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As a business owner, have you ever wondered if you're maximizing your team's full potential?
Picture this: You're running a successful service-based business, carefully considering each new hire because every salary impacts your bottom line. While you might think only your sales team drives revenue, there's an untapped goldmine of sales potential sitting right in your existing workforce.
Let's be honest - when most business owners think about increasing sales, their first instinct is to hire more salespeople. But what if I told you that the key to boosting your revenue might already be sitting at your front desk, managing your books, or delivering your services?
Every employee you hire in your small business is an investment, and they need to contribute - directly or indirectly - to your business growth. The question isn't whether they can help increase sales; it's how to unlock their potential to do so.
Think about those administrative tasks eating up your valuable time. When you're spending hours managing receipts or handling routine paperwork, you're essentially paying CEO rates for administrative work.
Here's a perspective shift: a skilled bookkeeper or administrative assistant can do these tasks in half the time, at half the cost, freeing you up to focus on high-value activities that directly generate revenue. Not to mention, the quality of their work will be much better than yours, beacuse they are the exaprts at it.
Consider this: If you value your time at $100 per hour (conservative for a CEO), and you're spending 10 hours weekly on administrative tasks, that's $1,000 worth of potential revenue-generating time you're losing. By delegating these tasks to a skilled professional at $50 per hour, you're not just saving money - you're buying back time to focus on growth activities. And there is also "opportunity cost" than many often miss. For exmaple, if in those 10 hours a week, you landed a $10,000 or a $100,000 contract, this is the amount you are truly missing out when when you try to do it all by yourself.
Your front-line staff - whether they're receptionists, service providers, or customer service representatives - have golden opportunities to increase sales naturally.
Here's how:
The most powerful sales force isn't just your sales team - it's your entire staff when they genuinely believe in your business.
When employees love their work environment and believe in your services, they become natural brand ambassadors, sharing their enthusiasm with their networks and bringing in new clients organically.
Practical Implementation Steps
To maximize your team's sales potential:
Your non-sales employees can be powerful drivers of business growth when given the right tools, training, and motivation. By creating an environment where every team member understands their role in the company's success, you'll build a more resilient, profitable business with multiple growth channels.
Ready to transform your team into a revenue-generating powerhouse? Start by evaluating your current processes and identifying opportunities where your non-sales staff can contribute to growth. Remember, sometimes the best sales strategies don't come from your sales team at all.
And if you need help implementing these strategies in your business?
Book a free consultation here to discuss how we can train your team and create systems that drive sustainable growth.
About the Author:
Maggie Perotin is a business and leadership coach and founder of Stairway to Leadership, helping service-based businesses transform into sellable assets through strategic planning, operational excellence, and team development.
As an international business and leadership coach, I've had the privilege of guiding countless entrepreneurs on their journey to success.
In Episode #141 of the Diamond Effect Podcast, I delved into a concept that is both simple and transformative: strategic constraint, or as it's often phrased, "less is more." Today, I want to share with you some key points from the podcast and show you how applying this principle can lead to exponential growth in your business without the stress of being stretched too thin.
In the entrepreneurial world, there's a common misconception that more effort, more offers, and more directions equal quicker success. However, my experience has taught me that this scattergun approach often leads to decision-making driven by panic, fear, or frustration. These decisions typically result in short-term fixes that don't serve the long-term vision of your business. Instead, I help my clients make decisions from a place of courage, determination, and other more serving positive emotions.
One of the most powerful tools in strategic constraint is the Pareto Principle. This principle suggests that 80% of your results come from just 20% of your efforts. When applied to business, this can mean that the majority of your income and profit may be generated from a small fraction of your products or services.
Understanding and leveraging the Pareto Principle allows you to focus on what truly matters, compounding your growth and improving results without piling on more work.
The Pareto Principle isn't just about what you offer; it's also about how you operate on a daily basis. Identifying the actions that yield the most significant results is crucial. Instead of trying to fix everything at once, concentrate on key areas that will have the most substantial impact. This approach not only saves time but also ensures that your energy is invested in the most productive tasks.
Leadership is another area where strategic constraint can be incredibly effective. Recognizing and rewarding your top performers can lead to a more motivated and productive team. Conversely, it's essential to address underperformance and I talk more about it in the podcast.
