Author: shelly

by shelly shelly No Comments

Year End Reflection, Clarity and Recovery

As the holidays and the yearend fast approach, it is a great time to reflect and gain clarity about where we have been and where we are going. Throughout the year, it often feels as though we are on a fast-paced treadmill going at an unrelenting pace without enough time to be mindful about our direction. The holiday break is a great time to gain perspective and create a course of action.
In my own reflection and clarity, I thought about what words and behaviors mean the most to me personally, as a business owner, and as a business and personal coach. Here are my four words.
Tenacity – by definition, the determination to continue what you are doing. Life and business throw us highs and lows and sometimes even sucker punch us, but it is the tenacity to keep going that is the key to a good life.
Health – In our sitting down , forward head, high-stress lives, it is harder than ever to take care of ourselves. I know for sure that sound nutrition, strength training, and getting up from our desks are imperative to our success.
Knowledge – In our ever-changing, fast-paced lives, I feel it is crucial to be a forever student. I believe that a commitment to reading and learning is the only way we can keep up, stay up to par, or get ahead.
Relationships – We have become a “screen” culture and for me that is not a people culture. I love my friends and colleagues and have built my personal and business life with loyalty and connection. I care about my clients as I care about my friends.
Those are my four words going into 2018. I will consider them several times throughout the year. I know that I will have a truly successful year if I keep them top of mind.
What are your four words? I would love to hear them.
I wish you the happiest of holidays filled with joy, laughter, and time for reflection,
clarity and recovery!
by shelly shelly No Comments

Knowledge vs. Wisdom

Many people mistake knowledge for wisdom because they are intimately related, but this is not true. They are quite different in an important way. Knowledge is the accumulation of facts and information. Wisdom is the synthesis of knowledge and experiences into insights that deepen one’s understanding and actions. In other words, knowledge is a tool, and wisdom is the craft in which the tool is used.

If we understand this difference, we will also appreciate why it is vital to distinguish between the two properly. With the Internet, we are literally awash in a sea of information! But having a tool and knowing how to use it are two entirely different things.

I enjoyed a National Geographic show named Einstein and picked up on a quote from Albert Einstein that stood out for me. “Wisdom is not a product of schooling, but of the lifetime attempt to acquire it.”

Wisdom is a noun that refers to the ability to make sensible decisions and give good advice because of your experience and knowledge. Someone may have all the knowledge about a subject but may need to gain the wisdom to utilize this knowledge properly to be able to act sensibly!

During the past forty years, I have spent my professional life as a serial entrepreneur and speaker. This period represents four decades of experiences and lessons highly relevant to success in today’s business world. These experiences include running businesses, consulting, and coaching others to navigate various challenges in the day-to-day business world successfully. More than ever, human connection is needed right now.

As a small business coach, engaging in countless conversations with owners, coaches, consultants, and professional services, I have become deeply attuned to their daily, weekly, and monthly struggles. Not only are these issues caused by small business owners trying to wear the hats of sales, marketing, finance, IT, and operations, but to a great extent by their exposure to continually changing market trends with increased information, greater reliance on technology, tougher competition in the marketplace and the escalating complexity of today’s business world and simply the bombardment of knowledge.

With these factors firmly in mind, I am launching a Mastermind in January to connect people to people and bring my wisdom to the group. The purpose of this group is to provide connection, focus, support, and accountability. The Mastermind attendees benefit from peer learning with others, commonly referred to as the group’s collective wisdom. Masterminds are a powerful way to leverage time, resources, and connections to gain the knowledge and wisdom needed today!

We need all of this, each other, knowledge, and wisdom!

Please email me at shelly@smallbusinessresults if you want to hear more

Warmly,

Shelly Berman-Rubera

Join A Group or Bring Us to Your Company

by shelly shelly No Comments

SBR-Small Business Results Earns 2016 Constant Contact Solution Provider All Star Award

SBR-Small Business Results  a business and marketing coaching company has been named a 2016 Solution Provider All Star Award winner by Constant Contact, part of the Endurance International Group, Inc.’s family of brands and the trusted marketing advisor to hundreds of thousands of small organizations worldwide. The annual award recognizes the most successful 10 percent of Constant Contact’s customer and Solution Provider base, based on their significant achievements using email marketing to engage their customer base and drive results for their organization during the prior year.

President/Founder Shelly Berman-Rubera is a business and marketing coach. She and her team provide guidance and solutions to build businesses.  They specialize in coaches, consultants and professional service providers.

I am thrilled to receive this award as it reflects my long-term relationship with Constant Contact as well as my belief in low cost yet effective marketing to reach prospects and keep clients.

