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

Can you find your desk? Or is it hidden by piles of unsorted paper and clutter? Are you spending time searching for hard copies that might be better spent, say, doing actual work that earns you a profit? You’re not alone.

Successful businesses I’ve worked with have implemented procedures to reduce the clutter problem that can eat into your time by an hour a day or more.

When it comes to paper and information management, you need to divide your hard-copies into three categories:

1. Active Information. Action is required. Active information can be placed into a priority action plan, like a Tickler File or BF – Bring Forward File.

2. Reference materials have no action required but may be part of your “reference library.” Your reference materials may be moved away from your immediate work surface into a dedicated filing system for ease of access.

3. Archival resources may need to be kept, based on legislation requirements. If space is limited, archives may need to be moved out of office or even off-site.

The companies that implemented these types of procedures were mostly viable enterprises to begin with – decluttering might not be the difference between paying suppliers or closing up shop – but they definitely all saw a productivity boost that helped the bottom line.

Time is money, after all. And think of what you’re paying for the square footage of your leased office space – being able to get rid of filing cabinets increases the amount of space you have to add an employee space or essential equipment.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

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

For many entrepreneurs, the summer season is a bit of a down time for their business. Clients are away at the lake for vacation. Even those that stay in the city may not be working a typical workweek and might not return your call for a long while. This can be a time for building up the back-end of your business that we all tend to neglect when our schedules are filled.

Give your books a thorough audit to look for efficiencies.

• Develop a sales plan to launch for when the season is likely to pick up.
• Purchase new or replacement equipment and train yourself and your staff to use the new tools.
• Engage in team-building exercises with your staff or partners.
• Develop and test new products and services.
• Update your business plan (You should be doing this at least once a year).

Even before you start out, you may be able to predict when these downtimes are likely to occur if you’ve done your proper business planning and market research. For these quieter periods, instead of ramping up your efforts two-or-threefold to capture declining opportunities, attend to more strategic tasks in preparation for the upturn.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

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

Lately I’ve been following Heather White and Lori Joyce on their television show about their Cupcakes business. I’ve been treating myself to a Cupcakes-brand cupcakes since years ago (Nothing beats a walk on English Bay Beach followed by a sweet frosted treat on Denman).

They have a thriving business. But one of the biggest hurdles they faced (and one that is also common to people in other professions – for instance, professional organizing) when starting out was keeping up cash flow:

“The first thing that most businesses do is stack themselves with rainy-day funds,” says Cupcakes co-founder Lori Joyce. She and Heather White didn’t do that. “As sales came through the front door, we were paying our suppliers out the back.” Now, prospective franchisees must have access to at least six months’ worth of unencumbered cash to get approved by the cupcake girls.

This is critical for businesses at all stages. New entrepreneurs will often focus on the quarter-to-quarter balance sheets while neglecting the importance of cash flow. Suppliers may demand payment in 10 days while clients may take months to fork over the cash you need to run your business.

Projected cash flow has to be part of your overall business plan or you risk a full-scale stoppage just when you want to ramp up and reap the benefits.

Linda Chu
CEO – Out of Chaos, Professional Organizing Solutions
www.outofchaos.ca

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