Posts Tagged ‘Business Coaching’

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I saw you when you came to Canada last year and you said that your ultimate goal when you own a business is to have it operate without you or to sell it. I want to create a business I can hand-down to my kids. How long do you think it takes to have a business that works without you?

Friday, June 10th, 2011

You can’t just snap your fingers and have the business of your dreams. In general it will take anywhere from 7 to 10 years to reach that level.

Getting to the point where your business runs without you is a process that is not easy, but it’s incredibly rewarding. It doesn’t sound like you’ve created your business yet, which is actually a tremendous advantage. You don’t have to make any corrections and you can start with the end in mind.

To get to that point, you need to write down your plan to get there, master the basics of your business then transform those basics into systems and teach those systems to your well-trained team.

So where do you begin?

Start by writing it all down. What do you want to sell, how will you bring new customers to your business, what makes your business unique in the industry? You wouldn’t get on a plane that didn’t have a detailed flight plan would you? So why would you invest your entire life into a business without spelling out exactly where you want to go and how you will get there?

Once you’ve got your plan, it’s time to get to work on your business. Figure out how to best deliver your product or services to customers consistently. Understand the numbers that go into your business and the resources you invest in marketing, rent, payroll etc.

The goal is to create a business that works off of cashflow first, then profits then systems. But you cannot start out with systems in place, you’ve got to develop the mastery of your business in each area before you can.

When you understand exactly how to most easily leverage all parts of your business, you can put your systems in place but you’ll need a great team of employees to run the systems so you don’t have to.

All in all, to create a business that runs without you it will take you as long as it takes to build great systems that work within your business and then hire a great team that can run those systems.

This is not an overnight process, but nothing worth doing is. Start with an extensive plan of action, master the basics of your business and transform those basics into systems that can be used by a well-trained and customer service-oriented team of employees.

Once you’ve accomplished those steps, you should have a business you’ll be proud to hand down to your kids one day.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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Some of my staff members are constantly coming to me and asking questions. I know they have the professional knowledge but they need to start handling these situations on their own. I believe what they are lacking is self-confidence. What can I do, as their employer, to boost their self-confidence?

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

There is a root cause to this behavior, and it may not be self-confidence.  Is it possible that someone is acting out of laziness or they aren’t willing to take responsibility?

What about the fear of appearing unqualified in front of a customer if they have to consult a reference? You need to develop techniques to deal with these negative behaviors and find ways of creating positive ones.

As the leader of the business, you may be sending out messages to your staff that encourage and reward the behavior that you are seeing.

When they ask you about something, do you ask them what the answer is or do you just answer the question for them?  It’s the difference between giving them a fish and teaching them how to fish.

When an employee asks a procedural question, they probably feel the decision is outside of their authority, or that the decision might be second guessed later.

They probably know the right thing to do, but want to make sure they are doing the right thing ahead of time.

To overcome this, you’ve got to empower your team.

This can be difficult for many business owners because, often, they are too caught up in the details of the business. You’ve got to learn to trust your team and when you truly do trust them, they will feel it and not feel the need to come to you for advice on every small situation.

So how do you get there?

If you have not yet done so, you need to create an employee handbook.  Make sure everyone has a written job description outlining their duties and responsibilities, and policies and procedures are written down.

Professionals often need this kind of guidance and assurance, and backing from their employer when an uncomfortable decision must be made.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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We are a small professional business and have a very loyal employee who has been with our company since the day it began. She is well beyond retirement age and her work is beginning to slip noticeably. She makes no mention of retiring and ignores all casual questions pertaining to her retirement. We have no employee handbook to fall back on. Do you have any suggestions?

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

First off, even though it won’t help you in this instance, it’s time to create an employee handbook. Even if you employ a small team, you need to write down what is expected and what won’t be tolerated at your business. This handbook will help you build the culture you want in your business and ensure your team is on the same page. Then make sure everyone reads it and returns a signed copy of it to you.

Now onto the problem you asked about. Ask yourself, if you could have any outcome for this situation, what would the ideal outcome look like? Now figure out a plan to get to your ideal situation.

Has anyone mentioned to her that her work is “slipping”? Quietly taking her aside and letting her now there is a problem is what you would do with any other team member, so don’t be afraid to do it with her just because she is elderly.

If her work is slipping at her current position, is there another role she could play in the company? Maybe she could fill another role that is less stressful but will still allow her to feel like part of the team.

Do you hold regular performance reviews with your team? It’s important to give feedback to people, both positive and negative. Maybe she doesn’t realize her performance has slipped or maybe something else is going on in her life that is distracting her; it may have nothing to do with her age.

