2013 & What Bryan Kumar Once Said About Offline Consulting...
Bryan Kumar, one of the true Warrior Forum greats, once made a statement that people should "Stop all the nonsense" that was happening in offline consulting. The guy had a point, but sadly it looks like offline consulting went over the 'reality cliff' a long time ago.
As we enter 2013, I'd like to share some ways to...
First of all, let me encourage you by saying that you can achieve your personal and financial goals for your offline consulting. The mere fact that you can dream or imagine it means you've got the potential to make it happen.
But success in local business or "offline' consulting, comes with an investment tag attached. An investment you might not have been willing to make in yourself or your future offline business.
So be warned...Only continue reading if you're prepared for some harsh truth and realities from someone who had to take drastic steps over the last 12 months in order to raise the game in 2012 and if you want to prepare the way for success in the coming months.
My desire is that it stirs something in you that will make you uncomfortable in your current comfort zone.
If you failed to "hit the mark" in 2012 that's okay, because you're not alone, you're not the first and you definitely won't be the last - but that doesn't mean its acceptable, not with all the knowledge you have and available local businesses that are waiting to be served by YOU specifically.
"Failure is what you make of it," so my question to you is this: "What does it mean and feel like for you to know deep down that you failed probably again) over the last 12 months?"
I asked this question of my local business consulting coaching students at our recent end of year session, and I also asked this question of myself in the areas that I failed, (yes, you read correctly), to meet certain business objectives. I asked because I hold myself accountable to my family and our dreams.
As is the case every year, there are many reasons why shift happens not the way you expected over the last 12 months. Some out of your control but others were your fault...if you're being honest with yourself.
Things like insufficient, planning, poor planning or no planning at all.
Things like failing to prioritize your time ('time management' by the way is actually a myth, but sounds sexier than admitting we all have 24 hours in our day).
Things like it being an absolute fact that you spent a disgusting amount of your valuable time on the internet hanging out in forums building your 'rank,' feeding your addiction to reading your emails across multiple email accounts and of course, being drawn to anything that has the word 'offline' in it.
Or maybe it was a lack of accountability, meaning, if you failed to make any money, nothing of any significance would really happen to you or those you care about, and even if it did, 'offline' wasn't going to make a difference was it?
And the list doesn't end there...
Just so you know that I understand what I'm talking about, let me assure you that even though we exceeded many of our revenue and profit goals and did the same for our local business clients, we still missed some important goals.
One of the things I realized in the last quarter of the year was that I personally had spent an unjustiable amount of my resources trying to serve offline marketing subscribers (marketers) who may not actually have real-world plans for themselves, their business or those who rely on them...
Hard to do? Yes. Painful? Yes, but I've done this before publicly, live on video (you can see that video on my site - I'll omit the name so it doesn't seem like self-promotion.
There are many of my former subscribers here in the forum, many of whom I love and care about dearly, who can confirm what Ive shared with you. I also had to let 'dead-weight' local business owner prospects who just weren't ready to do what was needed for their business over 180 days from initial solution discussions.
To move forward you've got to do what you have to do for a more disciplined and focused approach to a new you in 2013.
Why am I sharing this with you and why should you care? It's because...
People have a need to protect there public persona. I don't. I've experienced continuous because some people (some here in the WF) shared the reality of 'offline consulting.' Back then they shared their successes along with their battle wounds.
Don't be fooled into believing that everybody else is enjoying massive success in offline consulting except but poor little you. Most of it is BS, and that's why Bryan Kumar's words came to mind as I started to write this post this evening.
I want you to know that...
A change in your fortunes and your results starts with a change in how you think about what you do. You don't change what you do and the results you get by doing more of what doesn't work.
What do YOU need to think about differently as you head into a new year?
What do you need to do less or more of?
The only way you'll know is if you take the time to deliberately reflect and commit to doing things in a focused way.
So allow me to share a few pointers on 'what to do,' i.e. things you should include in your operations in 2013 to increase your chances of massive success.
As you include these in your mini-implementation plan I wish you the best of success. Feel free to get in contact if you need help, but this is on the condition that you can actually prove that you've actually taken action and you're not in the 'thinking' mode.
The quick and dirty 2103 success formula (in no particular order of priority), is to...
Read many of my existing posts related to local business consulting and you'll notice that I openly maintain my belief that cold-calling business owners expecting to sell your is a waste of your time.
