executive business coach

Don’t Tell Me What You Can’t Do

Today’s article has nothing to do with business, but everything to do with business.

I want to introduce you to my nephew.  He is a little hero who defied all odds.  Andy was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, trisomy of the 4p and partial 4q and partial 5q. As a result, Andrew was born with a hypoplastic left heart, legally blind, agenesis of the corpus collosum, and some serious developmental delays. Before he was even born, the doctor’s knew that he would not live without a major heart surgery 5-10 days after his birth.  His life was going to be an uphill battle. The doctor’s recommended that comfort care be given to Andy until he passed away.  They did not think he would ever be able to have a good quality of life. Through a lot of prayer, my sister and brother in law decided to fight for their son’s life. Andy had his first open heart surgery at 5 days old. He had his second major open heart surgery 4 months after that. Andy’s life was full of “couldn’t-s”.  He couldn’t see.  He couldn’t eat.  He couldn’t talk. He couldn’t walk.  But the “could-s” are what defined him.  He learned to sit up and crawl.  He learned to take his clothes off and spent a lot of time doing it!  He had the best laugh and the most positive attitude.  He loved everyone and everyone loved him.

I tell my clients regularly, “Don’t tell me what you can’t do.  Tell me what you can do.”  I know that way of thinking was strengthened for me by watching my little Andy defy the odds time after time.

Andy passed away in 2013 and we all miss him like crazy.  July 28th would have been his 7th birthday. When he passed away, it was hard to imagine how life would go on. But it had to go on.

This year for Andy’s birthday, we can’t watch him destroy his birthday cake.  We can’t hold him.  We can’t listen to him laugh at whatever new noisy toy my sister would have gotten him.  We can’t kiss his sweet cheeks.  All of those things suck.

But what we can do is celebrate his life.  His entire life was a miracle.  And we can create those miracles for others!

My amazing sister runs a fundraiser for his birthday every year. This year she is hosting a virtual 5K to raise money to buy a wheelchair van for Andy’s good friend Simon.  (Check out the story on KSL, our local news station).

It is a great cause, and I invite you to be a part of it!  Amy Walker Consulting is sponsoring the Hero Run and I want to sweeten the deal for you!

For anyone that donates $250 to the fun run through a combination of registrations, fundraising and personal donations, I will give you my new Walk Your Talk Mentoring program for FREE.  That is a $997 value.  

To register yourself or your team for Andy’s Hero Run, or make your donation, CLICK HERE. Make sure that you leave a note on your donation that I sent you.

To learn more about my Walk Your Talk Mentoring program, CLICK HERE.

Here’s what I learned from Andy:

1. Don’t focus on what you can’t do, focus on what you can.
2. Challenges and heartbreak are a part of life. Choosing hope and joy during and after the challenges is essential.
3. Don’t wait for perfect situations to laugh and love life.
4. Socks are always optional.
5. Never accept the limitations given to you by others.
6. Every day is a gift.

Like I said at the beginning, this article has nothing to do with business, and everything to do with business.  http://amywalkerconsulting.com/

business development strategies

5 Weird Sales Tips That Work

I have been in sales for 16 years now.  Wow that makes me feel old!  I started off amazing!  I was selling on accident and didn’t realize I was in sales.  Then I switched industries, started my own direct sales business and knew very clearly I was in sales and all of the sudden I went from awesome to horrible!  I gave away more product than I sold.  Have you ever lost money being in sales?  Me too!

Fortunately I figured it out!  I have now closed over $20,000 in sales in an hour.  I have no problem closing multiple digit deals.  I havelearned to be a strong seller.  I emphasize learned because too many people are buying into the story that they are “Just not a sales person.”  That is an expensive story and you can’t afford to buy it!

During the past 16 years, I have studied people, sales techniques, strategies, and tips and then studied people some more.  I have learned that certain things work, and others don’t.  Today I want to share with you some of my weirdest tips!  I can’t explain fully why they work, but I can promise you that they do!

