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	<title>Heather Flanagan Sales Consulting</title>
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	<link>http://heatherflanagan.com</link>
	<description>Helping you grow your business...from the inside out!</description>
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		<title>Zen Sales Part 1: Virtual Workshop</title>
		<link>http://heatherflanagan.com/zen-sales-part-1-virtual-workshop/</link>
		<comments>http://heatherflanagan.com/zen-sales-part-1-virtual-workshop/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Jun 2013 20:53:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Action Steps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bainbridge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heather flanagan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OfficeXpats]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online sales workshop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[OXP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales consultant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales consulting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sales seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[seattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Video]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heatherflanagan.com/?p=495</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Zen Sales Part 1. Courtesy of OfficeXpats Print out a worksheet and follow along. OfficeXpats Tuesdays at Noon, Business Speaker Series. April 9th, 2013. Heather Flanagan uses her experience, training, understanding of human behavior, and innovative outside-the-box thinking to help others grow their businesses in ways that align with their core values and honor [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WcrwhKxhZ1Y?rel=0" frameborder="0" width="560" height="315"></iframe></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><strong>Zen Sales Part 1.</strong><br />
Courtesy of <a href="http://www.officexpats.com/tuesdaynoon-business-skills-workshops/" target="_blank">OfficeXpats</a><br />
Print out a <a href="http://heatherflanagan.com/?attachment_id=500" target="_blank">worksheet</a> and follow along.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.officexpats.com/tuesdaynoon-business-skills-workshops/" target="_blank">OfficeXpats Tuesdays at Noon, Business Speaker Series.</a><br />
April 9th, 2013. Heather Flanagan uses her experience, training, understanding of human behavior, and innovative outside-the-box thinking to help others grow their businesses in ways that align with their core values and honor their truth. Video by Steve Stolee &#8211; Stolee Communications &#8211; sstolee@qwest.net</p>
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		<title>Redefining Impersonal Sales Jargon</title>
		<link>http://heatherflanagan.com/redefining-impersonal-sales-jargon/</link>
		<comments>http://heatherflanagan.com/redefining-impersonal-sales-jargon/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Jun 2013 04:20:43 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Action Steps]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heatherflanagan.com/?p=490</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[How many business owners cringe when they think of the “sales” efforts required to build their business? I’ve discovered a simple way to reduce the cringe factor by redefining three little words. When we think of sales, we are often influenced by the jargon from professionals in the field. Terms like “prospecting,” “customers,” and “closing” [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>How many business owners cringe when they think of the “sales” efforts required to build their business? I’ve discovered a simple way to reduce the cringe factor by redefining three little words. When we think of sales, we are often influenced by the jargon from professionals in the field. Terms like “prospecting,” “customers,” and “closing” create a gap between us and the people we serve. They make it seem like sales is a competitive sport or analytical exercise. But sales does not have to be impersonal or superficial. In fact, the more connected and authentic we are the more effective we will be. Let’s see what happens when “prospecting”, “customers”, and “closing” are filtered through authentic connection.</p>
<p><strong>Prospecting:</strong> What do you think of when you hear this term? I imagine some giant business man shaking a sifter full of people and <span id="more-490"></span>targeting the ones that remain on top. This image turns people into nuggets of gold. For most of us, seeing people as potential walking ATMs just feels wrong. So we avoid prospecting.</p>
<p>Let’s look through more authentic eyes. You have a product or service that people want or need. Both you and they benefit when you help the right people find you. So instead of prospecting, what if you think of it as providing guidance? Instead of sifting people through your prospector’s sieve, you simply offer assistance to the people you encounter, to help them get clear about what they want or need, and how to find it.</p>
<p>Maybe that’ll be you, maybe not. But your expertise is of value either way. And if you’re motivated to offer guidance, you’ll naturally gravitate to those people who can use it most. Bonus: if the guidance you offer is valuable, those people will send others your way whether they purchase from you or not. The result? Your business grows.</p>
<p>Bottom line, prospecting is what you do to connect with those you are meant to serve. It’s more about the Golden Rule than nuggets of gold.</p>
<p><strong>Customers:</strong> Even the term “customer” can feel like we are objectifying another human being, turning them into transaction agents in your sales. But the people you serve have unique needs that you are in a position to meet uniquely.</p>
