Over the last 16 months my team and I have been interviewing hundreds of women executives and entrepreneurs about the term “BITCH” and what they think of it.
The results were surprising to say the least.
While many women entrepreneurs and business owners don’t appreciate or advocate being called a bitch, anytime, most women felt that if they were being called a bitch; it meant that they were doing their jobs.
How sad.
Turns out women in business today believe that in order to be successful, they have to become or be ok with being a bitch.
Why then, I asked, are less than 5% if North America’s 4 million women business owners reaching top levels of success? In fact, in Canada alone only 25,000 women led companies will break the $1,000,000 revenue mark. Compared to the number of male run companies, those numbers are depressing.
The truth is that women need to reframe what the word BITCH means, for themselves and their business.
Are you ready to go Beyond?
Then become a BEYOND BITCH.
B – Bold & Brave
I – Intuitive
T – Tenacious
C – Charismatic
H – Honorable
Be Bold.
Successful, inspired company leaders are bold and dynamic. They know what they want and they make clear plans for achieving their goals.
Bold about ideas, bold about their dreams, and bold in the level of confidence they have.
Be Intuitive.
Women have been given a direct connection to their Higher Power, and that connection is their sixth sense and intuition.
Beyond Bitch leaders know themselves deeply and trust the information their intuition gives them. They seek out gut responses and feelings in addition to making ‘min’ decisions.
Be Tenacious.
Beyond Bitch leaders take action and remain steadfast in the achievement of their goals through tenacity. They are persistent in delivering excellence – in their own lives and through their businesses.
They are not easily swayed from decisions but are also aware of new ideas and opportunities that can advance their position or cause.
Be Charismatic.
Beyond Bitch leaders go past the Oxford dictionary definition of charismatic which is, ‘a rare personal quality attributed to those who arouse fervent popular devotion and enthusiasm.’
They are high energy, positive thinkers, and action takers that inspire others to reach their personal best.
Be Honorable.
Beyond Bitch leaders live their lives with impeccable integrity.
While driven to succeed, Beyond Bitch leaders are always aware of the people that support and surround her.
They are honest, fair and open and they understand that their reputation is the most valuable ‘thing’ they own. Because at the end of the day, that is all you have.
So go ahead, call me a Bitch. I happen to agree.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Making Your Clients Your Top Priority
When I was younger I learned how to prioritize by working for two different Vice Presidents at a small financial services company. Equal as peers, both my 'bosses' always needed their work to be done first. Each had their own goals and objectives, and they weren't overly happy about having to share one assistant.
In retrospect, it was a great learning experience for me. I made it my mission to understand each Vice President at the deepest level possible. I figured that by understanding what motivated and drove each person, I could become what they needed me to become. I learned that both had very different styles to their work, and different approaches to their clients. One Vice President was very much about looking good, always being prepared and letting his superiors know about his accomplishments. He laminated client testimonials and bound them in a portfolio, which was placed in the reception area.
Reports had to be correct, but gathering statements from happy clients was the most important thing.
The other Vice President, while also wanting to look good for the bosses, was much more interested in hard, technical data. That meant that reports and presentations had to be done in advance of meetings so that last minute changes could be made. Everything was meticulous and packaged so that client meetings were efficient and factual. Less emphasis was put on relationship building and more into knowing what the markets were doing at any given time of the day.
By taking the time to understand what each Vice President was motivated by and what they measured success by, I was able to manage my time, which made everyone happy. I found a lot of satisfaction in doing great work by everyone’s standards. Many years ago while having coffee with the president of the firm, I discovered that I was the topic of any conversations that year, with everyone trying to figure out how I managed to keep both Vice Presidents – as divergent as their styles were – happy.
Now that I have my own clients, it’s important for me that each client feels that they are my ‘most important client.’ I spend time upfront to learn about them, what their expectations are and what we need to deliver for them to consistently feel important and well looked after. Thankfully each client is different and we have been able to successfully prioritize all our projects to deliver success.
Learning how to prioritize is the key, lack of this skill will cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars and take the fulfillment out of your work.
