Case in point: I have a networking friend, Albi (names have been changed to protect the guilty) with whom I am also a customer. He runs a real estate office of multiple agents. Because of our networking relationship, whenever someone would mention to me that they were either buying or selling a house, I would give them Albi’s name as an option and suggest they contact him to see if he would be a good fit. Since I knew him, I liked him, and I trusted him, it was a fairly easy referral to give.

The reason for that is not because I used him for my own house purchase first (in fact, that will come later), but because as responsible business marketers and networkers, we understood one KEY principle. People do business with people they like and trust. Albi and I spent time building a trusted business relationship. It starts small, with easy ways to try out a person’s trust level. We met for coffee, lunches, and even brought our wives in for an evening out. We decided for both of us it was important enough to know the quality level of the person, so that we could speak with honesty and integrity. After all, whenever you refer someone, you are ultimately putting your name on the line for them. Trust is HUGE.

When it became “Business Time” and my wife and I decided to buy a house, we chose to give him the opportunity. When we personally experienced his level of service and quality, we were even more blown away than we could imagine. I already knew and trusted that Albi would do a great job, and my expectations were fulfilled – even more than I thought they would be. Not only do I have a long term, trusted relationship with him, but it was tested with personal experience. Now he can’t keep me from talking about him. Who would not want to gain new customers this way?

Do people in your local area know you? Do they like you? Do they trust you? I encourage you to take a moment to think and see what you might be able to do to develop trusted relationships with business around you; think of the advantages it would bring you. Just don’t use too much tape.

(Image from www.gawker.com/flightoftheconchords)

His entire presentation can be seen in video below, or by the link. Enjoy!

http://bit.ly/GLgtwt

• Be patient.  Tips Club members have to get to know you a bit before they start throwing leads at you.  Have some fun and meet different people.

• Be prepared.  Some call it an “elevator speech” and others call it a “30-second commercial.”  Either way, you need to be somewhat prepared for your turn.  And remember – everyone is a little nervous when they speak.  It’s not just you.  Just keep doing it.

• Be specific.  “We work with anyone with a pulse” has too large of a population for your fellow members to process quickly.  “We work with full-service hair salons” will get you much better results.

• Be active.  The best way to get leads is to give leads.  If you keep taking without giving, soon your leads will dry up.  In addition, don’t be afraid to set up separate appointments to get to know your fellow members better.

• Have FUN.  Doing business and helping people is fun.  The people you meet may very well become close friends.

Do these few things, and have fun growing your business.  It will pay off for you! If you would like information on creating a marketing plan or campaign and would like some help on the subject, learn about our upcoming marketing workshop here.

David Innes approached Pro/Vision Coaching at the recommendation of another client. Initially, David wanted to confirm that the ownership of a Web Development business was what he wanted and the best avenue for him to achieve his financial independence, professional goals, and personal satisfaction with what he does for others.

Though he originally struggled with whether or not it was the right decision to turn what he felt had been a “dead end” freelance career into a full-fledged website development business, he uncovered his niche, found his vision, and grew excited over the possibility – and thus, a new, great company was born.

Once the Vision was established, Paul Hajek (as the Head Coach) and David worked together on building Real Basics into a unique web design company.  As a result of coaching, David has seen a steady growth in his client base, but more importantly a birth of a business that he can one day put completely on autopilot because it’s built on a solid foundation of first rate business systems.  If you are in the Seattle Metro area and would like to see how it’s possible to have a high quality website for a very reasonable price, check out www.RealBasics.com.

I’ve taken over 50 individual clients through this marketing process, along with multiple independent groups, along with employees of my owner clients.  It’s hard to find a business owner, or anyone involved in the revenue side of a business, where getting additional business isn’t near the top of their list.  The registrants will benefit from the collective wisdom, and absolute “pushing the envelope” creativity, from dozens of weapons (strategies) from past clients that have yielded incredible results – many at no cost.

So if you are someone who is interested in more business, then read on.  If not, then check out our website for a Pro/Vision Coaching Academy offering that may fit your specific business need.

I like to begin with the end in mind.  So, the “end” for a registrant in this workshop will be their own customized marketing campaign.  In a short 4 weeks, you’ll have sessions on creating a powerful message wrapped around a specific target, weapons (strategies) that directly hit that target with your message, and a system to actually implement and measure bottom line dollar weapon effectiveness.  Ever spend a couple thousand bucks on advertising and direct mail and not be able to attribute one piece of business to it?  I have in the past.  Not anymore.  The last thing we want at Pro/Vision Coaching is to leave you with a nice plan that sits on your bookshelf to be looked at when the spirit moves you.  You WILL take action, implement and get the results you need to grow your business to the levels you predetermine.  Nothing needs to be by chance/fate in the world of business.  You will learn how to be intentional.  Laser focused on your target.  Laser focused on bottom line results.

To be certain of this, as part of the workshop, I will personally meet with each individual registrant to review, and eliminate, any shades of gray in their target or message and ensure that their campaign is properly set up and ready to execute.  We need you to get results.  Results are good for you, good for your company, good for our local economy, and good for us.

So if you are interested in a customized, executable marketing campaign that drives bottom line profit, sign up.  Oh, and by the way, we have a bit of fun during these sessions! Please call us at 425-516-7478 or contact us here with questions or to register.

