Archive for the 'Strategic Planning' Category

Nov 21 2011

BIZ ALPHABET SERIES…”Z”

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Choosing Behavior,Communication,Community Support,Contacts/Networking,Customer Service (CRM),Decision Making,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family Business,Feedback,Leadership,Lifestyle,Listening,Management,Motivation,Observations,People Management,Personal Growth,Problems=Opportunities,Productivity,Professional Practices,Public Relations,Reality,Relationships,Reputation,Retailing,Sales,Sales Process,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Strategic Planning,Strategies,Tactics,Teamwork,Trust

The final subject of this, the world’s first BIZ ALPHABET Series of blog posts! (Check out “A” – “Y”)

                                            

“Z”…ZEST

                              

ZEST (not the soap) refers to you and your business . . . ardor, élan, gusto, joie de vivre, lust, oomph, passion, pep, pizzazz, tang, vitality, energy, zing,  zoom, zip,  zap . . . either you’ve got it or you don’t.

If you’ve got it, you can make it better. Start here now. If you don’t have it, you can get it ignited here, now. Free. No strings attached. No gimmicks! Just you and your business, and me.

~~~~~~~ 

Sounds good, you say, but who cares? Uh, your customers, your employees, your suppliers, your investors, your lenders, your community . . . and your family. Does that work for an answer? This is not just another lecture on motivation. It’s about operating your business with a competitive edge.

Let’s get to it: When did you last ask a few customers why they do business with you instead of with __________ (fill in the name of a leading competitor)? Oh, you did a survey? Well, that’s great, but there’s nothin’ like the real thing, Baby, goes the old song, and there’s nothing like straight eyeball-to-eyeball answers.

Whatever you hear back, by the way, accept and be appreciative. Do not criticize. Do not “Yes, But.” Do not argue or dismiss. There’s a reason for everything. Take it in. Write it down. Smile and say thank you. Go off and think. Odds are pretty good that the answers you’ll get will have something to do with your attitude and approach.

In other words, HOW you deal with customers, employees, and others around you is what determines more than anything else why your customers are your customers. And it’s that reputation that attracts other customers. So, if these assumption about how you deal with others is even just half right, you already have a competitive edge.

It may simply need –like the holiday carving knife– a little sharpening. Start by asking yourself if you and/or someone else who works with you have been partly or largely responsible for positive customer feedback. Do you appropriately reward that behavior when it comes from others. Rewarding positives breeds more positives.

If you get feedback that attributes your business strength to other factors –price, quality, convenience, etc.–you need to giddy-yap over to your customer service counter/person/policy/strategy/whatever, to fix it or make it better.

Why? Because in this lousy economy, it is frankly not a good sign that anything other than your outstanding service should be the #1 factor quoted by customers. You cannot any longer compete on price or packaging or quality or convenience or sustainability. Anyone with the know-how and gumption can beat you on those points. 

But no one else can be you!

                                                                       

No one else can treat people exactly the same as you, and therein lies your single greatest and unique competitive edge — it’s the differential that you, exclusively, can offer. Have you ever by-passed others and gone out of your way to deal with a particular business because you relate better to the source? Of course you have.

We all seek individuals and entities we feel offer more integrity, more authenticity, a better reputation, provide more extras. So your customers are different? What’s keeping you from adjusting, over-hauling, boosting or perking up your business approaches and attitude NOW? Aren’t roadblocks, after all, a matter of choice?

Choose more of what works. Put a little spice in your spirit! And remember what you put out and how you come across — your spirit — is yours alone. No one else has or can use your strengths. 

                                                       

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Hal@Businessworks.US  302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Nov 16 2011

BIZ ALPHABET SERIES…”W”

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Choosing Behavior,Contacts/Networking,Decision Making,Goals,Innovation,Leadership,Life Plans,Lifestyle,Management,Motivation,Objectives,Objectives/Strategies/Tactics,Observations,Personal Growth,Productivity,Professional Practices,Reality,Sales,Sales Process,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Strategic Planning,Tactics,Writing

Welcome to the world’s first SMALL BIZ Alphabet Series of blog posts!

“W”…WISHING

 

WISHING may make it so in Peter Pan or The Wizard of Oz, but it’s a death knell in small business. Like hoping and dreaming, wishing accomplishes nothing. As entrepreneurs, the sooner we face reality and anchor ourselves in the present here-and-now moment for as many passing moments of every day as we possibly can, the sooner we will achieve success.

                             

