Marketing tips, marketing help and advice

21 Powerful habits of highly successful business owners

June 22, 2018 by Jim Connolly

Over the years, I’ve worked with thousands of business owners. Some of them are massively successful. I soon noticed that these super-successful people shared certain habits. They did things, which the average business owner didn’t do.

I decided to learn from them… to acquire their habits, to see if it would help me. It did. It really did. In big, meaningful, measurable ways. Today, I’m going to share some of what I learned from them with you.

Let’s go.

They personalize their business, so it’s uniquely theirs. One of a kind. Rare and valuable. This is true, regardless of their industry or profession.
They are driven by a passion to do something big. Something that motivates them AND those around them.
They know success is about more than money. Because if you’re rich and unhappy, you’re still broke.
They show people, rather than tell people. Anyone can claim anything, so they walk the walk.
They out-care their competitors. And it shines through everything they do.
They out-smart their competitors too.
They set standards, extremely high, self-imposed standards. Then, they achieve them.
They throw away the manual and write their own rules.
They focus on what they want, not what they fear. Sounds obvious, yet it’s the polar opposite of what small business owners do.
They are excellent decision makers. They get the information required, study it, request advice if needed, then decide. This is one of the master skills for success in every area of life, not just business.
They avoid those costly detours, which come disguised as shortcuts to success. Warren Buffett often says a key reason for his amazing results, is his commitment to get rich slowly.
They do all the work required. You can’t sleepwalk your way to the top. Or even the middle.
They also relax. If you work smart during work time, you can relax when it’s family and friends time. In fact, it’s essential.
They seldom watch TV. None (zero) of the most successful people I know, bother with much TV.
They are extremely selective who they associate with and who they recommend. Your associates have a huge impact on what you think and your expectations.
They lead. The world already has enough followers and the followers need leaders.
They manage their time extremely well.
They deliberately build a valuable network of people — before they need them.
They are willing to stand out. They know it’s the only way to be outstanding.
They summon the courage to do what’s required, rather than what feels comfortable.
They make promises and keep them. They know it’s a superb way to build trust and earn a great reputation.
They look for opportunities to over-deliver. I call this approach radical contribution. I’ll cover it in detail, in a future post.

I hope you find those observations useful. More importantly, I hope you decide to turn at least one of them into a habit.

How to immediately improve 10 critical areas of your business

June 19, 2018 by Jim Connolly

marketing blog, enthusiasm

That’s not just a catchy headline. I’m going to share an idea with you, which absolutely can help you improve your results pretty-much instantly.

It starts with a really important question. How enthusiastic are you about your business?

Here’s why your answer to that question is so important: People can tell almost immediately, if you’re enthusiastic or not. And that matters! It matters because is has an immediate impact on how they feel about you, your business and the service you provide.

Allow me to explain.

Enthusiasm makes things happen

When you speak (or write) with enthusiasm, people feel more positively about you. Enthusiastic business owners exude confidence, which is essential. Think about it — we only hire people or buy from them, if we have confidence in them.

Someone once told me that their definition of making a sale, was: ‘The transfer of enthusiasm’. That’s a great example of just how essential enthusiasm is, to the success of your business.

And when you speak with enthusiasm, people listen more attentively, too. They’re drawn in. You sometimes notice their body language change, as they lean forward because they’re paying attention. And this happens in seconds.

All these benefits of enthusiasm, and more, combine to create an immediate, positive impact. In a moment I list 10 areas where this can help you improve your results.

A lack of enthusiasm makes things happen, too

When enthusiasm is lacking, people are less motivated by you. They pay less attention to what you say, because your lack of enthusiasm is talking louder than the words you use.

I experienced this recently, talking to a business owner. She was saying positive things about what she wanted to achieve with her business, yet she was clearly lacking in enthusiasm. And it sucked all the confidence and impact from her words. I honestly can’t recall much of what she said. Just her total lack of enthusiasm.

Unleash your enthusiasm

Here are 10 ways you can improve your results, by letting your enthusiasm shine through everything you do.