This isn’t the time for casual questions.  You need to be the leader and confront the situation. Be honest with her, tell her about your concerns with her work, explain what she needs to do to bring her performance back to what’s required, then meet with her regularly (weekly) to give her feedback on how she’s doing.

Just by starting this process she’ll probably either improve or she will face up to the fact that she can’t meet your expectations any more, and decide to move on of her own accord.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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I am the regional Manager of a Medium Sized Recruitment Business. I have a number of experienced staff, all whom have performed in excess of 110% of budget in the past. However, of late, our revenue has slipped back. We are currently operating at approx 82% of budget. I have put action plans in place for all the staff, tailored KPIs to each individual and I’m providing support, training and guidance where and when necessary. My entire staff has target lists of cold, warm, and hot clients and ways to service and maximize their key accounts. They have all been briefed and coached in cold calling, overcoming objections, closing and gaining commitment, but there seems to be something missing, like the sense of urgency required to achieve better results. I’m a t a loss what to do next. Can you help?

Monday, May 23rd, 2011

Despite everything you’ve done, you are still experiencing a drop in productivity, so there is obviously a bigger issue at play.

Have there been any changes in your company? Have you had any turnover in your staff…lost any key employees? Change in managers? Change of support staff? Change in compensation or bonuses?

All of these issues could be the reason your staff is not as motivated as it used to be. Building a strong team isn’t easy and it sounds like you had a very strong one, before something went very wrong.

When you think about it, what was the original reason their productivity dropped from 110% to 82%? Have you dealt with that issue in a satisfactory manner?

As the leader it is up to you to keep the business moving in the right direction, so understanding what caused the drop in production in the first place is important to developing a plan to fix it.

If you don’t know the real problem, ask yourself, what is the work environment like now and what was it like before?

Even if there haven’t been any massive changes, hopefully you are doing to keep things fresh and your team engaged and empowered.

Next think about what the involvement and buy-in of your team in implementing the new action plan was.

Did they see the “win” for them when they succeed?

It sounds like your team has some issues you aren’t dealing with, so I’d do some digging there to find out what the concerns are. That will allow you to focus on what the real challenge is for your team.

All the Best,
Brad Sugars

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I have two employees that seem to have a genuine dislike for each other and both are in roles that require them to interact. The history behind them is that one was in the job now filled by the other when he stepped up into a new role. Both appear to have different views on who should answer to whom and I feel that I need both of these guys because they are good at what they do. How can I deal with this problem?

Friday, May 20th, 2011

It sounds like the first employee still feels ownership for the job assumed by the second employee.  This would be fairly normal since people who are good at their jobs feel empowered and take ownership of the position.

Another issue could be that like most small businesses, you do not have formal job descriptions or a reporting structure that is documented and clearly understood by everyone.

These two issues could be adding to the conflict.

People do not have to like each other to work together, but they must know and respect the jobs at hand and each other.

This requires structure and clarity from the employer.

If you aren’t already, be clear about what each is person accountable for. If you spell out their roles definitively, you should have far fewer issues between them.

Of course, if their history is so poisonous that it’s impossible to save, you have a different story all together. In that case, you may face a situation where one has to move on, but that is an extreme case.

If the only contact they’ve ever had is through work, you can probably work it out between them when you make clear what your expectations are and what the consequences will be if they don’t meet those expectations.

Clarity should solve about 90% of the issues and a process to deal with the remaining grey areas should take care of the rest.

All the Best,
Brad Sugars

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I’m looking for some good generic questions to ask when interviewing new team members. I don’t have any specific position in mind, but I need some general help. It seems that many of the people I hire are poor fits for our culture and business model, but they fool me at the interview stage into believing they’d be a good fit. How can I not get fooled again?

Tuesday, May 17th, 2011

Recruiting systems differ slightly depending on the nature of the position you are trying to fill, but no matter what role you are looking to fill, there are some important steps to follow to get the right people working for you.

Everybody is different. Some candidates may write well, but interview poorly. Others interview very well, but fail to deliver once hired, so you shouldn’t simply rely on one step to choose your new team members.

Start off by issuing personality tests for potential team members. This should give you insight into the way they think, how they learn and how they will fit in with the rest of the group. I find the DISC and VAK tests are most effective.

Once you’ve decided who to invite for an interview, start off with a group interview.

