Get the Business Breakthrough You Need…

Posted on by

If you’ve been working to grow your business for a while now and things aren’t happening as fast as you want, then I‘d like to help you create a MAJOR business BREAKTHROUGH.

Here’s the scoop…

I’ve heard from a lot of small businesses that are having an especially difficult time getting their business to grow fast these days. After hearing about so many people’s struggles, I decided to do something about it…

** NEW, For a Limited Time **

I’d like to invite you to take advantage of a special, “Business Breakthrough” coaching session where we’ll work together to…

 

=> Create a crystal clear vision for your “ultimate business success” and the “perfect lifestyle” you’d like your business to provide.

=> Uncover hidden challenges that may be sabotaging the growth of your business and keeping you working too many hours.

=> Leave this session renewed, re-energized, and inspired to turn your business into a highly profitable, revenue-generating machine that practically runs itself.

 

If you’d like to take advantage of this very special, very limited, and totally FREE 30 minute “Business Breakthrough” coaching session, click HERE and answer these questions…

  1. How long have you had your business?
  2. What kind of product/service do you provide?
  3. What are your revenue goals for the next 12 months?
  4. What was your business revenue over the last 12 months? (ballpark)
  5. What do you see as the major challenges holding you and your business back?
  6. On a scale of 0-10, how important is it for you to overcome your challenges and achieve your goals today?
  1. Full Name
  2. Email Address
  3. Phone #

10.Time Zone

Check off the areas you’d most like to work on…

  • ___ Marketing
  • ___ Sales Process
  • ___ Turning Your Team Into High Performers
  • ___ Cash Flow Strategies
  • ___ Customer Service
  • ___ Systematizing & Streamlining Processes
  • ___ Leadership & Delegation
  • ___ Other

Since we’re making this offer for the first time right now and we don’t know how intense the response will be, we can’t guarantee a coaching session for everyone.

 

We’ll take as many people as we can and then start a waiting list. You can expect to get contacted by our team to schedule your session within the next 3 business days.

If you don’t hear from us, it means we’ve received more requests than we can handle right now and if something opens up we’ll get in touch with you at a later time.

Again, to take advantage of this offer, simply click HERE and answer the questions listed above.

PS: The sooner you send us your answers, the more likely you are to get a session. Click

reply now.

Hanging out with your clients and co-workers in a global market

Posted on by

 

Today’s workforce, as well as the market, is global and diversified. Even if you own a “local business”, you will still want to have distributed national and even international interest. So how do you continue to generate global and remote interest in your products and services? How do you keep your diversified client and employee base connected and satisfied?

Video conferencing isn’t just for webinars and conference meetings. Skype, Google Hangout, Zoom and other similar tools range from “free” to very affordable.   With the abundance of video conference tools at your finger tips, the remote client or employee is not longer invisible.

Some things to add to your Individual Networking Plan:

  • Conduct a Live-Video Call with a client or employee, once a week.
  • Once a quarter, put out a video newsletter or update.
    1. If you are a business owner, this video could be promoting a new product, offer, summary of your past company accomplishments and next quarter goals.
    2. If you are an employee, this video could be a quarterly status report, your department newsletter, a demo, prototype or model of your project.
    3. The list is as extensive as your imagination.
  • At every phase of a project, record your milestone data and results
    1. Case studies can be turned into white-papers, presentations, promotional data, and success stories
    2. The most compelling stories are Before, During and After videos. These videos can effectively illustrate the journey and benefits within 60 seconds.
  • Video your What I Do statement
    1. Re-use/playback your What I do statement as introduction to your webinars, examples in your presentations, as part of your email signature, attached to your resume and Career or Company Press Kit, on your website, and on your social media profile pages.
  • Interview an expert in your field
    1. Being associated with an authority also puts you in the spotlight as someone knowledgeable in the field
    2. Share this interview with co-workers, clients, YouTube, Social Media and other places
  • Share your expertise and interests
    1. Create your own training videos
    2. Show your skills in a hobby or sport
    3. If you want people to think you are interesting – then be interesting.

Bottom line: If you feel invisible to your clients and employers, chances are YOU ARE. And you are totally responsible for that.

 

I know your situation is different. Why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward. To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

I have a presentation on “3 Keys to saying YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes

 

 

Summer Sizzles with Business Lessons Learned from TV’s Scandal

Posted on by

Hello – all you Olivia Pope and Scandal fans out there. I know Scandal is on summer hiatus. But what better time for us to review some “business Lessons Learned” from Scandal and more specifically from Olivia Pope?

