Education – It’s All About Mistakes and Confusion!

By Action Coach Dave Beam

The Action Coach 7th point of culture reads as follows:

Education"I learn from my mistakes. I consistently learn, grow and master so that I can help my fellow team members and clients learn, grow and master too. I am an educator and allow my clients to make their own intelligent decisions about their future remembering that it is their future. I impart practical and useable knowledge rather than just theory."

Consider that first statement. How do you feel when you make a mistake? Embarrassed? Ashamed? Depressed? De-motivated?

I guess it somewhat depends on the “size” of the mistake!

Success

By Action Coach Dave Beam

The Webster definition of success is: “a favorable result.”

Success is the sixth point of culture in Action Coach, defined as follows:

SuccessI totally focus my thoughts, energy and attention on the successful outcome of whatever I am doing. I am willing to win and allow others to win: Win/Win. At all times, I display my inner pride, prosperity, competence and personal confidence. I am a successful person.

Shifting Your Mindset from Scarcity to Abundance

By Action Coach Dave Beam

I really believe that how I view the world, my customers, my employees, and even myself has a profound influence on my results. Would you agree?

I think most people acknowledge that how we think does affect our results at some level. One such paradigm, or way of looking at the world, is abundance vs. scarcity. Here are some definitions:

Abundant – more than what is needed; plenteous; much

Scarce – hard to get; not enough; constricted; little

If You Are Maxed Out, Consider Raising Your Prices

By Action Coach Dave Beam

I recently met with a business owner that has been in a residential service and install business for over 20 years. He has about 10 employees, and his main frustration or complaint is that he is “maxed out”. What he meant by that is that he never goes on vacation, always has to be there at least 60 hours per week, and that he actually dreads the phone ringing and new customers at times.

Delivery Mastery: Just Let Your Customers Buy From You!

By Action Coach Dave Beam

How often have you experienced it? You walk into a business, ready to buy, and you can’t get someone to listen and understand what you want so that you can give them your money and walk out with your purchase!

I recently spoke with one of my clients, Roger, who had every intention of buying not one, but two pick-up trucks from a certain car dealer. Roger had done business with this dealer for years, and there was a loyalty and relationship established.

Managing Receivables – A Key to a Healthy Cashflow!

By Action Coach Dave Beam

One of the reasons that people solicit my help as a business coach is to improve their cashflow. If you are in business, you’ve heard it said that cash is king! It’s the gasoline in your tank – if you run out, you are out of business!

There is much that can be done to improve cashflow, but one of the simplest, easiest ways is to effectively manage receivables. The fact is that many businesses do a mediocre job at best managing their receivables. With that being said, I want to give you some practical tips on how to better manage your receivables. These tips will help you only if you decide to use them.

Marketing and Advertising – An Expense or an Investment?

By Action Coach Dave Beam

Most of the business owners that I speak with tell me that the majority of advertising and marketing is largely a waste of money.  They advertise out of fear, feeling like they need to at least keep their name out there.  They usually have a sense that most of their new customers are coming in from word-of-mouth, and that the advertising that they buy is probably not effective.  As a result, most small businesses are reluctant to advertise and try to minimize their marketing expense.

I'll Get My Accountant to Do That

By Action Coach Dave Beam

I was working with my new client, Tom, who had some organizational and financial challenges. One of the first things I ask clients like Tom to do is develop a cash flow budget. I asked him to organize a picture of the cash flow in his business on a simple spreadsheet showing historically where the cash comes from and where it goes.

Five Helpful Tips on Increasing Your Cash by Managing Receivables

By Action Coach Dave Beam

Today I want to put some more cash into your business.  It is simple and essential for an ongoing healthy cash flow.  You must choose to manage your receivables.  Here are 5 tips to improve the management of receivables:

TIP #1: Create a system to receive payment for goods and services as close to the time of delivery as possible.

Some businesses are a completely cash business.  They collect their money at the time of service.  That is a good thing.  I encourage you to work towards this model as much as possible.  Create your system of payment for services and/or goods to be a close to the time of delivery as possible.  In fact, ask yourself this question “How could I get my customer to pay for goods and services in advance?”  Incentives for pre-paying or paying when goods and services are delivered are a wonderful way to address this business challenge.

Proactivity – Living Life Inside-Out

By Action Coach Dave Beam

People engage my coaching services because they want change.  They typically want a change in their cash flow, a change in their customers, a change in their employees, or a change in their discretionary time.  The good news is that all of this is possible.  The interesting news is you really can’t directly change any of those things.  To affect sustainable change, you must accept the fact that you can really only change yourself.  When you change, you become more effective in influencing your environment.  It is an inside-out process.

The Power of Routine

By Action Coach Dave Beam

I would like to address an issue that used to make me groan – discipline.  The picture that comes to my mind when I think of that word is sweat, toil, deprivation, and pain.  No pain, no gain, as the saying goes.  If you have similar feelings and pictures when the word discipline is mentioned, it may be why you avoid or resist any changes in your life associated with the concept.

