Welcome to 2005: Driving Growth and Change

Greetings Everyone,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I trust that this letter is finding you happy and well and that you are ready to live 2005 to its fullest.

As I began to contemplate this newsletter, I could not help but consider the question "How do I want to grow in 2005, and what changes do I want to make to move to the next level of leadership in my life?"

I believe in my heart that creativity drives growth and change. Of course, many of you know that creativity is a huge value of mine, but nonetheless, I cannot help but notice the companies that are moving ahead in this world. I see innovation and free thinking pouring out of their souls and ingenuity is not only rewarded but demanded. The December, 2004, Issue of Fast Company pays tribute to the top innovators of today in the article Innovation Awards. I was most interested in the story about Plantronics: "Plantronics encourages engineers and designers to work independently of each other, creating prototypes that may never leave the lab. Tech jocks can go wild, freed from aesthetic or commercial obligations. Designers, unfettered by mundane limitations of technology, relate prototypes that connect with consumer desires." In addition, they ask their customers what they want, and they work to see what they can do to make it happen by working backwards. Interesting...how many times do we ever work with the end in mind? Hmmm...sounds like a familiar Stephen Covey-ism.

I believe that innovation is the lifeblood of growth, change and success. But how do you develop an idea that can withstand the test of time and resources? It can seem like a daunting task... unless....You Build a Thriving Network! One of the points which keeps popping up in companies that are succeeding in the area of creativity and growth is that they seem to employ a wide variety of very talented people, and these men and women are empowered to use their strengths to make a difference in their companies and to combine those strengths with other people to create the power of the third mind...the Master Mind principle is alive and well in these companies.

Building a thriving network does not require that you have access to thousands of people. It does, however, mean that you surround yourself with people who are thriving, and achieving, and who are passionate about what they do... not people who are sitting around simply talking about what they are going to do. There is a BIG difference. It also requires that you communicate openly and effectively...when you are driving in the car, standing at the water fountain, or sharing a cup of coffee with a colleague. It is all about connection.

In this month's newsletter, I invite you to pay very close attention to the article and to the interview with Kimberly George. Social Capital is where it's at in 2005. If you want to thrive in this world, it is not just important...it is required... that you surround yourself with creative people and with people who are moving with lightning speed in the direction of removing barriers to innovation and success. Our world needs your creativity, and it wants you to combine your skills with those of other people to bring something amazing to life! Get moving, get connected, and open your mind to the creative wonders of the people who are around you. You will discover incredible breakthroughs and new ways of living that are awe-inspiring.

Wishing you passion, energy, abundance, joy, and love in 2005!

Warmly,

Bea

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Gift for January

As a way to thank you for your continued support of Five Star Leader Coaching and Training, I want to give you a very special audio interview with Kimberly George of Rebel Business. The subject is Social Capital and Networking. I am finding this topic to be so important as I continue to grow my business, and I want to share Kim's wisdom with you. Enjoy:

MP3 Interview: Social Capital and Networking

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Feature Article for January 2005

The Top Ten Strategies For Building Social Capital

by: Kimberly George of Rebel Business

(1) Understand The Relevance of Social Capital.

Dr. Ivan Misner, Founder and CEO of Business Network International (BNI), defines Social Capital as the accumulation of resources developed through your personal and professional networks. These resources include ideas, knowledge, contacts, referrals and opportunities. Social Capital is about investing in relationships and the cornerstone of any effective business is the quality and sustainability of your connections.

(2) Become a Connector

Connectors are people with a particular knack or gift for bringing people together. Malcolm Gladwell first shared this term in his book, The Tipping Point. Connectors naturally build bridges between people and diverse groups. Connectors are responsible for the “small world phenomenon”. Their activities connect people, resources and ideas who might not otherwise meet. Although some people are born with this skill, it can be learned, and is the single most effective strategy for building your social capital. To find out more about the connector mentality, visit www.socnetcommunity.com.

(3) See People Exponentially

When you meet someone for the first time, are you thinking only about what they themselves can provide? Are you focused on them hiring you or using your product? What about their Social Capital – the who they know? The theory six degrees of separation holds that any one of us is basically six people away from the person we want to meet. Begin to look at the world through a different lens. Actualize the concept of six degrees of separation. Look beyond the first degree – the person you’ve just met – to explore the people and resources they are willing to connect you to.

(4) Map Out Your Connections

A study conducted found a mere 22% of American professionals accurately comprehend their Social Capital. Most people underestimate the potential of their connections, and overestimate how well they are leveraging these resources. By literally drawing out what your personal and professional networks look like, you can see opportunities to connect others, and possibilities you may be missing out on. This process is like a mind map for your networks. An excellent online example can be found at www.humaxnetworks.com.

To read the full article, enter here.