It will generate more sales, as you ‘transfer your enthusiasm’.
It will improve perceptions of you, your business and the service you provide.
It will encourage the people around you. This super-valuable trait is common to every great leader.
It will inspire confidence in you and what you do.
It will attract opportunities that you wouldn’t have previously been offered.
It will attract the best clients, too.
It will position you in the marketplace, as ‘one to watch’.
It will energize you and everything you do.
It will motivate people to recommend you to their friends.
And it will make you happier with your business, which further boosts your enthusiasm, and amplifies all those great benefits, (and more)!

Okay. So, not everyone reading this is brimming with enthusiasm right now.

This begs the question…

What if you’re not feeling enthusiastic?

Think of it like this. You’re the business owner. So, you’re in control. This means you have the freedom, starting right now, to build a business that enthuses you. A business that excites you on every level.

Remember, you choose where you work. You choose who your clients or customers are. You even choose what you charge. This means you get to decide where you work, who you work for and how much money you make. So, if your current business doesn’t cause you to feel enthusiastic, build it into a business that does. You can do it, my friend. I know, because I see it happening every day with my clients.

How to work the room at networking events

June 18, 2018 by Jim Connolly

Someone once asked me for tips on how to work the room at a networking event. I can still remember the shocked look on their face, when I gave them my answer. However, they found it really useful, so I thought I’d share it with you.

Here it is. Drum-roll please…

Focus on why

I explained that I wouldn’t spend much time, learning how to get the most from networking events.

No. I wouldn’t spend any time whatsoever on it… none, zero, nada.

Instead, I suggested they focus on ‘why’. Specifically, why they needed to go to networking events. Why their clients, website, social networks, newsletter, customers and contacts weren’t providing all the leads their business needs.

Whenever a business isn’t attracting enough sales or new clients, it’s ALWAYS because they’re neglecting something. So, rather than pestering strangers at networking events, I offered a few alternative strategies.

Build powerful marketing, which attracts people and inspires them to buy from you or hire you.
Offer amazing experiences, which your existing customers or clients will share with their friends.
Go the extra mile… as standard.
Bake marketing into your products or services. This means making them so remarkable, that they almost market themselves. (And yes, you can bake marketing into your existing products or services). Just think about that for a moment.
Always, always, always care more about your customers, than you care about your prices or fees. Do this and you’ll seldom lose a customer.
Create a story about your business, which is so remarkable your marketplace will want to share it.

You get the idea.

When I talk to young entrepreneurs about networking events, I sometimes explain it like this:

Trying to market your business at networking events, is like trying to eat soup with a fork. Even if you get really good at it, it’s still massively less effective, than eating soup the right way. Plus you’ll look just as silly.

So, be kind to yourself. And embrace marketing that actually works.

Liars and marketing: A powerful lesson from Steve Jobs

June 17, 2018 by Jim Connolly

Steve Jobs understood something about marketing. And it gave him a huge competitive advantage. Today, I’m going to share that advantage with you.

It’s really simple to understand, easy to do and can massively improve your results.

It starts with this age-old business fact: There’s often a big difference between what people say and what they actually do.

I spoke with a blogger once, who had recently surveyed his readers. He wanted to know if they’d be willing to pay for a premium service. He accurately described the service, including the small, monthly fee.

In total, 73 people took time to respond, saying they’d “happily pay for the service”.

With 73 people happy to pay for his new service, he went ahead and launched it. However, despite what they said, just 8 of them actually signed up. He lost almost $40000 in the process.

Steve Jobs understood this better than any of his competitors

Sure, it’s important for us to listen to what our marketplace is saying. But when we listen, we need to do so through a filter. We need to understand that in many cases, people will tell us:

Things they think we want to hear.
Things they think will make them look good.

This is why Steve Jobs shunned focus groups. He learned that people in focus groups tended to say smart, generous things in order to look good. He found their feedback to be not only of little real value, but potentially misleading. That’s a dangerous mix.

Whilst we need to listen to what people say. We tend to make massively better decisions when we watch what people do.