Well, you can lower your resistance to making positive changes by dropping the word “discipline” from your mind and replacing it with a milder, friendlier concept and term – routine.

Do You Have a Happy Business?

By Action Coach Dave Beam

I was referred to an oral surgeon a couple of years ago to address some issues beyond the scope of my regular dentist.  As with many people, going to doctors and dentists is not one of my favorite things to do.  As a business coach, I often observe business attitudes and practices as a part of my practical education.  I learn so much just by watching what others do.

Ownership

By Certified Action Coach Dave Beam

Ownership is ActionCOACH’s second point of culture.  It  is stated as follows:

OWNERSHIP:

“I am truly responsible for my actions and outcomes and own everything that takes place in my work and my life. I am accountable for my results and I know that for things to change, first I must change.”

The essence of the Action Coach culture is “Living Above the Line”.  Above the line, I take OWNERSHIP, ACCOUNTABILITY, and RESPONSIBILITY.  Below the line, there is BLAME, EXCUSE, and DENIAL.

Ownership is my choice to live life to the fullest; to seize each and every opportunity and participate; to take risk and live without fear; to fully participate; to give it a go; to embrace and welcome; to care; to respond; to lead and serve; to have fun and enjoy; to celebrate; to be thankful and filled with gratitude.

A Simple Personal Organization System

(adapted from David Allen’s “Getting Things Done”)By Certified Action Coach Dave Beam

One of my greatest “mentors” when it comes to Self-Management and Personal Organization has been David Allen. Based upon his widely read book, “Getting Things Done,” I have put together a simple system for personal organization that I use for myself and I share with my clients. What follows is an “A-La-Carte” set of straightforward instructions on what to do with ALL of the “stuff” that comes into your life on a daily basis. If you put a system like this in place and use it religiously, it quite literally will change your life.

Commitment – A Simple but Powerful Tool

By Certified Action Coach Dave Beam

ActionCOACH has 14 points of culture.  These 14 words define who we are and our “rules of the game”.  Our very first point of culture is Commitment.  Here it is as defined by our founder, Brad Sugars:

Commitment

“I give myself and everything I commit to 100% until I succeed. I am committed to the Vision, Mission, Culture and success of ActionCOACH, its current and future team, and its clients at all times.“

Business Systems –Unlocking the Door to Your Freedom

By Certified Action Coach Dave Beam

I am amazed when I drive past our local McDonalds in the morning. There are days when the cars are lined up around the building, almost into the road!  And what is even more amazing is that most of those people will be served a consistent hot breakfast for under ten dollars by teenagers who likely didn’t even make their bed!

Time to Take Out the Head Trash!

By Certified Action Coach Dave Beam

Has there ever been a time in your life when you lived somewhere and let the trash accumulate?  I’m not just talking about garbage, but also clutter – old newspapers, broken devices, expired coupons, stuff, junk, and debris.  And did you finally clean it all out, and create some clean new space?  How did that make you feel?  Probably energized and ready to work.

In business today, if you want to be your best, you need to learn to regularly remove the trash not only from your workplace, but from your head!  The mind is like a garden.  We plant seeds, cultivate those seeds as they grow and eventually reap a harvest.  Your mind is a field ready to produce a harvest.  Your creative ideas are the seeds that are sewn that can produce a crop.  And then come the weeds – the head trash – the worries, and fears, and doubts, and overwhelm, and frustration, and discouragements.  What must you do with this garden clutter if you want to reap a healthy crop?  You must relentlessly pull it up and throw it out!

The Quality of Life

By Action Coach Dave Beam

Would you like to improve the quality of your life?  To bake a better cake, you need better ingredients.  To create a better LIFE, you must choose better LIFE ingredients.  Today, I would like to help you understand those ingredients by sharing one of my favorite Action Coach flip charts, the QUALITY OF LIFE.

Are You Letting Your Business Grow?

By Action Coach Dave Beam

At Action Coach, we have a definition for a true business:  A commercial, profitable enterprise that works – without the owner!

Many business owners are taken back and even offended by this definition.  Others say it is a great concept but not realistic.  A few get it.  Please, set aside your “knowledge” and pre-conceived ideas for a moment, and find this “interesting”.  Once you “get this”, it opens your business mind to a whole new world.

How to Create a Marketing Plan that Works! (Part 1 of 4)

By Action Coach Dave Beam

I am going to do a four part series starting with this newsletter on how to create a marketing plan that works.  This is actually pulled from the marketing module of "BusinessRICH" our premier 2-day paid training. All that to say this is fantastic stuff!

The first key point in creating a great marketing plan is asking the most effective questions in the right order.  Most business owners, barraged by advertising representatives, believe that the most important issue in marketing is the how.  Should I use TV, radio, newspaper, website, internet, flyers, direct mail, etc. etc.  If so, which paper, which flyer, which ball team, which charity, new business cards and on and on it goes. Although these are legitimate questions, they are not the first questions that need to be asked.  The “how am I going to do it” is one of the last questions to answer.