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Browse published articles attributed to Carrie Greene, with full-archive search.
Networking is vital to growing your business. Simply put, unless you go out and meet people nobody will know you exist. If they don't know you exist they can't hire you. You can be the best "networker" out there but unless you follow up with the people you meet you are wasting your time.
Time management 101 tells us that we should figure out how long something will take us to do and block out the time to do it. Makes sense on the face of it. What bothers me with this way of thinking is that it puts the project in control of your "time budget" instead of you deciding how you are going to spend your "time budget". I prefer to decide how much time I want to GIVE TO a project based on what I believe the project is worth to me. This is what we do with money, which we can get more of, but we don't do it with our time, which is finite.
I was on a flight headed to Atlanta. I had my laptop out and was doing some work as I passed the time. I glance across the aisle at the woman seated there. She had what seemed to be a pile of dog-eared business cards and scraps of paper in front of her. It looked like she was sorting through it. I watched for five minutes as she pulled Band-Aids out of her pile along with those key fob things you get from grocery stores. She read through notes and seemed to make two piles.
I was speaking with a client earlier today who related a story to me about a river in Louisiana that was jammed full of logs. Nothing was moving in or out. Many strategies were employed to loosen the jam but nobody was able to clear it. Everyone and everything was stuck. Finally someone came along who was able to clear it and everything started to flow. Business could once again move their goods and people were once again able to get what they needed.
Value. What are your services really worth? What do your clients get as a result of buying your products or working with you? The price you place on your products and services is really no more than what you think you are worth.
It drives me crazy when I speak with one of my clients who is all excited after having a great conversation with someone, who can use his or her products, but my client hasn’t asked for the business. Here’s how the conversation goes. My client: I just got off the phone with an amazing person that I know I can help. I finally get how important and valuable what I am doing is. Me: Awesome! When are you starting to work with him? My client: I don’t know. We spent an hour on the phone and they were so excited about everything I shared.
Why did you start your business? I’m often told by the entrepreneurs I speak with that the reason they went into business was because they felt a need to get their message out to the world. They tell me how much they love the work they do and how important it is to them. They tell me that they know that their work has the potential to have an enormous impact on the people around them.
A client of mine said, “I feel like a fraud. Like what right do I have to build a business around my needs and my desires? ‘Real businesses’ don’t get to do that. What right do I have to build a business my way and ignore what everyone else is telling me to do?” What do you think?
It’s all over the news, ADHD is everywhere. Kids have it in record numbers, adults have it too. Is ADHD the latest craze? Is ADHD real or is it just an excuse? What is ADHD anyway? ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It is commonly referred to as ADHD, ADD, AD/HD or ...
What’s the best way to capture, and hold someone’s attention? I was out for a walk and noticed the lawn signs that contractors put up when they do work at a house. I started to pay attention to which signs I was attracted to and which did not interest me. I learned a powerful lesson in messaging and how to communicate with the people you interact with as I walked. I saw a lot of signs, I’m going to focus on two signs in particular. They are both local painters.
We had so much fun kayaking last week, we decided to go again. It was a bit warmer, the water was clearer and there were a lot more people. We set out on the 8-mile trip down the Delaware River. There are two islands you pass on the left as you go down the river. We stopped at the first island to eat lunch. I think everyone had the same idea and the very small “beach” got very crowded and we quickly left. As we got into our kayaks, I suggested we leave the main branch of the river and instead go around the island. Last week we stayed with everyone else.
My client was telling me about an experience he had with a client of his. My client was second guessing himself. Did he do the right thing even if it made both him and his client uncomfortable? The short answer to his question was, yes. He showed up and did exactly what he was hired to do. The real issue, however, lay in the question I asked him. Why was he second guessing himself?
My friend called when I was out. My son answered the phone. I got the message when I got home late that evening. It was after ten, too late to call back. Based on my schedule that week, I knew it would be at least two days before I could call her back. Five days later, I was sitting at my desk when my phone rang, she called me again. I had completely forgotten that I was supposed to call her. I apologized for not getting back to her. She said, “Oh I figured you got caught up with something, no problem,” and we started to talk.
It comes up time and time again. You know you are being taken advantage of. Then suddenly out of your mouth come the words "Sure, I can do that" or "it’s ok, don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it." You think you’re being nice. You may think it’s your job, so even if you’re technically not supposed to do it you will. Or you may think you’re helping someone out and that’s always the right thing to do. Guess what… you’re not being nice. You’re being a meanie. You’re being mean to yourself.
