Do You Over Value Your Technical Expertise?

What is one of the most over-rated abilities of a business owner? Technical expertise. That’s right, the ability to do the technical work of the business … paint a bedroom, repair a toilet, move a household, care for the elderly, write an insurance policy, clean a home or office, remodel a room, etc.

Why is having the talent to do such technical tasks not that special? Because millions of people can do those same technical tasks … and some even better than you! Being a successful and satisfied business owner is NOT about being a gifted technician. It’s about something much more strategic.

Please understand, technical expertise alone will never be sufficient enough for you to properly own, lead, grow and run a highly successful business that can work profitably and predictably without relying on you to do everything. Technical expertise doesn’t qualify you to run a business … it simply qualifies you to do the business.

Here’s another reason for not over-valuing your technical side. Technical talent and expertise are in high abundance and supply. Everyone on the planet who has a job has some level of technical competence. However, what is sorely lacking in most small business owners is leadership and marketing expertise … the skills and abilities to design, build and run the entire business, not simply complete technical tasks. Many owners are mistakenly “being the business” instead of “building the business”.

If you are a business owner and pride yourself on actually doing the technical nature of the business (fix the computer, paint the room, or cook the burger), you may well be a gifted professional or technician but please don’t delude yourself … you own a job, not a business. If you are trapped working in the technical trenches of your business on a daily basis (cleaning the carpets or cutting the grass), you are not functioning as a business owner, you are functioning as a doer.

And that’s perfectly OK when you start a business … but not forever! While most owners wear multiple hats and perform multiple tasks when they start a business, they need to give up the technical hats as the business grows and evolves so they are left wearing the critical leadership, marketing, and strategic hats. Owners need to hire, train and delegate to others to do the technical work of the business. Sadly, many owners never make this critical transformation from technical doer to strategic business leader. Their heads are buried under technical hats and their lives are buried in the business.

If you don’t mind wearing lots of hats, doing lots of tasks, and working predominantly “in” your business and very little “on” your business, that’s your call. You are free to decide. It’s your life and business. Just be sure you are making a conscious choice by design and not doing all the technical work by default. And just be prepared to accept the potential, unintended consequences from being a technician masquerading as an owner … being overworked, overwhelmed, and feeling like a prisoner to your business.

For others struggling with being a technician out of default, not by design, and lacking leverage, here are some business coaching tips to provide you with another way to think about your role. As an owner, your real job is to create technical jobs for others (painting, repair, selling, bookkeeping, customer service, administrative, etc.), not technical jobs for yourself. Your job is to be the leader of your business and establish the vision, model, direction, plans, goals, the systems (marketing, selling, operations, HR, etc.) and provide on-going accountability, to name a few priorities, so that others can efficiently and effectively do the technical, tactical and daily work of the business. Are you currently doing these?

If you simply see yourself as a technician (painter, senior care provider, mover, cleaner, etc.), you will have a very limited vision and mindset and restrict yourself to doing only those technical tasks. However, if you see yourself as an owner and marketer, you will have a much larger vision and mindset and do the right things to design and build the entire business, not just the technical components of the business.

For example, be the owner and marketer of a senior care business, don’t simply be one of the senior care providers. Be the owner and marketer of a painting business, don’t just be another one of the painters. In a pinch, OK, but not on a daily basis. You are the owner, not a technician.

Again, technical talent and expertise are vastly over-rated and in abundant supply. Don’t limit yourself to the masses of good technicians in the world. Instead, dare to be different and bigger. Discriminate on how you value and use your time … stay out of the technical trenches. Dare to have a larger mindset and see yourself as the owner and marketer of your business.

Battling the Complexities of a Growing Business

Small business owners and entrepreneurs continually have to battle against the economy, competition, government interference, employee issues, cash flow, changing technologies, surprises, busyness, denial, distractions, and a host of other challenges. Such COMPLEXITY is simply the “price of admission” for being a successful entrepreneur. While business ownership and management, done right, can give you tremendous freedom, flexibility, fulfillment and financial success, it can come with its share of chaos, confusion and complexity. As an owner, if you don’t learn to manage such complexity, it will crush you and your business.

