The answer may be killing your profits and your passion.

As a business strategist I help business earn more and have more fun doing it.  How we do that varies for each client. Sometimes we expand into new markets or tweak how they talk about their offer. However, one thing nearly every client needs is greater clarity about where they should invest their time and capital for the greatest return.

Let’s face it, today there are thousands of options for growing your business. But in a hour of work time, what should you do?  You could write a blog, post in Facebook, answer emails, run a campaign, call a client, form a JV alliance, go to a networking event…AHHH… it can drive a person batty!

To help ease your pain and confusion, here are some tips for deciding the best use of your time for the highest return.

BEGIN WITH THE END IN MIND: You may think you have a clear vision for your business but do you really? Is it a written vision that includes both the right and left brain components? When I work with a client, we spend time clarifying the creative, feeling-aspect of your vision but we don’t stop there. We get super detailed around what must go with it – the sales figures you’ll hit, the team you’ll have, the marketing strategies you will implement and so on.

ESTABLISH REASONABLE BENCHMARKS: These are smaller goals that when completed, move you closer to your big vision. My studies show that 85% of entrepreneurs begin their month WITHOUT specific goals or a plan.
All I can say is… you can’t hit a target you can’t see!

CHOOSE THE RIGHT STRATEGIES: I see so many well-meaning entrepreneurs investing in programs, tools and information without really considering whether it’s appropriate for their plan or personality. Then they feel guilty when they don’t follow through. Give yourself a break – choose 3 to 4 strategies that are aligned with who you are and what you love. You’ll be more courageous, you’ll follow through and you’ll get much better results. I promise!

DESIGN YOUR WEEK: One of the tips my clients love is to ditch the Daily To Do List and move to a Weekly Action Plan. It gives you freedom, a longer range vision and allows you to be flexible and kind to yourself. What do you put on your Weekly Action Plan? Single steps that are born out of something I call a Freedom Plan. This is a simple document that outlines your main objectives for a specific period of time, identifies the strategies you’ll utilizes and specifies the steps you’ll take to get there. A Freedom Plan is freeing!

So there you have it… you need a clearly defined one year vision, specific monthly goals, 3-4 appropriate marketing strategies and a weekly plan of action. Add a great Business Coach (that would be me!) who guides and supports you in the implementation and watch the magic happen and the sales soar!
Click here to learn about coaching with Jane.

Business Growth, Business Vision, Marketing Innovation, Sales productivity, profit, prosperity, strategies

Humility, in its purest form, has been hailed in movies, honored in classrooms and preached from the pulpits. But what is it really? What is at the heart of humility? Look up humility on line and you’ll see it defined as the quality or condition of being humble; modest opinion or estimate of one’s own importance, rank, etc.

My view of humility comes from a deeper place based on my own personal experience. I believe when we stand in a place of humility we are in essence honoring the value and brilliance of others. Not just the ones we have put on the pedestal or who by rank, serve as our leaders and mentors – I’m talking about those behind the scenes as well.

I’m reminded by a beautiful quote by Mary Kay Ash that went something like this… “To be a leader we must honor the person who cleans the floors as much as we honor the person that owns the floors.” Doesn’t this pretty much sum it up? Is anyone really any more brilliant than the other? I think not.

However, humility can be an interesting thing when it comes time to market our services, ask for business and close the deal. To do this, we are holding ourselves up as the “keeper of the keys” to the answers and solutions they are looking for.  I know that it sometimes feels a little odd to hold myself up as an “expert or guru” despite the fact that I have evidence after evidence of the impact I can have on a personal business and personal life.  Thank goodness I have friends, a coach and many clients who remind me of the value I offer.  Their experience of my work nudges me to “step into my power” and let her rip! I write the blog (you are reading evidence of one now), I make the call, I extend the invitation to work with me – all from that place of remembering the valuable impact I have on others.  Sure, there is a little voice inside telling me “it’s not right to brag.”  I hear that, check to make sure I’m coming from the right place and then keep on keeping on!

I believe I’m not different from you! The landscape of my day may be different. I may be talking to different people and my list of things to do might involve different tasks, but aren’t we all looking for a way to express our value to others in a way that’s comfortable and effective?  Aren’t we all simply looking for a way to express the difference we know we can make? I get it and I’m with you!

