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Yes, you can have it all: A successful business and great personal relationships!

• Belinda Nell
• September 22, 2020

Is the day-to-day running of your business causing unnecessary strain on your relationships with the people you care about most –  your spouse, your son or daughter or a close family member?

Are red flags appearing before your eyes when you read things like:

• I don’t have enough time in the day … my business consumes me.
• I feel that my husband / wife’s business is more important than me, what do I do?
• If it is to be it is up to me!
• I resent it that my partner doesn’t involve me in the business decision making process. These decisions could severely impact our lifestyle ….

Running a business can be daunting at times.

Mental, physical, and emotional stress or fatigue is known to bring out the worst in one’s character and often leads to a communication breakdown – in the workplace and at home.

But there is help …

Conducting an audit on your personal lifestyle can help you identify how to better manage your business and your personal relationships.

Consider the following:

1. Analyze your goals and commitments.

Often, business owners are married to their business as well as their partners.  It takes commitment, communication and team work to make a relationship work.

You must communicate openly with your business partner, involve them in the decision-making process and ensuring that your business goals are aligned?

2. Identify the source and address the fear that causes your stress:

Not all fears or stress are the same! Some fears can inhibit business owners from acting whilst others can be the driving force for change and growth!

Sources of fear or stress can be:

• Financial and cashflow concerns about the business
• Being the leader and taking bold action to manage the business
• Fear about the future longevity of the business
• Threats to the self-esteem of the business owner

An article published in the Harvard Business Review defined the fear of failure as “a temporary cognitive and emotional reaction to a threat to potential achievement. Fear of failure is a state rather than a trait” Remember that!

3. Begin by managing your time wisely and work smarter, not harder.

Yes, life and unforeseen circumstances do happen – the key is to bounce back with a plan. Allocate your business and personal hours and stick to those hours! Easier said than done, right!

Not enough hours in the day?  Yes, there are.

Review your current business systems then test, measure, and adjust them accordingly.  You will soon see how much free time you will have once your systems start working for you.

4. Invest in a support system for your business

I am privileged to have worked with many family-owned businesses throughout my career as a business coach. I help successful businesses owners grow their teams so they can work on their own personal development.

One of the most important benefits of business coaching is that it frees up your time! Time for your family, time for a holiday, time to develop meaningful relationships and time for self-development. The focus is on what is urgent and what is important, or both.

By investing in business coaching, entrepreneurs and business owners alike have realized how the proven framework and strategies have benefited their lifestyles. I have helped many clients and shown them how to

• Overcome their fears about business
• Implement the critical systems and controls
• Lead and manage their people
• Develop a business plan to grow their businesses

Do you need more time to manage your life and still focus on your business priorities?

Connect with me today to book a complimentary discovery call and consultation session. 

You won’t regret it!

Yours in great business,

Coach Bert

bertweenink@actioncoach.com

3 Ways to Maximize Your Marketing

• Belinda Nell
• August 24, 2020

The lockdown of our economy  made business owners and marketing managers rethink the way marketing is done and how to attract new customers.

Many small business owners have traditionally relied on word of mouth referrals and networking events but now have to look elsewhere for new prospects and customers. Social distancing has forced many of these events to convert to virtual platforms which resulted in a prolonged sales process.

Business owners have started to realize how important digital marketing is in their marketing strategies and we know that more consumers moved to online shopping.

In lockdown consumers became more active on social media platforms via their smart phones.

3 ways to will help you maximize your marketing investment going forward:

1. Optimize Your Digital Marketing

To optimize your marketing on all digital platforms you should consider some of the latest changes and trends. This includes regularly putting out quality content, that is of value to prospects.

Also ask yourself the question how can we take advantage of all the time people are spending consuming social media and how can we enhance our engagement?

Other areas that need your attention would be SEO as search engine behaviours might change, for instance, blogs are more popular.

Over time the engagement in social media is changing and according data from Sprout Social, social posts across networks and industries received 7.3 times more engagements per post per day in April 2020 when compared to March 2020.

2. Your Businesses must walk the walk

Yes, customer reviews are important and consumers are more inclined to listen to what a customer’s say of us that what we claim we do.

Reviews and testimonials are important from a credibility perspective when you want to stress how great your customer service is. An even better alternative will be to capture those reviews or testimonials in a short video recording and use that on your website and social media.

Businesses that have reached out personally to customers and clients for feedback are getting it. Communicate consistently and be transparent, honest and comforting.

Consumers today want to feel safe and they want to fulfil their basic social needs, like meeting with family and friends, now. Ask yourself; what problem do consumers have, what do you have that can alleviate this problem and how do consumers go about obtaining your solution?