Constant Contact Solution Providers are businesses that provide services tailored to the needs of small businesses or nonprofits—everything from web developers, to online marketing consultants, to advertising agencies and more. They use Constant Contact’s online marketing tools to generate more business for both themselves and their clients. Criteria used to select this year’s All Stars included the following during 2016:

  • Level of engagement with email campaigns
  • Open, bounce, and click-through rates
  • Use of social sharing features
  • Use of mailing list sign-up tools
  • Use of reporting tools

“Email marketing continues to deliver the highest returns of any marketing channel. Our Solution Providers are a core extension of our business, helping those small businesses and nonprofits that need guidance and assistance with their marketing,” said Jamie Waldinger, Senior Director Corporate Development & Strategy, Constant Contact. “We’re thrilled to recognize SBR-Small Business Results for their commendable achievements in helping their small business customers become better marketers.”

by shelly shelly No Comments

Thought  Leadership …. Class or Crass?

As a business and communication strategist, I am committed to seeking knowledge and staying on top of trends and contemporary information to keep my business up to date and to provide my clients with what they need to grow.

Therefore, I always have a book, a podcast, or a webinar I’m tuned into.

I am shocked and immediately turned off by the profanity, and crass language presenters, webinar leaders, and authors use in their words. Privately I use profanity, probably too much, and I work on this all of the time, but never publicly.  I also find it disappointing thinking that we are tuning in to the webinar/podcast to be educated when the first 15 minutes tell me what I will learn; the learning is minimal, and the selling is intense. The idea of being a high-level edu-preneur and making an impact is compelling to me.

In the last month, I have heard the word “sucks” used multiple times as in, “doesn’t that s..k?”, I hear the f.bomb  repeatedly and find it used in the title of books. Last night I listened to a webinar in which a high-profile speaker opened by saying that he has talked to a lot of idiots and wants to help us not talk to idiots. How is that humane or kind to refer to others as idiots?!

“ICK”, I don’t like it.

I also walked into a business expo to hear a keynote standing in front of 100 attendees she was talking about the difficulties of growing a business as she spoke into the microphone and said, “it’s f ‘n hard.” OMG!

I believe that having S*** and F***in your presentations, calling other people names or labeling is wrong and unappealing, lowers professionalism, and is disrespectful to the listener.  

Swearing in presentations or as a part of a public persona might be attractive to some who admire your “passion,” but there’s no doubt that many others will find it offensive.

I appreciate and respect that profanity in presentations is a deliberate choice as long as you understand you are cultivating a personal brand.

I hope you hold yourself in the highest esteem as you propel in your lives and business.

If you’re interested in becoming a subject matter expert, I can help you create your written and presentation communication.

Call me at 617-201-7224 to discuss how I can help!

by shelly shelly No Comments

The Low Hanging Fruit….Your Database and Marketing

We are looking so hard for prospects and business every day.

Guess what??

Your existing database is the best place to look!use your database for email marketing

But way too often our database is not in order or updated or organized by segment and therefore we can’t use it.

What does your database look like? If you are looking for the most cost effective and best marketing advice, spend the time or hire someone to get it ready for emailing.

You will then be ready to devise a plan to maximize your email marketing strategy by nurturing your database. Rather than just sending information to a list of contacts who have varying degrees of interest in your products or services, you can look at email marketing as a form of relationship management. The goal of your campaigns is to develop relationships with the people in your database and, over an unspecified period of time, connect and nurture them to a point of sale.

So, here are some tips and tricks for effectively uncovering business opportunities by nurturing your email database

1. Never underestimate the number of potential sales you could make from just nurturing a database of existing contacts. The simple fact is that the stronger your relationship with the people in your database, the more valuable they become to your business.

2. Keep the content varied by using:

  • Customers testimonials, case studies and success stories
  • Videos and podcasts that highlight your products and services
  • Social media connection  (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, etc)
  • Product offers
  • News and updates about your company and brand

If you are not staying in front of your clients, then you’re almost invisible. They are as busy as you!

Your email marketing database isn’t just a list, it’s a group of people who are very valuable to your business. The best way to tap into their value is to treat them well, get to know them, and be willing to lead them all the way down the path to a sale.

If you’re interested in getting your database in order or learning more tips and tricks for running successful email marketing campaigns, call us to discuss how we can help!

Commit to your Business Success Today.

schedule a business consultation

by shelly shelly No Comments

Truth About Succeeding In Coaching Today

I have spent my entire professional life as a successive entrepreneur and speaker; running businesses, consulting, and coaching others to successfully navigate a variety of challenges from day-to-day, growing business demands.  This equates to over 30 years of highly relevant experiences and lessons on how to succeed in today’s business world.  More than ever, I am convinced that what is needed right now is a strategic and smart approach.

the truth about succeeding in coaching today

As a result, I developed an experience-based strategic framework for coaches and small business owners.  “The Truth About Succeeding in Coaching Today” is a “6 Step Framework” that cuts to the heart of the matter by helping business owners overcome three main issues they face; a sense of isolation, feeling overwhelmed, and lack of a revenue generating model.  By providing strategies to deal with these issues, you are freed to focus on and address your immediate growth demands to help you and your company move forward.