<p>Maybe it’s the money thing that gets in the way. Isn’t it funny that most people feel more comfortable asking for money as an employee of someone else’s business than they do for their own true calling? Perhaps we long for simpler times. I am sorry but two goats and a chicken aren’t going to pay your mortgage! The people you serve know this also, and if welcomed, will feel gratitude that you can accept fair payment for what you have provided.</p>
<p>So what to call them? I like to try to get away from the sterile term “customers” when I can. For brick and mortar businesses, “guests” can sound much softer on the ears and more accurately express how you want your… well… guests to feel. Like guests! “Clients” is another term that expresses respect. For a hip twist try “my peeps”. The customer isn’t always right, but the customer is always a human being with needs.</p>
<p><strong>Closing:</strong> Closing refers to the act of getting to “yes” on a sale including a plan for money to exchange hands. “Closing a sale” sounds manipulative. In our<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104348/" target="_blank"> Glengarry Glen Ross </a>culture at one company I worked for it was common to say, “Did you close him?” It was as though closing was some devilish spell you cast on another person to get them to hand over their gold nuggets.  Indeed, for many of the guys (yes, they were all guys), that was the case.</p>
<p>I found that I got a lot more leverage by treating our clients like human beings who needed our products to solve their problems. Closing isn’t tricking another person into parting with their cash. Closing is helping a person to say “yes” to having a need met.</p>
<p>You don’t need to “close” every “prospect” and turn them into a “customer” to be good at sales. In fact, you will do more for your business in the long term if you only work with people who will get the most out of what you have to offer. So what if you manage to convince a chicken farmer that a coyote would be an ideal herding dog? While your powers of manipulation may be great, that chicken farmer is not likely to speak well of you to future potential customers. (Is there a market for coyotes?)</p>
<p>As an authentic and connected business person, your job is to find the people whose needs you are most able to meet. Sales is important, good work no matter what terminology you use. Good luck!</p>
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		<title>Why &#8216;Sales&#8217; is a Dirty Word</title>
		<link>http://heatherflanagan.com/why-do-we-hate-sales/</link>
		<comments>http://heatherflanagan.com/why-do-we-hate-sales/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 Dec 2012 19:51:59 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Action Steps]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heatherflanagan.com/?p=474</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I enthusiastically share with people that I love sales, they usually look at me like I have said that I love to eat raw slugs. (This cannot be further from the truth. I generally prefer my slugs sautéed in a Cabernet reduction.) I find it curious that many business people have confided with me [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>When I enthusiastically share with people that I love sales, they usually look at me like I have said that I love to eat raw slugs. (This cannot be further from the truth. I generally prefer my slugs sautéed in a Cabernet reduction.) I find it curious that many business people have confided with me that they absolutely HATE sales. Indeed, the reactions I have heard have varied from utter disgust to disinterested denial. Yet, having a clear sales process and good sales skills are absolutely essential to any business’s success! Read this article for the shocking truth about how to overcome loathing and achieve awesome sales skills painlessly.</p>
<p>Why do we hate sales? Let me answer this question with a question. What are some words you commonly associate with “salesman?” For me, the word salesman brings up the following: sleazy, annoying, inauthentic, manipulative, sneaky, ulterior motive, and “Go away!” In my mind, the archetype for the sales professional is the used car salesman. (I suppose I need to check in with the political correctness police people, here. I am using the word “salesman” instead of “salesperson” as it feels like the negativity I have internalized around sales has its roots in early childhood <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1B_IEoL2Y0" target="_blank">television images</a>. Salespeople were almost entirely men and almost entirely sleazy and manipulative. Sorry, boys.)</p>
<p>I remember when I first started cold calling for <a title="Keyence" href="http://www.keyence.com/report/report_en_181081.html" target="_blank">Keyence Corporation</a> (a Japanese sensor manufacturer.) I would be very apologetic, “I am a pesky salesperson calling to see if I could send you some literature about our new fiber-optic sensor with 12-bit resolution and one-micron repeatability?” It actually worked quite well as I got the electrical engineer on the other end of the line laughing and broke through the barrier of our roles. I wanted to be a person, not a role. I especially did not want to be in a manipulative role that caused repulsion. This was one of the most significant discoveries of my sales career: I can do sales and still be a <span id="more-474"></span>human being.</p>
<p>Another reason many business people loath sales is because they don’t feel confident in their skills. We know that there are sales skills. We don’t know what they are. What makes a good salesperson? Do I have what it takes? I have heard things said about great salespeople like, “He is so good, he could sell ice to an Eskimo!” I can tell you, great salespeople don’t have magical manipulation techniques that make others go against common sense. What makes an awesome salesperson is precisely the opposite.</p>
