What Makes The CIBN Different From Other Business Networking

Are You Ready For Change?

I was watching Brad Pitt in World War Z and he made a statement about people surviving a disaster better if they stay on the move. It was the overall theme of the movie The Croods as well. Change was uncomfortable but necessary for survival. The fact is, that is just as true in business as it is in war or Armageddon.

One of the problems that I see many people struggling with is the need to change. Change is uncomfortable. We don’t like it. We don’t want to move. We want everything to be the way it always has been even if it has been bad. We would rather work with the devil we know than try to figure out how a new devil will deal with us.

It is weird really, because we are in a life that is full of changes. Change is all around us in the seasons, and in the seasons of our own lives, but we fight against it. The young adult who doesn't want to leave the house, and the mother who suffers with empty nest syndrome are sufferers in change.

Business owners also struggle with change. It is one of the things that make an entrepreneur different from a business owner. Anyone can own a business. Anyone can go through the day to day mundane tasks and even reach a measure of success by keeping things static, but an entrepreneur is a starter. They take risks. They try new things. They learn about new ideas and they want to try them. Sometimes they are dragging spouses, employees, accountants and other Croods who like everything stable along behind them.

If things are good, there may seem to be no need for change. Yet, we are moving forward, or going backwards in reality. Competition could be gaining on us if we are staying where we are. It is harder to hit a moving target. So change may be a very good thing. Tweaking may be all that is necessary but even tweaking can only be done if we are open to changes.

How do you know if your business needs some changes? Do you have a working strategy? Do you have a business plan and are you planning to use it? Have you compared your business to your competitors? Are there areas where you could expand? Are you measuring the cost of your product vs the profit? How do you know this is as effective as it can be? When was the last time you checked the industry prices on the widgets that you need? Are you sure you are using the best technology? When did you last compare new technologies? Are your staff trained to ask these questions or are you hoping they will come up with these good ideas on their own?

Speaking of employees, are they growing? Is working for your company enriching their lives or just trading them dollars for hours? Do you want the cost of replacing them? Have you considered training that would increase their value to you? Does your sales team have all that is needed to succeed? How do you know?

Do you need a business coach to stretch you to the next level? Do you need a better bookkeeper or a virtual assistant to help track your sales results? Do you need a brainstorming session or a MasterMind sales group to get you thinking outside of the box and moving forward again? What do you need? What do you need to change to get what you need as a result? How do you know?

Is the phone ringing with new business? Are your customers happy? Are you feeling fulfilled? Are your employees at the top of their game and excited about coming to work?

What are you leaving on the table for your competitors? How do you know?

Watch the numbers and change if you need to. By the way, you need to change. You already know it, but are you ready for change?

Always Loyal2U,

Kerry George

403-397-1909

PS…

If you need any of the above mentioned people call me. I know a lot of people in the Calgary region. I can connect you to an expert in any field who can help you improve your bottom line.

Did You Know You Are In Sales?

I recently finished reading the book “To Sell Is Human” by Daniel H. Pink and it reminded me once again that most people don’t know they are in sales. That has always baffled me. I am not sure why some don’t want to be called a salesperson. You would think that it is obvious we all need to move someone to action daily and that most of our interactions with others is a sales job of some kind. Arlene Dickinson points this out in her latest bestseller “Persuasion” as well.

So I get that someone you met in your past was a shyster and you don’t want to be labeled with the same paint brush. I understand that you feel that you paid for an education but we know now in this changing world an education does not guarantee one a career. Things are moving fast. Technology is moving us. The thing is though even if we are in a hot market and business seems to be coming fast, somebody is selling something in order for that to happen. New ideas have to be sold.

Business owners are salespeople, even if they don’t realize that is what they are doing. They will become successful and stay successful if they acknowledge that fact and hone those skills.

How many times have I met a consultant who became a consultant because they had one good contract. What happened at the end of the contract? They either went back to being an employee or they learned to sell their service real fast.

Selling is not greasy. It is not mysterious either. It is simply sharing and then asking for the sale. There are many techniques to share and also many ways to ask for the sale, but that is how it breaks down. Learning the skills just takes some focus.

Over the years I have been a student of many of the masters in the art of selling. I have worked and worked on my sales ability because I have seen it as a staple in my diet to create success in my life. I have to deal with people every day. Some are motivated, and some are not. Some like me, and some do not. Some want my products, and others do not. Some want to do business with me, and there are those that do not. So if I had an interaction to move someone ten times a day and I went from moving 1 out of 10 to moving 2 out of ten that would double the impact that I was having no matter what I was trying to persuade them to do.

I am passionate about selling. Once one realizes that this is what we are it becomes easy. It is fun. It is even an exciting challenge.

This fall I am even going to participate in a MasterMind group focused on improving my sales ability. Would you like to embrace the experience of a lifetime and stretch to a new level? Want to join me?

Always Loyal2U,

Kerry George

 

Just for fun this is a great video on how NOT TO SELL! The typical stereotype of the badgering salesman show just how wrong it can be done. We WILL NOT be learning his techniques in our MasterMind sessions. :)

 

Canada Day

Today I reflect on what it means to me to be Canadian. I grew up in Saskatchewan on a farm where my father loved the land. Planting and harvesting was in his blood and his family had been on the continent for a hundred years already. My mother’s dad Grandpa John Cerniuk was a first generation Ukrainian immigrant. The oldest of 16 children who married a bride of English decent and raised 5 kids of his own. My Grandpa had a profound effect on my life growing up. He was Ukrainian so I took Ukrainian dancing for nine years. He took me and my brother fishing and gave us a love of the outdoors and for camping. He had fought in the Second World War so I joined Cadets and then the military when I was old enough to enlist. He installed a great love for our country into me.

Today I love all things Canadian. I paint my nails red and white more than any other color. I cry when I hear the national anthem or the sound of bagpipes. My teenagers know that gifts for Christmas and birthdays will be more meaningful to mom if they come from Canada, display the flag, or are red and white.

One of the things that I enjoy the most on Canada Day is not necessarily the parades and the community events. Those are nice and I do take them in sometimes, but my favorite thing to do in Canada is enjoy the national monuments, the historical places and the beautiful outdoor locations. Bar U Ranch, Fort McLeod, Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump and Frank’s Slide are a few that I like here in Southern Alberta. Every summer we take road trips to Banff or even just through the Kananaskis on a weekend. I feel it is important to remember who we are and what we are all about. When I travel to other parts of Canada it is those things that I love to see. Where did we come from? It is a good question that helps to anchor us so we know where to go next.

Always Loyal2U,

Kerry George