There you can teach these prospects about your business, what you do and what you hope to accomplish. This is mutually beneficial because while you are deciding who you want to invite back for a one-on-one interview, they can also decide if your company is a good fit for them. You can also see how they interact with others, which can be very significant.

During the group interview go around the table and ask these potential team members questions like, What’s your most significant personal achievement to date? Or, what’s you most significant work related achievement to date?

The idea is to get them talking because once they open up you can let your instincts tell you about their fit in your business.

After the group interview, narrow down the field of prospects and decide who gets a one-on-one interview. Here are some general questions you can ask or repurpose to make more specific for your business.

1. What attracted you to apply for this job and why?
2. Where do you see yourself in the business in 12 months time?
3. What skills do you have to increase lead generation and customer satisfaction in the business?
4. Tell me about a time when you had a difficult customer – how did you handle it, what did you learn.
5. Describe a time when you felt that the best option was to walk away from a sale – how did you handle it and what did you learn?
6. Have you ever worked in a target driven environment and how do you feel about a manager working with you to improve your skills?
7. Take 5 minutes to prepare for a sales call and then sell me this item as if it were a real situation?
8. If you met someone on the street and they asked you what you do, how would you describe your last job to them and how would you get them motivated to take action?
9. What are the reasons you believe you will be successful in this profession?
10. What is your energy level and describe a typical day?
11. Describe how your last job related to the overall goals of your department and company?
12. What interests you about this job?
13. How does this job compare with others you have applied for?
14. What are some of the things your last supervisor did that you disliked?
15. How did your boss get the best out of you?
16. How would you define a pleasant work atmosphere?
17. Define cooperation.
18. How do you handle rejection?
19. What were some of the problems you encountered over the course of your career and what did you do about them?
20. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being a perfect fit, how would you rate your suitability for this position and why?
21. If there was one question that I could ask you that would really test your knowledge about your attitude at work, what would it be?
22. What does customer service mean to you? Can you describe a situation where you have experienced excellent service? Poor service?
23. Tell me what about a time that the team was under pressure in your career. What part did you play in resolving this issue?
24. What have you done in your life that has made you the proudest?

As you can see, the list is extensive. These types of open-ended questions will let you get to know about the person you are interviewing and find out if they really are a match for your business. Hope this all helps.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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I am interested in assertiveness training. My problem, both in business and life, is holding people accountable and asking the tough questions. I think that if I went away for a weekend to a camp where I will be pushed I will come back a changed person. Do you have any ideas to help me?

Monday, May 9th, 2011

Will a weekend really be enough time to create lasting change in your life? While going to boot camp isn’t a bad idea, you may want to start closer to home first.

It’s obvious that to become more assertive you must change. If you are doing something one way and it isn’t working out, you must do things differently. To do things truly differently, that means you must be different as well.

But how do you become the change you want to be?

Getting out of your comfort zone is a great way to grow, both as a person and as a business leader. You have to find ways to push and stretch yourself and while boot camp may help, will you be able to keep the lessons you learned there over the long term?

One huge advantage you have is that it sounds like you already know what the end result should look and feel like.

Now it’s about being and doing.

Get some easy wins by being assertive in situations that aren’t highly confrontational. Then move slowly onto more difficult situations.

I call this process perturbation, which means applying pressure until there is a break down, break through or a break away. You obviously can’t break away from yourself, but you can certainly get the break through you are looking for without having to head to boot camp for a weekend.

Since you have to get out of your comfort zone, and that isn’t always the easiest thing for someone to do on their own, finding someone who will hold you accountable can really help.

If you have an unreasonable friend, tell them what you’re trying to accomplish and ask them to help. If you don’t have a friend or mentor who will hold you accountable, then you should find a trainer or coach who will.

Whatever you choose, you’ll find that once you have gone through perturbation, you will be surprised how easily you can handle the issues that used to plague you and assertiveness shouldn’t be a problem for you anymore.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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Over a year ago I started working part time as a mortgage originator, while also maintaining my full time job. I can only describe my attempts as being spectacularly unsuccessful. The biggest hurdle that I haven’t managed to overcome is lead generation. The main method that I have used to try to generate leads is building rapport with real estate agents, and working on building a referral network through them. For over a year I have regularly visited agents, and feel that I have a good relationship with a number of them and I always make sure that I ask for a referral in one way or another. So far, I have had zero referrals from any agents. Any advice on other methods by which to generate leads in this industry would be appreciated?

Tuesday, April 26th, 2011

You may be right about the time issue. The agents may like you just fine, but they may not see you as committed to the task at hand, or not of much value to them.

