Every successful business person in this world made it to the top by fully realising every opportunity and using every resource available to them. Nobody made the journey to the top alone.

If you are a high-performing CEO or Business Leader that seeks long-term growth by:

• Developing new business opportunities and income streams
• Improving individual and team performance
• Implementing a planned and systematic approach for growth
• Maximising the value of every resource available
• Utilising behavioural science and mastery of language
• Creating long term sustainable stakeholder relationships

Then you are in the right place.

JTB will not come to your business with a ton of generic templates that create more work than you already have – and leave you no closer to achieving your goals.

JTB will provide you with new insights new understandings and customise our services to meet your needs. JTB will deliver the tools and teach you the strategies and skills that will work for your business to turbo-charge your sales, marketing, communications, stakeholder relations, product development and so much more.

JTB will train you and your team using proven NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) techniques that will: build presentations skills; improve communications; improve service; increase sales conversions and add a level of insight and professionalism to your leadership and business that will set you apart from all your competitors.

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”
- Michael Jordan

We know you have the vision of where you want to be in business and in life. By working with JTB and starting today, they will come sooner rather than later.

Thirty minutes of your time will tell you whether JTB Consulting is the right choice to help you realise these dreams.

Take action right now as only action gives you results – contact JTB.

Be Yourself, Be Authentic, Be Funny

News Limited newspapers in Australia recently ran a tech story headlined “Social Media’s Trendy, But Does it Lead To Sales?”

The author, Nick Gilbert, pushed a simple message for small business: “Keep it real” and gave a few examples of business owners who have made Social Media work for them.

If you have read the earlier news posts on this website, you’ll know that we’ve been saying for a while that Social Media such as Twitter / Facebook etc will work … but so long as you speak in an authentic voice and make sure your posts aren’t boring!

The newspaper story also pushed this line … but listen to some of the results they noted:

• “I get either a client enquiry or an actual client at least twice a week”
• “We spend about 90 per cent of our time and efforts on Facebook. It’s a far more dynamic channel for us to communicate with our client base.”

These are real Aussie businesses making real results from Social Media.

But as the story noted, they have each developed a strategy that means they are selling by “not selling”.

Except for those few extremely funny video ads that “go viral”, no one enjoys reading advertising.

No one will re-post, “like” or re-tweet a blatant ad (unless they’re friends with the business owner!)

However they will repost information they find is interesting, that they haven’t heard before, a joke, a funny story, a handy hint, a quirky photo etc

So to pass Social Media 101, repeat slowly after me … “Don’t Be Boring!”

• Read the full story by Nick Gilbert here

The 3-Minute Decision  (Part 4)

The three minutes are up … and you’ve impressed your prospect, all unconsciously of course!

Now communication and presence take over in the sales process.

Your words must be professional and powerful but should be pitched at the same level as your prospect to help build rapport.

In an earlier post, I discussed how to dress to suit your client. In the same way, it is important to speak the same “language” as your prospect and adopt the same tone, without sounding patronising, condescending or over-stretching.

Body language should also reflect positive self-belief without being over-bearing.

Consider posture (are you standing straight or slumped over?), breathing, facial expressions (are your eyes smiling?), body tension, gestures …

Eat healthy food and exercise often and this will reflect in your appearance.

Presence is also about managing your state and showing that you are in charge of your emotions.

Equally important is personal grooming, where the “less is more principle applies” … not too much perfume, cologne, hair product or make-up.

Your image can also be amplified by the accessories you choose. Is your briefcase / handbag clean, polished and up-to-date? What about your mobile phone, laptop or even writing notebook?

Develop a confident inner image and you will project this to your clients.

Destroy fear and have an iron stomach for the ups and downs of sales. If you appear desperate, the prospect will see it immediately!

Think positive! We all know we are what you eat … but we’re also definitely what we think!

If you think you’re not going to make the sale or the customer doesn’t like you, it shows in your body language, face and your state … and you will lose the sale and the customer.

Project self-confidence at all times and look influential while respecting cultural protocols and etiquette.

Most importantly … control your emotions and have the behavioural flexibility to control the situation whatever may develop.

Happy selling!

The 3-Minute Decision  (Part 3)

We now know the customer has just three minutes to decide whom he will trust … and it’s all done unconsciously.