As your personal Growth Coach, I urge you to please don’t become overwhelmed by all the above issues. In fact, having these issues is NOT the real problem for you. The real problem is that most business owners, maybe you as well, DO NOT know how to think about and tackle these issues … that’s the real problem. You have no simple framework to identify and address your challenges on a regular and logical basis…and then they mount up. Again, it’s not your problems and opportunities that overwhelm you…it’s probably that you don’t have an effective and consistent method to go about tackling your problems and seizing your opportunities. Agreed?

Entrepreneurs tend to lack a timely and structured process to think about and resolve their problems and seize their opportunities. They are so “busy being busy” and have so much junk in their heads and stuff on their plates at any given time that they can’t even think. Instead, they get overwhelmed, stressed out and very often go into a state of denial. Denial is a bad, bad place to go. That’s how neglected issues fester and become raging and serious problems. Denial is NOT an effective problem-fighting strategy. Stop kidding yourself.

As your virtual business coach, I’m going to ask you to slow down, catch your breath, face reality, and have you realize that all your issues/challenges are NOT created equally. In fact, not all problems should get equal weight, attention, action, and your emotional energy. You need to learn to discriminate. Like your goals, you must put your issues and problems in the proper perspective and prioritize them. As your Growth Coach, I want to help you more effectively own and run your business and combat the growing fog of complexity. Ready for some business coaching?

Here’s a simple but effective framework for you to identify, prioritize, and tackle all the issues you face. I would like to re-introduce you to an old friend, the business planning model known as SWOT Analysis. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Relax … I’m not going to ask you to draft a new business plan. Instead, I want you to use a form of SWOT to respond better to your daily business issues, challenges, and opportunities. As your business coach, I beg you to stop reacting to your daily challenges and going into denial or hyper mode. It does you, your employees and your business NO GOOD. Use this re-purposed SWOT tool to help you respond calmly, coolly, and effectively to your daily problems and opportunities.

But before you use this new application for SWOT, you need to: (1) Face the truth about where your business is right now (good, bad and ugly – what’s working and what’s not), (2) Gain clarity about where you want your business to be in one year and three years (paint that ideal future), and (3) Commit to close the performance gap between your current reality and your desired future with an action plan you continually update.

This new application of SWOT below will help you prioritize your challenges and improve the way you go about closing your performance gap, the gap between where you are now and where you want to be. In brief, you should look at how to leverage your strengths, neutralize weaknesses, seize the best opportunities, and eliminate the greatest threats/dangers. Again, not all your problems and opportunities are worth your time, talent and treasure. Choose wisely. Here are a series of questions to help you get your arms around and prioritize your issues and opportunities using the simple SWOT framework:

STRENGTHS (assets):

• What are your personal and company strengths, unique talents, and money-making assets?
• Which are the most-promising strengths (personal and corporate) to pursue now?
• How can you effectively leverage, replicate, maximize and multiply these most-promising strengths?

WEAKNESSES (liabilities):
[Do not spend too much time or energy working on your personal weaknesses as they simply become strong weaknesses]

• What are your personal and company weaknesses and liabilities?
• How can you effectively neutralize, delegate or outsource these weaknesses?

OPPORTUNITIES (desire for gain):

• What are the money-making opportunities you have right now, right at hand?
• Which are the most promising opportunities with the greatest return potential?
• How can you go about effectively seizing these opportunities?

THREATS/DANGERS (fear of loss):

• What are the greatest threats/dangers facing you and your business right now?
• How can you effectively eliminate or minimize these biggest threats/dangers?

So, whenever you are confronted with too many issues, problems and/or opportunities be sure to STOP, THINK, and perform a quick SWOT review. You now have a simple SWOT process and framework to help you think about and tackle your critical issues and opportunities. If you regularly use this approach, at least once a month, you will be able to more effectively manage your business and combat your complexity.

What Business Are You Really In?

Business owner, what business are you in? What did you say? Did you respond by saying the industry or technical nature of your business? Or did you respond by the type of work you do? For example, if you own a painting business, did you automatically respond with “painting” or “painter”? If so, that’s limited and technical thinking. As such, you may well be limiting the growth and success of your business. Stop thinking small like a technician, employee or doer. Start thinking big like a strategic business owner and leader.