~~~~~~~

No need to take my word for this sweeping rhetoric. It’s been proven endlessly over the ages by every successful, big-name entrepreneur who ever lived — from Thomas Edison, Henry Ford,  and Dale Carnegie, to Bill Gates, Steven Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, and Mary Kay Ashe.

So if this is such common knowledge, why doesn’t every entrepreneur succeed? Part of the answer is in the title of this blog post. We are taught from childhood to wish upon a star, that if we find a container on the beach and rub it, a genie will appear and grant three wishes, and so on.

Why do I bring this to our attention now, as we reach the end of the alphabet? Because besides that tonight, we landed on “W,” we are also on the cusp of the greatest annual “wishfest” in American history.

The whole thing starts the day after Thanksgiving and typically continues until Christmas when the dried out and “wishable” Thanksgiving turkey wishbone is ready to be or has already been snapped, and is likely to be replaced by a fresh new Christmas turkey wishbone.

Besides every greeting card filled with best holiday wishes, the season itself brings with it even more wishing as we see lottery ticket sales zoom and letters to Santa abound with children’s wishlists. And then, there’s New Year’s resolutions and wishes… success, success, success!

We certainly have ample opportunities for legitimatized, formal, and official wishing, but… alas!… WE are entrepreneurs, and we know far better than any corporate counterparts or government flunkies that wishing is a colossal waste of time and energy… not praying, mind you, but wishes! We all need all the prayer we can muster.

But that doesn’t mean that we can’t have goals. In fact, if we are truly to succeed, goal-setting needs to be an essential and ongoing activity. And real goals –as opposed to fantasized missions– must adhere to four essential criteria, or they are not real goals, and not likely even achievable.

Ongoing? Yes, since –as you may have just discovered by clicking on the last word link above– one of the four essential goal-setting criteria is flexibility, the idea of ongoing goal-setting should be apparent. They need to be adjusted, re-adjusted, and upgraded to reflect the following truism:

Time and events cause changes in

  purpose, passion, and resources.

(Aspiring political candidates should also take note!)

                                                                                    

Do you write down your goals and write down your revised and upgraded goals and carry a copy of the latest version on your person every day? Do you go to sleep and wake up with them in your face every day? Do you keep them private except from others who:

  • You trust
  • You know have their own goals
  • You know will provide you with positive, reinforcing, encouragement on your pursuits

Stop wishing and start taking positive steps to make things happen. Begin in reality with written goals.

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Hal@Businessworks.US 

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

 Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Nov 15 2011

BIZ ALPHABET SERIES…”V”

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Advertising,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Change,Communication,Customer Service (CRM),Decision Making,Delegation,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family Business,Innovation,Leadership,Life Plans,Lifestyle,Management,Marketing,Motivation,Objectives,Observations,Personal Growth,Professional Practices,Public Relations,Reality,Reputation,Retailing,Sales,Sales Process,Self-Confidence,Small Business,Strategic Planning,Tactics

Welcome to the world’s first SMALL BIZ Alphabet Series of blog posts!

“V”…VOLUME

 