Early birds

This is why entrepreneurial business owners sometimes offer an early bird discount when they launch something new. For a short period of time, they offer the new (whatever) at a slightly reduced rate. They do this, primarily to measure what kind of genuine interest there is.

Here’s why.

If the marketplace is eagerly buying, the business owner knows there’s a significant demand. At least, at the early bird price.
However, if the marketplace isn’t interested, even at the reduced price, then something is wrong. Maybe the marketing needs to improve. Perhaps the product / service itself needs more value pumped into it. And it’s possible that both areas need to significantly improve before the actual launch.

Here’s the thing: That kind of real-world feedback provides data you can make decisions on, with far greater confidence than data from a survey.

Polling people with a survey can be useful. However, in business we know that actions speak louder than words. After all, great ideas are not anointed.

How to have the business you’ve always wanted

June 14, 2018 by Jim Connolly

Your business is fantastically rewarding. Right?

It provides you with interesting puzzles to solve, which you find extremely compelling.
You get to spend every day, working with wonderful customers.
Your working environment is a hive of creativity, fun and productivity.
And it goes without saying that your plans for the future energize you.

At least that’s how it should be

When we decide to start a business, we give ourselves a blank canvas. We get to choose the kind of work we do, the prices we charge, the place we work from and the people we work with. In short, we construct every single element of our business, from the ground up.

Presented with this stunning opportunity, it’s incredible what some business owners create. Instead of building a business that inspires, energizes and excites them, they build a business that’s a source of stress or frustration.

From time to time, it’s worth reminding ourselves that our business can be whatever we decide we want it to be. We can choose to work on rewarding projects, for great customers who value us. Or we can choose not to. We can choose to create compelling, motivating plans for our business, which energize us. Or we can choose not to.

The key, is to make the right choice.

It starts with belief. And then a decision

You need to believe (on an intellectual and emotional level) that you deserve a better business, free from whatever limitations you now face.

Then you need to decide. You need to decide to do what’s required. This means developing a plan that will guide your business from where it is today, to where you want it to be: A business that fully inspires you and rewards you.

Is it worth it? Yes, absolutely.

How can I be so certain? I work every day with business owners who have the belief and made the decision. And the improvement that happens, not only within their businesses, but their lives as a whole, is breathtaking. You deserve the same. Don’t settle for less.

1 Word that can destroy your marketing, plus 12 better alternatives

June 12, 2018 by Jim Connolly

When it comes to creating successful marketing messages, the word ‘new’ is overrated. Moreover, it can critically damage the effectiveness of your marketing — losing you new customers or clients in the process.

There are 2 main reasons for this:

A new product or service is always seen as a risky bet. At best, it’s a bigger gamble than the existing solution. At worst, the customer feels like a paying guinea pig.
A new product or service is seldom, if ever, the best. It lacks the improvements that come from years of customer feedback. It lacks the robustness that comes from being stress-tested.

Yes, when you have an announcement to make, (like moving to new premises), people expect to see ‘new’ and they understand the context.

The challenge comes, when a key part of your marketing message is that you offer a new way to do something. Even some big brands struggle to sell ‘new’ to people, despite multi-million dollar marketing campaigns.

Thankfully, you can totally avoid this challenge.

Use better alternatives

Instead of relying on ‘new’, offer your marketplace something more compelling. More secure. More attractive. More motivating.

For example, rather than offering them a ‘new’ way, look at the core benefit of your product or service. Then, market that benefit to them instead. So, instead of a ‘new’ way, you could offer them one or more of the following 12 alternatives.

A faster way.
A secure way.
An enjoyable way.
A greener way.
A stylish way.
A stress-free way.
An original way.
A premium quality way.
A proven way.
An ethical way.
A guaranteed way (this example works extremely well).
A cost effective way.

In short, if a potential customer sees your ‘new’ whatever, as a risky or unproven option, it’s very unlikely that they’ll buy from you. So use better alternatives. Alternatives that build trust and inspire them to buy from you or hire you.

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