October 2011
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Archive for October, 2011

Stop Ignoring Your Customers

Are you guilty of ignoring your customers? Before you say no, I’d like you to answer the following questions….

  • Have you ever started a blog, then neglected it because you didn’t think anyone was really reading it?
  • Sent out a newsletter once or twice, then abandoned it because it took too much time & effort?
  • Gotten so overwhelmed that you can’t respond to emails or phone calls in less than 24 hours?

Well, you’re not alone.

Time and time again, I see companies of all sizes ignore their customers and prospects by doing these very things. In fact, a lot of wedding professionals do the exact same thing.

But imagine this, brides are looking at your site for information, researching what you do, and maybe even calling or emailing to ask a simple question. And what they get is, well, nothing.

On the surface, these things may seem small or trivial. But it’s often the little things that make the biggest different. And not following through in a timely manner makes brides see you as inconsistent, unfocused, uncommitted and unprofessional.

Creating consistent messages and communications shows you’re reliable. A company and person that others can TRUST. So even if you think no one is reading your words or you’re just too busy to be timely, you need to stick to it. Because you never know when a bride is watching. And trust me, they are.

Don’t spread yourself too thin. If time management is an issue, don’t bite off more than you can chew. You’re only one person after all. You don’t need to be on every social media channel out there. Pick one or two and then do it on a regular basis. Once you master them, consider adding another. Of course, you can always hire someone to help or use a service to do it for you.

Use online tools that allow you to showcase your work. Brides aren’t buying you just because you have a blog or facebook account. They are buying you because of the results that you can produce. So make sure that you are using tools to effectively educate and showcase your work. You need to show brides that you can create the wedding of their dreams!

Remember, marketing is all about consistency. Do it on a regular basis, showcase your work and you’ll be on your way marketing more effectively and growing your bridal business. Not to mention setting yourself apart from a lot of other wedding professionals!

Understanding What Is Consulting?

When you want to know what is consulting, you must know that businesses hire consulting services in order to maximize their growth and efficiency. The consultants help businesses to identify and overcome problems that are obstructions to their success. Generally, businesses are well aware of their problems but they don’t have the know-how or expertise to sort them out. In such a situation, a business consulting company will help assess the entire business operation. Then, they help the business through a step by step assessing process. The inspected areas also include the supervisory and management. Thus, a business consultant can help you identify and resolve problems that hinder the growth of your company.

If you want to know what is consulting in running a business, a business consultant will help you in mapping an effective plan for the future of your business. A business cannot be successful in the long-term without having a stable plan. While some business owners precisely know how they want their business to move ahead, others need help due to lack of experience or knowledge. Once a business plan has been established, the service doesn’t stop there. The consultant will be readily available for future consultations and brainstorming sessions, as needed. Their success hinges on the success of each and every client.

When you are hiring the services of a consultant, you would be able to devote more of your time to your business requirements. While the consultant takes care about implementing new plans for the development of your business, you can focus on marketing, employee training and product development aspects of your business. The assistance is also going to remove the additional stress on you with regard to growing your business in terms of profits and efficiency.

If you want to learn more about what is consulting there are three strategies on which business consultants base their strategies. These are discovering, assessing and restructuring. While discovering, the consultants understand the present operations of your business. The assessment part of their work helps understand the nature of your assets and liabilities. And, restructuring involves reworking the existing operation to reduce risk and maximize the profits.

The American Leadership Paradox

Professional coaches aim to support the development of clients to meet strategic goals and to enhance overall quality of life. Coaching and Leadership intersect – In the organizational sense; Associates want value from their leaders, and desire to develop a co-relationship focused on achieving success.

The current zeitgeist of Leadership is trending towards acquiring specific skills that is possessed by the coaching industry. As potential change agents, coaches must ask powerful questions about the psychological dynamics of society at large.

•Are we at war with ourselves?
•Why are large bureaucratic organizations slow to act?
•How do we understand the complexities of the struggle?

Society demands a powerful altruistic Leader that makes quick decisions that benefit everyone while simultaneously providing security. However, America is a nation of individualists who strive to be the Leader, and are ashamed to be categorized in the role of follower. Simply, American culture frowns upon the follower and the omnipotent Leader is exaggeratedly admired.