This summer, we will be hosting a Lessons Learned Summer Series based on the characters of one of the best rated TV series “Scandal”. If you are interested in joining this video series – please register to receive telecast dates and times.

Today’s episode is a quick overview of “How Olivia Pope Got to be Olivia Pope”. We’ll walk through the business strategies that you can also use to build your empire, while avoiding some of the pitfalls.


If you found these tips helpful, then signup for the summer series. REGISTER HERE

Are you sure you are indispensable?

Posted on by

Are you sure you are indispensable?

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose.  I am a speaker and author. I am an expert in time and project management.

I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff.  I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.

At the end of the day, I transform the way you run your business into a business you love to run.

I recently watched the episode of Grey’s Anatomy in which Dr. McDreamy Shepard gets killed. Patrick Demsey (the actor who plays this character) has been a staple of that show for 11 years. The show’s first episode started with Dr. Sheppard and Merideth Grey meet. The entire 11 years centered on their relationship.

Now he is gone and the “show goes on”.

So- if a character so prevalent in the fabric of this huge franchise can be removed so easily – how about you? Are you so indispensible to your organization that they would fold up shop without you?

Of course the answer is “No”. And that is the way it should be. So – acknowledging this truth should be liberating to you. You still want to be valuable to your team, your manager, your company. But you still want to continue to move forward. Patrick Demsey has two movies in the works, and he plans to do more professional racing. What are you putting in place?

  • Do you have a Professional and Career Development Plan?
  • Do you have a Career Press Kit in place (which illustrates your past achievements, quantifies your performance as it relates to increased company revenue and client satisfaction, and updated resume)?
  • Do you regularly meet with mentors, business coaches and your management hierarchy?
  • Do you have a positive working relationship with both co-workers and sibling departments?
  • Do you have clear advancement opportunities at this company?
  • Do you have business relationships with people from other companies that are aligned with your career goals?
  • Do you have a business network of the right people that will support your advancement?

How are you making yourself valuable (not indispensible)?

  • Are you focusing on the company’s mission, vision, and business commitment goals?
  • Are you a valuable contributor to the company’s bottom line (how much money are you brining in or saving)?
  • Are you volunteering your services to sibling departments, to make sure other groups understand your contributions?
  • Are your keeping your skills up-to-date and aligned with the next generation technology to stay relevant?
  • Are you aware of the national salary range for your current role and skill level, to make sure you are not bumping up against the salary range?
  • Are you training and preparing yourself to take that next promotion or career challenge?

 

Bottom Line: You may be totally satisfied with your current role and responsibilities. You may have no desire to be promote or change jobs. You may want to continue to do exactly what you are doing for the next 5 to 10 years. Even so – that doesn’t guarantee that the company has the same plans. The company may choose to merge with another company; dissolve your division; or upgrade to a new technology that makes your skill set obsolete. Even if you have no desire for a change; change is inevitable.

 

I know your situation is different. Why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward. To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

I have a presentation on “3 Keys to saying YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes

 

 

How to select the proper path at your crossroads

Posted on by

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose.  I am a speaker and author. I am an expert in time and project management.

I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff.  I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.

At the end of the day, I transform the way you run your business into a business you love to run.

This question came from a busy professional and small business owner:

I am at the crossroads in my career. I am 20 to 25 years to retirement; and I still have lots to contribute. But I am interested in lots of different career paths and I find that I am splitting into two separate and distinct directions. How do I figure out which is the right direction for me?

Often times, the two separate and distinct directions are not really that different. Often times, if you take a Bigger Picture view (take a higher-level perspective) of those “separate interests” – they actually share a common purpose or goal.

Example: What should I do?

  • I am interested in Quality Assurance – and like making sure everyone is meeting the standards, in order to deliver quality products and services.
  • My work experience is in developing network security systems. Should I just find a lateral move?
  • I am also interested in stepping out on my own as a contractor

 What’s the HUB or Center Focus that bring these things together?

My name is John Doe, I am an authority in network security systems. I help security conscious companies stay ahead of intrusion detection methodologies and never-ending security attacks, so that they can avoid down-time and delays due to unauthorized data breaches; assure client sensitive data safety and surpass both their delivery schedules and competitor’s market releases.

At the end of the day – I give my clients peace of mind.

 

If the above was your HUB – your Purpose or High-Level “What I do” statement, you have extended your opportunities and career path exponentially. See the below example of the activities and roles that stem from that single HUB-Focus.

HUBExample

 

Bottom Line: More often than not – two separate paths is an indicator that you are focused on the details and not on the higher-level purpose. Stepping back and taking the time to discover the Bigger Picture view or High-Level perspective, brings the paths together.