I invite you to consider today how you can apply the strategic constraint concept in your business.
And if you're looking to double your business without overwhelm or working more and are curious about how my T.O.P. CEO framework and Winning Strategy can help, schedule a sales call with me here.
In conclusion, strategic constraint and the Pareto Principle are not just theories; they are practical, actionable strategies that can lead to sustainable results. By focusing on what truly drives your business forward, you can achieve growth without the overwhelm. Less really is more :).
Hello everyone, I'm Maggie Perotin, your guide through the intricacies of business and leadership growth. As the host of the Diamond Effect podcast, I share insights and strategies with entrepreneurs and business leaders from around the globe. Today, I want to delve into a topic that's close to my heart and critical to your success: the importance of mindset in business growth.
In my recent podcast episode, I drew an interesting parallel between the stages of parenting and the phases of business expansion. Just as the challenges of parenting change and grow as a child matures, so do the problems you'll face as your business evolves. It's a journey that requires continuous work on your leadership skills and an expanding capacity to solve problems.
As a business owner, you must become bigger than the problems you encounter. This doesn't mean that the problems shrink; rather, it means that your ability to handle them grows. The increasing complexity of challenges that arise with business growth is a testament to your progress. Still, it also demands that you develop the skills and mindset necessary to navigate this complexity successfully.
I often emphasize that problems are a natural part of business. They're not just obstacles but indicators pointing to areas where personal and professional growth is needed. When you start to view problems as opportunities for growth, you begin to develop the capacity to handle increasingly complex challenges. This shift in perspective is crucial for sustainable business growth and for preventing stress, overwhelm, and burnout.
In the episode, I shared practical tips for business owners looking to grow their capacity and become better leaders. One key piece of advice is to minimize the number of small, irrelevant decisions you make daily. Decision fatigue can cloud your judgment and reduce the quality of your decisions. By learning to let go of small issues and implementing a predetermined filtering system, you can make quick and high-quality decisions that move your business forward.
Another tip is to focus on the big picture. It's easy to get caught up in the minutiae of daily operations, but as a leader, your role is to steer the ship toward long-term success. This means prioritizing strategic planning and delegating tasks that don't require your expertise.
I invite you to join me on this journey of growth. Together, we can work to double your business without adding more work to your plate. My goal is to help you eliminate overwhelm and stress while creating more balance in your life. It's not just about working harder; it's about working smarter and developing the leadership qualities that will enable you to thrive in the face of business challenges.
The path to sustainable business growth is paved with continuous personal and professional development. By embracing the right mindset and developing your leadership skills, you can become bigger than the problems you face and turn challenges into opportunities for growth. Remember, it's not the absence of problems that defines success, but the ability to overcome them.
I hope you've found these insights valuable, and I encourage you to listen to the full episode for a deeper dive into these topics. Let's grow together and shine bright like diamonds in the world of business.
As 2024 is started and you feel a renewed energy to improve things in your business to create better results, with this article I want to help you decide what to change and improve.
“My business is so busy that despite working all the time, I can barely meet my client deadlines. So then I offer them discounts because I feel bad they had to wait. But I can’t find anyone skilled enough to hire to help me. And even if I did, I can't pay them when they’re asking for. And what if I don’t have enough work for them.”
How many business owners stay stuck in similar situations for months or years on end? Unable to make decisions that would move them out of the current unwanted situation towards a better outcome.
There is the right decision for you at this moment based on your values, mission, long-term vision, and short-term goals you’re trying to accomplish.
When you make a decision and implement it, the results, you get are new data and knowledge to consider as you move further. It’s OK to tweak, modify, or change your decision altogether when it’s no longer serving you. You are the CEO of your business. Making decisions is the most important and fun part of your job :).
Once you make a decision you want, commit fully to it. That happens when you love your reasons for it. This way you don’t flip-flop going back and forth on other options when trying to implement it. The last thing you want is to sabotage the results by flip-flopping.
As a coach, I help my clients master the skill of high performance. A critical part of it is making effective and strategic decisions.
With my coaching, you get out of black and white, two options, thinking. You learn to see that there are always multiple solutions to your problems. I help you explore them effectively. You learn how to assess the risks and benefits of each option so that you can make the best decisions for you and your business and know how to implement them successfully.
