Offer something of value instead of a sales pitch, and you will steadily increase your business presence.

3. Increase Your Revenue:

Do you think it is impossible to achieve your dream of increasing your revenue by 25% or even 10% this year?

Think again. And now think about how you are currently selling your services.

Are you relying on networking and hoping that eventually someone will remember you from a business event and give you a call -- and a sale?

Take a leap and become a guest speaker at networking events you usually attend.

Don't stop there...

Send a proposal to speak at other networking events and business associations.

Create your own seminar or workshop and promote it.

Whenever you are a guest speaker, always distribute handouts to go with your presentation. Include a coupon with a limited time special offer in your handout for attendees.

Being a guest speaker demonstrates your expertise and thus establishes your credibility with your prospects.

A good presentation that includes a great special offer tailored specifically for attendees will result in prospects calling you wanting to do business with you.

4. Work Backwards:

No, this doesn't mean work carelessly. It actually means quite opposite.

Begin with end in mind.

Think about where you want your business to be 3, 5, or even 10 years from now. What will it take to build business of your dreams?

Write down this vision and create goals based on what it will take to make your dream a reality.

Does your vision include a business that will allow you to take more time to pursue your personal passions while your business continues to grow despite your absence?

Then start laying foundation for that dream now.

Start working ON your business instead of IN your business. Utilize technology that will streamline your processes. Market more effectively so that you no longer have to struggle to get new clients.

5. Change Your mind...Change Your reality:

The key to creating business of your dreams is within you. Once you start believing that it is possible, you will unlock doors that you never knew existed.

You took a risk when you started your business.

Now it is time to take a leap towards creating business of your dreams.

Copyright 2004 Black Unicorn Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Tresaca Hamilton is the CEO of Black Unicorn Communications, Inc.

Are You Tired of Struggling to Find New Clients?

Five percent said they had no risk hesitancy. The balance of responses fell into many categories but focused on time and resource constraints.

Risk Catalysts

When asked what would make them more comfortable taking thoughtful, well-considered work-related risks, fully eight in ten said either assurances that less-than-ideal outcomes would not negatively effect their regard or career (49%) or clear direction and support from leadership to take risks (31%).

Eight percent reported that they were already comfortable taking risks. As with risk hesitancy, balance of responses fell into a variety of categories but again focused on time and resource constraints.

Insights

The message of respondents is clear.

The survey data shows that respondents were calling out for permission to take risks and a clear understanding that unsuccessful risks would not hamper their opportunities, regard or advancement.

The clear conclusion is that people who take thoughtful, well-considered risks have to be lauded, regardless of outcome of risk.

If you want to increase initiative and innovation, you have to encourage and embrace failure. A culture that punishes less-than-ideal risk-related outcomes will stifle both initiative and innovation.

Action Steps

Increasing initiative and innovation requires five simple steps.

1. Clearly communicate risk profile you are asking your people to adopt and why it is important to organization’s success.

2. Never allow an unsuccessful risk to hamper a team member’s opportunities and advancement.

3. Establish a high-profile award program that rewards BOTH risks that pay-off and well-considered risks that do not. Awards need to be announced simultaneously and rewarded identically.

4. Establish a formal non-critical process for gleaning lessons from unsuccessful risks. Communicate lessons.

5. Provide your people with situation-specific risk assessment tools to help them make better risk-related decisions.

“A Culture of Screw-Ups”

Increasing level of effective risk-taking, initiative and innovation in an organization is not a short-term process. Risk inclination and risk tolerance are core elements of an organization’s culture. It is part of what defines organization. But it can be gradually changed by implementing steps above, being consistent in emphasizing importance to organization of taking thoughtful risks and rewarding initiative and innovation.

If you are questioning value of a culture that encourages risk-taking as a path to success, consider this statement by Scott Bedbury as reported in Newsweek. Bedbury was head of advertising at Nike for seven years in 1990s. He says key to Nike’s success is its willingness to embrace “a culture of screw-ups. It really does learn from its mistakes.” An insightful comment about Nike – one of most successful and innovative companies of our time.

© 2004 Jim McCormick

Right to publish or post this article at no cost is granted provided copyright is attributed to Jim McCormick and above information about author is included in its entirety.