John Ray Archives - Page 43 of 66

Howard Flint, Ghost Partner

December 19, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Howard Flint, Ghost Partner

00:00 /

Howard Flint, Ghost Partner (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 591)

Howard Flint, CEO of Ghost Partner joined host John Ray on this episode of North Fulton Business Radio. He discussed why companies need clear messaging to gather leads and to close sales, how most companies are doing email marketing wrong, content which resonates with potential clients, and much more.

North Fulton Business Radio is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Ghost Partner

If you have an email customer database, you are sitting on unrealized revenue opportunities. In other words, MORE SALES!

Your current and past customers are your best source for more revenue and increased profitability. When you stay engaged with them through regular email and content marketing, they become REPEAT customers, they buy MORE services from you, and best of all: they REFER you to other customers.

Ghost Partner becomes your CUSTOMER MARKETING partner. We will help you create a strategy that works. Then the Ghost team will execute that strategy every month with success.

Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter

Howard Flint, CEO, Ghost Partner

Howard Flint is the owner of Ghost Partner. Howard started Ghost Partner in 2007 after he sold his first company, BUZZ Publishing. The Ghost Partner team specializes in custom content, clear messaging for brands, email, marketing, social, and search advertising.

Howard has been married to Canita of I Canita Cake for 33 years and they have three unruly children.

Questions and Topics in this Interview

Clear Messaging
Leads and Sales
Email Marketing
Good Content

North Fulton Business Radio is hosted by John Ray and broadcast and produced from the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta. You can find the full archive of shows by following this link. The show is available on all the major podcast apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, Stitcher, TuneIn, and others.

Renasant Bank has humble roots, starting in 1904 as a $100,000 bank in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown to become one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions with over $13 billion in assets and more than 190 banking, lending, wealth management and financial services offices in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. All of Renasant’s success stems from each of their banker’s commitment to investing in their communities as a way of better understanding the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, they understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.

Since 2000, Office Angels® has been restoring joy to the life of small business owners, enabling them to focus on what they do best. At the same time, we honor and support at-home experts who wish to continue working on an as-needed basis. Not a temp firm or a placement service, Office Angels matches a business owner’s support needs with Angels who have the talent and experience necessary to handle work that is essential to creating and maintaining a successful small business. Need help with administrative tasks, bookkeeping, marketing, presentations, workshops, speaking engagements, and more? Visit us at https://officeangels.us/.

Joel Docking, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill

December 19, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Joel Docking, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill

00:00 /

Joel Docking, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 590)

Joel Docking, Managing Partner at Firebirds Wood Fired Grill in Alpharetta, joined host John Ray on this episode of North Fulton Business Radio. Joel discussed what makes Firebirds unique, their delicious menu of hand-cut, hardwood grilled steaks, fresh seafood and more, how they navigated the pandemic and came out stronger, why philanthropy is a big part of their corporate culture, their support of Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation as well as first responders and veterans, and much more.

North Fulton Business Radio is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Joel Docking, Managing Partner, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill

Joel Docking, Managing Partner of Firebirds Wood Fired Grill in Alpharetta, has been in the restaurant business for over twenty years. He has previously managed O’Charley’s and Chuy’s Restaurants, and was also the Operations Director for O’Charley’s for seventeen years.

Firebirds Wood Fired Grill is located in Alpharetta across from the Avalon at the Atwater, off Old Milton Parkway. They are an American Restaurant and Steakhouse known for their scratch kitchen, bold flavors and inviting atmosphere. Enjoy their signature menu items including hand-cut, aged steaks and fresh seafood or their specialty crafted cocktails and select wines.

Join them for Happy Hour Monday – Friday from 4-7PM at the FIREBAR® or on the patio. They offer top-notch service and upscale dining at a modest price.