<p>The ironic thing is that the bulk of what makes an incredible salesperson is the ability to be authentic and to truly care about the needs of a potential client or customer. It’s not about acting charming; it’s about being connected to self and others. The same people who have confided in me that they hate sales are the very people who have the most innate gifts for being exceptional salespeople. They hate sales because they can’t bring themselves to be fake. They have incorrectly concluded that an element of superficiality is required to convince a client or customer to buy. We can be so afraid to be manipulative that we don’t even ask for the sale. A funny thing happens when we don’t ask for the sale. We don’t get it.</p>
<p>In conclusion, if you hate sales, you probably already have 90% of what it takes to be a great salesperson, and that is being a great person. There is no super-secret skill-set you need to learn. You have a product or service; your customers have needs. If they match, help your customers along by suggesting they “go for it.” By trusting your intentions and ability and being an authentic caring curious person, you have what it takes. Don’t withhold your gifts for fear of being a slimy salesperson. Ask for the sale so your customer’s needs can be met!</p>
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		<title>Recipe for Creating Momentum</title>
		<link>http://heatherflanagan.com/recipe_for_momentum/</link>
		<comments>http://heatherflanagan.com/recipe_for_momentum/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 11 Oct 2012 22:10:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Action Steps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Manifesting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Transformation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[add coach port townsend]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adhd coach]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adhd coaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Agreements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[being your word]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[focus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[getting started]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[goals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heather flanagan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[keeping agreements]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[momentum]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Momentum Masters]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[momentum masters port townsend]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[project completion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self discipline]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.visualizepossibilities.com/?p=168</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Momentum is an experience in life of effortless flow where results manifest easily and rapidly. Conflict and forced effort no longer trouble us. Momentum occurs when you know what you want, plan a course of action, and honor your agreements about that plan. Momentum is enabled when you let go of having to be right [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Momentum is an experience in life of effortless flow where results manifest easily and rapidly. Conflict and forced effort no longer trouble us. Momentum occurs when you know what you want, plan a course of action, and honor your agreements about that plan. Momentum is enabled when you let go of having to be right or in control. In order to experience momentum, you first need to be aligned with your inner truth and fully engaged on a purposeful path. </p>
<p>What Do You Want? It is difficult to know what you want when you are focused on avoiding what you don’t want. Do you ever feel like you are waiting for clarity? The trouble is commitment precedes clarity, not the other way around. Often, a feeling of clarity emerges only after we choose to commit to a path. Choosing one path can be difficult, as it requires saying “no” to other potential directions. </p>
<p>How Do You Choose a Direction? I like to ask new clients, “What are three things you want more of in your life?” and “What are three things you want less of in your life?” Clear dreams, goals, and desires appear from these conversations. Often, simply reflecting back what a client has said transforms uncertainty into a declaration of desire. From the recognition of desire, a clear commitment can be created. Then boom, there is clarity! This is where the ideas and synergies come rushing in to meet you in a delicious reunion with your soul. When you commit, you will have an experience of freedom to move forward and a flow of inspiration and ideas will follow. Your creative mind will come alive with possibilities and potential sources of help. </p>
<p>What Are You Going To Do With Your Commitment? The first step is to make a plan. It’s not what you plan, but that you plan! Envision what your plan will look like and then be flexible about adding and dropping items as new information arrives. The tasks you choose are to empower an experience of productivity, not to give you a sense of having it all figured out. Many people stop before they start, because they are attached to anticipating what their results will be. The reality is, if you allow results to happen it will be much more powerful than if you force them. If you keep showing up, the results will follow!</p>
