BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS | Jessica Lorimer

SCARIEST DAYS OF OUR LIVES

by Jessica Lorimer | Mar 15, 2018 | BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS

I think I’ve been pretty open about the fact that I’m a new skier. In fact, today is my official Day 4 (including my two lessons on a dry ski slope!)

Somehow I thought that skiing would be easy. I mean, I’ve seen people ski. It looks simple.
I’ve taken a few lessons, watched some YouTube videos… And go figure, it all looks easy.

Until you get on snow.
Or go down your first GREEN run, crying the whole way down.
Or on day four, try an 8km BLUE run and cry (again!) at the top because it’s steeper than the nursery slope.

But it still LOOKS easy.
Other people are still swooshing down. They’re laughing and joking and having a blast…

It threw entrepreneurship into stark relief for me.
This whole ‘I’ll be a business coach because they make all the money’ or the ‘make a million dollars in a day even without any experience’ or ‘I’ll build a cookie cutter model of whatever that successful person is doing and it’ll just be great’.

Nothing is easy when you’re a learner.
Nothing gets easier unless you try.
And fear of failure (or falling backside over boob!) can’t stop you trying. Because the real failure is not in doing something wrong – it’s stopping trying something that really would be worth the time and effort once you succeed.

Ps. I made it down the 8KM blue run. It took me over an hour. I cried four times. Fell down twice. Yelled at Sam about thirty times. Made a complete prat of myself… But I was still proud when I got to the bottom. And tomorrow? I’ll ACE it

What are you not trying because you’re afraid to fail?

DANGER DANGER

by Jessica Lorimer | Mar 8, 2018 | BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS

(Anyone else want to sing/ yell ‘HIGH VOLTAGE’?!)

Currently sat with my hairdresser working out what ‘do’ I need to take to the slopes. And trying to work on my skiing lingo.

I happened to catch a FB live from a business coach who was being asked about getting the first client – and what their focus should be. Whether it should be focusing on working high end 1:1 OR spending time on developing a ton of cheaper digital downloads.

The business coach said;

“Do both at the same time. You’ll need low-end products to start making sales anyway”

NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO. NO.

Please think about your PROFIT when you’re starting a business.

When you start your business (and in fact, in general) it’s your job to focus on two things:

1. Sales
2. Client Delivery

Without sales (and profit!) your business is just an expensive hobby.
Without being able to deliver results for your clients, your business will struggle to generate testimonials and word of mouth referrals.

When you start your business, focus on:

– What is the BIGGEST problem that my audience is struggling with?
– How can I help them get the BEST result in the quickest time (and we’re usually talking done for you/ 1:1/ premium services)
– Does that price point match my profit goals?

Remember, when your audience is smaller, you need to be converting at higher price points to ensure the survival (and thriving!) of your business. So please – focus on high ticket FIRST – and as your audience grows?

Then develop the printables.
Get the downloads.
Create the app.
Design the membership site.

* WHAT I LEARNT FROM NOT BEING AN EXPERT *

by Jessica Lorimer | Mar 1, 2018 | BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS

So I went skiing for the FIRST time today!

Given that Sam and I are off skiing in less than three weeks, it was about time that I grabbed some lessons and so I headed off to our local outdoors activity centre to learn on their dry ski slopes early this afternoon.

I’m not going to lie – I was pretty nervous because I’m not a natural sportsperson. And I also hate the part of the experience that is ‘sucking’. I also happen to hate heights and am as challenged on my two feet as Bambi was on four!

But today was different. I got there a brand new skier – and I left an hour later; a skier who could get on and off a lift successfully. Who had migrated from the baby beginner slope to the real adult one. Who could turn successfully, stop successfully and who had a ‘beautiful snowplough’.

Now as much as I’d like to credit this to my clear natural skiing ability (HAHAHAHAHA) I think it’s actually the lessons that my business has taught me that has allowed me to feel good about the skills I learned today.

1. I’m COACHABLE
When I got to the lesson, I asked the instructor, ‘How can I be the best student for you today? How is it best for me to take feedback?’ She told me that I needed to listen to EXACTLY what she said – and do that. Not what I thought I ‘should’ do. So I did. I got on the slopes and listened to every instruction – and just DID what she said.