Questions and Topics in this Interview

What makes Firebirds unique?
Philanthropy is a big part of Firebirds’ corporate culture. Why is that, and who do you help?
Talk about the process of FIREBAR®’s unique cocktails.
With what the restaurant industry has endured over the past couple of years, Firebirds is going strong. What do you attribute its success to?
What makes your Kids Menu stand out from your competition?

Value Is Like a Bank Account

December 19, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

Value Is Like a Bank Account

00:00 /

Value Is Like a Bank Account

Whether working with a client or engaging with a prospect, value is like a bank account. The value you deliver is a deposit, and you can take away value–make withdrawals–on the relationship as well.

The Price and Value Journey is presented by John Ray and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.

TRANSCRIPT

John Ray: [00:00:01] Hello. I’m John Ray on The Price and Value Journey. I read a post recently about relationships being like bank accounts. We can make deposits that enhance and deepen the relationship. Conversely, we can make withdrawals through actions which chip away or destroy a relationship. The account balance, if you will, varies over time based on our actions and those of the other person, too, of course.

John Ray: [00:00:34] Value is the same way, is it not? We have a value balance, you might say, with every client and prospect. As professional services providers, when we help a client better understand their business or lessen their anxiety about a coming change they might be dreading, we’re making deposits in the value account with that particular client. When we resist the urge to pitch a prospect and instead ask thoughtful questions and listen, we add to the value balance for that person.

John Ray: [00:01:12] On the other hand, we make withdrawals at those stages in a client relationship where when an inevitable mistake occurs, we don’t own up to our part of the goof up. We decrease the value balance with a prospect when we’re taking their business on when we know down deep that they aren’t a great fit.

John Ray: [00:01:34] No value balance stays static for long. It rises or falls based on the value we add or the value we take away. So, what part of client service or business development do you excel at when it comes to adding to the value balance? What parts need some work? The answers to these questions are vital to our businesses as they determine both ability to price and the length and tenure and the quality of our client relationships.

John Ray: [00:02:09] I’m John Ray on The Price and Value Journey. Past episodes of the series can be found at pricevaluejourney.com. And I would be honored if you would subscribe to this series on your favorite podcast app. If you’d like to be in touch with me directly, you can do so by emailing john@johnray.co. And, hey, big news for 2023, I have a book coming out. So, if you’d like to know more about that, feel free to send me a note. Thank you for joining me.

About The Price and Value Journey

The title of this show describes the journey all professional services providers are on: building a services practice by seeking to convince the world of the value we offer, helping clients achieve the outcomes they desire, and trying to do all that at pricing which reflects the value we deliver.

If you feel like you’re working too hard for too little money in your solo or small firm practice, this show is for you. Even if you’re reasonably happy with your practice, you’ll hear ways to improve both your bottom line as well as the mindset you bring to your business.

The show is produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® and can be found on all the major podcast apps. The complete show archive is here.

John Ray, Host of The Price and Value Journey

John Ray The Price and Value Journey — **John Ray, Host of “The Price and Value Journey”**

John Ray is the host of The Price and Value Journey.

John owns Ray Business Advisors, a business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneur and small professional services firms on their pricing. John is passionate about the power of pricing for business owners, as changing pricing is the fastest way to change the profitability of a business. His clients are professionals who are selling their “grey matter,” such as attorneys, CPAs, accountants and bookkeepers, consultants, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.

In his other business, John is a Studio Owner, Producer, and Show Host with Business RadioX®, and works with business owners who want to do their own podcast. As a veteran B2B services provider, John’s special sauce is coaching B2B professionals to use a podcast to build relationships in a non-salesy way which translate into revenue.

John is the host of North Fulton Business Radio, Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Radio, Alpharetta Tech Talk, and Business Leaders Radio. house shows which feature a wide range of business leaders and companies. John has hosted and/or produced over 1,600 podcast episodes.

Coming in 2023: A New Book!

John’s working on a book that will be released in 2023. The book covers topics like value and adopting a mindset of value, pricing your services more effectively, proposals, and essential elements of growing your business. For more information, contact John below.

