understand
SOAR TO SUCCESS / Feature Article your customer and how they make money, plus you have to understand how your products can impact that client and make their business more profitable.” Mark has found that even with a sound plan in place, managers fail to execute that plan in some cases. So, he has now partnered with a company that wrote the book Scaling Up. He is able to provide his clients with a system and process, a framework per se, so that once a plan has been created, it has built in accountability to make sure things get done. He is able to continue to work with senior management of a company to continually evaluate systems and processes to assure the company’s team is staying on target. Another area Mark keys on when evaluating a company’s performance is the competence of the Sales Management Team. In many circumstances sales managers were promoted because they excelled as salespeople, but top salesmen don’t always make the best managers. Using a performance-based software system, sales managers can be evaluated using real data, then trained to improve their weaknesses. Mark also travels around the country speaking to business conferences and corporate meetings. A current favorite topic of planners is how to recession proof a company. A tip from his presentation to recession proof your company, is to do voice of customer research right now. Are your customers happy, if they’re not happy, understand why. What are they buying from someone else that they could buy from you? Right now, the best time and money spent is selling more to your existing accounts. Even after 30 years Mark is still excited to wake up every morning and dive into helping his clients become more profitable and achieve their goals. He has two grandchildren with a third on the way that he loves to spend time with. In fact, he was able to work in a trip to the pumpkin patch with them. He and his wife love to boat and travel. This year they were able to visit Sedona, Arizona and Savannah, Georgia. Being shut in during COVID he gained a few extra pounds and has recently begun a fitness program to shed the extra baggage. In fact, he wrote an article about what Karate taught him about making sales training stick. Read it
3 Keys to Soar to Success When Soar to Success asked Mark what three personality traits he found in most successful people, he said: 2 1 3 Curious “I like to ask the five Whys? When someone tells me something.” Serve Others “The easiest way to find success is to serve others and not focus only on what you want.” Passion “You must have passion for your business. You don’t have to be the smartest person in the room, but you must have a passion to work with others, collaborate and gain the strength from the group. None of us are as smart as all of us.” here. He also enjoys reading and tries to read at least two books per month, both business related and non-business. Check out Mark’s video series, Sales Science: Improving Sales Effectiveness Leveraging Data on Elite Experts Network. We thoroughly enjoyed our conversation with Mark; you can listen to the complete Podcast on iTunes or YouTube. To learn more about Mark’s business consultation and speaking visit his website and follow him on LinkedIN or give him a call at 330-413-8552.
Drawbacks of Offering a Hybrid Workplace By Lisa Ryan Removing the physical office boundaries, many employees thrived during the pandemic. This challenged the belief that the remote work environment decreases productivity and cannot produce as many results as office work. Many careers that in the past seemed impossible in a remote environment made it to fruition. However, businesses found that moving to a hybrid model may give them the best of both worlds between fully in-person and fully-remote. A hybrid workplace – one that gives employees the freedom to choose how often they work from home versus going into the office – has many benefits, including employee flexibility, expanded candidate pool, and increased profitability. But with all these positive outcomes, there are a few drawbacks you may want to consider before going full speed ahead. Decreased collaboration. When regularly working in the same space, employees have more opportunities for impromptu exchanges, quick decision-making, and on-demand meetings. A hybrid environment is more challenging because employees are separated from the day-to-day chatter. It may be more difficult to get people to
open up during virtual meetings and they may forget to share ideas they came up with during non-office times. Fewer client interactions. When clients don’t have in-person access to their reps, it can negatively impact the client r elationship. Although remote working, gives salespeople opportunities to call on the smaller accounts they may not have had the time to pursue in the past, there’s something special about the handshake (or fist bump) of an in-person meeting. Figuring out how to keep in touch with clients using different modes of communication may help. Less effective onboarding. New employees won’t have the opportunity to experience “a day in the life” with their coworkers. It also makes it more difficult for them to ask questions and learn their jobs effectively, thereby slowing their SOAR TO SUCCESS / Business Acceleration Strategies career progression. You need to devote MORE time to onboarding in a virtual environment and find creative ways for new employees to interact with their colleagues. Also, in a hybrid environment, employees may not be working the same days and shifts, so they may lose out on some of the quality time with their peers. Flexibility in the workplace is no longer a “nice to have,” in many cases, it’s an expectation. Despite the drawbacks, in today’s new workplace, leaders will need to find creative ways to attract and retain their industry’s top talent and offering a hybrid option can help. By making collaboration resources available, having “office hours” to meet with clients, and making sure new employees are taken care of, you can successfully use the hybrid workforce models to introduce new, costeffective ways to boost employee engagement and productivity.
