Reap What You Sow - The 24/7 Couple

The 24/7 Couple

Craig and Karen Ruhl

CHBBF.org

A couple of weeks ago, Craig and I were out in our yard working on some brown spots that have popped up. It would be easy to leave them alone but we have an "association" who sends letters if we don't keep our homes up to par.  As we were raking up the dead grass and sowing the new seeds, we talked about how we were anxious to see the new growth. A few days later, we saw the new grass starting to push its way through the new fertilized soil and our lawn started looking much greener and healthier.  After a few more days of pampering and watering, our lawn has filled in and looks fantastic. At this point you might be asking what this has to do with business!  Well, do you have any brown spots showing up in with your business?

Craig and I decided to take a look at our potential brown spots and here is what we discovered.

1.  Our marketing materials are good but we wanted to give them a new shot of color just like our lawn. It doesn't have to be costly to infuse your marketing materials with a new marketing piece and your clients and regular contacts will notice the new growth too. Take a minute to look over your marketing pieces.
2.  Elevator speech - have you memorized your introduction and have it so ready that you give it at every     networking event you attend? This was another brown spot with us so we are developing several new speeches and this could be another brown spot for you if you see some of the same people at these events like we do.  Work on having several elevator speeches and make sure they have relevance with the group you are attending.  An example would be, visiting a service organization event and incorporating areas of service you provide to the community as well as tell about your companies products or services.
3.  Education is a big source of brown spots. We decided to schedule time each week to continue our education for our field.  It may be something as easy as attending a webinar or to read an article about new software that is available for our industry.  We encourage you to take time each week to learn something new that you can put in your tool box for your clients.

4.  Prospecting - oh, I heard the "ugh" going up as you read that word. Networking events are good places      to meet new potential clients, but you have to take it further than just handing out business cards. Most of the business owners we meet not only have a brown spot with their prospecting, but the entire yard has turned a shade of tan! Schedule time each week for making phone calls to new and prospective clients. Ask them for 15 minutes of their time so you can get to know them better.  Don't try to pitch your product or service the first time you meet or talk to someone, you don't know them well enough, relationships work. Take time to build one and watch your business grow.

5.  Planning and Organization are areas that need to be constantly worked on, let's face it, when you work   from home, its easy to take each day as it comes but that is not the most productive approach. Once again     we advise you to schedule a time each week to plan our your week and keep your office organized. 

With those 5 tips, you will reap a new look, talk a new talk, learn something new, meet a new client and keep a new schedule.  And as we end this blog we do so with a prayer for each of you. We pray that you and your family are in good health and good spirits and that you are prospering. 

Blessings to you,

Karen & Craig Ruhl

The 24/7 Couple (workshop coming soon)

"So you shall serve the Lord, your God, and He will bless your bread and water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you." -Exodus 23:25