https://corbinlinks.com/cls005
This week's question comes from Sheila.
Sheila writes (I'm slightly paraphrasing)— I'm really interested in health coaching, but a bit unsure about the money side of things. I've mailed and talked with a few people in the industry, but so many don't seem to be doing very well financially. This makes me a bit nervous.
Any additional insights?
Great question Sheila, and oh yeah—I have a couple thoughts to share with you on this very topic. Let's get this started!
https://corbinlinks.com/cls005
https://corbinlinks.com/cls004
As consultants, coaches, leaders, and subject matter experts, we're expected to be:
- "on top of our game"
- "in step / tune with our industry"
- "ahead of the curve"
- "have the answers"
- and a lot of other things
Sounds reasonable right? After all, clients are paying us to be the expert voice.
But it's challenging isn't it? With all the other activities we have, including managing money, staff, clients, delivery, administration, automation, errands, planning, strategy, travel, and a host of other factors: how do we keep up? How do we keep that "step ahead" and our "go-to expert" personas?
Information overload and keeping up with—ideally ahead of—our industries is almost a job in and of itself. But clients expect it, and we should expect it of ourselves, to the best extent possible.
So today, I'm sharing 7 Strategies to Keep Up—Or Stay Ahead Of—Industry Trends.
Start 'er up!
https://corbinlinks.com/cls004
Today is the very first edition of the new Friday podcast: Question and Action Friday. And I've got a great question and action to share!
We all have to start somewhere, and starting off on the right foot can help us reach our goals and dreams a whole lot faster.
If you have a new coaching or consulting business, you have a LOT of questions. And Marla asks a classic:
"How can I 'get the word out' in my new coaching business?"
Let’s find out!
https://corbinlinks.com/cls002
If you had a chance to listen to my past business "crash, burn and rebuild" story, you remember that a major issue was "cost management" and lessons learned.
I have a lot of passion about this topic and helping others answer the question "how to best balance what you really should buy, and what to wait on?"
And last week I covered 7 Strategies to 2X (or more!) your business in 2016. What was #7?
Manage your money more effectively.
Money management is where many businesses make or break their futures. We're all trained to think: just do more business: one more client / one more sale / one more .... one more...
Sure, that’s all great—we of COURSE need more clients, products, streams, and revenue. But it's what we DO with that revenue that transforms businesses from bad to good, good to great, great to stellar.
But there's this other side of the equation, right?
We've all heard things like:
- "You have to spend money to make money"
- "Scared money don't make money"
- “You gotta pay to play”
- And lots of other variations on the same theme
So, how do we balance pay-to-play, vs business cost management? I'm diving into shiny objects vs. cost management today So let's get it started!
New Season! New Show!
Yes, your old "Bangin' Your Business" podcast feed *is* pointing to the right place. You can check out the backstory on that over at https://banginyourbusiness.com/039.
But on with the (new) show!
Let's kick off your life and business new year with 7 Strategies to 2x Your Business in 2016 and Beyond.
What you will learn:
1. What to expect in the new "Corbin Links Show" format.
2. 7 full in-depth, field-tested, business boosting strategies. I'll cover:
- Health
- Productivity
- Clients
- Training
- Automation
- Money Management
- And more!
Whether 2015 was your dream year, a not-so-dreamy year, or somewhere in between, I've got your back.
I guarantee if you implement these strategies you WILL have a bigger year in 2016.
Let's do this!
https://corbinlinks.com/cls001
Corbin Links here, with a very special "just me" episode today.
Today's show marks the end of "Season 1," and a new beginning for the next phase of the show. We're just going to chat today. No special segments, music, fanfare or copyright notices. Just you and me. But stay tuned for a big announcement at the end.
First, I'd like to share 7 things I learned doing Season 1 of this show—39 full episodes in all.
As many of you know, podcasting and I go way back to late 2005. During that time, I've had the honor and pleasure of hosting several fun, interesting, and educational shows. *Bangin' Your Business* continues that tradition.
And with each new show, there is something BRAND new to learn. Literally with each and every episode. Learning, sharing, and feedback, helping others, and the opportunity to meet great people help make it all worthwhile.
Many of my coaching and consulting clients are starting to podcast, considering it, or asking me about it. For them, and for you the listener who may be considering picking up the mic, this show's for you. If you're looking for the "how" of setting up a podcast from scratch there are some brilliant and complete tutorials out there. Will have at least one in the show notes.
Instead, this is more of a "lessons learned" episode, from a coaching / consulting perspective. If that's you—or a future version of you—then you're in the right place.