H o w A Leader’s Network and Community Matter By Janet Kendall White In many business and entrepreneurship programs, the topic of community and/or networking come up and are taught as key components of success. “It’s not what you know but whom you know”. How important is it for all leaders? Just like it can make or break a business owner, the same holds true for leaders that are employees in organizations. In last month’s Soar to Success article, I shared how entrepreneurial mindsets are critical for leaders. Community, developing a network is one of those mindsets. I am not sure where I would be without a couple of the communities that I am part of. Some of them last a chapter of a person’s life and some of them our lifetime. As a leader who are you allowing to influence you? Be your sounding board? Be there when you need a shoulder or hand up? Be your advocate for the next position? Network plays a critical role: • In a leader’s progression – connecting with and learning from people who have been where you want to go • In a leader’s development - content experts both in soft skills and technical skills and people willing to hold the mirror up that care more about where you want to go than concern of loss of the relationship • In a leader’s support – people you can lean on and let your guard down with • In a leader’s mobility – An advocate in your organization that will speak on your behalf and has more influence than you do
SOAR TO SUCCESS / Business Acceleration Strategies network. You may have plenty of time to seek out people and try and make connections but sometimes it happens suddenly. Just like an athlete, law enforcement, military or emergency personnel needs to practice, practice and practice prior to the event, the emergency, or situation where their skills are needed, so holds true for developing your network. You can’t do it overnight. It takes investment of your time, energy, skill, and heart to develop a valuable network. The time to start is now regardless of your situation. It is good to continually take stock and add it to our annual and quarterly goals. Take stock of current state and compare that to where you want it to be and develop plans. It may be in our personal situations that we have let that network stagnate or it may be professionally. Both are important and we will need them at some point. For a free consult on how to audit and build your network and community reach out to janet@berkshiregroupinc. com It’s important to constantly be growing, nurturing, and maintaining both an Internal and external network. The time to start is early and then don’t stop throughout your life. It’s important to constantly be growing, nurturing, and maintaining both an Internal and external network. The time to start is early and then don’t stop throughout your life. Most of us learn the hard way that when we are comfortable, happy and think that we have a solid network, we realize that we have stopped developing community in certain areas. Sometimes change happens to us and at other times we realize that it is time to change our businesses or positions and we find ourselves needing that
This is a question I often hear from frustrated business owners, CEOs, and senior leaders. How do we Scale Our Company Effectively? The company leaders had their off-site 3-day meeting and came back excited with a new plan and strategy. This will be the year we scale our company…. but fast forward sixmonths, no one is executing the strategy, and the results your team planned have not been delivered. What went wrong? …and more importantly, what can be done to design and deliver a business plan that scales the company and increases shareholder value? Scaling and profitably growing your business is not easy. It’s hard work, and that’s why so many plans as well as new businesses fail. How do we Scale Our Company Effectively? Here are some statistics for you to consider… Six of ten US adults are thinking about starting a business at any time. Here’s what happens: -- 20% fail the first year -- 30% fail year two -- 50% fail by year five -- 70% fail by year ten From my experience, Scaling Up your organization will be based on four key focus areas. People Strategy Execution Cash As we have discussed in the past, nothing in my no-smoke-and-mirrors approach to growing By Mark Allen Roberts
SOAR TO SUCCESS / Business Acceleration Strategies companies profitably is all that complicated. We have a fantastic assessment instrument that is like running anMRI on the health of your business. We often need to expand on the four p’s… People – do we have the right people in the right roles and skills? Who are the top 25 relationships we need to be successful? Pivot – what do we have? What should we rebuild, build, or tune-up? Process – here, we strive for relentless repeatability. We focus on our top 7-9 processes and nail them to over 10 X our productivity. Price – Cash is king, and the one P that impacts cash most is price. The sad reality is we often spend a great deal of time understanding our costs, but when it comes to price, we wing it. It’s time we leverage our transaction data and strategically price our products and services based on the value they deliver to maximize our cash. When companies get it right, they profitably scale their companies and significantly increase shareholder value. Would you like to run an MRI on the health of your business and diagnose strengths and discover weaknesses in scaling your business? Reach out on email to schedule your free business health assessment, and then we will discover how we can position your team to scale positively.