1. Popcorn-Popcorn works in live sales presentations.  If you are a speaker, presenter, or network marketer this one will be your best friend. I heard once that if you put popcorn kernels on the stove and apply heat, but remove them before they pop, that those kernels can never be popped again.  They had their moment, and the moment was missed. I haven’t verified it.  Part of me wants to see if it really works, and part of me doesn’t because it would ruin my awesome analogy.  As you apply heat to the popcorn kernels, for a while nothing happens.  Then all of the sudden you get your first pop!  After that, the pops get closer together and pretty soon you have an explosion of awesome snackiness.  People at live selling events work the same way.  You all know, or should, that if you are selling to a group of people, you need to do a call to action to the group.  If you do the call to action, no one moves, and you just end the event, you are not likely to close sales that night.  But if you will continue to talk and invite the audience into action until someone moves, you will close sales.  You just need your first popper.  Once the first person takes action, the others will follow.  You know that awkward feeling at a gathering where it’s time to eat and everyone wants it, but no one is going first?  That is how your audience feels.  Maintain the conversation until you get your first popper.  You’ll thank me for it!

2. The Tunnel- As I go into any sales experience, I visualize myself entering a tunnel.  I will be in this tunnel for the entire conversation.  At the end of the tunnel, my potential client can choose what direction they want to take.  But during the conversation, we both have no way to move except forward.  Here’s why it works.  How many times have you been in the sales conversation and wimped out, gotten off track, or stopped just short of asking for the sale?  You can’t do any of that in the tunnel because there is no way to move except forward.  This visualization keeps me extremely thorough following my script and helps me dramatically increase my closing ratio.

3. The Pen Pass- This tip works for any time you are trying to get someone to sign something.  It could be at a vendor booth where you are trying to get them to enter your drawing.  It could be that you are trying to get someone to sign a contract.  You hold the pen for the entire conversation.  Then when it is time for you to get them to sign, instead of handing them the pen, set it on top of the paper in front of them.  They actually sign at a much higher rate than if you hand them the pen directly.

4. The take away- If you’ve ever been in a training with me, you know I am a little feisty. I learned this trick just because people annoyed me on my calls!  Have you ever been in a sales conversation with someone and they are just impossible to talk with?  They have all the answers, or they are full of doubt and reasons why something won’t work for them?  Well, in my early years, I was trying to convince them to work with me.  I tried to talk them into liking me, my message, and my product.  Then I decided I just didn’t care about winning everyone over.  So I started taking my offer away.  Guess what happened?  Those calls ended up going better!  I’m not going to say I close them all.  But there is something about knowing the services you need are about to be taken away that causes people to actually listen to what you have to say.

5. The BFF- This one is also a lesson I learned early on.  I was trying to be so professional!  My knowledge of my products was perfect, my presentation was solid.  But I just wasn’t closing.  I wasn’t relatable.  Now I go into every conversation thinking about that person as someone I have known forever.  They are my BFF for the next hour and I have no one to impress.  I can just go in and share my knowledge.

I could, and probably will, write a book about all of the sales tips that I have up my sleeve!  But for now, if you are wanting to improve your sales.  Join me Thursday July 16th For Sales Mastery Live.  This is a 2 hour online training where I will teach you how to build a sales system that WORKS!  This is a great opportunity for you to look at how to take your business to the next level!  http://amywalkerconsulting.com

sales skills

Attracting Clients: When to Push and When to Pull

I love hearing people talk about attracting in clients. We all love when new clients show up! And I do have some miraculous stories of the right person showing up at the right time. The stars aligned, and I found myself with that wonderful new client. But not all the time.

Unfortunately there is no special client attraction cologne or perfume. There is no magic formula for how to go viral with a video. I’ve looked.

There are times when you have to push your message, product or agenda, to get it in front of the right people. And there are times when you use the energy of what you have created to pull in people. It’s like a dance. And to do it masterfully you need to know when to make the right move.

Times to push: Push marketing is when you are pushing to get your product or service in front of potential clients. Examples would be:

1. Trade Shows/Expo Booths
2. Holding classes or product demonstrations
3. Finding retail locations to sell your products
4. Webinars
5. Email Marketing

Almost all businesses need to be engaged in push marketing when they are in start up mode. It is the quickest way to get to the point of sale and it is usually the least expensive. Anytime cash flow is slow,you need to be engaged in push marketing campaigns. May-August and the month of December are slow times in my industry. You better believe I will be engaged in push marketing during all of those months. The first year and a half of my business, I was VERY engaged in push marketing. We needed to build a client base, and I wanted to build it quickly. If you are looking for fast growth, definitely time to push.

