Bolder!

Some Simple Answers

 One of the big questions I encounter when I speak to business women is how to leverage the internet. There is so much coming at them and it always seems to be changing that they don't know where to begin. And oh yes, add in a healthy dose of skepticism about the social networking tools and their application to a business setting.

It seems no one is answering the basic questions  - just what do I need and why? We want some simple answers so we know what to focus on. We don't have time or resources to waste. And we don't need one more item on a long to do list.

The trick, of course, is knowing what is valuable and what you can leave alone. What's really useful and what is just the ‘flavor of the month’? Nobody wants to invest a lot of time and money in training or services only to find out it’s not what you need!

What you do need is someone to cut through the hype. You want straight information in plain English in a quick format so you can make informed decisions that work for you and your business.

That’s why my Business Builder Series is just the ticket. I have over 25 years in the technology field. I was on the internet before there was even a world wide web. And I'm a coach and mentor to small business people. As a small business person myself, I understand the limits of time and budget as well as the questions you have.

My new Business Builder Series wasn't designed to be an in-depth training course but rather a place to get some information and your questions answered. The cost is reasonable ($40 per course or get a deal by taking all 5) and it won’t take a lot of your time. Plus you can choose between a live workshop or a teleseminar.

Think of it as a taste spoon, like those little pink ones you get at the ice cream shop. A sample of what's available removes the guesswork and uncertainty.

To find out more just click here.

Courage in Action

I've been playing with the idea of "boldness" a lot lately. I find it resonates with many of my readers.  Last month we explored it during the Bolder Women series and I had women join the calls from all over the world. Most of us long for bolder lives.

  To me, bold means more than getting past my fears. It's seeing courage come to life in actions. To live boldly isn't something that's invisible to those around us. Boldness makes an impact. Boldness has power to create change.

So let's stop talking about self-improvement. Instead, let's talk about what we as women are up to in this world. What is the change you want to create? What are you meant to be up to while you're on this planet?

Big questions, I know but I'm convinced they reflect the underlying longing we each have for significance. Self-improvement is just a way to distract ourselves because it feels like we're up to something. But we weren't put here to just work on our selves. We, each one of us, has a purpose and a responsibility and we were born with the tools we need to meet that responsibility. I also believe we live our most joy-filled and full-filled lives when we get up to being on purpose.

In my own quest I found as answer. My purpose for being here is to help women like you make a difference in your world. It's time for me to claim it and take bold action!

So you'll be reading a lot more about this subject on this blog. And if you're a Christian woman of spirit, visit my new blog at aprillejanes.typepad/bolder_spirit as well. Some of the posts will look similar but I will be writing from a more spiritually-based value system.
 
You may also want to set aside the weekend of October 2-4, 2009.  I'm putting together a 3-day retreat for "Bolder Women on Purpose". Details to come soon but space is going to be limited to ensure a rich experience for everyone who attends. If you want to get your name on the list now, drop me an email and I'll send you advance notice when registration opens.

Do you scare big companies?

As a small company, when you try to make a sale to a much larger company, you need to understand "what scares whales."  The nature of big companies and government agencies is to seek safety over benefit. For that reason, fear trumps other emotions in their process of making a decision.  Smaller companies that sell to whales usually tout the benefits that they will provide, with little attention to the whale's fears.  Therefore they often make mistakes during their sales process that create fear in the whale and lead to unsuccessful hunts. To hunt more successfully, learn how to stop scaring whales.

Whales fear four circumstances:
•    Change - any variation from what they are doing now
•    Conflict - any disruption of the relationships between their departments or with their employees, customers, or current suppliers
•    Work - any additional expenditure of effort or activity in the current workload of the people with whom you are meeting
•    Failure - mistakes, shortcomings, problems, or any other public signs of a bad decision

Big company buyers are usually looking for the most innovative solution or even the best one.  They are looking for the safest solution that will work.  They will only buy your advantages after you have allayed their fears.

So what can you do?  Here's a preparation activity.
•    Make a list of all the ways you might scare a whale; for example, they are afraid you can't scale up to meet their needs, or they don't know your brand, or they're not sure if you'll be in business next year.

•    Then identify a "fearbuster" for each fear; that is, a tangible document that can reduce that fear, such as a case study, a financial statement, a customer testimonial, a process chart or a graph.

•    Fear busters are things that the whale can see or hear and distribute internally, not merely your ways of talking. A worksheet for this activity is available at www.thewhalehunters.com under "free tools."

Finally, over time develop the high quality, compelling fear buster tools that you need.  And by the way, paying attention to fears will also work with your smaller customers.

If you first overcome the buyers' fears, they will be better able to understand and appreciate your advantages.

To learn about Whale Hunting Women & to order your copy today, visit http://cli.gs/WHWEbook

Thank you for visiting this post about Barbara Weaver Smith and Whale Hunting Women.  Two people who comment during the tour will be entered a giveaway – post a comment on any post about the tour and you will be entered. The winners will win a three-volume audio set of Whale Hunters Wisdom. Volumes include I: Mind of a Hunter, II: The Hunt, and III: The Whale Hunting Culture ($90 value).

Barbara Weaver Smith's website - http://www.thewhalehunters.com

Barbara Weaver Smith's blog - http://blog.thewhalehunters.com

Order your copy of Whale Hunting Women – http://cli.gs/WHWEbook

To see the tour schedule visit http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/04/whale-hunting-with-barbara-weaver-smith.html

Do big deals scare you?

In my new book Whale Hunting Women, I've written about the special talents and skills that women bring to whale hunting and also about the special fears and habits that get in our way.  For my two guest posts on Aprille's blog, I'm writing a little about each of these trends.  First, the fear of being small; and second, why whales are afraid of you!

Do you ever feel like a minnow who can't possibly go hunting a whale?  I call it the "minnow mindset," and it hits many small business owners at times.  It's the feeling that you are just too small to tackle something ten times or twenty times your average deal size.

It's not enough just to work on "confidence."  You can take actions that will help you to grow your attitude as you grow your company.
•    Learn to say "No" to sales or deals that are too small or too cheap to meet your needs
•    Develop your Whale Hunters Process--a specific sales process to go after a large account
•    Learn how big companies buy your product or service
•    Build your "boat" of subject-matter experts who will provide introductions and support—for example, your customer service manager, your banker, accountant, satisfied client

I've also written about how to live in a culture of abundance rather than a culture of scarcity.  In a culture of abundance, everyone believes that there is enough to go around and that new markets arise every day in response to new products and services.  

If you become a student of your customers—those you have today and those that you hope to have tomorrow—you will begin to break that minnow mindset.

To learn about Whale Hunting Women & to order your copy today, visit http://cli.gs/WHWEbook

Thank you for visiting this post about Barbara Weaver Smith and Whale Hunting Women.  Two people who comment during the tour will be entered a giveaway – post a comment on any post about the tour and you will be entered. The winners will win a three-volume audio set of Whale Hunters Wisdom. Volumes include I: Mind of a Hunter, II: The Hunt, and III: The Whale Hunting Culture ($90 value).

Barbara Weaver Smith's website - http://www.thewhalehunters.com

Barbara Weaver Smith's blog - http://blog.thewhalehunters.com

Order your copy of Whale Hunting Women – http://cli.gs/WHWEbook

To see the tour schedule visit http://virtualblogtour.blogspot.com/2009/04/whale-hunting-with-barbara-weaver-smith.html