As in “Turn it up!” or “Turn it down!”?  A book? Number of patient visits? Amount of sales? Number of decibels your message uses? The major dial on the 4-wheeled boombox next to you at the traffic light? Depends. Are you an entrepreneur?       

~~~~~~~

As an entrepreneur, you may periodically plunk all or nearly all into your brain’s search window for updates. Sure, the muscle beach teeny-bopper with his car audio base vibrating 3 blocks away can be annoying, especially when you’re on your cell with a major client, a lawyer or your mother (sometimes indistinguishable!).

And keeping the volume turned up isn’t limited to rap stars, hard rockers, QVC, and your grandfather. Did you ever see or hear a soft-spoken, low volume car dealership commercial?

(Okay, maybe –maybe– for something like the 1931 Bugatti Royale Kellner Coupe, which was sold for $8,700,000 in 1987, where we can figure that anybody with a gazillion dollars to spend on a car probably won’t respond well to shouts, y’think?)  

But it’s important to remind your marketing and/or salesperson or team (and yourself, anytime you give a presentation) that in the same type of “actions speak louder than words” context, w~h~i~s~p~e~r~s can speak louder than SHOUTS!  They serve to seize the moment! Sales stage presentations are famous for this technique.

It’s all about getting prospects, customers, audiences to sit up on the edges of their seats and listen hard.

Applied to packaging, I once discovered that every brand product in a particular section of the supermarket has a red and gold package–every one. I succeeded in talking my smaller, lesser known client into whispering with black and white packaging, which in a sea of red and gold, visually popped off the shelf into big-time POP sales.

Volume, then, is also visual, and it includes appearance when you’re in sales (and who isn’t?). Dressing conservatively helps salespeople keep prospect’s attention on the goods or services. Flamboyant clothing, jewelry, hair and makeup styles distract from the message. Save the Hawaiian shirt for weekends on your yacht.

Now, since doctors are a different breed of entrepreneurial animal altogether, it’s no wonder that their primary business focus is on growing patient volume. After all, doctors have no inventory, no one else (besides perhaps other doctor partners) they can pass patients off to for diagnostics and treatment (except referrals).

So the goal is to keep pushing for increased “volume” (in case you’ve wondered about that sitting in a healthcare waiting room with 20 other people waiting to see one doctor for 12 minutes!). Doctors have gotten better at delegating but there is a magic breaking point where reimbursements don’t cover added staff services.

Oh, and sales volume? A good thing, generally, but not always a good thing. Depends on the nature of your business. Ask your accountant about this. Too much volume can overwhelm ability to deliver the goods, and distract from the focal point of your business or marketing strategy.

Yes, and Volumes have been written about how to reach out and grab a customer, a prospect, but the bottom line is that if your marketing messages fail, your business fails. Take a hard look at the words you’re using. Decide whether your ads grab, win, lurk or suck? Do they just win a lot of meaningless awards, instead of sales?

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Hal@Businessworks.US  302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

 Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Nov 10 2011

BIZ ALPHABET SERIES…” S”

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Decision Making,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family Business,Lifestyle,Motivation,Observations,People Management,Personal Growth,Problems=Opportunities,Productivity,Professional Practices,Reality,Relationships,Reputation,Sales,Sales Process,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Strategic Planning,Stress Management,Tactics

Welcome to the world’s first SMALL BIZ Alphabet Series of blog posts!

“S”…SALES STRESS 

 

Looking for the competitive edge? Want to make a difference? Small business owners and managers  can never have enough input on the “S” subjects, sales and stress. There are plenty of other key “S” subjects, like stick-to-it-ive-ness and startups, and social media and SEO … but there are also a ton of resources available on each of these subjects.

Well, I guess there are also plenty of info bites out there on the subjects of sales and stress, but it seems to me that these two S’s stand head and shoulders above the other topics for daily, immediate concern, and the need to have new info and input on an ongoing basis.

Besides, one creates the other.

                                         

Sales (the career, the quotas, the goals, and the act of selling) produce enough stress for one business owner or manager as would be needed to probably topple any six corporate muckity-mucks or any 200 government employees!

And “stress”? Actually stress –when it’s properly channeled– can be a great incentive and catalyst for sales. Stress, remember, is not always negative. We need a certain amount of stress just to sit up straight in a chair, or to be productive with our  computer keyboards (or with one another.

Dealing with negative, or over stress or distress, is typically handled by professional therapists with one (or a combination) of these tools at their command — guided imagery, deep breathing, exercise, meditation, Yoga, laughter, psychoanalysis, or role-playing, among others.

If you REALLY want to sell, get your target market to exceed the five senses (speaking of “S”). Here, for example, are mine:

Taste………. sushi

Touch…….. sex

Sight………. puppies, flowers

Sound…….. the ocean

Smell……… red wine splashed over barbequing beef

When a marketer can top –or even come close to– any of these triggers, I’m sold.

                                                

What are the triggers into YOUR five senses? How about those of your target market? How can you use words and illustrations to represent the five senses. What about “scratch ‘n’sniff” print ads, piles of ice or foam on a billboard photo, commercial background music or natural sound effects? A fast-paced “click-to” video?

Even with all of today’s instantaneous communication capabilities and daily information overload existence, nothing has ever even come close to duplicating the sales appeal of the five senses. To capture just one of these, triggers others. If I get you to imagine tasting a food product, you might very well also smell it.

Every purchase is the result of igniting an emotional buying motive. So, while burning down a small cardboard house may sell homeowner insurance, it’s also over the top. The challenge is to stay within the boundaries of good sense and reasonability when you reach out to ignite fuses to the five senses.

What is your business doing right now that takes advantage of your product or service ability to appease or enhance one or more of the five senses? How can you build on that? In other words, is “Mmmm-mmm, good!” enough… or should you also show steam rising from the soupbowl? Smiling faces of cherub children? 

                                                                           