Time to Pull: Pull marketing is when you draw clients to you. Examples would be:

1. Referrals from Existing clients
2. Public Relations and Media appearances
3. Radio Shows
4. Advertising in radio, television, or print. (Direct mailers would be push)
5. Sales and discounts
6. Customer relations and internal upsales

In order for pull marketing to work, you have to have some people in the flow, or some cash in the flow. It requires resources. When you have an established client base, and cash in your budget pull marketing will help you take the business to the next level. Pull marketing can build your brand recognition and help you spread your reach.

Bottom line, you should always be pulling and pushing, just in the right proportions. For new businesses or old businesses that aren’t profitable yet, I recommend that the majority or your time and marketing budget be spent on push marketing. Once you are profitable adjust that number and start to invest in the right type of advertising and PR. But, I’ve yet to reach, or see any of my clients reach the point that they don’t benefit from some good old push marketing! For more details: http://amywalkerconsulting.com/

time management

Will Your Resolutions Fail?

I was in church yesterday and heard several people talk about how they hate New Year’s Resolutions and how they don’t even make them because it sets them up to fail.  It was one of those moments where I had to bite my tongue because I LOVE New Years Resolutions!  It’s a clean slate.  You have a fresh start, a blank canvas of your year and can turn it into anything you want it to be.  I don’t always achieve every single thing on my original list, but I do achieve most of it.  And sometimes what I achieve is better than the original goal.  Some of the other things don’t happen because my desire for them changes through the year and what seemed important on January 1, is let go of in pursuit of something better on June 1.  But my life and my business would not be where they are without setting those resolutions!  Here are some tips to keep you on track this year to reaching your goals.

1. Do you have the education you need to accomplish your goal? This year one of my resolutions is to garden, raise chickens, plan an orchard and make progress towards my hippie goal of growing all my own food.  Up until this point in my life, I have never managed to keep a house plant alive.  Those of you that follow me on social media may remember our goat drama and know that we are NOT experienced farmers.  If I set this goal, have no clue what I am doing, and charge forward I will set myself up to fail.  I need education.  I will be reading books, watching you tube videos AND enlisting HELP from experienced farmers! 
2. Do you offer forgiveness when you fall of the wagon? Two of my scariest resolutions this year are to not watch TV and not eat processed sugar for the ENTIRE YEAR!  That is going to be hard!  I love me some sugar and I love me some down time with the TV!  As much as I am committed now, will there be some bad day in the future when I am just ready to quit and turn to a pint of Ben and Jerry’s and cuddle up with The Voice?  Hopefully not, but if it does happen, all is not lost.  I simply forgive myself and drink more green smoothies for the next few days. 
3. Are you trying to start them all at once? I have a LOT of goals this year! I have goals for my home, my health, my spirituality, my relationships, my business, and my personal talents.  (I am starting to paint and am playing the cello again!)  If I try to change all of these at once, I can’t maintain that much structure.  It’s too much too soon.  Some of these goals will be implemented in phases.  Right now, I am either painting or playing my cello once a week.  In 2016 I want to play in the community symphony.  It’s going to take practicing every day.  But right now, I’m not ready for that.  I will have to work up to it.  Progress is progress, perfection is impossible.
4. Are you carving out time in your day to think and be still? That is essential for change.  If change was easy, none of us would have bad habits.  When you change, it will cause you to stretch and grow.  It’s painful. Sometimes it’s physically painful, ask me about that tomorrow after my first workout of the year!   Sometimes it is mentally painful.  Sometimes it’s painful to your soul as you purify out your weaknesses and vices.  When you don’t give yourself that time to be still, meditate and receive inspiration, it is working your physical body with no sleep.  You can’t do it for very long before you just go back to the way it was.  I would attribute the majority of resolution failure to not having time to think quietly.
5. Do you have support in reaching your goals? Sometimes I post my goals for everyone to see. Sometimes they are very personal and too fragile to let anyone know. In either case, I do need support in reaching them.  Sometimes it is asking the people that I love to pray for me.  Sometimes it is getting a workout buddy.  Sometimes it is in hiring a coach.  That support often times looks different, but it is ESSENTIAL! 

