Why Business Teams Fail & How to Avoid It : Strong Leadership Skills For Employee Engagement & High Performance

Episode 79 - Getting Known

Getting Known

I have a very strong opinion that the #1 issue facing most small business owners today is that not enough people know that their business even exists! That’s right – I think this is a bigger deal that the quality of their product or service, or the price they offer, or the success of their competitors.

For many of us reading this Net Worth Tip of the Month, the single biggest hurdle we must overcome is to become KNOWN by more people! Would you agree?

Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day

Exposure and Awareness are the essence of your Marketing. And if you’re like most small business owners, you rely on only 2 or 3 primary ways to gain more exposure and awareness. And frankly, that’s not enough!

If you want to GET KNOWN, you’ve got to get out of your comfort zone and identify at least 5 or 6 strategies you’re going to use to gain a larger following. And once you decide what strategies you’re going to use, you’ve got to put 100% EFFORT into those strategies on a REGULAR BASIS! Any less and you’ll find yourself trapped right where you are today – with perhaps a GREAT product or service, but in OBSCURITY!

To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there. Now, go get ‘em this week. And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!

Episode 78 - Surprise

How do you SURPRISE Your Customer?

We all like a good surprise. It’s what makes birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas so much fun. It’s what we do often and with great joy when we are dating.

But soon after we get married, we begin to lose our interest or our passion for great surprises! Why is that? Is it because the “thrill” is gone? Or do we just start taking our spouse for granted?

How about with our customers? Are we guilty of the same thing? Being excited at first, then taking them for granted and being “routine” after a while.

Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day

What if you delivered an unexpected SURPRISE to your customers? What if you truly thought of what might “delight” them and made it happen – without expecting anything in return?

We’re all still young at heart. We all still like the thrill that comes from something good yet unexpected. It is what stories are told about. It’s what legends are made of.

It’s time for you to think deeply about your business and your customers and find a way to build in regular SURPRISES so that your customers know without a doubt that you’re still excited to have them as a customer.

Find a way to create a SURPRISE moment for your customers. Build it into your regular calendar of events. Set it up so that at a certain time or milestone in your time working with them that they get something they are not expecting.

It doesn’t have to be big or expensive, but it does need to be something that they would find valuable, inspirational or motivational. Perhaps link it to your favorite charity or a worthy cause. The possibilities are endless!

But don’t shy away from this one – it’s CRITICALLY important!

To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there. Now, go get ‘em this week. And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!

Episode 77 - Ideal Customer

Do you REALLY Know Your Ideal Customer?

How would you respond if I asked you to “Define Your Ideal Customer”? Would you tell me the demographics – age, sex, income level, neighborhood, industry, position, etc. Or would you tell me about the thoughts, feelings and emotions they have each day and each night?

Most of us only know our customers at a surface level. We don’t REALLY know our customers – we just know what we can see, only what others can see.

But in order to speak DIRECTLY and INTENTIONALLY to our Ideal Customer, we must truly know them. We must get inside their head!

Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day

Here’s an exercise for you: Put an empty chair in the middle of your room and imagine that your IDEAL CUSTOMER is sitting in that chair. Now get out some paper and a pen and begin writing everything you know about that ONE PERSON sitting in that chair. Not just their demographics, but their thoughts, their feelings, their worries, their fears, their hopes and dreams, their aspirations.

Write down the answer to these kinds of questions: What keeps them up at night? What do they fear most about your industry? What bad experiences have they had before that make them nervous or uncertain? What do they truly want for their life, for their family and for their business team?

Once you have written all this down, now use these EXACT WORDS for your marketing messages, your advertising campaigns and your facebook posts. Focus your messaging on ONLY the things you have written about your ideal customer.

Do this exercise over this next week. Don’t stop writing until you have at least 2-3 pages of notes. Your marketing messages will be far more powerful and impactful if you do this!

To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there. Now, go get ‘em this week. And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!

Episode 76 - Indifference

The Price of INDIFFERENCE

Did you know that 85% of customers leave or switch providers because of “Perceived Indifference”? It’s true! The most common reason that you are losing your current customers is they don’t think you really care if they stay or not.

I recently had an experience that made it VERY CLEAR that this was the case. I had been a customer of this business for nearly 10 years – but when I was presented with a new opportunity, it became very obvious that I was no longer all that important to my old service provider! Are you making the same mistake?

Here is the REAL TRUTH: It is FAR CHEAPER and MUCH EASIER to RETAIN your existing customers than it is to find and convince a new customer to begin using your product or service. So why do you spend more time and money in search of NEW customers – rather than putting that effort into loving on your existing customers?

We are all guilty of it. We love the hunt. We love the challenge. We may even get compensated more to find new customers. So there is a tendency to forget your current customers after a while. We get complacent and lazy with them.

Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day

You need to put MORE effort into making your CURRENT CUSTOMERS feel special than you do the PROSPECTS you are chasing.

Answer these questions: 1) How do my current customers know how much I appreciate them? 2) How am I demonstrating that my current customers are MORE valuable than my prospects? 3) Am I offering anything to my prospects that I am not already giving to my current clients?

The answer to these simple questions may be the difference that makes your current customers feel like they are still important and special to you!

To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there. Now, go get ‘em this week. And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!

Episode 75 - Focus

The Power of FOCUS

            Business owners today are crazy busy!  If you’re like most around you, you’ve got at least a dozen important goals or tasks that you’re working on.  You’ve probably got 5 or 6 things that are critical and need to get done right away – but each one of them takes concentrated time and effort to do your best work.

            So why is it so hard to FOCUS your attention on just one thing at a time?  Many people are proud to claim that they can “multi-task” well, but studies have proven that those who multi-task to get things done are less productive than someone who uses marijuana and is “high” or “stoned”!   

Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day

            Rather than continue to work on multiple priorities at the same time, I recommend you apply FOCUS to your #1 priority.  Here’s a simple acrostic you can put on a sticky note and put it where you will see it daily:

FOCUS = FOLLOW ONE COURSE UNTIL SUCCESS

            I have been applying this principle for the past year or so and as a result I have achieved far more this past 12 months than I have in any other period of time.  I am certain that you would see similar results if you just set your #1 priority and made the decision to FOCUS – Follow One Course Until Success!  Only then can you move on to your next big goal!

            Take a 30-Day Challenge:  1)  Identify the #1 priority that would move your business forward right now.  2)  Set everything else aside – no matter what – and FOCUS on getting that #1 priority completed.  3)  Go to Step #1 above and repeat!

            You’ll be amazed at how productive you will become!  Good Luck.

To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there.  Now, go get ‘em this week.  And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!

Episode 74 - 10X Action

Are You Operating at 10X Levels of Action?

            Getting people’s attention these days is very difficult.  That is unless you’re running for a political office and you’re willing to pick a fight with your opponent.  If you’re simply trying to be a good, upstanding business owner, chances are no one is going to listen to your “pitch”.

            The biggest problem for most businesses today is OBSCURITY – not enough people even know you exist!

            That is, unless you’re willing to do what most business owners won’t – to put forth 10X levels of Action so you can DOMINATE your competition.   

Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day

Operating at 10X levels of Action means that you look around and see what others in your industry are doing and you choose to do 10 TIMES what they do!  Here are a few examples:

• Networking – meeting and sharing contact information with 10X the people.
• Sales Appointments – holding 10X more than others in sales roles.
• Social Media – sharing 10X more “meaningful” information with your followers.
• Community Involvement – participating or contributing in 10X more ways.
• Enthusiasm – being “fired up” by a factor of 10X over others around you.       

            The list could go on and on – you get the idea.  Being “Average” just isn’t good enough to set yourself apart from the crowd.  You need to find your unique ways to be 10X so more potential customers know just how good you really are!

            If you’re a book reader, here’s another great one for you – The 10X Rule by Grant Cardone.  Grant’s a bit edgy, but I can assure you he’ll get you “fired up” – particularly if you listen to the audio version of his book.  Do like I do and listen to it OFTEN!

To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there.  Now, go get ‘em this week.  And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!

Episode 73 - Bold and New

What is Your “Bold & New” Commitment?

            From time to time you’ve got to embrace the idea of “Out with the OLD, in with the NEW!”  So the big question is…What is YOUR “New” for this next year?  – and is it not only new, but also BOLD?

            If you’re like many folks, you’ll start this next year doing the very same things that you did LAST year.  Nothing will change.  Nothing will be new.  You’ll follow the same old routines, use the same old strategies, and talk with the same old folks.

            Now don’t get me wrong – there are some things that you don’t want to change – like your spouse, or your children, or your good habits.  But there are others that NEED to be changed – freshened up, polished or re-built on a regular basis! 

Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day

            Take the 2 or 3 strategies or activities that you’ve been doing that are not working well and REPLACE them with 1 or 2 NEW activities that are fresh and new.

            Let me share 2 new, fresh and bold strategies I am using for this next year as a way to inspire you: 

            #1 - I have started this new Alexa Flash Briefing and will continue to stay ahead of the curve on  

            #2 - I designed an exciting, new 2-Day Ultimate business tune up MasterClass to help more business owners super-charge their business results.

            So, I’ve got a challenge for you:  Identify 1 or 2 NEW, BOLD and FRESH marketing strategies for this next year.  How can you engage with your prospects in a way that is unique, new and exciting?  Make this next year different by engaging the idea of BOLD and NEW!

To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engagement and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there.  Now, go get ‘em this week.  And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!

Episode 72 - Outwitting the Devil

Outwitting the Devil

            You know by now that I am a big believer in ALWAYS listening to and reading books.  I seem to always have 2 or 3 that I am working on.

