The Success Center

Inside the Success

Well, it’s been a long time coming, but I’m finally ready to drop my most ambitious project to date. Welcome to Inside the Success, the show that strives to inspire, empower, and equip you for success by taking you inside the success of entrepreneurs and small business owners. This is a preview of the first episode and an example of more to come. A full show includes an in-depth interview, entrepreneurial advice, tips, and other goodies.

The clip below is approximately 15 minutes long, a full episode will run around 25-30 mins. The first full episode will debut at the beginning of next month. For those of you who don’t, please subscribe to my “Success Tips!” newsletter so you can be among the first to see it. Just enter you email address below and you’re golden! (I hate spam just as much as you, so you’ll never receive anything unrelated to The Success Center or Inside the Success from me!) Did I mention that you also get a free treat when you sign up to my newsletter? Or, you can subscribe to The Success Center via RSS or email if you like.

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Rod Kirby

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Flickr Image by Mark Belluci

Another weekend has passed and the work week is in full swing. This poll sparked some pretty interesting comments. Let’s review the results and few of those, shall we?

Looks like 75% of you spend the weekend, “Planning and Going Over Business Strategy.” For those of you who don’t work over the weekend, then it’s a very strategic time for you. However, let me give a bit of advice. Don’t over work on the weekend. Give yourself time to relax and recharge your entrepreneurial batteries. Connect with family and friends. It’s ok to get things ready for the week ahead, but not at the expense of those you love or your sanity. With that said, I’m going to leave you with a great quote I found. Feel free to chime in with your own thoughts on how your entrepreneurial weekend strategy below.

“Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t
own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep
it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it
you can never get it back.”

P.S. - This week’s poll is for all of my Success Tips! subscribers. “When Would You Like to Receive the Success Tips Newsletter?” I want to make sure that I’m delivering it when you’re most likely to have time to read it. I’ve been sending it out on Friday’s which works fine but I also realize that if it goes out later on Friday you’re less likely to read it because it’s the weekend. So, you tell me when do you want it? It really is all about you!

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

About The Author

Rod Kirby

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So, you’ve got a ba-jillion followers on Twitter, you’ve reached the Facebook friend limit, and everyone likes you on Myspace, but are you seeing any real results from social media? Are you making the transition from friends and followers into dollars and cents for your business locally?

Twitter – Your Broadcast Station

I think of Twitter in terms of a multimedia radio or TV station broadcasting all “you” all the time. The key to building your brand is to stay consistent. You have to give people a reason to follow you, stick with you, and remember you. Here are a few tips on getting the most out of it;

• Create a separate account from your main one just to follow and engage with people in your area. Or, use Tweetdeck to place local tweeters into specific groups in order to engage and follow conversations easily.
• Stick to a posting strategy much like an editorial calendar. It doesn’t have to be in-depth, but have an idea of what you’re going to put out there and when you’re going to do it. Warning: Use auto-tweet or canned tweets sparingly. Nothing’s worse than being bombarded with 15 tweets in a one hour period. This becomes too “commercial like” or spammy and will definitely turn followers off.
• Don’t forget to share links and information that’s relevant to your brand, industry, or profession. This makes you a resource in the eyes of others which creates value for people. I typically share articles that I find that I think people will find useful.
• Don’t be a robot! I can’t stand someone that only posts and posts without stopping to actually engage with his/her followers. That’s why you’re there, to network and connect with others. Don’t get so wrapped in your message that you forget to respond to your followers on the other end.

Another Great Post on the Subject: TwitterTown: How To Engage A Local Market

Facebook –  Your Connection Outpost

Facebook is great for building relationships with readers of your blog, followers on Twitter, or any other social network. There are two ways to maximize Facebook for business, you’ve got groups and fan pages. A fan page is great to strengthen your brand, but, I think a group is awesome because you can bring local people with similar interests together online. Ideally, you would want the world to join your fan page, but your city to join your group. Make sense?

• For fan pages create unique content for the people who take the time out to fan and interact with your brand.
• Give special goodies to group members such as local event discounts, tickets, prizes, etc. Make the group a natural extension of your offline business activities. This will encourage growth online and off.
• Creating events and sponsoring them online and off positions you as a connector which is a powerful position to hold. Whatever you do, connect it back to you Fan page or Group.

Linkedin – Your Professional Corner

Linkedin helps in maintaining a professional presence and profile no matter what social network you join. It’s also a great way to meet professionals in any field. The goal is to make connections with professionals, build credibility throughout the network, and create sales opportunities offline.

• Search for groups in your city and join the ones that fit with your business or industry. Whenever you join a group make sure it’s one that you wouldn’t mind interacting with offline as well.
• Stay active in the groups you join by posting articles that are relevant to the group. You can find free articles to distribute from websites like articlesbase, but it’s better to write something exclusive for your group (who wants to share the glory anyway?).
• Start discussion threads, answer questions, or post questions to consistently show participation. People will want to interact with you offline once they see how active you are online. Also, when you first start off, you’ll want to show off that expert brain of yours so you can get recommendations, reviews, and make powerful connections.

