The Referral Network System Blog

Structures for Success Course Can Take Your Business to the Next Level

Lorenda Phillips, one of the best business coaches working in Los Angeles, has a few openings left for her year-long Structures for Success course, which begins in mid-January. If you know a professional or small business owner who needs to take their business to the next level,this might be the best Christmas (or other holiday) gift you can give them.

I highly recommend Structures for Success. I am just finishing the year-long course, and can tell you that Lorenda's course has helped me nearly double my revenues. The course consists of 4 quarterly all-day seminars, 12 monthly individual coaching sessions, and 12 monthly group coaching sessions, and deals with the structures you need to put in place to have a successful business, including how to:

Transform your passion into a solid business plan

Expand your entrepreneurial bandwidth

Attract your perfect clients

Sharpen your focus on strategic issues

Energize your business and your personal life.

She is hosting free introductions to the course on Monday, Jan. 9 and Tuesday, Jan. 17. The introductions include working on a business plan for 2006 that all participants can take with them to use this coming year.

You can call (310) 398-0398 if you would like more information on Structures for Success.

Denise Kotula

President, DK Strategic Consulting, Inc.

The Art of Listening

We just read a wonderful post on Alf's Blog entitled "To Listen You Must First Shut Up!". This blog is the creation of Alf Nucifora, a marketing consultant and author of the syndicated business column "Shoestring Marketing." Alf claims (and we think rightly so) that "the art of listening has been leeched from the American character." His argument is that, at a time when t.v. pundits "engage in the homicidal pastime of death by decibel," and politicians routinely suck the oxygen out of any room they're in, our businesses are also suffering from the lost art of listening.

"For the business practitioner, the failure to listen ultimately results in business loss or failure. It's one of the primary reasons why, in a nation where the practice of business generally provides the "best practices" for the rest of the world, the consumer is still exposed to inferior customer service, and brand fatality is not uncommon."

Click here to read Alf's seven "how's" of listening.

Have You Heard "Conversations With Experts"?

Most professionals and entrepreneurs would agree that it is important to stay educated about the latest business and marketing tools. The problem is always how to find the time. But the free weekly tele-seminar "Conversations With Experts: How to Build Your Business On and Offline" makes educating yourself on a whole host of vital business topics as easy as picking up the phone.

The tele-seminars begin at 5:30 p.m. P.S.T. on Wednesdays and run for 60 - 70 minutes. To Listen in, all you have to do is register at the "Conversations With Experts" site. They will e-mail you the free call-in number.

The program is hosted by Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff, who have helped hundreds of business professionals create marketing blogs through their e-book "Build a Better Blog System." Each week they feature a guest expert on a business-related topic. Recent guests have included Dave Taylor of AskDaveTaylor.com, who provided insights on growing businesses using Google; Martin Wales of 1shoppingcart.com, who spoke on how automated systems can increase revenues for websites; and Denise Kotula, host of this blog, who spoke about building business using the power of referrals.

Flowers Can Make a Statement About Your Business

I think every business owner I know sends flowers as gifts, at least on occasion. But there is a huge disparity among florists and the quality of floral arrangements they deliver. And since the gifts you send are a direct reflection of you, its important to find a florist to use that can create spectacular, well-designed, lush and elegant floral arrangements.

The best florist I've found in the Los Angeles area is Fleurs du Jour, a Santa Monica florist that is known for its award-winning floral design team. I received a floral centerpiece from Fleurs du Jour (see photo) for Thanksgiving that was stunning. I can't remember the last time I jumped up and down and screamed for joy when flowers were delivered. Not only was the design elegant and rich-looking, but the flowers in the arrangement were of such high quality, you'd have thought Donald Trump ordered it. Fleurs du Jour serves five-star hotels and celebrities, but its pricing is competitive enough that those of us who don't live in mansions yet can afford them. Next time you want to wow a client, check out Fleurs du Jour.

Denise Kotula