Making the Transition to Entrepreneurship: 4 Steps

Professional Coaching was such a huge game changer for myself that I definitely see the value in it, and fully promote it. This is why I too am on a road that I am truly passionate about helping small business owners succeed. I did it, and they can too with the knowledge from people that have gone down that road before them. The professional coaching I did was from more than one source, and I will continue to learn and give my clients that important knowledge to jump their business into the future. I have a seminar coming up sharing some of this information, go to http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=a1fa49675460ba950f0f51232&id=1cd6085172 to see the details and decide if this is the right decision for your business to attend. You can also visit my website at www.tylerzeck.com 

To your success,
Market For Success,
Tyler Zeck


Making the Transition to Entrepreneurship: 4 Steps:
Starting a business is one thing. Now you need to learn to live like an entrepreneur.
So many of the entrepreneurs I work and speak with are women in their 40s, 50s, and 60s with awesome business-building ideas and the intellectual and network capital to make it happen. Some are first-time entrepreneurs; others are serial entrepreneurs; others are transitioning from corporate roles to entrepreneurship or from being a CEO in one industry to a founder or C-level executive in another.
While many of the women ask me practical “how-to” questions directly related to commercializing their ideas or launching their businesses, all of the women talk about the challenges they face after they begin living as entrepreneurs.
One of the most common success strategies used by these women has been executive coaching. Coaching helps them work through career transitions and become more effective leaders without sacrificing authenticity. Linda Townsend, of Townsend Coaching Partners, recommends these four steps for those making the transition to entrepreneurship.
Build a strategic network. Thriving through a transition takes a village. Take the time to build and cultivate a network of people that can help you predict, prepare for, and be successful in the version of the future in which you want to live. “A strategic network helps you define your vision of the future,” says Townsend. Actively develop relationships with people who can act as information sources both inside and outside of your target industry. Look to your strategic network to give you candid answers, discuss your ideas, guide you through rough patches, and help you make smart trade-offs.
Create a clear vision of the future. It’s time to step outside of your comfort zone. “Assume anything is possible,” Townsend says.

• Start by asking yourself big-picture questions such as, “What contribution do I want to make to the world or to my business?”
• Make a list of your role models, and the characteristics in them that you most admire.
• Make a list of your core values and your own definition of success.
• Then bring all of these big insights together to develop a mission statement that is a true reflection of the person you aspire to be. Do not retreat back to your current reality of what you already know.
• Once you have a statement that is a reflection of the future you, memorize it and practice saying it out loud.

Put a plan together to achieve your vision. You are ready to live the future version of you. Start by creating a plan to achieve your vision.

• Write down 3-5 targeted objectives. For each objective, list the concrete actions you will take to achieve it.
• Check in frequently to ensure that you are on the right track. Create metrics that will help you measure how you’re doing. Ask yourself if you are getting closer to achieving your vision through the actions you are taking. By analyzing your progress on a regular basis, you can make adjustments as necessary without investing too much time, energy, or money in the wrong activities.
• Check in with your strategic network to help you develop and hone your plan. If you find yourself stuck on this step, consider investing some time and money in working with a coach.

Establish a routine of healthy habits. We women are multi-taskers. We are busy, mostly due to the roles we play in other people lives. While it’s great that we can get a lot done at once and help a lot of people along the way, we tend to not take the time to take care of ourselves. Townsend warns, “Just like you don’t take medication every once in a while, if you don’t practice self-care every day, you are doing more harm than good.” The things you need to sustain the busy and demanding life of an entrepreneur are often really basic: Getting 8 hours of sleep each night, doing 20 minutes of exercise every day, doing something creative and fun, and connecting with the people you care about.

HOW RADIO PEOPLE CAN SAVE TIME AND LIVE LONGER

Great advice. I know it doesn't matter what situation we are in if someone disagrees with us or critiques us we mull over it for hours making us less productive. Like he says, "let it go"


HOW RADIO PEOPLE CAN SAVE TIME AND LIVE LONGER:
A few days ago I critiqued two commercials for a client.
The client is a direct marketer, so he takes this stuff seriously. (Direct marketers don’t distract themselves with ridiculous attempts at “branding.”)
I was typically meticulous in my critique. (You say “harsh,” I say “meticulous.”)
I’ve never told anyone this, but as soon as I’ve e-mailed a critique to a client, I become a little nervous.
What if they’re offended? I don’t want to offend people. Especially clients.
What if they’re so offended they demand a refund? I really don’t want that. (I also don’t give refunds on critiques, and no one’s ever asked for one. Still, the concern does cross my mind.)
So when my email inbox included two messages from him this morning, I took a deep breath before opening them.
The first was in response to my first critique:

Awesome! Thanks for doing a killer job on this… this is VERY helpful. Once I’ve produced some new spots using your suggestions I’ll send you them to you to review.

The second message, responding to the second critique, said:

Thanks again Dan… great suggestions and points.