Extras

• Google Local Search – Don’t miss out on local search traffic if you have a service or product to offer. Just the other day, my mom asked me to find a phone number for a gun range (I love her, but she scares me at times!), I typed in a few keywords, and got back 3 results that were less than 20 miles away from her house (With a map, phone number, and hours of operation, etc).
• Youtube – It’s not just good for watching videos of kids doing dumb stuff anymore. Now-a-days, you’ll find videos from people in your area. Create a couple targeted towards potential customers in your city and distribute them on your other networks such as your local Facebook group.
• Blogging – Where are you going to send all the people you engage with on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin? Why not a blog? It’ll strengthen your brand by deepening your messages, and can throw visitors into your sales funnel. One technique to grow it locally is to promote it locally. Put up fliers on public bulletin boards, speak at local organizations, conferences, and events, organize network meetings, etc.

As you can see, social media can be maximized to great lengths to build your brand locally. It really comes down to what you want to accomplish with the tools available and your willingness to get out of your comfort zone. What other social media tools can be used to build your brand locally? Are you using social networks to create real connections with people in your area? I would love to hear you thoughts on this in the comments below.

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About The Author

Rod Kirby

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For some, the weekend presents the opportunity to walk around in your underwear, watch cartoons, and let the laws of hygiene slip past your common sense. It’s a time to relax and catch up on your favorite shows, shop, or even get a little work done. And yet, for others, the weekend is just an extension of the week day where nothing really stops.

On weekends I usually relax on Friday, I might start on a blog post on Saturday, but I typically plan out the following week on Sunday. This keeps me in constant motion, because once I stop, I become absolutely useless. What’s your weekend strategy? Do you even have one? Cast your vote in the poll below and share your thoughts in comments section as well. I’ll share the results on Monday. Have a great weekend!

Flickr image from Susanne

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About The Author

Rod Kirby

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Note: There is mention of Marc learning from a “pothead” in this video, which I don’t condone drug use at all in any way. However, This video is still inspirational (yet, slightly funny) because you never know what skill learned will make you a million dollars one day. Enjoy.

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About The Author

Rod Kirby

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Welcome to Inside the Success the show that takes you on the inside of entrepreneurs, professionals, and industry experts from all walks of life.

This quote was taken from 4 Secrets to Small Business Success,

What company comes to mind when you hear “We love to see you smile?” What about, “Just do it?” These are themes associated with company brands. You can have that same power but it doesn’t come over night. It’s something you have to build piece by piece consistently. When I went to Social Camp Memphis this year there were people who knew who I was before I said anything to them. That’s the power of personal branding.

Ronald Wilsher

As an entrepreneur your brand is your unique magnetic tool for attracting the right clients to your business. I had the opportunity to chat with Ronald Wilsher who is a personal branding expert and coach. In his own words,

He helps people make more money (and have more fun!) by building and developing their own personal BRAND but most importantly, he helps people develop the courage to be who they were created to be.

I chatted with Ronald on personal branding, it’s importance, tools of the trade, and his definition of success. Check out this episode of Inside the Success and let me know what you think about it in the comments below.

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Rod Kirby

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Connect and Build!

Update: 10/22/09 @ 9:30 am – I added a bonus tip from the comments section of the original post that I think is absolutely brilliant. Check it out below!

I remember a web development client I had who would always call me whenever she had a “computer issue.” Her questions ranged from “How do I free up space in my email account?” to “What’s the big deal over Facebook?” Even though my only job was to make sure her website was updated on a regular basis I often answered her questions anytime either in person, over the phone, or via email. I even showed her some basic things when it came to updating the website herself in-case I wasn’t available, and yet, she stuck with my services for a couple of years. Why? I looked at her less as a couple-hundred-dollar-a-month-customer and more as a million dollar client. That was my perspective of her and as a result of the way I viewed her I developed a great relationship with her.

Last week we explored 4 Secrets to Small Business Success. It’s so important that no matter what you do professionally, you maximize the 4 walls of success mentioned in that article. One of those walls is relationship building which is mission critical to your success!

When you look beyond making sales and start making an impact in your customer’s life then you being to build a relationship with that customer. It’s important not only for immediate dividends, but long-term success as well.