So how do you decide what image you need to reflect to your prospect?

There are five criteria to look at when deciding which image is appropriate for you to get the best results:

1. Who is my prospect/client?

2. Who do I need to be so I reflect the product I am selling?

3. What is the character I am playing to get this prospect/client to relate to me?

4. How will I build rapport with this prospect?

5. What research do I need to do before visiting this prospect so I may reflect all of the above?

Once you have answered these questions you can go ahead and decide how to dress to fit the image you will portray.

By dressing for success you have taken the first step towards becoming a success.

Style comes from within. We all have a natural way that we want the world to see. This is great if your natural style fits with your market … you may love piecing, tattoos and quirky clothing – and just know it suits you! – but is it congruent with your purpose?

It’s important to always remember that it’s all about the prospect … you must forget about your visions, your interests, what you want … in other words, forget about everything except your customer. What your customer wants is what matters and that may be significantly different from what you think they want.

When dealing with executive teams the dress must be suits for both men and women. Ensure these are clean and pressed. Women should not wear skirts that are too short and men should ensure hems are stitched.

Shoes are also important … they should always be clean, polished and the heels intact.

All colours should be conservative and not ostentatious. So guys, that orange suit may be the latest Versace, but it’s not appropriate!

If you are selling products and dealing with farmers, factories etc then you should be appropriately dressed for this environment. Men could wear slacks or neat jeans with a clean, pressed shirt and sports jacket. You will look comfortable but also approachable.

Women should wear slacks with a crisp shirt and either a knit and or jacket. Shoes should be block heel as you need to be able to walk around without looking awkward or you will quickly lose credibility.

But if you know you prospect will be dressed in a suit, dress the same!

And remember – in many workplaces, for safety reasons shoes must be closed or even steel-capped … check beforehand and dress appropriately!

In all circumstances hair must be tidy and well-cut.

For women, makeup must be natural. If you wear lipstick – and you should as it gives you a more polished and professional look – make sure you take it with you when you go out and reapply it every few hours. Half-eaten-off lipstick is not attractive.

Your presence is what will set you apart from your competition and will be long remembered after you leave the sales presentation.

Dress appropriately when attending functions with your customers. Evening functions for women do not mean choosing the lowest cut and shortest dress you can find in your wardrobe … or for men, jeans and T-shirt.

When you are out and about with clients you are still representing your company and products. Who you are, and your image, must be maintained!

Your behaviour must always reflect how you would like to be seen.

Many people find it difficult to go shopping to find clothes that are appropriate for them, where to shop and how to choose clothing that reflects the image that they would like to have.

This is when you could get assistance from an image consultant who will help you to build a wardrobe that reflects the image that will influence the people you meet.

Next week: How To Communicate With Your Prospect

You Have Less Than 3 Minutes To Sell Yourself

Imagine this … you’ve walked into a room filled with people you don’t know. Some are talking, some are listening. How do you feel? What do you think? Can you figure out the pecking order?

We know snap judgments can be wrong but that doesn’t stop us doing it. We make value judgments subconsciously all the time.

When we first walk into a room of strangers we can’t help but judge them …  do I trust them? Will I like them? Will they like me?

We are programmed from birth to use all our senses to decide how we will interact with a stranger. Thousands of years ago, this quick decision-making skill was necessary to save our lives … do we greet the sudden stranger as a friend, fight him or run away?

In the jungle of sales, this unconscious decision-making process could mean the difference between you closing a sale or literally scaring a potential client away.

It’s a fact that when a prospect first meets you he will decide in less than three minutes whether he likes you enough to continue the conversation.

Sales is about building relationships. You know people will buy from you if they like you and trust you. The prospect wants to know you have authority, professionalism and high standards.

Your image will communicate this to your prospect at an unconscious level and your prospect will connect your image to the product you are selling.

Studies have shown that people are judged 55% on appearance, 38% on body language and only 7% on the words they say.

Nothing will escape your prospect as they absorb information when they first meet you … how you sit or stand, the colour of your hair, how it is combed, your facial expression, the crease in your slacks or how short your skirt is, the colour of your shoes or are they scuffed. Remember, this is all done on an unconscious level and is automatic and habitual.

