Welcome to Your Home Based Business By Action International Business Coach Michael Bedard

Gone are the days when home-based business was limited to Tupperware parties and the sole operating seamstress. With the advent of new technology, the thirst for a lifestyle greater than 9-5 and the changing dynamics of the modern day family more and more people are turning towards professional home based businesses.
There are 5 key motivations fuelling the growing popularity of professional home based business: time, lifestyle, profit, team and technology.

Obviously time is a key factor when working from home. Home-based professionals are not disadvantaged by the down time normally spent travelling to and from work and they enjoy flexible hours. Clients also benefit from flexible working hours and can schedule appointments to occur before or after work.

The lifestyle of a professional working from home allows for increased interaction with family members, a tailored work environment and the freedom to set the self paced completion of tasks. A win-win relationship also exists between home based business and their client base due to increased profit potential - due to low overheads. What you save on renting an expensive office suite can be passed on to your clients � creating a win-win solution for both parties.

Ensure Good Returns on Your Investment Follow the Saying If it Does not Add Up Do not Do It Part 2

If you want to buy a business the figures also must add up � or have the potential to do so. Make a list of the criteria the business must fill and make sure this list is filled before you commit yourself. Many people buy into something believing it would fulfill their needs, to discover the figures were inaccurate or did not add up. If you are not sure, get help. Two heads are better than one, and prevention is better than cure.

A great idea when looking at a business is to check the industry average and see how your business compares. Given that four out of five businesses go broke in the first five years, you may want to be better than average.

Finally the bottom line where your figures must add up is in net profit margin. To get this figure a business must add all expenses, including an appropriate wage for all the hours put in the business, plus interest on the capital you put into the business. This will give your real margins.

"If it doesn't add up, don't do it" must be applied regularly. Don't wait until the end of the financial year to find if you have made a profit. Business is work, but it should also be fun.

Ensure Good Returns on Your Investment Follow the Saying If it Does not Add Up Do not Do It

Business is all about making a profit, so if your business strategies aren't adding up to business profits, don't do it, or do it differently.

To be a business � that is, 'a commercial, profitable enterprise that works without you' --your business must give a good return on investment plus a full wage for every hour you spend working in your business. You can then pay someone to do your job and the business profits are not affected.

The quote 'if it doesn't add up, don't do it' can be applied in all areas of your business. Advertising is a prime example. If an ad is run and does not get an immediate response, there is no point in keeping that ad running. It is wasting precious time and money. Change the ad or where it is running.

Increasing your team must also add up in dollars. Perhaps a business should consider setting training and operating systems in place so juniors can be hired to follow the systems, rather than hiring seniors who have the head knowledge of how it should be done. Alternately perhaps the business should look at new machinery or technology instead of more team members.

Goal Setting is SMART Business Part 2

There are many reasons why we don't achieve our goals. Sometimes the goals we set are unrealistic. New Year's resolutions are typical examples. Suddenly, we expect to change the way we eat, or the way we exercise just because the calendar changes. It's like expecting a child that's never ridden a bike to suddenly jump on and go, or to run a marathon without months of training. These goals are based on illusion with little regard to natural growth. You must be able to crawl before you walk.

So, how do we set and achieve goals? Stephen R. Covey says it best in his book "7 Habits of Highly Effective People". "To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you're going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction."

An example of a S.M.A.R.T. goal might look something like the following:

WHAT
My goal is to maintain a healthy body.

WHY
So that:
I can be fit to do the things I enjoy.
I can be an example to my children in health management.
I can build my personal character strength.

HOW
Good Nutrition. I will increase my intake of fresh fruits and vegetables and decrease my intake of sugar, fats, salt and red meat.
Physical. I will exercise aerobically 3 times a week for 30-minute periods.
Focus. I will be aware of my body and look out for any health problems.

Focusing on the smaller, short-term goals and achieving success will give you the confidence to set other goals. So, remember, set your goals based on the S.M.A.R.T. principle to have the best chance of achieving your goals.