<p>Honor your Agreements. Now that you have a commitment and a plan, making clear agreements and honoring them is the power behind manifesting results without struggle or effort. Sometimes, we break agreements. When this happens, tell the truth about the broken agreement and forgive yourself quickly and with the appreciation that you are doing it. You are on your path and are not waiting anymore. Occasionally we need to change an agreement and that’s alright. Take notice though, if you change it more than twice or if you make agreements that you don’t actually want to complete. Honor that! Honoring your agreements with intention will enhance self-respect and will keep you focused on your plan.</p>
<p>Momentum Has a Life-Span. It is very important to note that seeking momentum for momentum’s sake is a dead-end path. I have shared a recipe for creating momentum. Momentum is neither good nor bad. It is a feeling that occurs under certain circumstances. There are other, equally valuable feelings such as <a href="http://heatherflanagan.com/stuck-an-opportunity-for-renewal/" target="_blank">“being stuck.&#8221;</a> When we decide that feeling momentum is good and feeling stuck is bad, we stifle our ability to flow into those states we seem to prefer. A feeling of being stuck indicates a pause is needed while we process new information. When we make “stuck” a thing, and then feel ashamed of being stuck, our very resistance will prolong the time needed to reveal our next direction.  When it is time to move forward, you will know. Then you will be able to ask yourself, “What do I want more of in my life?” </p>
<p>May you experience gratitude and reverence for all aspects of your journey and honor the wisdom within it.</p>
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		<title>Stuck: An Opportunity for Renewal</title>
		<link>http://heatherflanagan.com/stuck-an-opportunity-for-renewal/</link>
		<comments>http://heatherflanagan.com/stuck-an-opportunity-for-renewal/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 30 Aug 2012 04:14:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Action Steps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business coach]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business coaching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heather flanagan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life coach]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[life coach port townsend]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heatherflanagan.com/?p=424</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Every time I feel stuck, I resist the way a cat does a bath. But every single time I have come out the other side with a fresh and inspiring course change, and renewed passion. So I’m learning to embrace my “stuckness” and trust it is actually a necessary pause in a natural process of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Every time I feel stuck, I resist the way a cat does a bath. But every single time I have come out the other side with a fresh and inspiring course change, and renewed passion. So I’m learning to embrace my “stuckness” and trust it is actually a necessary pause in a natural process of renewal. Here are four practices to help you shift your perspective and nurture your own renewal when you find yourself in a so-called “stuck” place.</p>
<p>1. Make a list of what is bothering you. When we are stuck we may exaggerate the number of “bad” things in our life. If it feels like 5,000 things are bogging you down, it may be that there are actually 5 things but they have circled through your mind 1,000 times each. &lt;whew&gt; Some instant relief there. And having the thoughts captured on paper can free up your creative mind for problem solving. Your mental hands have been holding on to so much, now they are free to mold something new.</p>
<p>2. Ask yourself, “What am I feeling?” Sometimes we can stay stuck in “stuck” simply because we put a lot of energy into avoiding feelings at the core of it. Write a list of whatever comes to mind. Circle the one or two with the biggest charge. Give them your attention. What do these feelings want you to know? Though it can be very uncomfortable for a moment or two, I find that the feelings I have been suppressing relax when I give them my attention and listen to what they want. By becoming more conscious of my feelings and what they want, I create greater choices around my experience. Feelings become my guideposts to greater alignment within myself.</p>
<p>3. Reflect on how feeling stuck has shown up in the past. The stuck places from our past hold clues to what is needed right now. Try capturing a previous experience of feeling stuck as a process. How did it start? How long did it last? How did you eventually come out of it? What purpose did it seem to have? Were you aware of that purpose while in it or did the importance of that uncomfortable experience only reveal itself in retrospect? Hmmm. What purpose might your current experience of stuck be revealing?</p>
<p>4. Let go! Stop resisting. My standard answer to almost any problem is to take action. When I feel stuck I drive myself crazy trying to figure out what action will get me out of this feeling. Focusing on feeling (step 2) lets me know there is wisdom within the stuck. Reflection (step 3) tells me that I don’t always get to see the purpose of my times of “stuck” until I have come out the other side with my shiny new wisdom and inspiration. Relax. It’s OK to be exactly where you are. Something deeper is in charge.</p>
<p>These four practices can help you reframe the experience of stuck. Think of stuck, instead, as a powerful regenerative phase wherein your higher self has taken your day-to-day conscious mind offline because it has some big work to do. The body heals itself without needing our consciousness engaged. Perhaps there is a similar process for traversing our life path. What would the world be like if we knew to celebrate feeling stuck because we trust something really big is percolating in our soul? What’s brewing in your soul?</p>
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		<title>Discovering Your Inner Business Plan</title>
