Entrepreneur money

goes round and round.

    Yup! You “coont effin spelt enterprenewer, and now y’all is one.” Well, just maybe there’s some chance that you could have also had a few other misconceptions about the title. But you’re probably still smarter than the rest of the business world. 

     Or perhaps you’re one of those amazed and astonished corporate types who’s literally rolling in misconceptions about entrepreneurs, and likes to cluck your tongue at even the thought of such low-life business people who haven’t one iota of strategic planning in their blood.

     Well, hey, YOU might be wondering about how the entrepreneurial thing is going right about now in this government-fantasized period of financial boom that even the neighborhood corporate mogul knows is nowhere near reality.  

     Well, here’s something to keep in mind that very few people except entrepreneurs know about entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurs only take reasonable risks! Whaaaa? How could that be? You trying to say those reckless spender-types have a sense of reason? Vision? Purpose?

     Actually, I am convinced that government institutions and agencies along with corporate giants are the only entities in existence (well, maybe academia too) that throw around money they don’t have, and insist on taking risks that would be unreasonable to a three year-old.

     But what do I know? I’ve only notched a few hundred business startups and taught entrepreneurship in college, and managed to squeeze in some significant years of service to both corporate giant and government (and academic) incompetents

     I observed enough to appreciate that no entrepreneur worth her or his salt would be caught dead in those suffocating environments for any longer than it takes to escape to lives of business independence and self-sufficiency. 

     Those experiences also underscored for me the absolute sanity of individuals that most of the rest of the world considers to be insane business venture leaders. Entrepreneurs are postured as being filled with cockamamie ideas and always juggling money deals while straddling shifting sands. Not a pretty picture.

     Truth: Entrepreneurs are the world’s most genuine and productive catalysts of change.

     Historically, Entrepreneurs have always been the movers and shakers of society. They still are today, and will continue to be far into the future. They alone know how to turn on a dime, how to respond to market fluctuations, to competitors, to innovation, to the whole mindset of making ideas work.

     Entrepreneurs, again contrary to popular opinion, are not driven by profit motives. They are driven by a burning desire to marshal whatever forces necessary to make their ideas work.

     That pursuit alone is so staggering in so many quarters that money simply appears and flies at them — heads down, charging forward — while they are in the make-it-work process. Yet we are actually seeing more entrepreneurs distance themselves from investors who today seek immediate ROI and hold out no regard for authenticity of pursuits.

     When we finally ever DO see this economy turn, remember the impetus didn’t come from government or corporate giants. They haven’t a clue. If you want to appreciate financial upswings, thank an entrepreneur!                                                                                                                        

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Innovation Starts With

A Creative Idea.

     Innovation may end with the implementation of a strategic plan that carries a creative idea all the way through to completion — whether it’s a new product launch, and expanded service offering, a new approach to management or something else — but it begins with a creative idea!

     Hey, that’s great, you might say, but how do I stimulate my people to dream up creative ideas that we can innovate with? I have 6 engineers, 3 chemists, and 4 accountants reporting to me and the most creative thing any of them do is wear a plaid shirt on vacation.

     Aha! Then — assuming it’s worth 45 minutes a week to maybe light some fires under them and facilitate some positive changes — tell your team that it’s time to divest your business of its status quo investments.

     Tell them you want to begin making some big waves in the market and/or the industry and or the organization. Challenge them to rise to the occasion and take responsibility for introducing 3 new workable ideas each, every week.

     Give each person 1 minute to present each idea in each weekly status meeting. So 3 ideas each, 3 minutes = 3 x 13 team members = 39 minutes.

     Devote 1 minute of each meeting to creative stimulation activities: Make something out of a single page of newspaper! (Anything!) or draw a t-shirt and put the word or words or picture on it that best describes how you feel right now (Anything!) or pass a rock around and have each person pretend to put into it the one thing besides money that she/he thinks is missing from the company that could make it better, and say what that thing is (Anything!).

     Use 1 minute to vote on the 3 most feasible ideas and rank them. Address the #1 idea with 4 minutes of quick discussion about how the team could make the idea work. VOILA! 45 minutes a week of creative stimulation will most certainly produce some innovative pursuits. 

