Your 5 Pound Rock

So....a friend had a rock thrown through the sign at the front of his business....
Not having changed or updated the sign in the past few years, this rock, while a giant pain.....expensive one too, gave my friend the opportunity to step back and make a change to the sign that more completely explains his business focus.

You are asking why is this important? Well, for my friend, his business has evolved, and he was presented with the opportunity to make a significant step into the future.

What does it take for you to step back and look at your business, your sign, your process, your business plan.....(I could go on but I think you get the gist of this!)....Do you need a 5-lb rock or can you build this into your plan for each monthly review?

I have to thank my friend and his rock.....funny enough, he helped me move my business forward to clearly identify myself and how I can help leaders. And he did it sans rock (I am sure there is a whole other story here..)

Check out the new website at www.loracrestan.com - live and large!

How Do You Keep Relationships Going?

With all the opportunities to gather communities around yourself - Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google+ YouTube and more....how do you keep all of these relationships in motion?

It is not easy.  Start with understanding why you are building relationships this way....or are you really?  Some people gather as many connections/contacts/friends as they can without purpose.  Well, I guess that is not quite true - the purpose they have is to get the most...instead of the best.

What does that mean?  Those who have the most do not necessarily have the best relationships.  In fact, they may struggle understanding how they met someone at all.

Keeping relationships going to critical to success in building your business and developing a client base.  How you interact with your connections/friends/followers, really can help spread the word for you and your business.  By not communicating, not providing introductions (because although they are on your contact list, you do not know them) does nothing but erode your brand...and online - what else do you actually have?

Pay attention to the relationships....if you are only in the gathering business, be up front about it.

Pay attention to the relationships....if you are only going to sell, then say so.

Pay attention to the relationships....it is your brand on the line.

The Solstice Arrives

Late tonight the Winter Solstice arrives.  This is always a special time for me to reflect on my business.  The solstice is the time where the sun reaches the southernmost point over the northern hemisphere - as far away as it can get.

We named this coaching practice after the Solstice because of the measure of the sun...how the earth turns toward and away from the sun at different points....but always turning and always changing and ever growing and finding new ways to see each other. 

In essence, this is what coaching does for my clients.  New ways to see, new ways to change, new perspectives on distance and changes that happen so quickly in business - which really has a seasonal flow to it, just as the sun and the earth do.

Celebrate the changes.  Celebrate the season.  Learn more about Solstice Group:  Coaching for Entrepreneurs & Executives.  After all - the new year is just around the corner.

2012 Marketing Blueprint

I mentioned that I was thinking a lot about my business.  I have worked hard to develop an easy process so that I can marry my business goals to marketing in an easy-to-do, easy-to-track manner.  Here is it....
and I am giving it to you.
I will be hosting a LIVE Workshop and online webinars this month to share my SECRET  - I have finally put it on paper in a step-by-step order so that I can share it with you.
Join me - there are a variety of dates and times available...even time for private sessions in your office.
Of course, I have one date in January, in case you are behind in this planning.

Why did I develop this?  I have found that many business leaders use the plan in their heads and hopefully find some way to tell the world about it.  Not only for marketing, but also for their business plan - where are the focus areas, who are the key target markets, what are the key focus products/services...many companies do not have this plan on paper.  Why not?  Never did it before, is the usual answer I get.

Learn more about the 2012 Marketing Blueprint. - see how this can change your business!

The Perfect Profile

So how do you make sure that you are the person in the middle with all the connections?
If you are not on LinkedIn or a struggling to figure it out, I am hosting a Virtual Learning Day on July 26th.  From the comfort of your home or office, you can learn to leverage LinkedIn for your business.

I love using LinkedIn.  It has helped me connect with prospects and clients both locally and around the globe.  I have found like-minded people where I can share ideas and learn - for business and topics of interest.  I have also found friends and past colleagues and it is a great way to stay in touch - on a professional level as well as a personal level - and to pass along referrals whenever I can.

A virtual day is an awesome tool that I learned from my friend Michele Scism at http://www.decisiveminds.com/ .  Together, we will work through the tabs on LinkedIn and you will actually have time during the call to implement the strategies and tips that I will show you LIVE from my screen and my profile.

Read more about the LinkedIn Virtual Day here:  Click Please

You will be happy you did! Plus, there are a couple of awesome bonuses that you won't want to miss.

Why Do I Have a Coach?

Funny, I was asked that today. In fact I have more than one. I have one for my business, and one for marketing + I have a mentor. It helps me develop my skills in these areas. These coaches still ask questions and invite me to shift my thinking and my ways to move my business forward....being an entrepreneur and a coach, I need help with these perspectives too. And it works.

It is funny when clients wonder why I have a coach. I may not be an expert in everything, except I am an expert in creating the shift for you with questions, challenges, options and new perspectives. I am also really good ( I am told) at putting your challenges and goals into succinct phrases that encapsulate your thoughts. It's how I work.


So the answer is...just like a coach makes an athlete better through specific and measured focus, so do I need this specific measured focus and it is what I will do for you and your business.