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Do you love what you do? Is working on your business enjoyable or is it a constant grind? You have come to the right place. In this episode, James P Friel of contract CEO discusses the key concepts that can make your business grow and more enjoyable. The things that he discusses will help you feel unstuck, get you moving in the right direction, achieve great business results and actually enjoy what you’re doing. Why should you listen to James P Friel and not any other individual out there? Read on to find out why?
James P. Friel is a renowned American business consultant who focuses on helping small entrepreneurs systematically accelerate their business growth and sustainability. He will show you how to create profits that lasts from your business ventures.
When it comes to formal education, James believes that it is one of the keys to success in life. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Human Factors Psychology from Embry-Riddle University. He was also a proud recipient of a departmental Academic Achievement Award during his time in the university.
James has spent his entire career exploring the Intersections of technology, performing sales and marketing and perfecting sales. He earned his 10 years plus experience working with internationally recognized companies where he held senior level leadership positions.
One of the notable positions he has held was at HSBC bank. He was the head of digital strategy leading a team of 60 plus professionals who were distributed across three continents by the bank to assist in promoting the bank’s website marketing strategy. His leadership skills facilitated the bank’s remarkable success of doubling online sales. He also spent the better part of his life in the UK where he had a privileged to study leadership directly from the two-time British Olympic Gold Medal Rowing Team.
In 2011, he left the corporate world to start Contract CEO, a business consultant firm aimed at helping people create businesses that are predictable and sustainable. Since then, he has worked with several most loved CEO’s and executive level staff of numerous small to mid-sized businesses. He boosts many achievements in his life. He has guided several business enthusiasts through proven processes and techniques for ensuring the proper foundation is in place for growth and effectiveness.
James will tell you that Love What You Do And Your Customers Will Too. The key here is to strike a balance between doing something that constantly challenges you and that you feel good about, and at the same time doesn’t control your life.
What you will hear
04:38: There are three distinct needs that must be fulfilled for every customer. He explains these needs by use of two overlapping circles (Venn diagram). The three distinct needs are emotional needs, strengths and credibility.
05: 34: Under Emotional Needs, James mentions six human needs and his assertion is that all of us have these needs because we’re human and they must be fulfilled. They include needs such as certainty, significance, uncertainty or variety, need for love and connection, need for growth and need to contribute and to give back to others. So as a businessman who wants to create a successful business that you enjoy, you must fulfill these needs. You must ask yourself are connecting with your customers? Are you creating certainty of being able to solve their specific problem?
09: 22: The second distinct need that must be fulfilled for every customer is Strengths. Every one of us has something that we’re really good at. James reveals that you, as the businessman, you are the biggest competitive edge of your company. Your employees, your marketing strategy, and proprietary systems also contribute to this significantly. So the quality of your product and the fulfillment it brings or the emotions it caters for are the ultimate strength. Ask yourself whether your strengths are giving your customer value and certainty.
11: 50: The third distinct need that must be fulfilled for every customer is Credibility. People are not buying your product or service because they have great features and benefits, but because of the emotional need they are solving. So to build off of the emotion of certainty that your target customers might have, you need to confidently communicate to them that you can solve their problems. One way to convey your credibility is by providing evidence.
17:55: One of the strengths that James emphasizes is something that gives the client or the prospect some degree of certainty that this happens. You need to get them in that mindset to experience those feelings before you ask for the sale.
19:20: James elaborates more about the marketing message that would add a layer of credibility. These include showing social proof, testimonial or any other evidence to support what we’re saying. So you must give them some numbers, stories and testimonials of all of the customers that you have helped.
21:26: The three the three circles (emotional needs, strengths and credibility) when you go through them, you become clear on what you are doing. The clear you are the more powerful you are and this is what brings clarity to a marketing message.
21:26: And everything else in marketing and sales needs to come back and validate itself against those three circles. So this would happen in ads. Well how am I meeting the emotional needs in my ads, landing page copy, magazine ads or my direct mail campaigns or whatever the case might be.
26:14: The amount of force you have to apply is directly proportional to the amount of friction involved in getting you from point. In any case this concept of force and friction is very evident in business as well. And if you’ve ever tried to have a marketing message that goes out and people are not responding (people are reluctant to buy your products or service), what you’re experiencing is friction. You don’t need to hit it harder. Instead of applying more force, you need to go to work on the friction problem.
33:00: As a business owner it’s important to take a step back and reflect on why you’re doing what you’re doing and if you’re fulfilled in doing so. Are you connecting with your customers and improving their lives? Passion for what you do and the fulfillment of helping others will fuel your entrepreneurial fire.
You need to be clear and sincere. Help your customers understand emotionally and logically why you can solve their problems better than anyone else. Sincerely love what you do and your customers will too.
Resources and links
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA
- https://jamespfriel.com/about/
- http://contractceo.com/optin360431