DEVELOP A PLAN

As you look at your current level of satisfaction what patters or themes do you see? Where areas are you least satisfied with? The most?

For you who recognize a change is in order, here are a five simple steps to help you start finding work-life balance that leads to success:

1. Choose 1 area that you are dissatisfied with and would like to see some immediate improvement in. This should not be your worst or best scoring area, but somewhere in middle. Take a couple minutes and write down in detail what balance would look like for you in that area.

2. Now, get out your planner and make a note to yourself one week from today. In note, write down: • area that you want to improve your level of satisfaction in • “score” where you are now and “score” you want to be at next week • 2 things you are going to do to move yourself towards that goal over this next week

3. Tell someone about your goal and ask them to hold you accountable—whether it’s a friend, a mentor, or your coach. It’s easy to make “new year, new leaf” promises to yourself, but more difficult to follow through with unless you know someone is holding you accountable to reach your goal.

4. Set up a time to talk with your accountability partner next week. Did you reach your goal? If not, talk about what kept you from reaching it and what will you do differently this next week. If you did reach your goal, congratulate yourself. Do something simple to celebrate your achievement.

5. The final step is to go back to step 1 and do it over again.

Creating life balance is never easy and it’s never complete. There will always be room for improvement. The point is that you can make your life more balanced by taking small steps in right direction. Like most worthwhile things in life, creating life balance is a process, not an event!

SCORING RANGE

8—16 Wow! Things must be pretty rough right now. 17—30 Average score of many small business owners 30—45 There are some very satisfying and very dissatisfying areas in your life 45—56 You recognize importance of life balance to life success

Action Step: One way to give away your knowledge is to host free quarterly seminars for small business owners on various financial topics like: "10 Keys to Small Business Financial Management" or "How to Ensure Your Business' Financial Future." Advertise seminars through your local chamber of commerce, networking events, public radio, newspapers, on your website, direct mail, and via other services providers who work with your potential clients, such as attorneys. The people who come to these seminars are all potential clients. Develop a friendly way to keep in touch with them through email or periodic phone calls.

MORE IDEAS Here are some other ways you can make more money by giving your knowledge away for free:

• Offer a complimentary consultation session • Do a periodic survey of existing customers to see how everything is going, if they have any questions, to gauge their level of satisfaction, and to see if there is any other way you can be of assistance • Write some website white papers that provide more detailed information • Write an article for your local newspaper or a valued website • Offer a toll free technical support line • Host a free "How to" seminar for your prospective customers • Find out what trade publications your customers read and offer to write an article for them • Do a call-in radio program • Have a Q&A section on your website (what do you mean you don't have a website!)

SOME FINAL PRINCIPLES TO REMEMBER

Be creative about ways to give away your expert knowledge, but as you do so remember these principles:

• One of most cost-effective ways to make more money is to give away your special knowledge for free. I don't mean sell whole farm, but provide enough information so your potential clients feel educated about process of purchasing your product or service. • Timing is everything. A person may not have a need for your services or product today, but might next month. • Develop ways to keep in touch with your potential customers, not just your existing ones. • Listen carefully to your potential customers. Look for their "pain"-why they need your help. Listen to their needs. • Do not try to sell them something they do not need. • Listen even more carefully to your existing customers. Reinforce benefits of your service. Find out what you can do better. Listen for their future needs and how you can meet them. • Meet your customers at their level and do not look down on them for their lack of expert knowledge. • It's always easier and cheaper to keep an existing customer than to find a new one and a satisfied customer is more likely to refer others.