FMWalsh and Associates » Business Development

Entrepreneurial Motivation!

fiona — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:26:09 +0000

Just read one of my favorite articles in Bloomberg Business week: America’s Most Promising Startups

Love some the ideas, some of them not so much. But I always find this slide show good for a big dose of motivation!

What words are you using?

fiona — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 01:33:59 +0000

We fill our days with words yet do we spend much time really thinking about how we might say what we want to, more effectively, by choosing different words? Watch this.

Wondering about social media?

fiona — Sun, 13 Feb 2011 17:04:59 +0000

Thanks to Rob Werner, my friend over at PocketPollster who sent me this eye-opening presentation on Social Media.

See it for yourself here. I was surprised by some of this information!

Why in Such a Rush?

fiona — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 15:00:42 +0000

I recently read a great article from Flying Solo that proclaims some of the most successful entrepreneurs became so later in life. This is such an enlightening change of thought as we live in a culture where we try to accomplish everything right now. Colonel Sanders began KFC while he was in his sixties, and Ray Kroc launched the first McDonald’s franchise when he was firfty-nine. Most results we are looking for in business come when we least expect them, so just enjoy the ride! Remember, you don’t need to accomplish everything right at this very moment, you have lots of time ahead of yourself to create successful businesses. You can read the whole article here: In Praise of Blooming Late.

Looking for new customers?

fiona — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 16:00:21 +0000

What do you want for Christmas?… new customers? Well, you’re in luck! As a business development specialist, one of the main questions I get asked is “how do I find new customers?” Here is a coles notes version of my answer:

Become crystal clear on who your ideal customer is
Discover where your ideal customers hang out
Get in front of your prospects
Follow up on your leads

To read more about the process to finding new customers, check out my latest article in Make it Business Magazine.

What’s Ahead For You?

fiona — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 15:00:21 +0000

It’s that time of year again, when we’re looking ahead to the new year pondering what our business will look like or deciding what type of business to start. To determine which actions to take in business, you have to take a look back at what mistakes and successes you had, but also look to what is driving change. Entrepreneur Magazine has compiled 10 trends that will define opportunities in 2011, ranging from home repairs to the mancession. This is a must read article for any business owner or decision maker: The Disrupters: Forces Driving Change in 2011.

Be Your Own Chief Networking Officer

fiona — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 16:00:01 +0000

There’s a new position opening in many large companies: the Chief Networking Officer (CNO). Do you need someone to fill this position? Or can you do it within your company? The role of the CNO is to mainly build word-of-mouth referrals. Here are a few ways you can be your own CNO:

Participate! Go to a few networking events each month. Strategically choose which events to go to and whom you want to meet. After you’ve met some new contacts and prospects, be sure to follow up. Set up a coffee or lunch with some of your prospects to learn about their business and how you can support them.
Maintain! To keep on top of people’s minds, you need to maintain the relationship. Make a point of calling a few contacts each week to touch base or send out a greeting card a few times throughout the year. Keep in touch regularly! It’s just as important to maintain relationships as it is to generate referrals.
Be thankful! Be sure to always thank your referral source and make sure they know that their contribution was appreciated.

So, there you have it, be your own CNO by creating and maintaining relationships. I know that many of you have already heard this advice a few times – so go out and actually implement it!

Who Can I Blame?

fiona — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:15:01 +0000

Anne is highly organized and works hard at her job. She has a good head for business and should be earmarked for leadership development in her company. But there is one major obstacle in front of her that needs to be addressed before she can be promoted to handle more responsibility.

Anne is bright and easily sees the big strategic picture for growing the business. But she is also judgmental and holds grudges. When co-workers do things she doesn’t approve of, she stops speaking to them. Instead of seeing her potential and what she contributes to the success of the company, people see someone who is “moody”.

When a mentor recently took her aside to speak to her about this perception and made suggestions on how to improve her professional reputation, instead of listening and taking the advice on board, Anne went on the hunt to find out who had “ratted” on her. She missed the whole point of the lesson the mentor was trying to teach her.

If you constantly blame other people and point out their faults, you are only hurting your own chances of success. Highly successful business people focus on what they can control and work hard to create success for themselves and the team around them. They take responsibility for building a strong reputation for themselves and realize that working well with others is a key component for good leadership.

Float A New Boat

fiona — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 15:49:58 +0000

“Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.”

– Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway, CEO

Are you patching the same leaks in your life or business over and over? Too many of us turn a blind eye to stuff that isn’t working well for us, chronically thinking that if we just work harder, try harder, get better at ________, things will change.

This kind of approach doesn’t work. If I dropped you right now into a leaking rowboat, chances are you would immediately jump out of it and find a new boat to journey in. Why is life any different?

Use that survival instinct to your advantage. Take a long look at stuff that isn’t working for you any longer and jettison it. Life is brief and too many of us waste precious days putting up with stuff that isn’t good for us. So take action today, and get rid of one thing you’ve been trying to patch for too long. Go float a new boat!

The Dumbwaiter Pitch!

fiona — Tue, 18 May 2010 15:02:05 +0000

Just read this marvelous article at Harvard Business Review - ‘Forget Your Elevator Pitch – What’s Your Dumbwaiter Pitch?’ Author Umair Haque argues that a Dumbwaiter Pitch packs more punch than an elevator pitch.

What is a Dumbwaiter pitch? It’s the one-word description of your business that tells people what you do. He has some great examples of what doesn’t work. And some that work extraordinarily well. Have a read and see what you come up with for your dumbwaiter pitch!