Finish It Friday: How to Seal the Deal!

by Michelle Hill-Smith
www.OnTaskAssistants.com
www.MichelleHillSmith.com


It's Friday. Simply Friday. You've worked for 4 days straight. None stop. So, what does another day mean?

FRIDAY. For me, Friday is that day where I put my mind in "Finish" mode. Sure, most weekends, I'm still working my butt off to meet deadlines. However, recently I've been accepting the need to quit at quitting time and stop all communication until the next work week.

How do you do that if there are tons of emails to be answered, posts to be posted and calls to be made?

I can only share with you what's worked for me for the past 3 years. The 3 years prior to those 3 were filled with chaos, non-stop incompleteness and massive burn-out...each and every day.

So, here's exactly how I'm able to manage my day-to-day routine and seal the deals for Friday (which always bring in the money):

1) SCHEDULE MY WEEK

My weeks are planned out. That doesn't mean that I don't allow unscheduled tasks invaders to not jump in line. I do. However, with my scheduled week, I give everything a timeline. All of my tasks are given a day, amount of time to complete and time stamp to have them done by for each day. Unscheduled tasks or requests from my clients have to go at the end of the line. That requirement is relayed to my clients and also comes with stipulations as well.

2) DESIGNATE A COMMUNICATIONS PERIOD

The nature of my business produces a high-demand for nurturing communication. It sounds weird, I get it. However, it's true. Many of my clients like constant, direct communication from me, however, it's not always productive. My solution is to have a specific call, email response period in place. For instance, my communications period is between 9am and 10am as well as 2pm and 4pm. At this time, I do call backs, follow ups, email responses, etc. Communication is always thorough as well. This eliminates the need to go back and forth.

3) SEAL THE DEAL ON FRIDAY

Leaving money on the table will obviously leave you broke. Friday, should represent a day to sum up all that you've done in the previous days as well as making the connection with your potential customers/clients. Set Fridays as the day to focus on locking in your clients or customers. For me, this includes a call-to-action that's requested by me. I want them to make a move so I leave the ball in their court until the next week. I send them information to get started with me and/or offer to walk them through the steps on Friday. This day, gives people enough time to take action over the weekend. Fill them up with enough good information, activities and fuel in order to make the decision right then and there or by Monday.

In conclusion, sure Friday is recognized as the week's end. However, going out with a major bang could be the difference between an effective work week that brings in money or one that just trickles over to the next work week.

Make your Fridays count.

How Strategies Can Cause You to Lose Everything!

by Michelle Hill-Smith
www.OnTaskAssistants.com

Yes. You heard me clearly. Strategies can actually cause you to lose everything you've worked so hard to build. But, they can also cause you to find gold at the end of the rainbow. How is that possible you ask? 

A simple theory deserves a simple answer. 

When devising a plan that includes a number of steps in order to achieve something it requires transitions and executions that are clear, concise and logical. Not clearly estimating your next move, taking the wrong step or heading in the wrong direction on a path that has been drawn out and successfully proven can either alter your route or completely wipe it out.



That path is your strategy.

At this point in both my personal and business life, I am making a few major changes that will affect the way I live and the way I do business.

That's actually pretty life changing, considering everything that I do now is centered around those two elements. One of the strategies I've taken on (which I must say is pretty drastic) is to pay off any lingering debt in a very small amount of time. Now, some of you may say, if funds aren't sufficient enough to even make ends meet on time, how is it even possible to do a speedy debt-erase?

I'm not crazy. I thought about the same thing. However, I also considered the track I've been on for the past 2 months which is pretty good. My bills are caught up and my funds are steady. So, I began thinking of a fool proof way to make a hefty purchase for some software that will help my business in so many wonderful ways.

I begin thinking about the strategy I'll use to get my purchase without ruining my life or my business. The scary thought and realistic factor is that I'm not certain how long my funds will be steady. In these last couple of months there were sooooo many things arising in our family life that required large amounts of money each time to take care of them. However, by the grace of God we were able to bounce back and get on track.

Having confidence in your own strategy.