In our efforts to provide the best environment for our clients, we are initiating a recycling program. So, now if your refreshment comes in a can, cup or bottle you can be assured that it is meeting all of our goals to keep our environment sustainable, balanced and harmonious.

Are the goals for your life and business sustainable? Are you experiencing the blessings of balance and harmony? Or is it time for some recycling? I invite you to stop in, check out our place, relax, refresh and plan a time to meet with one of us to review your life/business goals. The Pro/Vision Coaching team is here to serve you.

If you would like to talk with someone about making your office, or your life, more green friendly, contact Aliceann Christy through the contact us page.

“Family Business Advisor training enables professionals in the network to take clients through a solid process to assess the business and best determine the steps to move forward to meet needs for growth and the future,” said Lise Stewart, founder of Galliard Group.

The philosophy behind the Galliard Group Family Business Advisor program is to allow transition of the business with dignity intact. The advisors work to help the business create an exit strategy and succession plan not only as a means to transition the business in the future, but also to help create a clear roadmap of how the business will operate to reach its goals. This is a great value for Pro/Vision, as stated by Doug Christy, owner. “When we help our clients set their vision, Paul’s expertise will be invaluable in assisting them navigate the complexities of their exit strategy.”

Having completed Family Business Advisor training and becoming a member of the Galliard Family Business Advisor Network, Paul Hajek will be further engaging in assisting family owned and closely-held businesses in developing transition plans and creating the strategy unique to each company to achieve the desired outcome.

Part of the original vision for the company, this has been a dream of 25+ years for the owning couple, the Christys. “It has always been a goal of ours to live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest”, comments Doug Christy. Aliceann adds on. “This is, in our opinion, the most scenic place in the entire country and we are incredibly blessed to have a home in Washington”.

Although the company leadership and headquarters have relocated from the Omaha Metro area, Pro/Vision Coaching is still actively pursuing growth there. “We remain focused on the Omaha market and have a strong team of coaches and trainers in place to best serve our customers,” says Philip Stalnaker, Pro/Vision’s VP of Business Development.

This news is coupled with a second announcement, and that being Pro/Vision’s second office in the Seattle Metro. “We will be opening an office in Redmond in the next few weeks”, said Doug Christy. “Stay tuned to find out more details”.

The Seattle Space Needle

Have you ever experienced this kind of situation in your company?

A story for engineers – American Ingenuity

A toothpaste factory had a problem: they sometimes shipped empty boxes, without the tube inside. This was due to the way the production line was set up, and people with experience in designing production lines will tell you how difficult it is to have everything happen with timings so precise that every single unit coming out of it is perfect 100% of the time. Small variations in the environment (which can’t be controlled in a cost-effective fashion) mean you must have quality assurance checks smartly distributed across the line so that customers all the way down to the supermarket don’t get upset and buy someone else’s product instead.

Understanding how important that was, the CEO of the toothpaste factory got the top people in the company together and they decided to start a new project, in which they would hire an external engineering company to solve their empty boxes problem, as their engineering department was already too stretched to take on any extra effort.

The project followed the usual process: budget and project sponsor allocated, RFP, third-parties selected, and six months (and $8 million) later they had a fantastic solution — on time, on budget, high quality and everyone in the project had a great time. They solved the problem by using some high-tech precision scales that would sound a bell and flash lights whenever a toothpaste box weighing less than it should was detected. The line would stop, and someone had to walk over and yank the defective box out of it, pressing another button when done to resume the line.

A while later, the CEO decides to have a look at the ROI of the project: amazing results! No empty boxes ever shipped out of the factory after the scales were put in place. There were very few customer complaints, and they were gaining market share. “That’s some money well spent!” he said, before looking closely at the other statistics in the report.

It turns out that the number of defects picked up by the scales was 0 after three weeks of production use. It should’ve been picking up at least a dozen a day, so maybe there was something wrong with the report.  He requested an explanation, and after some investigation, the engineers come back saying the report was actually correct. The scales really weren’t picking up any defects, because all boxes that got to that point in the conveyor belt were good.

Puzzled, the CEO went down to the factory, and walked up to the part of the line where the precision scales were installed. A few feet before it there was a $20 desk fan blowing the empty boxes off the belt and into a bin. “Oh, that — one of the guys put it there ’cause he was tired of walking over every time the bell rang”, said one of the workers.

As the old saying goes: “If you don’t know where you going, you may never get there.”  At Pro/Vision Coaching, we usually start our business coaching engagements with a clearly stated roadmap to what our clients consider to be their “success”.  This planning process may take few sessions or few months but the results are always the same: our clients know where they are going and how they are going to get there.

The following are questions simply to give you the opportunity for personal reflection and generate very open and honest discussions in the initial stages of Strategic Planning:

Take a moment to write down what your company will look and feel like in 3 to 5 years.  Be as descriptive as possible. 

• What will the physical building look like? 
• Who will be working there – how many people? 
• What would you produce? 
• What would be the overall immediate impression that a newcomer would get when he or she arrived on the premises? 
• Who would be “running” the company? 
• What would the management structure look like? 
• Who would be the customers? 
• What reputation would the company have – in the immediate vicinity, in the state, in the country, internationally? 
• What would the employees say about working for this company? 
• Why would an employee want to be part of your team? 
• How would you fit into this company?