As business coaches and consultants, we often think "Hey wait a minute, I AM the coach/consultant/expert! Why would I hire someone else to coach me?"
"Why don't I take myself on as a client and do it myself!"
Ever thought that? Me to; countless times. For YEARS. And I'll share a secret: it's only been the past 3 years or so, where I've let myself open up and bring in outside consultants and coaches to analyze and work with our business.
And you know what?
It's been HUGE. More productivity, more sales, more clarity and focus. In today's Feature Segment, I'll share 7 tips for hiring your own business coach, plus 5 strategies for getting the most from your consultations.
It's that holiday season of the year: food, lots and lots of food, parties, drinks, stress, travel, and ... so easy to get carried away. Got you covered. In the Bangin' Your Health segment, I'll share 9 tips for keeping your health during the holidays.
In the Bangin' Your Productivity segment, we'll talk winter cleaning and share a few tips for an efficient office space.
What you will learn:
It's that time of year. Many of us are re-evaluating our strategies, business, opportunities, and how are time is spent. I've been spending an inordinate amount of time with contact forms the last two weeks; ours, our client's, and some business coaches we're working with during year-end planning.
What we're finding is a mix of the cool, to the complex, to the downright broken in terms of forms. We're all condititioned to think we need them on our sites and web presence points? But do we really? and if so, what do they NEED to really do? How can/should we manage them? Are they really a good source of live, paying coaching or consulting business? I'll explore all that and more in today's feature segment.
In the health segment, we'll explore another "magical" herb for our health arsenal. This orange-ish powerhouse is often used as a food spice, but has many other benefits as well. Smoothies, drinks, food, you name it. And the benefits are huge.
It's productivity tool time again. This time, I'll have a productivity tactic and suggestions for both Mac AND Windows this week. Any time I have to use a new computer or workstation, this is one of the first 2 - 3 pieces of software I install; each and every time. And used right, it can save a half hour or more per day.
Ready? Let's do it!
I have a big announcement today, something a long time in coming and that will help your business soar!
We're doing a full-on Q&A episode today. Covering questions such as:
1. When and how to separate from problem client?
2. Should I work a side job while building my business?
3. How can I stay focused in a client "fishbowl" environment?
4. Will I review your course, software, book, or widget?
And more!
You know we're big fans of nutritional greens on this show. In the bangin' your health segment, I share two other super amazing concentrated greens to boost performance, protein, alkalinity, and more.
No separate Bangin' Your Productivity segment today, as we're rolling everything in to the feature.
https://banginyourbusiness.com/035
Do you ever feel like you’re just running on a treadmill and not quite getting there? Or you’re getting somewhere, but feeling tired, burned out all the time? Or worse, you had a recent “crash” state, and had to take unscheduled downtime just to recover, much less get productive again?
I’ve been there too. It’s not fun, and a HUGE reason why we started the whole bangin’ your business concept of health+business. Well today, we’re going to get down and detailed on the core of our business and personal selves, and protect that most valuable asset: our individual selves and our time. There are 5 strategies to do just that very thing.
A lot of people wonder about supplements: are they any good? which ones to take, and especially “I’ve been taking them, but they don’t work! What do I do?” Today’s Bangin’ Your Health topic is appropriately titled “Help! My supplements don’t work!”
Once our core is protected, and our supplements sorted out, we’ll turn to productivity and share both a strategy and a tool suggestion for saving 30 - 60 minutes per day. Interested?
Then let’s do this!
https://banginyourbusiness.com/035
https://banginyourbusiness.com/034
Having a new case study—or 3—is a wonderful thing. Case studies mean your services and products are selling, and your portfolio is growing! But now what? How do you recoup the time, money, and energy spent creating your business case study? After all, as great as case studies are, they do take time and effort that could otherwise be used on billable work.
What are some of the most effective ways to market them? In today's part two of the business case study series, I'll share some practical strategies you can use right now—today—to market your case studies.
More than a green, more than protein, more than plain old vitamins and minerals, it's.... well…I'll keep you in suspense. But in today's Bangin' Your Health Segment, I'll share an amazing super green leaf that has energy, power, and so much more. It's starting to get trendy, and you may have heard of it recently, but there is a LOT to this story. We use it every day topically and in drinks, and have noticed visible differences. Stay tuned...
And in today's Productivity Segment, I'll share a couple of inexpensive, but creative ways to extend your monitor real estate and get some of that "multi-monitor productivity" - but without the 2nd monitor. I use a variation of this highly portable setup when traveling, and it's a strong productivity boost. Can't wait to share it with you.
