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The Importance of Living in the Present

I had the privilege of meeting Alicia Forrest when I attended her Online Business Breakthrough Workshop (OBBW) in 2010. Of course I subscribe to her newsletter and the latest edition contained a very pertinent article I wanted to share with you. It’s all about the importance of living in and polishing the present rather than always striving for the future. It was inspired by one her daughter’s books.

How to Unhook from the Future
by Alicia Forest, MBA – The Business Shifter™

Chloe has a children’s book titled Milton’s Secret: An Adventure of Discovery through Then, When, and the Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and Robert S. Friedman, which really simplifies the concept of living in the present moment, and how the practice of that will, for the boy in the story, eliminate fear and worry.

I wanted to explore that as it pertains to your business, with a slightly different slant. I wonder if you, like so many of my clients, and myself as well from time to time, are so hooked into the future that we’re missing the NOW and not fully enjoying the journey?

So how do we unhook from it to allow what we truly want to come to pass without always feeling like we’re striving for it?

Here are 5 ideas:

1. Let go of the goals that take you away from the present

Let me say first that you can have everything you want – and there’s no judgement here on what those things are.

That being said, do you want a mansion, to be the #1 speaker in your market, to be the one with the biggest email list in your market, to be a New York Times bestselling author, to make a million dollars? There’s nothing wrong with any of those lofty (and completely attainable) goals.

And, what happens is when we’re so focused on the sexy dream we tend to get ourselves so riled up about getting there that we miss all the amazing stuff happening NOW.

What I’ve noticed is that people get impatient, sad, frustrated, and even angry when they’re so focused on the future goal that the present seems uninteresting at best, despairing at worst. The antidote? See #2.

2. Polish the present

I want to encourage you to stop striving so hard and thrive in your present. What I mean is that if you make what you already have better, and polish what’s already good and working, you uplevel your life without expending that energy on something that doesn’t exist yet.

Yes, it’s about appreciating what’s already good and right in your world and in your business AND it’s about how you can make what’s already there fulfill you even more. It’s true that if you make the most of what you already have, you’ll get more and better of it with a lot less effort on your part.

3. Don’t plan so much

I’m all about having the big picture plan down to the day-to-day details, and yet I know that most of the time, the plan changes.

One of the reasons we – as business owners – plan so much is because it gives us a sense of control and it helps to alleviate the fears and doubts we have about knowing what we’re doing.

So have the plan and be willing to be flexible with it. Let it be a guide but not the only way. If you get wrapped up in THE PLAN you’ll actually hold yourself and your business back from being able to adapt quickly when things change – and they always do.

Assess if you spend more time planning than doing – and if you do, stop right now. And if you tend to fly by the seat of your pants more often than not, you might want a lightly-built framework around you to give you some sense of stability.

4. Get out of the striver’s club

Stop trying to acquire a better future with others who are striving. It’s just too exhausting. I’m not saying to surround yourself with lazy folks, but to get out of the overdrive club if you want to relax into a currently compelling present instead of an exhausting still ‘out there somewhere’ future.

5. Get off the ‘if/when’ rollercoaster

I admit this is a pet peeve of mine. Not from people who are decisive, but from people who use it as an excuse to not be happy now. When you make ‘if/when’ statements, you’re living in the future. Dreaming and visioning is one thing; otherwise it’s a holding pattern for you but even worse, you’re not enjoying where you’re at right now!

Now take and implement these five ideas to unhook from the future so you can enjoy the present – I promise you’ll thank me for it. 🙂

© 2013 Alicia Forest International | All rights reserved.

Alicia Forest, MBA mentors women entrepreneurs on how to build a priority-based, highly profitable business, in less than part-time hours. Get her FREE series on how you can do this too at http://aliciaforest.com

Click here for more information on the 2013 Online Business Breakthrough Workshop (OOBW): OBBW 2013 (This is NOT an affiliate link)

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Tell them a story

They say you should tell your potential customers a story they can relate to, a story that makes them feel they know you and can trust you. So this means I should tell the story of how 9/11 blew my corporate career out of the water and I reinvented myself by moving into marketing and then following the sudden death of my father started an internet business which lead me into social media. Rightly or wrongly I choose not to tell this story on my websites because I think it’s all a bit sad but then others say it shows my flexibility and ability to survive when life gets tough.

But here’s an example of a story from Westjet – a Canadian airline – that appeared on their Facebook page at Christmas (2011):

TRAVEL ADVISORY: Pilots across the globe have reported seeing a mysterious aircraft travelling west, with nine engines and a single flashing red beacon. The aircraft appears to carry at least one free checked bag. The contents of the bag are unknown however it is emptying rapidly as the journey progresses..

All WestJet flights are expected to be impacted. Guests flying near this aircraft can expect even more in-flight joy and laughter than on a regular WestJet flight. Travellers report a desire to embrace relatives and friends on arrival

This was posted on their Westjet Facebook page.

