Experience, hard work and talent are not enough to succeed in today’s workplace. You need to also focus on building a network that will bring you the success you want. Your career will likely span multiple jobs and fields and the best and fastest way to get where you want to be is having a network of people you can call on. Building an effective network takes time, planning and intention. Here are 5 rules that will help you out:

1. Talk to strangers. You never know who is standing behind you at Starbucks.
2. Build a network with intention; create a plan of the types of people you want to meet and work the plan.
3. Give as much as you get; don’t be stingy about looking for ways to help others out. This will repay itself many times over when you need a helping hand.
4. Reach out to people long before you need anything; do not be that person who only ever calls when they need something. That is not networking – that is using people and you will not be appreciated for it. Stay in touch regularly with the people in your network.
5. Ask for what you want, not what you think you can get. The simple act of asking will get you a lot more than you can ever imagine.

Remember: success does not come to those with a low tolerance for risk or those who are led by fear. Start talking to people – you will be surprised what you learn!

Fiona Walsh, CEO, FM Walsh & Associates Inc., WWW.FMWALSH.COM

I saw a couple of clients last week whose businesses have literally exploded over the past few months. This got me thinking about the difference between those business owners who grow a business and those who limp along. And I realized it is all due to attitude.

Those who grow have a clear vision and goals and just roll up their sleeves and get the work done. They know where they need to make improvements and they take steps to get stuff happening. They’re the clients who have all their coaching homework done by week 2 in the month and come back looking for more!

The ones who are struggling get themselves bogged down by worrying about how to do something perfectly, about what will happen if it doesn’t work, or they go into a state of paralysis, hoping that things will improve on their own.

Success in business is not about being perfect or correct all the time. It is about taking action and learning from your mistakes, and most importantly, always believing that you will achieve success, especially when the going gets tough.

Fiona Walsh, CEO, FM Walsh & Associates Inc., WWW.FMWALSH.COM

What is it? Create success stories about work you have done for past clients that you share with prospects. Most people underestimate the power of storytelling as a sales tool. People respond well to testimonials or stories of others who have faced the same problem or challenge. It’s reassuring to them to know that you’re not the only one facing this issue. And it’s the perfect way for you to showcase the effectiveness of your product or service.

Here’s what you need to do to create a compelling client success story:

1. Describe what problem the client had that made them approach you – this is the situation part of your story.
2. Describe the solution you provided to them – how did your service or product solve the problem. This is where you highlight your expertise (tastefully!).
3. Describe the outcome – what results did they get from your solution? Try to make this as numbers-oriented as possible; use percentages or dollar amounts to show how the client was better off after working with you.
4. If you are using this story on a sales sheet, add a testimonial from the client.

And it goes without saying that these stories need to be true. Don’t make something up out of thin air. The power of success stories comes from the fact they highlight your expertise and build your credibility.

Fiona Walsh, CEO, FM Walsh & Associates Inc., WWW.FMWALSH.COM

Qualifying is the most important skill in sales success – it is the one that makes the biggest difference in your ability to earn revenue. There are always going to be more prospects than you have the time to chase, yet I see too many people take way too long to qualify a prospect. They find someone who they think is a potential client and then they do a long, slow dance, which just wastes time and energy. Some prospects are more likely to turn into customers than others – those are the ones you want to focus on. You need to hear “Yes” to these 3 questions to move ahead:

• Do they need what you are selling and do they need it soon?
• Do they have the money to buy from you?
• Are they the decision-maker? If not, find out who is and spend time on them.

Fiona Walsh, CEO, FM Walsh & Associates Inc., WWW.FMWALSH.COM

Being a leader requires that you master leadership in 2 areas – your own headspace and in the outside world. An effective leader is a master of themselves, not just of other people. You need to set some rules for yourself, your behavior, your thoughts and your attitudes, and then hold yourself accountable for meeting them. It is impossible to be a truly effective leader if:

• You don’t have confidence in yourself;
• You’re disorganized and always living in a state of chaos;
• You don’t have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish;
• You gossip behind people’s backs;
• You don’t have goals sets for yourself.

How can you inspire and lead others if you don’t expect the same results from yourself. John Maxwell is right when he says leadership starts from within. So over the next week, take a look at where you could be a stronger leader within yourself and then make some changes. I guarantee you’ll be amazed at what unfolds.