		<link>http://heatherflanagan.com/creativity-is-my-business-plan/</link>
		<comments>http://heatherflanagan.com/creativity-is-my-business-plan/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Jul 2012 02:19:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Action Steps]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heatherflanagan.com/?p=408</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I first started my coaching business over a decade ago, I was a dabbler. I taught a few workshops, joined a BNI (Business Networking International) chapter, and earned my Professional Certified Coach credential at The Centre for Coach Training. All very business-like things to do. But I was truly scattered and lacked confidence. I [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>When I first started my coaching business over a decade ago, I was a dabbler. I taught a few workshops, joined a BNI (Business Networking International) chapter, and earned my Professional Certified Coach credential at The Centre for Coach Training. All very business-like things to do. But I was truly scattered and lacked confidence.</p>
<p>I felt momentarily confident and inspired when I realized I wanted to be a Parent Coach! It felt so true. So right. So real! I was ready to take charge with intense focus and move forward!</p>
<p>My business savvy friend was excited for me, too! In fact, he listed out only the basic rudimentary steps I would need to take to make my vision a reality. I would need to get some professional photos taken, have a logo designed, create a web page, start an e-newsletter, get in contact with this organization and that for referral sources, etc…<br />
I went back to bed for about a year in total overwhelm. All that confidence and inspiration evaporated into despair.</p>
<p>Some people can get an idea for a business, create goals and benchmarks, write up a plan for execution, and plug along with their action steps faithfully, adjusting along the way as needed, to their destinations. Then there are those of us who collapse into overwhelm just thinking about it. We get paralyzed by anxiety, doubt, fear, and/or a history of false starts. Some of us have businesses but feel stuck because we can&#8217;t seem to get around to making that business plan everyone seems to think is so important.</p>
<p>Business plans are not for everybody!</p>
<p>There are ways to create a successful business that align with who you are how you need to function in life. It is my mission to help creative people show up for themselves and for the people they are destined to serve with their gifts. I have helped artists, healing professionals, cultural visionaries, and many other “soul” entrepreneurs (pardon the pun) create momentum and success by helping them to focus on what works, honor the insights and intuitions that emerge from the creative mind, and pace progress in a way that lessens overwhelm and nurtures feelings of success.</p>
<p>I did not complete my path to becoming a Parent Coach. I had another journey to make and a deeper calling to discover. I needed to figure out how someone with a squirrely brain like mine could actually create and run a successful business while honoring my own truth and way of being. I couldn&#8217;t find my way in any business planning book. I had to make a *lot* of mistakes. I spent many hours in despair. I had more false starts than I can count. But I did it! And so can you. I am here so that your path as a creative professional can go a lot more smoothly, with fewer breakdowns, a minimal amount of self-loathing, quicker results, and a fabulous feeling of freedom, satisfaction, and financial abundance! Contact <a href="http://heatherflanagan.com/contact-2/" target="_blank">me</a> to get started.</p>
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		<title>Experiencing Success</title>
		<link>http://heatherflanagan.com/experiencing-success/</link>
		<comments>http://heatherflanagan.com/experiencing-success/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 23 Jun 2012 23:00:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Action Steps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Something Interesting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[enteleos]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[joeshirley]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heatherflanagan.com/?p=400</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I recently saw the movie Margin Call whose main characters are highly overpaid mucky-mucks in the financial industry. Something about the blatant and exaggerated consumerism and competitiveness of the characters in Margin Call really clarified my take on how we determine what success is. That is, how each of us defines success is shaped by [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>I recently saw the movie Margin Call whose main characters are highly overpaid mucky-mucks in the financial industry. Something about the blatant and exaggerated consumerism and competitiveness of the characters in Margin Call really clarified my take on how we determine what success is. That is, how each of us defines success is shaped by the core values we hold as well as the external expectations of our social environment. For example, I think for most of us actually feeling useful contributes more to our feeling successful than having more money than our peers. Being in the experience of success is another thing entirely and is fundamental to moving powerfully forward in our lives.</p>
<p>If you are like many people, you probably have some vague notion of what success is and suspect that if it happens to you, you’ll know it. In the mean time, you plug away at your life hoping to get caught up or to just stay afloat. Or perhaps you regularly plan for and achieve your goals and are pleased when you do but feel anything but successful. There is also a chance that the concept of success doesn’t resonate at all for you. If not, pick another word that does resonate that means something along the lines of, you feel satisfied and sufficient.</p>