So let this serve as a reminder to myself and you that if the ultimate goal is to create the life we truly want to live, we will need to stand in our greatness and do the stuff that sometimes scares us. But what’s a little discomfort today if it leads to having what we truly want tomorrow?

So I invite you to find a comfortable blend of humility and power. To honor the greatness in yourself as you see the greatness in others.  It’s from this place that we can use our talents for the greater good of all.

Business Growth, Marketing Innovation inspiration, marketing

It started off as a typical strategy call with me and the client quickly diving into the nuts and bolts of their business. Our goal was to uncover the missing links that were blocking this client from getting the sales they wanted from their marketing efforts. Like Sherlock Holmes, I got out my magnifying glass to see what I could see.

Eureka! What we found was actually quite typical of businesses who now find themselves struggling in this oh-so-interesting economy. What we discovered is that this business didn’t need an entire overhaul or a five-figure marketing budget. What they needed was a few small but significant shifts in their Four Pillars of Marketing. Read on…

The Four Pillars of Marketing™ is a tool I developed that serves as a starting point for my work with any small business. By looking here to make sure the foundation is strong, we can then start to build a formidable empire. The problem is most business owners never really took the time to lay this foundation. They were too busy “taking action”, never realizing they were building a house of cards.

So what are the Four Pillars of Marketing?

The MARKET: This is your ideal client that you are best equipped to serve. They want, need and are willing to pay for what you offer and are totally pleased when they invest in it.

The MESSAGE: These are the words and sound bites you use to describe the impact of your product or service in a way that speaks to your prospects’ pain and inspires them to take action and BUY.

The MODEL: This answers the question, “How will you bring in the cash?” It must be trend supported, manageable and diversified so that all your eggs are never in one basket.

The METHODS: This describes the three to four marketing avenues you will use to move through the three stages of marketing – visibility, credibility and profitability.

What my client really needed was a “Four Pillars Makeover” so we…

• Redefined her target market so she was reaching out to those most likely to act on her offer.
• Tweaked her marketing message so she connected with the pain her prospects were feeling.
• We diversified her revenue streams so she had more ways to bring in the cash.
• And… we had her focus on only three marketing avenues that fit her budget and expanded her network.

What’s the moral of the story? The Fundamentals NEVER fail! The challenge is that as entrepreneurs we can’t see the forest through the trees. We can’t see our own business objectively because we are knee deep in it every day! We can’t see when we are going for the wrong market or that our message isn’t inspiring action. We can’t see opportunities for revenues or creative ways to expand our market because frankly… we don’t know what we don’t know!

This is why I have always had a business coach of my own. How about you? Could you benefit from an informed third party’s take on your business? Find out where you can sheer up your Four Pillars of Marketing by taking the Business Innovation Quiz here: http://www.janedeuber.com/free-assessment. Then take advantage of this limited time offer for a Kick-Start Strategy Session with me! We’ll have a blast pinpointing what you can do to strengthen your Four Pillars of Marketing.

Business Growth, Business Vision productivity, progress, strategies

Usually when I pose this question I am using it to help a client more clearly define their ideal customer.  But that’s not the intent of my question today.  My question “Who does your business serve” is a check in for you regarding who you want your business to ultimately benefit.  Is it your customer, your employees, your creditors, or perhaps YOU?

Certainly… your business needs to serve your customers. I’m a huge proponent of making sure every coaching client has a crystal clear picture of their ideal customer and a game plan on how they will serve them. Without knowing who we serve and how we’ll do that we can’t possibly have a profitable, thriving business.

My invitation to you is to go deeper with the question, “Who does your business serve?” What is your life as an entrepreneur really like? Is it a never ending marathon moving from one item on your to do list to the next? How do you feel on the inside? Is there tightness in your chest or an uneasy feeling in your belly? How about your schedule? Is there time woven into each day for you – time to eat well, to exercise your body, to connect with your inner world and be with your loved ones or are you moving so fast that you miss the moments that make up an extraordinary life?