2. I’m RESILIENT
I rocked up to the lesson, the oldest beginner on the slope. Everyone else who was having 1:1 beginner lessons was 12 or younger. But I wasn’t bothered. I was there to learn – so I tried to forget that I was the ‘golden oldie’ of the day – and actually I didn’t fall over once… and learnt stuff a lot quicker than if I’d have let myself get in my own way/ worried about what tweens were thinking of my crappy ski skills!

3. I don’t EXPECT to perform in a certain way.
My ski instructor was lovely – and also a county champion. She’d been skiing for over 15 years and was incredibly fast, skilled and able to do ANYTHING.
Whilst I wished that I could make it look that easy, I didn’t put any expectation on myself to be the best skier in the world on my first lesson… And that made me a LOT prouder of all the things that I accomplished – and more excited about the skills that I’m still going to have to learn.

4. I CELEBRATE
I could have beat myself up about the fact that I’m not on the biggest slope yet. Or that on two runs, I let myself lean back instead of forward and looked like a complete twit whizzing around trying to correct myself. But instead, I celebrated the fact that I was actually learning quicker. I was failing faster at certain things – and I left, the person who’d made the most improvement – despite being the oldest and the only one scared of a ski lift!

5. I’m okay with LEARNING
I couldn’t be as good as the ski instructor in one lesson. Or five. In fact, I doubt that I’ll ever have her skills on two planks of wood. But I’m okay with being a learner. I’m okay with NOT being the expert right away – and taking the time to really listen (and implement) the instructions that I’m being given by a real expert.
It’s okay to be a learner. It’s okay to admit you don’t know it all. And it makes you better, faster.

What business skills do YOU have that are useful in other areas?

* ENVIRONMENT IS KEY! *

by Jessica Lorimer | Feb 22, 2018 | BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS

*** ENVIRONMENT IS KEY! ***

A couple of weeks ago, we had the first Smart Leaders Sell event at The Ritz… And apart from all the phenomenal talks, incredible exercises and FUN that we had, one of the biggest pieces of feedback was that the venue was a huge motivator for attendees.

Why?

Because environment matters.

Think about it.
Are you really most productive when you’re tucked up with your laptop under your duvet?
Or do you like a strong coffee, solid WiFi and scenery that makes you feel strong, powerful and successful?

(For the record, I love working from home and I adore my duvet… But I know that I’m most productive at a desk!)

Today, I’ve got some exciting meetings in London (did someone say television?!) and whilst I could have looked at co-working spaces… I decided to work in the place that makes me feel most productive.
Where I can focus on having amazing client calls with people like lovely Liz.
Recording podcast episodes with people like Kemberli

And having coffee and sparkling water brought to me without having to disturb my calls to ask.

So that’s why I’m working from The Ritz cafe this afternoon!
Not because I’m super posh. (although Sam would argue that I am ?)
Not because I couldn’t work in any cafe.

But because I know that this space makes me FEEL good.
And when I feel good, I perform at my peak.

What environment makes YOU most productive?

* CELEBRATION TIME *

by Jessica Lorimer | Feb 15, 2018 | BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS

One of the things that we don’t do that often is celebrate our wins.

I was just looking through the results of our Cash Creators from this round of Cash Creation and wanted to celebrate some of their amazing wins – and of course, that made me want to hear YOURS too!

So let’s start a celebration train today and openly share some of the amazing things that we’ve all done over the last week!

I’ll start with some of these wins – and share my own in the comments too!

– The Cash Creators as a collective, have made over NINETY THOUSAND POUNDS in just FIVE weeks. They still have a whole week to go to hit the 100,000 mark!!!

(Imagine if YOU could create 100K in six weeks! How would that change the game for you?)

– The amazing Kyle who stepped up to the sales plate to close 95% of his sales calls – going from a 20% close rate at the beginning of the course… and who’s made over $12K

– Jen who’s cranked up the heat and is chasing her previous CC goal – over $18K in five weeks!

– The lovely Fran who’s ramped up her call success rate – and is celebrating three new clients in 1.5 weeks!

– Stacie who’s knocking it out of the park and closing BIG contracts!

– Bernadine who SMASHED her CC financial goal..!

And of course, we have amazing people like Kay, Chloe Allison and Jenn who are celebrating new clients, new sales strategies and some big wins with offers!!

And it’s not ALL about CASH either. We are celebrating major mindset shifts (thanks to the amazing Heather) creation of new offers – and starting to put longer-term business strategies into play too!

What have YOU achieved this week? Let’s CELEBRATE!

