Hello and Welcome to the October issue of the OkayNowWhat Newsletter!

We have all had the experience of being in a social setting where you are meeting strangers and have to make pleasant small talk conversation. Perhaps it is at a wedding, a backyard party at a neighbor’s home, or the dreaded networking event. Inevitably that question comes up that often tends to leave people tongue-tied, “So what do you do?” Many of us resort to sharing our occupational title and reply with something like, “I am a Teacher,” or “I am a Department Chairperson.” Not surprisingly, it is met with a nod and an awkward silence before the person moves on to find someone else to speak with at the gathering. The issue is that there was no indication of what you DO. You offered a Human Resources department classification. You relied on the other person to connect the title to activities and tasks and outcomes. Frankly, that is too much work and often will be incorrectly envisioned anyway.

A more successful approach is to start with an “I help” statement. Put others into the description. Remember, you want to engage in conversation, not end it. Make the other person curious and want to learn more. People are self-interested. They want to know how you can help them – not how you help yourself. So, taking our examples above, twist them slightly:

Instead of, “I am a Teacher,” try “I help students understand the world around them” (it almost forces the other person to ask, “How do you do that?”). Then, you can discuss your creative ways of helping students make sense of (science, literature, math, etc.).
Rather than, “I am a Department Chairperson,” use “I provide direction and guidance so that curricula is current and meet society’s needs” (again, it invites someone to ask for more information and you are now having a conversation and separating yourself from others who answer, “I am a (job title).

You likely have come across the phrase – elevator pitch. The purpose of one is to introduce yourself within the time it would take an elevator to reach from the lobby or ground floor up to the destination floor. It usually equates to 30 seconds in most people’s experience. As you think about your own transition into your post-teaching career, focus on creating an elevator pitch that avoids titles and emphasizes who you help and the results you achieve.

Click on the video to learn more about elevator pitches.

Taking it step-by-step, we can help you build:

1. The awareness of your business strengths you already have

2. The steps to help you get from where you are now to where you want to be

3. The plan to keep you making progress and able to overcome obstacles

4. The appropriate metrics to use on your journey to success.

5. MOST IMPORTANTLY - An entrepreneurial mindset for achievement and accomplishment.

I am ready to help you launch that business dream that is lurking within you and guide you through the fear, sense of overwhelm, doubts, and uncertainty. Together, we can map out your future success! I offer one-on-one personal coaching of varying lengths and online training that you can take at your own pace to learn and apply the lessons needed to begin the journey toward business ownership.

Click here to register for this interactive ONLINE SELF-PACED mentoring program to get you closer to answering, "OKAY, NOW WHAT?" We are running a special price in recognition of the impact of Covid-19 on people's lives the last 18 months. Ordinarily, this mentoring program is $850. Through the end of the year, you can sign up for the SCARY PRICE of $67. A nearly 80% savings!

There is NO RISK - If you do the work and participate as required, we will refund your money if you are not satisfied.

Facebook Group Invitation

Click on image to be taken to a short video explaining the Facebook Group. It is a private group that will allow us to work collaboratively to launch your business! Join colleagues, experts, and experienced business owners in this community who will share their successes, their challenges, their insights, and their ideas with each other.

ONW (OKAYNOWWHAT) INSIGHTS

After over 30 years working in corporate training, sales enablement, management and having worn the hats of; corporate employee, entrepreneur, author, academic, keynote speaker, and youth sports coach and mentor, I am now adding to my roster of jobs - business coach. While I still maintain the original businesses (www.zahnconsulting.com and www.workshop360.biz), I am now adding www.okaynowwhat.biz. It is through this new offering that I will assist new entrepreneurs, those considering becoming entrepreneurs, and business professionals who want to rekindle the spark they once had for the work they do - but have lost their passion over time.

I want to be of service - it is through that effort that the greatest rewards can be found and shared with others. Having seen and experienced much in my career from many different sides of business relationships, I want to share it with others and provide the learning to help others accomplish their goals.

Together, we CAN achieve great things. Working collaboratively and meeting each challenge as it arises and overcoming it until we feel completely confident in your ability to do so without guidance. Working with your own private cheering section to lift you up when you stumble and provide you with guardrails and a metaphorical safety harness when trying new things to expand your reach and capability.

If you are ready, so am I! We can do this! Click here to get started!

If you are certain you are ready to embark on your own business launch, you can schedule a no obligation "Chat and Chew With You" conversation to explore whether my business coaching is right for you, click here

COOL RESOURCE

One of the challenges of being in your own business, especially as a solopreneur (working by yourself for yourself), is maintaining your presence with your prospects and customers. Expecting our prospects to remember us from a prior interaction is risky. People are too busy and easily forget that they met someone, received an ad promoting a service (that they did not need at the time, but meant to file and save for when they MIGHT use that service in the future), or even that they had actually done business with you in the past! Therefore it is advisable to remain top of mind by providing value and not always expecting a sale to occur with each engagement opportunity. Especially if your business has a strong online component, it is necessary to build trust through multiple messages and examples of how you/your business can provide solutions/products/services the prospective customer wants or needs. A great way to do that is to create a group of fans on social media. Whether your target audience is most easily found on LinkedIn or Facebook or Instagram, inviting them to join your group is a terrific way to get testimonials, do market research on what their desires are for how to solve their problems, or just share a sense of community. There is no cost to set up a group and you will find it pays dividends very quickly.

Try it. You will find a treasure trove of opportunity!

UPCOMING EVENTS

We have now launched our hybrid ONLINE training with REMOTE VIRTUAL LIVE Coaching this month. Click here for details.

CONNECT WITH ME

NEW EMAIL ADDRESS: davidzahn@okaynowwhat.biz

Facebook Group: Business Launch: From Fear To Fabulous

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-zahn-30270a4/

YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3sr9rvn