Successful Professional – Secrets To Success

Are You Stuck On A Plateau, Looking To Get Off?

Success in business isn't a magic spell you can learn at Hogwarts nor a secret that's passed down among the world's elite.

Success is a recipe that has a few proven ingredients. When you mix those ingredients with love, thought, and care, you'll create something that will nourish you and your family for years to come.

Here Are Some Of The Ingredients I Find Important In The Recipe For Success

1. Happy Customers, Clients, Patients. Yep, that's the number one ingredient that successful businesspeople have in their entrepreneurial cupboard. (And it doesn't matter if you're a Doctor, Dentist, Chiropractor, Photographer, Attorney, or any other professional or business person: this article applies to you because the people who pay you for your service are still people no matter what your profession.)

No matter what service you provide, it's all about the Client, Customer, or Patient. If that person isn't happy, she might not be back to see you!

Whatever you do in your business or practice, you should always think about the end user. Each and every action you take should be geared toward providing the best relationship/service possible.

Imagine yourself as your client and visualize how you'd like to be treated. Use that as a beginning to establish your service guidelines.

One other thing to consider: if you don't know who you're selling to, you can't market properly. And if you can't market to the right audience, the folks you do reach probably won't have much interest in your product or service. Know who you're selling to so you can reach the places where they hang out.

2. Results. People expect things quickly these days.

Our attention span isn't what it used to be (darn all those TV commercials with 27 edits for each 30 second commercial!), so when customers come to you with questions, you've got to be Johnny-on-the-Spot with answers.

When they call to see you, you'd better be prepared to help them or they can easily go elsehwhere.

If you always have answers and products/services for customers/clients/patients, you'll become the go-to-person, something money just can't buy.

3. Follow up. Part of keeping your customers happy is following up on an order, especially if there's some sort of snafu.

(Let’s face it – no matter how hard you try, no matter how conscientious you are, SOMETHING will go wrong at times.)

As a customer, it makes me smile when I get a call or email asking if I've everything went well during our appointment. This will only take a couple of minutes on your part, but will do wonders for your reputation.

Now, when your business really gets cooking and you've got dozens or hundreds of orders to follow up on every day, you might need to consider getting some help. But isn't that a great “problem” to have?

(And for those of us working online, auto-responders help immensely!)

4. Reputation. Your reputation is something that will grow when the first three ingredients are blended successfully.

This might take a little time, but it’s well worth the effort. A good reputation is crucial to any successful business endeavor.

(Hey, if anyone has ever talked to you about “branding” then THIS is branding – earn a stellar reputation and keep it!)

Just remember – once lost, your reputation will be very difficult to get back. (It’s like flushing something down the toilet – “possible” to retrieve but REALLY difficult!) Make sure your product is as it's advertised to be. Make sure you follow up on promises. Make sure your customer is happy.

When you do those things, your reputation will grow and your business will flourish.

This also includes your relationship with your distributors and joint-venture partners. Make sure you pay your invoices in a timely manner. If you can't get the money to them on time, let them know when to expect payment. Keep the lines of communication open.

5. Promotion. Nobody is going to promote your business for you (unless you're paying them).

Take advantage of every opportunity to talk about your business and promote what you do.

Now, this doesn't mean jabbering at your neighbors until their eyes roll back in their heads. Just mention in passing that you can provide a service that they might need. Discreetly drop little tidbits of info into the conversation. Maybe one day they'll ask to know more about what you do.

When you are tooting your own horn, it's imperative to keep an eye on your audience. Nothing turns people off faster than a self-promoter who doesn't know when to quit.

6. Selling. An important thing to remember is don't sell the service, sell the lifestyle.

In their TV ads, Apple doesn't tell you about the storage capacity of their computers, what motherboard they're using, or the size of their monitors.

No.

They show a hip guy (representing Apple) outsmarting a nerd (representing PCs). People don’t see themselves as the pocket-protector guy who can't hold up his end of a debate. Everybody identifies with the hip, laid-back lifestyle and Apple computers.

(Well, OK: not EVERYBODY – I know a few who live the life of the PC nerd – but there aren’t many like that – and the ones who are: I’m not aiming at nor attracting.)

And while we're on the subject of sales, be sure to Ask for the Sale.

Customers generally don’t throw their money at you: at least I don’t know any like that. You need to lead them to the sale. Be like the little boy, Oliver, and ask for a “sale, please.”

(And while we’re on Oliver, always encourage him to come back to buy more so he says, “Please, sir, I want some more.”)

7. Volunteerism. If you volunteer with local organizations, you'll accomplish two things: you'll make valuable contacts and you'll show yourself as a competent worker.

Before you know it, you'll be getting business calls from folks you met at fundraisers who liked what they saw. It may be difficult finding time to volunteer, but it will pay great dividends in the end.

I know that I found that while I was my busiest, while I was most involved with community organizations or our local theater, I was most successful. See if that works for you too!

8. Professionalism. It's one thing to work in sweats when you're staying at home, alone. But if you're meeting with a client, dress for success.

Business casual is appropriate in most situations. Always be well groomed. Speak well, with carefully chosen words, and really listen to what your client is saying.

When someone who looks great enters the room for a meeting, you notice, right? They will notice YOU, too, when you look your best!

Take what you do seriously and others will do the same.

9. Bookkeeping. Know where each nickel goes and the dollars will take care of themselves, especially when you're just getting your business off the ground.

Can you reuse that paper? Do you really need to print that flier in color or can you save a few bucks and go with black and white? Is the ad you’re running providing great results or just taking up space (because you feel you need to be there because all of your competitors are there)?

I know a man who reuses price stickers in his California record shop. Yes, he's a penny-pincher, and his business is still thriving after thirty years and some pretty serious economic slumps in the area.

When it’s time to spend money, do it (and do it well). At other times, watch carefully where it goes and how it grows for you.

10. Relevance. Make sure you know what's going on in the world. This includes keeping an eye on the latest technological advances as well as marketing ideas and advertising strategies.

Subscribe to a few blogs, like this one. You'll get timely articles on the newest business trends and get to discuss issues with other blog members. (And be sure to check out AllTop.com, which I highly recommend – great blogs all in categories so you can find your niche quickly.)

Another easy way to keep up is join a business club or professional organization. You can pick up a lot listening to others, and let's face it: you just don't have the time to read every trade publication out there. By attending meetings, you'll get the condensed version of the latest issue of Business Week and be able to ask questions about it.

And you’ll be rubbing shoulders with others who, once they get to know you and what you do, will be open to working with you.

While you're garnering all this information, remember to offer something valuable in return. Ask if the latest Chinese embargo will hurt sales of frozen chicken parts. Then remark on how the latest mobile phone app has really saved you time on follow-up. Comments like these will get a conversation going and inform others without coming across like a know-it-all.

Focus On These Ten

There are other ingredients, but these are the one's I've found valuable. I'm sure you'll add some of your own to this list.

This isn't a complicated recipe, though it does have quite a few components. With time and practice, you'll know each one by heart and know exactly the right amount to add to your own personal recipe for success.

Great, you say: I've got all the ingredients here, but how do I put this together? What tools do I need to make this recipe work?

Glad you asked! Stay tuned – Dr. Marc and I have lots planned and will show you more soon!

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Best,

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Successful Professional – Secrets To Success