Your prospect is absorbing all manner of impressions but is totally unaware of most of them. The problem is, these unconscious impressions will flavour how he will make his purchasing decisions.

Are you authoritative? Do you believe what your are saying? Can you be trusted?

Style is also important because not only does it make a difference to people’s perception of you but it also alters how you feel about yourself.

Take a critical look in the mirror now. What image are YOU projecting to your clients? What image are you projecting to YOURSELF?

So … a simple rule, that’s often overlooked. Dress for success!

Word Of Mouse Bites Both Ways!

It’s been a marketing truism since Roman times ( remember those scrawled recommendations found on the walls of Pompeii? ).. word of mouth pays!

It doesn’t matter how many ads you read, hear or watch, when your best mate says he loves XYZ product, there’s a great chance you’re going to try it, too.

This, of course, is the basis for all social marketing, (see previous stories), especially those which successfully entice real people to endorse your product. This has been dubbed  “word of mouse” (not original, but a great phrase!).

However something that is often overlooked is that gossip can also be extremely negative to your business.

If a friend tells you that she got food poisoning after eating at the ABC Cafe, then there’s an extremely good chance that you’re not going to risk eating there. In the old days (ie pre-Facebook) the owners of the cafe would probably never know why their sales started slipping.

These days, there’s a good chance the alleged food poisoning victim will write about her tribulations online with hundreds – if not thousands – of readers viewing it. There’s even special websites which publish nothing but consumer complaints egwww.notgoodenough.org. Others, like the American phenomenon Yelp, publish both positive and negative reviews.

Eventually the business owner will probably find this, too … so what is the next step?

1. The answer is NOT to ignore it in the hope it will go away. Complaints that took less than a minute to post online could still be turning up in search engine results years later.

2. Take a deep breath, gather your facts and then register as member on the website so you can make a reply.

3. You may well be angry but don’t let this show when you post. If you can’t hold back, don’t post anything! It’s better to wait a few days until you are calmer.

4. Don’t insult or threaten the dissatisfied customer. Don’t let your emotions run away … and definitely don’t call them names! Stick to the facts.

5. Try to be gracious. Apologize for what the customer didn’t like and offer to make it right. Offer a refund. Invite them to contact you privately. In other words, deal with it in the same way as you would handle a face-to-face complaint in your shop if there were a hundred other customers standing there watching you.

6. If you think the comments are unfair or malicious (eg posted by a competitor), try contacting the website owner directly and ask that the comments be removed.  However, still ensure that you have posted something conciliatory so that in the meantime readers will leave with a more positive view of your business.

Case Story: How Not to Handle An Online Complaint

The Essential Generation For Your Business

Here’s a common tale from employers that I guarantee you’ve all heard … Gen Y are just impossible in the workplace. If you don’t keep them busy they’re either texting someone or on Facebook! And once you’ve got them trained, they up and leave!!

Gen Y, of course, disputes this … they’re simply AWESOME! The best-educated, innovative and creative generation of workers yet. And work wouldn’t be so boring if those burned-out old baby boomers would just get out of the way and stop holding back their careers …

So what’s the truth?

David O’Connor – director of The Connection Coach and himself a Gen Y – says the key to engaging with Gen Y employees is to “get it right from the start”.

David has more than nine years experience teaching, leading and motivating Gen Y and knows how to get the best results.

As a youth worker, he mentored teenagers and young adults and at one stage was co-ordinating a team of 28 staff and 800 volunteers while organising large-scale events such as youth festivals and conferences.

Working with this many young people would sound like hell for most employers but David has thrived and achieved prodigious results.

“Employers have to get it right from the start. If you do, you will save a lot of heartaches later on,” he says.

“Put in the effort when it comes to recruitment. Look for young people with a great attitude not necessarily just with a piece of paper. Look for the ones who have been in leadership roles at school and uni, who have done volunteer work and have good ‘soft’ skills not just good ‘hard’ skills.

“And don’t undervalue those who volunteer or are involved in some sort of charitable work, who have a strong sense of purpose. Look for something that makes them different from their peers.”

But what about the horror stories?

David says Gen Ys expect more from work than just a pay packet.

“They grew up in a world of opportunity and they don’t fear joblessness,” he says.

“They want to be part of something that makes a difference, that has a compelling vision and a compelling purpose.

