Busineess Name: Glenn A. Schrubbe, CPA Address: 890 Elm Grove Road, Building 2-211 City: Elm Grove State: WI Zip: 53122 Phone: 2624322400 Fax: Contact Person: Contact Email: glenn@schrubbecpa.com Website: Hours: Monday - Friday: 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Payment Years in Business: Business Description: Contact us at (855) 849-3591 in Elm Grove, WI, when you need services from an accounting firm that you can trust. ...read more

Have you ever met someone who wasn't happy unless he or she was going through some kind of massive change? Perhaps there are a few individuals in this world who thrive on uncertainty, enjoy feeling insecure, and love to have their routines disrupted.But I think it would be safe to say that most people resist change every now and then, especially when it affects an idea, position, or practice that is near and dear to them.Although people in leadership roles are often called upon to be agents of change, I have found that leaders resist change as much as followers do! As you might guess, that poses a big problem in this world of rapid transition and constant flux. As John Maxwell wrote in his book, Developing the Leader Within You, "Unchanged leaders equals unchanged organizations."The willingness to change? That's an interesting concept.Consider this formula for change:D x V + F > RThe formula states that D (dissatisfaction) times V (vision) plus FS (first step) has got to be greater than R (resistance). Are you dissatisfied with where you and your business are currently at? Do you have a vision for where it could be? Are you willing to take the steps to move your business in that direction, or is the resistance that you anticipate going to be too strong to change?Let's spend a few moments on each of these thoughts: Even though a person's Dissatisfaction level is great, if there is no clear vision of what success really looks like, then there is very slim chance that the person will be willing to move on. On the other hand, a person may have a great Vision for where they would like to be, but if their dissatisfaction levels with their current situation are not great, then the likelihood for change is not good. To make change, to move on from where we are right now, we need to initiate a First Step, a real and substantial catalyst for change. Resistance is most interesting and probably the most challenging. Resistance can be external or internal, but the greatest resistance is usually internal…it's what we say to ourselves. That little voice inside that will either make us or break us. It usually comes down to this simple cliché… "If you think you can or if you think you can't, either way you're right!" So remember this next time you're contemplating change and that little voice is talking to you… "It's what you say to yourself, about yourself, when you're by yourself that matters most". ...read more

If you use networking as a part of your marketing strategy, you should be thinking about some key points. Who do you want to connect with?Who do you want to connect with? and are you likely to connect with them in some way by networking? Who do they want to connect with, and how and where do they make connections?There are many different types of networking. For instance, you're unlikely to find the CEO of a $100 MM company at a leads group, but you may find someone that is connected to that CEO. What's your networking "budget"?By that I mean, what is your plan for how, how often, and where you will commit your networking resources? There are enough opportunities that you could use all of your time networking, but is that your best strategy? The flip side is that a plan also means consistency.Can you build productive relationships by showing up only on a sporadic basis for the groups and events you commit to? The Golden Rule of Networking.How do you want to be treated while networking? How much more fun is a networking event when someone takes an active interest in you? So guess how they feel when you take an active interest in them? When you are networking, do you have SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-Oriented, Time-frame related) goals?Or do you just waltz in without thinking about what you really want to achieve? What is it that makes you captivating to someone else?Actively listening to them. Remember this acronym: W.A.I.T. (Why Am I Talking?) Do more listening than telling. Building relationships requires building trust.At a networking event, building trust means just that - you build it, you don't jump into it. Earn the right to more of the other person's time by being worthy of their trust. Find common ground.Sometimes you can establish common ground based on a single shared interest. How much effort to you put in to having interests outside of your profession that mighthelpyou find common ground quickly with fellow networkers? What if your primary purpose was tohelpother people get connected to people you know that couldhelpthem? If you believe like I do that an active interest in helping others will be "repaid", this is the way to do it. Follow up, follow up, and follow up.By the way, did I mention following up? The excitement of an opportunity identified at a networking event wears off very quickly in the absence of follow up. Create a system for following up within 24 hours and see how your results improve. Networking at the Speed of Light: Think social media is a fad? Think again. If you don't have a social media strategy, create one. While you're sitting there convincing yourself that it won't work for you, millions of people are out there making it work for them. Do you want to make networking work for you? Then make it work for others. ...read more