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Upcoming Teleclasses

Register Here

Get it Done Now: 91 Days to Getting Clients Now by Delivering Workshops for your Chamber of Commerce


Dates, Times & Location:
January 12, 2005 to April 06, 2005, from 1:00 PM ET to 1:55 PM ET

Are you ready to learn what it takes to become a highly visible and recognized member of your local community? Partnering with your local Chamber of Commerce is one of the most powerful ways to live the philosophy of "Givers Gain", for adding value to your local community and for getting your name and brand well known on a local and regional level. In this teleclass series, you will learn how to deliver a powerful new CoachVille program, Magnetic Customer Service to the members of your local chamber of commerce. Developed by Bea Fields, this program is a proven system to give you powerful visibility and bring clients to your door. As special bonus we'll teach you how to weave free CoachVille memberships into your offering in a way that will create a lifetime of passive revenue for you. THIS IS BIG!

This Get it Done Now event, usually priced at $500, is being now being offered for only $297 .. a savings of 40% !

Dates & Time: January 12, 19, 26, February 2, 9, 16, 23, March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 & April 6, 2005 @ 1:00 PM ET

Description

This 91 Day Challenge Will Include:

*	Step by step instructions on how to create a relationship with your Chamber of Commerce that will position you as an expert in your community (co-led by Bea Fields and Elyse Cochran, President of the Moore County, NC Chamber of Commerce)
*	A 45-slide Power Point presentation, Magnetic Customer Service, which you can use with your local Chamber of Commerce as is (or you may edit to fit your personal needs)
*	Over 25 pages of handouts to include in your presentations
*	Step by step instructions on how to deliver the 6 lessons for Magnetic Customer Service for maximum impact
*	Strategies on how to "sell yourself" during your presentation "without selling" (Yes...there is a trick to it)
*	How to use the words "How can I help you?" to attract paying clients from your audience
*	Examples of over 10 experiential activities for engaging your audience in a compelling and memorable way
*	Secrets for pre-workshop and post workshop networking to secure speaking engagements
*	How to use assessments to make your audience beg for more
*	A copy of the 6 week advertisement for Magnetic Customer Service, carefully developed as a way to target the audience you most want to attract
*	Techniques on how to use word of mouth advertising to get yourself booked for additional workshops
*	Everything you need to know to make this happen NOW!

Go to Registration

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Business Article for January 2005

The Top Ten Ways to Market Any Business to Thousands by Leading Teleclasses

by Bea Fields and Roger DeWitt
More Details at: http://www.teleclassleader.com

As business owners, we all know that the key to fantastic sales is to let your customers have a personal experience of you. The difficulty, of course is that to give every customer that experience personally requires a tremendous time commitment of ourselves and our staff. So what do we do?
One solution is to leverage our time by doing the "wooing" once and then let that effort live on forever in a virtual format. It is about creating multiple products, programs, or streams of income from the core of our business that can sell and propagate without our direct intervention!

But how do we do that?

By using the up and coming medium of teleclasses!

By leading teleclasses (classes by telephone) you can leverage your classes in a way which will increase your productivity and the profitability of your business while becoming highly visible in your field or profession. You can become the expert in your field -- the "go to" person! This article will provide you with ten ways to leverage your teleclasses for maximum visibility and for driving thousands of customers to your door.

If you would like to know more about what a telelcass is and how it can support your business, download this audio What is a Teleclass?

(1) Create audio recordings of your teleclasses.

Using a digital recording device such as the DM-1 Recorder by Olympus or a recording service such as Maklitel.com, you can capture your teleclasses on audio, which can be leveraged in multiple ways. This recording can be used as:

-A free download on your website (people love added value and a way to get to know you when they visit your site)

-A fee-based download (The going rate for a one hour download is approximately $19.00)

-A recording transferred to a CD and used as a business card (people love to have great content to listen to as they drive or walk)

(2) Combine several teleclasses, including recordings and written content, and create an online digital library.

An online digital library is a wonderful way to allow people the opportunity to buy a lifetime, annual, or month to month membership to your teleclass programs. Many people are unable to attend the teleclasses due to time constraints, so an online library will allow people the ability to experience your teleclasses in a self-study format. I recommend that you develop 20 solid teleclasses, record each teleclass, and combine the recordings with written content converted to PDF form, before opening your library. From here you will want to continue adding new content to the library each month to keep people interested and jazzed enough about what you are offering that they re-subscribe from year to year or month to month.

(3) Turn your teleclasses into an article(s) for online and hard copy publications.

Teleclasses are a wonderful opportunity to build written content which you can share with your target audience in the form of an article or press release. By writing articles, you can take the content from your teleclasses and put it into a format which positions you as an expert in the media. This article you are reading is taken from a telelcass by the title of Leveraging Your Teleclasses for Long-Term Sustainability, and I am submitting this in multiple locations on the internet and to several hard copy magazines. The great thing about article writing is that your written word is then disseminated to thousands of people around the globe who are in the market for the products and services you are offering.

(4) Take the content from your teleclass, and develop a 7-10 week e-course.

Marketing studies show that it takes 7-10 touches with a client before he or she will buy from you. By writing a 7-10 week e-course (a weekly lesson delivered by e-mail) you can drop valuable tips which are related to your teleclasses into the inboxes of your target market. Make sure to include information on your upcoming teleclasses in your e-course, and create an active link in the course so that folks know how they can purchase a product or a program from you in the future.

To read the full article, enter here.