Archive for the ‘Business Mindset’ Category

Ask for feedback.

Once you go through the exercise outlined in Step 2 – and if it feels right – you might want to ask your prospect for feedback. It may really be worth it!

How I turned a “No” to a long term happy client.

During my early years in corporate sales, I remember loosing a great prospect to one of my competitors. A few weeks later, I decided to call back Mr. John G. I always do what I can “to not burn bridges.”  This is roughly how the conversation went:

“Hello Mr. G, this is George “H”. I appreciate the opportunity you gave me to work with you and respect your decision to go with a different company.

We always try to improve the quality of our service and I was wondering if I could ask you a question. Is there something I could have done better, differently to earn your business?  If so, I would appreciate your feedback.”

Mr. John G. took considerable time and gave me invaluable feedback.

Besides the lesson I learned that day, Mr. G. valued my initiative so much, that he ended up becoming a loyal client after all. That one phone call sure was worth it!

Remember the third step:

If it feels right, why not call back your prospect and ask for feedback?

As always, I welcome your comments.

How to Turn Rejection Into Business Opportunity: Step 2

Look for the lesson – if there is one.

Although prospects may choose to conduct business with one of your competitors for reasons that you cannot control, it is always a good idea to ask yourself if there is something that you could have done better or differently during your interactions with your prospect.

Here is a simple idea. Take a few days to clear your mind. Mentally replay your experience. Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle. On the left column write down all the things you felt you did well, and on the right column things that perhaps you could have done better. You may find it helpful if you go though this exercise with an associate, mentor, or coach as they may be able to give you a different perspective.

If you feel that you could have done certain things better, simply learn from the experience, and move on with your action plan to grow your business.

Remember the second step for turning rejection into business opportunity:

Look for the lesson – if there is one.

Retain Your Personal Power -

In the business arena, facing rejection is normal. It means that we are out in the world connecting with people, beginning conversations, and offering our services. Although I don’t believe that anyone would admit to enjoying it, there are business owners and professionals who have learned how to effectively manage it. They have developed the ability to often turn it into business opportunity, and use it as a stepping stone to attain their broader goals, and realize their greater vision.

What is the first stepping stone?

Retaining your personal power, and remembering NOT to take business rejection personally.

This may be very difficult to reconcile. How can we possibly not take it, personally?

The reality is that prospects make decisions based on their own reasons. These reasons frequently have nothing to do with you at all. Long standing personal relationships, preferences in different products and services, and wrong timing may be reasons why your prospects decide to conduct business with one of your competitors.

Here is the important realization:

When your prospect says “no thank you”, direct their lack of interest to your business proposition. At that particular moment in time, your prospect is simply not interested in your services, plain and simple. Try to remember that they are not rejecting you as a person. Although people can say no to your business proposition, no one can reject you as a person, unless you allow this to happen.

You are the one with that personal power. Don’t give it away!  

Rejection is a tough pill to swallow. Having said that – and speaking from the experience of a tested entrepreneur — it can be turned into business opportunity. Remember The First Step:

Retain your personal power, and DO NOT take it personally.

I Wish You All the Best!

George Haralampopoulos

Sign up! “How to achieve business breakthroughs even in a challenging market”  Free at:  www.unconditionallysuccessfulbiz.com

Find Out How Your Response To Rejection Can Affect Your Business Success

If you are an entrepreneur, a business owner, an independent professional, you have faced it. We all have. I’m referring to the often dreaded “R” word:  Rejection – business rejection.

It comes in different forms, doesn’t it? From the high quality lead that you’ve been working with for a while, you know, the one you’re “sure” will hire you for your services, but decides differently;  to the prospect that says “no” to meeting with you even for a quick conversation. How about the one that has made a “commitment” to follow up with you, but doesn’t “for whatever reason,” or the one that simply will not respond to your messages and communications?

Does any of this sound familiar?

During my 17-year professional career in this great country, as an entrepreneur, business owner, mentor, strategist, I have generally seen three types of business professionals when it comes to handling, reacting, responding to rejection:

The first group: The Give-ups 

These are talented individuals, smart, and  often brilliant minds. They are working in markets were there is still demand for their services, but they just give up.  Promising careers have been ended, in large part because the individuals could not handle the “R” word. Or, at least manage it.

The second group: The Rising Stars

Business people in this group have experienced the rejections, frustrations, fears, even heartbreaks of the first group, and almost gave up. But somehow along the way they experience that BREAKTHROUGH moment -that inspiration! They discover that “inner strength” that propels them to Superstar status.

The third group­­: The Superstars

These business professionals are the ones – who no matter what – keep on pushing. All though they may be working in highly competitive markets, they simply claim their share of the business. They pursue their aspirations with vigor in some cases achieving phenomenal results.