•Who do you want to be?

The Leader of course! Well, the problem is that Leaders need followers.
If everyone is the Leader and no-one follows, then there is a Leadership dilemma called The American Leadership Paradox.

1. Society wants community and togetherness, but explicitly yearns for a capitalist society with individualist freedom.
2. Society values family, but relishes in the rebel persona.
3. American culture is a paradox that attempts to indulge within both ends of the spectrum.

Leaders are unable to lead because society chooses to scoff at instead of follow. Cognitive dissonance is displayed towards Leaders, and society at large believes they are capable of producing better results. Trust and integrity have been squandered by previous leaders which disenables pre-determined respect for future Leaders.

The Nature/Nurture debate – Is it inborn or due to the situation? Current research has determined the debate to be estimated at a 50/50 split. If there are wonderful Leaders and the situation is not conducive to leading, then the cold-hard truth is – Leaders will fail 50% of the time regardless of inborn or learned ability. Current Leadership is failing at an astounding rate (over 70%). What constitutes leadership failure? Short answer: Not meeting goals.

•How do we survive in a Leaderless society if our models in family, business, politics, education, and more, require a Leader who has power that is admired and followed?

•Can we all be leaders without followers or is there another solution?

Currently, the common consensus is that: our Leaders are unethical, self-centered, and ruining our economy!
Americans, don’t trust the government, don’t trust commercials, and in fact, place little faith on anything.
Why? Is it because Americans are horrible people, or is it because our system is coming to a breaking point? I argue for the latter.

•Why do we tolerate unethical leadership?
•Why do some leaders act unethically?

Our individualist system funneled these leaders to the pinnacle because they are the best players of the game our society has produced. They are tolerated because, if they are great Leaders, elitist, and are flawed, then the individual perception interprets an ego-boost which sends the individual’s self-esteem sky rocketing. The ego-imagination covets the positive regard of a Leader, and an unethical Leader with praise is lesser qualified for the role of Leader than the self. The American Leadership Paradox!

•How do we fix the Paradox?

Fixing or modifying any paradox is a mission within a mission, which might never be accomplished, and is why venturing out on this journey is more than challenging. Albeit while complex, well worth the strategic effort because Leadership is an integral part of a successful society.

Professional Leadership Coaching:
Enhancing self-awareness of cultural factors and aiding in understanding the application of value-based Leadership. Utilizing expert coaching tools to raise awareness and move Leaders through blinding dimensions. As coaches, we could participate in curbing and overcoming the deterioration of the aforementioned: American Leadership. We cannot be concerned with the system and concentration of choosing Leaders, but rather, concentrate on the coaching role in development which is integral to Leadership success.

3 Ways to Print Better Brochures

There are brochures, and then there are great brochures. Great brochures are designed well, printed well and will generate new sales and clients for your business. They will also have a positive impact on your brand by associating it with quality.

Below are three important steps that are often forgotten, which can help you make the most of your brochures. The last thing you want to do is to spend $500, $1000 or even way more printing a large amount of brochures only to have them come out horrible, so read on!

Use a Template

The first thing you should do before starting any design work on your brochure is to pick an online printing company you want to use, and then download their specific brochure printing template. Make sure the template you download is the correct size/format and the right file type the designer needs.

Every printer is slightly different so this is why it is best to download a template directly from your printer instead of finding a free one on the web. This brochure template will help ensure your design comes at as professional as possible.

Do a File Check

Before your files are sent off to print, a good quality online printer will check the files to make sure they are properly formatted for printing at their facility. They will often catch any errors and fix them during this process, but you should also always review the files yourself before submitting an order online. Check for formatting issues, printing guides, spelling and more.

Get a Proof

Once your file is approved, you should always get a proof. For smaller orders a digital proof might be enough, just know that computer monitors often display colors differently than how they will look in print. So if possible, ordering a printed proof is the best choice and highly recommended for larger orders.

This way you know exactly how it will look when printed and can make any last minute adjustments. If you do not get a printed proof you are taking a risk and it can be costly for large printing orders of great importance, especially if certain brand colors must be perfect.