Now more than ever, there are a lot of things that compete for your time and attention as a business owner. Given our current environment, it is easy to lose focus on the growth goals that keep a company going strong. So how do we first find, then hold onto a focus that will move us forward?Many business owners struggle with this question! When we try and focus on a multitude of things at one time, we often fall into the trap of not being able to really focus on anything at all. There are a lot of distractions that go on in any company, and it is easy to spend all of your time putting out fires, chasing orders or dealing with production issues. Before you know it, much of the year has passed! So howdo you find focus? Or re-gain focus after tumultuous events have turned everything upside down? Ask yourself – what is the ONE major thing you need to do in order to By Megan Patton Focus to Bring Clarity
see success this year? Is it a certain revenue number? Landing a specific customer? Adding a product or service line? Once you have that vision in mind, write it down. Share it with your team. Determine what has to happen to get to that point. What are the things you’ll need to be measuring on a regular basis to determine if you are on track? What will you need to do differently in order to get the work done? What smaller projects need to be accomplished in order to hit your goal? Determine what those steps are, assign them to the right people, and set up SOAR TO SUCCESS / Business Acceleration Strategies we’ll have to tackle? Training needs? Hiring needs? Think though each of these and assign responsibilities and accountability checkpoints. 4) Finally, commit to monthly check-ins. Have everyone who is tracking results come together once a month for an official check-in to monitor progress – solve problems and celebrate successes. Following those four steps will really help you find and hold your focus. an accountability system. Holding focus happens when it becomes ingrained in a company’s culture. There are four simple steps here: 1) Determine your goal – write it down, share it with your team 2) Figure out what needs to be tracked to get to the goal – what numbers will we need to stay on top of to know if we’re on track? Who will do the tracking? 3) What work needs to be done in order to find success? Are there projects
SOAR TO SUCCESS / Book Recommendation Force of Habit: Unleash Your Power by Developing Great Habits By Tamsin Astor, PhD Dr. Tamsin Astor has this to say about her book: “This is a little tool book, giving you some key insights into the main self-care tools and habits that, if you work to put them into place, will make your life more pleasurable and will create freedom from that feeling that you’re never enough, that there’s never enough time in the day to do all the things you want and need to do!” I couldn’t agree more. Plus, it’s a bonus that she writes in a quirky, fun tone that makes it enjoyable to read. I also am especially a fan of books based on research and Force of Habit, certainly is. We all know how difficult it is to change our behavior and one of my favorite concepts in the book is to sandwich in a newbehavior between two already ingrained habits. Take meditation, for example,…which after reading this book, you can’t ignore thepositivebenefitsachievedbyregular meditation…Tamsin suggests that we fit in meditation, if it’s not already a daily habit, between brushing our teeth and making our bed (assuming that those things are naturally done every day without giving them much thought). I started today, I’ll let you know how it goes. I highly encourage you to read Tamsin’s book; it’s a wake-up call, with instructions for how to shift so that we can more fully live in our power. One final quote from Tamsin: “What you do every day adds up to how you live your weeks, your months, your years –your entire life.” By Pat Altvater About the Author Tamsin Astor, PhD helps busy people organize themselves so they have time for what they want and need and time for fun! Tamsin is a native Londoner who moved to the USA in 2002 for a big adventure and never left. Three kids, six homes, a divorce, a child’s cancer diagnosis and two States later, she is a resident of the divine and gritty and musically-resplendent and gastronomically-fantastic and weather-challenged Cleveland, OH. Tamsin loves livemusic, self-care, black chocolate, nourishing rituals, freshly baked bread, long hugs, dark roast coffee and adding stamps to her passport and experiences to her heart and mind. She has a unique take on life - blending Eastern and Western traditions, a PhD in Neuroscience, Psychology, Executive Coaching Certifications with Yoga (E-RYT500), Yoga Healthy Coaching, Ayurveda and Meditation.
Patience – The Virtue of the Ages By Karen Cupp One thing that high performance leaders have in common is that they consciously embraced the philosophy that their success comes in the long game. Great discoveries, inventions, successful companies are the result of patience, self-discipline and consistent efforts that compound. The key component to this all is patience! Such an easy word to say yet it requires a shift in mindset that takes dare I say…. patience. There are four tools that will help you make patience your friend. • Patience originates in self-trust. Leaders who believe in the long game trust in themselves that they have the ability to figure things out. They adopt more of a curious attitude that says, “while I don’t have it all now, I have the ability to learn and grow.” Curious learners are actually energized and challenged by the unknowns.
SOAR TO SUCCESS / Personal Growth Strategies • Patience comes from perspective not perfection. Having a vision and journeying toward the success of this vision requires being ok that you do not have all the facts, knowledge and tools. Through trial, error and reflection that they learn better ways to their craft. • Positive habits – believing in the compound effect. Tomaster your craft means you are willing to be persistent and consistent in your practice. In the business of being a realtor communication is far more important than merely knowing the forms. Practicing communication skills means you will create scripts with a desired outcome and practice them until you can communicate with ease. As I wrote in my last article on pacing yourself it is important to develop a wellrounded regimen of work, creation, rest and play in order to bring success. Notice it is not just working at the work until you get the answer. The answer might be found outside as you take a walk and free your mind. • Surrounding yourself with a peer group that plays in the long game. We always hear that we reflect the five closest people that we are around. I have found that while sitting at the mastermind table with others I will begin to listen to the very advice I was supposed to hear for myself. To find a group like this takes clarity. Think about someone who you know that exhibits a calm assuredness. Normally they have the clarity to knowwhat they want and are willing to stay the course until they get it. The law of attraction says if you are clear about the people you want in your life that they will appear. Give these four tools a try to shift your mindset and develop patience. With patience and these tools, you will look back and realize that not only did you achieve your goal, but you also had fun along the way.
How to Build Credibility with an Audience By Pat Bennett credibility n. The quality of something capable of being believed or relied upon or that is worthy of confidence. See also veracity. (Webster’sNewWorldCollege Dictionary). Based on Aristotle’s concept of ethos, speaker credibility can be defined as “the extent to which the audience believes you and your message.” In other words, speaker credibility comes from your audience, and is based on their perceptions of you. Your credibility as a speaker is so critical that if you don’t have it — if the audience doesn’t find you credible — you might as well stop speaking. “Credibility, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. For any number of reasons, consciously and unconsciously, people decide whether and how much they trust you. They often make snap judgments based on first impressions, which they then seek to confirm or to revise (mostly to confirm) after further experience.”
