Monday’s Question – What Makes a Guru a Guru?

September 26, 2011 by Leave a Comment

As one who works in the area of business and life coaching, this may not be the best question to ask, but here goes, “What makes a guru a guru?”

I get emails every day from people who promise (for a not so nominal fee) that they will teach me what I don’t know about something that they do. Most of the time they will provide a “free trial” but if you want the really good stuff you have to pay.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not opposed to paying people for knowledge that I need, that they have (I do that myself), but what I want to know is what makes a guru a guru? What makes their knowledge something worth paying for and how can you find out before you make your first payment?

That, my friend, is the million dollar question, right? I am hoping that the conversation that is question starts will cause people seeking to sell their knowledge and expertise to really understand what is valuable and what is fluff! Hopefully we will stop selling the fluff and only sell the value.

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Filed Under: Boomers Helping Boomers, Leadership, Monday Questions Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Small Business Blogging

January 15, 2011 by Leave a Comment

The one part of social media marketing that seems to meet with the greatest resistance among small business owners is that of creating and actively maintaining a blog. Most have at least one of three excuses:

1. I don’t know how to create/maintain a blog.
2. I don’t have the time necessary to create/maintain a blog.
3. I don’t know where to find new content for the blog.

While these excuses are worth considering (there are simple answers to all these concerns), they are, in the end, just excuses. It doesn’t take long to explain that a well thought out blog needs just a few minutes to set up, just a few hours a week to maintain, and that there is a ton of new content found in everyday living.

If you understand your business and can help your current and/or potential customers understand it better through the creation of written or video content, you can create an awesome blog. All that it takes is a willingness on your part to learn a few new things and then be consistent.

To your success ….

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Connecting to Your Customer

January 12, 2011 by Leave a Comment

I think the single most important act of business is to connect with your customer. With that accomplished, your customer will be ready and willing to consider your product/service.

In order to reach this special place of connection, you need to consider three things:

1. Who your customer is and how your relationship can benefit you both. I know, I know most sales training teach the WIIFM (what’s in it for me) method of selling, but I believe that for you to do what’s best for your customer, both of you must derive a benefit from your relationship. This type of relationship will cause you to take great care of your customer and will cause your customer to respect you because of the value you provide him.

2. Your knowledge/skill set. If you have the knowledge/skills to benefit you customer then you can act upon them in confidence. If you do not then you can spare both of you lots of misery by referring the business to someone that does!

3. What kind of continued service you are going to supply after the sale. The greatest sense of loyalty is most often achieved after the check has been cashed and the money has been spent. Do you have a system in place that actually benefits your customers after the sale? Is it consistent and repeatable?

Knowing that in the current sales climate people are looking to buy products/services from people they know, like, and trust, you have to work at building relationships harder than at any time before. Are you willing to pay this price to connect with your customer?

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