For this group, rejections, recessions, downturns, really don’t matter. At least they don’t matter a lot. And if they do get temporarily derailed – “thrown off course” – due to unforeseen circumstances, somehow they jump back on the path to success. They understand, or have made the commitment to learn, how to channel rejections, roadblocks and challenges into opportunities for development, growth, and expansion.

“Give ups” have the potential to become “Rising Stars” and “Superstars”

What does it take to achieve these transformations?

Is it skill development, business acumen, and better support systems? This is part of it. 

Speaking from experience, the most important factor is developing the right mindset. It is learning –all though this may be difficult to reconcile - not to take rejection personally. It is having clarity about the vision of the business that they desire to create, an unshakeable sense of purpose, and a deep desire to pursue their goals, dreams and aspirations despite the number of rejections they may face along the way.   And of course, it takes a very strong commitment to take intentional ACTION no matter what.

In following blogs, I will be sharing some specific ideas and steps on how to develop your mindset in overcoming rejection, and even turning it into opportunity.

Your comments are welcomed.

One of the lessons I’ve learned travelling the path of entrepreneurship is how quickly time goes by. Sometimes, it flies. Have you ever felt this way?

You blink, and the week is gone. Before you know it the month, the quarter, the year have also come and gone.

Can we use this realization to our advantage when it comes to achieving our objectives? Although we can’t stop time, we can use it as an asset in attaining our goals and pursuing our visions, dreams, and aspirations. Here is how:

Besides being very clear and specific, about WHAT goals we want to attain, we also need to be very clear and specific by WHEN we want to attain them.

When you establish a time frame, you are constantly reminded that you have a deadline. You have a sense of urgency. This will challenge you to stay focused and take all the necessary actions to reach your goals in the predetermined time frame.

It is essential that your desired goals go hand-in-hand with specific timeframes and deadlines in which you want to achieve them. Even if you fall short, you will most likely be a step closer in making them happen than you would have been otherwise.

When it comes achieving your goals, use time as your asset.

Be clear and specific: About WHAT you want to achieve, and by WHEN. 

All the Best!

When it comes to growing your business, your current, past clients, and referral sources are by far your best source for creating multiple business opportunities and achieving breakthroughs. One of my clients, a small business owner, used this simple approach and DOUBLED his business in just 30-days!

This is your Most Valuable Market (MVM),  for a simple reason. You have already conducted business with people in this market, and most likely you have established the three essential connections:

            A Personal Relationship, Trust, and Credibility.

Creating multiple earning opportunities for your business will be less expensive; it will require less effort, and a smaller investment in time and energy than paying for advertising and searching for new target markets. Searching for new markets to broaden your client base, however, should also be a part of your ongoing business development strategy.

How to best cultivate your MVM is a focal point of my Unconditionally Successful Business Growth Program.  Creating multiple earning opportunities for ourselves and our businesses takes planning,  consistency, and empathy.

Establishing trust, credibility and a personal relationship is fundamental. Staying connected, learning more about our clients, their families their special interests, providing “added value”, asking for introductions and recommmendations, should be part of our daily business habits.

Moments after one of my recent presentations, a woman came up to me, warmly embraced me, and said, “Thank you! I really needed to hear that today.”

I felt a great sense of satisfaction.

A Zen proverb says that “When the pupil is ready to learn, a teacher will appear.”

It’s so true.

The “lesson” may come in different forms; that’s why it’s important we always keep our minds and hearts open.

I recall one of my “lessons” coming to me in the form of a quote I came across during a challenging period early in my career:

The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief. Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big and win big success. Remember this, too! Big ideas and big plans are often easier—certainly no more difficult—than small ideas and small plans.”

                                                             —From the book The Magic of Thinking Big, by Author Dave Schwartz

It’s one of the most powerful quotes I have ever read. Brilliant! Eye-opening and definitely thought-provoking.

The secret to unlocking our true potential, living our purpose and serving the world the way that we were meant to may be summed up in these three words:

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!

Next time you feel challenged, remember to keep your mind and your heart open.

“When the pupil is ready to learn, a teacher will appear.”

What is the # 1 priority of a business?

Aside from consistently serving it’s clients at the HIGHEST LEVEL, the # 1 priority of a business is to generate revenue, and be profitable. Often times however, business owners tend to focus on activities that give them the false sense of “being busy” but do nothing to contribute to their revenue, and profits.

They get side-tracked.  It’s easy to get side-tracked. We are living in a busy world.

So, the question is..

How can you close strong in your business – every month? By focusing on what is most important, every single day. Here are four steps that can help you stay on track:

Step One: Set a challenging revenue goal  that you want to achieve every month. Be clear and specific.

Step Two: Define the most important – business growth – action steps that you need to take in order to make your goal happen. Take action!

Step Three: Put your goal and action steps in writing immediately, and post them everywhere. Track your progress daily.

Step Four: Celebrate the achievement of your goal. You deserve it!

You can FINISH STRONG in your business - every month!  Focus on what is most important, every single day.