SOAR TO SUCCESS / Personal Growth Strategies Christopher Witt, Los Angeles based executive speech coach. In the realm of public speaking, the message is inseparable from the messenger. If audiences don’t trustyou, theywon’t listentoyou.Thehard truth is that your audience will begin to judge you before you even have a chance to introduce yourself. First impressions are an opportunity to make or break your presentation. To gain your audience’s trust, simply preparing a good speech is not enough; it helps to prepare yourself. How do you prepare yourself to make a strong first impression? Fortunately, public speakers can rely on a set of general guidelines to put their best foot forward and establish credibility in a variety of situations. What can you do to boost and maintain public speaking credibility? • Dress appropriately for the audience. Keep your attire simple and professional. • Introduce yourself by name, title and area of expertise. Surprising how many people forget to do this. • Maintain eye contact. Look directly at your audience to maintain a connection. • Speak with confidence, clarity and enthusiasm. Confidence is contagious! • Present your credentials without arrogance. Audiences trust people who prove that other people value their expertise. • Reveal a personal connection; why does this topic matter to you and how has it affected you? • Use evidence that your audience finds credible. Facts, figures, respected authorities, charts and graphs, anecdotes andpersonal testimonials—they all convey differing degrees of credibility to differing audiences. Evidence that is conclusive to one audience may be dubious to another. • Think of your presentation as a way of benefiting them. Show them how your idea–your initiative, proposal, project, product, service–will help them solve a problem of theirs or help them achieve a goal that matters to them. • Be the embodiment of your message. You are the message. Everything about you (your character, knowledge, experience, values) and how you present yourself (your voice, your gestures, your facial expressions) will reinforce your credibility if and only if they are in alignment with what you’re saying. Treat the audience the way they would like to be treated is also crucial to building credibility. To gain your audience’s trust, simply preparing a good speech is not enough; it helps to prepare yourself.”
Breathe Easier with Essential Oils & Natural Cleaning By Heather McKinney Wiegering, PhD Respiratory distress really impacts one’s health. Having personally grown up with asthma, recurrent bronchitis and a wide variety of allergies, I can relate. Many people mistake respiratory distress for other health concerns, including fatigue, loss of appetite, indigestion, severe weight loss and headaches. Ask a health care professional to check your respiratory system, if you experience these. Naturally, youmayhelpsupport your respiratory system by adding essential oils into your home. Diffusing essential oils is an excellent way for the majority of people to take proactive steps to decrease toxins, increase air quality and support healthier respiratory function. Natural cleaning with essential oils can also help improve your respiratory system and breathing. Cleaning with home-made, DIY, essential oil-based sprays, instead of toxic and harsh chemicals, helps me experience a tremendous change in my own respiratory health and overall well-being. You can too. Come try my top 3 essential oils for RESPIRATORY SUPPORT: Breathe, Eucalyptus and Lime. 1. Breathe – Respiratory Blend • Maintains feelings of clear airways and easy breathing • Promotes a restful night’s sleep • Helps minimize the effects of seasonal threats Possible Uses: • Diffuse, inhale directly from palms, or rub on chest or feet when seasonal and environmental threats are high. • Use when outdoors to minimize the effects of seasonal threats. • Diffuseatbedtime forarestful environment. 2. Eucalyptus • Eucalyptus has purifying properties that can EH EHQHĆFLDO IRU WKH VNLQ DQG IRU FOHDQVLQJ SOAR TO SUCCESS / October 2018 / Personal Growth Strategies
Brittany Anderson Brittany Anderson is the President of a top wealth planning firm, Sweet Financial Partners in Southern Minnesota, an influential speaker, and an author. She has spoken on stages across the US, helping people to pursue futures they didn’t know were possible. Her insights have been featured in national media outlets such as HuffPost and Women Inc. Brittany is also Co-founder of Dare to Dream Enterprises. Her team works with clients to find out what they really want from their retirement and ultimately help them fulfill their “Dreams.” Brittany has authored two books on the subject. One of her books is titled, “Dare to Dream.” Her newest book, “Dream Architecture: Build a Retirement Beyond What’s Possible” was just released in June 2022, both were created alongside the founder of Sweet Financial, Bryan Sweet. To contact her, or to find out more visit: https:// www.sweetfinancial.com/ Connect with her on LinkedIn: https://www. linkedin.com/in/brittany-anderson/ Brittany Anderson has cracked the code on using speaking to attract clients, without directly selling to them. In our podcast, she discusses how she finds speaking engagements by partnering with people who also serve their niche market. Her insights on how to present an offer, indirectly, during the speaking engagement as well as how to follow-up and stand out are powerful tips for anyone using speaking to grow their business. I especially like how the follow-up her firm does following a speaking engagement could include a combination of emails, calls and even gifts. This podcast is full of information…way more than we could cover here. Be sure to tune in. You can either watch on YouTube or listen to the podcast on iTunes or other places where podcasts are found. SOAR TO SUCCESS / Reinvention Uncensored Brittany Anderson Shares Strategies To Obtain Speaking Engagements and Much More / Soar to Success Podcast