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Hal@Businessworks.US  302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

No responses yet

Nov 09 2011

BIZ ALPHABET SERIES…”R”

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Age & Aging,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Change,Communication,Contacts/Networking,Customer Service (CRM),Decision Making,Economy,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family Business,Goals,Innovation,Leadership,Life Plans,Lifestyle,Management,Motivation,Objectives,Observations,Overcoming Objections,People Management,Personal Growth,Politics/Gov't,Problems=Opportunities,Professional Practices,Reality,Sales Process,Self-Confidence,Small Business,Strategic Planning,Tactics,Trust

Welcome to the world’s first SMALL BIZ Alphabet Series of blog posts!

“R”…REVITALIZATION

 

There is a BUSINESS “Fountain of Youth.” Yes, there is. And in my humble judgement, at least half if not three quarters of America’s 30 million small businesses could stand a splash or two, or a cupful to drink (Uh, from the Fountain of Youth!)… right now, today, before or over this weekend at the latest. But quickly. 

                                                         

Why?

  • Because our economic quagmire has been made worse, relentlessly fueled by our wildly out-of-step-with-reality White House. And now is the time to act.

  • Because the White House is in cahoots with brainless, greedy union leadership, and a sea of corporate incompetence. And now is the time to act.

  • The combined political pursuits have succeeded in choking off America’s entrepreneurial spirit and –with it, the nation’s only real hope for new job creation– small business innovation and success. And now is the time to act.

                                                        

So where else is there left to turn? The Business Fountain of Youth! It can nourish, renew, reinvent, refresh, and revitalize. Even as you dip just one toe into it, the youth of your past will rise again.

Okay, says you, where is this place, this fountain? How do I make it work for me? The answers after this. (Sound like a TV news lead-in to a commercial break?) Well, before I reveal the Business Fountain of Youth secrets, I need to ask you to step away from your business long enough to take stock in where you and your business stand.

Where are you, mindset-wise, at this moment? Inventory your goods and services, your staff if you have one, your supporters, your suppliers (everyone from sales reps to maintenance and delivery services). Go ahead and mull this over for a few minutes. I’ll wait.

Good. Now, to move forward with what you have –your existing resources– what’s the next step you need to take for yourself? With your business? Can you be more specific? Go ahead and be specific. I’ll wait again. Go on. There now, I see you crossed some T’s and dotted some i’s… nice work!

Next, ask yourself how flexible you can be with your specific mission? Can you feel okay about redefining the details? About changing the timing, context, parameters? What IS the timing? Put a deadline on this. Put one on yourself.

(But, aha, for purposes of protecting your sanity, make sure you can live with needing to change your self-assigned due date if you feel that need arise at some point.)

Great! Now do a reality check. Is what you’re thinking about right this minute as the road you need to travel, a realistic objective? How realistic?

Oh, right, I was going to give you the scoop on The Business Fountain of Youth — where it is, how to access it, and what to expect. Well, here’s what you need to know:

A) The Business Fountain of Youth is inside you. It is what you make of what you already have.

B) You have just completed a revitalization process by awakening yourself and by answering the questions posed in the format prescribed. You have, in essence, redefined your goals by following the proven trail for addressing and structuring (or re-structuring) necessary goal criteria:

Realistic – Specific – Flexible – Due-dated

 

Without goals that use those four criteria, you are merely wishing and hoping, and that will get you nowhere. Forward motion means getting started, and getting started means looking carefully within your SELF. In other words, REVITALIZATION Starts At Home!                                                                                  

 

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Hal@Businessworks.US  302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

No responses yet

Nov 08 2011

BIZ ALPHABET SERIES…”Q”

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Anger/Conflict,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Change,Choosing Behavior,Communication,Contacts/Networking,Customer Service (CRM),Empathy,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family Business,Leadership,Life Plans,Lifestyle,Management,Motivation,Observations,Overcoming Objections,People Management,Personal Growth,Politics/Gov't,Productivity,Professional Practices,Reality,Relationships,Reputation,Sales Process,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Strategic Planning,Stress Management,Tactics

Welcome to the world’s first SMALL BIZ Alphabet Series of blog posts!

 “Q”…QUICK

 

Quicksand? No. Quick draw? No. Quick start? Almost. This is about how I’ve seen successful business owners and managers apply four of my father’s favorite words for motivating me and my brother:

“QUICK LIKE A BUNNY”

                                                                       

No matter what you may be thinking about bunnies, you have to admit they are quick as they go about their business. No nonsense about “all things come to he who waits” — or about the one time a tortoise beat one of ’em in some race. “Slow and steady” was it? Hmmm, surely that was before txt msgs!

Every one of us deals with someone who’s slow on the road, in line, at the counter, on the phone, responding to an email, walking on the sidewalk or in or out of an elevator or building. Most of us act more courteously than we feel because we –most of us, I believe– tend to give the other (slow) person the benefit of doubt, right?

Well, we might mutter . . . maybe he’s lost; maybe she has a vision problem; maybe they just got married; maybe it’s his first job; maybe she’s got a big problem to deal with at home; maybe he’s writing a book. Hey, most of us can be patient when we run into delays. Not all of us and not all delays, but speaking generally.

Leading the parade of exceptions of course  is the kid in the 4-wheeled boombox, baseball hat on backwards, who’s doing 50mph in a 50mph zone but is somewhere between ten and eleven inches from your trunk, who we consider tapping the brakes at or launching some windshield washer fluid, y’think?

But, no, not a good idea. Next thing is we’d get abused for practicing road rage (or shot at in some cities, which I’ll leave to your imagination to list). “What’s your hurry?” I’ve heard. “All of life is just one big interruption anyway!” I’ve heard. But then, uh oh, there’s that little ghost voice of my father’s in the back of my head nudging me forward:

