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Annette Burgess

How to Overcome Fears of Objection

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I have a friend that is a natural born sales person. She can sell a glass of water to a drowning man – her game is that tight. She has meta-human selling abilities. I, on the other hand, am an earthling with a natural fear of sales like most entrepreneurs or small business owners.

However, if we want to be successful in growing our businesses we have to lose the fear of asking for the sale – real quick. Unfortunately, the selling process is anything but easy. When I started my virtual franchise skincare business, I’ll be honest; I lacked confidence in myself, knowledge of my product, a fear of failure, and fear of asking for the sale. I know I am not alone.

Fear is a liar.

Good news: Fears can be overcome with a change in mindset, training, and practice. I’m not an expert; I struggle with these issues just like you do. These tactics I’m sharing will help you get over some of the most common objections we hear running our businesses, and hopefully will help you to become a more confident business owner.

You got this.

Objection #1: You will be rejected

How to overcome it: Are you worried about not being liked? Understand where your fear is coming from and face it. Anyone saying “no” to your product or service, is not saying “no” to you. I know hearing “no” is frustrating but it’s not about you. Buried in the “no” is a learning opportunity. By analyzing the outcome of events, it can prevent you from making the same mistakes down the line.

Objection #2: Your product won’t deliver

How to overcome it: I was unsure if my customers would find value in the premium skincare products I offer. I began questioning if the prices were too high. So, I started gathering feedback from my customers, in any medium they’d like to share – text, email, or hand written notes. I loved reading what they had to say, and I made sure I shared the testimonials on my various social media platforms. This positive feedback reassured me of the quality and value my products were delivering to all of my customers.

Constantly look for ways to improve your services so you are sure you’re providing optimal value, that way, you will always be confident in your product and your abilities.

Objection #3: You won’t close the sale

How to overcome: I’m in my nerd bag today, but Master Yoda says, “Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.” Very often, we get really attached to “making the sale” or having a situation turn out a certain way. Instead, let’s re-focus on our efforts to, “I will give an enthusiastic and passionate presentation” rather than outcome of, “They will buy xx number of an item.”

Stay focused on your effort of doing a great job, the outcome will turn out better than you ever imagined.

Objection #4: You aren’t sure you are doing “it” right

How to overcome: Like any other skill, selling gets easier the more you do it. Verbal rehearsal and practice is one of the most effective ways to get over your fear of selling.

In today’s highly competitive world you need to be proactive in asking for the sale. Otherwise, someone else who is way more assertive will capture the business you deserve. I believe that it was Wayne Gretzky who said, “You will always miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

So get out there, start small, and keep taking those shots.

4 Tips to Help You Focus on Your Business (After Your 9 to 5)

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Lately, those “take the jump” motivational videos have been making the rounds on various social media platforms. You’ve seen those video clips with the “all-in or nothing” kind of message.

I am not dogging the message. I watch them and get pumped, just like everyone else. But let’s face facts, most of us are works in progress and for whatever reasons, we cannot just stop showing up at our 9-to-5. Bills need to be paid, and a girl’s got to eat. But trust me when I say when the moment is right – I’m gone!

So what should we focus on so we don’t feel overwhelmed? How can we keep slaying the 9to5, and still build our business like a boss?

The following are four incredible tips that I think will make the most impact on your business despite (okay – with the help of) your 9to5.

  1. Start thinking of your 9-to-5 as a blessing

Until recently, I always thought of my 9-to-5 as a big ol’ anchor holding me back from building my entrepreneurial empire. That couldn’t be further from the truth, the majority of my customers are from my 9to5.

Your 9-to-5 is the gasoline that will keep your dreams alive. So, it’s time to stop thinking of your 9to5 as something that is dragging you down, but as a partner that is holding you up until the time is right to leave. Use it to your advantage.

2. Align forces

[bctt tweet=”It’s super important to make getting your product or service in front of more people your top priority.” via=”no”]

Start reaching out to other businesses who reach a similar audience to see if they’d be interested in doing a marketing campaign. I have a skincare mini-franchise, I reached out to an up-and-coming make-up artist and we held an event for our customers. It was super successful!

Begin to spend your week strategizing between one and three ways in which you could market your brand, and map them out. Then pick one of these to implement the next week, and see what works. You’d be surprised!