“They expect business leaders to be passionate about their business. If they’re not, you can forget about engaging Gen Y.

“This passion can be about social justice or delivering a standard but it can’t be just to make the boss or the business rich.

“If you can engage them, you will get a lot out of them!”

David believes that if Gen Ys have a weakness it is in their communication skills.

“These kids grew up on Instant Messenger and email, not in face-to-face communication so these skills can be poor,” he says.

“Patience is a huge thing for managers. There’s no point in just yelling at them and getting frustrated.”

David says mentoring is the key.

“Turn the lack of communication into a mentoring opportunity. Turning challenges into opportunities is critical for Gen Y, ” he says.

So how do you stop them running off to another job?

David admits this is difficult as Gen Y is a very mobile generation however “engagement” with the business is important.

“Managers should build a relationship with their Gen Y employees. Just giving them a uniform or a desk won’t work.

“Managers must be approachable, take a genuine interest in their staff and build an affirmative culture in the workplace.

“Gen Ys love to be part of something that is making a difference. They must get a sense of purpose out of their work or they feel they are just going through the motions.”

NB. Gen Ys (also known as “Millennials”) are usually taken as being born from about 1977 to 2001. The oldest, therefore, are already in their 30s and are raising their own little Gen Zs.

• David O’Connor helps business leaders better engage with their Gen Y staff through leadership coaching. Find out more at TheConnectionCoach.com.au and follow him on Facebook and Twitter @davidgoconnor.

Online Marketing … Feeling Confused?

You’ve decided that marketing online will be useful for your business … now which type should you choose?

1. Corporate website - there’s no debate. Whatever you do online, you MUST have a website for your business. Debating in the 21st Century whether or not you need a website is like debating whether or not you need a telephone. The scale and scope of your website will differ depending on the type of business you are running but the bottom line is, you MUST have some sort of presence on the Internet. This presence is more than just an online advertisement, it’s your Corporate identity in cyberspace. It’s the anchor point for all your other online activities. Once you’ve drawn people to your website via whatever online streams you enter, it must be easy to navigate and have sufficient information to entice the reader to close a sale. This is your online shopfront.

2. Social utilities such as Facebook and micro-blogs such as Twitter are much more personal. This is why they’re called “social marketing”!They provide valuable SEO opportunities to draw readers to your main corporate website. They also provide an excellent way for you – as the business owner – to interact personally with your customers. As explained in a previous article, they are more likely to succeed is if you speak with an authentic voice. Your role is that of a friendly salesman, ready to chat about anything but with all your business information at your fingertips, too.

3. Blogs are another online social utility which started initially as a way for friends and families to swap information and for individuals to keep online diaries. Used in a corporate way, however, blogs provide an opportunity to post longer articles about particular subjects - or particular goods and services – and then interact publicly with your readers and refer them back to your website. Again, your role is as a friendly salesman, but this time demonstrating your in-depth expertise. A real advantage of blogs is that search engines spider blog posts so your posted information will appear in web searches. This is particularly true of blogs on Blogspot or Blogger (no real surprise, they’re owned by Google!) Technorati is a specialist search engine website that keeps a close eye on the “blogosphere”. To check out some successful small business blogs visit Technorati’s blog directory and follow the links.

4. Forums. Electronic bulletin boards, usually built around a single topic or hobby, date back to the earliest days of the Internet. As the web developed, these message boards became more sophisticated in design and developed into user-friendly forums with hundreds of pages. However their basic aim has remained the same.  A group of people, usually with the same interests, gather together at a point in cyberspace to ask questions, post photos and generally chat about their hobbyhorse. Sometimes these chats can be in real time (using chatroom software) but usually they work by someone opening a topic and then others responding to the thread across time.

In Options 1-3 above, the business owner has some control of the message. Forums work differently. Although levels of access can be controlled, usually once a member registers he/she can do whatever they like unless you ban their IP or limit their privileges.

So can this work for your business? Definitely yes, but in a much more limited way than other online options. For example, a computer repairer could host a forum where people ask and answer software-related questions. All the time they are on the forum, the readers have the computer repairer’s name in front of them and the business owner has the opportunity to demonstrate their expertise by solving problems. Likewise, forums work well for other specialists such as car restorers, antique dealers … in fact, anywhere where there is a speciality topic that readers (ie potential customers) want to explore. There are also many forums dedicated to subjects such as shares and property, some with dubious investment “tips” that are obviously designed to manipulate the market. Forums can also be manipulated by people seeking SEO opportunities however search engines are aware of this, and links from these forums are usually downgraded.