What stories do you tell in your business ? What stories have you read that you want to share here ?

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Finding out what people WANT

I want to share with you some ways in which you can find out what your customers and target clients want and how we can discover what their pain points are.

You could do a survey – perhaps one you’ve written, printed and taken to your local shopping mall or local library or airport – wherever your target customers are most likely to be found or perhaps it’s one that you’ve produced on line using SurveyMonkey and sent out to your contacts.

You could gather together a group of people for a focus group to discuss the topic of interest to you – you’re sure to gain loads of insights.

You could interview people on the topic of concern or interest to you and find out more about the wants and needs of your target customer, how they would like those needs to be satisfied. This is important as you may not only assume what their needs and wants are but also how they would like them to be met. It’s vital to get both right ! So how can you do this?

You could do random telephone interviews at times of the day when you know you are likely to find your target audience or you could so interviews in public places or if you have an on-line business invite people to apply to be interviewed. People love to do this as they have the opportunity to have their moment in the spotlight – and this can also give you material for blog posts. If you have a show on Blog Talk Radio then you may decide to invite some of the respondents to be in conversation with you on your show. Do you see how you can make efficient use of your time and information and make it work hard for you ?

Whichever method you choose to ensure that:

1) you reach your target customer

To do this you need to have identified who you target customers are and where you can find them. There’s nothing to be gained by asking your questions of the wrong set of people

2) you’ve designed your questions in a way that enables you to identify what the person’s needs are but also how they would like to have them satisfied

For example – if people want to lose weight some won’t want to achieve this goal by exercising and will prefer to change their diet or consume special weight loss drinks and food; others will want to lose weight by an exercise program – perhaps at a local gym perhaps at home then of course there will be those who want instant success and liposuction could be their preferred option. Perhaps someone wants to know if their business idea is viable – they may want someone to do this for them, they may want to buy a book or a program or watch a webinar and then do it themselves.

My challenge to you:

Think of all the needs that might exist in your market. You can then do a short survey to test whether you are right. I’ll tell you about doing surveys next time.

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Who needs what ?

A business should be based on a need that the founder knows or suspects exists in a market. A prospective client will only be interested in your offer only if it meets one of the more or less essential needs they are seeking to satisfy.

If we take a car as an example: someone buying a car needs to get from A to B but other factors come into play such as financial aspects, safety, environmental issues, quality to name but a few.

High value purchases like homes and cars usually reflect a combination of several needs, but there will be a hierarchy among them specific to each person. Even purchases of a smaller dollar value should meet a need that the prospective purchaser is experiencing.

SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT

Here are some things you should think about when considering the need(s) you’ve identified:

- How did you detect this need? – Why do you think these people have this need?
- Are there other needs associated with the need you have identified?
- Will this need continue over time? Is it a temporary or a sustainable need?
- Who are the people with this need? Is it a small or a large group of people?
- Is it an on ongoing need for a clearly identifiable group of people? OR a heterogeneous group of people?
- What are the typical behaviour patterns of the people expressing this need?
- Is it an on-going need or a new need?
- Are there other ways this need could be satisfied ?
- Are the people expressing this need frustrated to a slight, an average or a high degree?
- Have the people expressing this need had it for a long time, for some time or only recently?
- Do the people expressing this need want to satisfy it quickly? Are they ready to buy?
- What factors identified in your external environment scan could impact this need? And would this be in a positive or negative way?
- How might the need evolve over time?

This post was based on “Identifying Needs” by Claude Ananou. in Filion, L.J. and C. Ananou De l’intuition au projet d’entreprise. Transcontinental, 2010.

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Evaluating Business Ideas

We live in a world where starting your own businessng s increasingly seen as an option, indeed even a preferred choice. For some people the entrepreneurial spirit is so ingrained they wouldn’t be happy unless they were putting their business ideas into being. For other people, starting a business is a way to avoid a lengthy commute to work or not having to work for someone else. Some people need to stay at home to be with their children or to care for an elderly or disabled family member. Some people have reached an age where a conventional job is no longer an option. Some folks just simply like to be location independent and spend time in whatever country currently holds their interest.

Exciting times! But, if you make the wrong choices then financial challenges and disappointments can be the order of the day. I’ve had contact with literally hundreds of people who’ve wanted to start a business but relatively few launch a business and actually make money from it. In fact statistics on the success rate for start-up business make sobering reading. In the USA, for example, Bureau of Labour Statistics data show that 49 % of businesses survive 5 years+; 34 % survive 10 years+ ; and 26 % survive 15 years+.

BUT THERE IS A SOLUTION ! – EVALUATE YOUR BUSINESS IDEAS !

How ?