3. Map it out

[bctt tweet=”There is no sugar-coating it: successful businesses are built on consistent imperative action taken daily. #womeneur” username=”womeneur”]

No busy work. No checking more email. No unnecessary phone calls. You only have so many hours to work on your side hustle outside of your 9to5 hours, so you have to make them count.

Start using Friday as your planning day for the week ahead. I still utilize Sunday to make sure the weekly plan that I created on Friday is a go. I’ve learned that these two days really clear up my headspace so I can be present with friends and family on the weekend.

By getting things planned out on Friday (and finalized on Sunday) you’re able to hit the ground running on Monday morning.

4. Be present online (Every. Day.)

It’s really easy to lose track of time while at your 9to5, but the power of being present online is incredible. I make sure to post on my favorite social media platforms at least twice a day. If you know you can’t do this at work, scheduling apps like Buffer or Hootsuite make it easier for you to be online when you can’t.

Utilize any online groups you might be in. Becoming known for what you do is powerful, and it can easily transition into referrals. The more referrals you get can mean more work, and more work means more money in your pocket.

Engage with others by answering questions as they come up in the groups, and adding advice when it’s appropriate. I make it a practice to give more than I promote.

Working a full-time job, while building a business is not an easy task, but we’re doing it. If you feel you need extra help to develop a business or marketing strategy, Womeneur has got your back.

4 Running Principles That Can Boost Your Business

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In the past four months, I have logged over 230 miles on my mobile running app. Not to toot my own horn, but – beep, beep! All jokes aside, I have been training for a ten-mile race that my beautiful city of Philadelphia hosts every year. It’s a glorious sight – over 40,000 runners running down Broad Street and what feels like the entire city cheering us on.

I actually hate training but I really love the solitude of running. It’s just me, my ragged breathing, my motivational podcasts and my thoughts.

One of my recurring thoughts was the correlation between my progression as a runner and my progression as a business owner. I saw that I could apply the principles I learned as a runner to running my business.

Principal 1: There are no shortcuts.

Training for a race is grueling. Day in and day out, you have to show up – regardless of how you feel. It doesn’t matter if you’re tired or if you are discouraged. You show up, put in the work to get the results you want.

It should be the same with our businesses, but unfortunately, that isn’t the case. This is a painful lesson for me. If I was tired, I wouldn’t make any additional calls or emails sharing my business or product. If I was discouraged, I’d spend my time doing something else to take my mind off the situation. You can’t grow a business like that.

Like my Nana used to say, “Don’t nothing work but the work.” In order for us to get to the finish line, we have to do the things we don’t want to do.

Principal 2: Schedule time when you are productive and focused.

When I first started running outdoors, I was so embarrassed by someone I knew seeing me run that I would schedule my runs after work…in the dark. For a while, embarrassment was my motivator. Needless to say, it was a very reactive, unproductive way of motivating because, after an intense day at my 9to5, my brain was fried, I could not focus on my run.

It took me a while to understand my body clock; morning is when I am most productive and focused. I had to “pull up my big girl panties” and deal with insecurity.

As Entrepreneurs, we are guilty of this. We force ourselves to work, even when we’re not being productive, and we accomplish nothing. Like I said, I am most productive in the morning, so I block time for the hardest tasks after my morning run. When are you at your most productive? If it’s the afternoon, block out time for those hard tasks then. When you understand your body clock, you’ll become more productive.

Principal 3: Keep going. Do not stop.

I spotted a spray painted sign on my run this weekend and it was like it was there just for me. I was about 7 miles into a 10-mile run and was not feeling it. I was flooded with negative thoughts and very ready to give up on my sweat session when I saw the stop sign spray-painted with the message: “Don’t stop.”

Aw damn. It was right, though. I did stop to take a picture, giving myself a quick breather.

Being an entrepreneur is hard. There are days we wake up and we don’t want to do a darn thing, but this is where the mental toughness comes in. We have to tell ourselves to keep going, don’t stop.

If you don’t hustle, you don’t eat.

Principal 4: Run your own race.

Comparison is the thief of joy.– Theodore Roosevelt

 

Picture it: You rocked your business, signed up three new customers, and added a business partner. You are filled with excitement and ready to post your awesomeness on social media. And then you see someone posted their super business news of Oprah holding their product.

Suddenly you don’t feel so awesome, and you start second-guessing your decision of becoming an entrepreneur.

See? Comparison = joy thief.