 “QUICK LIKE A BUNNY!”

                                                              

And guess what?He was right (well, mostly). Whenever something needed doing, whatever the task, personal or business, it was get-out-of-the-way time. Maybe he invented the “Life in the fastlane” term? So where is all this leading? To developing and practicing an action attitude . . . unless you’re 92 and playing checkers on a barrel.

Today’s business world is all about pleasing –delighting– the customer because customers are the only entities that make your business truly recession-proof (especially now as we enter The Great Obama Depression). Being highly responsive to customers (both internal and external) means acting now and analyzing later.

Instead of “I’ll look into that for you and call you back tomorrow,” look into it now and ask if the other person can wait while you get an immediate answer. Too many excuses and delays send customers and prospects up the walls — followed by rapidly considering other options, including your competitors. 

Customer loyalty motto for 2011 and (at least) 2012 is “What have you done for me lately?” If your answer to this starts with , “Why, just last week . . .” you’re talking about ancient history. It is never too quick to take a step on behalf of those who support your business, from employees and suppliers, to customers and prospects.

If you go too quick and make a mistake, there’s time to recover and correct it. If you go too slow, by the time you straighten out a screw-up, the customer will be headed off into the sunset. Go for it. Today. Now. Right now. It’s your choice to help others choose you and your business. LEADERSHIP = RESPONSIVENESS

                                                     
 

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Hal@Businessworks.US  302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

No responses yet

Nov 07 2011

BIZ ALPHABET SERIES…”P”

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Advertising,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Change,Communication,Community Support,Contacts/Networking,Creative Thinking,Customer Service (CRM),Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family Business,Feedback,INTERNET Marketing,Lifestyle,Listening,Management,Marketing,Media,Observations,People Management,Personal Growth,Problems=Opportunities,Professional Practices,Public Relations,Reality,Relationships,Reputation,Sales,Sales Process,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Social Media,Special People/Special Occasions,Strategic Planning,Tactics,Trust

Welcome to the world’s first SMALL BIZ Alphabet Series of blog posts!

 “P”…PUBLIC

 

First off, as an entrepreneur, small business or professional practice owner, operator, or manager, you have a public persona, or image —a brand, if you will– that communicates your reputation to others in your Private-Public and in your Public-Public. You do, indeed, have both! Ignore either at your peril.

Your Public-Public (or EXternal customers) is what most often comes to mind when we talk about sales and markets. But every business also has INternal customers (family, friends, partners, investors, referrers, lenders, employees, agents, consultants, and suppliers). These are your reliable supporters, your Private-Public.

Many successful businesses build their Public-Public customer / client / patient base as an offshoot of their Private-Public resources because –sorry, marketing, advertising, PR, SEO, and social media experts— NOTHING sells like personal recommendations.

Often overlooked in this mix of supportive and prospective recommenders are FORMER family, friends, partners, investors, referrers, employees, lenders, agents, consultants, and suppliers who you are still on good terms with. Some older mid-sized companies actually foster employee alumni associations and reunions.

Not only can your Private-Public become a loyal customer base and serve to refer Public-Public purchases, they can also often suggest new business approaches, technology, and revenue streams… IF they are properly motivated and encouraged AND (and here’s the biggy) IF they are carefully solicited and attentively listened to.

Lest there be any doubts , I am not suggesting abandonment of marketing functions (sales, PR, promotion, packaging, pricing, SEO and SM applications, etc.). I am simply pointing out that day-to-day, many of us have a tendancy to overlook the obvious, spend more than we need to,  and  not tap into our best resources.

Traditional Public Relations is rapidly becoming an ineffective tool for building brands and brand awareness. With increased use of Internet sites, webinars, digital marketing and social media, the odds for stimulating Public-Public purchasing and Private-Public referrals, only the flexible, cyberspace-savvy PR firms are surviving.

A similar assessment surfaces for traditionally-invested advertising, sales, and marketing firms. This doesn’t mean “always and everywhere.” It does mean that small businesses can no longer rely on successful past media, creative, financial and market development  strategies to survive today’s onslaught of instant communications.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Remember too that YOU, personally, are always on stage. Someone is always watching and listening. You are always being sized up by someone, even when you least suspect it. The bottom line is that in addition to your business having public concerns, awareness’s, and opportunities, so do you!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Making the most of what you have means being, as Thoreau once urged, forever on the alert! 

                                 

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Hal@Businessworks.US

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

 Make today a GREAT day for someone!

No responses yet

Nov 06 2011

BIZ ALPHABET SERIES…”O”

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Advertising,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Calendar,Change,Choosing Behavior,Communication,Corporate Management,Creative Thinking,Decision Making,Delegation,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family Business,Feedback,Innovation,Leadership,Lifestyle,Management,Marketing,Motivation,Objectives/Strategies/Tactics,Observations,People Management,Personal Growth,Productivity,Professional Practices,Public Relations,Reality,Relationships,Reputation,Retailing,Sales,Sales Process,Self-Confidence,Small Business,Strategic Planning,Stress Management,Teamwork,Time Management,Writing

Welcome to the world’s first SMALL BIZ Alphabet Series of blog posts!

 “O”…ORGANIZATION 

 

It was going to be “O” for “Operations” but a few years back the world’s surgeons decided that “Procedures” would be a gentler, less-threatening sounding  word to use in describing what happens when they take a scalpel to your body.  And as businesses became more specialized, “Operations” began to dissolve from usage in the business community too.  So with all that phasing out activity, I came back to one of the most important multi-purpose “O” words for life and small business success: ORGANIZATION.