Many of you know that I work with aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners day in and day out. Therefore, I get to hear a lot of success and failure stories. Often times, I hear more failure stories than success stories. The success stories are pretty simple. Straight to the point. The ones that have them, are your typical, high level of patience king or queen. They are very detail oriented and gravely afraid of errors.

Now, the stories of failure are always coming from those that followed the wrong person, created an entrance or exit strategy with no backbone or guts or they just failed to create one all together. 

Obviously, that's a definite road to failure. But, what about those that actually spend countless hours trying to figure out the best way to go about something only to end up losing it all anyway...after the fact?

How is it possible to have a bad strategy? Simple. A bad strategy is one that is filled with reality and delusion. You can't have the two. Sometimes, we want something so bad, we're willing to allow our minds to become filled with possibilities instead of realities. It causes a shift on our routes to our goals that actually begin to look doable. This means that we think about something so much until we start to see it and eventually believe it can be done.

What a setup! Plans have to have room for error and obstacles. However, just like the steps you'd take to achieve your goals need to make sense, the errors and obstacles you may possibly encounter need to do the same. For instance, if I'm walking on a tight rope right above a puddle of muddy water, 2 miles away from an ocean. I shouldn't expect to fall in the ocean if it's 2 miles away. Unless I'm flying. I think you get my point.

You see, even though we may follow a strategy and get what we want with success, it doesn't guarantee a complete dodging of the possible consequences that may come after. That's the game you play when you have to make decisions. This is why it's important to create strategies that make sense.

There were exactly 3 strategies I conjured up in hopes of one of them being the smarter and most beneficial route to my new purchase.

STRATEGY 1:  Put away a medium amount of money a week which will lead to being able to purchase my software faster. 
POSSIBLE DOWNFALL: I would have to have a tight 2 weeks of not spending extra funds due to the 1st of the month being near the time I would be able to make the purchase.

STRATEGY 2: Make the purchase right out by using a lump sum of funds.
POSSIBLE DOWNFALL: Depletion of extra funds causing no funds for the week and week's end.


STRATEGY 3: Put away small amounts of money until I am able to make my purchase 3 months from now.
POSSIBLE DOWNFALL: Temptation to periodically use the funds for something else resulting in having to start over each time. This will lead to a high possibility in me giving up all together.

By now, I'm sure you've figured out that having a strategy, will not cause you to lose everything. Or will it? It's really a catch 22. Outlining a strategy is one of the most perfect ways to meet a gratifying end. But, I will warn you that though gratifying, consequences are almost always there to greet you at the end if desperation had its hand in it.

What do you think? How would you handle this situation? Share your experiences and thoughts. Maybe it will help me make the right decision. ;)

Why Your Success is on Hold

by Michelle Hill-Smith www.OnTaskAssistants.com

I HAD A REVELATION.  Just like many people, I spent a lot of my life struggling through decisions. I wanted success but didn’t know how to get there without the bumps and bruises along the way. I was always so determined to “make it” without having to endure the necessary hardships that were sure to be along the path of “making it.”

THAT WAS THE PROBLEM.  My goals were large. My standards were high. My resources were none. My connections were nil. It really wasn’t a good combination to begin with.  Boy, did I waste a lot of my time and the time of others that I wanted to be apart of my success. Once I figured out that in order to have the success I was looking for, I had to have a strategy to get there. Then, a plan was born. Granted, it took 8 years for me to get to this point, however, I am here when it’s time for me to be here.

You see, often times, we regret the struggle. We regret the pain, confusion, “wrong turns” we take and bad investments we make. We always feel that if we would’ve done “this or that” a certain way, things would’ve turned out better or success would’ve come sooner.

  

IT’S CALLED BEING DELUSIONAL  That’s right…delusional. It was my middle name for a very long time. I’m always reminded of what my Mother says quite often in her Jamaican dialect “Nothing ever happens before it’s time.” This simply means that everything in the universe has a time to be born. Your dreams, your ambitions, your trials, your tribulations, YOUR SUCCESS will all be delivered to you when you are ready to handle it. All the hurt, all the pain, all the “bad” decisions are assigned to you because you were divinely equipped to handle them. It’s God’s way of molding you for what He has in store.