Be happy and celebrate where you are. When we compare ourselves to others, we’re comparing our behind-the-scenes with everyone else’s highlight reel.

Create Your Own Damn Opportunities

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There is a saying, opportunity only knocks once. Funny thing, though, even when the opportunity does knock we often don’t even realize it’s an opportunity. I am not going to lie; I did not recognize opportunity as much as I should have because of fear of the unknown. Has that ever happened to you?

 

Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. – Thomas Edison

 

A few weeks ago, I was listening to my new friend excitedly share her plan for growing her business when she mentioned an area of my expertise. Did I just hear opportunity knock? I swear it was like a scene from a Saturday morning cartoon – a lightbulb went off in my head!  As soon as the moment was right, I began to share how my expertise in that area could benefit her, and we both agreed we needed to schedule time for a deeper discussion. I had never, until that moment, thought of providing that type of service – but I put it out there to positive results. Opportunity knocked and I answered the door even though I didn’t know what was around the corner.

It sucks but that’s how opportunity can be sometimes. She has the audacity to make you believe in yourself, be okay with not knowing how it’s going to work out, and taking risks.

So how does any of this relate to your business? Simple: you can create opportunities for yourself and your business by finding ways to put yourself in the right place at the right time. Sometimes that’s all you need to take your business to the next level. Happens all the time.

Here are four key ways you can begin to create your own damn opportunities:

1.    Meet new people

If you want to be presented with more opportunities, simply meet new people. The more people you meet, the higher your chances of possible opportunities. Go to meetings with people having similar interests as you. Visit conferences. You can even meet people online these days; join different LinkedIn groups, follow people on twitter. Don’t forget to follow-up after your introduction to schedule lunch or to grab a cup of coffee!

2.    Continue learning

Personal development is critical for your success. Learning is a process that should never end. The moment you begin to think you know it all is the moment your business will stop growing. This year, I have committed myself to reading 10-pages of a personal development book or business book every day. Those 10-pages add up to about only 30-minutes. Will reading 10-pages one day change me or my business? Probably not. But reading 10-pages of a personal development book or a book on building my business every day for several months will improve my self-esteem and aid in creating business building ideas.

If you want true success, learn to work harder on yourself than you do on your business

3.    Rack up those frequent flyer miles

You should visit a different place at least once a year. This is a great way to get you out of familiar surroundings to build your tribe. I love this because new places and new people mean possibly being presented with an opportunity that simply doesn’t exist in your hometown. A close friend of mine has built a successful network marketing team with partners from all across the country and internationally. Not one of her business partners live in her home state.

4.    Don’t be scared of “I don’t know.”

The magic happens beyond our comfort zones. When I told my friend about my industry-specific coaching, I had no idea she would sign-on – but she did. I had no idea how it would work – but after a bumpy start, it did. And I had no idea about pricing, but it all worked out. Not being afraid of opportunity has allowed me to expand my services and it has brought in more business. As an entrepreneur, I love more business.

Build a Social Media Strategy With These 6 Awesome Tricks

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If you are serious about building your business and your brand, you must be actively engaged on social media. I’m sorry but there is no other way around it. I can hear some of you already, “Not one more thing, I’m already so busy with everything else.”

You are preaching to the choir. I used to feel the same way, and that is why I didn’t take the time to understand how to really use this incredible marketing medium. When I started my network marketing business last year, I jumped feet first into social media marketing, without a plan. I thought I was a big-baller, shot-caller because I already had a Facebook page with over 1,000 friends and had over 600 Twitter followers (don’t laugh). Needless to say, it didn’t turn out that well and I was completely overwhelmed. Social media marketing isn’t just posting, tweeting and pinning. If you want business-related results, you must see the bigger picture. Every action you take on social media should be part of that picture.

This is where your planning comes in.

It may sound like a lot of time and effort, but if you take a step back and create a social media strategy, the rest of your labor will be effortless.

Here are six tricks to help get you started in building your strategy:

1. Create
Sit tight, because this is the beginning of your journey. Think about where it is you want to go with your business. Are you looking to increase sales – and who isn’t? Do you want to expand awareness with your brand? What do you want to accomplish in marketing your business on social media platforms? Begin to set clear objective goals, but don’t spread yourself too thin or you’re not going to accomplish anything. I focus on the S.M.A.R.T. strategy for goal setting to ensure my objectives are Specific, Measurable,Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based.