I know your situation is different. Why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward. To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

I have a presentation on “3 Keys to saying YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes

 

 

So you just got a promotion and think you can relax

Posted on by
So you just got a promotion!  That’s awesome and it’s well deserved. You’ve done awesome work at a exceptional performance level – to get you here.  Congratulations.
Now – here is what’s going to happen next.I know this because I was upper management in a High Tech Industry.

The management circle often uses this opportunity (that “she just received a promotion”) to automatically give the talented employee an Average or Below Expectation Performance Evaluation – for the next review cycle.  Their rationalization is that “She is in a new role with more responsibility – Of course it’s going to take her time to learn the ropes on this new position.  She can’t expect to be exceeding expectation at this level the first time out. She can’t expect to be delivering at the same level as the folks that have been executing at this level for longer.”

Realize – the management team normally has a quota of how many Excellent, Above Expectation, Average and Below Expectation rating to give their various teams.  They rate, rank and sort everyone (across all departments) of the same band, and level.  Then they count off how many Excellent, Above Expectation, Average and Below Expectation ratings from this pooled list to meet their quotas.
Realize that you are not being judged on your work alone – but you are being judged against all the other employees (across all departments) that are at your new, promoted level; against people that have been executing at this level longer that you have; against people that know and have been working with the upper management level longer than you.

Realize that with this new level, you have a different level of business networking responsibilities.  You have a different set of people you have to impress and cultivate. You have a set of different people that you are going to be compared against that already have this head-start in knowing and working with the right people.  They already have the inside track to “professional loyalty”.  Because upper management already know these people and have been working with them at this specific level – they tend to give them a higher ranking that someone that’s new to the band.
Because you are somewhat below on the ranking list – when they draw their quota lines for Average and Below Average grades – you normally fit in that range.
This gives upper management an easy opportunity to use one of their tough Below Expectations or Average ratings – without feeling “bad” about it.  “After all – how can she expect a good review at this new level? She’s using the first year to get her feet wet and learning the ropes.”
I know this because I was upper management in a High Tech Industry.

Now is the time to show them that “This may be true of other people just being promoted – but IT AIN’T SO for ME”.

It’s great that you received this promotion – but this is not the time to relax on your past accomplishments. You should understand the politics behind getting a promotion. And – at the mid-year mark” – you still have time to turn this rationale around.

If you are interested in assuring that this does not happen to you – ask me about  some Summer Career Booster tips specifically for your unique situation.

It’s easy to setup an appointment directly into my calendar with THIS LINK

Should employees be allowed to create their own hours?

Posted on by

Should employees be allowed to create their own hours?

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose.  I am a speaker and author. I am an expert in time and project management.

I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff.  I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.

At the end of the day, I transform the way you run your business into a business you love to run.

This question came from a busy professional and small business owner:

Some of my team say they work best late at night, while others are most productive in the morning. Is it reasonable to allow them to make their own hours or do organizations performing best when the whole team is together for the most part during the 9-5 standard business hours?

It’s not a matter of “employees being allowed”. Employees need to take the initiative to talk to their managers about what they need to be most productive. Most companies are global and have clients 24-7. Depending upon what industry and what role/responsibilities your have – there are often several opportunities to match your shift to the way you work best. But it’s not the company or your manager to specifically provide this for you. It’s really not the company or your manager’s responsibility to provide a perfect work environment for you.

Their goal is to meet the company’s goals and business commitments. So, it really depends upon the company goals, the department productivity goals, and what works best for achieving those business commitments. So – I recommend that you understand the company/department/manager’s business commitments first. Then start the conversation with your manager – but don’t come empty handed. Come into the meeting with alternative shifts that both accomplish their business commitments AND your specific shift needs. And it may not have to be an “all or nothing” type arrangement. Talking to your manager, you may find that they need 9-5 on customer-facing activities on M, W, F and can absorb more flexible hours on Tuesday and Thursday. It may be that your organization is Global – meaning that your department oversees multiple time zones. So, talk to your manager about other customer time zones that you can work. You might find that it’s important for your department to be 9-5, but they also need coverage on weekends. Talk to your manager about switching from a M-F, first shift – to other shifts. Be flexible and take the initiative to design a Win/Win solution.

At the end of the day, if you find that your current company does not match your goals, then continue to talk to recruiters and your business network to find a work environment that does match. It’s much easier to find a company that matches your work environment desires than it is to force an entire organization to change their strategy to match your needs.

Companies are in the business to make money. Keeping you happy isn’t really their primary responsibility. Therefore, you need to take the lead to define a solution that matches both their needs and yours.