I was at a beautiful, beachside hotel in Miami, the elevator opened; a bellman with six large pieces of luggage was already inside. As I joined him, I commented that someone brought a lot with them. Then he told me, two of the suitcases were empty but they will be full when they leave. Shopping was on someone's agenda. Why do we shop? It can be a necessity. There are things you truly need, that your survival depends on.
I was speaking with a client. She was excited to be co-presenting with a colleague. She said her colleague was very well connected because, she used to be a producer for a major network television show. My client went on to share wonderful things about her co-presenter, yet had little to share about herself and why anyone would want to hear her speak.
When I set out for my walk today, I had several very specific goals in mind. I wanted to walk for about an hour, cover about 4 miles, and get some inspiration along with fresh air. Based on my goals, I created a plan. I would drive to a large wooded “reservation” near my home. I plotted the path I would take. I would start by walking through the woods toward a paved path, do the loop on that path, and finally circle back along the road to my car.
I was working with a client who had recently been diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD or ADD). She went on to say that she was happy she had ADHD because now she had a built in excuse to be disorganized. Certainly people with ADHD have trouble being organized but is it an excuse?nnI have ADHD, do I have to be disorganized too?nJust because you have ADHD doesnât mean you have to be disorganized. In fact there are many people with ADHD who are incred
What do you need to do first when you open your business? Typical responses include open a business bank account, create a website, get business cards, design a logo and start networking. Yup, you need to put all those pieces in place and none of it will make a difference if you don’t answer the following three questions first. 1. What do you sell? This includes how it’s priced and packaged.
OK, I'll admit it; I love getting rid of things. A couple of weeks ago I was sitting in my office and suddenly had the urge to purge. I filled four bags with papers, notes and other things that weren't serving my needs. The reason I love getting rid of things is because of the space I ...
There are those that are natural born networkers and there are those that are not. I fall squarely into the “are not” camp. The goal of business networking is to meet, and connect with people so that you can find clients, partners, employees, referrals to people who provide services you need, or referrals to people who need the service you provide. Networking can even simply be about meeting people in the same boat as you to become part of your support system. Networking is vital to growing any business, including mine.
This is an article about sales and connecting with your prospects, but first I am going to tell you a story. I had been feeling pretty good overall, but then suddenly, everything was bothering me. My feet were sore, my shoulders were achy and my thumb hurt. None of this was particularly unusual, since these were the things that I generally saw my chiropractor about; what was unusual is that, all of these issues had been a lot better until I found myself tossing and turning all night because I couldn’t get comfortable.
I often connect two things that on the surface seem to have nothing to do with each other. Do you ever do that? Here’s something that occurred to me while I was out for a walk. Your business is like a dandelion. Let me explain. Dandelions were brought to the United States as a medicinal plant. They seem to have taken to the environment very well (at least here in the Northeast). So much so that they are now looked upon as weeds and, judging by most of the homes in my neighborhood, we do everything in our power to get rid of them.
Itâs all over the news, ADHD is everywhere. Kids have it in record numbers, adults have it too. Is ADHD the latest craze? Is ADHD real or is it just an excuse? What is ADHD anyway?nADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. It is commonly referred to as ADHD, ADD, AD/HD or Attention Deficit Disorder. It is estimated that 17-20 million Americans are affected by ADHD. nnWhen most people hear the term âADHDâ or âADDâ they picture a child, usually a boy,
I was at a beautiful, beachside hotel in Miami, the elevator opened; a bellman with six large pieces of luggage was already inside. As I joined him, I commented that someone brought a lot with them. Then he told me, two of the suitcases were empty but they will be full when they leave. Shopping was on someone's agenda. Why do we shop? It can be a necessity. There are things you truly need, that your survival depends on.
A client emailed me…I am feeling crazy stuck in a comparison cycle today - and I have so much to do. Just wanted to share my mind-tape today in case you have any sage wisdom. When you play the comparison game it seems that you always fall on the short end of the stick. Everyone else’s business is better. Everyone has more clients. Everyone is making more money. Everyone else is doing more than you. Everyone else can do it. Now wait a minute. Is that really true? If you are going to play the comparison game at least play full on.
