How to Find the Time for Ongoing Education

News Flash: the ONLY way to be successful in your field is by constantly learning and improving.

The challenge is finding the time to do it. Today I’ll share a technique that will give you 1-2 hours per day to do exactly this. Are you ready?

According to the 2007 Harvard Health Watch, Americans on average spent 101 minutes per day driving. Here’s the question: How do you spend your time in the car?

If your answer is “I listen to music”…well, you’re like most people. So become exceptional!

If your answer is “I don’t listen to anything. I drive in absolute silence”…congratulations as well! This is a powerful technique for focusing your mind on the next task. Interspersing periods of silence with audio enrichment is a powerful combination.If your answer is “I listen to audiobooks, podcasts, and audible versions of my chosen magazines”…congratulations! You have a winning edge (but you already knew that). In one year, you will have listened to over 600 hours of pure enrichment.

Safe and enriching travels on the road ahead!

May you dream bigger, reach higher, and achieve more.

Alay

Your questions and comments are always welcome: ayajnik@focalpointcoaching.com

Coach Alay’s passion is working with business owners to grow their businesses and reclaim their time. Visit Coach Alay’s website for more business ideas: http://www.alayyajnik.com.

“Customer Satisfaction is Worthless…

…Customer Loyalty is Priceless”. That’s one of my favorite quotes by Jeffrey Gitomer.

When I ask business owners what sets them apart from their competition, many of them immediately say “we have great service”. “Really?” I reply, “that’s great to hear. How is your service different, exactly?”

The thing is, most businesses that deliver poor service last about three months. Oftentimes, business owners underestimate the quality of service provided by their competitors while overestimating the impact of their own service on their customer base. They think they’re delivering great service (and they probably are), but is the experience powerful enough to retain customers in the face of temptation?

Deliver a powerful customer experience, and you will be unstoppable

Today it’s easier than ever to get feedback on your performance. Check your online reviews and conduct surveys. Talk to your customers regularly. And when you’re ready, use service as a strategic weapon by designing and executing your customer experience. Do it right, and you will be unstoppable.

May you dream bigger, reach higher, and achieve more.

Alay

Your questions and comments are always welcome: ayajnik@focalpointcoaching.com

Coach Alay’s passion is working with business owners to grow their businesses and reclaim their quality of life. Visit Coach Alay’s website for more business ideas: http://www.alayyajnik.com.

Communication is Everything

This is the tagline of my coach (yes, I have a coach too), and it’s very true. The study of human behavior and communication can be traced back thousands of years and continues to this day (teenagers continue to mystify researchers). The models have changed over the years, but in general they are consistent in a few respects:

1. People communicate in four distinct styles
2. Although people use all four styles, most people have a dominant communication style that they use most of the time
3. The easiest way to build rapport and trust is to communicate with someone using their preferred style

It

Ever wonder why you just can’t “get through” to some people?

follows then that people build rapport quickly with those who prefer the same style (about 25%). Imagine if you could adapt your communication style to the preference of the person you are meeting, you could increase your ability to connect to higher than 75%!

I use the DISC behavior model to train my clients and their teams on recognizing these styles and adapting their communication accordingly. Utilizing a model such as DISC in your firm can help you increase sales, improve customer service, and build stronger teams. Whether you choose DISC or another tool, consider investing in your team’s communication skills. After all, business is personal.

May you dream bigger, reach higher, and achieve more.

Alay

Your questions and comments are always welcome: ayajnik@focalpointcoaching.com

Alay’s passion is working with business owners to grow their businesses and reclaim their time. Visit Coach Alay’s website for more business ideas: www.alayyajnik.com.

Get Ready, Get Set, GO-al: Do you have winning goals for 2014?

January is in the history books, and we are almost halfway through Q1. By now you have your 2014 goals and you’re feeling great about the year (if not, stop reading this and do nothing else until you write your goals!). As a savvy business owner, you know that a powerful goal gives you the winning edge by focusing your team’s attention, energy, and time. Unfortunately, many goals are low quality and lack power (i.e. lame). For example, a business may set a goal “to increase sales”. To ensure your goals will carry you and your team through 2014, check that they’re in the “SMART” format:

Specific: as clear as possible

Measurable: you have the systems in place to measure progress and achievement

Actionable: your team can act on the goal

Resourced: you have the needed resources to achieve the goal

Time-bound: the goal has a deadline

Here’s how we might SMARTen up the goal to increase sales: “We will increase our sales in 2014 by 65% over 2013.” This is now a goal that you use to plan, measure, forecast, and communicate to your team.

My very best to you and your business for 2014…may you dream bigger, reach higher, and achieve more!

Coach Alay

I invite you to e-mail your questions and comments to ayajnik@focalpointcoaching.com

Alay Yajnik is a certified business coach. Coach Alay’s passion is working with Tri-Valley business owners to grow their businesses and reclaim their time. Visit Coach Alay’s website for more business ideas: www.alayyajnik.com

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