Connect with John Ray:

Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

Business RadioX®: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

“It’s Too Expensive”

December 16, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

"It's Too Expensive"

00:00 /

“It’s Too Expensive”

When a prospect tells you “it’s too expensive,” they’ve done you a favor: they’re telling you that you haven’t had an effective value conversation.

The Price and Value Journey is presented by John Ray and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.

TRANSCRIPT

John Ray: [00:00:00] Hello again. I’m John Ray on The Price and Value Journey. “It’s too expensive.” How do you react when a prospect says this?

John Ray: [00:00:11] All of us are human, and the normal reactions might be to give up, get angry, get defensive. And, of course, let that imposter syndrome rear its ugly head. Don’t give in to any of these impulses. Instead, you should mentally thank that prospect for their response. They’ve given you valuable feedback, which prospects don’t always do. Often they’re too polite to tell you that.

John Ray: [00:00:42] Further, though, and more important, if you get this reaction, it’s almost always your fault. Well, why is that? It’s because you haven’t had an adequate value conversation. A conversation which helps you determine what the client values, what they hold dear. Because you don’t understand the client’s perception of value, you’ve been in the dark as you prepared your proposal.

John Ray: [00:01:07] And here’s another reason why if a client says you’re too expensive it might be your fault. You’re only offering one option. You haven’t taken advantage of what many professional services providers are able to do. Offer three options, optimally, which are crafted to respond to the client perception of value as revealed in that great value conversation that you should have had.

John Ray: [00:01:32] Offering only one option creates a fill or kill situation, one in which you are more likely to get a too expensive response. Or just as bad, the prospect immediately accepts your proposal quietly thinking that they can’t believe you’re offering so much for the stated services at the low price that you’re offering. Effective value conversations invariably help you avoid the “too expensive” response.

John Ray: [00:02:06] I’m John Ray on The Price and Value Journey. Past episodes of this series can be found at pricevaluejourney.com or on your favorite podcast app. And if you’re not already a subscriber, I’d be honored if you would do that. You can also email me directly, john@johnray.co. And big news, I’ve got a book coming in 2023, and I would love to tell you more about that if you’d like to be in touch. Thank you.

About The Price and Value Journey

The show is produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® and can be found on all the major podcast apps. The complete show archive is here.

John Ray, Host of The Price and Value Journey

John Ray is the host of The Price and Value Journey.

Coming in 2023: A New Book!

Connect with John Ray:

Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

Business RadioX®: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Becky Berry, Becky Berry Career Coaching

December 14, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Business Radio

Becky Berry, Becky Berry Career Coaching

00:00 /

Becky Berry, Becky Berry Career Coaching (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 589)

Becky Berry, Owner and Executive Coach at Becky Berry Career Coaching, joined host John Ray on this episode of North Fulton Business Radio. She spoke candidly on the pressing career issues her clients face, what’s really going on with “quiet quitting,” the post-Covid work environment, the availability of jobs, the idea of “safety” in employment today, and much more.

North Fulton Business Radio is produced and broadcast by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.

Becky Berry Career Coaching

Becky Berry coaches women who are determined to have an impact through their work. Women come to her to identify their unique skills and hone their leadership. They also come to Becky to rid themselves of the noise from a society that says women need to work harder but be smaller to succeed.

Becky champions each client as they excavate and deploys their unique and powerful work experiences to position themself for increasingly influential and impactful work. Becky provides a framework that goes beyond support – it’s a safe space for women to claim the potential they’re afraid to admit that they have.

Her coaching strategies start with insight and discovery. She and her clients work through their past story about work and uncover new ways to see themselves and describe their skills.

They do a Work Visualization to home in on the ideal environment and people to work with. Then, with the Windowshop Your Way to Work™ Strategy, clients learn how to own their value (and talk about it fluently) and present that value to prospective employers.