<p>The basic process of experiencing success is supposed to go something like this. Step 1: Define what goals lead to success. Step 2: Complete the things that bring about your goals. Step 3: Feel successful. Makes sense, right? Ah! But wait! This model kind of sucks because in Step 1. and Step 2, you don’t get to feel successful. And there is no guarantee you will feel successful by the time you get to Step 3. Achieving your goals may never feel like it’s enough.</p>
<p>What if no amount of achievement leads to a lasting feeling of success or satisfaction? What if you know there is someone you are supposed to become but your feelings have actually acted as powerful obstacles to you showing up fully in your gifts? I have developed a lot of intellectual tools to out-think our egos. I have been blessed to watch many people create new experiences of themselves by trying new actions and getting new results. However, there is a limit to how far these intellectual tools can take you if your feelings are constantly trying to trip you up.<br />
<img src="http://heatherflanagan.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Enteleos-map-300x300.jpg" alt="" title="Enteleos map" width="300" height="300" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-403" /></p>
<p>At some point, to truly move forward with your full potential toward satisfying soulful success, you will need to get your feelings on board with the rest of your talents, core values, and callings. There are many roads to aligning your being with your doings. By far the most powerful method I have run across is the Enteleos Mapping process developed by Joe Shirley. I have found this work to shift my internal battles with myself into an easy relationship that flows, freeing up my energy to do the important work I want to do in the world. Outthinking myself takes a lot of energy because I am pretty smart! To find out more about Joe Shirley and the Enteleos Mapping process, visit <a href="http://www.Enteleos.com">www.Enteleos.com</a> or call 360-399-6575.</p>
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		<title>Are You Follow-Up Phobic?</title>
		<link>http://heatherflanagan.com/are-you-follow-up-phobic/</link>
		<comments>http://heatherflanagan.com/are-you-follow-up-phobic/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 04 May 2012 19:41:02 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Action Steps]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heather flanagan]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heatherflanagan.com/?p=395</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Most business people I know are hesitant to follow up with potential clients. “I don’t want to bug them,” they say. When we think about “sales” many of us get an archetypal image of a sleazy used car sales dealer. (Definitely not to say anything bad about used car sales people in general.) And we [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>Most business people I know are hesitant to <a href="http://www.businesswritingblog.com/business_writing/2006/03/follow_up_on_fo.html" target="_blank">follow up</a> with potential clients. “I don’t want to bug them,” they say. When we think about “sales” many of us get an archetypal image of a sleazy used car sales dealer. (Definitely not to say anything bad about used car sales people in general.) And we don’t want to think of ourselves as slimy or manipulative. This image makes us hold back. Also, we often feel a little desperate or panicked when getting more business becomes our top priority. We don’t want to plead on our knees for new business, either. I am here to give you the good news that you don’t have to be manipulative or groveling to solicit your business. (Though I have tried groveling and it does have a certain amount of effectiveness.)</p>
<p>One issue that keeps us from promoting our businesses is the icky feeling of shame around wanting more money. We want money, sure. We need money to live. By instead focusing on our core values we can promote our businesses in a way that feels good. Instead of picking up the phone ashamed that part of us is seeing the person on the other end as a potential much needed dollar sign, we can call with the knowledge that we have something wonderful to offer. When I follow up from my core value of empowering others to greater success, I feel positive and connected. And a “no” simply means that person is not in a position where they feel the need for support. If I was calling keenly aware of my fear of being interpreted as a slimy salesperson, I might make a “no” mean that that person indeed sees me as slimy. That “no” would hurt! Fear of rejection can be quite an obstacle to building a business. But it is just as easy to put it in perspective by focusing on what is essential and meaningful to us at our core.</p>
<p>In addition to looking at contacting potential clients from our core values, following up really is a critical component to excellent customer service. In our Entrepreneurs Group a member pointed out that he is grateful when a service provider calls to follow up. He said the reason he decided to try my group was because I followed up. He went on to cite several other examples of times when he ended up giving the person who followed up his business over another business owner who, perhaps politely, left him alone. Your potential customers get busy. Your email is buried right under the one from their mother that they are putting off. They really want to engage with you but they have been putting out fires. More often than not your potential clients will THANK YOU for your call and feel good about you and your professional customer service. It feels good to work with someone who is attentive to our needs.</p>