     Don’t be afraid of trying, or too quick to abandon the approach. It WILL work and it WILL bring some meaningful new directions from once stagnant corners of your business environment. Adapt the timing and challenges as you see fit. Email me if you have questions.

     As the owner or manager you have the implied power to make it work. It’s your choice to bring active, encouraging, fun-filled, and noncritical leadership to the table, to challenge others to take the risk of offering suggestions. And remember that bad and stupid suggestions will almost always trigger good productive ones that would otherwise NEVER have surfaced.

     So encourage ALL input and reward failures when there’s real effort involved. You’ll be amazed at the differences you can usher in within just a few short weeks of consistent and enthusiastic support. Similar approaches have brought astronomical success to all types and sizes of businesses. The keys: Encourage every effort and be persistent.  

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Everyone else is slowing down,

so now’s the time to speed up!

The holiday buzz is here.  In fact, EPRs (Economically-Panicked Retailers) have been buzzing with Christmas since before Halloween. Rumor has it that 2010 Christmas sales and decorations may start the day after Labor Day. For 2011, write your greeting cards on the 5th of July. Who knows? We may eventually lap the entire process and start Christmas sales and decorations for 2020 (with hindsight of course!) on December 26th of 2019! Maybe we can just give one present good for two years?

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     The point is that once the buzz that’s started gets started,  America’s business enterprises all begin shifting into low gear. Some businesses close earlier. Many employees (especially corporate giant, federal government and academic types who have no clue about business anyway) start to s~~l~~o~~w  down and skip out early more often, and take longer lunches, and drink more … and be of good cheer.

     SO: AHA! NOW’S THE TIME TO STEP ON THE GAS,  to work 10 times harder cultivating and keeping customers … to strike out into the marketplace with your heavy artillery.

     Now, while all the big-time competitors (especially B to B services) are rolling in their carpets  and the media is hard up for news, is the time to unleash a big-time public relations campaign and sales push.

     If you’re a serious entrepreneur and have been looking for a break:  you’ve got it! Take it and run! So what if your corporate muckity-muck brother-in-law is headed off on a pre-Christmas cruise and can’t think about much beyond which golf shirts to pack?

     So what if the business on your left has closed for the holidays  and the one on your right is preoccupied with window decorations, office parties and cracking open bottles of booze at 2:30 in the afternoon?

     YOU are an independent, never-say-die, innovative, dedicated-to-the-action  entrepreneur and you have a chance to get your business to that inside lane along the rail and pull up even to some of the industry big-boys.

     Do it. Make it happen.  It is a choice. It is YOUR choice. You can do three unplanned-for sales and promotion-focused things every day between now and Christmas that will set you into a pack leader position when the 2010 gate opens on January 1. What are they? You know what they are. Can you do the first of these tomorrow morning?  

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“Oh, My! You’ve Gotten So Big!”

     Remember hearing this every Thanksgiving  while you were growing up? The proclamation was typically accompanied by a hand on top of your head or shoulder?

     Ah, yes, and it usually came from some ignorant,  but maybe well-intentioned adult member of your dysfunctional family? Some aunt or uncle you only ever saw once a year gorging herself or himself on the annual turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce banquet?

     Well, that was good training. Now you own and run or manage a business.  The likelihood is great indeed that you still see signs of ignorance in your family, and that it has — VOILA! — remained a dysfunctional entity!

     But odds are those growing-up days  dished out more suffering than you recall. Insecurity. Anxiety. Disproportionate thrusts of physical and emotional change. Hatred of all people older than 23.

     When did you last travel with a fourteen year-old?  You look at one a little crooked, and odds are you’ll be rewarded with a convulsive shudder followed by a flood of tears. He or she’s worried about which sweater to wear or iPod tune to buy and you’re trying to resolve travel delays. It’s a communications lock-down and some one’s going to end up angry.

     How did you handle it then?  Somehow you got through it all because here you are reading this post. What about now? Has your business reached puberty? Is it still in adolescence? Is it caught in the middle somewhere?