Above all else, you should be in the business of MARKETING. That’s right … the business of marketing. Your mindset should be that you own a customer-gaining, money-making, marketing business. No matter your industry or technical product or service, you are first and foremost in the marketing business. Without effective marketing, you will struggle or not be in business for long. You and your company’s top priority should be attracting, serving, retaining and multiplying customers. With sufficient customers and profits, you can tackle nearly every challenge. Without sufficient customers and cash flow, you won’t have a viable or sustainable business.

Even if you have the best product or service in town but people don’t know that, you will NOT create abundant business and wealth. Wealth is created by leveraging marketing – communicating to and influencing large groups of current customers, prospects and referral sources. Marketing is simply on-going education. You are educating customers, prospects and referral sources on why it’s in their best interest to do, and continue to do, business with your company. For greater business success, read that last sentence again.

Who in your company is in charge of that critical, on-going education and communication campaign? If no one, be warned! You are thinking and acting like a technician, not a business leader. As an owner, instead of focusing on the day-to-day, technical aspects of the business, you need to adopt a marketing mindset and mode of operation. For example, with a painting business, don’t get caught up merely in the technical trenches and details of your business … scheduling jobs, ordering paint and supplies, managing crews, prepping the walls, applying the paint, etc. While that’s all very important, others in the business can do that for you. Delegate the technical aspects of the business but take full responsibility for the marketing function. That’s what a strategic business owner does.

If not you, who is going to continually educate people on why they should hire your painting business in the first place, continue to use you over and over again, and recommend your business to their friends? Overall, the right marketing mindset and strategies will allow you to establish credibility and communicate your competitive advantages to the marketplace. As owner, keep your mind elevated and focused on what truly drives customers and revenues into your business …marketing does! There is no better or higher use of your time and talents than to think about strategies to attract, retain, and grow your customers.

Some would argue that a quality product and/or service is all that is needed to have a successful painting business, restaurant or any business for that matter. I would argue that you must create sufficient value and an overall good experience for your customers for you to even remain in business. Don’t delude yourself, a good product/service is an absolute basic and minimum requirement to be in business … it will NOT differentiate you. To set yourself apart, you must attract customers in the first place and you do that with smart marketing. You need to think and act like an owner of a customer-gaining, money-making, MARKETING business.

Again, what business are you really in?

Micro-Management: A Dreadful Disease

Today's blog is dedicated to the dreadful disease of micro-management...that all too common condition where a business owner mistakenly thinks he/she needs to do everything in a business. That disease may not kill you but it will surely exhaust you on a perpetual basis and have you become a prisoner to your business. As your virtual business coach, I am here to say that doesn't need to be the case and there is a cure.

Some quick reminders...as a strategic business owner, your primary aim should be to develop a self-managing and systems-oriented business that still runs consistently, predictably, smoothly, and profitably while you are not even there. You should shape and own the "business system" and employ competent and caring employees to operate the system. However, YOU should NOT be the business system.

Here is a simple four-step business coaching process to help you battle micro-management. Step one, you should document the work of your business so that you can effectively train others to execute the work. Create an operations manual for your business. After all, you want to make yourself replaceable in the technical trenches of your business. To repeat, define and document the specific work to be done and then train and delegate. Don’t suffocate the talents and growth of your employees.

Step two is to change your mindset. Don’t be content to be a super-worker, strive to be a supervisor! Stop the “I’ll do it myself” and “No one does it as well as I do” attitudes. Learn to delegate. If someone else can do something 80-90% as well as you, give it up! Don't spend a dollar’s worth of time on a dime task. Know your areas of brilliance, your leadership responsibilities, and delegate most everything else. However, be sure to delegate, not abdicate or dump. Stay in touch with the person and their progress.