It's the best way for you to quickly and safely merge with the tens of other sales people that call the same people you call everyday. You might strike it lucky once in a while but it's not the way to leverage yourself or grow your offline business.
People buy from "...those they know, like, and trust buying from." One of the ways to become one of those people is to invest time in building rapport. It's nothing new, but is something brushed aside in the desire to make a quick sale.
At every opportunity...
If you don't ask you don't know. When you do ask, take the time to listen. You can 'listen' through discussions, email exchange between you and your potential, current or even past offline customers.
What you should look for are problems you can solve with your solutions or that you can help solve through involving someone else, even if it means someone you can link to the business owner.
If you've got examples and/or case studies you should use them. They don't actually have to be yours by the way, they just need to be true and prove that what you're talking about can help reduce or eliminate the pain being experienced by the business owner.
Another thing to do is...
Time isn't only money when it comes to business. It's often money and a huge emotional pressure when a business is leaking revenue and potential profits.
The problem with the way 'offline' is presented these days is like businesses will immediately jump all over whatever happens to be the marketer's current wet dream. It's different in the real-world of business.
I remember one person that was trying to sell online marketing to a business niche whose demographic of ideal clients predominantly used the local papers to locate service providers. Of course they were failing to get results.
Don't be afraid of to...
Talking to actual business owners may be one of the major barriers to you being successful. Actually, how many real business owners that you formed some type of rapport with, did you talk to about financial things, i.e. them paying you out of their hard earned money, over the last number of months?
12?
24?
36?
48?
More?
... or 0?
There's more that we could discuss on the topic of what to do in 2013, but if you simply use what you've picked up in this piece and expand on it, you'll be sure to raise your game and make a difference in who knows you and how much you make as a direct result.
Go make it happen...because you can and because you're worth it!
Your feedback, response or reaction is welcome.
BAYO
As we enter 2013, I'd like to share some ways to...
Make 2013 Your Best Year Yet
In Offline Consulting
In Offline Consulting
First of all, let me encourage you by saying that you can achieve your personal and financial goals for your offline consulting. The mere fact that you can dream or imagine it means you've got the potential to make it happen.
But success in local business or "offline' consulting, comes with an investment tag attached. An investment you might not have been willing to make in yourself or your future offline business.
So be warned...Only continue reading if you're prepared for some harsh truth and realities from someone who had to take drastic steps over the last 12 months in order to raise the game in 2012 and if you want to prepare the way for success in the coming months.
My desire is that it stirs something in you that will make you uncomfortable in your current comfort zone.
Why the last 12 months sucked?
If you failed to "hit the mark" in 2012 that's okay, because you're not alone, you're not the first and you definitely won't be the last - but that doesn't mean its acceptable, not with all the knowledge you have and available local businesses that are waiting to be served by YOU specifically.
"Failure is what you make of it," so my question to you is this: "What does it mean and feel like for you to know deep down that you failed probably again) over the last 12 months?"
I asked this question of my local business consulting coaching students at our recent end of year session, and I also asked this question of myself in the areas that I failed, (yes, you read correctly), to meet certain business objectives. I asked because I hold myself accountable to my family and our dreams.
As is the case every year, there are many reasons why shift happens not the way you expected over the last 12 months. Some out of your control but others were your fault...if you're being honest with yourself.
How many of these?
Things like insufficient, planning, poor planning or no planning at all.
Things like failing to prioritize your time ('time management' by the way is actually a myth, but sounds sexier than admitting we all have 24 hours in our day).
Things like it being an absolute fact that you spent a disgusting amount of your valuable time on the internet hanging out in forums building your 'rank,' feeding your addiction to reading your emails across multiple email accounts and of course, being drawn to anything that has the word 'offline' in it.
Or maybe it was a lack of accountability, meaning, if you failed to make any money, nothing of any significance would really happen to you or those you care about, and even if it did, 'offline' wasn't going to make a difference was it?
And the list doesn't end there...
What's missing (just add it in)?
Just so you know that I understand what I'm talking about, let me assure you that even though we exceeded many of our revenue and profit goals and did the same for our local business clients, we still missed some important goals.
One of the things I realized in the last quarter of the year was that I personally had spent an unjustiable amount of my resources trying to serve offline marketing subscribers (marketers) who may not actually have real-world plans for themselves, their business or those who rely on them...
So I deleted my entire offline consulting email databases.