Goal Setting is SMART Business By Action International Business Coach insert name

Goal setting is as important in personal life as it is in business. The most common denominator in all the self-help literature and books is the importance of goal setting. We're told to set long-term goals, short-term goals, lifetime goals and personal goals.

The benefits of Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results orientated, Time-framed (S.M.A.R.T) goals have been written about in self-help books for years. So, it follows that goal setting is obviously a powerful process.

It is about 'eating the elephant, one bite at a time' and of turning vision into achievable, actionable things. It's the common denominator of successful individuals and businesses.

Despite their obvious value, our experience with goals have shown that some are good at setting goals and sticking to them, achieving great results and others can't keep a New Year's resolution to stop smoking for two days in a row.

Failure to set goals can be seen as a fear of failure. That is, the blow to our integrity when we don't reach our goals. When we make and keep commitments, such as setting and achieving goals, it reflects the amount of trust we have in ourselves. We increase our confidence in ourselves to make and keep commitments to others and ourselves. However, when we don't achieve our goals we lose confidence in our ability to make and keep commitments and to trust ourselves.

Friend or Foe the Importance of Creating Great First Impressions Part 2

Other factors, which will influence the 'Gatekeepers' decision whether you are friend or foe, are, your appearance, clothes, smell, enthusiasm and posture. Once you're past this initial first impression you can get on with developing a relationship with your prospect.

Professor Albert Mehrabian of UCLA broke communication down into three "V's" as follows:

� Verbal: The message itself; i.e. the words you use.
� Vocal: The sound of your voice, intonation, projection, pitch and speed of your voice.
� Visual: The posture and gestures, facial expression and eye movement that people see.

The Thomas Gordon Institute added another dimension to this research and came up with:

� Words: Verbal
� Voice: Vocal
� Face: Visual
� Body: Visual

Both institutions measured the effectiveness of each component of communication and it's contribution to believability. Here are the results of their respective research:

UCLA Thomas Gordon
Verbal 7% Words 7%
Vocal 38% Voice 23%
Visual 55% Face 35%
Body 35%
TOTAL: 100% 100%

So, the first step in delivering Great Customer Service to Create Great Sales is:
Approach and greet your suspect/prospect with open, friendly body language coupled with soothing, gentle voice modulation. Our total focus in this step is to get past the 'Gatekeeper' so that we develop and build rapport and open the prospect's message receptors. The words themselves are not that important, a simple "Hi, how are you today," is a good ice breaker.

Friend or Foe the Importance of Creating Great First Impressions By Action International Business Coach Michael Bedard

We often refer to the brain as having two hemispheres: the left, largely responsible for logic, and the right, predominately responsible for creativity. This description fits what we know to be the cortex or new brain; however, there is a third dimension, the hypo-thalamus or pre-historic brain, which is in fact the brain stem and is solely responsible for instincts.

Bruno Catellani of the Institute of Communication, Management and Sales in Switzerland refers to the pre-historic brain as the 'Guard' or 'Gatekeeper.' The 'Gatekeeper's' sole function is to decide whether you are a friend or a foe; it is incapable of thought or rationalization and reacts purely on instinct by how it perceives your approach.

If your initial approach stresses the 'Gatekeeper,' it will switch on the fight/flight response and part of this process includes shutting down all other message receptors which means any opportunity you had to communicate has just been totally closed off.

It's absolutely true that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. Building the language of trust is the first step to successful customer service, which translates into building sales.

So, if the 'Gatekeeper' doesn't think, does the initial 'Language of Trust' have to be verbal? No, the first impression you deliver is based on instinct alone. The signals that you need to give out in the first 10 to 20 seconds are instinctive, i.e. your body language
translated by your movements, gestures, facial expression and eye contact are open and relaxed. Your voice modulation and tone are calm, the speed of your speech is controlled and gentle and finally, you must not invade the customer's space.

DO YOU FEEL LIKE A SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE Part 2

By recognizing your peers and behavioral styles and adapting to them, you'll increase your understanding, appreciation, and communication with them leading to relationships that are more productive.