As business owners, we enjoy doing what we do - after all, why would we set up in business at all if we didn't? But what we don't enjoy as much is the constant chasing after the next customer - the time, effort and money we put into advertising and marketing with no guarantee that it will grow our sales. Wouldn't it be great if new customers could see for themselves the value in what we do and come to us, rather than us having to go looking for them? What if our existing customers were so happy with our products or services that they went out of their way to tell the people they know how great we are and that they should give us a call right away? Then the only marketing investment would need would be in getting referrals and in effect, your existing customers would be your sales team! I am not suggesting that a referral strategy should be your only strategy for bringing in new customers, especially if you have high growth plans, but for some businesses it could be a far more effective strategy than it currently is. And the great thing about a referral strategy is that it is a relatively low-cost way of buying new customers. The first step for a referrals strategy to turn your customers into "Raving Fans". Nobody is going to refer you if your service is just satisfactory - you only get raving fans when you go beyond satisfied customers. Think about what you can do that will make their experience with you memorable - perhaps a small gift, a card on their birthday, or perhaps just the fact that your staff are so friendly and helpful that they make the buying process a pleasure. (Jeffery Gitomer wrote a book entitled "Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless", which is a great introduction on how to do this in your business.) The next step is finding out who your loyal customers are, so make sure you have a good record-keeping system for your customers' contact details and then categorise them. We recommend the ABC system - Awesome, Basic, Can't Deal with. Then spend more time with the A's and B's than you do with the C's. In fact why not get rid of these entirely? If you are not really sure who your ABC clients are then one way to find out is to ask them. There are two simple ways to do this. 1.    Customer surveys - write to them and ask them some questions and then rate the responses. 2.    Testimonials - ask them to write you a testimonial and find out what they really think of you. Now you know who your raving fans are, make sure that you keep in contact with them on a regular basis. It is a fact that the average business spends five times as much on buying new customers as it does on keeping old customers coming back, which is crazy. So put some of your marketing budget towards keeping in contact and building loyalty with your existing clients, even when they are not buying. A simple method for this is to send out a quarterly newsletter, giving details of special offers or new products. (You can get a FREE instant newsletter help-sheet from my web site.) With all of this in place, it is easy to make the next step and actually physically ask for a referral, and this is where many business owners fall down, because they feel awkward or self conscious. But why should you? You aren't asking for something you don't deserve - you're just asking for the opportunity to allow more customers to benefit from your great customer service. You need to choose your moment, and then you just have to be brave and do it! However, even then some people find it difficult, so if this is the case use some props or tools to help you. Why not put a referral card in with the purchase, and ask your customer to fill it in later, or get them to invite people to a free event so they can sample your product/service without risk, or give them an information pack to pass on to people they know who might be interested, or even a special offer voucher so there is a real Win Win. The final points to cover are when you do get a referral, thank the referrer in a way that will ensure that they like it so much they will do it again and again, and whatever you do, systemise it so that it happens automatically and can be easily delegated to somebody else. The last thing to remember when asking for referrals is, your success will be defined by your attitude. Think about who you really want as your clients, be genuine and honest, give to receive and be grateful when you get it; if you are, you'll get the referrals you want. So go out there, take ACTION and grow your business by word of mouth! ...read more