     Do you find yourself gulping, clenching your teeth and scratching  your head more that the startup years when there wasn’t even time to eat, never-mind scratch? Do you hate when people talk about how much your business has grown when in your heart you know you’re stuck in mud and hoping it’s not quicksand?

     Well, then, give your business a shot of “Adult.”  Stop thinking small and defeated. Stop acting small and defeated. Stop resenting outsiders sizing up your venture. Stop choosing to accept your circumstances. START choosing to change your circumstances. 

YOU DO NOT NEED TO CHOOSE TO SETTLE FOR ANYTHING.

     Some after-hours places to start:

• Run your disk defragment and anti-virus programs (uh, not at the same time)!
• Clean out your old email files, old databases, old business card collections!
• Clean out your supply cabinet (and discover what’s been over and under ordered)!
• Develop 3 new challenges for each employee and plan a group briefing!
• Explain your business to a five year-old and to an 80 year-old, then listen!   
• Check out work spaces – are they getting cluttered? Sloppy? Dirty? Lighting?

     Add your own. A quick monthly take on these “inventory” items will help your business grow up faster and with less damage than most humans experience! What have you got to lose? What have you got to lose if you stay stuck in mud another few years?

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Got Good Advice?

     If you’re putting all your business eggs  in one consultant or one consulting group basket, don’t give your business long to live! It may be time to remind yourself that your business is your baby, that you’ve worked hard to get it up and on its feet, and toddling forward. Sure it will fall on its face a few times, but YOU are the only one who can get it back on track.

     When you hire a consultant or consulting firm  and expect her/him/it to get all your ducks in a row, you’re headed for Disneyland! And given the kinds of fees being charged these days, you may also be on your way to the poorhouse.

     It’s an age-old proven fact  that the best solution to ANY organizational problem lies WITHIN the organization. The challenge therefore is HOW to draw it out, not to decide on what consultant to hire to analyze it to death and make recommendations you don’t need!

     Except for highly technical consultants, no consultant (inside OR outside) can waltz in  and pinpoint a management or organizational solution direction for you to follow. My best guess is that that person or “team” will be wrong more than 99% of the time. Why?

IF YOU’RE NOT PART OF THE PROBLEM,

YOU CAN’T BE PART OF THE SOLUTION

BECAUSE YOU’LL NEVER FULLY GRASP THE PROCESS!

     You own or run or manage the company  and that means YOU are the only one who can understand and guide the unique solution process as it exists in your unique organization. The ball’s in your court. You can get consulting HELP, but in the end it will always have to be your solution and your decision.

     Soooooooooo — why do you want to pay  for one support entity when you can have 5 or 7 (odd number recommended) support entities helping you FOR FREE? Huh? The best consulting help you can engage will be to help you engage an advisory board that can help steer your ship while you sleep or visit the head!

     You will probably also do this task better by yourself,  but — in starting an advisory board — objective, outside input can be valuable. Start with people you trust who you know agree with the general growth directions you plan, and who are willing to commit time and energy. They need not agree with you on the details of how to get there, but that’s okay.

     Reward them  by serving food and snacks at meetings; give them free samples of products and/or allow them “family” discounts on services. Treat them special. Require confidentiality but be 100% honest with them, and cultivate a high trust level with each. Keep them informed of both good and bad news.

     Call them together quarterly, monthly when needed. Don’t ever waste their time. Always have pre-circulated agendas of problem-solution issues and bring key employees in to present the details. Stick to the agendas. Give out assignments. Have goals of leaving meetings with solutions. Work it.

     Yes, it’s work,  but you’ll get better input, free, from people who feel they have a stake in the contributions they make, and whose input wins your respect. They will also end up being your best salespeople!

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You got 7 seconds, Baby! Do it!

     So you think you can make sales  by building relationships? You think you can sweet talk a prospect into a sale? You think that starting your spiel with a joke will get that signature on the dotted line? You are helping customers to slow own, relax, take it step at a time so they’ll love you when they decide to buy?

