Give A Little
In a time when there are numerous companies competing, trying to sell virtually the same product, how does a consumer differentiate and decide which product to purchase? One great way to differentiate your company above and beyond competitors is to give back to the community. I have two favourite examples of companies that I believe give their image a boost by showing how they give back. Tide offers a program called “Tide Loads of Hope”, and this program supports families affected by disasters by washing the families’ laundry. Nabob is a partner in the Rainforest Alliance, which is concerned with improving biodiversity and the quality of life of local people in the environment where the coffee beans are harvested. Giving back is a great way to attract positive publicity and consumers, so what are you doing to better the communities around you?
Making the Best Use of Your Networks
You’ve heard it before, and you’ll hear it again – successful leaders and business owners leverage their networks. Imagine having a big network of resources to tap into, and knowing exactly who you need to talk to every time you need to get something done. So how do you build your network if you aren’t already there? How about starting with the first step today – taking inventory.
Here is a quick example of a networking model that I like to use. It consists of 3 categories:
- operational
- strategic
- personal growth
Operational networks are people who can help you get things done more efficiently in the running of your business operations. They could be your employees, your suppliers, your IT support crew, your bookkeeper, etc. These are the people that can work with you in your current role – they can help you run a smoother operation and make your business more efficient.
Strategic networks are people that make you think bigger. They ask the tough questions – are you moving in the right direction, are you focusing on the right priorities, etc. These could be your advisory board members, your mentors, or industry experts in your field of interest, or a seasoned business owner. These are the people that work with you on looking at the future.
Personal networks are often neglected in business discussions, but they do form an important role for your business. They are often safe places for you to develop personally, and give you perspectives beyond your industry or business interest. These could be people in your personal communities, alumni groups, or other professional organizations. They are the ones that give you breadth and perspectives beyond your current environment.
Now list who you know in each category, and see if the list lines up with your networking efforts and your business goals. For example, if you are looking to grow your business in new ways, do you have the right strategic networks in place? If not, are you actively building networks in that category?
Toastmasters Tour!
On Friday afternoon I got the chance to have a personal tour of the world headquarters of Toastmasters – thanks, Jonathan!! I came away so impressed. I have always been a big fan of Toastmasters, recommending it to many people, but I learned a ton about this organization that I wanted to share with you.
- Head office is in Rancha Santa Margarita, a beautiful community in the Los Angeles area. Toastmaster clubs are in 106 countries around the world. Eighty dedicated, talented staff members run this international organization.
- They have amazing programs in both public speaking AND leadership. Their vision is to empower people to achieve their full potential and realize their dreams. The clients and business acquaintances that I know that have joined Toastmasters have not just learned how to speak well publicly, they have also developed confidence and poise.
- Toastmasters is not just for anyone who has to stand up and make a speech at a special occasion or for anyone who is terrified of speaking in front of others. Their programs offer valuable tools to any business professional who wants to sound more confident and poised. They teach people how to break the ice, so you can network more effectively. And you get to build connections with other people in the organization, so it’s also a great business development opportunity.
If you need to improve your speaking skills, go check out Toastmasters!
Buzzmarketing
One of my all time favourite books is Buzzmarketing by Mark Hughes. He describes the power of selling products by word of month rather than traditional advertising. The main function of buzzmarketing is to create a message relating to your product that is so entertaining, newsworthy, and fascinating that viewers will tell more people, and therefore do the marketing for you.
My favorite type of buzzmarketing is to be outrageous; connect your product with an outrageous story or example that will stick in buyers’ minds and allow them to pass the story on to friends. After reading this book, I find myself analyzing commercials or ads completely differently, I always think to myself “am I going to remember that commercial, is it even worth remembering, would I ever tell anyone about that ad?”
Work With Your Energy Level
I am seeing a lot of tired, burnt out people out there. Trying to juggle too much stuff, not taking enough time off and being relentless in beating themselves up for not getting stuff done.
For all of you out there struggling with this, I suggest you read my posting for today on Sheteam.com. Read the article here.
Convincing Customers to Adopt Your New Mouse Trap
Ever wonder why your potential customers don’t act, even if you can clearly see the benefit of what your products or services can bring to their business? How do you convince them to adopt your mouse trap, which is clearly more superior than what they are currently using?