The ‘6 Steps to Small Business Results Framework’ helps attendees to commit to themselves and their business success, focus on daily results, differentiate themselves and market their business, create effective business relationships, manage the emotional side of business, and create a system of accountability to achieve greater success.

As a small business consultant engaging in countless conversations with owners and coaches, I am deeply attuned to the struggles that you face on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Not only are these issues caused by trying to wear the hats of sales, marketing, finance, IT, and operations, but to a greater extent by your exposure to continually changing market trends with increased information, greater reliance on technology, tougher marketplace competition, and the current escalating business climate complexities.

Two major factual realities I have witnessed are…

  • How we need information condensed in ways easily digestible and relevant to today’s challenges that won’t interfere with us getting done what needs to be done on a daily basis.
  • We need human engagement and when we bring a group of like-minded professionals together we learn, grow, and get inspired!

 

Please join the ICFNE interactive experience.

[maxbutton id=”1″ url=”http://icfne.org/event/live-event-truth-succeeding-coaching-today-shelly-berman-rubera/” text=”Register Today” ]

 

Looking forward to helping you bring your business visions to reality!

Shelly Berman-Rubera

 

by shelly shelly No Comments

Three High-Level Business Development Activities

1. DESIRE:
Desire is extremely important in life, for it allows us, compels us to work towards something better for ourselves and others. If we truly define our desires, we are going to work towards that. If we are satisfied with the status quo, then we will remain quite passive.

2. MAKE A PLAN:
Planning is one of the most important project management and time management techniques. Planning is preparing a sequence of action steps to achieve some specific goal. If you do it effectively, you can reduce much the necessary time and effort of achieving the desired outcome.

3. STOP TRYING TO DO IT ALONE:

Too often I see,time, energy and money spent on erroneous things, when any of the below suggestions would definitely help.

  • Seek out a mastermind or group coaching. (You will learn so much about yourself, and running a business and build key relationship)
  • Get a coach. A good coach will keep you focused and accountable and push you to reach higher level.
  • Hire or outsource tasks that keep you from doing what you do best.

Commit to your Business Success Today.

schedule a business consultation

by shelly shelly No Comments

12 Tips: Strategies for Business Success

Based upon the Small Business Results signature program, 6 Steps to Small Business Success:

Click on any title to read more on each topic.

strategies for small business results - coach

Tip 1: Commitment to Revenue Growth

strategies for small business results - coach

Tip 2: Commit to a 30 Day Plan

strategies for small business results - coach

Tip 3: Systems for Productivity

strategies for small business results - coach

Tip 4: Do - Defer - Delegate

differentiate and market for small business results - coach

Tip 5: How Do You Stand Out?

differentiate and market for small business results - coach

Tip 6: Create Your Differentiating Statement

relationships for small business results - coach

Tip 7: Where Are Your Business Relationships?

relationships for small business results - coach

Tip 8: Be Interested

emotional-intelligence-small-business-results-coach

Tip 9: Manage Your Own and Others' Emotions

emotional-intelligence-small-business-results-coach

Tip 10: Emotions Are The Drivers For Business Relationships

accountability for small business results - coach

Tip 11: Accountability - The Pathway to Success

accountability for small business results - coach

Tip 12: Roles, Responsibilities, Expectations

 Commit to your Business Success Today.

schedule a business consultation

by shelly shelly No Comments

Accountability: Roles, Responsibilities, Expectations

The Case Study:

The owner of a niche consulting company we worked with was talking about the frustration he had with getting everyone in his company focused on growing the business.

“My team has been together for 3 years, so everyone knows what we offer and what our competitive advantage is in the marketplace, but there is no sense of urgency.  I just can’t seem to get people unified around growing our client base,” he lamented.

Small businesses are faced with many issues, but the major issue is the inability to drive sales and to get each member of the team to focus on sales and not just the performance of his/her individual daily tasks.  Often people in the professional service industry simply want to perform the service they provide and leave the sales and client facing aspects of the company solely up to the business owner.

The Outcome:

After discussing this issue, we recommended a monthly sales meeting.  In this meeting the CFO of the company opened up a P/L statement, which included all the target accounts with revenue goals for the entire team and bottom line budget for expenses. The idea was that employees could get a sense of real/time profitability and be aware of the sales successes and failures across the organization.  While this strategy does not make sense for every company, our client saw significant results in accountability and camaraderie within his team.

Like it or not….in today’s business world we are all in sales and customer service.   As a business owner we cannot reach our goals if everyone is allowed to decide for himself how to reach them.

Creating a system of sales and accountability may be as simple as defining roles, responsibilities and expectations.

accountability: roles, responsibilities, expectations - small business results
By having a company meeting and clearly expressing and teaching the sales philosophy, you can create a powerful team that delivers and sells.

Schedule your coaching sessions today.