Do you know what exactly is your Value Proposition is? You must know it and be able to deliver it day in and day out to add VALUE for our clients and customers. So, what IS your Value Proposition? Many will say something like "Excellent Customer Service", or "Quality Products and Service". Others will suggest it has something to do with their reputation or their long history of excellent performance. I believe it must be stated in terms of a FEELING that someone gets when they do business with you. That's right - a FEELING! Have you ever defined your value proposition in terms of a feeling? Think about it. When a customer uses your product or service, how does that make them FEEL? Do they get a sense of confidence? Do they feel refreshed? Does working with you give them a sense of hope? Maybe when they visit your shop they are overwhelmed by a sense of calm relaxation. What is it that you want them to FEEL? This is not a "touchy feely" activity. This is a critically important assessment of what you are trying to accomplish in your business. Let's face it, most of us do not have a name brand, like Coke or McDonalds where the satisfaction guarantee is almost certain because of our reputation and brand. Most of us also do not have a product that is so well known, like an Apple computer or Kleenex where our customers don't need to worry about the quality of what they are buying because our previous products speak for themselves. Most of us are in a business where it is neither the Brand nor the Product that is the real reason people buy from us. They are buying from us because of the FEELING they get when they do business with us. What is that FEELING that keeps them coming back time and time again? That feeling that keeps them from going to our competitor? If you are scratching your head on this one, then here is a simple exercise for you this week - ask some of your current customers! That's right. Ask your customers why they buy from you and not from your competitors. It is scary how many business owners don't take the time to ask their current customers. Maybe because they are afraid of the answer. Maybe they are worried that their customer may just say "Gee, I don't really know why I keep buying from you...maybe I should try the other guy!" Ask them! Ask several of them. Get them to tell you why inn terms of a FEELING. Then, when you get several who share a similar feeling with you, you will know exactly why they like doing business with you. Think about it...How can you ever think to replicate what matters if you don't know what matters? Your customers will tell you what your Value Proposition is - or should be! So, Value Proposition is a difficult stage. It is not an off the cuff thought or answer. This must be thought about deeply, then researched with some current customers. But once you have it, your Value Proposition that is, you will be in a position to really pick up the pace as you head into the next stages of this critical race. ...read more

Do you ever wonder why you are struggling to achieve sustained success while your competition is thriving in this economy? Do you make excuses and say they are just lucky and you can't catch a break? If this sounds familiar it is time for you to start analyzing what is causing your lack of success and make the decision to do something about it. If you are struggling to break even and/or grow your business in these challenging times you need to ask yourself if there is anything that you can do to control your situation. If your answer to this question is no, then you are wrong! The reason your business is struggling has nothing to do with the economy and everything to do with you. In "Awaken the Giant Within" Tony Robbins states, "It is my decisions, not the conditions of my life that determines my destiny." Why is this statement a fact? Very simple, we are never going to be able to control external forces. However, we always have the opportunity to control what goes on internally within us. This starts with each decision we make. Everything we say or do begin with a decision. So stop using the economy as an excuse for the short comings in your business and start holding yourself responsible for the current results of your business. Per Tony Robbins, there are three decisions that control your destiny. If you don't control these decisions then you are not in control of your life. When you take responsibility and begin to control them, you begin to sculpt the life you aspire to achieve. The three decisions that control your destiny are:  Your decisions about what to focus on?  Your decisions about what things mean to you? Your decisions about what to do to create the results you desire? Once you commit to making these decisions on a daily basis you will take control of your destiny and achieve the success you have always desired. ...read more

Do you ever wonder why you are struggling to achieve sustained success while your competition is thriving in this economy? Do you make excuses and say they are just lucky and you can't catch a break? If this sounds familiar it is time for you to start analyzing what is causing your lack of success and make the decision to do something about it. If you are struggling to break even and/or grow your business in these challenging times you need to ask yourself if there is anything that you can do to control your situation. If your answer to this question is no, then you are wrong! The reason your business is struggling has nothing to do with the economy and everything to do with you. In "Awaken the Giant Within" Tony Robbins states, "It is my decisions, not the conditions of my life that determines my destiny." Why is this statement a fact? Very simple, we are never going to be able to control external forces. However, we always have the opportunity to control what goes on internally within us. This starts with each decision we make. Everything we say or do begin with a decision. So stop using the economy as an excuse for the short comings in your business and start holding yourself responsible for the current results of your business. Per Tony Robbins, there are three decisions that control your destiny. If you don't control these decisions then you are not in control of your life. When you take responsibility and begin to control them, you begin to sculpt the life you aspire to achieve. The three decisions that control your destiny are:  Your decisions about what to focus on?  Your decisions about what things mean to you? Your decisions about what to do to create the results you desire? Once you commit to making these decisions on a daily basis you will take control of your destiny and achieve the success you have always desired. Chris Carman from ActionCOACH Business Coaching helps business owners in SE Wisconsin make more money, works less hours and recruit, train and retain high quality employees.  For more information please visitwww.actioncoach.com/chriscarman   ...read more