YOU ARE WRONG, WRONG, WRONG, and WRONG! 

     Statistical studies have long shown  that average adult attention span in America is 12 minutes, 7-8 minutes for decision makers, and 7 SECONDS to size you up (It used to be 10 seconds, but we’re in the WiFi age!).

     This means, dear business owners, managers and salespeople  (that’s EVERYone, btw), that you better have your you-know-what together and be prepared to make a spectacular 7-second first impression. Bottom line: No time to blink! 

     First off, junk this dumb idea  that some touchy-feely guru sold you about “relationship selling.” Assuming you still want to have a job in a couple of months (weeks, even), then be alert to the fact that the building of customer relationships can ONLY happen AFTER the sale is made.

     The sale is the starting line. When the check clears the bank is when to start all the hugging and kissing and hand-holding commotion, and not ten seconds earlier! Disregard this at your peril. 7 SECONDS! You got 7 seconds, Baby! Do it! Go for the sale, B~U~T that doesn’t mean to rush in like a ton of bricks. It means make the most of those 7 seconds. 

     One sales pro I respect says  he uses those first 7 seconds to “radiate authenticity and ask a genuine leading question.” What’s an example? “Are you looking to upgrade what you have or try something new?” will certainly get you further than, “How’s the weather out there today?” or “Hi, would you like some help?” 

     “Radiating authenticity,”  incidentally implies many things. Your appearance for one. No one expects you to be wearing a tie and jacket (or a dress and high heels) if you’re visiting farms, nor are you likely to get too far in delivering a Fortune 500 board of directors presentation in jeans and sneakers. Clothes CAN make the sale when they’re authentic and appropriate.  A GENUINE smile and fresh (not overkill Scope) breath help!

     Grooming  is the other half of appearance. And if you don’t already get that you’ll do better scrubbed and neatly trimmed, you probably need more help than this blog can provide. 

     When 7 seconds can make it or break it, when 7 seconds is all it takes for a decision maker to size you up and decide if she or he wants to do business with you or not, you need a game plan. It’s fourth quarter and you’re 3 points behind on the 50-yard line with 7 seconds. You sure better know what you’re going to do when the ball is hiked. You are, after all, calling the plays!                                                                      

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Get Yourself Cranked

In One Minute FREE!

Let me tell you, you haven’t lived until you’ve gotten something this good for free. And it works, and there are no sales gimmicks or strings attached. It simply is good solid proven stuff that I taught for many years in high-priced management training programs. And here it is for my blog visitors just for visiting!

If you own or run or manage or operate a business or part of a business, you are probably already a partial nutcase so I won’t try to make you sane. But I WILL give you a technique you can use every day, over and over, that I guarantee will make a difference for you if you are your usual tenacious self about following through.

Best times for this:

• 1. As soon as you wake up in the morning
• 2. Before you go to bed at night
• 3. While exercising (especially in rhythm to your walking or jogging or lifting or stretching)
• 4. Every time you can possibly think of it during the night or workday, and can sneak in 60 seconds

Take the following as a guide and adapt it to your SELF. Say it convincingly to yourself as much as you possibly can for 21 days.

If you do this with serious concentration and conviction and enthusiasm (even when you don’t feel enthusiastic and even when you are NOT all of the things you are saying to yourself!), you will be truly amazed at the results you produce within a short period of time. 

Ready? Here you go… 132 words… CHANT!

“Healing energy in; healing energy in; healing swirling white light into my body.  

I AM my body: left/right/center. 

I am relaxed, happy, alert, safe and sound, healthy (I’m getting younger every day, stronger every day, more flexible every day, healthier every day), wealthy (all my bills are paid; all my debts are paid; money comes easily and frequently). 

I am painfree day and night; my mind and emotions are clear; I am staying at my ideal weight of xxx pounds and am physically fit. 

I sleep easily and wake up when I need to, feeling rested and alert.  

I treat all people, animals and plants with caring and respect. I recognize that everyone I meet is fighting SOME kind of battle.

Something wonderful is going to happen to me today!”

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Getting Even

Is Getting Nowhere!