Well, start by taking a close look at YOU – are you the right person to start and run this business ?

Is there sufficient DEMAND for your products or services ?

Do your products / services satisfy a NEED in the market place ? Do they remove someone’s problems ?

What is happening in the macro-environment – what are the opportunities and threats ? how will these impact your business idea ?

What are the barriers to entry in your market place ? what is the extent of rivalry between competing firms ? how will competitors react if you enter the market ?

What are financial costs – of start-up, of running the business on a day to day basis ?

What prices will you be able to charge ? how many of your products or services will you be able to sell ?

I’ve produced a free report on all of these so if you want to read more just look over to the right hand column and sign up for it in the box at the top of the column.

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Does your business need a plumber ?

Well of course you need a plumber to install a new bathroom, fix a dripping tap or to switch off water gushing from a burst pipe but I was thinking more of money leaks from your business – when YOU need to be your own plumber stopping those money leaks – and trust me – when you’ve done reading this blog post you’ll all be agreeing that you have leaks – probably so many it’s a big flood.

I certainly hope you’ll leave a comment telling us all about the leaks that you’ve identified that aren’t covered in this post. I’ll bet there’s a ton of things I haven’t thought of.

So here are some potential sources of leaks for you to think about:

Do you read all those books you buy? do you need to buy them or could you borrow them from your university library or even local library?
How many VIP and membership programmes are you signed up for and never read the stuff that you receive?
Do you pay to go on workshops and put the learnings into practice or do they remain notes in a binder?
Do you use those home study courses you buy or do they take up valuable shelf space?
How many networking events have you been to, collected business cards and then done no follow up?
How many domain names do you have? do you really need so many?
How many hosting services are you signed up for?
How many premium WordPress themes do you have and make no use of?
Do you buy ink for your printer, almost never print or photocopy anything and then when you do you find the ink has dried out and you need to replace them? (this is my favourite trick)
Could you use a Skype calling plan instead of a landline?
Do you really get benefits from premium membership on Linked In?
How many business organisations do you belong to and are you reaping the benefits? Do you go to the networking events? do you have an enjoyable time? do you make useful contacts? if you’re answering no then maybe you should question whether you should be spending money on these. Of course some you need to belong like the Chamber of Commerce simply because it adds some credibility and prestige but …
Annual travel insurance is cheaper than buying travel insurance per trip
Do you really need that extra suitcase you now have to pay for on transatlantic flights (another favourite of mine although I would claim that going for one to two months makes it justifiable!)
Do you need to fly on a weekend? maybe if you fly during the week the cost of the additional hotel nights would be less than the extra cost in the airfare and you get some quiet time to focus on your business or hey, even some YOU time which is very important too.

Now write your own list and be prepared for a BIG shock .. my list showed that I could easily save $3000 a year – at least. That’s money you could invest in your business; money that would pay for the services of a virtual assistant (VA) to free up some of your time to work on your business or spend time with family; you even be radical and give yourself a very nice – and probably well deserved – holiday !! or just simply save on all that credit card interest.

Why not share with us some of the things that appeared on your list.

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Ripples on the water

Sometimes… when I’m waiting for a bus or train or hanging round in an airport observing people I get to thinking.

Yesterday I went for a run here in Montreal which took me round the lake in Parc Lafontaine. I decided to sit in the sun for a while and listen to my MP3.

I noticed what looked like raindrops on the lake – except it wasn’t raining. Each time some birds flew over there were even more ripples. I realised these were tiny insects moving on the water but making big ripples.

I started wondering what the marketing or business lesson might be from this.

Here they are…

… even if you are little and playing in a big pond (thinking of social media here) you can still make ripples that have an impact on other people and their businesses and their lives. Even if people make no comment it doesn’t mean they’re not observing or listening to you or taking action on what you say or the information you share.

Then I noticed that some of the ripples were really big – this was where two tiny insects were together so of course I thought about joint ventures and how two people are always stronger than just one. I’ve discovered this recently by partnering with Lelia Raynal for my upcoming social media talks in Montreal. (If you want to know more about them contact me.)

What observations do you make when you’re out and about that have a business or marketing lesson ?