"We must begin with the end in mind," - Stephen Covey So, you've invested the time to build your 90 Day Plan (and you should every 90 days), what do you do next to implementing your 10x10 marketing plan? Here is how you get the return for your investment: 1. Detail the steps that are pre-requisite and necessary to achieve your goals. By breaking the larger tasks down into "bite-sized" chunks, we can keep moving forward and are less likely to be overwhelmed. Be sure to specify time frames and assign responsibility-by dividing the workload, the burden is shared by the Team and the results are multiplied. Everyone involved needs to know "who does what by when". 2. Consistency is vital. To avoid getting stuck on the "entrepreneurial see-saw" (chase the work, do the work), the effort must remain constant or you risk emptying your sales pipeline. One cardinal rule: Never stop your marketing. In busy times, you can cut back. Stopping your marketing allows your "voice" to diminish and that of your competitor to be the only one your customers and prospects hear. 3. Always test and measure your results. This, too, must be done consistently because "hit and miss" measuring almost assures "hit and miss" results. The best way to make informed business decisions is to know what is working and what is not. The time and money you invest in marketing is best spent on income-producing activities. If you feel you are working too many hours, falling behind in tasks, not enough time to eat right, sleep, exercise, spend with family, etc., it's safe to say that something(s) you're doing is a waste of your time. Keep track of your activities and reflect back on whether some or all were really the best use of your time. 4. Systematize your plan so that it runs on "auto-pilot" and someone else can manage it. By providing clear instructions, timelines, and direction, things work smoothly. Incumbent in this process is the reporting function. Who will be responsible for tracking and reporting? How often? It's also wise to conduct a "de-brief" with the Team after a campaign has run. What did we like best? What do we want to do differently next time? What feed back did we get? What was our Acquisition Cost for new business? 5. Repeat the process and improve for next time. When you find something that works, stay with it. Always look for ways to improve. Based on your results, be prepared to make the decision for what gets repeated, what gets modified, what gets dropped. One last thing: when you prepare this plan, make several copies and distribute to the Team. Create a pie chart or graphical representation on the wall for all to see where we want to go and update to show the progress. This will keep you and your Team fired up! ...read more

Setting Your Goals. It's ok to admit it, most business owners go through the entire year without a real clear picture of the goals they have for their business. Just going through the paces, week after week, without a clue whether they are ahead or behind. I think the reason most business owners do this is because if they never commit to a specific goal, then they can't be disappointed when they miss it. It keeps them from feeling worse about their lack of a real plan to succeed.But we're going to run this race differently. We're going to set very specific goals. We're going to make sure everyone on the team knows our goals and we're going to measure our progress towards our goals on a regular basis. Are you with me?Start here. Write down your goals for this year's race in the following categories: Customer Satisfaction, New Market Expansion, Operational Efficiency, Revenue Growth and Profitability. If you have other specific areas that are critical to your success, then write down a goal in those areas as well. Be specific. What do you want to accomplish in each particular area of your business? When do you want to be at that goal? Who is going to take the lead in this specific area?Now, if your goals are for where you want to be by the end of the year then I want you to go back and break them up into quarterly goals. Rather than staring at a huge, seemingly unachievable goal, it will be more motivating, more achievable if you state it in quarterly terms. Where do you want to be by the end of March? How about the end of June? How about the end of September?Making the goals more timely and achievable will motivate you and your team to accomplish them. If yours is a manufacturing business or is dependent on daily, repetitive processes, then you may wan to state your goals on a monthly or even weekly basis. We can all learn from Lawrence of Arabia who led an army across the Sahara Desert, a feat never before accomplished, by keeping them focused on small, achievable goals which each led to the larger ultimate goal. We need this and our team members do as well.Now that you have your goals written, determine how you are going to share them with your partners, your team and the person who is going to hold you accountable to them - your business coach. You must go public with your goals if you intend to achieve them. Shine a light on them. Don't hide them just in case you do not achieve them or you can be certain that is exactly what will happen!Lastly, begin measuring your progress against your goals. This is critical. Having a goal is one thing, but having a measurement system so you can see your progress on a regular basis is the key to victory! Keep it simple. Find a place to record your progress on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. Share the results. Celebrate the small wins. Make corrections and adjustments on a regular basis. These tactics will keep you and your team focused and will give you the highest probability of success! ...read more