In retrospect, it was a great learning experience for me. I made it my mission to understand each Vice President at the deepest level possible. I figured that by understanding what motivated and drove each person, I could become what they needed me to become. I learned that both had very different styles to their work, and different approaches to their clients. One Vice President was very much about looking good, always being prepared and letting his superiors know about his accomplishments. He laminated client testimonials and bound them in a portfolio, which was placed in the reception area.
Reports had to be correct, but gathering statements from happy clients was the most important thing.
The other Vice President, while also wanting to look good for the bosses, was much more interested in hard, technical data. That meant that reports and presentations had to be done in advance of meetings so that last minute changes could be made. Everything was meticulous and packaged so that client meetings were efficient and factual. Less emphasis was put on relationship building and more into knowing what the markets were doing at any given time of the day.
By taking the time to understand what each Vice President was motivated by and what they measured success by, I was able to manage my time, which made everyone happy. I found a lot of satisfaction in doing great work by everyone’s standards. Many years ago while having coffee with the president of the firm, I discovered that I was the topic of any conversations that year, with everyone trying to figure out how I managed to keep both Vice Presidents – as divergent as their styles were – happy.
Now that I have my own clients, it’s important for me that each client feels that they are my ‘most important client.’ I spend time upfront to learn about them, what their expectations are and what we need to deliver for them to consistently feel important and well looked after. Thankfully each client is different and we have been able to successfully prioritize all our projects to deliver success.
Learning how to prioritize is the key, lack of this skill will cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars and take the fulfillment out of your work.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Asking For What You Are Worth
Asking for what you are worth does not mean that you have to become a pushy saleswoman.I know that many women in business today are frightened or repelled by the idea of sales. Some have even told me they think of SELL as the worst of the four letter words. But sales to me, isn't about obnoxiously 'selling' anyone anything. In over 15 years in business I have 'closed' over $20 million in business for a variety of clients, projects and companies, but I don't tell you this to brag. I have never used aggressive or pushy tactics, I have never twisted someone's arm, and I have never sacrificed my integrity or the integrity of the person I was working with. Because sales to me, is about understanding what the other person wants and needs, and helping them find a solution. If you think about it, I'll bet that most of you love to HELP people. Or if I asked you why you do what you do, you would tell me that it's because you want to HELP people. It doesn't matter if you are a coach, consultant, cosmetics distributor, speaker, fitness trainer, nutritionist or dog groomer - if you love to help people and you are not making the money you want, or living the lifestyle you want, then you are going to have to get better at helping people buy your solution.All my clients love to help people, and through our programs they are able to help more people buy without sacrificing their integrity, their self worth or their morals.But how do you ASK?By becoming a skilled negotiator!Donald Trump is one of my favorite negotiators. In his book, How to Get Rich Trump has an entire section dedicated to mastering the secrets of negotiation. Following are his highlights:1) It's all about persuasion, not power2) Study persuasion and learn how to listen3) Get on the same level with the other person4) Think beyond the traditional boundaries (it's not always about money)5) Be reasonable and flexible6) Trust your instincts7) Know exactly what you want8) Make sure both sides come out winningWhile I go through these in detail with my clients, I have added a few additional elements based on my experience over the years. And the first of those additional principles is preparation. You must prepare, prepare, prepare. Know and understand the other side as much as you can.My father, who was a master negotiator used to tell me, that the first person to talk money loses. But how do you get the other side to bring it up? I can teach you 3-5 questions to ask that are guaranteed to get the other side talking first.The second principle is; knowing when to SHUT UP! Thankfully we teach this too, but it's not as easy as it sounds. Remember my public relations consultant that I told you about in the overview of The 5 Fatal Flaws?I had brought her to meet another client of mine because my client needed some specific PR help. I had already done the preparation work and essentially believed that if these two ladies felt a personal connection, then my consultant friend would get the business. We discussed my client's needs and then turned to my PR friend and asked her what her rates were. $125/hour she confidently stated, and then without taking a breath, added "but I can do it for less."Because I know both of these ladies personally, I called her on it. My client hired her at her regular hourly rate and my PR consultant friend signed up for the Beyond Bitch program. No matter how much you know and how uncomfortable 30 seconds of silence can be, you must learn how to stop talking.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