            Someone made a recommendation to me a few weeks ago and strongly encouraged me to get a new audio book – Outwitting the Devil by Napoleon Hill.  So I did.  And I will have to say, I found it to be one of the most inspiring and impactful audio books I have ever listened to!

            Napoleon Hill is the author of Think and Grow Rich, the preeminent self development book ever written.  He wrote both of these books back in the 1930’s but their message is as relevant today as any that have been written more recently.   

Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day

            Buy the audiobook version of Outwitting the Devil.  I am sure it is just as good in hard copy form, but the audio version makes the story truly come alive.

            The premise of the book is that Napoleon Hill finds the secret key to getting the Devil to share all of his nasty tricks in an interview – so he does just that – interviews the Devil to pull from him all of his trickery, deceit and lies.

            As you listen to the interview, ask yourself, “am I prone to DRIFTING” as the Devil calls the primary thing that we humans do that make us susceptible to his schemes.

            Get this audiobook.  Listen to it at least 2 times right away.  Then make a list of the 5 people you love most who should also listen to this book.

            Don’t procrastinate on this one!   (Oh, by the way, procrastination is the work of the Devil according to Napoleon Hill – it’s what people do when they are “drifters”).

Don’t be a Drifter!

To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engage and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there.  Now, go get ‘em this week.  And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!

Episode 71 - 5 Gifts of Successful People

5 Gifts of Successful People

            If you’re not constantly reading you’re missing out on some of the greatest knowledge and wisdom you’ll ever find.  Let’s be honest, you won’t find it on Facebook or on Sports Center or the Nightly News.

            I’m constantly reading.  Right now I’m in the middle of a great book titled simply “Ask” by Ryan Levesque.  I’m sure you’ll see a “tip” from that book very soon.  But recently I was talking with a guy at our men’s bible study and he reminded me of a book I read several years ago – Wild at Heart by John Eldredge.

            No, it’s not a business book.  But it does contain one of the “secrets” of successful people, whether in business or in life.  

Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day

            In the book, Wild at Heart, John shares the 5 “gifts” that we are all born with.  He also shares that when you look around you at the people who are “Successful” they all live out these gifts to the fullest.  Here are the 5 gifts:

• Enthusiasm – unbridled passion and excitement for their mission & purpose.
• Persistence – unwilling to quit, never letting roadblocks get in their way.
• Adventurous Spirit – energized by the unknown, breaking through the fear.
• Gift to “Get Over It” – holding no grudges, not looking back, always looking for ways to do it better next time.
• Faith – a pure belief that anything is possible, it just takes focus on gifts # 1-4.

            How are you doing with these 5 gifts you’ve been given?  Are you utilizing them to their fullest potential?  Can those around you sense them in you all day, every day?

            If not, then my challenge to you is to go get the book and take time to read it!  You’ll be surprised how much of success in business comes from an inner sense that you’re doing the right things for the right reasons.  When that alignment happens, it’s like magic in a bottle.  Go get yourself some today!

To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engage and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there.  Now, go get ‘em this week.  And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!

Episode 70 - Lifetime Value

The Lifetime Value of Your Customers

            I recently spent time in Stillwater Minnesota enjoying the scenery, seeing old friends, and relaxing with my wife.  As usual, we spent the weekend at our favorite Bed & Breakfast – The Ann Bean Mansion.

            While at the Ann Bean, it struck me that they truly understand the lifetime value of their customers – and they treat us like we are VIP’s as a result.

            It made me reflect on how I treat MY customers and it made me think about how you treat YOUR Customers.  Do we treat them as if they are truly as valuable as their lifetime value would suggest?

Here’s Your Net Worth Tip of the Day

            Knowing the Lifetime Value of your customers is a simple exercise but requires some calculation.  But once you do it, you’ll change the way you think about your customers and you’ll begin to treat them like VIP’s.  Here’s a step-by-step guide:

• Calculate your Average $ Sale for all customers – take your total sales in a week or month and divide that number by the total number of transactions in the same period. The result is your Average Ticket or Average $ Sale.
• Calculate the number of transactions per client you’ve had over this past month or over this past year. To do this, take your total number of transactions and divide that number by the number of individual customers you have served over that same period.
• Calculate how long each individual customer does business with you – do this in terms of months or years. Yes, there is an average.
• Multiple your answers (#1 x #2 x #3)= the Lifetime Value of Your Average Customer.

            Do this exercise.  Be sure to be consistent with the time periods you use.  Once you have this number, share it with your team and treat your customers as if each one were worth that amount to you – because they truly are!

To get more tips on how to improve your leadership skills, your team engage and your business results, go to my website, www.tourdeprofit.com and you’ll find lots of free stuff there.  Now, go get ‘em this week.  And remember, whatever you do, RIDE HARD!