During our weekly CEO Power Hour coaching calls, I help you stay committed to the decisions you make when your busy mind starts questioning them. It does it naturally because as a business owner, you are exposed to so much new information and so many opportunities every week. With my help, you keep focused, and consistent and keep getting closer to achieving your goals.
When you coach with me, you don’t stay stuck in a problem for weeks or months on end. You learn how to make powerful decisions, take calculated risks, and move your business forward while saving money and time and eliminating overwhelm. This is how I help you double your business with less work.
Click here to schedule a free initial consultation so we can discuss in detail what it would look like for you.
With much love and to your success,
Maggie
You've been trying to make $3K - $5K monthly this year.
You get close to it, but every month something happens.
Something prevents you from reaching, not to mention consistently making this amount. That's what worries you the most.
Today I want to share with you a method I use to achieve any goal.
I follow it myself in my business and life and when coaching my clients to ensure they, too, can achieve any goals they set.
I'll share it by telling you a story of my wanting to see an annual salmon run in our area. It's a miracle of nature in the fall that I didn't want to miss this year.
My goal was to see the salmon run. We live close to a forest and a stream offering a fantastic view all year round. And in the fall, an adventure of salmon laying eggs after having swum hundreds of miles in their lifetime journey. It usually happens between September and October but the exact timing changes every year.
There are a few streams in my area where this happens. Each one of them has many access points. In your business, think of many marketing tactics for you to choose from.
We picked one that aligned with the experience we wanted to have. It's close. Less known. Not frequented as much. It has a beautiful trail along the stream with stunning views.
Every Sunday, we usually go for a walk as a family. Since I'm not an expert in fishing or salmon runs, I didn't know the exact start date. So we started hiking in that area early in September to ensure we didn't miss the run.
The first Sunday, the salmon wasn't there. The walk was super fun, but I didn't achieve my goal yet. The following Sunday, salmon wasn't there either, even though we had a great time hiking together.
I thought, "O.K., if we go the third week again, they will 100% be there." There have been years prior, we came in mid-September, and the salmon run was well underway.
My kids made me promise that it would be the last time I'd take them for a walk to the same spot :). And guess what? Even on the third try, the fish weren't there.
Yes, I was a bit disappointed. But I didn't make it mean anything about me as a hiker or nature lover.
I started evaluating by asking myself why the run hadn't started yet. I asked experts, fishermen, that happened to be there that very third week. They taught me about the temperature and the water level and how that changes every year. The salmon need rain and cooler temperatures to be able to enter from the Great Lakes into their childhood streams.
In your business, think about your ideal clients. They're waiting at the doorsteps for you to create perfect conditions for them to say YES to your offers.
Two weeks passed. It rained a lot during that time. The temperatures fell.
I knew the run must have started, but I promised my kids not to take them there again. And I keep my promises. So I had to figure out another way.
One sunny weekday morning, I decided to enjoy it by walking with my husband. We went to the spot alone. And guess what? The salmon was there!
The sight was priceless. Yes, I did take a bunch of videos and pictures to share on my social media that day. I was soo proud :)!
You can achieve any of your goals.
Be willing to pick an informed and aligned strategy.
Give it time.
Don't shy away from failure.
Learn what you're missing.
Adjust the execution of the strategy and keep going.
P.S. Are you tired of constantly trying new marketing techniques in hopes of signing more clients faster? Ready to ditch overwhelm and feel super confident that what you do is creating the income you want? I can help.
First, you want to know why despite your commitment and hard work, you're not where you want to be. Then, out of 100 things you could be doing, what are the three essentials you should focus on to start signing more clients faster & consistently?
I'll offer you that knowledge during a free 45-mins consultation -schedule it HERE.
As an international business and leadership coach and the host of the Diamond Effect podcast, I've had the privilege of guiding countless business owners through the intricate dance of pricing their services. Today, I want to share with you the insights and strategies that can help you navigate this critical aspect of your business with confidence.