The way of the universe allows us to go through things in order to be molded and prepared for what’s to come next.  Your success is on hold because you’re wallowing in your regrets.  You stopped the launch for your business or movement because you’re dwelling in the past and constantly reminding yourself of all the time “you feel” you’ve wasted. You’re exact thoughts are “Look at what happen last time. If I don’t choose this opportunity or make the decision fast enough, my success would never come.” Patience and proper planning is surely a virtue.

I NOW HAVE AND UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF AN ORGANIZED STRATEGY, SUPPORT TEAM AND SUCCESS SYSTEM!  At this stage in my life, after all the drama, confusion, hurt, pain, bad deals and investments, blah, blah, blah, now it’s quite simple.

1) I identified where I wanted to be financially and the reasons I need to be there.

2) I developed a strategy that involves every aspect of my business and career path that would easily flow together, combine well and be understood by my audience and followers.

3) I plugged into a proven system that has all the components needed to not only bring success for me financially, but can also enhance the value of my business and career as a business launch and productivity expert.

I MADE THE DECISION.  As you can see, it all fits together for me. I decided that I didn’t want to do the same thing, following the same strategy for my business‘ growth for the next 5 years. I wanted and needed to step out of my box and do something different.

Your success doesn’t have to be on hold. I encourage you to develop a strategy. If you’re interested in a system for your success but you’re not sure how it can tie into what you’re already doing, consider enhancing your current business or lifestyle to include this new system or venture. It’s important that you get the support of a mentor that can guide you in the right direction. Plug into a system that has a proven track record and can bring you the results you’re looking for in order to get to the next level in your life or business. I did it and I know you can as well.

Here’s to your new found strategy and success!

Michelle Hill-Smith

Mission vs. Vision: Have you created your vision?

by Michelle Hill-Smith
www.OnTaskAssistants.com

Good Morning, Great Morning! TODAY IS FAMOUS FRIDAY and I'm excited about new things for my business today in preparation for the upcoming week. New clients, new structures and programs, new equipment and new vision! It took me 3 years to learn that if we are unable to move forward with our visions for our businesses, we remain stuck. If we can't remain excited about our business, then it's possible that the mission has been deterred.

Phase two of this trauma is that we become afraid of change which makes it more difficult to earn more and grow. Many people are afraid of the unknown which literally drives them to failure.

I dare you to get excited again! Refresh your organization. Recharge your mind and heart, start building a success team and MOVE FORWARD TOWARDS SUCCESS!

So, here's the punchline: If you have a mission statement for your business without a vision statement, it shows that the direction and growth of your business has not yet been developed or completely thought out. They are created to clearly and concisely convey the direction of your business.

Your vision needs to include your business' embrace of the advancement of technology in the 21st century, the rise of social media and your adaptation to working virtually for the betterment of the earth and productivity of your business. 

For example, the vision at our company (in short) is to simply support clients on a national level and become the number one, highly preferred company (a household name) to provide operational support and consultation to entrepreneurs and businesses on every level. Phase two of our vision is to be able to provide a strong work-from-home platform as well as nationwide locations that will allow people to provide their skills and talents in assisting other businesses with their operations, growth and success.

Think of it this way: Your vision statement is for the future. Your mission statement is for the "now" and helps to define your company's purpose and primary objectives. Your vision statement also defines the purpose, but the purpose is now outlining the future of your company. Ask yourself where do you want to see it in 5, 10, 50 years down the line.

Here is a really cool article I found to help you in preparing both: HERE

It's really important to be able to go back and revisit these components for your business every now and then. They allow you to determine if you're following your master plan. It's your blueprint to guide you in following through and accomplishing what you set for the vision of your company.

Become a Smarter Business in 2012!

by Michelle Hill-Smith
www.OnTaskAssistants.com


As a small business owner in a failing economy, eliminating unnecessary expenses in overhead and operations is one of the sure ways to keep your business afloat. Making this decision is critical to your success. Revamping your business to fit the “Go Virtual” business model should be the first step taken in operating your “Smarter Business.”  Choosing this type of model doesn’t have to mean a major re-writing of your business plan or taking out a small business loan.

This is actually fairly easy and simply requires that you retire the ice-age methods for production and implement 21st Century communication technologies.