The perception in the market place is that people are shopping based on price alone. The only reason your customer asks for the price upfront, is because, that is what we, as business owners, have trained them to do.More often than not, people go into a business not really knowing what model, style, color or features they are looking for and purely ask for the price? At this point should the salesperson come back with the direct response, "That is $29.95" or should they ask the customer some questions about what it is they are looking to use the product/service for? This can be further explained by using a simple example of a kettle.Now in most people's eyes a kettle is a kettle, but it can have many different features and offer many different benefits.So what if the sales person simply tells the customer, "Just so I canhelpyou better, is it okay if I ask you a couple of questions about the kettle you are looking for?" This is a better response than simply telling the customer how much the kettle costs. Most certainly, the customer would give an affirmative response as he would like to find the kettle that best suits their needs.The sales person may then ask questions like: "Are you looking to replace an existing kettle or is it a gift for someone?" "Do you regularly use your kettle or is it rarely used?" "Have you seen the cordless options that are available?" "Are you looking for something to match your kitchen?" "So what color are you looking for?" "Kettles come in different cup capacity; do you require 10-cup capacity or is five a better size for you?"From these questions, the customer gets the idea that the sales person is genuinely interested in their needs, and that the salesperson is able to offer options in the most suitable kettles based on his needs.The price, is therefore, negated. It is just a matter of now asking the customer to buy the kettle and close the sale. A good salesperson would then ask, "Well, based on what we have just spoken about, there are two options to choose from, model x and model y; which one suits you best?"Finally, he can ask, "Great, would you like to pay for that by cash or on a credit card. This example was based on a kettle- a relatively small dollar item.How does this apply to other businesses? This process works equally well on cars, retail, houses, furniture, service-based businesses and any other product there is, including funeral homes.Every business owner needs to work out what his customers are actually looking for when they ask for the price, and what's most important to them in their buying decision. ...read more

Do you and your team ask the right questions when you're selling?Do you even know what those questions are?Taking a new approach to sales – or establishing the correct approach – can make all the difference in a business that grows and one that struggles along. Unlike other sales training workshops, the ActionCOACH 1-Day SalesRICHworkshop is designed to re-orient even "non-sales" people to the strategies and process of a successful sales team.This new approach relies on the latest sales strategies that both entice and engage customers at every point of contact – leading to more sales at higher volumes than most owners think possible."Selling is a skill that can be learned," ActionCOACH John Nieuwenburg says. "That's our approach, anyway. Yourcustomers – believe it or not – are people! And when your people understand the psychological process people go through when they buy, they will have a better sales record overall. So will your company." If you're serious about making massive profits from your business, you'll want to put your entire Sales Team through the simplest, and most powerful sales training ever developed, which is SalesRICH.Forget the "pushy" or "too soft" sales techniques of the past. SalesRICH will arm your team with the knowledge and skills to get them performing beyond your wildest expectations.SalesRICH is a full-day workshop that will have your team firing like never before. SalesRICH will give your team the essential sales tools that will have them performing at their peak - day in and day out.SalesRICH will teach your team how to sell to the four key personality types, how to get the customer to "sell themselves" and how to overcome ANY objections. Learn how to set up a sale from the first contact, how to ask great sales questions and ask for the sale time after time.This in-house training program can be run with you and your entire team, or you can send a few of your team to one of our regular public workshops. You will hardly recognize your own Sales Team as they assume a confidence that comes from knowledge, skills, techniques and a true understanding of what makes a top salesperson.You can't afford not to put your entire Sales Team through this training program. So get ready to have money flooding into your bank account. ...read more