For step three, you must believe that your time is very valuable and learn to discriminate between various activities. Here are a few delegation strategies. Before doing a task, ask, “Does this task lead directly to increased profits, significantly reduced costs, improved customer satisfaction, or to me building a better business”? If it doesn’t, dismiss the task or delegate it. Or ask, “Is this task worth worth AT LEAST $100-$200 per hour?” If not, find someone else internally or externally to do this task at a cheaper rate. You must realize that your leadership thoughts and actions (building systems, leading, planning, holding people accountable, coaching other leaders, etc.) are worth at least $200 per hour. If you don't highly value your time and talents, will never learn to be effective at delegation.

And finally, step four, by all means, get out of the way of your managers and workers. You pay them to do their work, so LET THEM DO THEIR WORK. Don’t meddle on an hourly or even daily basis. Instead of you doing their jobs or micro-managing them, help them to clarify their roles, responsibilities, goals, and tasks and then simply hold them accountable for getting things done and for results. Of course, be sure to monitor your employees’ performance on a regular basis but don’t try to control them. Once they demonstrate competency and character, give your employees even more authority to make things happen. Let them tackle stuff on their own and come to you only when they need further guidance. Instead of micro-managing, manage by results. Without having to do everything yourself, you will grow to love some free time and your business once again.

Leadership by Example

Setting an example is not the main means of influencing others; it is the only means. Claudian

As leader, you must be a model for others! Know that you set the tone, pace, environment, and personality of your company. By your consistent actions, you establish what the company values and what gets rewarded. You lead by example and to a large extent; shape the culture of your organization.

In large part, you maintain the culture by participating in the interviewing, hiring, reviewing and rewarding of your employees. Always make time for these critical activities.

Above all, try to create a culture where your people feel appreciated and important and where they believe that they can reach their potential - full use of their talents. William James said that the deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. If you achieve such a supportive and fear-free culture, you will have created a successful company with solid retention of your employees.

Also, make coming to work enjoyable. Identify, celebrate, and remember your company's victories. Capture them in stories that you repeat, especially to new hires.

Your leadership and other strengths are not worth much if you are not able to achieve leverage and results through other people. Keep reminding yourself and your management team that the greatest assets of your business are your people!

My commitment as a business coach is to help you, the small business owner, grow in your skills and effectiveness as a people manager and a business leader. People management is one of the toughest challenges we face. However, it is key to achieving exceptional performance in your business.

Let me know what you think...

The 4 Obstacles to Sales Success

Obstacle #1: Fear of the "No"

Much has been written about the fear of rejection but it still remains an issue for many sales people. I find that it is helpful to give my prospects a “no-option” right up front! My product/service is not for everyone. I don’t want anyone to feel manipulated or disrespectfully coerced. Neither do I want any “buyers-remorse.” When people say “yes” to me I want them to truly want what I am offering. I want it to be a “win-win” situation. Otherwise there is no hope for a long-term relationship.

As a sales professional you need to truly believe in your product or service. You need to be passionate and enthusiastic about what you are offering. You need to communicate the unique benefits of buying from you. But in the end, if the prospect says “no” it does not diminish the value of your product/service, and it is not a personal rejection of you. You must differentiate that within yourself in order to succeed.

Obstacle #2: Not Being Prepared

It’s very important that you prepare before making the sales contact. I know that there are times when selling opportunities present themselves serendipitously, but most of the time you will have an opportunity to prepare before the contact.
For me, preparation involves going to the prospect’s website, blog, or social media sites before the contact. There I want to learn everything I can about the company and the individual that I will be meeting with. Prospects are typically very impressed if they see that you have done your homework. They feel valued and respected.

I also want to prepare my attitude. I want to go in with the right mindset, being customer-centered and customer-focused. I want to be optimistic and visualize this prospect becoming my customer. I want to anticipate as much as possible what will happen in this conversation. However, I always want to remain flexible and open to the unexpected.

It is very important to be prepared. I would encourage you to develop a system for personal preparation and use that system every time you make a contact.

Obstacle #3: Focusing on Yourself Rather Than Your Prospective Customer

It is very important that you focus on the other person in the selling conversation. Your attention and your energy must be directed to understanding them and serving them. This contact is not about me. It is about the prospective customer, about their wants and needs. We must be tuned in to them before and during the contact.