* YES BUT… *

by Jessica Lorimer | Feb 8, 2018 | BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS

*** YES BUT… ***

MEANS NO.

Do you know what REALLY grinds my gears?

Taking time to give answers… to hear ‘YES BUT’.

Coming from a sales background, I can tell you that ‘Yes but…’ does NOT, in fact, mean ‘Yes I’ve processed the information that you’ve given me and I have another follow-on question’… It actually means NO.

Let’s think about this for a sec (because it’s something that I’m seeing LOTS of coaches struggle with right now!)

In order to get our clients the BEST results, we need them to show up and DO the work… right?

So we need them to show up to calls, be coachable, open, honest and transparent about where they are in relation to their goals right now – and why they feel that they’re not hitting it just yet.

However, what my clients are seeing a lot of, are calls that go like this;

CLIENT: I’m really struggling with [INSERT REASON HERE] How do I achieve XYZ?

COACH: Well, in order to achieve your goal, then you need to take [INSERT ACTION]

CLIENT: Yes BUT [INSERT REASONS THAT THEY CANNOT TAKE THE ACTION]

COACH: [SWIGS COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF GIN THROUGH A STRAW AND THROWS HANDS IN AIR]

Change IS uncomfortable.
Growth is even more uncomfortable.
But you don’t get anywhere fast by flat out REFUSING to move.

Now there are going to be some instances where you have questions around the strategy… or you want to raise the fact that it feels uncomfortable and you need more reassurance/ guidance on how to achieve the goal – and that’s absolutely fine You MUST ask for help when needed – and your coach IS responsible for showing you the true benefits behind taking the scary action.

Let’s also not forget, that it is OKAY to say no to your coach. You don’t have to implement the strategy that they help you with… but it’s your job then, to find a workaround that you CAN do.

Simply saying YES isn’t enough.
Think about whether you’re being coachable.
Whether you really want the desired outcome – and whether or not, you’re willing to do the work required to make it happen.

And as a coach? Start thinking about your responsibility to your clients.
Be honest with them.
Explain the consequences of them NOT taking the action.
Support them through fear and help them to make the BEST choices.

So if you or your clients are NOT getting the desired results, start thinking about whether you’re a HELL YES – or whether you’re a YES BUT… because despite sounding similar, they’re VASTLY different!

#ActionsSpeakLouderThanWords

* MARKET RESEARCH IS KEY *

by Jessica Lorimer | Feb 1, 2018 | BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS

People (like me!) bang on about market research all the time.
But honestly, market research is one of the major reasons that I’ve been able to be successful in sales across multiple industries and countries.

Over the last 3.5 years, I’ve surveyed my audience constantly… and I’ve been able to provide products and services that really meet the needs of people in my community.

But it’s not JUST about money making activities.
It’s also about BRAND BUILDING / PR opportunities too.

Think about it.
If you want to appear on a certain podcast/ in a certain magazine or publication… it helps to know what kind of content that they’re looking for.
Or what style they prefer.
Even just knowing a couple of recent articles and understanding why it matches the needs of the audience that it’s being sent to is worth a TON!

Because it means that you can tailor YOUR pitch – and make yourself as appealing as possible to the person that you’re pitching.

Take a couple of examples;

– Person A listens to my podcast regularly. At the end of each podcast, I always invite people to send me questions… They email me a question and I invite them onto the show a) to get their question answered and b) because I want to say thanks and help them promote their own business in the process. We pop all of their links in the show notes, promote it regularly to my list and social media channels and try to make it a super simple sales decision for any listeners who need the product/ service that person offers.

– Persons B+C (both pitches that I’ve had this week) on the other hand;
Person B gets their PR person to send THREE of the exact same blanket pitch emails. The email states that they’ve ‘listened to all of the episodes’ and that their client wants to appear as an expert on [INSERT INDUSTRY]. I respond politely and explain that the only guests who come on the podcast are ones who are willing to be live coached and bring a sales question… I then get 2 more blanket pitches from the PR person – and eventually email the PR AND their client to ask them to stop sending me messages.

(And yes. My email back was curt!)

Person C has their PR person reach out to me today. Again, with the caveat that they’ve listened to ‘most’ of my episodes. They pitch an entire show based on featuring and promoting their client… but don’t present any sales questions or a desire for their client to be live coached. They also send it from their PR email address and sign it off as the client.

Again, I politely declined… and (cynical person that I am) await their next 3/4 blanket pitches eagerly

The point is not to slate PR people. Far from it.
The majority do a great job.

