It has been is an incredibly cold and snowy winter so far! Even though I live on a mountain near a ski resort, winter is not my season. Therefore, it’s a good time for me to stay in and get things organized.

I’ve gone through my file drawers, cabinets and storage closets. I’ve shredded, thrown out, arranged and rearranged. I still have some things to get put into notebooks, as well as some bookkeeping to bring up to date. Once that is done, I’ll be in pretty good shape.

It will feel so good start out the new year with things in order. I hope you’ll take the time to do the same; I think you’ll find that you’ll be more productive if you do.

Do you have balance in your business? What doea that mean? To explain that, I’d like to put it in a slightly different context. In order to have balance in your business, you need to have balance in your life.

We’re all hearing more and more about mind, body, spirit balance. If you meditate regularly, you know what this means. You realize how it all comes together. For example, when you are out of balance your body reacts to stress and tension, your mind is cluttered with so many thoughts you can’t begin to sort them all out. You’re having headaches, back pain, or possibly more serious health conditions. You’ve totally lost touch with your Higher Power. Getting back to daily meditation can right all of these things in a short amount of time, almost instantly sometimes.

It’s the same with your business. To be the most productive, you need to  balance all the parts of your business. Perhaps you’re the best with customer service. Your customers all love you and enjoy interacting with you, but your finances are in trouble because you haven’t paid attention to them. Or you don’t have new products to sell because you’re focus has been on customer service.

What I’ve found to be true in my own life is that when I am balanced personally, in mind, body and spirit, it makes it much easier to balance other areas of my life. It all starts with ME.

If you are well balanced personally, and continue to exercise control over that, but still can’t get a handle on all the parts of your business, that’s not all bad. It probably means that business is booming, and maybe you need someone to help you manage it all. That’s where people like myself, and Online Business Manager (OBM), or a Virtual Assistant (VA) or two can help you get and keep it under control. Anyone in an OBM role will also help you brainstorm ways to work more efficiently, effectively and productively.

Most importantly, get your personal selff balanced. Everything else hinges on that. Then, decide what your next steps should be.

One thing I know for certain is that in order to be successful in business, you must be flexible. You need to be open to new ways of doing things as change occurs. Or even as it becomes apparent that what you are currently doing is not working.

Here is a perfect example of my own. For years—well, really all of my adult life, I’ve been a morning person. I get up before the rest of the household and have my wake up time…relax and watch the sunrise with a cup of tea; do my meditation and yoga; have breakfast and shower. Then I’m really ready to begin my day. That is, until recently…

Recently a six-month old puppy came into my life. Her name is Amber. Amber is also a morning doggy. She is up with the crack of dawn. If not then, then as the first sign that I am awake. She demands immediate attention in the way of breakfast, relieving herself and, of course, play. She cannot be left unattended because her middle name is Trouble with a capital “T”.

I can relax with my cup of tea once I get her settled down with her breakfast. Then, it’s outside. I can’t leave her for long because I live on 5 acres with no fencing.  Then the fun begins. She’s constantly looking for something to get into. As a result, I DON’T get my morning meditation & yoga in. This really starts my day off in an “off” way. I rely on these activities for my own mental, emotional and spiritual health, and this has been my routine for years.

For the past several weeks, I’ve just kind of done without, or gotten it when I can. I have finally developed a new routine. I get up and work for that couple of hours in the morning while I can at least keep an eye on Amber. Once someone else is up and can take over doggy duty, I go downstairs to my exercise room and get in my “me” time. It has been an adjustment, but it’s working better than before, when I was floundering trying to keep up with “me.”

Another major benefit I am seeing since I’ve made this change is in my business. I had become rather scattered; forgetting things, missing meetings, not being able to focus on the task at hand. Now I’m back to providing the level of service that is important to me, and I still manage to get in my “me” time. There are other benefits. It gives me time to turn on the space heater and warm up my excercise room. Also, I have difficulty focusing in my meditation because my mind is on everything I  have to do today. Now, I get those most pressing things out of the way first, and get a good mental handle on my day before I go into my meditation. I think I’m liking this new schedule better after all.

As I said, flexibility is the key. It sometimes takes a little creative thinking to adapt, but there are always ways!

Getting new clients or customers is only the first step to success. You might be building your list at a phenomenal rate, and if so, that’s great! I’d like to know your secret. But the key is converting those leads to sales. How do you accomplish that?
 
Before the World Wide Web, people were pretty much limited to do business with whoever happened to be in their local vicinity. Now people have so many choices that if they don’t like the way you do business, it’s easy enough for them to find someone else. There are some things you can do to ensure that your leads convert to sales and stay with you.

• Customer service is incredibly important. Be personable. You don’t have to be their best friend, but people generally like to do business with someone they receive pleasant, yet professional communication from.
• Develop trust. Studies have proven that most people will do business with someone they know, like and trust. Your initial response when they sign up on your list should not only be welcoming and personable; it might also include an offer for a free or discounted introduction to your services.
• Provide a variety of options for your clients. People like to have variety and choices available to them. Have services or products in different price ranges. Everyone might think what you have to offer is the best thing in the world, but perhaps not everyone can afford it. Another thing I like to do is offer different payment arrangement options.
• Communicate, communicate, communicate! The saying “out of sight, out of mind” is so true. Stay in touch, either by a monthly ezine, monthly specials, etc. This will keep them coming back.
• Stay positive and upbeat. The signals you send out in your thoughts are exactly what will come back to you. We each create our own environment. You have complete control over yours, so always be aware of your thoughts and your attitude. If you find it’s not right, do whatever you have to do to change it then and there.

There you have it—my formula for success. I hope you find it useful in your business.