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Not Saying Thank You Hurts Your Business More Than You Think

12/12/2012

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How do you communicate with your customers?

Do you send thank you cards to your clients?

Did you know that not saying thank you to a customer hurts your business more than saying thank you helps.

Let me say that again.

Not saying thank you hurts your business more than saying thank you helps.

What I mean by that is our customers and clients expect to receive a thank you; especially if they spend a lot of money with us.  They expect us to at least acknowledge and thank them.

If I buy a house, I expect a thank you.

If I buy a car, I expect a thank you.

If I buy a Snickers I don't necessarily expect a thank you.

Big ticket items = increased expectations

If you don't send thank you cards to your clients, do you know what they are thinking?

They are thinking you don't care about them!

Studies show the reason why we lose 68% of our clients and customers is because they don't think we care about them.

Here is a simple solution I found to let my customers know I care about them.

www.leescardsonline.com

For $5.48 a year I can send 4 custom greeting cards to my clients to keep in touch with them and let them know I appreciate them.

How much is one dedicated, loyal, and happy client worth to you? Is it worth $5.48 a year?

If so watch this 3 minute video for more information:

www.leescardsonline.com

Once you watch the video, email me back and I'll be happy to help you get started.

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Are You Hiding Out In Your Business?

9/12/2010

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Whether you are a small to medium business owner, solopreneur, network marketer or on-line marketer there are times where we find ourselves hiding out in our business.  Daily grind, regular tasks, product creation, clients, and all the other things that come with being a business owner can drive us further and further into our business and further and further away from connecting with others.

By driving ourselves further away from connecting with others we are really doing an injustice to our business and ultimately to ourselves.  We human’s are creatures of connection; we love to connect with other human beings.

There are a multitude of benefits to getting out and about and connecting with others, including:

·         Refresh our ideas

·         Personal invigoration

·         Enhancing our knowledge base

·         Opening up opportunities both personally and professionally

·         Gaining new perspectives

There are several ways we can get out and about that can be cost effective and easy to implement:

·         Attending networking events

·         Business owners informal meetings

·         Skype meetings

·         Mastermind groups

·         Attending seminars and live events

·         Attending community projects

·         Attending local commerce chapter meetings

Before attending it is wise to set an objective as to what your purpose for attending the event maybe.  It could be anything from making a new business connection through to gleaning a new idea for your business, the list is endless.

Aim for at least one event per week for a minimum of one hour, this should get you kick started into getting out of your business and into making some valuable lasting connections. Set 2011 to be your year for social interaction and out of hibernation.

 

Finally, Just Do It!

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52 Days Until New Year

10/11/2010

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52 Days Until New Year

Yes, just 52 days until the new year.  2010 has flown by without even seeing it rush before my eyes.  Always, about this time of year I take some time to access my business, what's worked well, what needs improvement and what can be culled or re-worked.  Starting in November means I have some time to put together a contingency plan for the following year.  In January, I can hit the ground running as I already know where I am planning to run to, I have set my path.  I am clear in what direction and where I am heading.

Tips to re-access:
 


  • What worked well?
  • What needs improvement?
  • What is no longer a value or benefit to my business and my clients?
  • How can I better leverage my time and resources?
  • What tools do I need to make positive changes?
  • What is my plan?
  • How do I go about this?

Taking an hour out of your week to sit down and do an assessment using these seven questions can save you a whole lot of time and frustration as you land in 2011.


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Favour For You Friday

14/10/2010

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Over the last few months I have run some free webinars, seminars, spoken at events and then there is the podcast channel.  After any one of these events, etc I get phone calls & emails from listeners, viewers, participants asking for a little more information.

Most of the phone calls and emails start off a little awkwardly as they are to find out a little more information, a tip, trick or some techy stuff.

I really enjoy sharing information and helping other small to medium business owners.  It is what I do!

I was driving along yesterday after a meeting and I had a brain wave hit me BIG TIME!!!!!!!  What if I could offer regular subscribers to my podcasts, newsletters, webinars and participants of my seminars the ability to contact me for information, tricks, tips and techy stuff?

Now, like you a run a business so time is of the essence.  So here is what I am proposing.  Every Friday morning, my mobile and email is available to access me for a Favour For You Friday.  During 10am - 11am every Friday I make myself available to answer any questions you may have on anything and everything around low to no cost marketing, social media, podcasts, video production, product creation - all the areas I specialize in.  Now to make it fair, I will have to limit the calls to 10 minutes and emails responded to within 48 hours.  This time is my Favour For You Friday.  