Bottom Line: By waiting for someone else to “allow” you to live the life that you really want to live – is not only time wasted but is putting the monkey on someone else’s back. You are the one that is ultimately responsible (response able) for your own career path and professional journey.

I know your situation is different. Why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward. To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

I have a presentation on “3 Keys to saying YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes

 

 

How would you handle an employee resigning during a critical time period?

Posted on by

How would you handle an employee resigning during a critical time period?

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose.  I am a speaker and author. I am an expert in time and project management.

I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff.  I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.

At the end of the day, I transform the way you run your business into a business you love to run.

Today’s comment came from a busy professional:

How to Encourage Your Unemployed Friend

  1. What is the best way to offer your unemployed friend encouragement as they look for a job?
  2. What are some specific things you can do?

3 What are some helpful or encouraging things to say?

  1. Should a friend ask how the job search is going? How often should you ask how the job search is going?

5.What are some things to avoid doing or saying?

  1. Should you send your friend job openings you see online?
  2. What can one do if the experience is negatively affecting the friendship?

8.Please share any other advice or tips.

  1. What is the best way to offer your unemployed friend encouragement as they look for a job?

Ask them what their game plan is.  Understand the types of jobs they would be interested in and good at.  Understand their strengths and weaknesses.  Understand what areas they already have covered by other family or friends. Understand the ways they would like you to help.  And then ask PERMISSION to help in those ways.

If they don’t have a game plan – ask permission to help them with it.

 

  1. What are some specific things you can do?
    Offer to introduce them to individuals, invite them to your networking events, pass along other networking events that might better fit their job goals, review their LinkedIn.com profile and recommend any changes that might better attract job offers, show them how to use the job links on Linkedin; etc.  There are lots of things you can do.  BUT please ask PERMISSION before doing anything. They may already have someone working on different areas.  You want to make sure not to overwhelm or distract him from his current plans and goals.One other thing you can offer is to do some mock interviews with them.  If you have experience in interviewing people for jobs – you can offer to “mock interview” them to give them practice.  You can do the same thing by pretending to be a hiring representative at a Job Fair – to give them practice on navigating a busy job fair.  Providing them a safe place to practice these things will increase their confidence when the time comes.

Once again – you ask permission to see if they want this kind of help first.

3 What are some helpful or encouraging things to say?

Action speaks louder than words.  Follow through on the things you and he agreed that you would do for him.  Attend some of the networking events with them.  Keep an eye out for Job Fairs, etc for them (if these are some of the things he agreed that he needed your help on).

  1. Should a friend ask how the job search is going? How often should you ask how the job search is going?

I would ask about any job position that YOU specifically lined  up for them.

I would ask about any networking event that YOU specifically lined up for them.

I would ask about any meetings or interview that YOU specifically lined up for them.

If you find that they didn’t follow-up with any of the things that you lined up for them – then I would stop sending them any additional information – until they are ready to take action.  They will call upon you when they are ready – because you have already shown your willingness to help.

  1. What are some things to avoid doing or saying?

Avoid doing things without them asking you do to it.  They may have other things in plan or in the works that you do not know about.

Avoid continually sending them stuff (overwhelming them).  Start off slow to see if they actually take action on those few things – before sending them other things.  They may be struggling with other people sending them things as well – and are overwhelmed.

  1. Should you send your friend job openings you see online?

Only if they have asked you to keep an eye out for you.  Have an agreement upfront on things he/she is looking from you.  He/she may have other people keeping an eye out on different things – so that they are not overwhelmed with “helping hands”.

  1. What can one do if the experience is negatively affecting the friendship?

I would disengage from the topic altogether before it starts affecting the friendship (don’t bring it up again, don’t pass anything to them, etc).  If they are not responding to some of the things you have tried – just tell them to let you know how you can help and then disengage.
8.Please share any other advice or tips.

If you are the one looking for a job- one recommendation is to have a “Friendly Hand Plan”.  This means, figure out what each of your friends strengths are.  If someone is an expert in networking – ask to attending networking events with that person.  If someone is in the same professional area, ask them to review your resume for things that might catch an employer’s eye.  If a friend is a business coach, ask for ideas on how to better market yourself.  If a friend is very adept at LinkedIn – ask this friend to help you upgrade your profile and search for appropriate contacts, job postings, and make linkedin connections.

Have different roles for your different friends and explicitly state what you need from each of them.  Your friends want to help – but without understanding your game plan – their good intentions might miss the mark.

ASK and it is given.   But you still have to ask.