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Networking – make the effort

Tonight as I walked through the cold deserted streets of Old Montreal towards a networking event I was tempted at one point to turn round and go home ! I was cold and I was thinking that it would probably be a waste of time…. Well, I carried on walking and here’s what I got from the evening:

– The first person to greet me opened with “I gave your name to the Haitian Young Chamber of Commerce – they need someone to give a talk on business plans and I immediately thought of you”

– I met up with someone I am working on a new business project with (CanEuropa – helping Canadian companies move into Europe and European companies move into Canada)

– someone working for an organisation representing the Rhône-Alpes region in France needed exactly the kind of services I can provide for their clients

– a fellow lecturer from HEC Montréal (we both teach Sector Analysis)enabled me to catch up with what is happening next year

– I got talking to someone who like me loves hiking and skiing so finally this Winter I may well have someone to go with

– a former coachee who months ago told me about Michael Port, who in turn was instrumental in me getting onto Facebook (where I now have 2,300 friends by the way)and working on teleseminars and information products, was there so I was able to thank her for launching me onto a path I had not expected to travel

The reason for mentioning all of this is to make the point:
– even if you’re tired, it’s cold, it’s a long walk don’t turn back when you have set out to a networking event – you never know who who you will meet nor what exciting avenues it might open up for you – personally and/or professionally

And you know what, every time without fail when I go to a networking event and wonder whether I might just not bother and head home …. these are always the ones that bring me the most value, the most interesting conversations. It’s like a little guardian angel has driven me there.

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Marketing lessons from the street

Today I lined up to buy one of the new plastic cards for the Metro in Montreal and then I lined up a second time to use the machine to actually load my monthly pass onto the card. Pain in the butt system or what ?!!!

In the time all this took I had the opportunity to observe one of the people who regularly beg in the subway here (underground to readers in the UK !!). Then I started to compare him to someone else who begs in the same Metro station (Sherbrooke for those of you who live in Montreal).

I would argue that begging for money isn’t a million miles different to getting business from a potential client. Here’s what I learnt from my observations:

THE FIRST BEGGER

•Pick the right moment – begging for money is not going to be successful when you solicit people rushing to go to work. I wondered why the guy didn’t pitch to those of us lined up – we were a captive audience, bored, fed up and possibly receptive to a good story.

In business ensure that the client is undistracted and ready to listen to what you would like to say.

•Close off objections – dirty, in tatty clothes and telling me you’re hungry … maybe you are but maybe you want money for drugs. Good idea to think about what I might be thinking and then close off that objection before I even make it.

Same applies with a potential business client. If you think the person might be wondering if you have the right experience, could harness the right resources, whatever.. then cover that off when you are speaking to them.

•Address the “what’s in it for me” – what should the guy in the Metro be doing so that we get someting? just imposing the odours of his unwashed body so that we give him some money to make him go away? Maybe. But, suppose he appealed to our more generous side: “You’re buying your monthly pass I would like to be able to buy some food” (guilt trip); “While you are waiting in line think about people like me who have ended up on the streets” (compassion with a bit of guilt).

In business think what the person’s pain might be, actively listen and ask questions to make this discovery before pitching in for their business.

THE OTHER BEGGER

•Let them come to you – Now the other guy who begs at the same Metro station just stands there and smiles at you. That’s it. He smiles. he ackowledges you as you hurry by. The only person who does. Soon you find he smiles at you each day so you start to say “Bonjour”. Then you don’t see him for a while and you ask where he’s been, how he’s been. You learn a bit about his life, his story. Then you find he’s quite a conversationalist. Quite smart in a street-wise kind of way. You start to warm to him. From time to time you give him some coins or something. He always remembers you and asks how you are and, in my case, how my mum is. He becomes part of your life.

I bet you he gets way more money than the other guy.

And in business… build yourself a good reputation; strong visibility; be seen in the right places talking to the right people; earn credibility. Then they will come to you.

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Popcorn

One of my Facebook friends. Kim Duke, produces a useful newsletter about selling- she’s not styled the Sales Diva for nothing.This week her artilce really made me smile so here is an abridged version:

In the good old days popcorn was not a bag that you put in the microwave – to make popcorn you needed a stove, a pot with a lid, oil, popcorn.When you made popcorn – you put the pot on the stove, heated the element, added the oil, then the popcorn, put on the lid and then you waited.

What was the first thing that happened ?
NOTHING.
NOTHING.
NOTHING.

And then???

A lonely little POP.

More waiting.

Then another 2 or 3 little POPS.

Then you start shaking the pot slowly (so nothing burns) and then

POPPETY POPPOPOPOPOPOP POPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP POPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

Kim says this is like the sales process. She exhorts her readers to make SALES POPCORN. To do this:

You need to have many popcorn pots on your SALES STOVE.

You need to be planting seeds, making connections, have proposals out there with
the right companies and people.

You need to be watching those seeds, giving it some time, shaking the pot a bit and making sure that nothing is burning!

She then askes her reader whether they are making these Sales Popcorn Mistakes:

– You plant some seeds (network, meet with clients, send out an ezine, etc).
– Then you get impatient and keep lifting the lid off the pot or adjust the temp mid-way.
– You ignore your customers who have been loyal to you through good times and bad.
– You only have one SALES POPCORN pot on the stove.
– You only have a few SALES POPCORN seeds in the pot.
– You use stale popcorn seeds that need to be pitched out.

I thought this was a really brilliant analogy and worth sharing with my readers.

Kim’s website

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