07.06.10
Posted in Increase profits, Sales, customer service, getting started at 8:53 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
What could the tragic oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico possibly have to do with nurse entrepreneurs? There are lessons to be learned from BP for anyone who is in business including nurse entrepreneurs.
One of the first lessons that can be learned is not to overpromise and under deliver! BP has consistently over estimated and over promised in its efforts to contain the oil spread which has now reached every state in the Gulf of Mexico. It is vitally important that you are able to keep promises you make and deliver on time.
Next came the blame game. Everyone is pointing fingers at everyone else. What is critically important early on in a crisis is to solve the crisis. There will be plenty of time for finger pointing and assigning blame later if this is really necessary as may be the case in determining who should pay what costs. However, the first thing that needs to be done by every nurse entrepreneur is to fix to problem rather than assigning blame.
Finally is the lesson of risk. Risk looms over the horizon for every nurse entrepreneur. Know your risks and plan for them accordingly. Have a disaster plan in case the worst case scenario does happen. Determine you plan ahead of the disaster not after the disaster has occurred and you are trying to figure out a solution. Have a disaster plan in place before you take the step to put yourself at risk. Perhaps it is a stop loss measure, or back up assistance to be called on, or a triage plan, whatever is needed have your plan in place.
By learning from BP’s mistakes and failures you can make your company less vulnerable and more resilient. You can put yourself and your company in an excellent position by avoiding the mistakes made by BP.
LeaRae Keyes, RN
www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com
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04.19.09
Posted in Blogging, Sales, getting started at 1:02 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
I love watching the You Tube videos of Britain’s Got Talent! If you haven’t seen them take a look at the following: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GrOMLylvhQ&feature=related
There are a few lessons in these videos for nurse entrepreneurs.
1. Having a dream will pull you through the difficult times
2. It can take many works of working at your trade before you “make it”
3. Pick your partners well, because you will spend every day with them
4. Chase the dream not the customer
5. You have many choice in business and in your personal life, choose wisely
Please comment, what lessons did you get from these videos? What are your thoughts on this post?
LeaRae Keyes, RN
www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com
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04.18.09
Posted in Marketing, Networking, Sales, getting started, home office at 9:03 am by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
Have you ever struggled to motivate yourself to get something done? I think we ahve all been there at one time or another. Would you like to help yourself WANT to get the task done? Take a look at this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpS_cJP5nzs I hope that it helps you get excited about getting that task done.
LeaRae Keyes, RN
www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com
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04.09.09
Posted in Sales, getting started at 7:36 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
Looking for a way to stand out? Have a look at some unique business card ideas at http://www.quicksprout.com/2008/09/20/creative-business-cards-that-make-you-look-twice/
LeaRae Keyes, RN
www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com
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01.27.08
Posted in Sales at 8:25 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
I recently had a metabolic test and have begun working with a personal trainer at the local YMCA. I have been surprised by what I have learned. At first it seemed so contrary to what I would have thought.
I learned that to burn fat I needed to exercise at a level when my body had more oxygen available. Then I was put on a program to gradually increase my exercise and increase my metabolism. Who would have thought?
Life and business aren’t always so easy to figure out. I am finding it helpful to have a guide (trainer) to work with me as I venture into territory outside my area of expertise.
LeaRae Keyes, RN
www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com
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01.14.08
Posted in Marketing, Sales at 1:03 am by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
There is really nothing or at least very little new under the sun. Even with the development of technology, things aren’t all that different then they were in the past. Keying in data into a computer is basically the same as typing on a typewriter.
What makes you stand out is how you put the information together that you know and learn. How do you apply it to solve problems for your customers? How do you apply your knowledge and expertise to add value for your customer? This is how you differentiate yourself in the market. In most situations you don’t have to create anything new. You just need to apply what is already known in a different way.
When I first started in sales I didn’t know much about the sales process. What I did know was the nursing process! I applied the nursing process to sales and it worked for me. So don’t worry about creating anything new. Think about what you know and how you can use that knowledge to solve problems for your potential customers.
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07.23.07
Posted in Increase profits, Sales at 2:32 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
Often the difference between being successful or not is in doing one more thing. There is very little difference between those who succeed in business and those that do not. It is that little difference that can make a break a business. Watch this video to better understand the difference. http://www.just212.com/video/.
What is the one thing more that you can do to make your business successful? Please share your thoughts and comments.
LeaRae Keyes, RN
www.Nurse-Entrepreneur-Network.com
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05.16.07
Posted in Blogging, Sales at 10:16 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
Life is constantly changing. As a result, your business needs to be prepared to change also. Thinking ahead is a critical skills for the leader of the business. So when I came across this video http://www.glumbert.com/media/shift I just had to share it. How might these changes affect your nurse entrepeneur business?
LeaRae Keyes, RN
Nurse Entrepreneur Network
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04.07.07
Posted in Sales at 5:33 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
No, it’s not a riddle. Nor is it an oxymoron. There really is a lot of similarity between nursing and sales. You can easily apply the nursing process to sales. As you know the nursing process is
Assessment
Diagnosis
Planning
Implementation
Evaluation
In some places, such as the UK, the diagnostic stage would not be included. In the US we have nursing diagnosis, so we include the diagnostic stage.
Applying this to sales, the stages would look like this
Assessment (of the customer’s needs)
Diagnosis (of the problem and identifying if your product or service can help to solve the problem)
Planning (explaining to the customer how your product or service can help)
Implementation (delivery of your product or service)
Evaluation (of the success of of the product or service)
As you see, sales is not all that different from nursing and you have probably all ready been doing this in one way or another in your career.
For more information on selling and your nursing business go to www.nurse-entrepreneur-network.com
LeaRae Keyes, RN
Executive Director
Nurse Entrepreneur Network
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03.25.07
Posted in Sales at 12:04 pm by LeaRae Keyes, Executive Director, Nurse Entrepreneur Network
Today I was at an event and there was a great harpist playing at the event. He had CDs for sale following the event.
I bought one of his CDs and looked at several other of his CDs. After looking at these CDs, I decided there was only one that really appealed to me. Following my purchase, I got a cup of coffee and sat down to visit with a few people at the table.
The harpist, Reuben Correa, was at the same table as me. During the conversation he mentioned that he received an email from a happy listener letting him know that she goes to his site every day and listens to Canon in D.
Canon in D is one of my favorite classical pieces. Even though I had looked at the playlist on each CD, I had not noticed this piece being on any of the CDs. I immediately bought a copy of that CD, also.
This is an example of how using stories as part of your sales presentation can help you sell more.
LeaRae Keyes, RN, BSN, PHN, CDMS, CCM
Executive Director
Nurse Entrepreneur Network
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