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Day: June 10, 2020

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Best Practices Growth Management Personal Development

Mastering the Art of Working From Home

You are still going to work. That’s the mindset you need to adopt when you find yourself working from home. Whether due to a world pandemic such as COVID-19 or you typically do work from home, your mindset frames your day and puts you in the driver’s seat for success.

How you show up for the workday not only affects your mindset, but it also contributes to your mood and can significantly influence the amount of money you make.

 

Return on Image®

In business, we are accustomed to paying attention to ROI – our return on investment. Similarly, you can measure your own ROI – Return on Image®. Let me explain. Revenue is a by-product of your image. Gaining a Return on Image puts measurable value on the impact one’s image has on themselves, both personally and professionally. Your image and personal brand will either earn you money by attracting the right clients and right opportunities while allowing you to command higher fees, or it will leave money on the table. Your perceived value is in direct correlation to how you present yourself and how others experience you.

 

The return realized in how you present your inner persona through your outward expressions comes into play in how you show up both personally and on a Zoom call.

 

Others experience you on video now via Zoom or other video platforms. Part of your personal brand – and corporate brand — is owning the experience people have with you. Think about how you are showing up when you are on that Zoom call. Remember, you are still going to work. Your mindset and what you wear during the day affect your mood, your mindset, and, ultimately, your money.

 

Be intentional with how you want to show up and how you want people to experience you. Because after others have interacted with you and they think about you, their mind will go back to how you showed up on that Zoom call. They will remember what the interaction was like with you. How did you look on Zoom? What did your work environment look like?

 

We all make a judgment of people based on how they appear. Clothing serves as a visual reminder to you of your intentions for the day. If you think to yourself, “Well, nobody sees me. I’m working from home.” My response is, “But you see you.” How you see yourself affects your mood and self-esteem. Your confidence is apparent in your body language on a video call, your tone of voice, and even the attire you choose to wear.

 

We all understand there can be a more relaxed look in your attire when you are working from home. However, that doesn’t mean it should be sloppy or out of character as to what people expect from you. What you wear can affect your productivity and confidence. Getting up at the same time, doing your regular morning routine, and dressing for a workday maintains a sense of normalcy in our routine, allowing us to have some sense of control, especially during times when things seem so out of our control. Dressing pulled together helps us feel pulled together.

 

How you show up says something about our decision-making skills, our self-discipline, and our professionalism.

 

What should a person wear when working from home?

Think about your day. Do you have any client-facing video calls? If so, make sure you dress appropriately, especially the part of you that can be seen on camera. While some may feel they only need to dress up from the waist up, I still encourage people to be stand up ready. Combine fashion and function. Indeed, working from home allows you some leeway in being more relaxed in your attire. Again, think about what you have going on for that day and what is appropriate for those interactions and what will make you feel comfortable and productive. There is not a one-size-fits-all. I just remind you to stay true to your brand and what is in character for you.

 

Tips to bring your best self forward on a video call.

  1. Pay attention to the eye candy behind you. We can tell a lot about a person by what their home looks like. We know you may not have a dedicated space but do your best to find a place in your home that allows you to have less clutter behind you to minimize distractions. Otherwise, people will tend to focus on all the eye candy behind you when they should be focusing on you. If you are not able to clean up the area behind you, then use a virtual background. Keep in mind, though, if you are on a business video call, to keep the background business appropriate.
  2. Be mindful of your posture. Sit up with shoulders straight and try to sit a bit more on the edge of your chair, leaning into the camera a bit.
  3. Adjust your camera to eye level. This allows you to look people in the eye when talking. This angle also slims you by minimizing a double-chin effect that can happen when you look down at a camera.
  4. Place a lamp on your desk or use a box light or ring light in front of you to ensure good lighting. If you wear eyeglasses, raise the light above your head or place the light off to the side to minimize glare on your eyeglasses. Also, be mindful of what is on your computer screen because sometimes this can reflect on your glasses.
  5. The colors black and white can be hard on camera, so opt for something like blue, gray, pink, purple, yellow, orange, or red. Avoid green if you are using a green screen. Also, solid colors work best as patterns tend to bounce on camera.