Before we dive into the mechanics of raising prices, it's crucial to address the mindset that underpins your business's growth. I firmly believe that a business cannot outgrow the current level of thinking of its leadership. That's why in the Diamond Effect Podcast, EP # 138 - 5 Steps to Raising the Prices of Your Services Without Losing Customers, I address the psychological barriers often leading to underpricing and the subsequent impact on business growth.
Raising prices for services is a challenge that many business owners face, especially when they're experiencing high demand and are ready to elevate their expertise and pricing structure. One of the most common hurdles is the fear of deterring clients by charging more. However, it's important to recognize that fair pricing is essential to the long-term sustainable growth of your business, and underpricing can lead to attracting difficult clients and feelings of resentment due to inadequate compensation.
In my experience as a business development and leadership coach, I've developed an approach to setting and adjusting prices that accounts for several key factors. These include business costs (both fixed and variable), profit margins necessary to make your business successful and competitive long-term, and the positioning and branding of your business in the market. It's also vital to understand and consider the short-term and long-term value your services provide to clients. The effective communication of such value in your marketing and sales efforts is one of the critical components of being able to raise your prices without losing your best customers along the way.
During the podcast, I shared practical examples to illustrate how you can set up your services to offer much much greater value for your clients compared to the pricing. It's crucial to align your pricing with the value delivered to clients.
Raising prices doesn't have to mean losing customers. Here's a five-step process that can help you increase your prices thoughtfully:
To wrap up the Diamond Effect podcast episode on pricing, I offered my coaching services and a T.O.P. CEO Winning Strategy Blueprint designed to help business owners double their business without adding more work. This holistic approach focuses on pricing, service delivery, and effective business development strategy to convert more clients in less time.
If you're looking to take your business to the next level, remember that pricing is more than just a number—it's a reflection of your value, your brand, and your commitment to your clients. Don't shy away from charging what you're worth, and watch as your business flourishes in response.
by Laura Clay
At a time when technology is evolving faster than ever before, it is no surprise that women are becoming more involved in the development of innovative breakthroughs. From coding to product design, there has been a rise in female participation throughout the tech industry.
As a result of this increased involvement, women have become integral contributors to our future digital landscape—from game design and software engineering to cybersecurity initiatives—and overall help shape how both men and women interact with technology as we move forward.
It's incredibly exciting to witness this shift in power within the tech world – come along with us as we explore how incredible female contributors are changing things up for good.
Women in tech are trailblazers, inspiring an exhilarating and progressive future in technology.
Women have utilized their skills and experience to bring much-needed diversity to the industry and solve long-standing problems with innovative solutions. Women have been instrumental in crafting the foundation for corporate culture and company values that prioritize inclusion, progress, and collaboration.
They are leading from the frontlines, combining creativity with practicality to come up with groundbreaking ideas that not only impact but also transform every aspect of tech's potential. This new wave of women-driven innovation promises a brighter future—one where women can continue making meaningful contributions toward shaping the evolving industry ahead.
While women have traditionally been overlooked when it comes to taking the lead in technology-based projects, the big picture has been changing a lot in recent years. In 2021, women-founded startups made monumental strides, with women securing more venture capital funding than ever before.
The 2021 Annual Review of Funding for Female Founded Companies revealed that 3,871 capital-funded deals totaling $54.6 billion were given towards women-led projects in just one year. That's an impressive 146% increase from the 2020s already promising figures showing women making their mark on tech, with women-led firms receiving 2% of VC funding! It's clear that women are not only shaping but revolutionizing the future of tech as they become increasingly represented in many aspects of the industry.
Women in tech are showing us a better future for the industry. With more women than ever before earning degrees in computer science, there is an increasing number of women taking leading positions in the world of technology. Women in tech are revolutionizing how we interact with technology and other businesses that rely on it, from powerful algorithms to artificial intelligence-driven robots. As a result, women drive inventions and innovations that benefit society and make workspaces more diverse and equitable.
The tech industry is rapidly changing, and women are leading the way. Women have been challenged by a male-dominated industry for too long, but now women in tech are receiving the respect they deserve.
Companies are making an effort to become more gender-inclusive, and that's just the beginning. With female innovators developing the latest tech products and services, stepping into executive positions, and advocating for advanced technologies that benefit us all, the future of technology is brighter than ever. Women's valuable insights provide a distinct edge to businesses — enabling them to thrive in today’s evolving technological landscape.