We know that businesses that care about their employees and the world at large, not just their customers, are seen to be deeply credible.

3. Your Website is Your Shop Window:

So, what should you do with your website? It is vital that is it up to date and your message is clear… Look at your landing pages and website content, is it still relevant? If not, review and adjust accordingly. Remember, simplicity is key!

Ask yourself how you can increase your digital footprint? Continued focus on SEO strategies will pay off but it isn’t a quick fix.

Consider new developments and make your offering easy to buy. For instance, does your website have live chat (if appropriate) a clear call to action and phone number and a contact form?

How accessible is your business? Is it designed for e-commerce and how do you ensure delivery? Is it click and collect, are you using your own transport or outsourcing to third parties and is that process explained on the website?

Lastly, it is important that you conserve cash for marketing.

It might not be easy but you just might want to reduce unnecessary expenses for now in order to seize marketing opportunities in the future.

Remember that your current marketing and advertising choices will determine how well your business bounces back.

It is of critical importance to question what the right messages are in a post COVID-19 economy. What is sensitive and what do people want to hear right now to address their needs and wants?

Remember that your target audience might resist being overly marketed to. Simply put, the only thing people are curious about now is survival, so what is it about your brand that will enable them to do so and how do you enlighten them?

Now more than ever, the keystone of your marketing campaigns should be based on empathy and authenticity.

Points to ponder:

Is your business seen as a caring ally to your prospects and customers?

Remember that commitment from customers only occurs when the foundation of familiarity and trust is built.

Remember that as business owner you have to ensure that your marketing spend gets a return. If you marketing investment does not deliver a profitable return it’s up to you to make the changes.

Marketing is an art and is continuously evolving according to trends and to competition. How well you market determines your lead generation, sales, overall market share, etc.

One must be prepared to learn and adapt to change – or face being left behind.  A notable case in point is Skype.

Skype has been around for 17 years, yet the company did not adapt their messaging or evolve with their consumers, so what is the most used platform for virtual connection today – Zoom!

Do not let your business become redundant or left behind or follow in Blackberry, Nokia or Skype’s footsteps – get your marketing messaging right, engage with your consumers, stay innovative and ahead of the competition, create that workable sales funnel and start reaping the benefits today.

Always remember, a business coach is your best ally and can guide you in ensuring your business messaging, marketing strategies or objectives compliments your business to ensure it will survive and thrive.

Connect with me to set up your one hour free business consultation today: actioncoach@bertweenink.com

Yours in great business,

Coach Bert

www.bertweenink.com

Did Video Really Kill The Radio Star?

• Belinda Nell
• August 20, 2020

Did Buggles really know the impact technology would have on the world when they penned the lyrics to Video Killed the Radio Star way back in 1978?

 Yes, we all know that Marketing is always evolving in innovative ways and what works well for you or in your business, might not work as well for your competitors offering.

Do not put all your eggs in one basket!

Effective marketing is a combination of two or more strategies working in harmony to generate more quality target market leads for your business.

Through testing and measuring different combinations you can determine which adds more value to your business and achieves the results you want.

Not sure where or how to begin?

Take a step back, think about and focus on the needs of your ideal customer and how you can add value to their lives by solving their problem/s.

What is the easiest way to reach your customer?

There are many strategies to choose from. Given that video marketing is trending…  let’s examine this fun strategy!

Did you know: watching a video will entice 85% of viewers to engage with your business with the intent of making a purchase or to inquire about your offering?

Visual communication attracts more attention and can affect a person’s attitude towards your product or service offering.

Notably, posts with a combination of both content and visual imagery produce 180% more engagement than singular posts.

The above data provided by HubSpot reiterates how important video marketing is and how the effectiveness is increased when used in conjunction with other strategies.

 Make more sense by saving cents – now that’s great business sense!

Think about it.

Video marketing pros far outweigh the cons. It is relatively cheap and easy to produce, you only need to plan the content or the script, have the correct equipment on hand and data to upload your videos onto various platforms.

You control the visibility of the video throughout the duration of your campaign and can reuse the material in the future if need be.

Compared to creating a radio ad which is dependent on various factors such as; production costs, radio advertising rates, ad timing and material lifespan and radio listener-ship – it makes more sense and you have more control and access to your content.

Are you resistant to the Marketing Revolution?

You must embrace this change. Resistance is futile and it creates a much larger risk… the risk of business failure.

Need help getting your creative ducks in a row and empowering yourself with the marketing know-how?

We have just the thing for you … our next MarketingRICH bootcamp!

It covers everything you need to know in order to start implementing results based marketing in your business. After all, you need to generate those leads and grow your profits.

