​CEO Axxess is partnering with another premiere organization to create a peer advisory group for leadership in the commercial construction industry. The group will comprise of key decision makers from non-competing businesses. If you or a client is in the commercial construction space and would like to make better decisions, become better leaders, and find solutions to your unique challenges, this would be the venue.
 
Peer advisory groups are forums for business leaders who work together to find solutions to their most critical challenges in business, career and life. ​Smart, successful, forward-thinking leaders understand the importance these gatherings provide during good times, but more importantly during challenging times. Members join peer advisory groups to:
 

• ​Test ideas before the market does
• See into blind spots  
• Set clear direction and being held accountable 
• Obtain priceless experienced-based advice
• Help others achieve success
• Create lifelong relationships

 
We will be conducting a no cost, experience event on September 17th from 8:00 to 11:00 am PDT. Please reach out to me if you would like to attend or if you have questions.
 
CEO Axxess partners with B2B companies, industry & trade associations and chambers of commerce to help them deepen client relationships and attract new clients in an inspiring process that will create clients for life. If you would like to learn how CEO Axxess can help your organization transition customer to clients and then clients for us, please contact me. 

Marcia Riner is a seasoned business strategist who hosts a podcast called Profit with a Plan. She was kind to interview our founder, Paul Wirth recently about mastermind groups. Her questions were deep, well thoughtout and got to core of what business owners and industry leaders may be interested in learning about mastermind groups. If you have been asking yourself what mastermind groups are and what benefits you can derive from participating in one, we would encourage you to listen to https://www.profitwithaplan.com/e/ep66-masterminding-w-paul-wirth/.

If you are thinking about working with a seasoned financial business strategist to catapult your business to the next level, please reach out to Marcia at marcia@trajectorybiz.com. Her company is called Trajectory Consulting. She also has a fantastic download called 6 Tips to Help Small Businesses not only Survive but THRIVE, which I encourage you to download as well at www.FAILProofBiz.com.

As we emerge from the COVID pandemic, many of us will have to rebuild our sales skills to meet a new reality. That new reality is that we have to transition from transaction-based selling to customer-centric selling. When conducting a conversation with a prospect or client we need to break down the conversation into four components.
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1. Empathy. Let’s spend a few moments in genuine conversation about their situation by asking how they’re doing and where we can help.
2. Permission. Wouldn’t it sound disingenuous to go from empathy to pitch without first asking permission to pivot the discussion to business? Asking permission shows respect and offers the prospect or client a moment to change their mindset too.
3. Why Should They Care. Our value proposition needs to resonate with the prospect or client or it will fall on deaf ears. So, spend some time crafting your pitch to what’s important to your prospect or client and make sure it is not a features and benefits dump.
4. Brevity. There is so much going on in all of our lives today and to listen to a long, drawn out pitch will hurt chances to connect with prospects and clients.

The moral of all this is that we need to be more sensitive to our client’s needs today and that we have to really pay attention to their needs.  Our goal should be to deepen relationships at a more personal level and to offer value beyond product and service. In essence, we need to convert our sales process from transactional to client-centric.

Many thanks to Brad Leggett is the CEO of The Legget Group – a premiere strategic sales coaching and consulting firm, and Marc Brener is a Director with Energy Experts International, a firm dedicated to renewable and sustainable energy efficient solutions to the Industrial and Commercial marketplace who contributed to this article.

So excited to be interviewed by Angelo Ponzi on the Business Growth Cafe recently. It was my first time on a podcast. Please listen to it and let me know if I fumbled or sounded nervous. https://businessgrowthcafe.podbean.com/e/launching-a-new-product-or-service-is-never-straight-line-to-success/.

Angelo (who by the way is an outstanding fractional CMO) and I discussed my new venture, CEO Axxess that I will be launching after the July 4th holiday. CEO Axxess's mission is to help companies acquire and retain key clients. Business is tough today and companies are feeling the pain of losing clients along with the struggle of enticing new clients to move their relationships.

There is a shift occurring in the market that began before the economic shutdown that will only accelerate as businesses begin to open up. The Information Age has created a commodity-based economy. I am not referring to soybeans or cattle. I am talking about how clients first shop for services and products by comparing prices and reviews online long before they pick up their phones or step foot into businesses. I’m sure many of us have done the same. I know I have.

So, what do we do about? Do we continue to compete on price with razor thin margins, or pile on more features and benefits to products or services that are not valued by clients? Did you know that it cost organizations six to seven times more to acquire new clients versus retain existing clients? Or that most organizations lose 50% of their clients between years two and five?

I’m a visual person and like to use the metaphor of “the screen door on at the back of a submarine”. So many businesses are focused on where they are trying to go that they forget that they are sinking because they forgot to close the back door.

But, did you also know that if you implement a client-centric strategy that demonstrates you care, that organizations experience explosive revenue growth with as little as a 5% improvement in client retention? And, with a client-centric strategy to retain key clients, new clients will more readily come on board and be less price sensitive.