Many business people believe that there is nothing they can do to be successful in this economy. They don't believe there is anything they can do differently to change their fortunes during these challenging times. They think if they work harder, put in more hours or cut expenses it will cure their challenges. The real challenge is coming from within. Each business is a reflection of the four inches of real estate between the business owner's ears. If you believe you cannot do anything to overcome the challenges in the economy then you can't. Too many people are striving for a different result without changing their strategy. If you want to change your result you must change your strategy. If you continue to do the same things you will continue to get the same results. If you continue to react to the economy you will continue to be controlled by the economy. Once you decide that you are no longer going to be a victim of the economy by blaming others, making excuses and living in denial you can move forward and take a proactive approach with regards to the success of your business. You are the only person who can make a difference in your business and your life. If you are committed to creating phenomenal results in your life and your business, you need to take total ownership of it, be held accountable for your results and responsible for your actions. You also need to accept that the only failure in life is the failure to participate 100%. What does this mean? It means that you have decided to give 100% too your life and your business until you achieve the results that you desire. It is vital that you begin to comprehend that you can no longer try to do something. You either do it or you don't. A perfect example I see as a coach of failing to participate 100%, is a business owner's attitude towards goal planning. Many people believe that it is a worthless exercise. Why? Because they have not been successful implementing this strategy in the past. Therefore the thought is that it doesn't work. This couldn't be further from the truth. One of the most successful outcomes of goal planning would be the accomplishments of Tiger Woods. He wrote down all his goals and posted them on his wall to review constantly when he was a young boy. He has spent much of his life since then accomplishing one goal after another. If you have been challenged in the past with meeting your desired goals then you need to re-evaluate your process. You don't give up on your goals. You must be committed 100% to finding out what worked and what didn't work. Then you must be committed to changing your strategy when and where it is necessary to achieve your ideal outcome. So, how do you find the time in your busy schedule to accomplish this? Well, it is very easy. In order to start doing the things you need to do to be successful you are going to have to stop doing the things that are making you unsuccessful. Once you stop wasting your time by blaming others, making excuses and living in denial you will have plenty of time to take total ownership of your life, hold yourself accountable for your results and be 100% responsible for your actions. Make the commitment today, to take action to conquer the challenges you are facing, that you believe are a direct result of the current economic situation. Commit today, to focus on the opportunity this economy is giving you to build long term abundance for you, your business, your life and your community. ...read more

It's often far easier to rest where you are than to push yourself to the next level. But complacency leads to mediocrity… which almost always leads to disaster. So, if this is true, how can you keep yourself responsive, resourceful, and recharged in this competitive business environment?Here are 7 tactics tohelpyou move ahead, even while others fall behind: Practice self-discipline versus self-indulgence.Self-indulgence is thinking about how you feel at a given moment, then deciding what action, if any, to take and worrying about the consequences later. Self-discipline is thinking first about the consequences, then taking appropriate action, and feeling great about your decision.See it this way:self-discipline = think consequences(This is when you take action and  feel great). self-indulgence = think feelings(This is when you take action and  suffer consequences) Remember the difference you make in people's lives.The real measure of your success is the difference you're making in the lives of others. By positioning and promoting yourself as someone who can make a difference, you will reach more people. Avoid negative self-talk.Resist the temptation to tell yourself all the things you're doing wrong and all the things you need to improve on. Remember Willie Nelson's great tune, "Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative and Don't Mess with Mr. In Between." Listen to one motivational or inspirational message each week.Without recharging yourself, it's impossible to charge others. Whether this message comes from a religious affiliation or simply from motivational tapes or messages (like Excellence magazine) it is vital to realize that by renewing yourself, you can renew others. Read books by and for successful people.It is said that the average salesperson reads only one book each year. That's why they're average. The importance of reading is that it not only develops your logic and understanding, but it also develops your verbal skills and gives you exposure to new ideas you can use to build your business and your relationships. Focus on your long-term vision versus the short-term circumstances.Take the time to review your goals weekly so you're focused on the long-term. Remember, if you're focused on creating the future, you won't spend time mourning the past. Manage yourself wisely.Recharge and renew yourself and then put in enough effort to get where you want to be –not just enough to justify where you are now. These are seven tactics when implemented and sustained, will make a BIG difference. ...read more