VAK
At Action, we use the "Language System Diagnostic Instrument" (LSDI) to analyze a person's communication and behavior patterns and for determining how to interact with that person in the process of change. The result of the questionnaire is a clear understanding of where you fit and how we make distinctions concerning our environment. Both internal and external are represented in terms of three sensory systems: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. People who rely on their visual systems appear to run movies in their heads when remembering or storing information. If people are primarily auditory, i.e. taking information through sounds, remembering may be like replaying a tape recorder, with original tones and dialogue. People who are primarily kinesthetic respond to internal bodily feeling or tactile sense. They remember bodily sensations in recalling experiences.

This knowledge provides an amazing insight into the people we work with or for; however, we must be cautious not to "box" people or become complacent about ourselves because we are not naturally suited to a particular task.

DO YOU FEEL LIKE A SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE By Action International Business Coach Michael Bedard

Knowing how and where people work best can be a powerful and lucrative tool for business owners with a team of people. Personality profiling is not a new tool by any means, but still one of the best ways to ensure you are able to achieve a close-to-perfect match when selecting new employees and repositioning existing personnel.

At Action International, we use DiSC and VAK to help make decisions about team members and where best to place them. It also helps the team gain a better understanding on how to communicate with each other. Knowing someone's personal profile allows for a much better understanding of how the person learns and operates.

DiSC
DiSC uses the Style Analysis Instrument and was initially designed to assist people achieve a higher degree of success in life and work. Successful people know their strengths and limitations and by realizing their weaknesses, are able to overcome their shortcomings and take full advantage of their strengths. DiSC uncovers insights about four dimensions of normal behavior. A brief description of the four behaviors is listed below:

"D" Style "I" Style "S" Style "C" Style
Adventuresome Charming Amiable Accurate
Competitive Confident Friendly Analytical
Daring Convincing Good Listener Conscientious
Decisive Enthusiastic Patient Diplomatic
Direct Inspiring Self-starter Trusting
Innovative Optimistic Relaxed Fact-Finder
Persistent Persuasive Sincere High Standards
Problem Solver Popular Stable Mature
Results-Orientated Sociable Steady Patient
Team Player Precise
Understanding

Coaching in Business Part 2

To further emphasize this point let's look at the different levels of thinking in business. Firstly we have employees, thinking "how much do I get paid?" then the managers "how can I get more out of my staff?" The next level is being "self" employed and their thinking is� you guessed it "only I can do the job properly!" The next level is a business owner who thinks "how can I get more money from this business?" taking them from working "in" their businesses to working "on" their business. This "leap" does involve a change in thinking and in this process of change, having a coach or mentor is a valuable ingredient. The final level is the illusive entrepreneur "how can I make more money with the money I have?" These are of course general concepts, but it shows that in business and in life you can achieve much more, being open to learning, change and the assistance of others. The most successful of people are the ones who realize this and seek all three in earnest.

What separates elite athletes from average athletes with great potential? Only their thought processes, techniques, motivation and of course a fantastic coach. Sure to be a top athlete you would already have these, but it's getting there, maintaining it and constantly seeking to improve for that edge over the competition, that makes a winner.

Jim Rohn's quote, "Never wish the job were easier, wish you were better!" says it all.
Business is simple, people are complicated and changing your business can be the easy part, changing yourself and your team can be the greatest hurdle. Having a business coach helps you maintain your motivation, refine your skills, gain constructive feedback and attain constant improvement in your business.

Coaching in Business By Action International Business Coach Michael Bedard

Coaching in business!? Now we've all heard of a coach, in terms of a football team, an athlete or even a swimmer, but for a business owner, that's a new one! But as business moves into the new millennium, and with the rapid expansion of the communication and IT industry, it is becoming evident that the world doesn't seem as big.

