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When is the last time you asked for some objective straight shooting advice on your business?

By Coach Thom Finn, Owner/Partner, Action Coach of Central Pennsylvania

Think of a lighthouse.
Next, imagine all of the small businesses in central Pennsylvania as sailboats.
(Stay with me on this...)
Some move very quickly and know exactly where they are going. Others know their destination but prefer a more leisurely pace. Some sailboats have navigated the rapids and now enjoy smooth sailing.

And then there are others.
These boats sail through the dark moonless nights without really knowing where they are.
Some captains have a general idea of the direction they are heading but are now off course.
Others face great risk of running aground on the rocks just beneath the surface.
Some captains have enough sense to know something is not quite right, but just can't put their finger on it...
Thankfully for these ships in need, there is a sturdy local lighthouse giving direction and sometimes- the only alert of imminent danger.
The No Strings Free Assessments for Small Business Owners Is like this lighthouse, telling you where you are and helping you plot your future course.

Whose signature is on the bank loan or on the new equipment lease? If that is you, then I think it's worth 3 minutes to continue reading.
Off the top of my head, I would estimate about 500 local business owners have asked us for an assessment on their business. And I can't name a single one that we weren't able to help. It's easy to give a 100% statistic like this because all the folks who ask for a consultation realize they don't know it all... that small business specialists like us can point out a blind spot. These entrepreneurs who actively seek different points of view, objective assessment and specific counseling survive and prosper.
But people who are not receptive to constructive criticism, shun new education or dodge any kind of sounding board will someday self implode.

Wouldn't life be simpler if we didn't have so much pesky competition? I know we're supposed to keep our head held high and chins up as we say "we welcome competition because it makes us better" but I'll be the first to admit it can be a pain in the neck.
There are thousands of articles on new business models- the impact of the Internet and how business radically changes every few years. If you sift through all of these opinions on competition everyone agrees only the educated and informed survive. Those businesses that seek to continuously improve outperform those that remain stagnant and lazy.

So here's a really simple way to improve your business or resolve a specific challenge. If you want to be the winner in your competitive set, download and complete some very thought-provoking questions that will start you on the course of improvement.

No kidding.
That's what Mr. J. wanted from his No Strings Free Advice Session.
Seems as if his brother in law Junior was a real oaf. Showing up late, bad attitude, really lousy work. But on the other hand, the thought of the family Thanksgiving if he fired Junior was too painful. So during Mr. J's session, we coached him on how to create some objective up front rules taking all emotion and personal relationships out of the equation. We gave him 6 of our patented forms on employee performance, taught him how to use them, and recommended he explain to Junior that his future was up to him!
So ask your advisor for a general assessment or tailor make your free session to whatever you want. You will have to complete some work in advance. But I'll explain "how it works" in a minute.

Business Owners have asked for input on:

• How to boost output in my plant?
  
• How do you actually create a marketing plan?
  
• Should I build a new facility/move?
  
• I can't seem to manage my time...
  
• I am this close from burning out...
  
• How can I stop losing money in my business?
  
• How can I get more high end customers?
  
• I'm thinking about launching a new business...
  
• My new supervisor just isn't a leader...
  
• What do you think of my website?
  
• How can I up my wholesale division?
  
• My team has lousy morale...
  
• How does my advertising look?
  
• Should I/Can I add another position?
  
• How can I have a successful trade show?
  
• How can I reduce the debt I am in?
  
• Help me understand my financial reports.
  
• Financial reports? What are they?
  
• My father (brother, sister, son, dog) who works with me in the business is making me nuts...
• If something doesn't change, I think we are heading for a divorce...
  
• I have no idea how to manage all these sale people...
  
• I'm working more than ever, and making less money than ever....

And the most popular:
The "I-just-feel-kind-of-stuck-and-have-gotten-lost-along-the-way" session. My personal favorite.

Pick one from the above list or decide on your own then contact us to get on the coach of specialty's calendar. *(Mr. J. told us about a month later the advice was dead on- and Junior was now working somewhere else AND the recent wedding they both attended was stress free.)

Here's how it works...

Step 1.
You download and complete our simple 28 question pre-diagnostic questionnaire. We spent the last few years refining these questions so they're boiled down to the most useful ones.

Step 2.
Call Coach Thom on 717 215 4277 or Coach Brian Dombach in our office on 717 291-9191. Thom or Brian will have a brief chat with you to so he can match you up with the most suitable counselor. Here, you'll need to find a 2 hour block of time for you to come into our office in Greenfield for your assessment.

Note: If 2 heads are better than 1, than 3 are great. Whenever the coaches'' busy schedules allows, Brian tries to arrange for two counselors to help diagnose. One coach puts together preliminary recommendations, and a second coach may sit in to provide his/her point of view and experience.

TIP: If you have a partner or a key manager on your team, include them in this stimulating process.