These calls are obligation free.  So....... how to take up my offer of Favour For You Friday, I hear you ask.

Mobile:  0400 862 793
Email:  Claritycoaching@bigpond.com  -Subject: Favour For You Friday

If you are a member of Secrets Exposed With Clarity - I am doubling your time, that's right your favour For You Friday has doubled to a 20 minute phone call!

You are probably thinking, this is too good to be true, what's the catch.  Well, I am being a little selfish, you see the questions you ask me help me when I am putting together more free webinars and creating more products.  I could send you to an on-line survey company, but that doesn't help you only me.  I want both of us to gain from my offer.  I get my information and so do you!  Favour For You Friday's are running as of tomorrow right through to the end of November.

If the feedback from you is you want this service regularly then there is no reason it can't continue.  I would love to hear your thoughts.

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Claim Back Your Office

30/9/2010

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During the night I had an ah-ha moment.  When speaking with clients I always discuss having your home office clutter-free, organized and tidy.  The weeks leading up to my holidays I was busy trying to get all the tasks sorted out and dropped the ball a little.  I then shut the door of my office and decided I would deal with it all on my return.  My return didn’t go to plan and I ended up taking off a little more time than expected.  For the last two weeks I have been busily catching up on all the things that pile up whilst your away.  During the last two weeks I have felt disorganized and if I am totally truthful my work has been fragmented.

Last night I woke up in the early hours feeling quite anxious about what I needed to achieve this week, there were flyers to produce, blog entries, finalize the details of my talk for the Kingston Women’s Business Network next week, final script adjustments for my free webinar the following day, clients to book in and the list goes on.  Well, in those early hours came my ah-ha moment. Tomorrow morning I am not going to turn on my computer until 10am!  I am going to grab some garbage bags, recycle boxes and my files for filing and I am going to work solid for two and a half hours and clear out my office, desk and filing.  My gosh, I was like a woman on a mission.  Bags of rubbish, papers shredded, papers filed, files labeled, floors swept, desk dusted, bins emptied, you name it I did it.  I really was a mad woman and I was on a mission.

For weeks, I had allowed myself to work in an unhealthy, messy and disorganized environment.  My thoughts had been all over the place, I was wasting time looking for papers, notes etc.  At one stage I spent about 10 minutes looking for my stapler, what was I thinking?

Just leaving the computer off, not answering any calls and having a clear focus on what it was I wanted to achieve gave me the ability to clear out all of the clutter that had built up over the last two months and regain my sanity and my time.

Whilst cleaning away the clutter and mess I felt I really made headway.  I decided right there in the middle of the muddle that from now on I am going to turn my computer on ½ an hour later every morning and clear away, file, tidy and gain back my home office space.  At least dedicating ½ an hour each morning means I won’t get myself into the pickle that I had found myself in.

Do you have a similar story?  How has de-cluttering helped you?

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Word Of Mouth Marketing – I saw it in action!

10/9/2010

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Just recently hubby and I went on a fabulous touring holiday through the NSW South Coast in our campervan.  We ended up in Bateman’s Bay at a caravan park just over the bridge.  This caravan park had been recommended to us by a couple we met whilst staying in Merimbula.  When we arrived we found we had a little problem that was going to take some days to sought out.  This little problem meant that the accommodation we had booked was no longer suitable and we needed to change the accommodation style for 5 days.  The staff there, particularly the receptionist, were amazing and were absolutely wonderful to us.

Now, this is where I saw the power of word of mouth marketing in action.  We had been recommended to stay at this park from another couple.  Normally we probably wouldn’t have even given it a thought.  As they spoke so highly of the amenities, location and the staff we decided to go with their recommendation.  This was a ‘sale’ due to word of mouth.  Whilst staying in Bateman’s Bay we toured around several surrounding townships and as travelers do, you start chatting to others.  Each time we were asked where we were staying we mentioned the place and how fabulous the staff had been.  A couple we spoke to decided they also would give the ‘park a go’.

Now the recommendation from the first couple to us sparked a sale.  Our recommendation to the next couple sparked a sale and so you can see how the ball will roll.  The power of word of mouth marketing should never be underestimated.  Give great service, be pleasant to deal with and be priced at market expectation and you will see the power of word of mouth.  The same applies for negative word of mouth marketing, give bad service, be grumpy and price yourself out of the market and you could see the power of word of mouth marketing from a totally different angle.