It’s also not to discourage people from appearing on my podcast… really, NOTHING brings me more joy than being able to help the people in my community.

But the point IS about DOING your research.

Whether it’s doing market research to make yourself money.
Or research into the right channels for your PR.

Not doing the research really hacks off the audience that you’re pitching to… if it doesn’t solve THEIR problem or meet THEIR needs, they’re not going to buy it OR feature it.

Who has top tips for doing the RIGHT kind of market research?

* WHITE MOOSE CAFE *

by Jessica Lorimer | Jan 25, 2018 | BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS

As some of you may know, I hail from a tiny town in Ireland – and so I keep up with the news there pretty regularly.

This morning, however, the brilliant Mark posted about the kerfuffle going on with the White Moose Cafe and their new video about a social media influencer (with a smaller following than theirs) who asked for a free stay at their hotel in exchange for a bit of promotion on her YouTube channel.

Now, I’m wanting to nail my colours to the mast here – because there are a few learning lessons to take away.

1. When it comes to fair exchange of goods/ services, you have to remember a couple of things. If researched correctly, and you actually HAVE something that the other party needs (more traffic/ warmer audience/ offer that meets the needs etc) then sure – go ahead and throw the opportunity out there.

2. If you DON’T do your research correctly – then you may miss key elements… such as the other party actually having more traffic than you do and thus declining your request.

3. Etiquette… If someone says no… respect their boundaries. Accept that it is a no and that they have a reason for declining.

4. Think about the way you want to be perceived by your following and/ or others online. In this instance, the White Moose cafe didn’t actually name the blogger involved. However, after they wrote about the experience on their Facebook page, the blogger took to social media to record a video about how malicious/ slanderous etc etc the White Moose Cafe was in DECLINING her request for a free visit. I don’t know about you – but for me, that’s a turn-off.

5. Treat others as you want to be treated. <— That one comes from my parents. But seriously – if you want people to pay you for an experience/ product or service, please use those same rules in your own business. Also… manners cost nothing.

6. Sense of humour. Sometimes we ALL screw up. I’ve done it many times. But if you do, have a sense of humour about the situation – and apologise gracefully. Rather than starting a hate campaign, the blogger concerned would have received much more positive feedback for going to the thread directly and saying something like;

‘Dear Paul.

Thanks for letting me know about the mistakes I made in trying to get a free stay at your hotel.

It was a cheeky request – but sometimes hotels are kind enough to offer us a free stay in return for a great review and some extra traffic coming their way!

Thanks for the reminder to do my research in future – and cheers for the publicity – maybe we can both get some use out of this PR eh?! ”

Being open, honest and transparent – and addressing the situation in a cool way, will help you manage any damaging PR messes with minimal impact to your brand. And could potentially bring you a new pal or two in the process!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on social media etiquette… and I’ve popped the link to the story too!

https://www.facebook.com/WhiteMooseCafe/posts/2048406742106598

YOU DON’T HAVE TO JUSTIFY YOURSELF TO ANYONE

by Jessica Lorimer | Jan 18, 2018 | BUSINESS FOUNDATIONS

Recently I’ve seen a spate of posts about New Years Resolutions/ New Year, New Starts.

I LOVE these posts. And I LOVE seeing what people are going to do differently in their lives/ businesses this year.

What I don’t love?

Justification.

In fact, I was just having this conversation with my mum this morning (wise wizardress that she is) and we were talking about the difference between EXPLANATION and JUSTIFICATION.

Starting this year, I’ve had a back problem (I managed to put a disc out walking the dog) and have been way more absent than I normally would have been in my free community.

However, what I’ve aimed to do is EXPLAIN why I’m more absent, rather than justify it.

So what does that look like in everyday business?

Simply – explaining your resolutions;

– ‘This year, I’m focusing on expanding my business and impacting more clients and selling more amazing products to my community’

‘This year I’m trying to make more money from my business. So I hope no-one minds, but I’m going to be putting up more sales posts to sell more – but then I’m going to be spending more time helping people/ donating to charity/ working harder’

You NEVER need to justify your expertise, pricing or business model to anyone. But you need to be confident in explaining who you are, what you do – and showing up in a way that completely demonstrates WHY someone MUST work with you Remember, justification is about YOUR need for them to accept your decisions – explanation is total confidence in making those decisions and moving forward!

« Older Entries