<p>You have something wonderful to offer others. There are people out there just waiting to benefit from your product or service. You are the answer to someone else’s prayers. Make it easy and pleasant for them to find you and move forward. Some of us have a tendency to feel unworthy on some level. We resist the desire to get money or to be valued for our product or service. We see others living in scarcity and feel shame when we want better for ourselves. We feel like we are imposing to ask for compensation when “everyone is having such a hard time.” I wonder how long it will take us to notice when everyone is no longer “having such a hard time”. Sometimes I think that story is self-perpetuating. By following up you are expressing your core values, giving great customer service, as well as modeling abundance thinking by refusing to live from the scarcity story any longer. May you be truly successful and bring prosperity to us all!</p>
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		<title>What does your Customer Experience?</title>
		<link>http://heatherflanagan.com/what-does-your-customer-experience/</link>
		<comments>http://heatherflanagan.com/what-does-your-customer-experience/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 29 Feb 2012 19:13:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Action Steps]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heatherflanagan.com/?p=388</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[While shops and restaurants may have adequate customer service, only a handful of businesses attend to the “Customer Experience” (how the customer feels every step of their interaction). I frequently see missed opportunities to make money due to this oversight. You can significantly boost your income by giving concentrated attention to the Customer Experience. It [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>While shops and restaurants may have adequate customer service, only a handful of businesses attend to the “Customer Experience” (how the customer feels every step of their interaction). I frequently see missed opportunities to make money due to this oversight. You can significantly boost your income by giving concentrated attention to the Customer Experience. It is my mission to empower businesses to create a reputation of superlative customer service by educating business owners and staff about perfecting their Customer Experience!</p>
<p>I have noticed a tendency for businesses to be “regulars-centric”. For example, customers who know the system at a restaurant may be happy repeat customers. However, first time visitors can have a confusing or dissatisfactory experience. Some friends and I went to a local restaurant for the first time, walked in, picked a table, and sat down. We waited. And waited. We felt confused and neglected. Some other customers walked straight up to the counter and ordered.</p>
<p>Oh! Now we felt stupid. But we had heard great things about this restaurant so went to the counter to order. The staff was exceptionally friendly. We felt welcomed and positive. The food was delicious. We felt satisfied. Now our empty plates drew our attention. We looked around for a bus tub. Again we felt confused. We left our plates on the table. We felt a little guilty not knowing if we had done the right thing. This is an example of good “customer service” but a neglected “Customer Experience”.</p>
<p>Notice that this restaurant has become associated with the following feelings: confused X2, stupid, welcomed, positive, satisfied, guilty. Now imagine Buffy and Biff who have come over from a neighboring town for the day. They find a table and wait. And wait. How do they feel? Do they stay? I am guessing they would leave after feeling confused and neglected.</p>
<p>What do you imagine Buffy and Biff say about this restaurant to their friends back home? What if the person behind the counter had said with a smile, “Hello! Come on up to the counter when you&#8217;re ready to order.”?</p>
<p>It is not the customers who complain you need to worry about. It is the silent ones who leave who are the most dangerous to your business. Word-of-mouth is essential to the survival of any business. And it can either help you or hurt you!</p>
<p>Here is some quick advice on enhancing your Customer Experience:</p>
<p>1.Get a customer’s eye view: As a general rule, I have found the <a href="http://www.ajaxcafe.com/ ">Ajax Café’s</a> (Port Hadlock, WA) Customer Experience to be stellar. Owner, Kristan McCary told me that her staff is mindful of the different needs that customers come in with, “Some will want the quiet corner in back, others come for the performance on stage, still others need to cut loose and wear a few of our novelty hats over drinks.” The staff assesses each group that comes in to ensure that they are seated appropriately and that they are indulged as much as they want… or given some space if each other’s company is all the couple seems to need. Sometimes three’s a crowd!</p>
<p>2. Be a guide: I have the pleasure of working with <a href="http://www.ptchiro.com/">Port Townsend Chiropractic</a> (in Uptown on Lawrence Street across from the Library). Doctors Calah Tenney and Lyndsay Mishko are solidifying their Customer Experience protocol to give clients a sense of specialness, safety, and relaxation from start to finish. This means being a guide to each new client that comes through the door. They want their clients to feel nurtured. Clients are greeted by name, shown how the tea water works, and given guidance around how their individual insurance benefits support their chiropractic options to reduce unwanted surprises. It feels nice to relax into competent caring hands once in a while, doesn&#8217;t it?</p>