* * * *

It’s important to remember that digital marketing is simply one weapon in your marketing arsenal. It supports and reflects your business story, brand, service, conveys your point of difference and creates a call to action.

1. Create Your Profile

Facebook is all about personal relationships, ie “friends”. People probably DON’T want to make friends with your business but they may like to be friends with you. In any case, you are not allowed to create a profile for your business. What you can do, is create a profile for yourself, using your real name (false names are also against Facebook’s Terms of Services and risk instant deletion if detected).

Don’t forget to check your Privacy settings. You may, or may not, wish to share those “cute” family moments with the world and potential customers.

2. Work At It.

Upload your contact database to see if any of your contacts – or customers – are already on Facebook. Send “friend” requests. Then continue working at it! There is no point in starting a social networking marketing strategy unless you are willing to spend time at it, usually every day! Chat and joke with your new “friends” and answer their questions.

3. Create Your Company Page

Once you have created a personal profile, you can create a page for your business (this option is also available from Facebook’s initial log-in page)

This company page looks similar to your personal profile and can also be enhanced with applications that, as Facebook describes it, “capture new audiences virally through friend recommendations, News Feed stories, Facebook events, and beyond”.

Business pages should have your company contact information as well as photos, videos, news about upcoming events, discussion forums and links back to your corporate website. You can also include an RSS feed from your blog, embed videos from YouTube or re-tweet Twitter posts. And the bonus is, these company pages are spidered by search engines so your info will show up in Google!

The Facebook residents who become fans of your company are putting up their hands to tell you they like your product. They are inviting you to stay in touch with them and share information and advice. Do it!

4. What not to do

Don’t privately message too many individuals. You’ll be identified by Facebook as a spammer and you risk having your profile deleted.

Hard-selling doesn’t work!

Remember Facebook – and in fact all social media avenues – aren’t “get-rich-quick” schemes. Social media is about building networks and your reputation slowly over time. People will like your page and absorb your message if you provide content that it interesting and gives them value.

5. Advertising on Social Media

Of course, you can also advertise directly on Facebook in an attempt to drive people to your business page. There are benefits of advertising with a social media network, for example, Facebook ads allow you to target a select demographic.

6. Be Alert & Keep On Your Toes

One of the real problems – and opportunities – with social media outlets are that they are continually evolving.

More likely than not, these changes will be beneficial to marketers but you have to be alert to take advantage of opportunities as they arise.

Facebook, for example, seems keen to improve its revenue streams and often tweaks its users’ settings. However, it is important to watch how these changes play out in the marketplace as privacy issues can arise and Facebook can “pull the plug” on a feature almost instantaneously.

For an interesting oversight of some of Facebook’s history of changes, visit CNET

Federal Budget – What’s In It For Small Business?

The 2010 Federal Budget may not have excited the pundits but there’s a few points which small and medium businesses owners should note.
Most are a direct response to the Henry Review of the Australian taxation system.

1 . Superannuation: Super Guarantee contributions will increase by 0.25% in 2013-14 and 2014-15 and then by 0.5% per year until the Super Guarantee reaches 12% by 2019-20.

2. Reduction in company taxation: The company tax rate will be reduced from 30% to 29% for the 2013-14 income year and to 28% from 2014-15. Eligible small businesses will benefit from the reduction to 28% from the 2012-13 year.

3. Assets write-offs: Small businesses can now immediately write-off assets valued at under $5000 (up from $1000 – although the Henry Review had recommended this be lifted to $10,000). Other assets, with the exception of buildings, can be written off in a single depreciation pool at a rate of 30%, eliminating the need for small businesses to do complex tax classifications of different types of assets.

4. New business name register: The Federal Government will spend $125.2 million over the next eight years to create a single national online register for business names and ABNs, replacing the current State-based registration system.

5. HP agreements & GST: Small businesses that account for GST on a cash basis will be allowed to claim input tax credits upfront in relation to hire purchase agreements.