Times have definitely changed and all for more productivity, simplicity and a better ozone layer.  Today, many small business owners are able to run a full operation from the comfort of their own homes cutting overhead expenses by nearly 60%.  With major cutbacks in space, leasing fees, property taxes, signage, hardware and furniture, unproductive staff, and utilities, not only are you spending thousands of dollars on the machinery, software, office space and more, the cost of managing other bodies and their needs is quite costly as well.

For this very reason, working with what is known as a Virtual Assistant or Business Support Specialist is one of the smarter ways to do business. However, working with any ole' VA just won't do. Ensure that you check out their expertise, the credentials and most importantly, their compatibility and ability to work with you and provide ALL of your business needs. Find out how they're operating their own business. What systems are they using, if any at all. An additional observation needs to be on the professionalism, organization and reputation of their company. Not only is working with a proficient and passionate individual or team crucial for your own productivity, but it’s also a smart starting point to establishing  better systems for your business.

The benefits of working with a virtual team are endless. From helping you run your office, keeping track of customers, freeing you to gain more productivity to build revenue and much more, a strong team can be the difference between success and failure.  In many cases, your virtual assistant or team will be more proficient than you at certain tasks, and will be able to complete them with greater accuracy and in less time than if you did them yourself.  Because as business owners, we tend to where many hats, even those that are not our type or color, we become severely overwhelmed, confused and unproductive. This costs us tons of time, money and ultimately customers.

Solve this problem by learning to delegate some of your time-consuming projects and activities. If you’re worried about training your new Virtual Assistant or Team to do what you need, keep in mind that they specialize in office management, social media, creative design and many other areas in small business marketing, productivity and operations. Your colleagues are already making strides towards modernized productivity which is to Go-Virtual. Do some research and learn how you to can eliminate issues with time management, high cost of doing business and become a Smarter Business in 2012!

Are you a Messy Marketer?

by Michelle Hill-Smith
www.OnTaskAssistants.com

That's right! A messy marketer. What is that you ask? Well, first things first. Are you marketing your business? Are you even ready to market your business? Okay, final question, is your business MARKETING YOU?

I'm sure these questions can be answered honestly and thoroughly after this article. When I first began my journey in business, the one thing that put fear in my heart was the thought of having to market my business. I created an awesome venture that was sure to draw many customers my way without me having to do anything.  Yeah. I was a bit delusional. To make a very long story short, after a traumatizing 98% rejection rate, I learned the hard way that there were many things involve in not only running a business but also in marketing it as well.

Ask yourself the following questions. And in asking yourself, be honest and thorough. Don't be afraid of the outcome. Whether good or bad, there is no outcast plaque waiting for you at the end.

1) What is your message? Your message needs to entail your brand and purpose. What is it that you want to people to see and understand and soon as they see your logo?
2) What is your style of prospecting? Are you a "here's my card/flyer" type of prospector that doesn't provide any verbal communication? Are you the "I'd love to tell you more about what I do/sell" type of prospector?

If you were able to answer honestly to the above questions with 100% acceptance that you may not be doing all you can to win the hearts of your potential consumers, then you're already half way there. Being a messy marketer means that from head to toe, the image of your business (your brand, personal appearance, content/copy, etc) has taken the back burner. A typical example of a messy marketer is:

1) Someone who never has business cards on them;
2) Business cards with outdated/incorrect information;
3) Someone who pushes the price of a product and not the benefit of the product;
4) Someone who has a great marketing plan or product and does nothing to inform the world about it.

The list goes on and on. But, for the sake of time, I'll say this. Get determined to experience success within the next few months. Develop your product/service. Learn all the definitions, benefits and success stories of your product/service. Get equipped with all the necessary business collateral that goes with your product or service. TAKE THE TIME to Develop your social media sites, websites, flyers, postcards, business cards and most importantly...YOU! Become believable, genuine and authentic in your approach. You don't have to lie to make the sale. You don't have to be pushy to be a business person or sales person. You only need to be you. An Organized Marketer that is interested in a person's "possible" use for their product or service is always the winner. You're prepared and ready to respect the consumer with your approach as a business professional.

As an Organized Marketer, you know your product or service inside out. You know your prospect/target market inside and out. You respect their needs, space and time. An organized marketer always wins!