One last thing, get off your couch if you can. Have your own space to go to work in your home. This allows your mindset to go into work mode. When you get up, get dressed for work. Then go to your space and work. When you have finished working for the day, leave that space so your mindset will shift back to focusing on personal time.

 

If you find yourself crawling out of bed, slipping into sweats, and jumping on the couch with your laptop to begin your workday, you could be blurring the line between work life and home life.

 

In closing, pay attention to how you arrive for the day because everything communicates.

 

Are you ready to build a personal brand and image of influence so you look and feel confident wherever you are? If so, contact me at sheila@imagepowerplay.com or 605.310.7166 to schedule a 30-minute call to discuss how we can work together to grow your influence through my return on image® services. To learn more, visit: www.imagepowerplay.com. 

Categories
Best Practices Marketing Personal Development

Build Client Engagement with Blogs and Newsletters

Newsletters and blogs are essential forms of communication with your clients and customers. Businesses operate with the assumption that those who buy from you or contract your services are busy people. Many organizations are competing for people’s attention. The New York Times, for example, has been providing a daily newsletter for subscribers and non-subscribers alike.

In addition to the challenge of digital competition, we need to realize that life abounds with distractions. With the constant news of crises, you have to make more effort than ever before to remind people of your existence. At the same time, you need to do so in a way that’s neither intrusive nor annoying.

Op-in newsletters and blogs present an elegant and—if you produce them well—engaging way to capture and retain your readers’ interests. The New York Times newsletter mentioned above has an entertaining mix of brief news summaries and links to essays, entertainment reviews, and recipes in the newspaper. Zappos.com is another model for entertaining blog posts.

The Difference Between Newsletters and Blogs

To be relevant, you need to post on your blog one to seven times a week. Whatever frequency you choose, be as consistent as possible.

Blog posts traditionally run 300 to 500 words in length. They can address issues related thave a series of links to relevant articles, combined with your comments. Overall, they will provide bite-sized chunks of information.

A newsletter may be published once a week or once a month. Again, be consistent. Also, see what frequency works best. You can often determine this by checking the unsubscribe rate immediately after you’ve sent out a newsletter. A high rate may reflect a “Oh, no , not again” reaction.

A newsletter provides information in a more leisurely way. Here, you can provide a more extensive look at industry or consumer issues. You can interview an influencer or publish guest articles. In-depth looks at new products you’re developing can be featured here. You can profile an employee who has made significant contributions to your business.

Both your newsletters and your blogs should always provide links to your web site.

How to Drive Readers to Both Forms of Publication

 Newsletters and blog posts can be interactive. Strive for engagement with blog posts or a longer article in your newsletter. A newsletter can highlight recent blog posts.

Another way to generate client/customer interest is to invite comments. Make this invitation in a way that shows you genuinely care about the readers’ opinions. Reinforce this by answering those who respond and (with permission) quoting responses.

With care and commitment, you can turn your newsletter and blog into a voice that authentically represents your appreciation of the people who make your business thrive.

Pat Iyer began writing newsletters In the 1990s and blogs In 2009. She has written thousands of blog posts by now. Businesspeople hire Pat as an editor. Reach her at patiyer.com. Pat was one of the original 100 C Suite Network Contributors.

Categories
Marketing Personal Development

Is a Book Trapped Inside You?

According to surveys, up to 80 percent of Americans think they have a book in them. For the vast majority, those books will remain inside. Consequently, if you can sit down and write a book, you’ve joined those few who will realize their dreams.

Writing and publishing a book doesn’t always yield material wealth, but it can enhance your reputation as a leader and influencer and publicize your company. Most importantly, a book that contains valuable information can help people. If that’s your principal goal, you will have a source of inspiration that will see you through to the finish line.

The Book May Already Exist

It doesn’t exist in finished form, but the raw material probably does. You may have a collection of podcasts, blog posts, articles, newsletters, how-to pamphlets, and other types of source material.