I love to nurture and take care of people. Since I love to cook and bake one way I get to satisfy this need is to cook and feed them. I hosted a dinner party for twenty recently. I checked in with my guests to see if there were any dietary needs. There were two vegetarians, one person who didn't eat beef and two who avoided gluten. The menu covered all the bases. Everything was gluten free. I decided on a chicken, a beef and a vegetarian dish. The side dishes and appetizers would be gluten free and vegetarian.
I got a text message from one of my clients telling me that he was leaving his office to mix up the energy and get him going. It's a strategy that we had discussed recently; a strategy to get him focused and helps his creative juices flow. I could say that being an entrepreneur is always wonderful. I could say that the entrepreneurial life is easy because entrepreneurs get to do exactly what they want and don't have a boss to answer to. Yeah, I could say that and if I did I'd be lying. Being an entrepreneur is hard.
I participated in a "painting party" with seventy business owners. Painting has never been my thing. I don’t see myself as artistic. And creating an image by drawing, painting, sketching or anything else like that makes me uncomfortable. There were rows of tables and easels. Each seat had paint, brushes and an apron. There were three platforms, also with easels for the instructors and a bar. I searched for an excuse. How could I possibly get out of this "party"? I did not think it was going to be fun; in fact, I was certain I was about to expose some serious shortcomings.
Legitimate excuses. no excuses What’s yours? We all have them. A legitimate excuse is the reason you say you can’t do something. I hear a lot of legitimate excuses. I hear them from clients during coaching calls and, boy, do I hear them during sales conversations. Legitimate excuses I hear from clients are: -I can’t speak with potential clients until I have the particulars of a program worked out or a sales page completed.rn -I can’t go to a networking event until I figure out what to say in my elevator pitch.r
I filled a prescription at our local pharmacy three days ago. Today I came home to a message on the answering machine. Joe called from the South Orange Pharmacy. My first thought was there must be something wrong with our insurance card, but as I listened a smile came across my face. He called to thank me for choosing them for our pharmacy needs. Joe is the pharmacist and owner of the store. He left me his phone number in case I had any questions or other needs. No doubt about it… next time I have a prescription I need filled I will go back.
I was at a new restaurant. They handed me a menu. I opened it and the first thing listed was dessert. I knew it was going to be a fabulous meal. My husband laughs at me because I always look at a menu in reverse order. What desserts do they have? What, if anything, am I going to want? Is there more than one dessert that interests me? Am I going to want to share a dessert? I need to know how to pace myself, how much room to save in my “dessert spot” and if I need to get someone on board with me to split a dessert or maybe convince them to have the other dessert I’m interested in.
I was out for a walk and saw a bunch of pigeons poking around for food in the grass. All pigeons pretty much look the same to me but this time, one of them caught my eye. It was white. By now I’m sure you’re wondering why I’m writing about pigeons. Well, as I continued walking three thoughts struck me that have everything to do with you and your business.
It seems that every time I’m on a sales call I get an objection. Sometimes it’s a conce about the program taking too much time or costing too much. Sometimes they already have taken programs and want to do more with them before moving on or getting more. Maybe they feel that they can’t make the decision at that moment and need to consult with their partner. Bottom line, it’s almost never "Sure that sounds great, sign me up!" As a business owner and, by default, a sales person, it’s frustrating.
I’m not so sure the saying “a diamond’s a girl’s best friend” is true. Go ahead and read these two stories, then let me know what you think… Diamond Story 1: About five years ago I received a wonderful present from my mother-in-law. A pair of 18 karat gold earrings she inherited from her aunt. The earrings were covered with 44 small but nearly perfect, diamonds. I told you it was a wonderful present! But there was a problem…the earrings were ugly and not something I would ever wear. They were valuable so I put them safely in a drawer and they sat.
It was Wednesday. Eric came home and told me that he stopped at Carvel on his way home from work. I immediately said, “Wednesday is sundae at Carvel.” (Every Wednesday Carvel runs a special, two sundaes for the price of one) What surprised me is what he said next. He told me that when he stopped at Carvel he was going to get a milkshake but when he walked into the store the woman behind the counter (who knows him) said “Two sundaes coming up,” and he just went with it.
I get ideas for articles from all over the place. This is one of those times that you don’t want to be what sparks the idea. I was heading into New York early this morning. I took the train so I had less control over my schedule and found myself in Penn Station with about 30 minutes to spare. I decided to go to Starbucks to get a cup of tea.