In fact, there's so much to share that we should just do it. Let's go!
https://banginyourbusiness.com/034
https://banginyourbusiness.com/033
Do you have case studies in your portfolio? Have you ever found them challenging or time-consuming? Wondering if they're worth the time and investment?
As coaches and consultants, client success stories and case studies are important parts of our portfolios. And recent studies show that studies do matter, and are read by decision makers, especially when working with business to business industries. But what to do about them? Is there a correct or "best way?" I'm going tackle those questions and more in today's feature segment.
Is it possible to just eat and drink whatever you want, and still live to 100 or more? If so, is it a good idea? I still have people who mail me about someone who ate bacon for a 100 years, or drank a gallon of whiskey a day for decades without problem, or smoked cigarettes into their 90's. This idea comes up a lot, usually to counter any suggestions of healthy / nutritious living. I have a few thoughts about that topic and will attempt to point out a few other things to consider for planning your turbo-boosted productivity.
And speaking of productivity, it's "productivity insurance" time, with my favorite tool for protecting productivity in the event of computer loss or downtime. This has saved me literally 2+ full days already, and is worth considering to protect your data, business, and livelihood.
B-I-G show! Let's get to it!
Addressing big company concerns about small company resources | The Magic of Colloidal Minerals | A Tool to Save 10 - 30 Minutes Per day | And More!
Are you having a tough time making inroads to large client firms because they "perceive" you as too small to work with them? Or, because you're not on their "preferred vendor list"? How do you answer the infamous "bench strength" question when selling to large firms?
Well, today I share 5 tips for dealing with the bench strength question.
In today's Bangin' Your Health segment, I'll share another power tool in your health and nutritional arsenal. One that can help re-mineralize your body, help health conditions, reduce sickness, boost your energy, and more. And it's portable enough to take with you on long trips.
And we're going to get a bit geeky in today's Bangin' Your Productivity segment. It's shiny tool time again, with a free software package that can save you 10 - 30 minutes a day in your markdown writing.
Another full agenda, so let's do this!
Lots to talk about today, so let's get to it!
Do you work for an organization that's big on projects and dreams, but short on budget? Find it hard to get your projects done?
Or, maybe you're a consultant or coach who is constantly contacted by firms wanting to make an employee of you, but without the packages or incentives?
This is an increasingly common trend; trying to do gigantic projects on little or no budget. In today's feature segment, I'll share 8 strategies for the budget-strapped enterprise to address the "need a project, but have insufficient funds" challenge.
What diet do you follow? What plan should I be on? A few questions about this recently and I'll share a few thoughts on diet camps, "wars", and a sound strategy that works well with *any* of them.
In today's bangin' your productivity segment, we're back to shiny tools! This has bee my go-to mail tool for the past 3 years now, though I've tried countless others. This is the mainstay and I'll share 5 big reasons why you may want to try it for your self.
Lots to talk about today, so let's get to it!
https://banginyourbusiness.com/031
Do affirmations and things like positive self-talk really work? If so, can they be made even more effective? And, are there downsides? We're going to explore a few pros and cons and then share my take on all of this.
Do you outsource any of your tasks? And, if so, you probably know how difficult it can be to track people through all the many channels there are: email, online portals, chat, <em>Skype</em>, <em>Zoom Meetings</em>, <em>WebEx</em>, and much, much more. In today's <em>Bangin' Your Productivity</em> segment, I'm going to share a couple tips to help you cut down on some of the churn and make distributed team management a whole lot easier.
In the Feature Segment, I'm going to explore a sensitive, but really powerful and relevant topic for those of us in consulting and coaching, and I'm calling it: Is Your Mouth Costing You Money?
We probably all understand that saying the wrong things or saying things out of context can hurt the sales process. After all, if we say something wrong in a presales meeting, it can kill the sale or turn potential clients away from working with us.
But what about after the sale, especially after we get a little bit more comfortable working with the client and our communications become a lot more open and personal? Then what? Well, I'm going to share five tips to help ensure your client conversations are always the best they can be.
Wow! A fully packed show today, so let's just do this.
https://banginyourbusiness.com/029
I've been thinking a lot about sales lately. Maybe because sales-related topics questions are the most frequent:
- How do we get more clients?
- How do we close more client deals?
- Where do we find clients?
- And more
Or, maybe because sales is key part of my upcoming course...hint...hint...
A BIG part of the answer is in today's short, but mighty topic called "How to Increase Your Sales up to 80%." It's one of my top 2 - 3 favorite sales strategies of all time; one which has directly led to over 50% of our own business.