It was a nice way to start the morning.
Usually I critique commercial copy before it’s produced. That makes sense to me, because that way the client has time to change the copy before going into production. But in this case, the spots had been written and recorded.
One hour and 16 minutes after I received the client’s second “wow, thanks!” response, I received a very long email from someone I don’t know.
That someone appears to be the guy who wrote and produced the commercials I had critiqued. It was a cc of a message he had sent to the client.
It was not what one would call a rave review of my critique.
Two elements of his rant leapt out at me:
1. He defended the use of the lame voice talent (whom I had pointed out sounded like a schlocky announcer who clearly was simply reading the copy he was being paid to read) by saying, “With our budget, that’s all we can afford.”
Ridiculous.
Those particular spots didn’t require a Harlan Hogan. I know plenty of guys (they used a male voice) who would’ve done a much better job for $300 or so.
I don’t know what they paid their VO guy, but if they’re not willing to shell out $250 – $300 for a decent announcer read, they need to adjust their priorities.
(Come to think of it: The client paid me more than that for the two critiques. And he got his money’s worth. Certainly they can afford a decent voice performer to deliver their sales message.)
2. The email was very long. I mean, this guy was upset.
And Then I Did Something Very, Very Smart.
I closed the email without reading it.
I got the gist of it: “This O’Day guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”
Why read further?
So I could become offended?
So I catalog and rebut his evidence of my alleged incompetence?
A number of years ago I managed to learn not to waste my time responding to hate mail or nutty mail. Why argue with a nut or a jerk?
To be fair: This guy’s rant didn’t appear to be hateful or nutty. He just totally disagreed with me.
But do you know what would have happened if I had taken 2 minutes to read his entire attack (or, from his perspective, the defense of his work)?
I would have spent hours mentally refuting his every point. Completely involuntarily.
That’s how my brain works. If I think I’ve been unfairly attacked, my instinct is to defend myself — even if only within the privacy of my own mind.
But I had other stuff to do today. Why waste any of my sorely limited time (and even more severely limited brain power) marshalling an argument I never would deliver?
What Does This Have To Do With You?
Maybe nothing.
Or maybe you’re a radio station producer and a thoughtless salesperson mentioned, while passing you in the hallway, “The client hates that spot you did for him.”
Oh? You mean that spot that was approved every step of the way and now is on the air?
Let it go. Getting upset won’t help.
Or you’re an account exec and the Traffic Director screams at you because you didn’t remind her that she had promised to change your client’s rotation, so she forgot to do it and it’s all your fault.
Let it go. Let her words float past you like a summer breeze. (You don’t bother to argue with the wind, do you?)
Or you’re a jock, and the station engineer (!) pointedly tells you the comedy bit you did on yesterday’s show “really wasn’t very funny.”
Should the station engineer be critiquing the air talent? No.
Should you care anything at all about whether the station engineer thinks you’re funny or your show is good? C’mon.
Let it go.
Use that time and energy for something constructive.
Why, look at me. The time I saved by not reading and then mentally constructing a devastating response to that email?
I used it to write this post.


www.tylerzeck.com

4 Traits of Sales Superheros

Do you agree with these? Would you add any? Do you disagree with any?

I believe these 4 are all extremely true and important. Could I add more? Of course, but these 4 are in my top 5 for sure.

Tyler
www.tylerzeck.com


4 Traits of Sales Superheros:
There are many different styles of selling. But most great salespeople possess these personality traits.
Today, I interviewed baseball Hall of Famer Johnny Bench. He talked about perseverance and never giving up. He talked about how the ability to focus under pressure has a lot to do with your preparation. Bench was talking about baseball, but the same rules apply to sales. Our conversation got me thinking about the traits of great salespeople. If asked to list all of the traits and qualities of sales superstars, I could name at least 20 or 30. Staying in line with the four P's of marketing (price, product, promotion, and place), here are my four P's of selling:
1. Personable
Great salespeople have an innate skill for connecting with others on a personal level. People buy from people they like, trust, and respect. Building rapport and connecting is the most important trait to start any relationship off on the right track. The dictionary defines personable as "having a pleasant appearance and manner."
Your smile, handshake, eye contact, and attitude will start you off on the right foot. But there's so much more that needs to be done to build the total relationship. And sometimes, no matter how personable you are, there are people with whom you won't be able to connect. Don't take it personally. That's why the second trait below is so crucial in selling.
2. Positive/Persevering
Maintaining a positive attitude while getting rejections, going through setbacks, and dealing with difficult people is what separates the best from the rest. When you're in a bad state of mind, the first thing you need to do is change your outlook. Always think about how a difficult or negative situation can give you deeper insight and tools for developing a more intelligent approach to a sale. Or, maybe those situations simply give you the ability to move on to more promising opportunities.
You can also improve your attitude with a focus on constant learning and serving. By doing so, you'll develop a positive attitude that lasts. Everything you do contributes to your attitude, including the books your read and the people with whom you surround yourself. Always look for new connections with the potential to add value to your mission.
3. Passionate
When you're passionate about what you sell, your passion propels you forward and often makes up for any minor deficiencies. People are attracted to others that are passionate about what they do. It keeps them wondering what it is about you and your work that they should find out more about. Your enthusiasm is contagious and most people want to be around that energy.
4. Persuasive
Famed journalist Edward R. Murrow once said, "To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful." Persuasiveness has a lot to do with confidence and how you present your product and service. What is it about what you sell that provides true value to the client? If, deep down, you don't believe in what you're selling, it will come across in your actions and expressions. To persuade other people, you need to research and learn your craft at multiple levels. The more you study and learn your craft, the more confidence you will have getting up to the plate. To persevere in selling, you must be backed up by the confidence that comes from constant preparation.