I ask this because I have had a business that served everyone BUT me. That business had all the signs of success – healthy revenues, national notoriety, successful teams and paychecks that afforded me a beautiful lifestyle. But behind the scenes I was in pain – working too much and sleeping too little. I spent too much time in front of my computer and not enough in nature or at the gym. I put client calls before talks with my loved ones and began my mornings answering emails rather than connecting with my higher power. The business clearly did not serve ME.

Thankfully, this time around I’ve gotten smarter. I now have a business that serves me as well as my customers, team and the bottom line. I start my days with a morning practice that keeps me clear and centered throughout the day. I get my butt to the gym or run to the beach at least five times a week. I schedule in time for myself, my loved ones and time for play. In essence – I have a business that leaves space for all of me.

What’s exciting is that the more my business serves ME, the more I show up in both my business and my personal life. I am productive, creative, focused and incredibly happy.

How about you? Do you need to make some adjustments in your business model so there is more room for you?  If yes, begin with a good hard look at the past two weeks of your life. If you found yourself crowded out by your never-ending list of emails, phone calls and obligations – it’s time for change and I would be honored to help.

Jane Deuber is an internationally known business strategist, best-selling author and highly sought speaker.  Jane has also served as a leader in the virtual training movement. Over the past four years Jane has helped over 3000 entrepreneurs experience higher profits and greater fulfillment. Let Jane show you how to create a business that serves YOU as well as the bottom line. Take Jane’s Business Innovation Quiz and find out if you are on the path to having a business that serves you. Email us at: support@janedeuber.com or call 831-375-6856.

Business Growth, Maintaining Mindset inspiration, prosperity

While I have the privilege of  serving all kinds of entrepreneurs through my coaching and training programs, one group I truly resonate with is made up of speakers, authors and trainers. I resonate with them because I am one of them. So I speak from experience when I say… How we are delivering our content to our clients when we are not face to face or belly to belly has to change!  The illusion that we can change a life through a CD, a PDF or a standalone webminar is an illusion. No, the next generation of delivering our content is an interactive, multi-media training platform that creates connection, inspires action and keeps students wanting more.
To get a free report entitled Turn Your Content Into Cash, visit the Virtual Training Academy.

I have taken over 3000 students through 12 life-changing courses using this innovative online training platform. So, in the interest of passing on to you the insider secrets I’ve gained along the way – here are some “must-haves” that you’ll want to have in your next online course in order to create change in your clients and profits for you.

1. Give Them A Starting Point To Measure From – One important way to keep participants engaged in your e-course is to help them recognize and measure their progress along the way.  I recommend you start with a series of pre-course assessment questions that provide a numerical representation of where they are with regard to your topic. This assessment provides motivation to keep taking the steps you suggest and provides evidence of their progress. Clients who can measure progress are more likely to stay in the game and tell others about their experience.

2. Find the Natural Rhythm of Your Material – When dividing your content into modules, it’s important to find the natural milestones or shifts your participant needs to make in order to experience personal transformation. Perhaps there is a foundation that needs to be laid around beliefs or mindset. If so, weave that process into your first module so they have a strong foundation to build on. Then, continue to look for the natural progression of growth that can be revealed throughout each subsequent module.

3. Give Them Your Best – Your first E-Learning Platform should be based on your most popular program – your signature content upon which your brand is built. By transforming your content into an ongoing, step-by-step experience we allow participants to settle into our message and gradually weave our strategies and the principles into their lives.

4. Begin With the End In Mind – As the saying goes, you can’t hit a target you can’t see.  So no matter what your topic, begin the program with a pre-course exercise that helps participants create a clear vision of where they want to end up after experiencing your course. From hitting a financial goal, defining their ideal weight, or identifying a personal dream they truly desire, you want participants to see and feel the results before they begin.  This keeps them focused on the end willing to do the action steps you outline for them.

Read more…

Business Growth, Business Vision productivity, profit, strategies

Here’s the truth… there is probably a line item missing from the expense column of your P&L that is arguably the most important investment you should be making during these times.

Yes, everyone is watching the bottom line closely these days. Today’s economic climate dictates that we carefully monitor what’s flowing in and what’s flowing out. But as you and I are called upon to up our game in all aspects of growing our businesses there is one investment we can’t afford to cut – the investment in ourselves via coaching.

“But coaching is a luxury” you may be saying. “What I need is strategy!”