Stop for a minute and reflect on that good news. It tells you that, without knowing it, you’ve been writing your book all along. All you need to do now is gather its elements into cohesive and entertaining form.

Focus is Everything

I recently read that focus is more important than intelligence. Ideally, a writer will have both, but I agree that intelligence without focus leads to scattered thinking. It does not lead to the completion of a book.

Begin with the question: “What do my clients/customers need to know that I am uniquely positioned to provide for them through a book?” Take your time with this question. It’s analogous to the foundation of a building. It must be substantial. In terms of getting the writing done, it must inspire you.

You can even ask your clients what they’d like to learn. They’ll appreciate your reaching out in this way and will likely give you useful answers.

Once you’ve built your foundation, write a rough outline. Then sift through your source material: the podcasts, newsletters, blog posts, collecting those that relate most to the subject you want to address.

Organize this material. You will probably find gaps, which will point you to areas you need to research. You may want to interview other industry leaders, which provides the additional benefit of networking.

You may be saying at this point, “But I don’t know how to write a book.” No one knows how until they do it—and help is available.

If you are a self-starter and self-paced person, look for a book or course that teaches the fundamentals of book writing. If you need more direct guidance and someone to hold you accountable, find a more hands-on course, i.e., one that meets in real-time or hires a writing coach.

And if you falter or fall into discouragement, remember that, ultimately, this book isn’t about your ego or self-gratification. It’s about those clients who can benefit from your years of experience and understanding of their needs. Think about their appreciation, and your inspiration will return.

 Pat Iyer is a ghostwriter, book coach, and editor who helps businesspeople share their knowledge in a book. As a C Suite Network Advisor, she works with experts to make writing a book possible. Contact her through her website at patiyer.com.

Categories
Best Practices Growth Skills

Podcasts are not only for listening

You may wonder why I include podcasts in a series about the importance of written communication with your clients and customers. People listen to them, right?

They do, but many non-auditory people who would like to enjoy and learn from podcasts—or any form of information transmitted in an audio format—end up feeling frustrated by their inability to absorb and review this information. This occurs because people learn in different ways.

Experts in learning theory have identified several forms of learning. The forms most relevant to the question of podcasts are listening and reading.

Without going into the technical and scientific aspects of how people learn, I’ll say that some people learn more thoroughly when they hear information.

People who are used to obtaining their information through reading may “lose the plot” more readily when they are listening. If they’re used to going back and re-reading what they’ve read, they may get even more lost. If they are really impressed by the material, they may want to print it out and highlight key passages.

The Time Factor

It always takes longer to listen to a podcast than to read a transcript. This isn’t a problem when someone is listening while driving to and from work, for example. It’s an efficient use of time.

However, many people have told me that, if they have a choice between listening to a podcast and reading it, they will always choose the latter. This gives them the additional benefit of skimming through portions that they find irrelevant to their needs and focusing more intensively on those areas that have extra relevance for them.

Always Provide a Transcript

You and the people within your company go to a lot of work to create a podcast. If you’re interviewing someone, you have at least one preliminary conversation to create a focus for the question and answer format. In a non-Q&A format, you must prepare a script or at least an outline.

This means that you want the maximum return on your investment. You don’t want people saying, “Oh, no transcript; I guess I won’t bother.” You also don’t want the further possibility that they will resent that you didn’t consider their specific learning needs. (People are like that; accept it.)

Two Additional Benefits of a Transcript

The first may initially humiliate you. When you read over the transcript, you are going to find out how many times you say “really,” “kind of,” “actually,” and other empty phrases. Trust me on this; I’ve edited many podcast transcripts. One transcript I saw had 80 instances of “you know” In 30 minutes.

The big benefit here is that you can recognize these habits and learn to eliminate these words from your operating vocabulary. Those who listen to your future speeches and oral presentations will be far more appreciative listeners.

The second benefit is that those transcripts can form the basis for a longer work in the form of a bonus pamphlet or a book. I created eight books to date from podcast transcripts. They require substantial editing, but I’ve found this to be an excellent way to repurpose material.