Step 3.
Allow about 60 minutes to honestly and thoroughly answer the questions on our diagnostic form. The better your answers, the better the diagnosis.

Step 4.
Following the instructions at the bottom of the diagnostic, fax or mail your completed assessment back to Coach Thom or Brian. It is important you allow a few days between sending your diagnostic in and your No Strings Assessment. I know personally I usually need 4 of 5 days to review answers and sometimes even telephone for some clarification. Or if your handwriting is really bad.

Step 5.
In the first 1/3 of your No Strings Free Advice Session your advisor will ask you what will seem like a barrage of questions. (It's important we have a crystal-clear understanding of your business or your specific challenge.) During the question-and-answer period we will add some notes to the initial recommendations we developed earlier based on your questionnaire. The final phase (which is my most favorite) is our recommendations to you. But rather than spouting off a bunch of random thoughts like a Monday morning quarterback, we'll give you recommendations in the form of a simple plan for you to follow. Unless you have asked for our advice on a very specific matter, we usually try to present your recommendations like step 1, Step 2, Step 3, etc. If we know of any specific tools that will help you to complete your newly created plan, we'll tell you about them here. It could be a suggestion to attend an upcoming workshop on a specific topic that will help, explain 1:1 accountability coaching, a $45 appropriate DVD, or maybe a $16 book.

And next? That's up to you.
You can follow our recommendations to the letter, you can disregard everything we said, or you can find the middle ground: take what you need, leave the rest behind.

Is this the 2nd time you've read this? What's the hang up? For every week you delay in taking first steps to some of the best local talent who advocate small business, you put yourself a full month behind. Download the diagnostic form and reach out to us so we can give you the help you need. THERE ARE NO STRINGS.

Whenever I suggest free advice sessions to my neighbors here in the community I can see their eyes narrow. "What's the catch", they think. This is not about bait & switch or sucker sales. But we do get something out of it:

1. It's excellent practice. Coach Marcia was asked to name the single skill needed to be high demand Business Coach. She named "the ability to problem solve." Analyzing your current business and listening to your challenges is our best way to improve this skill. We keep our listening/problem solving skills serrated by appraising and counseling fresh situations. This constant training keeps us in mint condition for our active clients.

2. This is a sales strategy for us. By sitting down and analyzing your business, we may be able to suggest one of our products- a book on creating stronger systems, a DVD on employee retention, a one to one mentorship program or an upcoming workshop. And it's up to you what action you take. I can guarantee you no pressure, just simple recommendations. I would estimate two thirds of the folks decide to work with us on some level. Regardless of the level we work with you, the relationship between us too serious to start out by using cheap sucker strategies. If we are going to coach you, there must be trust. How many of you long lasting relationships have trust at the base?

3. It's our idea of fun. Here's an inside secret: When we are considering someone to join our coaching team, Coach Jeff insists the candidate view problem solving as fun like the rest of us do. "Love what you do, do what you love" means you'll be getting a prescription from someone who is hopped up to do so!

4. We owe our success to our local community. So the smartest way we give back is to encourage/help small businesses who may be alone (they don't have associates, an attorney, an accountant or anyone else in their professional lives who can give experienced wise advice) to let us in and find a cure.

5. We live up to our mission statement. (What good is a mission statement if you don't use it...): "Inspired Communities, served by successful businesses lead by principled owners". We improve our own community by helping every small business owner we can get to.

There are a few things we require you do.

1. You have to answer some questions prior to our meeting. If you go to new a doctor or specialist, don't you have to answer some health questions? It's the same with the professional advice we give. You need to complete the questionnaire so we can study your case and better prepare so we can give you the specific advice you need.

2. Send it in at least 48 hours prior to your session so the coach can have some soak time with it.

3. To get the most out of your No Strings Free Advice Session, I recommended you leave your "I know it all" behind. Because if you in fact know it all, then you really don't need anyone's advice.

4. Come with some thick skin. The coach is going to give it to you straight. If he thinks the brochure you just spend $1400 is lame because you didn't include a CTA, he's going to tell you. Or if have let that line of credit to ferment quietly in the corner, he may call you out on it and want to hear what your plan for debt reduction is.

5. Check out the questionnaire we use here and you'll get a sense of how comprehensive it is. Then if you want to take the next step, follow the instructions at the bottom of the form.

Number of employees, the amount of your sales, your education, even if you are only considering starting a business... none of these facts should influence your decision to have a professional small business advisor help you. The only requirement is you know you may not have all the answers.

So there you have it.
If you think our 131 years of combined professional experience can help with your individual situation in business, and you think investing a few hours of your time is worth it, they began right now by calling our office at (717) 291-9191 or email Christine@CoachMyBiz.com and put "No strings Advice" in the subject line.

My sincerest best wishes for professional success.

* No strings mean no strings. Just direct, good for you, free advice