~~~~~~~

There are 30 million of us (small business owners and entrepreneurs) kicking around out there, somewhere between Hawaii, Florida, Maine, and Alaska (Whew! A lot of kicking!), and —artistic, creative types not withstanding– those among us with the strongest sense of organization will generally prevail in the success arena.

“Organization” is both the dynamics of the people you’re involved with — what’s the business “chemistry”?– AND how effective are your planning and doing (action) skills? “Team chemistry” wins in sports (Just re-live World Series Game 6 a few days ago), but it also –like people and task organizing skills– wins in business.

There are of course, entire books, courses, and training programs devoted to OD (Organizational Development), so don’t expect a 700-word crash course here, but you can expect to have your cage rattled. After all, who else is going to risk being in your face and telling you to get your act together better than you have been? Right. Read on.

Now, most of what I do is write, design, create, sell, email, meet, and talk on the phone, so I’m not exactly the world’s most organized guy, but –thanks to Kathy– most all of the organizational chores associated with running a business are taken care of by her capable hands and organized brain. She actually excels at it. (Thank heaven!)

So one important rule of thumb is that if organization skills escape you, or you don’t want to justify the time it takes to sort out, prioritize, plan, and execute tasks, find someone you can trust and rely on (almost always, by the way, a spouse, because no one else really shares your values) to do the scheduling, paperwork, computer tasks, etc.

And since you probably have two thumbs, another important rule is to give up one hour every Monday to meet with your organization person or team to review progress and problems, and get the ducks in a row. (Monday, because issues can be dealt with during the week; issues raised on Thursday or Friday never get done). 