Ready? Let's dive in!
https://banginyourbusiness.com/029
https://banginyourbusiness.com/028
You're signing your first (or 100th) coaching deal. Great! Now comes the difficult contract or "agreement" part where you and your new client have to sign off on something. The quality, content, and specificity of your client coaching (or consulting) agreements can *make or break* your whole sale.
Fortunately, there's a way through all this with a *win-win coaching agreement*. Following this 7-point plan will help increase the acceptance of your signed coaching (or consulting) agreements, and keep it a win-win process for everyone.
Today I'm doing something different and combining the health and productivity segments into one. It all started with a recent colleague question: Corbin, how to you pull all those 15 - 17 hour days and keep right on going? And never seem to go down or get sick? This comes up a lot and a big goal of this show has always been to help you do the same!
Well today, I'll share a lucky 13 "marathon power day" tips direct from the Bangin' Your Business playbook. With these strategies, you'll power through the most demanding of days without pills, prescriptions, or other unhealthy options.
Sound good? Let's dive in!
Let’s go!
https://banginyourbusiness.com/027
Do you ever feel intimidated, nervous, or just "not-quite-right" when selling your services? Maybe you've thought: "they'll never be interested", or "I wonder if it's good enough" or "I'm not good at this", or "sales doesn't feel natural."
Or, maybe you did the sales call and thought it didn't go well. Or you stumbled somewhere along the way.
If you've experienced any or all of the above, you're not alone. Sales can be nerve wracking for even the most experienced professionals, especially when big deals are on the table. In this episode, I'll share 7 proven strategies for boosting sales confidence.
If you’re any type of health or productivity hacker, you’ve likely heard at least mention of “smart drugs” and “nootropics”. Lots of big names touting these, both prescription and otherwise. But are they safe? Are there some non-pill / non-pharma solutions to boost your clarity, focus, and productivity?
Turns out there are. Mother nature has her own “nootropics”, often from which some prescriptions are loosely derived. We’ll discuss the topic a bit, and share 5 natural nootropic boosters, and one special “elixir” with no dairy or pills in it, but gives a great cognitive boost.
I’ve been doing a TON of linear / timeline-based video editing in the past two weeks. One tool I was using cost me probably a good two days effort because it has a disappearing waveform editor.
The other has a fantastic waveform editor: almost as good as a native tool such as Audacity, is way easier to use, and SAVED me a bunch of time. Not your typical productivity tool segment, but this has worked out so well for me I just HAD to share.
Let’s go!
https://banginyourbusiness.com/026
Do you have a consulting, coaching, or services business? Want to know how and where to find clients? If you're like most of us in services, maintaining client growth is always top of mind.
Well today I have 7 time-tested strategies and ways to find, engage, and KEEP clients. These methods may not surprise you, but we all can use reminders when faced with so much internet stuff about this or that technology or social media tool. We'll talk what WORKS now, and what has worked for millennia!
Diving into health, we'll visit one of my all-time favorite wonder plants. This thing has most everything, both internal and topical. It's resilient, relatively easy to grow, self-healing, and body-good. Treat everything from hair loss to acne!
With our supercharged health and business underway, we'll boost our productivity with an article I wrote back in 2013. This is one of the top 2 - 3 strategies (aside from shifting my mental focus) that changed my business life, productivity, and income for ever (or at least the past 11 years).
So powerful, I call it the "productivity secret of the ancients"!
Can't wait to share it with you so let's dive in!
https://banginyourbusiness.com/025
You spin up a new client project. You spend time and give them solutions. Maybe they're interested, maybe even committed. But then decide otherwise. It be frustrating.
More to the point, it can be career-damaging if you have too many clients doing this too often. Consulting and coaching portfolios are based on results obtained from YOUR direct efforts... Today I'll share a 6-point framework to dramatically improve your client acceptance rate, and get them moving on your solutions.
On the nutritional side, something I get asked about a lot is what to do about hair loss, thinning, or receding. it's a common thread not only for men but women as well. Lots of people try conventional treatments, including potions, pills, and surgeries. But what about natural methods? Are there other, more quote-unquote _alternative_ options?
There are actually quite a few things you can do about hair loss and even discoloration or graying. No guarantees of course, and full disclaimers apply, but I'll share a few tips that just might help.
What about those seemingly endless email threads. You send out something specific, get a reply with questions, answer the questions, get more questions, and on and on it goes. I call this "mail topic saturation" and i have a 5-point system to decrease or outright eliminate that endless mail back and forth.