Word Of Mouth Marketing – it costs you and your business absolutely nothing, not one cent but the benefits could be amazing!  Sometimes, this marketing strategy can be lost in the hype of more exciting marketing strategies, it’s worth doing an analysis of your business to see which angle you would see the impact of word of mouth marketing.

Do you have a story to share?
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When Your Plan Doesn’t Go To Plan

6/9/2010

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For months now I have been very excited about the 2 week holiday my hubby and I were going to take together.  For weeks there was a mass of preparation to go on our campervan holiday through the NSW south coast.  Preparations included having the campervan mechanically sound, clothing for all seasons, food, and where we were going to visit.  I am a planner so the months leading up were rather exciting in itself as I do love to plan. In fact I know I am on a roll when I start creating lists and getting underway.

I had left nothing to chance and had lists galore, maps galore and plans galore.  The holiday started with a fabulous trip down to Lakes Entrance followed by a leisurely drive to Merimbula.  The holiday was going to plan and I was in my element.  As the first few days unfolded we found the campervan was a little restrictive.  We had always only gone on short weekend trips of no more than 3-4 days.  We found packing up the campervan to go out on a day trip a little cumbersome so we ended up spending more time walking and cycling, not actually venturing too far out of town.

Over the course of the first week we decided that on our return to Melbourne we would look at upgrading the campervan to a small caravan or similar.  By the time we reached Bateman’s Bay we had convinced ourselves that this was the best option.  A few technical and physical hitches (my husband’s aching back) found us preferring to spend time staying in caravan park unit accommodation over staying in the somewhat cramped campervan.

My plan had been to be the intrepid campervanner enjoying happy hour under the awning, sipping wine and chatting with other caravanners.  This ended up not being the case as you were more removed from the action as you are in a unit.  By the time we were heading home we had traded the campervan in on our own little caravan and are off next week to complete the transaction.  Not what I planned?  Far from it!  I have to say you, can get so caught up in your plans that sometimes you miss the things right there in front of you that present themselves to you.

It is the same in business; you can be so caught up in the planning if you’re not careful you may miss opportunities that present themselves out of nowhere.  It is always ideal to have a plan, a road map of where you want your business to be heading, don’t be scared to divert off the route and pursue other opportunities, you never know where it may lead you.
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Do You Have A Formula For Excellence?

9/8/2010

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Many, many years ago I started working for a retail group.  This group was so far ahead of their time it wasn’t funny.  When I look back now at what I was taught  back in the early 80’s this is what business are still trying to replicate to this day.   It doesn’t matter if you are an on-line business or an off-line business the principles I was taught back then are still very relevant.

I was a young, green and naive girl back then, I was a sponge and very keen to soak up whatever was sent my way.  I remember when I first started with this group I was sent home with two files of information that I was required to read before my first shift.  One file contained basic product information and the ‘how to’ of the business.  The second file was much more interesting to this enquiring mind.  The second file was a “Formula For Excellence”.  Boy, I ploughed through the information over and over again, soaking up all the information that was laid on the pages.  The pages had been painstakingly typed by an old typewriter and diagrams were hand drawn.  The information however,  was up to date, exciting and most importantly relevant.

Now, I hear you ask why am I bringing up something from over 20 years ago?  Well, just recently I found my file, my formula for excellence, I sat and read through the pages one by one, reminiscing a little, becoming that brash young 20 year old and then realizing that what I was reading was the formula I had put in place in my business.  Without realizing I had been using that same formula throughout my working career and my business.

When I started my business I created a formula to work by using the word ‘Clarity’, although the wording is different the principles are the same.  Although I had not read the old file from the past I realized that if I wanted my business to be a reflection of me, a reflection of my professionalism and a well regarded business I would need to have a formula to work by.  When you are a soloist it is sometimes difficult to stay focused and on track so I spent time putting together my ‘Clarity Formula’.  To this day I continue to use the formula in my business and with my business coaching clients.

Who would think that over 20 years later what was an exciting induction file for a retail group would end up becoming my formula for excellence?

 

Do you have a formula for excellence?