Every single one of them. The only databases I have now are ones that contain local business prospects and clients
(My niche is high-ticket professional service businesses).
Every single one of them. The only databases I have now are ones that contain local business prospects and clients
(My niche is high-ticket professional service businesses).
Hard to do? Yes. Painful? Yes, but I've done this before publicly, live on video (you can see that video on my site - I'll omit the name so it doesn't seem like self-promotion.
There are many of my former subscribers here in the forum, many of whom I love and care about dearly, who can confirm what Ive shared with you. I also had to let 'dead-weight' local business owner prospects who just weren't ready to do what was needed for their business over 180 days from initial solution discussions.
To move forward you've got to do what you have to do for a more disciplined and focused approach to a new you in 2013.
Why am I sharing this with you and why should you care? It's because...
Very few people that know better,
will tell you these truths publicly.
will tell you these truths publicly.
People have a need to protect there public persona. I don't. I've experienced continuous because some people (some here in the WF) shared the reality of 'offline consulting.' Back then they shared their successes along with their battle wounds.
Don't be fooled into believing that everybody else is enjoying massive success in offline consulting except but poor little you. Most of it is BS, and that's why Bryan Kumar's words came to mind as I started to write this post this evening.
I want you to know that...
Failure is not an end point
unless YOU decide to make it so.
unless YOU decide to make it so.
A change in your fortunes and your results starts with a change in how you think about what you do. You don't change what you do and the results you get by doing more of what doesn't work.
What do YOU need to think about differently as you head into a new year?
What do you need to do less or more of?
The only way you'll know is if you take the time to deliberately reflect and commit to doing things in a focused way.
So allow me to share a few pointers on 'what to do,' i.e. things you should include in your operations in 2013 to increase your chances of massive success.
As you include these in your mini-implementation plan I wish you the best of success. Feel free to get in contact if you need help, but this is on the condition that you can actually prove that you've actually taken action and you're not in the 'thinking' mode.
The quick and dirty 2103 success formula (in no particular order of priority), is to...
Always kick things off by
establishing genuine rapport.
establishing genuine rapport.
Read many of my existing posts related to local business consulting and you'll notice that I openly maintain my belief that cold-calling business owners expecting to sell your is a waste of your time.
It's the best way for you to quickly and safely merge with the tens of other sales people that call the same people you call everyday. You might strike it lucky once in a while but it's not the way to leverage yourself or grow your offline business.
People buy from "...those they know, like, and trust buying from." One of the ways to become one of those people is to invest time in building rapport. It's nothing new, but is something brushed aside in the desire to make a quick sale.
At every opportunity...
Ask questions that allow you to gain
useful and relevant, problem-centric information about the business and the business owner.
useful and relevant, problem-centric information about the business and the business owner.
If you don't ask you don't know. When you do ask, take the time to listen. You can 'listen' through discussions, email exchange between you and your potential, current or even past offline customers.
What you should look for are problems you can solve with your solutions or that you can help solve through involving someone else, even if it means someone you can link to the business owner.
If you've got examples and/or case studies you should use them. They don't actually have to be yours by the way, they just need to be true and prove that what you're talking about can help reduce or eliminate the pain being experienced by the business owner.
Another thing to do is...
Take time to understand what the problem actually means in monetary, personal loss or inconvenience to the business owner.
Time isn't only money when it comes to business. It's often money and a huge emotional pressure when a business is leaking revenue and potential profits.
The problem with the way 'offline' is presented these days is like businesses will immediately jump all over whatever happens to be the marketer's current wet dream. It's different in the real-world of business.
I remember one person that was trying to sell online marketing to a business niche whose demographic of ideal clients predominantly used the local papers to locate service providers. Of course they were failing to get results.
Don't be afraid of to...
As for what the solution is worth
and confirming exactly how and when
they'll pay you (been burned here!).
and confirming exactly how and when
they'll pay you (been burned here!).
Talking to actual business owners may be one of the major barriers to you being successful. Actually, how many real business owners that you formed some type of rapport with, did you talk to about financial things, i.e. them paying you out of their hard earned money, over the last number of months?
12?
24?
36?
48?
More?
... or 0?
There's more that we could discuss on the topic of what to do in 2013, but if you simply use what you've picked up in this piece and expand on it, you'll be sure to raise your game and make a difference in who knows you and how much you make as a direct result.
Go make it happen...because you can and because you're worth it!
Your feedback, response or reaction is welcome.
BAYO
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