By harnessing the power of social media, women are able to draw attention to gender equality issues in tech and make their voices heard loud and clear.
This is incredibly important because women continue to come up against obstacles in male-dominated industries such as technology. Thankfully, women are inspiring others through their efforts to break down these systemic barriers and pave the way for greater success with women in tech.
As each day passes, women become less underrepresented in our digital world and can experience equal opportunities both on the job and off. It's an exciting time to be part of women's collective journey that involves using social media as a powerful advocate for change.
Women in tech are revolutionizing the industry for the better.
More women than ever are bringing diversity, creativity, and innovation to the sector. With perspectives that break from traditional norms and create better solutions, women in tech are creating products more
inclusive & suitable to today's world.
By championing women’s involvement in the field of technology, companies have an unprecedented opportunity to drive forward their successes on a global scale while also building trust and relevance with new audiences.
Women are playing crucial roles in building a fitter, healthier tech industry that reflects the needs of women around the world and thus contributes powerfully towards transforming society as a whole. It's time we recognized women's immense potential - let's empower more women into tech and see what
happens!
This scenario involves a potential client who has shown interest in your services. Perhaps you’ve had a sales call, an initial consultation, or exchanged messages. The client expresses a need to think it over or promises to get back to you. This follow-up type is critical as it often leads to a final decision.
Key Strategy:
2. Cold Prospecting Follow-Up
Cold prospecting involves reaching out to potential clients who have not initiated contact. While the conversion rates are typically lower compared to warm leads, this approach can still be valuable in certain industries. The key here is persistence and a well-structured follow-up process.
Key Strategy:
3. Post-Purchase Follow-Up
Once a client has purchased your service, especially if it’s a service they might need repeatedly, follow-up is essential. This shows you care about their ongoing satisfaction and helps build a long-term relationship, fostering loyalty and repeat business.
Key Strategy:
The Importance of Follow-Up: Insights and Statistics
Statistics underline the significance of follow-up in sales:
Understanding these numbers highlights the missed opportunities if follow-up is neglected. A structured follow-up process ensures you're not leaving potential sales on the table and helps in building a solid client base.
Building an Effective Follow-Up Process
Conclusion
Effective follow-up is not just about closing a sale; it's about building relationships and showing your clients that you care about their needs. By implementing a structured follow-up process, you can significantly enhance your sales and foster long-term client loyalty.
Ready to double your business without adding more time? Book a sales call with me HERE and let's talk about how it would look like for you.
When you run a business in an industry with a lot of competition (ex. financial services, health and wellness, or online business support) marketing yourself the same way all your industry peers do makes you blend in the crowd, not stand out from it.
And when you blend in, the only clients you attract are the ones looking for the cheapest service. These clients will switch to another provider as soon as they get a better price.
They will never refer you. Therefore, growing your business is so much harder. Because it forces you to keep finding new people over and over and over again.
That’s why you want to attract the type of client who wants to work with you for you. And you can’t do it without a unique creative marketing strategy that showcases your competitive advantage. That simply and clearly explains why your ideal client should be working only with you.
When you work with me one-on-one, we develop a T.O.P. CEO Winning Strategy with the Owner-First Approach. Part of this process is mapping out your ideal client journey with you to extract everything that’s unique about how you serve them and convert it into marketing and sales materials.
Yes, we do use the best marketing and sales practices but expanded from various industries (not just your own) and we tailor them to your unique value proposition so that you stand out from the crowd, shining bright like a diamond :).
With my support, you start attracting your ideal high-value clients.
The ones that don’t switch providers because they found a $200 discount somewhere else. The ones that value a strong relationship with you. The ones that will rave about you and refer you to their friends and family, and everybody else they talk to.
Growing a business with these clients, it’s so much easier and more fun. You enjoy serving them. And marketing doesn’t feel hard either. Because some of it is done by your clients, not you.
If you want to double your business without adding more work with only your best and ideal clients, we need to talk. Book a sales call with me today here.
With much love & to your success,
Maggie
P.S. All my clients get results.
No matter the industry they come from. If you want to learn from some of them, I invite you to tune in to these Diamond Effect podcast episodes.