Website | LinkedIn

Becky Berry, Owner/Executive Coach, Becky Berry Career Coaching

Becky Berry is the owner of Becky Berry Career Coaching and MAD! Workspace for Women, a boutique coworking space for women only. She lives in Alpharetta, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta.

Becky is a career and executive coach who champions women as they excavate and deploy their unique and powerful experiences to position themselves for claiming their leadership and delivering increasingly influential and impactful work. Her specialty is creating outside-the-box strategies for helping clients jump their internal roadblocks to moving forward. Many clients come to her to learn how to re-frame their so-called problem traits—like ADD and dyslexia—into the powerful advantages they really are. Here’s how Becky describes her approach: “I get people. All kinds, sizes, and flavors of people. Crowds of people, or one-on-one. I get people because I love people and I live to champion them to themselves.”

Becky has experienced several crossroads in her life including careers as a magazine publisher, software entrepreneur, stay-at-home mom, special education teacher, social entrepreneur, and widowhood. Her experiences inform her coaching as she helps women create rich, meaningful work and home lives on their own terms.

Her rich background in startups and entrepreneurship allows her to provide uniquely powerful insights and strategies to clients as they pursue their business and life goals.

Becky also produces and cohosts two podcasts, Uniquely Brilliant and She’s Not Done Yet: Conversations with Women Over 50, available wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Questions and Topics in this Interview

Why are people coming to you for career coaching and what do they get out of it?
What’s your take on quiet quitting?
How has the job market changed since COVID?
What type of environment are people looking for at work?
How can people be prepared for unexpected things like layoffs and re-assignments?

Prospects Send Signals…Believe Them

December 14, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

Prospects Send Signals…Believe Them

00:00 /

Prospects Send Signals…Believe Them

Pay attention: prospects send signals when they’re not a great fit for your business. Ignore these signals at your business peril.

The Price and Value Journey is presented by John Ray and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.

TRANSCRIPT

John Ray: [00:00:00] Hello. I’m John Ray on the Price and Value Journey. Recently, I was chatting with an attorney friend of mine about clients, the signals that they send, and how they tell us who they are if we’ll just pay attention. It reminded me of a client I’d been referred to quite a few years ago now, early on in my journey. I was able to get an appointment with her, but that took an abnormal amount of time to do despite her acknowledgment that she desperately needed to get her house in order.

When I got there several minutes early, I had to wait quite a while for her. Once the meeting finally started, it took only about 10 minutes to realize that her practice was a complete mess. Her books looked like the work product you’d see if Charlie Brown’s friend, Pigpen, was the bookkeeper. Any talk about KPIs or how we could use the numbers to improve her business was meaningless. She seemed to thrive on all the chaos. Every few minutes we were interrupted by her assistant with questions which were not urgent, but which she insisted on taking and answering.

And as I sit there, letting the debris of all this situation wash over me, I fell victim to the thought this can’t be as bad as it looks. Yep, I did it. I waited in where I shouldn’t have. Just like the well-meaning person who thinks they’ll reform their spouse after they get married. I quoted her a retainer to get started, and she wrote me a check. On the way back to my office, I drove by my bank and deposited the check. And that’s when the fun really started.

The next day, I got an email from my bank that the check had bounced. Almost immediately after getting that email, as if the clouds parted with a sign from above, my phone pinged with a text message. “Can you believe that guy went and deposited my check already?”, the text said. And then after a minute or two later, another text followed, “Sorry, meant that for my husband. Lol.” Yeah. Lots of laughs. There wasn’t any reason to be upset with her actually. That bounced check was the apex of a host of signals I should have paid attention to, but I ignored them or explain them away.

The message was there, but I was too hardheaded, determined or blind, take your pick, to pay attention. Clients will tell you with their actions that they’re not a fit for you and your practice. Believe them.