Large-scale natural disasters occur each year, most recently with the historically destructive Hurricane Ian. At any point, there are a myriad of conditions that are out of control for you and your business. Even outside of natural disasters, mistakes and unanticipated issues can and will bring your client’s technology down. In turn, productivity is brought to a grinding halt. As an MSP, you must act as the trusted advisor your clients need – it’s time to stop acting reactively and plan ahead for the unexpected. MSPs NEED A Reliable Business Continuity Plan Downtime tanks your profitability and trust with clients – that’s a fact. We both know that it’s impossible to control everything as an MSP, but you CAN plan ahead to the best of your abilities with a defined Business Continuity Plan. By Jeanne DeWitt Why Your Business Continuity Plan Needs to Include Cloud When disaster strikes, your clients must be prepared with plans that account for all types of conditions. This means their systems need to keep running with access to their data, applications, and equipment from an alternative location if necessary. The most dangerous way you can think is that disaster won’t strike your MSP in any capacity. This line of thinking will lead to you being blindsided when disaster does inevitably occur – a business continuity plan will have your next steps already planned out. How The Cloud Can Help As an MSP, it’s up to you to make sure business continuity planning is top-of-mind with your client BEFORE something happens. The cloud allows your client to stay operational, even in the case they’re unable to come into the office or equipment within the office is damaged due to an unanticipated event. This keeps your
clients happy and engaged with your MSP since they haven’t experienced downtime and you haven’t cost them any profit. SOAR TO SUCCESS / Core Business Strategies Cloud Services for MSPs has been in the MSP space before. We know it’s all about keeping up with market demand and making sure your clients are prepared to handle any situation. A strong business continuity plan supplemented by cloud ensures there is little to no downtime when the efficiency of your client’s operations is threatened. If you want to continue the conversation or have any questions, please give us a call at (866) 833-8836. Let’s discuss how your MSP can take advantage of the latest in cloud technology to better serve your clients and prepare them for the unexpected. Additionally, the cloud allows for faster backups of data, applications, and even entire operating systems to a remote data center. This further eliminates the risk of costly downtime due to a natural disaster of some kind. Stay One Step Ahead Far too many businesses put business continuity planning on the backseat because they have other initiatives happening – from upgrading outdated hardware to embracing new software and everything in between. Believe us: don’t fall into this trap.
Cash Management Tips for Small Businesses By Jim Fisher, CPA/PFS, CTC Cash flow is the lifeblood of every small business, but many business owners underestimate just how vital managing cash flow is to their business’s success. In fact, a healthy cash flow is more important than your business’s ability to deliver its goods and services. While that might seem counterintuitive, consider this: if you fail to satisfy a customer and lose that customer’s business, you can always work harder to please the next customer. If you fail to have enough cash to pay your suppliers, creditors, or employees, you are out of business. What is Cash Flow? Cash flow, simply defined, is the movement of money in and out of your business; these movements are called inflow and outflow. Inflows for your business primarily come from the sale of goods or services to your customers but keep in mind that inflow only occurs when you make a cash sale or collect on receivables. It is the cash that counts! Other examples of cash inflows are borrowed funds, income derived from sales of assets, and investment income from interest.
Outflows for your business are generally the result of paying expenses. Examples of cash outflows include paying employee wages, purchasing inventory or raw materials, purchasing fixed assets, operating costs, paying back loans, and paying taxes. A tax and accounting professional is the best person to help you learn how your cash flow statement works. He or she can prepare your cash flow statement and explain where the numbers come from. If you need help, don’t hesitate to call. Cash Flow versus Profit While they might seem similar, profit and cash flow are two entirely different concepts, each with entirely different results. The concept of profit is somewhat broadandonly looks at income and expenses over a certain period, say a fiscal quarter. Profit is a useful figure for calculating your taxes and reporting to the IRS. Cash flow, on the other hand, is a more dynamic tool focusing on the day-to-day operations of a business owner. It is concerned with the movement of money in and out of a business. But more important, it is concerned with the times at which the movement of the money takes place. In theory, even profitable companies can go bankrupt. It would take a lot of negligence and total disregard for cash flow, but it is possible. Consider how the difference between profit and cash flow relate to your business. Example: If your retail business bought a $1,000 item and turned around to sell it for $2,000, then you have made a $1,000 profit. But what if the buyer of the item is slow to pay his or her bill, and sixmonthspassbeforeyoucollectontheaccount? Your retail business may still show a profit, but what about the bills it has to pay during that sixmonth period? You may not have the cash to pay SOAR TO SUCCESS / Core Business Strategies the bills despite the profits you earned on the sale. Furthermore, this cash flow gap may cause you to miss other profit opportunities, damage your credit rating, and force you to take out loans and create debt. If this mistake is repeated enough times, you may go bankrupt. Analyzing your Cash Flow The sooner you learn how to manage your cash flow, the better your chances of survival. Furthermore, you will be able to protect your company’s short-term reputation as well as position it for long-term success. Need Help? Without adequate funds to cover day-to-day expenses, your business could fail. Why take that chance? If you need help analyzing and managing your cash flow more effectively, please call and speak to a tax professional who can help. Come back next month when we discuss analyzing your cash flow in detail. Copyright © 2022 All materials contained in this document are protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. All other trade names, trademarks, registered trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners. Any accounting, business or tax advice contained in this communication, including attachments and enclosures, is not intended as a thorough, in-depth analysis of specific issues, nor a substitute for a formal opinion, nor is it sufficient to avoid tax-related penalties. If desired, we would be pleased to perform the requisite research and provide you with a detailed written analysis. Such an engagement may be the subject of a separate engagement letter that would define the scope and limits of the desired consultation services.