     “Don’t Get Mad. Get Even!”  says the T-shirt. “Those guys in that company misrepresented themselves to us, and we’re going to make sure they pay for it; we’ll make them look like chopped liver to the rest of the industry,” says the disgruntled company owner.

      “I put that business in business, and what do they do?  They turn around and try to stick it to me; I’ll fix their butts good; just wait ’til they try to raise some investor money,” says the ego-injured entrepreneur.

     It won’t work. None of it.  The more you pay attention to trying to get even with someone or some entity that did you in, the closer you come to doing yourself in. If you’re crazed about delivering justice, join a band of vigilantes … or start over again and become a lawyer.

     But stop with the need to extract revenge.

     Vengefulness is a waste of time and energy  that diverts attention and costs opportunity loss. It prevents you from doing what you really need to be doing, which is making sales and growing your own business. The more you worry about what others are doing or not doing, the closer you get to self-destruct mode! 

     Not only are these kinds of evil thoughts and misdeeds  harmful to the growth missions you need to rally behind, but the ill intents get talked about and emailed about and txtmsgd about … and it seldom takes more than a day for others connected with your industry (including customers and suppliers and investors and referrers) to find out what you’re up to.

    Plus, the more you try to cover, hide, and disown it, the quicker everyone finds out. In the end, you’ll hang for it because your reputation, trust, and integrity will be flushed away in one quick jerk of the handle!

     It’s just plain not worth it to take your focus off of making sales  and put it instead on paybacks for upsets you have with another business. The best way to beat up another business is to stay away from it, and not bad-mouth it, just — plain and simple — outperform it.

     The best way to outperform another business  is to earn greater customer trust by delivering what you promise and by bending over backwards consistently, 100% of the time!

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  Hal@Businessworks.US   302.933.0116

  Open Minds Open Doors 

   Thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

  Make today a GREAT day for someone! 

STOP HIRING CONSULTANTS

(for the wrong reasons!)

Dear Business Owners and Managers: Stop with the knee-jerk decisions to hire consultants. They will not help you through the economy unless they are specialists at bringing sales in your door!

Until at least a couple of years down the road,  there is no need for “communication consultants” or “management trainers” or “personal growth and development consultants” or people to write your mission statement, your vision statement, your annual reports or your “white papers.”

How do I know? Because I’ve done all of the above (and made a successful career of it), but I also have run my own business for 35 years, and helped to start hundreds of others. I’ve run management and communication and personal growth and development training programs for 20,000 people. And I’ll be the first to tell you not to waste your time and money on these services, in this economy.

There is only one thing you need consultant support for these days, and that is for services that bring you sales. Period.

That having also been said,  I will be so bold as to suggest that communications and marketing generalists are also not the kinds of “sales consultants” to trust. Find a specialist. Do not EVER hire a marketing or communications consulting firm to do your website. Get a website specialist. Do not EVER hire a website specialist to write your website content. Get a writer who understands sales.

A good, proven commercial / marketing / advertising / website writer can do more for your business than all the ad agencies, marketing and communication consultants and non-sales trainers you can find put together! You need writing help? Hire a writer!

There is a growing temptation to panic at the financial strangulation your cutbacks have created, and grasp at any outside service that –like the frustrated wife whose husband  was a marketing executive and could only ever sit on the edge of the bed and talk about how great it would be– you simply cannot afford right now.

Promises do not perform. Providers with track-records for creating and delivering sales perform, and are worth paying! Look for a successful writer who is a quick study and who shows you she or he can learn your business promptly, who has a customer benefit focus instead of a chest-beating, “how great your business is” and product / service features focus.

You want someone who can help you develop sales strategies and and create the tactics that support that thinking. You want someone who is not afraid to work weekends or evenings to get the job done.

You want someone who will take the extra step, go the extra mile, and give you more than what you expect … someone who is both a talented writer and an example of what you want and expect from a sales pro.

Anyone who fits this profile,  by the way, should also be receptive to at least partial compensation based on performance. I know a lot of consultants will hate me for this post, but –down deep– they’ll have to admit that I speak the truth.

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