I’m John Ray on the Price and Value Journey. Past episodes of the series can be found on your favorite podcast app where you can subscribe if you’re not already. And if you are, thank you. You can also go to pricevaluejourney.com. Feel free to email me John@johnray.co. And hey, big news. I’ve got a book coming out in 2023. If you’d like more details, just let me know. Thank you for joining me.

About The Price and Value Journey

The title of this show describes the journey all professional services providers are on: building a services practice by seeking to convince the world of the value we offer, helping clients achieve the outcomes they desire and trying to do all that at pricing which reflects the value we deliver.

The show is produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® and can be found on all the major podcast apps. The complete show archive is here.

John Ray, Host of The Price and Value Journey

John Ray is the host of The Price and Value Journey.

Coming in 2023: A New Book!

Connect with John Ray:

Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

Business RadioX®: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

The Tale of the Impatient Garage Door Repairman

December 12, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

The Tale of the Impatient Garage Door Repairman

00:00 /

The Tale of the Impatient Garage Door Repairman

As a professional services provider, your pricing depends on the conversations you’re willing to have with prospective clients. This cautionary tale of the impatient garage door repairman illustrates the cost of not having a value conversation.

The Price and Value Journey is presented by John Ray and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.

TRANSCRIPT

John Ray: [00:00:00] Hello. I’m John Ray on The Price and Value Journey. The Tail of the Impatient Garage Door Repairman.

John Ray: [00:00:09] One morning several years ago, I woke up, sleepily took care of our morning potty time for our dogs. And then, when I brought in the last one and lowered the garage door, disaster struck. As the garage door lowered, it crinkled. And my wife couldn’t get out of the garage. Fortunately, though, I was parked outside and can take her to the school where she teaches.

John Ray: [00:00:35] On the drive over, she asked who I was going to call about our problem. I have no idea, I told her, but I’ll work it all out. Well, after I dropped her off, I went straight to my desk and started my work. I could deal with that garage door stuff later, right? Well, a few hours went by and my wife called me during her lunchtime planning period to check on how that garage door repair was going. I’m working on it, I told her. Well, Dr. Ray has a keen nose for bull. You need to know, she said, that I’m not spending the night in that house if that garage door is not fixed.

John Ray: [00:01:19] Well, my priorities, you might say, had suddenly been realigned. I had to get on the stick and make something happen. I didn’t have a contact among garage door installers, so I did what most people do in such circumstances, I went online. I looked for a garage door expert with what seemed to be satisfactory and legitimately honest reviews. I found a nearby provider who seemed pretty good and I gave him a call. I described the problem, gave him my addres, and texted him pictures of the door along with measurements of the door panels.

John Ray: [00:01:59] After a few minutes, he called me back, I’ve got the panels we need to replace the door, he said, are you open for me to come out there this afternoon? Yes, I said. And I was trying to damper my excitement when he said that. Well, normally, he said, I would charge $1,100 or so. But if you’ll pay cash, I’ll charge you $800. I immediately responded, “Get over here, man. I’m headed to the ATM.” So, I get a sizable discount for paying in cash and I’m not going to be in trouble with my wife, I felt like I was at the casino and three cherries had just come up on the slot machine.

John Ray: [00:02:37] I had no idea when I made the call what a garage door replacement like this should cost. I had visions of four figures dancing in my head before this conversation, so that’s what I was braced for. In his impatience to get this job and seemingly, also, to avoid taxes by receiving cash, my garage door repairman screwed up.

John Ray: [00:03:01] He was focused only on the job at hand, not the why of the job. He didn’t have a value conversation with me, his client. He never asked me any questions that would have revealed my sense of urgency and what I valued. He could have asked questions such as, “Well, what happened and when? Do you know why it happened? Was there anything unusual happening prior to the problem? What do you have in mind to replace the door? Any upcoming outside house painting or remodeling projects you have? When was the house built? Any issues with the garage door motor itself? How many cars are parked in the garage?”