Is that really true? How many strategies do you already know of and have not implemented? How many books and audio programs have you invested in and still not woven the suggestions they contain into your day to day business model?

The truth is, to take your business to the next level you need to focus on your ability to IMPLEMENT the strategies you already have on your plate! The money is in implementing the strategies you already know of to the best of your ability – PUT THEM ON STERIODS if you will. Because success in business is in ACTING on what you know, not just knowing.

Here’s my story… While I’m a business strategist who helps business owners select, implement and profit from utilizing the right strategies, what I was missing was a life coach that could guide and support me in my personal world. Since coaching with my coach, John Dulworth, my life and my business has been completely transformed. From losing 12 pounds and getting my body in better shape than when I was in college, to exploding my revenues by redefining my business model to be in alignment with my purpose, these shifts came from having a skilled life coach on my team.

You need two types of coaching: personal and business.

Business Coaching with a seasoned strategist is essential because they shorten the learning curve and enable you to make better decisions. Imagine having a wise sounding board with whom you can brainstorm strategies for reaching new markets, harnessing technology, building your team and optimizing your marketing dollars. These are all areas in which a business coach can make a positive and profitable difference.

Personal Coaching with a certified life coach is essential because, in the end, the success of your business is dependent upon YOU. Are you in the right place emotionally and mentally to take on all that comes from growing a business? Are you able to handle set backs or navigate a challenge with ease and confidence? Are you able to see things clearly so you can correct your course when you get off track? And more importantly, can you maintain your momentum and enthusiasm to do what needs to be done? This is what a life coach offers.

So stop being penny-wise and pound foolish and put this single most important line item onto your P&L. The result will be a happier YOU and a stronger BOTTOM LINE!

To get the support you need from a business strategist and a life coach all wrapped into one incredible 8 week business building program, click here: http://www.revenuerevolutioncourse.com. Join the Revenue Revolution!

Business Growth, Business Vision, Maintaining Mindset, Masterminding profit, progress, prosperity, strategies

I remember my “dog days” like they were yesterday… working long hours, achieving the goals, and bringing in revenue BUT leaving no time at all for ME.  This has been a recurring theme for business owners since the beginning of time. We love our businesses, our clients, the challenge, the excitement . . . but, at the end of the day, we are losing a piece of ourselves on the way to our dreams. This has got to stop!!!!

As I continue my personal evolution, as I described in an earlier blog post, I am delighted to discover that as I reconnect with ME, take care of my body, enhance my relationships and spend time doing the things I love, my worst nightmare is NOT coming true.  You see, somewhere in the back of my mind I carried a disempowering belief that if I took time for me the rest of my life – specifically my business – would suffer. But instead I’m attracting more clients, opportunities and revenue than ever before.

Think about that! As I create new daily habits, including waking to a practice that puts me “in the moment” and daily workouts that have allowed me to release unwanted pounds effortlessly – I am taking a stance for ME – feeling happier and healthier than ever before.

I love this because my experience personal fulfillment and business success these past months counters the prevailing belief in the world today that it isn’t possible to have both a profitable business and a fulfilling personal life. I’m LIVING PROOF that you can!

Not only CAN you have both – simultaneously – it is becoming my life’s mission to show other business owners how to make it happen! Toward that end, I held a tele-class Tuesday night, called the “Revenue Revolution”. The response has been truly overwhelming and gratifying. Clearly I have tapped into one of the biggest pain points of today’s entrepreneurs.

Along with two of my team members, who are expert coaches, I am launching the Revenue Revolution Program on July 14, 2009, to show other business builders how they too can have it all. I’m so excited to share this with the world! If you’d like to get instant access to the replay of the call, click here. My intent is that it offers insights and inspiration you can take into your day.

Business Growth, Business Vision, Maintaining Mindset inspiration, profit, strategies

Thankfully…. organization and time management are two skills I have truly mastered over my 22 years in business. In fact, I feel it’s these skills, combined with my ability to manage my mindset, that enable me to get so much done in so little time.
One aspect of organization and time management that has served me well in this age of technology is my personal strategy for eliminating what I call “Inbox Overwhelm.”
In short, too many business owners’ lives are being run by their inbox and I am on a mission to change that!
So here you go…. My personal system for managing email overwhelm so I maintain an inbox that is either empty or under 6 emails on a regular basis.