If you haven’t set your resolutions yet, please do it!  Do it with faith that you have the ability to change and grow!  Let go of the fear of failure.  Failure is just a natural step on the path to success! For more details: business growth

business strategy

The Bad, Better, and Best of Content Marketing

What is your marketing budget?

No one really likes to answer that question.  “I want to spend as little as humanly possible and I am hoping for hundreds if not thousands of leads” never quite seems professional enough.  But if that is how you feel, don’t worry you are not alone. Most business owners feel this way.  I feel this way!

The expected thing to say would be, “I hate to be the bearer of bad news but…”  But that is actually not true.  I LOVE shooting you straight.  What I hate is giving people false expectations that they can generate monumental results with minimal time, effort and money.

So I’m going to shoot you straight with marketing!  Most of the “free” marketing strategies people are using are not effective. And one of the most common places people try to build with the “free” model is on social media.  So let’s dive in and help you see how to create a content based marketing strategy that works.

BAD

I kind of want to reach through the phone and shake people when I ask them about their marketing plan and they tell me, “I’m doing social media.”  What that means is, you are annoying your friends and family with constant calls to action and product updates.  It may also mean you are starting up groups, adding people to them and then trying to sell them your products, (Yes I am talking to you mascara sellers!  How many mascara groups does one person need to be invited to?) It could even involve inconsistently adding content to your page.  And maybe you are running online events and adding everyone on your contact list to them.  If you are guilty of any of these marketing misdemeanors, it’s time for a marketing intervention.

BETTER

Better would be to create a social media schedule, where you know what you are posting, how often you are posting, and you are balancing value adds to offers about 80/20.  I have a social media content map that pretty much stays the same for a few months at a time.  You will always see my promotions on Tuesday and Thursday Evenings.  My blog posts show up the same time each week.  Motivational tips on leadership, sales and mindset will come onto your newsfeed at regularly scheduled intervals. (If you are not following my business page, click here, because you are missing out!)  The content I create is regular, consistent, and something I can manage over the long haul. This is your next step to creating a content marketing plan that works, but don’t stop here!

BEST

Matching a great content creation schedule with strategic use of groups and events will give you more opportunities to engage with your followers beyond the output of content that happens on your business page.  It is important that you are proactive about taking readers from content to conversation.  My goal is to take a “like” into a conversation online, and then ultimately to a conversation off line.  A group or event can be a good in between step.  What can be on it’s own annoying and intrusive, can be a great resource when it has purpose and focus that people WANT to participate in.  Now you will be able to establish trust and rapport!  The final step is to take those online friends and bring them to a real life conversation!  Invite them to a webinar, conference call, live event or one on one phone call!

We are in the information age of business. People want to be informed.  They expect great content from you!  And no amount of online content will ever replace good old fashioned communication.  Increase your commitment to engaging with your prospective clients and I guarantee you will see an increase in sales and new clients!

For more details visit here: http://amywalkerconsulting.com/

business leaders

Do you know about this dangerous business expense?

A good business owner SHOULD always know their expenses.  I talk with business owners every single week, so I know it’s not always true, but it SHOULD be!

I pay attention to how much I pay for Infusionsoft, website hosting, my text opt in service, my payroll and my taxes.  Sometimes the big expenses get the most attention and your smaller expenses get overlooked.  And sometimes the little ones add up and you look at your bank account in amazement that all those little things can add up to such a large amount going out!

However most people don’t realize they have a hidden expense in their business that is costing them thousands if not millions of dollars a year!  It’s stories.

Stories are expensive and you can’t afford to buy them!

We all have stories in our lives.  Stories that play through our mind about why we can’t do something.  Why someone else can’t do something.  And why it won’t work for us.  I know you have them, because I hear them from you on a regular basis. If you are one of my clients, I call you out on them on a regular basis.