John Ray: [00:03:47] You see the point? He could have then said after all that questioning, “Hey, my crews are pretty busy right now and we’re more than halfway through the day today, when did you need to have the work completed?” At some point in this conversation, I would have revealed the big problem, which had little to do with the garage door itself. It was important to my wife that this job be completed that day and, therefore, it was important to me.

John Ray: [00:04:17] I would have understood that I’m calling him in the middle of the day hoping he could get my replacement done by day’s end, if he told me that he had a rush charge, but that he could get out there that afternoon, I would have paid – I don’t know – $1,500, $2,000. I don’t know what I would have paid. But I felt like I’d drawn the get out of jail free card to only pay $800.

John Ray: [00:04:42] In the services business, home professional or otherwise, the price you ultimately receive is based in part on your willingness to have a value conversation which taps into the hopes, fears, dreams, and other emotions which are bubbling up inside of your client. But you won’t know those unless you ask.

John Ray: [00:05:04] And your impatience can cost you a lot of money like it did my garage door repairman. And you might be, like I imagine he could be, wondering why you’re working so hard for so little on the bottom line.

John Ray: [00:05:19] Thanks for joining me on The Price and Value Journey. Past episodes of this series can be found at pricevaluejourney.com or on your favorite podcast app. I’d be honored if you’d subscribe to the show, if you’re not already. And feel free to send me an email, john@johnray.co.

John Ray: [00:05:40] And, hey, some big news, in 2023, I’ll be releasing a book, so if you want more information on that, feel free to connect with me. You can send an email or connect with me on LinkedIn. johnray1 is my handle on LinkedIn. Thanks for joining me.

About The Price and Value Journey

The title of this show describes the journey all professional services providers are on: building a services practice by seeking to convince the world of the value we offer, helping clients achieve the outcomes they desire and trying to do all that at pricing which reflects the value we deliver.

The show is produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® and can be found on all the major podcast apps. The complete show archive is here.

John Ray, Host of The Price and Value Journey

John Ray is the host of The Price and Value Journey.

Coming in 2023: A New Book!

Connect with John Ray:

Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

Business RadioX®: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

“I Can Do That” and the Mental Math of Outsourcing

December 8, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

“I Can Do That” and the Mental Math of Outsourcing

00:00 /

“I Can Do That” and the Mental Math of Outsourcing

The mental math of outsourcing can work for you and your practice, or work against you if you say “I can do that” too many times.

The Price and Value Journey is presented by John Ray and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.

About The Price and Value Journey

The title of this show describes the journey all professional services providers are on: building a services practice by seeking to convince the world of the value we offer, helping clients achieve the outcomes they desire and trying to do all that at pricing which reflects the value we deliver.

The show is produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® and can be found on all the major podcast apps. The complete show archive is here.

John Ray, Host of The Price and Value Journey

John Ray is the host of The Price and Value Journey.

Coming in 2023: A New Book!

John’s working on a book which will be released in 2023. The book covers topics like value and adopting a mindset of value, pricing your services more effectively, proposals, and essential elements of growing your business. For more information, connect with John below.

Connect with John Ray:

Website | LinkedIn | Twitter

Business RadioX®: LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Razor Blades, Discounts, and Your Practice

November 29, 2022 by John Ray

North Fulton Studio

Razor Blades, Discounts, and Your Practice

00:00 /

Razor Blades, Discounts, and Your Practice

Even a single human hair can chip a razor blade, and that first chip leads to much greater damage as the blade is used. This imagery is a superb metaphor for how pricing discounts in a professional services practice can dull the business.

The Price and Value Journey is presented by John Ray and produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX®.

About The Price and Value Journey

The title of this show describes the journey all professional services providers are on: building a services practice by seeking to convince the world of the value we offer, helping clients achieve the outcomes they desire and trying to do all that at pricing which reflects the value we deliver.

The show is produced by the North Fulton studio of Business RadioX® and can be found on all the major podcast apps. The complete show archive is here.