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I went from overwhelm to Pomodoro in 1 hour

5/7/2010

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Just recently, I felt so overwhelmed with everything that was going on in my life.  It seemed like every which way I turned there was something or someone that needed my attention.  I got bogged down in the day to running around that comes with running a home, a business, a radio program and then throw in a social life to the mix.  All of a sudden there just didn’t seem to be enough time for me in there.    

The first thing I did was get someone to help me with some business issues that were on a timeline.  A VA (virtual assistant) can be such a treasure at high times of work load, it can take the pressure off.  The second thing I did was prioritise the most pressing tasks at hand.  The third thing I did was sit down and read an e-book.  Probably something you would think would be high on the priority list.  I had heard about a technique for time management and so I googled this technique and came across a fabulous e-book.   I am so glad I didn’t do overwhelm for that hour and instead armed myself with a very valuable tool.  This technique is called the ‘Pomodoro Technique’.

As a business coach I coach people on time management so I should know what I should do.  Coaching can be just like the cook, who doesn’t like cooking at home, or the mechanic that never gets around to fixing their own car.  Well, coaches can be just the same, they never get around to practicing the time management skills they instill in their clients.

So, back to my hour time out of reading the Pomodoro Technique, I have to say it was the best hour I spent arming myself with a really easy technique to get myself out of overwhelm and back into productive mode.  Any of us can do overwhelm so well that we waist time agonizing over what has to be done and what hasn’t been done that we actually don’t achieve anything.  Next minute a few hours or even worse a whole week has gone by and nothing has been achieved.  Once I read the e-book, I decided to give it a go and see if it worked.  By the end of the day my ‘to do list’ had shrunk and I was no longer feeling overwhelmed and drained.  I somehow felt relieved and satisfied that I had achieved so much in such a short space of time.

Do you do overwhelm well?  If so, I recommend spending an hour or two and have a read of this e-book, you might end up just like me and pleasantly surprised.  Now, I don’t do overwhelm so much anymore, I do Pomodoro instead!


 
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Skills Trading

18/6/2010

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On my last webinar "Maintaining The Passion In Your Business" a couple of weeks ago, I touched on the topic of skills trading.  This has sparked some major conversation with the listeners and some of my clients since the webinar.

What is skills trading and how can it help me?  Do you have a particular task that makes you cringe when you have to do it?  Is there a task that you don't have the skill set for?  I am sure you have answered yes to at least one of these questions.  I actually answered yes to both of the questions.

Whether you are a stay at home Mum, small to medium business owner or working in a large organisation there are tasks that just don't fit with our drivers or skill set.  We are all very different beings and something I love to do is a loathe to another.  As a small to medium business owner I don't have every single skill required to run a small to medium business.  I have my limitations.  The smart thing is I know I have limitations and have identified them.

Skills trading is not new, it has been around for centuries.  You have what someone else needs and you barter for a win/win outcome.  The difference  is there is no physical product exchange but  trading of your skills.

A few months ago I had a task that needed completing.  I didn't have the time, the skills or the inclination to even attempt doing this particular task and I was on a dead line. I dug deep intp my little resources kit of 'people I know and trust' and phoned around to see if anyone in this little kit had the time and the skills I required.  After a couple of phone calls I hit jackpot.  Another small to medium business owner had exactly what I was looking for and enough time on their hands.  After some discussion we came to an agreement my task would be completed by the other business owner and in return I shared my skills and did some of her tasks.  It was a win/win for all involved.  The best part was there was no financial exchange which kept our costs down and our jobs completed.

An ideal way to identify skills you can share and trade is to complete a skills and resources assessment.  This assessment helps you to identify areas you can trade.  It is amazing when you are working to a limited budget what can be achieived by thinking out side the square.  Ask yourself what skill do I have that would be a benefit to another and I love doing?  This is an ideal way to kickstart you in thinking beyond financial payment and into a skill trading mindset.

For me, I use skills trading on a regular basis.  Just this week I used skills trading to have manuals and seminar bags made up for next weeks seminar.  I have less stress, less mess and all my seminar manuals and bags ready to go for my seminar.  My manual maker has 2 hours of sales calls to potential clients to take her business to the next level.  How can you use skills trading in your life or business?  I would love to hear some of your ideas or how you have already used skills trading.
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    Author

    Lee Cummis, Business Development Coach, Radio & Seminar Presenter

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Clarity Coaching PO Box 177, Patterson Lakes, VIC 3197 Office: (03) 9588 2062 Mob: 0400 862 793 E: claritycoaching@bigpond.com