Markets are becoming global and competition is increasing as consumers have greater choice. More and more business owners are looking for that edge or the fine tuning that can make the difference in their businesses. They are looking outside their normal resources for the information and guidance they realize is needed, for them to develop and educate themselves and grow their own businesses. In business you're either growing or you're dying and a business will only grow to the level of it's owner's knowledge or beliefs. So the business owners who succeed, are those who look to increase their own knowledge and prepare to accept changes in the way they think.

Be Do Have a Formula For Success Part 2

Business is no different.

In order to HAVE amazing customers, and amazing businesses need amazing customers, you must develop your business into one that will attract amazing customers. What is an amazing customer? It is specific to your business. Only you can define for yourself the characteristics of your amazing customer. Perhaps it includes a customer who always pays cash. Maybe one who sends you lots of referrals. You must identify who your amazing customers are and what these customers want. You must know how these customers shop. You must BE the place where these customers want to shop.

And the same is true of an amazing business. It is one where your amazing customers shop. It consistently delivers more than your customer expects. The amazing business attracts these amazing customers.

Once you are the business, then you must DO the things that make these customers know what the perfect business will do for them. Imagine, if you will, an owner of a Jaguar leaving his automobile at the local garage that looks as though it has never seen anything better than a '64 VW Microbus. Not likely. If you want the customer to come you must BE the business to which he will come.

If you are the person or business that attracts the people in your ideal target market then they will come. Just remember you must Be as well as Do in order to Have.

Be Do Have a Formula For Success By Action International Business Coach Michael Bedard

To be meaningful, any change in life or in business has to be dramatic. Minor change is easy to accomplish but results in only minor differences. To increase the sales in your business by say 150% in three months will take massive changes in both your thinking and the way you do things.

In order to HAVE anything in life we all recognize that we have to DO something to achieve it. If you want wealth you must invest. If you want love you must first give it. If you want respect you must earn it. No matter what you want, you need to DO in order to HAVE.

But DOing is not the only thing you need to change in order to HAVE. You must BEcome the person who would have the things or persona that you desire. You must develop the identity, beliefs and values that the person who has those things has. We've all heard of the Lotto winner who, within three years, lost the several million he won. He didn't become the "millionaire".

Let's talk a bit about BEcoming. Everyone has an identity that they developed, usually at a very young age. That identity has values and beliefs that can limit you. Perhaps you believe that customers are always looking for a discount. You will attract that sort of customer to your business because of your belief. Maybe you believe that business owners are greedy. What do you suppose you will be when you own your own business?

In order to HAVE something like a million dollars, you have to develop the beliefs and values of a millionaire, and believe me they have an identity that needs to be copied. In fact it is said that you will earn + or � 10% of the earnings of the three people you associate with the most. Why? Because you develop the values and beliefs of these people.

Five Ways to Business Success through Action Part 2

Once we have established where the business is, we are able to go back and look through our systems and determine which of those would be the most appropriate to implement in increasing the profitability of that particular business type.

We use the information we have gathered on the business to put together a detailed Alignment Report that will serve as our roadmap to success for the next 12 months of Business Coaching.

Once we have established that the business can be profitable, we move on to our secondary goal, which takes place during the Coaching process. That goal is to teach the business owner the difference between working on their business and working in their business. Small business owners can spend 60 hours or more per week just trying to keep their business alive. Most often, what we find is that they are working on the wrong aspects and end up spinning in a relentless circle until the business finally folds in on top of them. Our goal is to help them in working on growing their business instead of concentrating on the technical issues, which are usually counterproductive to growth.

Throughout the process of Coaching we help the business owner stay focused on their goals, testing and measuring results, assisting them with potential obstacles for growth, systems implementation, etc. We hold our clients accountable for reaching the goals that we set together, and work diligently to help them achieve great results!

So basically, we teach the self-employed how to become successful business owners. We teach them how to make more money for less effort, and we have been very successful at that.

Five Ways to Business Success through Action By Action International Business Coach Michael Bedard

At Action International our goal is to help business owners achieve true business success through analysis and systems implementation. What that means is that we help the self-employed build a profitable commercial enterprise that works without them. After all, systems should run a business, not the owner.