Let me give you some examples. “My team just unplugs every year during the summer.  It’s so frustrating!”  That is an expensive story. So expensive it will cost you your production for 3 ish months of every year.  What if instead your story was, “The summer is the best time of year to find new recruits!  I love working my business during these months because so many people are out and active that I meet the most amazing new prospects and I’m signing up excited people right and left.”

Here is another example. “Everyone is struggling in my industry right now.”  Can you see how expensive this one is?  If you buy that one, you are on your way out of business. Instead replace it with something like this, “This is the perfect time to be in business.  While others check out, I will innovate.  There is always opportunity in any economy.”

And one of my least favorites, “We’ve tried that before and it just didn’t work for us.”  It’s as though you think you are the one exception to the universal laws of success.  Of course it didn’t work because at the time you were probably also buying into the story of, “I’m afraid this won’t work.”

My story is that I get what I want at the benefit of others. That it always works out and there is always a solution. And that success is the natural flow of my life.

Be very cautious of stories in your own life.  Be very cautious of buying the stories of others as well.  I listen very closely for stories in my clients. “I can’t afford it” is a story not a fact!  I’ve seen single mom’s with struggling businesses come up with thousands of dollars to pay for a program because they were determined to write a new story.  And I’ve seen women who are supported by husbands with great jobs and money in savings accounts tell me that they want to grow their business but that they can’t afford my program.  If I buy their limiting stories, I cannot afford to pay my bills!

The stories in your mind will write your future.  If you are struggling in your business, I suggest you look hard to find your limiting stories, and the limiting stories of others.  Cancel your subscription and start creating a new future.  Remember, the wrong stories are expensive and you can’t afford to buy them!

For more details  visit here:  http://amywalkerconsulting.com/

business growth

5 tips for the best Holiday Sales EVER!

Can you believe it is November already?  Before we know it we’ll be eating turkey, decorating trees, going to party’s and ringing in the new year.  And between now and December 31st, more money will be spent than any other months of the year.  The question is, will people be spending it with you?

When you are an entrepreneur, there can be challenges with the end of the year sales.  People are busy.  Unless you sell a product that they see as a great fit for Christmas gifts, they often times want to put you off until January.

“I’m just so busy right now with the Holidays.  Can you follow up with me in January?”

“I would love to get this, but all of my money is going to Christmas gifts right now.”

“We’ve already spent our 2015 budget, get back with us the beginning of next year and we can talk about your services.”

Do any of those sound familiar?

You can have an amazing Holiday Selling Season.  You simply need to have a SOLID strategy!

1. Modify the amount of time you are asking for from potential clients. Maybe your ideal is to have your clients attend an hour long presentation.  During the Holidays why not see if you can get that down to 15-20 minutes.  You can still ask for the longer amount of time, but if they don’t have it to give you, ask for just a few minutes of their time!
2. Position your products as relevant. November and December are months that my spending is primarily focused on gifts for my boys, parents, husband, and siblings. I your product doesn’t fit for those people, I’m not thinking about purchasing them.  However that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t.  Maybe you sell business services.  Make yourself relevant by helping people take advantage of year-end tax write offs.  Think outside the box and make sure you and your product are relevant!
3. Make sure your holiday is scheduled out! Think about all of the parties, concerts, school events and cookie exchanges that will happen before the end of the year.  Add to it shopping, wrapping, mailing, baking and decorating.  That is a LOT of distraction.  When you lack focus, naturally your business produces less results.  Create space in your calendar for focused work and for Holiday fun.
4. Be willing to ask more people. Even with adjusting your time commitments, positioning and having a great schedule.  You will have people just not want it work with you until the new year.  That does not mean you can’t reach your year-end goals, it just means you might need to ask a few more people to get there.  That means your marketing is going to be essential for the next few months.  You might need more leads than normal.
5. Create a rock solid plan! This is not a time of year that you can coast through without a plan in place!   Join me on Thursday November 19th for my Annual Hot for the Holidays: Business Strategy Session.  Give me one hour of your time, and I’ll give you a Holiday Plan to run with!Register now and share with your friends, team members, and colleagues.

I LOVE the Holiday Dash to finish out the year, and I LOVE enjoying the season with my family.  Let’s make sure you have a game plan in place to accomplish both of those! For more details: business leaders