Fiona Walsh, CEO, FM Walsh & Associates Inc., WWW.FMWALSH.COM

Great business leaders make the most of their networks. Wouldn’t it be great to have a friend who is looking for a stand up branding firm and you can suggest three different companies? Or know who to talk to when you are looking for some tech support? Using your networks shows others that you’re the real deal – you have a lot of contacts and you’re willing to share. All of a sudden, people will gravitate towards you when they are looking for particular help, and you’ll be there to give a suggestion. Having a large network makes your company look bigger than it is, with the ability to extend it’s reach.

Fiona Walsh, CEO, FM Walsh & Associates Inc., WWW.FMWALSH.COM

Larry Farrell, author of “Getting Entrepreneurial” identifies having a big vision as a key trait for success in entrepreneurs. You have to be rock solid in knowing what you want to build. Highly successful business owners dream, think, plan what they want their company to be – thinking BIG. They have a clear vision of what they are working to create and don’t get sidetracked by what other people think. It’s a business basic.

Lately I keep meeting women in business who do not have this vision locked down. They are bright and work really hard, but they struggle with a lack of confidence. Which leads them to ask other people for input all the time. And then they get conflicting opinions, which makes things even harder.

You cannot build a highly profitable business, or sell your products successfully if you do not have strong confidence in what you are doing. People will sense when you are not rock solid during your sales presentations. Your reputation will suffer, especially if you seesaw back and forth on making decisions. Decide what you want to accomplish in your business. Sell more? Introduce new products? Go after different markets? Then go after it with confidence.

Fiona Walsh, CEO, FM Walsh & Associates Inc., WWW.FMWALSH.COM

One of the biggest dust bunnies I see in business is hanging onto prospects for too long. A lot of us HATE prospecting – you know who you are!

For a variety of reasons you have decided that prospecting is a horrible task, so you grudgingly find a few prospects or perhaps they stumble across you. However it happens, you hang onto those prospects forever, waiting for them to buy. Because as long as you are focused on waiting for an answer from them, you do not have to find other prospects. Because if you do, and they all buy from you, how will you ever manage all that new business? (I actually had a business owner say that to me.)

STOP! This is a deadly practice for many reasons. First, you look desperate for anyone who falls onto your plate, making your business look small. When you have to turn people away, you create an aura of having a large business, with the ability to select the cream of the crop clients. Second, to survive in business today, you must get rid of the clutter of old prospects who are hanging around tying up your time and energy. For every old one you hang onto, you are missing the opportunity to find a customer that is likely to buy from you. Show me a business owner who is not making money and I will show you someone who is doing very little prospecting. Act like a leader – dust off that prospect list – clean off those prospects who are dragging their feet on buying. Focus your time and energy on finding ones who will. That’s what business leaders do.

I get asked to speak on how to be successful often – one of my favorite presentations is “Getting What You Want in Business & Life”. And the question always comes up: “What is the most important thing I need to be successful?”

My answer is always the same – confidence. You have to be confident about your ability to do the job, to get the promotion, to build your business. You may not know exactly how to do all these things, but you do need the confidence and belief in your self that you will be able to figure it out. This confidence makes you enthusiastic to tackle new stuff and it is that enthusiasm that makes people want to promote you or buy from you.

I see too many highly talented women out there who don’t give themselves permission to be confident. They hold themselves up worrying about what they don’t know, thinking that they need more education or other credentials, or staying where they are because they don’t know exactly how things are going to turn out if they try something new.

Ask any super successful person you know if they always felt they were in control, if they always knew what they were doing when starting a new venture. The answer will be ‘No!’ Those who succeed in life are those who act confidently. Make 2010 your year to be confident!

Fiona Walsh, CEO, FM Walsh & Associates Inc., WWW.FMWALSH.COM

Larry Farrell, author of “Getting Entreprenurial” identifies having a big vision as a key trait for success in entrepreneurs. They have to be rock solid in knowing what they want to build. Highly successful business owners dream, think, plan what they want their company to be. They have a clear vision of what they are working to create and don’t get sidetracked by what other people think. It’s a business basic.

Lately I keep meeting women in business who do not have this vision locked down. They are bright and work really hard, but they struggle with a lack of confidence, which leads them to ask other people for input all the time. And then they get conflicting opinions, which makes things even harder.

You cannot build a highly profitable business, or sell your products successfully if you do not have strong confidence in what you are doing. People will sense when you are not rock solid during your sales presentations. Your reputation will suffer, especially if you seesaw back and forth on making decisions. Decide what you want to accomplish in your business. Sell more? Introduce new products? Go after different markets? Then go after it with confidence.

Fiona Walsh, CEO, FM Walsh & Associates Inc., WWW.FMWALSH.COM