2. Choose
​Not all social media platforms are created equal. When I developed my social media strategy, I only had two platforms initially listed in my marketing plan. I didn’t want to overwhelm myself and I wanted to make sure I was able to stay consistent with my marketing. Be excellent with one or two platforms instead of mediocre with five or six. There is no shame in that game.

3. Check out your competition
Why recreate the wheel? Your competition can tell you a lot about what works and what doesn’t. After all, they’re targeting the same customers you are. If you ignore your competition, you’re giving up a fantastic opportunity to learn from their successes and pitfalls.

4. Content
Just hearing the word content used to make me break out in hives. But then I started to think more about what my customers wanted. Start drafting high-level messages that you know will resonate with your customers. Don’t be afraid to get your creative juices flowing; your social media presence should be fun and exciting – not boring.

5. Consistency
I still struggle with this one, but I cannot stress enough that it’s importance. Consistency is providing predictable and reliable results to customers or clients every time you interact with them. That’s right – every time. When you make a schedule – stick with it. If you drop the ball, don’t beat yourself up; just get back on schedule as soon as you can.

6. Control
You’ll need control for managing your posts. Some of my business partners use Buffer, I use Hootsuite. They are social media sharing tools that allow you to schedule posts across different social media platforms. It’s a huge time-saver and as an entrepreneur, our time is money. But more importantly, I am able to see my weekly strategy and modify as needed.

7. Bonus
Do EXACTLY what we did to grow our Instagram community to over 30K followers in months and learn how to still grow your community even with the recent Instagram changes: Download our Instagram Content Calendar + 19 Dozen Killer Tips!

Listen, you may not see immediate results – don’t get frustrated. Stick with it. Social media takes time and also an investment of your time over a sustained period in order to achieve results. But if you commit to the six C’s I listed, you’ll see results sooner rather than later.

The Trouble with Work-Life Balance: 5 Tips to Help Achieve It

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You struggle with work-life balance. I know you do because just about every entrepreneur does. I know I used to. In my opinion, trying to find the perfect balance between work and life is a pipe dream—an unattainable goal.

I don’t want to rub anyone the wrong way, so just hear me out. As entrepreneurs, there is immense pressure to be successful, whatever that means, and it can really weigh on us. We’re expected to build successful businesses, while being exemplary parents, have an exciting personal life, volunteer in our communities, and take wonderful care of our bodies, spirits, and minds. Believe me, I tried to be that superwomen, but I ended up fatigued and feeling unbalanced.

What if it’s not about being balanced at all, but to create a well-rounded work-life experience?  Somedays, it’s all about business. Other days, it’s an outing with the family – minus your cell phone. Or finally making time to schedule that date! There may be times when we take really good care of ourselves, and other times when that slips a bit; times where we devote a lot of attention to our family, and other times when there is less energy and time to focus on them.

Different priorities take precedence at different times. And that’s OK; allow yourself that space.

Here are five tips to help you achieve a well-rounded work-life experience:

  1. Take “quality” out of quality time. Any time you get to spend with your family is quality time. Our families just want our time – uninterrupted. My son and I have “bad movie” night on Fridays when I am available. It’s just the two of us laughing and talking watching horrible movies. We love it. Choosing an activity doesn’t have to be stressful. Go for a bike ride, or have fun baking (and eating), go for walk or a hike, or take a long drive.
  2. Utilize your calendar. For me, if it’s not on my calendar, it will not get done. That includes non-work things like “bad movie” Friday. Once you enter an activity in your calendar, you’ll become committed to it and you’ll be more likely to follow through.
  3. Start saying “NO.” This is the most powerful word when you are building a business. Your time is money. I know it’s hard; this is something that I still struggle with too. Saying “Yes” makes others happy, but it takes us away from things that really matter.
  4. You are not alone. If developing a well-rounded work-life experience is proving difficult, consider finding a life coach. To have someone on the outside help you navigate through decision-making can help you make better choices.
  5. Lose your mind. That’s right, take time for activities that rejuvenate you. This “mindless” time is critical to restoring your mental sharpness, as well as your physical stamina. It also creates space for creativity and problem solving. Don’t force it – the aim is to relax and enjoy your “you time.”

If the quest for balance has you off balance, decide to create a well-rounded work-life experience. Its purpose is to reduce your stress not add to it.