Because they know you are only putting a few days per week into your business, they may not have the necessary confidence in you. They also may not be aware of any return the will get on investing one of their customers with you.

Generating referrals is not usually as one-way street. Often, the best way of getting leads from someone, is to give some. If an agent has a lead, they are more likely to pass it to someone that has provided them with a lead in the past.

This is how strategic alliances work, so while they may like you personally they aren’t seeing the extra value a relationship with you can bring to their business.

If you give more than you ask for and you will start getting a ton of referrals, so find ways to return the favor and build those relationships in a business-like manner, rather than the personal way you seem to be doing it.

Also, remember your target market. Since you are not getting mortgages for agents, but rather for buyers, perhaps you are marketing to the wrong group. Consider how you can reach buyers with your message rather than agents.

Real estate agents are often the gatekeepers to the target market if your target market is new home financing but there are a different set of gatekeepers for refinancing of homes. At least in the US, there’s at least as much, if not more, action around refinance than there is new loan origination.

This can be just one of the new options your business can look toward in generating leads. You could also just directly target people who have put their homes on the market or are looking to buy.

You say that you started your full-time job to gain some sales skills. If this is still your real aim, then think of ways to do this and convert more of the leads you’re getting into customers.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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Hi Brad, I want to start up an HR consulting business. I’ve already taken some steps toward starting but I still have a long way to go. For instance, I’ve had business cards made up, as well as some flyers that I’ve posted in some areas I’ve targeted, but I haven’t done much else to find customers. I have loads of experience, including a BS in HR and I’ve been in the field for over 15 years. I want to target smaller businesses, like doctor’s offices, that normally do not have an in-house HR department. Any advice or must do’s to get business started?

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

There are many things that go into building a profitable business, but three main areas you can focus when you are getting started is your marketing, your cashflow and delivery mastery.

When it comes to marketing, you’ve got to build a plan that will bring you the customers you need but won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Begin by asking who your ideal customer is and how you are going to reach them with your message. In other words, how are you going to market your business?

From there, what if you get a ton of responses, how are you going to take care of the response to the marketing?

If you use different platforms to get your message out, how are you going to measure the response to the marketing efforts and adjust?

How many different ways do you plan to market, and what are the methods you’ll use?

After you’ve handled all the challenges of marketing your business, you have to move onto the cashflow in your business.

Do you have the skills and system to understand and work with your numbers? This isn’t just important for tax purposes. It’s also vital information for your budgeting and decision making.

When you know what to expect in terms of cashflow, you can plan ahead and develop opportunities to grow your business profitably.

Next up is delivering to your customers, or mastering your business.

Do you have a basic system in mind to consistently respond and deliver great service every time? That is a key to your success because through that system you will build relationships with your customers which will lead to referrals.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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Hi Brad, I’ve heard so much about business coaches and consultants, but I’m not sure what the difference is or whether I even need any help in my business. Can you tell me what the difference is between the two and some reasons I might need some coaching for my business?

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

The main difference between a consultant and a coach is that a consultant gives answers while a coach asks questions so you can get the right answer for yourself.

To put it another way, a consultant will do a lot of the fishing for you, but a coach will teach you how to fish. That’s why, if you want to improve your business’ performance, you want to hire a Business Coach.

Business Coaches are results-oriented and use systems designed either to move your business forward or deepen your insights depending on predetermined agendas.

A Business Coach will help you develop a plan that focuses on building your businesses strengths and honing your skills in the areas that need improvement for the long haul.

Unlike a consultant, a Business Coach does not come in and fix the problem for you, then leave.

When your consultant is done, you may have more questions without developing the skills or resources to deal with them, while a coach will teach you how to handle any challenges and be there for you if you need any follow-up help.

Business coaching is an individualized but collaborative process between the coach and the owner that ensures goals are met within set time frames.

Our process and systems here at ActionCOACH are designed to help Business Owners solve problems, increase strategic thinking, improve communication skills, create a business-savvy positive image and develop on-going goals, while making the business owner accountable for both the successes and failures in a business.

A coach teaches you how to overcome challenges, achieve your goals and gives you the support and accountability you require to stay focused, while staying with you through the entire process.
The usefulness of a consultant for a small to medium sized business is limited because consultants do not empower the business owner with the knowledge they hold.

Employing a Business Coach empowers the business owner and their team by teaching them how to fix the problem for themselves by implementing a systemized solution.

Over time these systems allow the Business Owner to relinquish many of their day-to-day tasks and take a more strategic position in their business.

All the best,
Brad Sugars

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