Are you asking Santa for record sales this holiday season? Well, you are not alone as many retailers are dealing with repercussions from the pandemic, supply chain issues, inflation, and more. But you’re in luck! “Holiday retail sales are likely to increase between 4% and 6% in 2022, according to Deloitte’s annual holiday retail forecast,” per their announcement at https://www2.deloitte. com/us/en/pages/about-deloitte/articles/ press-releases/deloitte-holiday-retail-salesexpected-increase-seven-to-nine-percent. html. This is good news for sales in the weeks ahead, but only if you get to work right away! To start, here are… All I Want For The Holidays Are Record Sales! 3 Quick Tips To Boost Year-End Results By Melanie Rembrandt 3 Quick Tips to Boost Holiday Sales Now! 1. Communicate with customers via the right medium. Yes, you are posting like crazy on your social mediavenues…but isthiswhereyourcustomers get their news and updates? Just because other vendors have great success posting regularly onFacebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc., it doesn’t mean that you will! Before you start any type of marketing, check to see where and when your targeted audience members like to receive information. For example, will your customer simply ignore and delete your electronic messages?
You may discover that an “old school” postcard (yes, via snail mail) produces a dramatic increase in store traffic AND online sales. 2. Offer something unique. Once you know how to reach your customers, what kind of offer can you provide that no one else can? In addition to special discounts, exclusive sales, in-store freebie gifts, and more, think about special giveaways, teaming up with complementary vendors and charities, having a local celebrity make an appearance at a store event, and more. Be creative and also let the media know what you are doing! Not only will you boost buzz about your products and services at no cost, but you’ll create an excitement people will want to share with others that your competition can’t touch! 3. Stop and check results along the way. Once you start your new marketing and public relations’ efforts, review the results. If something isn’t working, you can make changes before you spend too much time, money and effort on it. If you see that your offers are increasing sales, expand on this as much as possible with additional communications, events and other activities with the same messaging. SOAR TO SUCCESS / Core Business Strategies Great Holiday Sales Await! Dreaming of fantastic sales by year-end? Act now! Discover what your customers want and when and how to reach them. Then, be creative and activate unique offers that will spread positive word-of-mouth and excitement. Check your activities along the way to ensure you are getting results within your budget and make changes as needed. Keep moving forward with your successful messaging, andbefore you know it, your holiday sales wishes will come true! Dreaming of fantastic sales by year-end? Act now!
Engagement, is this column really about getting engaged? Absolutely! Engaged with your customers! “Why?” you might ask. My rhyming answer… “When your customers are engaged, they buy! It’s just that simple. The more your customers engage, the more they buy.” Remember there are only four ways to grow your business… • Get more clients – usually the most difficult and the most expensive. • Get your existing customers to buymore – ancillary sales to the original sale, up sales and cross sales. Steps for Better Engagement By Jack Klemeyer 8
• Get your customers to buy more often – from annually to monthly or some version of increased frequency. • And the fourth… to improve on any of the aforementioned ways. Between now and the end of the year there are many special days and holidays you can incorporate into your marketing and messaging. To discover the special days, go to NationalToday. comand explore… there are a ton! Here are eight secrets to getting your customers engaged in your business. • Hold a holiday open house and invite your customers to attend. • Publish and send an e-zine or paper newsletter, you can never over communicate. • Have an interactive on-line presence and be sure to monitor the activity and respond to their posts. • Use a survey either by mail, e-mail or instore and tell your customers about it. Ask for their preferences and favorites. • Make it easy for them to do business with you. Make sure to not make any assumptions that they “know what to do!” • Tell you customers what you can do, not what you can’t do in a polite way before they ask. Remember, an ounce of framing is worth a pound of cure. • Keep an ear open for their “pains” and all the many ways that you can solve or help lessen their problems and put their fears at ease. • Tell your customers that you want to hear from them and that you sincerely appreciate them and the business they do with you. Let’s talk about the eight simple secrets… When you commit to a schedule to publish an e-zine or SOAR TO SUCCESS / Core Business Strategies paper newsletter, stay with the schedule you’ve committed to doing. Once you deviate from the schedule the impact of your consistency will diminish fast. John Maxwell says, “Consistency compounds.” You should have an interactive on-line presence especially on social media. At the very least you should set up a “Google Alert” for your name, the name of your business, and possibly the name of your main products. Your customers are talking about you whether you think they are or not. I assure you, they are! Have a place where your customers can talk and if they complain, respond appropriately. A Facebook Fan Page is a start for on-line presence. When it comes to social interaction, author and online guru Gary Vaynerchuk says in his bestselling book “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” and by that Gary means… serve, serve, serve and then ask for the sale. When dealing with customers never make assumptions that they know what to do or how to do something. Have a detailed plan, better in graphic form, to show them what you expect and how you expect it done. Tell your customers what you can do. If you happen to run out of a particular item, tell them the best alternative. Just remember, an engaged customer is a buying customer! Strategize with your employees or close associates and discover all the many ways you can engage your prospects and customers. Then discover how you can engage them more often. When you take the time to work on your business versus in your business, you will be the beneficiary of the effort. Now, go get engaged!