Here are a few tips on building relationships with your customers;

1. Listen – Being able to move your ego out of the way and let your client do all the talking is paramount to getting to the root issue that they need you to fix. You can’t help them if you continually tout your services and products without hearing what they really need.
2. Share – Don’t be afraid to let a little bit of your tips, tricks, or ninjary (is a that even a word?) seep out of your mouth and into your client’s imagination. You don’t have to give away the kitchen sink, but if there’s information that would be valuable for them, share it!
3. Teach – One of the greatest marketing tools is to actually teach prospects what they want to know and sell to them tools on the back end. It works well in building relationships because you’ll already be positioned as an authority on your subject.
4. Give – When you’ve got a client who sticks with you through thick and thin, reward their loyalty! Remember, they could give their business to anyone, but they chose you. That’s their gift to you . . . now, give them one back! (IE, Future purchase discounts, coupons from other vendors, gifts, etc.)
5. Promote – If you’re a service provider, then you should have a couple of cool testimonials on your website from your clients right? Why not feature them throughout your website, blog, or in your physical location? You never know . . . they might do the same for you.
6. Network – If you’re providing your client with a service or product, that’s only one out of a bajillion other services or products that they need. Give them access to hand selected and reliable vendors in your network. They’ll already trust you, will value your opinion, and might even hook you up with a major player in theirs.
7. Be Quick! – Believe it or not, but how you perform develops your client relationships as well. If you’re always taking your time on client projects, running late for meetings, or slow to respond, do you think they’ll stay your client forever?
8. Go the Extra Mile – It’s a no brainer right? The best weapon you have against keeping a client from turning into an angry customer is by delivering on more than their expectations. I guarantee you’ll win a client for life by simply doing more for them with excellence.
9. Be Accessible – As I mentioned earlier, I made my self available to my client in person, over the phone, and via email. It doesn’t matter how technologically advanced we become, people want to interact with people. Now that social media is in the mix, make your clients comfortable by being available in Facebook chat or show awesome customer service by responding quickly on Twitter.
10. Be Yourself! – Sometimes we have a tendency to want to “portray the big boys” in business instead of being small business owners. You don’t have to have your mom record your voice mail for you, your sister answer your phone and pass it to you, or rent a fancy car for client meetings. Just be yourself. Small business owners have the advantage over their big corporate brothers by being more personal and the ability to pay attention to details.

Bonus: My buddy, jtrigsby added,

“Follow Through – Its so simple it seems silly to mention, but how many times have you called a service provider, left a message and they never called you back. If you’re clients are attempting to connect with you, they’ve already done the hardest thing they’ll have to do… go beyond your barrier to entry and reached out. DO NOT let that go to waste!”

What else can you do to build relationships with your clients? What do you do now that delivers the “wow factor” to their service experience? I would love to hear your suggestions in the comments below.

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

About The Author

Rod Kirby

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Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

About The Author

Rod Kirby

Continue Reading

Thank you for all the great comments and support on my decision to reposition myself in my career. Remember, the decision isn’t to make more money, rather, it’s to further my business strategically. I’ll be exploring the repositioning process in other areas of our lives and business next week. In this brief post I just wanted to give a couple of thoughts on some comments left on the original article.

LaTara Ham-Ying said,

As for me, I am continually in a repositioning mode because as an entrepreneur I believe that we must always be looking for something new and evolving so that your business stays fresh. As you evolve, God gives you new insight into what you need to do for your business.

That’s the power of repositioning, God gives you new insight into what you need to do for your business. Like, Latara said, doing so ensures that your business stays fresh. This is a powerful key to being and maintaining your success! I wasn’t always a success coach. My first business started as a video game tournament company, I repositioned into multimedia entertainment, repositioned again into graphic design, and from there to the position I’m in now.

You have to take the lessons learned, success, failures, and experience from each position and apply it to your new. This becomes the foundation to your final destination – that place of consistent success (that’s where the easy money is!).

jtrigsby said,

Just like you said, we often feel trapped. Sometimes in a job, a relationship, or just life circumstances. But more often than not, we are trapped by the box that we have build around ourselves, a box called expectations. And then when those expectations aren’t met, we become frustrated.

That’s exactly what tends to happen as we go through life. We get trapped within our circumstances and yet there’s a yearning to break out of the norm and do what God has placed in our heart to do. I’ve always felt like this no matter what 9-5 I’ve worked. However, when you reposition yourself, especially with a career move, you get to experience a bit of that vision. You’ll gain more time to work on the business and keep the lights on.

The key is remembering that you’re not trying to make a lifelong career out of the new gig, rather, maximize it until you can take the vision full-time.

What else can we say about repositioning yourself for success when it comes to your career? If you’ve made this move before, how did it all play out? Did you get the results you expected? Share your thoughts below.

Don’t forget to vote in this week’s poll below as well.

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About The Author

Rod Kirby

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In yesterday’s video, I explained how repositioning yourself can set you up for success. If you missed it, go take a look and let me know what you think. This week’s poll kind of follows the same idea. I’ve switched my career to support my small business (The Success Center). It’s one of the best moves I’ve ever made until I can take The Success Center full-time. Cast your vote in the poll and share your thoughts in the comments below. See you in the sky!

Disclaimer: We will never share your email address with anyone, period.

About The Author

Rod Kirby

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