Get the most from your company podcasts by offering transcripts (which also builds your mailing list) and permits you to repurpose your work.

 

Pat hosts Writing to Get Business Podcast, carried by the C Suite Radio Network, the world’s largest business podcast platform. Connect with Pat on patiyer.com.

 

 

Categories
Best Practices Culture Growth Personal Development

How We Define Wealth in a Post-Pandemic World

If one point of agreement exists among influencers and business leaders, it is that how people do business in the coming years will change.

In practical terms, the age of the huge conferences where many business people met clients may be over, at least for a while. Business trips may also be mostly a thing of the past. The question of how people will make business connections in the future requires immediate attention.

In my own business, I addressed this need by designing and giving a course on online networking in April 2020. The class filled quickly (evidence that many are recognizing the value of online solutions to networking), and the attendees participated with commitment and enthusiasm.

The success of the course has encouraged me to develop additional projects in this vein. It also brings home once again, the principle that has guided me for decades in my various businesses.

I have clarity about my priorities. One of these is to provide innovative services that my potential clients need. Another—and this goes to the heart of my business philosophy—is that my customers, clients, students, and authors are my wealth.

They’re Your Wealth, Too

More than has been true in recent history, potential clients and customers, both corporate and individual, are hurting financially. They will be spending more carefully and looking for the best value for their money.

They will also be looking for businesses that genuinely care about their needs, that want to help them to prosper. The time has come for any business that wants to succeed to recognize this:

  • The true wealth of any business is its customers and/or clients. Nurturing these relationships is more important than any other practice related to your company.
  • Businesses must find new ways to communicate and expand established successful practices.
  • Videoconferencing and other online techniques will continue to flourish. We can expect to see innovations and improved technologies and security.

However, companies will also need to develop increased expertise in written methods of communication. Blogs, newsletters, podcast transcripts, and books will proliferate.

To preserve and strengthen your business will take imagination and focus. Written communication can provide a valuable way to connect meaningfully with the wealth represented by your clients and customers.

Pat Iyer is one of the original 100 C Suite Network Contributors. She hosts Writing to Get Business podcast, found on the C Suite Radio Network, the largest business podcast platform. Connect with Pat at patiyer.com.

 

 

 

 

 

Categories
Best Practices Culture Growth Personal Development

Do you Have Trouble Making the Transition from Work to Home?

Try this fast and free method.

Unless you usually work at home, the atmosphere and demands of work versus home are very different. It can be a challenge to make a smooth transition. Some people have a drink to relax. Others watch the news, but neither of these methods addresses the probability that too often when we come home from work, we bring remaining problems and issues with us.

Consider this simple and short writing exercise instead. It serves several purposes.

  1. You can give yourself the freedom to say anything you want.
  2. You can read over what you wrote later on and often see that the issues that troubled you either resolved themselves or weren’t as big as you’d thought.
  3. This no-pressure method can ease you into writing.

How It Works

  1. You can either write by hand or in a text file. Do whichever comes most naturally to you.
  2. Set a time limit for how long you will write. I recommend five minutes. If you find that you want to write longer, do so.
  3. This is freewriting, which means to write freely. Don’t check for errors. Don’t try to write well.
  4. Write without censoring yourself. No one will ever see what you write.
  5. Think of this as unloading. The thoughts that are racing around in your head need to come out of that crowded space and land on the page (physical or electronic).
  6. Don’t judge yourself for the thoughts that emerge. This is crucial.
  7. I usually re-read what I write every two weeks. If you do this, again, ignore typos and other errors. Focus on the essence of what you wrote. See if you have any new insights, and, if you do, write about them.

Why This Has Value

I referred to this process as unloading. This example may make that more clear.

You’ve been sitting at a desk all day, and your back hurts. You might start off writing, “Stupid back. Why do you have to hurt so much?”

Physical pain often reflects mental/emotional issues. You might ask yourself questions.