Here’s what participants are saying about the value they received from the bootcamp:

“The highlight for me is that there is a ton of useful information to use and a lot to learn.” Marezanne Willemse , Varing Kwekery / Bark Unlimited Organics

 ‘We are given sound advice and there is a sense of community.” Tony Sham, Interactive Direct

Are you innovative in your marketing approach?

Connect with me today for more bootcamp information or to discover how business coaching can add value and grow your business: actioncoach@bertweenink.com

Yours in great business,

Coach Bert

www.bertweenink.com

Say YES to life in spite of everything in 2020.

• Belinda Nell
• August 17, 2020

Sometimes, we all find ourselves in an emotional and motivational slump and it’s probably even more so during the last few months of 2020.

You feel frustrated and worried as nothing is going to plan in our businesses and in the economy.

Yes, there are only so many motivational quotes and posters one can read to try stay inspired.

In times like these, I am reminded of Stephen Covey’s concept of the Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence from his book – The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.

For those who are unfamiliar with this concept: within the Circle of Influence, at the centre, lies a smaller Circle of Control.

These are all the aspects in life that we can personally control from our words, to our actions, to what we think and whom we associate ourselves with.

On the outskirts of the Circle of Control is our Circle of Influence.

In this circle lies our work ethics, our businesses and our health – everything in life which we can somewhat gain control over. Our Circle of Concern is the outermost circle.

It contains everything we as individuals cannot control such as; the economy, the government, natural disasters and so forth.

So, to simplify the concept: if you work hard on yourself and what you can control within the Circle of Control and Influence, that circle will eventually expand and reduce the negative stresses derived from the Circle of Concern.

However, if you only focus on the Circle of Concern and waste time and energy on things that are beyond your control, your Circle of Influence shrinks.

Where you focus your energy and time will determine your level of stress and whether you are a proactive or reactive person.

Here are a number of ways in which you can become more proactive and expand your Circle of Control or Influence personally and professionally:

• Avoid negative social media posts or articles – these are known to affect your mind-set and nowadays it is getting harder to determine fact from fiction on the social media platforms.
• Prioritize and plan your time wisely. Start by identifying the time of day when you the most productive and schedule your tasks according to your productivity levels in order to accomplish your daily goals.
• Surround yourself with positive people or knowledgeable people who will keep you inspired. Leverage off their energy and skills and learn from them.
• Identify the problems which you can control and influence or solve. If you need support or help don’t be afraid to reach out to those that can help you. Even the most vulnerable of people have become successful once they embraced their vulnerability.
• Attend impactful webinars that will add value to your life – for business as well as recreational purposes. There are many pearls of wisdom to be found in webinars hosted by reputable training companies and coaches.
• Look after your mental and physical well-being. Your health is in your hands. If you do not have good health this will have negative repercussions on your life and your Circle of Influence for many months or years to come.

Obviously, practice makes perfect and you need to apply yourself in order to achieve a proactive frame of mind.

Do things one step at a time.

Remember what Victor Frankl said, “we give life meaning through our actions, but also through loving and, finally through suffering”. It is always possible to say yes to life.

Need help to stay inspired, become more proactive in your business and expand your Circle of Influence?

Complete the Get My Business Booming Survey and qualify for a one hour free business strategy consultation: or connect with me directly via email: bertweenink@actioncoach.com

Yours in great business,

Coach Bert.

Who supports business leaders in their time of need?

• Bert Weenink
• August 6, 2020

I just googled that question – no relevant content appeared on the first page of Google.

I only found articles on the 5 or 12 things leaders should be doing, right now, to support their team and lead their business to success. I also found what employees really need to hear from leaders right now and how leaders need to support their employees.

6 Valuable Marketing Tips for Business Owners

• Bert Weenink
• June 23, 2020

Managing your family business or any type of business can be challenging and daunting at times.

One of the biggest obstacles most SME’s face is managing a healthy cashflow. We also know that increasing sales or profits by creating a workable sales funnel through improved marketing outputs is vital to attract new customers and closing more sales.

Business owners may experience a lag or a loss of effectiveness in their current strategies that have been used repeatedly throughout the years.

Why Business Coaching doesn’t work!

• Bert Weenink
• June 2, 2020

Numerous publications available online claim that business coaching just does not work – it will be easier to disregard the idea and continue with the search to find other ways of taking your business to the next level.

BUT… did you know that even the most successful business owners of today make use of the services of a business coach because they recognize the value of coaching?

From Good To Great

• Bert Weenink
• February 14, 2020

Regular planning and thinking time is your key to success

Marketing Tips for Your Family-Owned Businesses

• Bert Weenink
• July 22, 2019

Managing your family business is sometimes just plain hard work.