I read somewhere that a famous sales guru I’ve always admired, made a dumb statement. He said It’s not time you need to manage; it’s your attitude. I understand the intent, but in reality, all entrepreneurs, by definition, have a positive attitude. Managing time is the challenge because we have only a limited amount of it available.

Not to belabor the point, but there are just so many seconds in a minute, so many minutes in an hour, so many hours in a day, so many days in a week, so many weeks in a month, so many months in a year . . . and just so many years in a lifetime, assuming you’re not from outer space just because you might act it! (Sorry, couldn’t resist.) 

There are at least 3 zillion magic formulas for managing your emails. If you limit phone call message returns from 11:30am until noon, and from 4:30pm until 5pm, you will be more productive. People do not want to talk too much when they’re thinking about lunch or heading home.

When you make to-do lists, date them and chunk them up into small parts of big tasks. Prioritize item urgency. Cross the done deeds off with a highlighter so you can look back to see what was accomplished. If you really must use other than pen and pad because you are laptop or handheld-addicted, it’s not great, but better than nothing.

In short, experiment, but do whatever works best for you. Whatever you do– don’t ignore or avoid focusing on the getting-ready-to-act parts of your business before you charge headlong into them. Not being organized is a common entrepreneurial ailment that can crush a venture before it ever gets off the ground. Ready? Set? Go!

                                                                                               

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Hal@Businessworks.US  302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

 Make today a GREAT day for someone!

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Nov 02 2011

BIZ ALPHABET SERIES…”M”

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Choosing Behavior,Communication,Contacts/Networking,Corporate Management,Decision Making,Delegation,Economy,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family Business,Feedback,Good Health,Leadership,Lifestyle,Listening,Management,Meetings,Motivation,Observations,People Management,Personal Growth,Politics/Gov't,Problems=Opportunities,Productivity,Professional Practices,Reality,Relationships,Reputation,Sales,Sales Process,Self-Confidence,Self-Esteem,Small Business,Strategic Planning,Stress Management,Tactics,Teamwork,Trust

Welcome to the world’s first SMALL BIZ Alphabet Series of blog posts!

 “M”…MANAGEMENT

 

 FREEDOM

 

M B W U

is the new management methodology

for 2016 and beyond, but it needs

to be cranked up now!

                                                                              
“Huh?” say all you corporate muckity-muck types who came here for a shot of entrepreneurial adrenaline . . . you who pride yourselves on being keyed into the latest approaches to management and business leadership . . . Yes, it’s MBWU, and by now you’ve probably guessed the first two because you’re a shrewd student of business.
                                  
You think maybe I mean MBWA – Management By Walking Around? No, I would have said that.
 
MBWA is arguably the most sensible and productive form of management leadership theory in existence — at least until now.  But times have changed, and we are now nearly waist-deep in this economic quagmire with no end in sight and very few ways to lift one foot from the muck to put in front of the other.
 
Managing by walking around is no longer as realistic with many businesses that have found global growth a viable solution to the choking American dollar. For many, digital visits (video conferencing, webinars, etc.) have stepped out of the shadows, but most small businesses still rely on personal physical visits from the boss.

                                    

Okay, so what’s MBWU?

                                        

Aha! Thought you’d never ask. MBWU stands for “Management By Waking Up”!  The approach has multiple meanings, which may include walking around, but with a different emphasis. The MBWA problem-solving, problem-prevention and rah-rah visits give rise now to taking action. MBWU is a “call to action” methodology.
 
Since some action always beats no action, and since the opposite approach: ISQ (Investment in the Status Quo) means sufficient capital must be available to be able to invest in the first place, small business owners are left high and dry. Either there’s no money to invest, or there is, but you don’t trust the options.
 
Certainly, there is no incentive or reason to trust government promises enough to proceed with creating the new jobs many of America’s 30 million small business owners are capable of creating, even though they represent the only viable and historically-proven solution to the unemployment puzzle and to turning the economy around.

 

 So, VOILA! It’s time to wake up! MBWU means:

A) Getting up every morning and taking a good, hard look in the mirror, rubbing your forehead vigorously for 3-5 seconds, and admonishing your self to “Wake Up!”

B) Getting going! Take your wake-up call to work, and share it generously with genuine positive praise and sincere encouragement. Turn on your charm and authenticity.

C) Starting every action and response to others’ actions with a deep breath and a self-commitment to stay focused on where things ARE, and how to make them better along the way to where things need to go.

D) Knowing in your heart of hearts that true wake-up calls require open-mindedness.