<p>I invite you to take a newcomer&#8217;s view of your business and create a protocol that is mindful to your customers&#8217; emotional experiences from start to finish. Be a guide so your clients feel like the special people they truly are. Become a leader in creating a reputation of stellar Customer Experience in your area and embrace the abundance you so deserve!</p>
<p><a title="Contact" href="http://heatherflanagan.com/contact-2/">Sign up</a> for a free mini-assessment today!</p>
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		<title>The Shocking Truth about Professionals Groups!</title>
		<link>http://heatherflanagan.com/the-shocking-truth-about-professionals-groups/</link>
		<comments>http://heatherflanagan.com/the-shocking-truth-about-professionals-groups/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:24:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>heather</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Action Steps]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://heatherflanagan.com/?p=383</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[“Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they&#8217;re always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same. You wanna be where everybody knows your name.” ~Cheers theme song, by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo. There are many practical benefits to being in [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p></p><p>“Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and they&#8217;re always glad you came. You wanna be where you can see, our troubles are all the same. You wanna be where everybody knows your name.”   ~Cheers theme song, by Gary Portnoy and Judy Hart Angelo. </p>
<p>There are many practical benefits to being in a Professionals Group. The two most common benefits clients identify at the end of a group session are “focus” and “accountability”. Group members frequently share that coming to group each week has kept them focused on their goals. Many business people get caught up in distractions or swept away in discouragement. Just by virtue of having a scheduled time each week to focus on their businesses (instead of being in… or avoiding their businesses) members stay focused, on track, and experience continued momentum toward their goals. </p>
<p>Focus is enhanced by the accountability that the group design offers. Every week each member shares three “wins” and then for each win answers the question, “What specifically moved you forward to get your wins?” More often than not, what has moved someone forward to achieve a goal is the fact that last week they told the group they would. At the end of each session members share three action steps to complete before the next session, e.g. “working on organizing my office for 2 hours.” Somehow telling the group about it is much more powerful that just putting it on a to-do list. Accountability to others is a fabulous tool to leverage for yourself!</p>
<p>In addition to focus and accountability, Professionals Groups provide a place for you to brainstorm challenges with peers. Entrepreneurs can feel isolated in their businesses. They also suffer from a lack of input (or their friends and spouses get burnt out on hearing about their struggles or have lame ideas). In group you can bring a question and ask the group for ideas. Now you are not alone in your thoughts and you have a team of people who help shift your perspective and actually have some great ideas from their own experiences. </p>
<p>Your group peers not only provide good ideas, but they also help extend your network. I like to say that Professionals Groups “deepen” your network. When we think of networking, we think of meeting *more* people. But meeting more people is not nearly as valuable as having a handful of people who know you well, understand your value and passion, and really want to see you succeed! I am so delighted when group members share referrals with each other and use each others’ services. I also enjoy promoting my group members lavishly! Indeed, a huge reason to be in a Professionals Group in the first place is to build your business and get more customers or clients. I want my clients to make more money, with greater wisdom, and a heart warm with gratitude. The value you will get from being in a Professionals Group is tangible, tactical, and practical as well as authentic and connected.</p>
<p>Judy Alexander, who leads the popular Artist’s Way groups in Port Townsend, Washington, shared with me what she sees as the value of group work.  “When someone else speaks, you hear your own thoughts. When someone else stumbles, you feel compassion, beyond what you might grant yourself in the same circumstance. At some point, it dawns on you that you are sitting in the company of people who struggle with life just the way you do, and you are forgiven not being perfect in realizing WE ARE ALL IN THIS ADVENTURE TOGETHER.”</p>
<p>We humans sometimes see our mistakes as unforgiveable, our potential as limited, and our value as debatable.  As Judy suggests, the group design has a way of bringing more acceptance and forgiveness to ourselves as we more easily forgive the mistakes of others. People in groups also tend to estimate the potential and value of others higher than that of themselves. Noticing this tendency allows group members to suspend their own disbelief about what they are capable of and recognize the value they create by sharing their struggles and resulting wisdom with others.</p>
<p>To find out more about joining a Professionals Group, contact me. </p>
<p>Also, Judy Alexander has started a new Artist&#8217;s Way group which she calls Discovering/Recovering Your Creativity, in mid-January.  The group lasts 6 months.   She also has another A New Earth group, using Eckhart Tolle&#8217;s book by the same name, starting soon.  Contact Judy at lightenup@olympus.net for more information.</p>
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