Let's go!
https://banginyourbusiness.com/024
Are you looking for some strategies to handle late payments, non-payment, or collections? In the Bangin' Your Business segment, I lay out an 8-point framework to dramatically lower client payment risk. It's the same model we use in our own business and has served us well for years.
In the Bangin' Your Health segment, we're taking a deeper dive into healthy water. I'll share exactly what I use for water at home and the office, and what I do when I travel.
And we're going to "swipe" your productivity with a couple of my favorite go-to strategies and tools. These will have you flying through apps and windows, while concentrating only on what you need to.
What you will learn
https://banginyourbusiness.com/023
Lots of questions recently from coaches and consultants wanting to fast-track their rates and image. One thing we haven't discussed much is a sure-fired way to achieve stature, and quickly. It's not easy——and to be honest, it can backfire. But it's so so worth it in my experience and we'll chat that one up today.
In the Bangin' Your Health segment, I'm making good on something I mentioned way way way back in episode 1 or 2 about detoxing. yep, we're going to "cleanse our detox" today and find out why so many big-name celebrities and health "gurus" always seem to be cleansing, or "rebooting".
Cleansing, cleansing, cleansing. But is constant cleansing even a good idea? Are there better options instead? Let's find out.
And we're going to bang on your productivity with Claude Monet, the famous artist. What? An artist you say in the middle of our productivity discussion?
Yep. Fascinating man and he has a thing or three to teach us tech-inclined folks about productivity.
I'm pumped to chat this stuff with you so let's get rolling!
https://banginyourbusiness.com/022
Client attraction is all the Internet rage right now. But is attracting always better than good old chasing or prospecting? Let's find out.
Imagine a client--or potential client--that you are hoping to do business with, and they just keep asking for more and more and more information, but they never quite get to the point of closing the deal. How do you handle that? This is just one of today's questions. The Feature Segment is a full-on Q&A show.
In the Bangin' Your Health segment, I'm going to tell you how to actually use the 7 Keys to Achieving High-Performance Health in your daily routine. We'll walk through a full day, step-by-step for living the 7 Keys.
How about text and code snippets? All those little bits of text, quotes, pieces of code, wi-fi passwords and all those things that you have to store somewhere.
In the Bangin' Your Productivity segment, I'm going to share one of my favorite tools for tracking and managing all those snippets in your life of all kinds, whether they're scripts, code, bits of writing and research, or whatever you need.
Sounds like a big agenda, so let's do this!
Ever look at all those happy, smiling, thumbs-up, leaping stock photo business people and wonder . . .
Why can't my business life be like that?!
Me too. Wouldn't it be great if our business and corporate lives could be a little more "brochure-like?" In today's feature segment, I've got the "lucky 13" strategies to help you be happier, healthier, and more vibrant in any business setting—even big corporate ones.
In the Bangin' Your Health segment, I'll share the age-old secret to weight loss—and management—called food combining. It's often made out to be really complex; but I'll break it down into simple steps you can use when meal planning, traveling, or dining with friends and family.
Need the right tools to run your business? In the Bangin' Your Productivity segment, I share the suite of tools we use to power some of our most critical back office functions. They work well, have been around a long time, and save us several hours a month.
What you will learn
We've got some serious health, business, and productivity bangin' ahead so let's get to it!
https://banginyourbusiness.com/020
What if you're a newer consultant without 10+ years experience...wouldn't it be nice to shortcut the rate process a bit and charge more, and sooner? I've got 8 tips for increasing your consulting fees faster, in an ethical way.
Today we're kicking off part 2 of our two-part series on maintaining high-performance health during business travel. Last week I shared 5 tips, including one never-before-shared. And today: 8 more! High-perf health travel is one of our most-requested topics, and these tips should keep you powered up and ready to do business.
And in the *Bangin' Your Productivity* segment, it's a health tip and productivity tip rolled into one! One of the few times you can truly "multitask," and improve your health, your business phone voice confidence, and get some exercise as well.
## What you will learn
- 8 new strategies for staying healthy on the road. No matter how busy, how many flights, or how many hotels you hit, I've got your back.
- How to fast-track your consulting earnings by 25% or more. Whether you're just starting out, or an industry veteran, I've got...not 5...not even 7...but *8 Strategies* to boost your income. No fluff, just real stuff.
- One way you can (really!) multitask, and actually accomplish professional and health tasks.
- Plus a big announcement about my fully updated (and free for VIP) health course.
- And .... well ... *much much more!*
We've bot some serious health, business, and productivity bangin' ahead so let's get to it!