The Business Growth Blog by Rob Cuesta

Are you standing on the shoulders of giants?

It was Isaac Newton who famously declared that he was "standing on the shoulders of giants", referring to the fact that all his knowledge was a development of ideas that other, greater, people had developed before him.

In that sense, it has a role to play in your positioning as an expert--however I think of it in a very different sense when it comes to running and growing your coaching, consulting or training business.

6FBP Brief #37: stop charging for your time

 

As a coach, consultant or trainer, you can't afford to sell your time. Selling your life by the hour for an hourly rate is one of the biggest mistakes I see practitioners make when they market coaching, training or consulting. Think of it this way: if the next hour you work were also the last hour of your life, would it really only be worth whatever you're charging for it? Probably not.

So watch this video to see what to do about it.

Then head over to www.robcuesta.com/6figureblueprint to see me live

6FBP Brief #29: Track your results

  

 

Whether you're selling coaching, consulting or training, it's easy to make expensive mistakes when you are marketing. The secret to making sure you avoid those mistakes is to track the results of everything you do. You need to know exactly how much more you sell every time you do something to promote yourself as a coach, consultant or trainer.

Watch this video for more.

Then head over to www.robcuesta.com/6figureblueprint to see me live

 

Are you a Journeyman, a Guru, or...

The coaching and consulting industry have traditionally been built on two ways of getting clients. And I think BOTH of those models are broken.

How Big is Your Business Card?

Success as a coach, consultant, trainer, or indeed in any profession where you are selling your knowledge, experience and advice, comes from your ability to position yourself at the top of your field.

One of the key ways to do this is by writing. 

Even though society as a whole seems to be leaving the book behind, when it comes to choosing our "experts" we still hold authors in awe. So one of the key things I encourage all my clients to do is to write a book; a physical book, not an ebook.

It doesn't have to be War and Peace.

I see a role for two kinds of books in building your business. I call them your "Expert Manifestos" (or should that be Manifestoes? anyway, I digress!)

UBC11: The new new economy

Unless you've been under a rock for the last few years, you've no doubt heard that we live in the "new economy" and that unless we adapt our marketing to it, we're doomed. Which of course is true.

The only problem is, no-one seems too specific about what exactly this new economy is.

UBC10: What makes a product into a Five-Star Experience?

Well, it's after the end of January and I only managed to make 9 posts, but I'm going to keep going with the Ultimate Blogging Challenge, and get to 31 by the end of February instead :)

About 13 years ago I bought a coffee maker. It was an espresso machine - you know the ones, just like you see in Starbucks, lots of steam coming out, lots of noise (mostly from you banging the old coffee grounds out of the holder).

Most importantly for me, though, it was a machine from a "real" coffee maker brand: the people who make the coffee machines in Italian restaurants.

Well, my espresso machine has finally been retired, and last week I bought a Nespresso machine. It's made by Magimix, the blender people. Not a name I'd associate with fine coffee.

And yet...

And yet...

And yet... I feel so much better about the Nespresso purchase than when I bought the old machine.

And it's not just about the fact it makes excellent coffee (and anyone who spends much time around me knows I *LOVE* my coffee).

It's about the whole experience of opening up the box.

When I bought my old espresso maker, it was about £140 ($210), and that was 13 years ago, so maybe it would be a £200/$300 coffee machine by today's standards.

The Nespresso was £110/$175.

It's a cheaper machine. So I had lower expectations...

UBC9: are you delivering five-star service?

I've often told clients in my workshops about the way that Ritz Carlton hotels make you feel special by using your name as you check in. I know how it's done, and while it's amazing at the time, once you know the trick that's how you view it. Today however I got very pleasantly surprised. I'm in Lisbon, at the five star Onyria Resort in Quinta da Marinha. It's on the outskirts of Estoril, a fishing village that became a target destination for Europe's royalty around 1900. And this hotel knows how to make you feel like royalty. As the cab dropped me back at the hotel this evening after a day working with one of my VIP clients, the doorman opened then cab door and smiled. "Good evening Mister Cuesta. how was your day? Will you be using the pool again today? Remember the spa is open until 8 tonight." I was flabbergasted. In fact, never has my flabbier been so gasted! There was no reason why he should have remembered my name (and there was no luggage with tags to allow some sneaky detective work. There was even less reason fornhim to remember that I had used the pool the night before. Coming after a truly 5-star checkin experience (seated at a desk, rather than standing awkwardly at a counter) it has cemented the Onyria as one of my favourite destinations. And here's the best bit. NONE OF THIS COST THE HOTEL A PENNY. All of this service was free. Here's a question for you: how can you make your clients feel like royalty without spending a fortune?