 
The more open-minded and receptive you can be (and the better listener you can be) and the greater your sense of urgency, the more that opportunities will surface that usher in new avenues and prospects for new business from existing and old customers, as well as new business from new customers.
 
You are likely to uncover entirely new revenue streams that would not ordinarily surface in businesses where owners and managers remain inactive, and distance themselves from reasonable risk-taking..
 
All MBWU progress is of course enhanced by being able to experience a decent night’s sleep from the git go. It’s hard to wake-up and make better use of resources, better decisions about priorities and people, when, for example, you’ve been out late partying the night before or are in a high-stress environment at home, or haven’t exercised or eaten properly.
 
So the 1/3 of your MBWU life rests squarely on the 1/3 of your life that you spend sleeping, which rests squarely on how you manage and treat and believe in your SELF. Are you ready? Got a plan? Are you set? Go!

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Hal@Businessworks.US

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

 Make today a GREAT day for someone!

No responses yet

Oct 31 2011

BIZ ALPHABET SERIES…”K”

Published by under "Here & Now" Focus,Attitude,Best Practices,BRANDING,Business Growth,Business Life,Change,Choosing Behavior,Corporate Management,Decision Making,Delegation,Entrepreneurship,Experience,Family Business,Goals,Leadership,Life Plans,Lifestyle,Management,Motivation,Observations,Overcoming Objections,People Management,Personal Growth,Problems=Opportunities,Productivity,Professional Practices,Reality,Relationships,Reputation,Self-Confidence,Small Business,Strategic Planning,Strategies,Tactics,Time Management

Welcome to the world’s first SMALL BIZ Alphabet Series of blog posts!

 “K”…KALEIDOSCOPIC

[You were expecting maybe

kangaroos, kaput, keeper. keyboard, kicks, kisses, or kudos?]

 

 

KALEIDOSCOPIC (according to Writer’s Digest Books’ FLIP DICTIONARY) means “changeable, colorful, diverse, fluctuating, motley, protean, variable, and vivid”… a pretty decent 8-word description that can be applied to the characterizing of entrepreneurial instincts and behaviors, sooo…

So, let’s explore a little of how this word impacts small business ownership and management. Since Kaleidoscopic implies an ever-changing view, it also suggests having kaleidoscopic vision. No, not “VISION” as in fancy corporate Vision Statements, not that kind… it’s more in the context of having eyes in the back of your head.

Now every entrepreneur can relate to that, right?

When you own or manage a small business — everything from a one-man-band functioning out of your kitchen, basement or garage, to a staff of 300 operating out of an industrial park complex, or a crowded office of five or ten– you must keep your antennas up and be on the lookout 24/7 for problems, potential problems, and opportunities (remembering of course that every problem is an opportunity!).

Running your own business is a lot like taking a scout group of twenty ten-year-olds on a camping trip. [Rule One is to make sure you have plenty of adult help!] You no sooner get a tent up and find yourself first-aiding a youngster with a cut knee. As you apply the bandage, another child, soaking wet from falling in the stream is in your face.

You start a fire to dry off the wet clothes and yet another camper has made off into the woods with two burning branches . . . you get the picture (or know it all too well). It is not instinctive for most of us to be firefighters at work. Corporate leaders in fact are trained not to be (real leaders plan, plan, delegate, delegate, etc.). 

But no matter what size your business, you cannot delegate responsibility. This means what comes around from putting your shoulder to the wheel stays on your shoulders, and heavy shoulders make kaleidoscopic vision difficult if not impossible. How do you turn your head when there’s an anchor around your neck?

Yet business success is often largely attributable to being able to see opportunities as they surface. That leaves not too many options. Either function in moderation — keep your plate less than full and avoid over-stress (HA! Just a joke.) — or learn the best ways to manage your attitude and your time to keep a kaleidoscopic balance.

When you can get to the point of anticipating without having packed too many parachutes and umbrellas and BandAids, when you can take things day-at-a-time yet have some long and short-term plans (and alternate routes) worked out, when you can stay focused in the here-and-now present moment: VOILA! You win!

By avoiding worry about future events that haven’t yet come (and may never), and by avoiding dwelling on past events that are over and will never return, and that can’t be changed, you are more than halfway to success. The rest depends on what you see that works for you in the rest of this BIZ ALPHABET series. Scroll away! 

                                          

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Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

 Make today a GREAT day for someone!

No responses yet

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