  • Who is a pain in my back?
  • Who do I feel has been kicking me?
  • Am I wearing a sign that says ‘Kick me’?”

Patience is Helpful

The questions and their answers may not initially come quickly. Once you’ve practiced the five-minute writing exercise for a while, you’ll find that the channel to understanding opens. The more you ask the questions, the more you’re telling yourself, “I want to know; I really do.”

Sometimes it may help, instead of saying,” my stupid back,” to say “my stupid life.” Then you decide what’s stupid about your life. Reminder: Do not judge yourself for your thoughts. Everyone who ever had a thought has had a lot of stupid ones.

Beneath the Garbage Lies Creativity

Although you may not be planning to write a novel or a self-help book or a memoir, five minutes of freewriting can jump-start your ability to work on the project you’ve chosen. This fast exercise, by helping you to give up judgment about your thoughts, will allow a new level of creativity to develop in a way that’s analogous to brainstorming. Thus, it can also enhance your ability in writing associated with your job.

Enroll Your Family in Your Program

Let them know your new plan. Explain that your engagement in five minutes of writing will make you a better and happier parent and spouse. Take it a step further and encourage them to try the five-minute writing, too.

Once you’ve unloaded, then you can relax with your family and turn home time into a time of refreshment and renewal.

Pat Iyer is a ghostwriter and editor who Is one of the original 100 C Suite Network Contributors. Check out her podcast Writing to Get Business on the C Suite Radio Network. And connect with her at patiyer.com.

 

Categories
Best Practices Growth Leadership Personal Development

Learn How to Write with Your Children

Homework is part of a child’s life. Not every child needs help in starting and completing it, but every child can benefit from a parent’s encouragement and participation in the homework process. A parent’s interest can make the burden of homework, making it more enjoyable.

Participating in a child’s homework can benefit a parent, too, particularly in the areas of grammar and writing in general. Far too many adults have forgotten the grammar, punctuation, and spelling rules they learned as children.

This forgetfulness can lead to reports, memos, and other writing riddled with errors that detract from their value.

Sharing in a child’s homework can help you to revive your familiarity with these rules.

Set Guidelines

Unfortunately, some parents think the way to help children with their homework is to do it for them. Do not fall into this trap. You and your child will get into trouble if the teacher discovers this practice. Far worse, your children won’t learn to think for themselves, and this is a much higher loss.

Instead, set guidelines at the beginning. Make it clear that you will answer questions, read essays, and reports that the child has written. You will make suggestions and look over the finished writing.

Make It Fun

The odds are that your grade school teacher didn’t do this. Maybe she never taught why commas are necessary or how much difference it makes whether you use it’s or its.

You can demonstrate to your child how a comma adds drama by creating a small pause. Read this sentence aloud:

“When we got to the woods,”—then pause before continuing—“an army of mosquitoes attacked us.”

Reading aloud can also teach a child the value of the Oxford comma.

We laughed,

We danced,

And we said we’d always be best friends.

Hearing how punctuation makes writing sound teaches a child the music of language.

Online References

Grammarly.com compiled a list of the 10 best grammar resources for English language learners. https://www.grammarly.com/blog/10-best-grammar-resources-english-language-learners/

Another good source is Grammar Girls at https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl. Writer’s Digest has frequently named this among the 101 best web sites for writers.

Essays, Book Reviews, and Reports

Do your best to find out well ahead of time if your child has to write one of these. Putting words together to make a point, especially for a younger child, can be challenging. You can help by saying that the first draft can be very rough and add that its quality has nothing to do with the child’s ability to write. (This could be an excellent reminder for you, too.)

You can also encourage the child by asking him to tell you what he wants to say. For a book review, ask him to tell you what it’s about and what he thought of the book. Then have him immediately write down what he said.

Towards the end of the writing process, build on the punctuation lessons by having him read his work aloud. This will not only help him to identify errors but will build on an appreciation of the music of language.

With patience and attention, you and your child can learn together and share a special time.

Help your children with their writing/reports homework. Not only will this provide valuable family time, but you may get to learn the rules of grammar along with your children.