Joseph Pine, in his book The Experience Economy talks about how companies in order to sustain their own economic vitality must find ways to deepen client relationships. How does an organization do that when cash flow is tight and times are so uncertain? How do we affordably help transition customers to clients and then clients for life? The metamorphosis taking a customer on this journey can be daunting and expensive if you do not have an experienced guide with an innovative program to help you make this transformation seamless. That’s where CEO Axxess comes in. If you would like to learn more, please reach out directly to me to schedule a meeting. 
​
Also, if you would like to learn more about the services Angelo Ponzi provides you can find him on the web at www.theponzigroup.com or by emailing him at angelo@theponzigroup.com.

​The quarantine and stay-at-home order has kept many of us from our normal rituals, but the power of technology, and a little flexibility from our team, ensures that nothing keeps us from our quarterly professional development workshops.


Each quarter, the KWSM Team gets together for an afternoon of growth and learning with a guest speaker who is a leader in their industry. This time, we had the opportunity to speak with Vistage Chair and EOS® Implementer Paul Wirth. Paul is an expert in all things goal setting and led our team (virtually) through the EOS Model and the six key things any business, or professional, needs to succeed. From this model, we applied our own personal and professional goals, and used The Vision/Traction Organizer to map out our plans, goals,  targets, and rocks (action items) moving forward.


Paul’s model was incredibly eye opening for myself, and many of the members on our team. As a team, we challenge ourselves to set and meet goals every quarter, and our CEO, Katie Wagner, is very transparent about our goals as an agency. During my 4 years here at KWSM, I’ve seen us hit both short and long term goals. By achieving these goals, we’ve not only transformed and grown our agency, but we’ve brought each other up along with it.


Using the Vision/Traction Organizer, Paul led us through an exercise starting with setting our goals for this year. We then set our “rocks” for the quarter. What are the tasks we need to accomplish in this particular quarter to get closer to our yearly goals? Paul helped us understand that without naming these rocks, we’ll never make progress towards the goals we set for ourselves. All too often, professionals set yearly goals, but do not break these intentions down to achievable steps to help them get there. The Vision/Traction Organizer is in place to start in the execution journey. We finished the activity by making our issue list. What are the obstacles and challenges we might face that will prevent us from reaching our goals? By being aware of these potential roadblocks, we can set ourselves up with the tools we need to overcome them.


During this time of uncertainty and change, it was great to spend the afternoon with Paul and think “big picture,” outside of the bubble we’re currently in. By stepping away from our day-to-day tasks, Paul helped us all see the light at the end of the tunnel and look forward to the future.


Studies show when people write down their goals, they are 33% more successful in achieving them than those who only formulate outcomes in their heads.


Goal setting and tracking is an integral part of our success here at KWSM.
Are you goal oriented and ready to take on a new challenge? We may be the work-family you are looking for.

Many of my clients are finding that going back to basics provides a sense of stability in a tumultuous world. They are asking to be reminded of the leadership abilities we discuss during an EOS® Focus Day, and I wanted to share them with you at this time. However, with an adjustment to take into consideration a market that may be in contraction for your company.
​

1. Simplify– decide what to stop doing to streamline processes and decision making. Simplifying can also make clear what new opportunities are out there now. For example, one of my clients is focusing more on social media to drive internet sales since their retail clients are temporarily closed. Another client is reaching out to industries they hadn’t focused on before who are experiencing a surge in business such as pharmaceutical, health care, etc. to drive new orders.
2. Delegate– there may be fewer people to delegate to, so one option is to get staff together (remotely, of course) and say, “these are the things we need to do – who has the skills and wants to do it?” Let them volunteer. We all have smart, dedicated people who now more than ever want to make a difference. Give them that opportunity and I am confident you will be pleased. Also, ask family members to take on tasks that you would normally be responsible for to lighten your load so that you can focus on more critical tasks.
3. Predict– in crisis time we move to short term predicting. Determine how fast issues are coming at you. Can you wait until your weekly (L10) meetings to tackle issues or are the issues coming so quickly that you need a daily huddle as well? Some of my clients are adding a quick 10-minute morning (remote) huddle in addition to their weekly meetings to be nimble and to make more immediate decisions. A short morning huddle is also a great way to keep your (remote) team energized. Require staff to treat work from home as though they are coming into the workplace by having them on the call first thing in the morning, and to dress and groom as they are coming to work.
4. Systemizing– look at your processes and cut the excess steps, only keep what makes a difference. You may have to add a new system as it relates to the health and safety. Now is the time to draft those processes and to then have staff follow them. Having a clearly defined process will make your business easier to manage and more profitable.
5. Structure– ensure you have solid communication across all divisions and rank. During a period of contraction, we revert to what we call the reverse accountability chart. This is where you predict that if sales fall off by some percentage who on your team would be placed on furlough. Conversely, this is a time to consider adding staff with an expertise in an area in which would free you up to work in your highest and best use based on your own skills and talent.

It is important to use the same language throughout your organization. It eliminates confusion and errors. Feel free to use the terms above as you implement steps to creates clear and effective communication.
Lastly, let’s plan and prepare for the eventual surge in business too once we beat this virus!

​Stay healthy and happy!