 

I know your situation is different. Why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward. To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

I have a monthly presentation on “how to say YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes

 

 

How Introverts Can Successfully Network

Posted on by

How Introverts Can Successfully Network

Hello, this is Laura Lee Rose.  I am a speaker and author. I am an expert in time and project management.

I help busy professionals and entrepreneurs create effective systems so that they can comfortably delegate to others, be more profitable and have time to enjoy life even if they don’t have time to learn new technology or train their staff.  I have a knack for turning big ideas into on time and profitable projects.

At the end of the day, I transform the way you run your business into a business you love to run.

Today’s comment came from a busy professional:

How Introverts Can Successfully Network

  • How can introverts successfully network for business?
  • What are ways that introverts can step out of their comfort zone and meet with business contacts socially and be successful at it?

Most shy people are nervous when the spotlight is on “them”.  So – reverse the networking process and put the spotlight on the other person.  Get interested in finding out about them, what they do, what their goals are, what kind of people that the other person wants to meet.  Then step into the “how can I serve you” mentality.  Introduce them to the people that they want to meeting, etc.

 

Some quick steps to follow before going to a Networking Event:

 

  • Design 5 Ice Breaker questions to ask various people that you meet
    1. How did you find out about this event?
    2. What are your goals or what are you looking for in this event?
    3. Who did you want to meet at this event?
    4. Tell me more about your business and who would be a good referral for you?
    5. How can I help you with your referral and business goals?
  • Now have a specific goal outlined for this networking event
    1. Make a goal to meet 5 new people at this event, and schedule at least 3 follow-up meetings out of the 5. Increase that number the next time you go to another networking meeting.
    2. Make a goal to find someone in a specific industry or field. Then ask around to see if anyone can introduce you to someone here in that field.
  • Do your homework
    1. Find out who else will be at the event ahead of time. See if anyone that you really wanted to meet will be there. (Use your LinkedIn network to find anyone that you know that already knows that person – and make a game plan to go to that networking event together).
    2. Invite a friend or co-worker that would be a good wing-man
    3. Follow-up on the people that you have met at the meeting.

 

 

Going to networking meetings are not the only way to network. Another good method is to invite individuals for an interview for your radio show, video or article.  Invite someone to guest speak at your organization, association or department. Volunteer to be the lead of your professional organization’s program committee. The job of program lead – will automatically introduce you to important and prominent experts. And lastly – simply hang out where the people you want to meet hang-out. Get interested in the things they are interested in.

Whether you are asking them questions, interviewing them for an article, or introducing them as a speaker, you will naturally share the spotlight when you put the spotlight on someone else.

I know your situation is different. Why don’t we schedule an appointment, where I get to know more about your unique situation? And then I will be happy to make recommendations on what your best steps are moving forward. To schedule an appointment, book it HERE.

With enough notice, it would be my honor to guest-speak at no cost to your group organization.

I have a monthly presentation on “how to say YES to everything but on your own terms”. To sign up for the complimentary course, go to www.lauraleerose.com/Say-Yes

 

 

3 Easy Tips to Up-Scale Your Iphone testimonials

Posted on by

Today’s comment came from a busy business owner

One easily attainable marketing tool are video testimonials. If you are already giving a talk, it’s easy to take advantage of the excitement and enthusiasm that your audience is feeling right after your presentation. If you wait until they leave and are back into their daily activities – it’s going to be harder to get them to refer or comment on that event. Don’t miss that opportunity to get that genuine reaction and excitement for your genius.

So – even if you don’t have expensive camera equipment – you can use your iphone or ipads for impromptu testimonials. What are some simple steps that people can do with their iphones or ipads to increase the quality of these impromptu videos?

3 Quick Tips to improving your videos are:

1) Take your videos in the horizontal view.  It will give you more real estate to work with to work with.

2) Be aware of your background.  Take time to look at your viewfinder and make sure your client doesn’t look drawn or washed out.  Often times putting your subject in front of a solid white or black background or simply taking them outside into the sun will do wonders for their color.

3) Be aware of the background noise.  Often times you are in an large, open conference room with many conversations taking place around you.  And your iphone or ipad microphone is picking up all the ambient noise.  Take the time to move into a smaller room or corridor to tape your testimonials.  Video experts can often fix the background colors and size — but they can not easily fix the background noise in your video testimonial.

Bottom line is to merely be aware of the surroundings when you are taping your testimonials.  You may want to get your comments in front of your large banner – but if that banner is in a place where there’s lots of background noise, you may be better off moving to a quieter location and in front of a warmer backdrop.  Then supper-imposing your logo or banner later.