Pat Iyer’s children learned how to write well, in part because she read so many books to them.  Pat loves to write, edit, and ghostwrite. Connect with her at patiyer.com.

Categories
Entrepreneurship Leadership Personal Development

When Is Your Most Creative Writing Time?

When you work in an office, it’s difficult to map out time for creative thinking or for writing a proposal, blogs, or drawing up a long-term strategy. Interruptions fill your day, whether they come in the form of meetings, phone calls, or people with questions.

Sometimes you must bring your work home. The man or woman who values family life and relationships with a partner or spouse wants to keep this to a minimum. The way to do that is to discover your most effective creative time.

If you work at home, set up a schedule for yourself. Teach your family to respect your work time. Learn to find the best rhythms for your work.

Early Rising Encourages Creativity

Multiple sources that I consulted agreed that science states early mornings are the best times to exercise creativity. Without going into the details of how the brain works, we can see the logic of this.

In the early morning, shortly after you get up, part of your awareness remains in the dream state, which is a source of unlimited creativity. Creativity means finding new connections. Dreams loosen hard-wired connections, thus allowing us to see new ways to organize our thoughts.

Salvador Dali used to take naps with a spoon in his hand and a tin plate beneath his chair. When he became totally relaxed and dropped the spoon, the sound of it falling onto the plate would wake him. He then noted whatever ideas or images that he remembered.

You don’t have to be a world-famous artist to wake up and write down any ideas that come into your mind.

Early morning may also be the quietest time in your home. If you get up an hour before the rest of the family, you’re less likely to be interrupted. That hour can yield greater productivity than longer stretches of time when interruptions are more likely.

Note: If you’re going to adopt this schedule, make sure you go to bed earlier than you did. Chronic lack of sleep does nothing to foster creativity.

Evening Fosters Critical Thinking

One way to see the difference between early morning and evening writing is to think of the differences between the intuitive activity of the right brain and the logic of the left brain. Early morning is right-brain time. In the evening, rational thought processes—which you’ve probably been exercising for most if not all of the day—become dominant.

Evenings are good times to look at your creative ideas with a critical (but not over-critical) awareness. Say to yourself: “This is a great idea. Now, how am I going to bring it into reality?” You make lists, come up with various alternatives, and give your ideas solidity. If you’re working on a writing project, evenings are best for editing. Now you can focus on grammar, punctuation, and spelling. You can see how to tighten up and clarify your ideas so that others will understand them.

Honor the Exceptions

Even though science and logic favor the morning-evening divisions I’ve described, it’s important to make room for those whose brains may be wired differently. Some people don’t fit the mold, and if you’re one of them, don’t try to alter yourself.

Experiment and find the creative pattern that works best for you.

Pat Iyer enjoys writing in the morning and editing in the evening. Businesspeople work with her so they can share their expertise with the world without having to do all the hard work of writing. Connect with Pat to discuss her editing and ghostwriting services. Go to patiyer.com.

Categories
Growth Personal Development

You Can Integrate Work and Home Time When You Write a Book

Have you been longing to write a book and not begun because the project seems too huge? The challenge of finding the time to write stops many would-be authors, but it doesn’t have to stop you.

Many authors write books while managing full-time work and family life. They do it by finding bits of time they can use for writing.

Begin by tracking your time for a week. Make useful categories: work, watching television, on the Internet, reading, exercising, eating, commuting, etc. Be honest about how you spend your time. People often get shocked when they see how much time they spend watching TV or Internet surfing. Instead, you can rejoice that you’ve found the time now available for writing.

Make an Outline

Outlines are essential. They create a framework for your book. People often get lost when they try to include too much material and too many topics in their books. They end up with an unwieldy mess and spend excessive time trying to edit the pile of pages into a reasonable—and readable—number.

When you work, instead, from an outline, you greatly reduce the amount of time it takes to write the book. It’s much easier to revise an outline than a completed book.

If you know someone who is an experienced writer and willing to help, you can show them your outline and get feedback.