• Be the victor not the victim. Establish an email management system that allows you to control how much time and energy your emails take.
• Have more than one email account for campaigns and subscriptions
• Unsubscribe to what’s not necessary
• Create a swipe file where you keep samples of competitor’s email campaigns
• Schedule time for Research and Review (Don’t click and get lost on line. YOU decide when you review your inbox!)
• File strategies – Set up sub folders in Outlook where you store past emails
• When you receive an email that requires a response be brief yet thorough
• Emails that require action – place the “to do” on a master list (or your calendar) and file the email in the appropriate folder.
• Delete what’s taken care of that you don’t need a history of
• Consider a catch-all archive folder where border line stuff is placed for a month or two. Empty the archive box every 3 months.
• If a request comes in and the timing isn’t right, tell them you are not able to handle their request at this time and ask if they would be so kind to re-email you a month from now. (Only the people who have something important follow up.)
• Be decisive! Either Do it, Delegate it, Delay it or Dump it
• Most importantly… YOU decide which emails you respond to and when you respond. Don’t let your workday be designed by other people’s requests.

Business Growth, Maintaining Mindset productivity, progress, strategies

Something significant happened to me last Thursday. It may have seemed subtle on the outside but inside it felt as if I’d experienced a shift at the DNA level. It happened at The Profit Builder’s Summit – my first live, solo, local event here in Monterey, CA. While the primary purpose was to step out locally after working nationally and internationally for so many years, the event also served as an opportunity to share a new message that’s been brewing inside for a while.

A New Approach For New Results
Here’s the truth… over the past few weeks everything has changed for me. From the way I see my life and business to the way I coach and consult my clients, I am seeing life and business in a new light. This change sprang from the personal realization that what small business owners need today is not another proven strategy or the latest online marketing tool. No, what most entrepreneurs need today are practical, down to earth insights on how to break through their personal barriers, manage their monkey mindset and improve their productivity so they can get stuff done, turn a profit and have time to live the life they desire!

Herein lies the shift that I brought to the stage last Thursday. In a great leap of faith I took a HUGE left turn from my typical strategy-based training and got “up close and personal” with those who attended. In short, I let them into what’s happening in my life, my business and my inner journey on the way to living an extraordinary life. As a result, those in attendance quickly came to see that there is little difference between us. That like them, I face challenges, self-doubt, fears and frustration. The only difference is that I have gained the skills to work through these blocks quickly so I can ease the pain and get back in the game.

Together we were moved in the realization that what keeps each of us from achieving our heart’s desire is, in truth… ourselves. In email after email they are telling me that they found themselves in my story (or the story of my clients) and have recommitted to shift the way they see and grow their business. They continue that they’ve gained renewed strength, commitment and courage to be the business owners they truly want to be.

So there you have it… proof that sometimes it’s worth revealing a piece of yourself in the name of helping others along the path. I can’t wait to share the journey that is about to unfold.

Business Growth, Business Vision, Maintaining Mindset, Masterminding inspiration, prosperity, strategies

In a recent survey co-sponsored by Network Solutions, LLC and the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, researchers not only concluded that having a serviceable website is key to the success of small businesses but that doing so can improve their competitiveness in the marketplace.

The summary of the survey states: “Assuming that a venture capitalist is not going to suddenly appear and shore up most small businesses, a sound investment a small business can make is in ramping up its Internet business solutions, or so it would seem based on the experiences of those small businesses who have done it. This means more than just building a website, but making a commitment to online advertising, allowing customers to view and order products online, providing email customer service and self-service options to customers.”

Does your website boast the features above? As the saying goes… You never get a second chance to make a first impression. The same holds true for your website! Don’t go live until you have taken each step outlined on Profit Partners’ Website Effectiveness Checklist. Live already? There is still time. The Tech Team at Profit Partners makes it fast and simple to have an impressive online presence that gets results.

Invest five minutes of your time and click here to review key elements to website success. From Branding & Identification to having a Site Traffic Marketing Plan, know where your website stands on the seven dimensions covered in the checklist!

Business Growth, Website Essentials profit, strategies