October 2009          
Greetings!

It's late October, which means it's almost time to fall back. I believe that will happen on November 1 in the early morning hours. My question for you is will you fall back with your business? Or will you be a contrarian and actually spring forward?

Many around you may be starting to slow down in anticipation of the holidays. They'll say, "It's going to be slow anyway." That will be their excuse to take it easy and fall back. I suggest you not slow down right now but instead give it all you've got until Thanksgiving. You can accomplish much between now and then if you'll put your mind to it. Have your goals written down for the month and charge! Then, rest over the long holiday weekend, watch a movie, eat great meals with family and friends, and get recharged to surge again for a few more weeks.
The Contrarian Approach to Success


When it comes to running your business, do you run with the pack? That is, do you do what everyone else is doing? Or do you run in a different direction taking advantage of opportunities others are eschewing? I read a promotion for an upcoming teleseminar on telemarketing yesterday, which made me think of doing things others aren't doing in order to be successful.

In my last career I prided myself on being successful and remaining gainfully employed because I was always willing to do what others weren't. In one sales job I was willing to work until 10 pm five nights in a row. Others were only willing to work late one or two nights. This willingness catapulted me in to a sales manager position and into the number 2 ranking on the team in a relatively short time.

In another position I was willing to take on a key relationship management role that others wanted nothing to do with. I thrived in the position others didn't want and gained a lot of valuable negotiation experience (and a promotion).

Right now, what I see other business owners unwilling to do are a couple of key marketing activities: Telemarketing and Public Speaking. These are both proven ways of promoting your products and services. I suspect that with the rise of email and social networking, these two tried and true methods are falling back in importance in owners' minds. There's also some measure of dread involved in actively using these marketing tools. Ah, but there's the opportunity. You don't have to expend as much effort to get results if there's not as much competition.

Now I know telemarketing and public speaking aren't right for every business. However, they are right for many more than are currently willing to give it a go. Where do you fall? If you would like to discuss how either or both of these contrarian tactics could work for your business, give me a call. I can help you put a plan together. If you're not a client and have never met with me, then this planning session will be on me.
What's teed up and coming soon from The Growth Coach?
Finger on a keyboard

I reached one year in business as The Growth Coach of San Mateo County this past October 1.
I am very grateful for the glorious past 12 months. I knew that going in to business full-time to help small business owners grow would be awesome and fun and it certainly has been.

Now that year 2 is underway I wanted to give some insight in to what I have teed up to deliver to clients and others in the months ahead.

First up is a pair of free seminars. On November 12th I'll present my first free Sales Training seminar through the Foster City Chamber. I've met many small business owners that have a tough time with the selling part of their job. Many don't have a sales background as I do and therefore find they're ill prepared when it comes time to make the sale. Well, that's changing in a few weeks.

Come to this seminar where I'll give attendees a primer on The Growth Coach READ sales process. Attendees will be able to use the READ process to raise their sales skills immediately. RSVP for this seminar by calling the Chamber at 650.573.7600. As always, seats are limited and it's better to reserve early.

This seminar is a taste of the new Sales Coaching program that I'm rolling out very soon. It's a 10-month program that is unlike any other sales training out there. And that's because it's training and coaching rolled together, which will make it stronger and more lasting. Come to the seminar first, then ask me about it the Sales Coaching program to majorly strengthen your sales skills.

Next up is a joint seminar with Erin Ferree of elf design on November 17th at the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce. Erin designed my twitter page and header for this newsletter among other things. Erin and I will be talking about something I touched upon in last month's newsletter and that was to have a uniform identity with all of your online presences.

In this seminar, Erin and I will discuss why having a unified online brand is so smart for your business and how you can achieve it at three differing levels of intensity. We'll give examples and answer questions. Seats for this seminar are very limited (no kidding). If you are interested, then email me ASAP.

Lastly, I have two more new group coaching/training programs coming in the new year. One will be focused on vastly improving the way you market you and your business; and the other will be for people in education that want to get their required educational credits, but do it The Growth Coach way with goals, work/life balance, and in a dynamic group setting over time. Both of these programs are going to be really powerful and I'll tell you more about them in the near future.
Time Saving Tip of the Month - Jott Voicemail

I often get calls during the day when I'm in a meeting with a client. I choose to let those calls go to voicemail to enable me to remain focused on the session in process. Sometimes I forget to check my messages until late in the day, which can be a problem. Other times I don't feel like calling the voicemail and going through the motions to listen to my messages. Are you like that?

If you are, then you're going to be intrigued by Jott voicemail. I've used Jott to add items to my Outlook Calendar and record Outlook Tasks, send texts to myself or other contacts for a long time now. However, recently I decided to flip for the few bucks a month to have their voicemail. Why?

Because you can read it! Jott takes over your voicemail, which means they transcribe voice messages and turn them in to text messages that are sent to your phone. This allows you to actually read your voicemails. Now I never miss a voicemail and I always know what the person wanted me to know before I call them back.

You may be wondering how good the transcription service is. Well, it's surprisingly good. And almost always good enough to get the gist of the message. Honestly, I won't be giving it up even though getting 3 texts for every message is kind of annoying. Hopefully they'll fix that in the future. Anyway, here's the link to learn more about Jott plans and how you can put a little more productivity in to your day. My plan is 40 messages a month for $9.95.
Thanks for reading this month's issue. Please forward it to someone else who could benefit by reading it.

I want to express my deep appreciation to those of you who are doing business with me or referring business to me. I could not be here without you. Thank you.

Remember that true fulfillment comes when you build and balance.
 
Sincerely,
 

Michael Neuendorff
The Growth Coach
Upcoming Events & other resources
Your Growth Coach
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Michael is ready to work with you to grow your business. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Let's start right now! 
 
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My Network Spotlight
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I believe in the power of a strong network and seek to  maintain it by giving referrals to professionals I know, like and trust. In each issue I spotlight people in my network. I encourage you to do business with the people listed below. If you need a product or service not featured, please contact me for a referral to a qualified professional.

Appliance Repair
AJ Appliance, Inc.
650.347.0104

Branded Promotional Products
Proforma Brand Solutions
Mark Borson
650.787.7897

Catering
Dynora Catering
Lydia Marchetti
650.255.0436

Chiropractic Care and General Wellness
Dade Donovan DC
650.348.4233

Commercial Cleaning  and Residential Carpet Cleaning
PARICLIN
Paris Millan
650.346.1320

Healthy Aging
JoAnn Quilala
650.291.1954

HR Consulting & Staffing
PAC HR Solutions
Manisha Patel
650.594.2900

Life and Long Term Care Insurance
Weezie Harwood
650.356.1075

Motivational Coaching
Positive Outcome Coaching
Leo Hirsch
650.477.2879

Small Business Brand and Logo Design
elf design
Erin Ferree
650.358.9973

Technology Support
Business and Home Computer Services
Wil Del Barrio
650.743.0976