How to Use Your Work Time for Writing

I don’t mean by that to write your book when you should be working. You can, however, make notes for a book on your lunch hour. You can look over your outline. If you drive to work, you can dictate ideas to your phone. You can listen to podcasts or books on writing.

Lunchtime is a good time to work on outlining your book or for re-reading things you might want to put in it. These could include blogs or position papers you’ve written.

How to Use Your Home Time for Writing

Take an honest and searching look at the way you use your time. Look for areas where you can cut down. Consider this a time reduction diet. You may need to use the Internet for research, but you will also need to use that time in a disciplined way. Resist the temptation to deviate from your intention to look up information you need for the book.

If you exercise at home, you can also be listening to podcasts or audiobooks about writing.

Time spent watching movies or television with the family may or may not be quality time. If you and the others in your family are vegetating instead of sharing, you may want to either reduce this time or think of introducing family activities that are more meaningful.

You Can Make All Your Time More Meaningful

While the principal advantage of seeing how you spend your time and changing your habits may seem to be that you find time to write, you can also realize the benefit of getting more value from your time in general. This kind of appreciation is something people often realize when they restructure their use of time.

And getting a completed book from this restructuring will provide a great reward.

Pat Iyer has written 49 books – one book at a time. Connect with her to discuss her skills as an editor and ghostwriter. Go to Patiyer.com.

Categories
Entrepreneurship Marketing Personal Development

No Escape = New Plan B

Experts who can’t sell are in trouble right now.

In the good old days – you know, January 2020 or so – there were a lot of entrepreneurial experts (consultants, coaches, trainers, speakers, course creators) who were struggling financially…

But they had an escape plan.

What was that escape plan?

“If all else fails, I can always go back and get a job.”

Then Covid-19 hit.

  • No more clients
  • No more leads
  • No more prospects
  • Contracts canceled
  • Events postponed
  • Pipelines empty
  • Debt piles up
  • Bank accounts shrink

Bummer.

But don’t worry because…

“If all else fails, I can always go back and get a job.”

Then 40 million of your closest friends lost their jobs.

  • Widespread layoffs, furloughs, and record unemployment
  • Who got let go first?
  • The most expensive people at every level
  • Some industries decimated overnight
  • Global economic shifts that are changing history
  • Millions of jobs cut that will never return

Escape plan?

Exactly what kind of job were YOU planning to go back to?

Janitorial work at the hospital? Nope.

You were counting on one of those expensive corporate jobs.

“If all else fails, I can always go back and get a job.”

Poof!

Your escape plan just imploded – and it’s gone for good.

Interestingly, there’s a different escape plan that corporate folks have that just got kicked to the top of the priority list (more on this tomorrow)…

But back to YOU – the entrepreneurial expert…

What’s your escape plan NOW?

Simple – you don’t have one.

Today, you either succeed or you’re done.

No more self-soothing delusion that “if all else fails, I can always go back and get a job.”

That was your old Plan B.

Here’s your new Plan B:

  • Embrace your expert-driven business and go ALL IN
  • Focus like a crazy person on MMA (money-making activity)
  • Decide what business you are REALLY in and double down on that value prop
  • Reboot your strategic vision
  • Re-install a solid prospecting system
  • Re-imagine your highest and juiciest goals
  • Replenish your pipeline with new leads who need exactly what you do
  • Re-ignite your entrepreneurial engine so your business is fun again
  • Rebuild your integrated product suite around what prospects want to buy

Here’s what’s required right now – you need a big HUG.

HUG is an acronym for:

  • Hunger to Play Bigger
  • Urgency to act Bolder
  • Gameplan to get Better

That’s your new Plan “B”

If you are ready to kick some serious ass – I have good news. Our new Expert Profit Formula is just about ready for launch. It’s designed around the exact principles, practices, and tools to help you make a dent in the universe, recharge your batteries, and go full steam ahead into the new normal with a high-fee, high-fun expert-based business that you love — and that will refill your bank account with a steady stream of prospects, clients, and cash. Ka-boom!!