There is a Hebrew Proverb that says “The purposes of a man’s heart are deep waters, but a man of understanding draws them out.” I want to understand my prospect (if possible) better than he understands himself. I do not want to be preoccupied with my fear, my discomfort, or my ideas. I want to be totally present for my prospect in that moment of contact. Learn to keep your internal focus completely on them!

Obstacle #4: Failure to Listen During the Selling Conversation

The most important tools you have in the selling conversation are questions. The quality of your selling is directly related to the quality of your questions. You must go prepared with good questions and then be ready to ask more questions as they surface in the conversation.

Questions are essential to help you get to know your prospect and to understand what their needs are. I always encourage my clients to prepare good questions ahead of time so that they will be asking better questions than their competition.

However, it is not enough to just ask questions. You must also listen carefully to what they are saying. When appropriate, say back to them what you hear them saying. Listen beneath the words. What are they feeling in the moment of the conversation? How is my question impacting them? Listen and observe. Let them do most of the talking as you guide the conversation with powerful questions. Then listen!

Prioritize, Focus and Follow-Through: 3 Skills for Success

Many business owners I talk to feel anxiety. This is not uncommon. I feel it more often than I like. Sometimes we feel anxiety over cash flow concerns. Sometimes it's caused by a downturn in sales. Sometimes we feel like we have not served our customers well and are at risk of losing them to our competitors. Sometimes it's generated by strained relationships.

Sometimes we feel anxiety because we can't seem to get caught up, to get our heads above water, to find time to just relax; to forget about business and focus on our families and refreshing ourselves.

How do we manage this anxiety in a healthy, productive way as entrepreneurs? Let me give you 3 simple steps that will give you peace in the midst of what appears to be an unending storm.

1. Prioritize. I've come to realize that this is a skill that many of us struggle with. We talk about it a lot but it is easier said than done. Here's how I prioritize. First, I do a "brain-dump." I write down on a piece of paper ALL the stuff that is cluttering my mind, everything that I need to do, every detail that I think I must not forget or miss. Every problem I think I must solve. I empty my head of EVERYTHING!
   
   Once I get it on a piece of paper, I rest! Yes, I just give myself permission to forget everything for a few minutes, or maybe even a day. Maybe I take a nap. Maybe I go play. I do something that is refreshing and replenishing. Once it is on paper, I can relax my brain because I know I won't forget something important!
   
   I find that by unloading my mind, clearing my head, and then getting away from all the "stuff" for a little while, I can then think more clearly about what is important and what is really my Priority!
   
   I then ask myself, "What are the 1-3 most urgent items on my list?" I know, you think everything is urgent, right? You must discipline yourself to pick no more than 3. Remember this:
   
   If everything is important, then nothing is important!
   
   You must discipline yourself to sort and choose! Once this is done, then give yourself a deadline for completing these priorities. If you just can't do this, ask someone to help you - a trusted friend, a spouse, possibly a business coach. This is how you prioritize. Learn to master this skill.
2. It is not enough to just prioritize. Now you must Focus on one of your priorities. Great leaders understand the power of focus! They know that this is one of the most powerful tools at their disposal.
   
   To focus means that for a defined period of time I am not going to allow anything to take my attention except this ONE THING! Again this is a mental discipline! Turn off your phone, get away from your inbox or the internet, lock yourself in a room - do whatever you need to do to block out distractions and just focus! Determine ahead of time how long you will give to your focus session and do absolutely nothing else. Focus on this one thing until it is finished or until your designated time is up. You will be amazed at how productive you will be!
3. Finally, Follow Through. Work to develop mental perseverance. If you need help, again, get a trusted friend or accountability partner to help you. If you did not complete your priority in your first focus session, schedule another one asap or extend your current session for another designated amount of time. Determine to repeat this exercise until the task is completed! Once your first priority is completed, repeat the process.

Prioritize, Focus, and Follow-Through. Master these skills and you will discover not only peace of mind, but increased productivity. Teach these 3 skills to your staff. Make it a part of your office or organizational culture. Post it on the wall: P-F-F. Whatever you do, don't stop! Practice these 3 skills everyday!