How do you handle a sales call? Do you pull out your slide deck and wow the prospect with all the bells and whistles of your product or service? How’s that working out for you? There IS a better, more effective way to sell. Selling is not about telling someone all about your product or service. Yet, this is the way all salespeople approach selling. They get the golden appointment with the prospect and then they talk, talk, talk. So often they leave the appointment feeling great but never get the prospect back on the phone! No kidding! Sales is about discovery and matching a solution to a problem. The only way you know if you have the right solution is if you are asking a Strategic Sales Systems By Diane Helbig ORW RI TXHVWLRQV 7RR PDQ\ SHRSOH DVVXPH WKH\ have the best solution and if they just explain it well enough, it’ll be a slam dunk! I suggest you look at things differently. First of all, until you get to know the prospect you don’t know if you even want to do business with WKHP 7KH\ PLJKW EH D GLIĆFXOW FOLHQW 7KHUH isn’t enough money in the world that can make that a good situation. Secondly, you don’t know whether you really have a good solution for them until you know their circumstance. They may seem like the perfect client – until you get to know them. Then you might discover that you can’t really help them. And that’s okay!
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Our Contributors Author, entrepreneur, IT expert and speaker, Jeanne DeWitt has over 30 years of IT experience helping businesses navigate their way through the ever changing world of technology. Starting CPU, Inc. back in 1986, along with her partner David Hood, she has now become an international, goto-source for expert advice in the IT Industry including Cloud Services, Infrastructure Security and Support, Cybersecurity, VoIP Phone Technologies, Enterprise Resource Planning and Business Continuity Planning. Connect with Jeanne at her website, Hire An IT Expert as well as on Diane Helbig is a business and leadership advisor and trainer, author, award-winning speaker, and podcast host. As president of Helbig Enterprises, Diane helps businesses and organizations operate more constructively and profitably. Diane’s no nonsense, straightforward approach cuts through the noise and allows her clients and training participants opportunities to realistically and enthusiastically implement the plans they devise. Diane is the author of Succeed Without Selling, Lemonade Stand Selling, and Expert Insights. She is the host of the Accelerate Your Business Growth podcast. Diane is a member of the Newsweek Expert Forum and NSBA Leadership Council. Connect with Diane at Helbig Enterprises and on Watch Jeanne’s Video Series Watch Diane’s Video Series Watch Tina’s Video Series Jeanne DeWitt Diane Helbig Tina began her career in public accounting in 1994 while earning her undergraduate degree from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. In July 2002, she spun off on her own, formed A.C.T. Services, obtained her Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license, and began building her business. Her practice has grown to greater than 1,200 clientele and over a dozen staff members. Tina is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and the Indiana CPA Society. Connect with CPA, Tina Moe, at A.C.T. Services and on Tina Moe Janet Kendall White is founder of Berkshire Group, Inc., a WBE and WOSB certified award-winning organization. Janet and Berkshire Group have been developing leaders, teams, boards, and organizations for more than two decades. Through strategic planning, group facilitation and one on one coaching Janet has a track record of success. She is a sought-after speaker and facilitator locally and nationally, has authored several training books and has been featured in Entrepreneur, Fortune and Bloomberg Business Week. Connect with Janet at Berkshire Group, Inc. and on Janet Kendall White Stella Nsong is the state director of the Ohio Elder Care Planning Council and the creator and care designer of the unique program called Assisted Living At Home. With over two decades of experience as a registered nurse, she practices as a certified professional geriatric care manager, elder care consultant and a certified Delay The Disease instructor. Stella is a bestselling author, speaker, trainer and health care columnist. In 1990, she won the Gold Medal for practical nursing in Georgia. Connect with Stella at StellaNsong. com and on Stella Nsong Melanie Rembrandt is an award-winning publicist, content strategist and speaker who helps overwhelmed entrepreneurs have more time to thrive! If you want to boost sales, awareness and credibility fast with an experienced, Fractional PR Director and a unique combination of targeted, SEO copywriting and public relations, get more information at Rembrandt Communications, https:// www.rembrandtwrites.com and on Melanie Rembrandt Watch Stella’s Video Series Mark Roberts is a senior level sales and marketing leader with over 35 years’ experience driving profitable sales growth in market leading organizations. He is the founder and president of OTB Sales where he helps clients diagnose and improve sales effectiveness