If you’ve been following all of the gurus, you know that one of the best ways to meet people and get business is by speaking. Frankly, I agree, unless of course you shouldn’t be speaking. Let me tell you what I mean by that. My client Steve knew he needed to be speaking from the stage. He had spent a year working on his “signature talk”. Only he never gave his talk to anyone. He kept hearing, you need to speak, you need to speak and he knew everyone was right. He knew that it was a great strategy to use and yet he was absolutely terrified of public speaking.
I was at the gym recently and one of my friends turned to me and said, "Carrie, I need you to write about change." She was finding that she was no longer satisfied with the decisions she felt she was being forced to make out of habit and to meet of other people's expectations. It got me thinking about business. The reason I started my business is likely very similar to why you started yours... to create a life that suited my needs.
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about “pricing” lately so I wanted to share my pricing philosophy, and the system I use, to set prices for my own products and services. Let’s start with my philosophy. Here’s the thing about pricing… it really doesn’t matter what the price of a product or service is. The only thing that matters is your belief in the price and your ability to transfer that belief to a customer.
Newsflash: I am a very competitive person. Here’s what happened. I was out for a run at the reservoir near my house. Two laps around is just over 3 miles. I wanted to run two miles and walk and cool down for the last mile. I finished running and then started to walk. There were two women walking in front of me. I always like when someone’s in front of me. It somehow pulls me along. They weren’t far ahead; they were also walking and didn’t seem to be going overly fast. I challenged myself to catch up and pass them.
I was on the phone with a client and she said, “I have a really stupid question to ask you.” By far the best and fastest way to get to know someone is to talk with them, ideally face to face, so it makes sense that you need to get out from behind your desk, meet people and get to know them. Yet, it’s easy to justify that you need to be at your desk. You need to clean up your inbox, work on your website, work on the new program you’re developing or even work with current clients.
I was speaking with someone who doubled her multiple six-figure business over the past year. She had amazing business coaching, kept her focus on her business and put in a lot of hard work. The coaching and advice she got were exactly on target for her business. I knew that increasing her revenues was extremely important to her so I was excited to hear her answer to my question, “Are you happy?” The phone line was silent for a full minute. She said “I wish I could say yes”. She was tired. She had lost herself in her business.
Like many of us I use Facebook to communicate with friends and clients. I use it to follow my daughter’s adventures as she travels in Europe and Israel. And yes, I use it to browse and see what people are up to. It’s amazing how much time you can spend on Facebook, isn’t it? I went on Facebook this morning and saw a post from a friend of mine with a picture of a dress. Her post said something about how her family spent their entire dinner talking about the dress. I didn’t think much of it. Then a minute later I saw another picture of the dress and then more.
I remember a conversation I had with a colleague of mine several years ago. I told him that I was frustrated because I knew that I could help several of the people I had recently spoken to, but none of them decided to work with me. We talked about handling objections in a sales conversation. One of the things he shared with me was that I needed to tell the truth, to call people out if necessary and not hide behind being nice. It was really good advice and it made a dramatic shift in the effectiveness of my sales conversations.
I don’t often write “how-to” articles but this is something that has come up again and again during coaching calls so I figured it was time to put it out there. The question I am getting is around event sponsorship. What do you need to do when you have a table, or are exhibiting your business, at an event? The good news is that you don’t need much, but you absolutely must have (or do) the following six things.
I get to the gym often. Yesterday, I took a class called "Cardio Boot Camp". I went in thinking that it was going to be just another class; that I'll get my heart pumping and I'll lift some weights. As soon as the music started I sensed a change, it was a really tough class. Many of the ...
The most important thing you do in business is communicate. One of the key times to communicate with people is after you’ve met them but before they become a client. During this the time you create your relationship. You nurture them. They get to know you and hopefully, based on what and how you communicate, they grow to like and trust you. As time goes on you continue to develop and deepen that relationship and when they are ready, they buy from you.
There’s always an agenda. One of my clients shared that there is a part of her that worries that when she approaches someone to have a conversation they will be turned off because they know her intention is to “pitch” something to them. Newsflash – Whenever you engage in a conversation with anyone, at any time, about anything, you have an agenda.
I recently saw a documentary about Joan Rivers. Obviously, she was quite the comedienne but what surprised me was how astute a businesswoman she was. She talked about risk. One line that stood out was, "You need to stand out in the rain in order to get hit by lightening."