The first thing we do is to access the business by working with the business owners to determine where they are, where they would like to be, and then helping them implement systems and strategies based on what we find that would be the most appropriate for that particular business's needs (increase profitability, systems, employee training, controls, etc.).

We will be assessing the business in the five key profit generating areas: Lead Generation, Conversion Rate, Average Dollar Sale, Average Number of Transactions, and Profit Margins. Those areas are highlighted in the following equation:

Lead Generation x Conversion Rate = # Customers
# Customers x Avg. Dollar Sale x Avg. # Transactions = Revenues
Revenues x Profit Margins = $ Profits

So basically, we are looking at the equation for profitability for any business, in any market, in any industry sector. Throughout all of these sectors of business, the equation for profitability stays the same.


We have developed 367 different systems and strategies under these five variables. For example, Lead Generation has 73 systems that can be implemented to help business owners increase their lead flow. In addition, we have 86 systems that may be used to increase your Conversion Rate, and so on down the line.

How to Make your Small Business Big Profits Part 2

Developing excellent communication skills with all the staff is crucial in growing a business due to the fact that one of the most important aspects of business is the people. Knowing more about people helps you to deal with customers and the your team better.

The other area that is vital for success in growing a small business is the use of systems. Many businesses have no systems of duplication.

An example is McDonalds. Ask yourself, do you feel that you can make a better burger than McDonalds? I am sure you can. But can you build a better business system than McDonalds? The answer I am sure is no. The reason why McDonalds is so successful is not because they are continually trying to improve their product, it's because they are continually building on the systems running their business.

Too many business owners work on the principle that it is more important to get the perfect products or the best shop or the best equipment, when what is most important is developing their systems.

Marketing systems, people systems and leverage systems are very important as they let your business grow without you doing all the work. That's why we teach business owners sales, marketing, team building, and team recruitment systems.

My Business Coaching program teaches business owners to become highly skilled in these areas. That is why it is not unusual that a few simple changes can double their revenues over a period as short as two months

How to Make your Small Business Big Profits

Numerous studies have been done around the world showing that more than 80% of all small businesses fail within the first five years of operation. That means only 20% of small businesses have what it takes to succeed.

So why do some succeed and not others? There are many reasons. The way the business owner thinks is a major part.

The reason being, when the business is struggling to make a decent profit, an open minded business owner will seek out help. This one factor -- the ability to be open to advice from people who can help you -- is crucial for ongoing success in the business.

Business owners turn to their accountant for financial help, their lawyer for legal help, and are unsure of who to turn to for help in marketing and systemizing their business.

Too often people in business start up and do what everyone else is doing, they just say, this is what we do and list the facts. Then they compete on price because this is the only thing they know how to do. Learning professional marketing allows you to distinguish yourself from competition so you aren't competing on price. Then you'll start to make more profit, employ more people and grow the business.

Think Link Part 2

According to a recent credit card survey, the average number of items on a retail sale invoice INCLUDING grocery sales was 3.3. Think about that, if the average grocery sale is, say 30-40 items, then there's a heck of a lot cameras out there without film or walkmans without batteries.

So how do we go about improving our sales satisfaction process? Well the first step is under standing that it's OK to want to help your customer get the most benefit from what they buy from you. Let's look at the camera scenario we described before. The customer walked into a camera shop and said, "I want to buy a good camera." The sales person would have asked several qualifying questions and got answers like:

� Good quality
� Easy to use
� Automatic focus
� Like it to be able to grow as my ability improves
� Must have a zoom lens

With today's technology nearly all cameras have a zoom lens as standard. If the sales person had probed a little deeper we might have discovered the real and immediate need was for a camera with a much longer than average zoom lens. After all, what the customer needed was a lens that would allow him/her to take great pictures of dangerous creatures from a safe distance where they didn't become a lion's lunch.

And by the way, what other opportunities would that scenario present for sturdy, waterproof carry bag, extra film, assorted accessories etc., but that's another story, about turning customers into raving fans!