and hire and develop their sales talent to improve sales results. Mark is an author, public speaker, sales trainer, sales strategist and sales coach and writes the popular business development blog, www. nosmokeandmirrors.com, ranked #1 in fixing sales problems. Connect with Mark at OTB Solutions, LLC and on Watch Mark’s Video Series Mark Roberts Author, entrepreneur, IT expert and speaker, Jeanne DeWitt has over 30 years of IT experience helping businesses navigate their way through the ever changing world of technology. Starting CPU, Inc. back in 1986, along with her partner David Hood, she has now become an international, go-tosource for expert advice in the IT Industry including Cloud Services, Infrastructure Security and Support, Cybersecurity, VoIP Ph ne Technologies, Enterprise Resour Planning and Busi ess Co tinuity Planning. Connect with Jeanne at her website, Hire An IT Expert as well as on James R Fisher, CPA/PFS, CTC, Wealth Creations Education and Tax Coach has a unique approach to helping people find money they are currently transferring away unknowingly and unnecessarily. His str tegy is to have a bigger impact on your financial future by h lping you avoid the wealth tra fer losses rather than speculating on the next winning investment. Jim specializes in empowering people to take control of their investment decisions, middle class family financial wealth creation and security and tax reduction strategies for small business owner . n ect with Jim Fisher at Fisher Wealth Creations and on Diane Helbig is a business and leadership advisor and trainer, author, award-winning speaker, and podcast host. As president of Helbig Enterprises, Diane helps businesses and organizations oper te more constructively and profi ably. Diane’s no nonsense, straightforward r ch cuts through the noise and allows her clients and training participants opportunities to realistically and enthusiastically implement the plans they devise. Diane is the author of Succeed Without Selling, Lemonade Stand Selling, and Expert Insights. She is the host of the Accelerate Your Business Growth podcast. Diane is a member of the Newsweek Expert Forum and NSBA Leadership Council. Connect with Diane at Helbig Enterprises and on Watch James’s Video Series Watch Diane’s Video Series Deb Jeanne DeWitt James R Fisher Diane Helbig Debra Reis is a nurs , teacher and uthor specializing in holistic health and supportive therapies. She is the director and an instructor for the Certification in Clinical Aromatherapy program for the Institute of Spiritual Healing & Aromatherapy and nationally known expert in the area of essential oils for cancer care. Deb is also a Nia Black Belt instructor with current research and recent publication in the area of Nia benefits for women with a breast cancer diagnosis. She is the ounder of the Supportiv Therapy Engagement Program STE ) to assist organ zations to implement and integrate supportive therapies into a patient treatment plan for better outcomes. Connect with Deb at DebraReis.com and on Debra Reis enda l White is founder and CEO of Berkshire Group, Inc., a WBE an WOSB certified, and award-win ing organization fo Everything DiSC® and The Five Behavior ™. For more than two decades Berkshire Group has helped organiz ions grow throu h strateg c planni g facilitation, leadership and culture d velopment and process mprovemen . Janet is soughtafter speaker f cilit tor locally and nationally and has een featured in Entrepreneur, Fortu e and Bloomberg Business Week. Would you like to experience more success in your professional or personal life? Reach out to Heather Wiegering, PhD to create personal tion plans to remove blocks, reach your goals and live the life of your dreams. For helpful tips, recipes, videos and mor , visit WellnessEssentials.Today. Also connect with her on Heather Wiegering The founder of Rembrandt Communications®, LLC, Melanie Rembrandt is an award-winning publicist and copywriter. Sh has helped thousands of entrepreneurs worldwide find more time to thrive via her articles in leading publications, presentations at Dan Kennedy’s No B.S., Rich Dad, AWAI, PINK, and many other events, and the “Simplify Your Business” podcast. Melanie has appeared on all of the major television networks and is the author of “Simple Publicity,” “Secrets of Becoming a Publicist” and “Danc Class Etiquette.” Not at her desk? You’ll probably find Melanie helping others, kickboxing, dancing, or scuba diving with sharks! Find out more at www.rembrandtwrites.com. Also connect with her on Watch Hea her Mark Roberts is a senior level sales and marketing leader with over 35 years’ experience driving profitable sales growth in market leading organizations. He is the founder and president of OTB Sales where he helps clients diagnose and improve sales effectiveness and hire and develop their sales talent to improve sales results. Mark is an author, public speaker, sales trainer, sales strategist and sales coach and writes the p pular business development blog, www. nosmokeandmirrors.com, ranked #1 in fixing sales problems. Connect with Mark at OTB Solutions, LLC and on Watch Mark’s Video Series Mark Roberts
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