When I talk with professional business owners about building their business, I often get an interesting response... "No more. Please! No more! I couldn't handle any more work; I'm flat out as it is." This seems strange, because many times their business is far from what would be considered massively profitable and by their own admission is often not a fun place to work. The problem lies in a common mis-perception that 'building business' means just getting more leads. The reality is that business building is more about 'quality' than quantity. You can achieve a better quality of client in four steps: Step One: Define Your Clients We all have clients that drive us mad. They might always pay late or complain and haggle over invoices or prices, wait until the last minute to lodge important paperwork, put unnecessary demands on you, have questionable hygiene habits... the list goes on. The first step is to define your clients into 4 classes A,B,C&D; class clients. The definition is up to you. You might also find an 'A' class client might be one that always pays a month late but never questions the price. Step Two: Tell them where they rate Send all your 'A' and 'B' clients a letter telling them that you appreciate their effort in the relationship, that you enjoy working with them and will always strive to do the best for them. Then send your 'C' and 'D' class clients a letter suggesting that it might be time for a 'new approach'. State your commitment to service and explain how important their participation is in the relationship. If there is no change after a couple of more contacts, you might refer them to your competition. It costs you to work for these clients. You make a living working with numbers... if you make $100 profit on doing a job for a client who haggles, complains and wastes another few hours of your time and then starts on your staff members, you'd be better off without them. In the least they vastly increase the chance of a heart attack or other stress related disease (like divorce). Step Three: Fill the void The time you recover when your 'C' and 'D' grade clients take their business to your competitors and driving them mad, can be used for marketing; attracting clients that want to work for you and that you want to work with. Alternatively you could work on systematization to increase productivity in your practice. You could even go home early and spend some extra time with your family or on that neglected hobby or passion. Step Four: Maintain the system Its important to inoculate yourself against more 'C's&'D's... Make sure that your new clients are educated on the fact that the unique and outstanding level of service that you provide for them is possible because your clients commit to participating in the relationship and define what you expect of them. This is an important strategy to get YOU more in control your business, improve your profitability and most importantly, reduce the stress levels of you and your team. Good luck! ...read more

I remember a bumper sticker: "Either Lead or Follow—But Get Out of the Way!" When our role calls for the former, here are 4 important things to keep in mind: 1. Great leaders communicate. Realizing that good communication is a 2-way street, we must be responsible for our part. That being said, true communication is the response that you get. Whatever form you choose (verbal, mail, e-mail, etc), if you don't get the outcome you seek (from a "willing" recipient), the responsibility lies with the sender. Great leaders confirm, gain commitment, and solicit feedback to improve the process. 2. Great leaders make decisions. Far too often, those in positions of authority delay choosing a course because they have to keep gathering more information. We call this: the paralysis of analysis. If you're the Leader, rest assured that the followers are well aware of this handicap. If you are received as indecisive, this severely hampers your ability to lead the Team. How many opportunities have slipped away because the leader took to long to make a move? One more thing: great leaders admit when they make a mistake, take corrective action, and move on. This will do wonders to build respect from Team members. 3. Great leaders delegate. Once the decision has been made, it's time to share the workload. Great leaders don't try to do everything themselves, realizing that dividing the work multiplies the results. This also demonstrates trust in the Team and fosters individual growth. When the communication works (see #1 above), distributing responsibility contributes to great results. As a side note, a great leader shares the credit with those responsible when those great results come in. 4. Great leaders hold others accountable. Leaders do what they say they will do and expect the same from others. One of my mentors used to say: "You expect what you inspect." Great leaders follow up and follow through. Those who study the human condition have found that "behavior that is recognized is behavior that gets repeated". The Team knows what the Leader, historically, has paid attention to and what has been "overlooked". As the Leader, change your behavior and you change your results. It starts with you, it starts today. From Gandhi: "Be the change you want to see in the world". Chris Carman from ActionCOACH Business Coaching helps business owners in SE Wisconsin make more money, works less hours and recruit, train and retain high quality employees.  For more information please visit www.actioncoach.com/chriscarman ...read more