Do you have a process for gauging whether your customers will adopt a new product?
It’s likely that your customers are quite happy with what they already have in place. They are reluctant to part with what they have in place, are unable to see the need for a new product, and may also be skeptical about a new product’s performance. Ask yourself this question:
- Do they have to make significant adjustments to how they have been operating to use your product?
- Does your product offer significant benefits when compared to what they use currently?
If your answer is yes and no, then you have a problem. As an example, a family that has been using disposable diapers for their first child will have more resistance switching to a new cloth diaper product for the next child. Switching from disposable to cloth requires a significant change in routine, while both options do the same job. However, if the family had started using cloth diapers for their first child, convincing them to use an improved version of cloth diaper would be a lot easier, as they don’t need to change their routines.
The most successful product introductions are those that bring substantial benefits but require little behavior adjustment. Think switching from standard to high-definition TV.
If you are launching a new product, or overhauling an existing one, think about whether your customers would need to adjust how they have been operating. If they do, make sure you build in ways to make the change easier for them.
Don’t keep postponing the unpleasant stuff
I just got off the phone with a client who is in hot water because they kept postponing dealing with a tax issue. It wasn’t that big a deal 6 months ago, but it is now a crisis. And their justification – “I hate dealing with this tax stuff!” Really? Hands up out there, all of you who LOVE dealing with tax stuff.
Into every life comes those tasks that are unpleasant and IMPORTANT. Just because you don’t like doing them doesn’t mean you should postpone them indefinitely. By doing that, they often grow in size and become big issues with serious consequences attached if not dealt with. But even more importantly, don’t you get sick of that nagging voice in your head that keeps reminding you that you need to deal with that issue?
To me that’s even worse than simply sitting down and taking care of that unpleasant important task. Then it’s over and I can get my peace of mind back.
Not All Prospects Are Worth It!
One of the biggest dust bunnies I see in business is hanging onto prospects for too long. A lot of us HATE prospecting – you know who you are!
For a variety of reasons you have decided that prospecting is a horrible task, so you grudgingly find a few prospects or perhaps they stumble across you. However it happens, you hang onto those prospects forever, waiting for them to buy. Because as long as you are focused on waiting for an answer from them, you do not have to find other prospects. Because if you do, and they all buy from you, how will you ever manage all that new business? (I actually had a business owner say that to me.)
STOP! To survive in business today, you must get rid of the clutter of old prospects who are hanging around tying up your time and energy. For every old one you hang onto, you are missing the opportunity to find a customer that is likely to buy from you. Show me a business owner who is not making money and I will show you someone who is doing very little prospecting. Dust off that prospect list – clean off those prospects who are dragging their feet on buying. Focus your time and energy on finding ones who will.
Staging for the “Y” Consumer
I recently overheard a comment coming from a baby boomer, she said: “Young people just don’t want to work as hard as we do, I can’t even bribe them with money.” As a generation Y myself, this conversation got me thinking about what my generation will look like in 15 years at the height of our careers when the majority of Boomers are retired.
As the average Yer’s work-week drops from 40 to 35 hours to include more leisure time, activities done outside of work will become an experience rather than a rushed chore. A trip to the grocery store will be transformed into a learning experience as buyers continue to educate themselves about nutrition in the food they are buying. Purchasing decisions will be based on notions of “healthy choices”, “eco-friendliness” and “carbon footprints”.
How is this growing trend going to influence businesses? While those who package products will need to improve labeling, will businesses see this as an opportunity to offer more participation-oriented experiences? For example, a trip to the grocery store can turn into an afternoon event if there is a speaker discussing healthy eating habits.
How are you, as a business owner and employer, going to catch the ‘eyes’ of Generation Y?
This Week We Celebrate
“Celebrate any progress. Don’t wait to get perfect.”
-Ann McGee Cooper
There seems to be an epidemic of perfectionism out there among women. I keep meeting bright, successful, amazing women and all their focus is on the stuff they haven’t got done, all the things they’re behind on, all the mistakes they’ve made. When you bring up their successes, they brush you off.
So I am declaring that this week is one of celebration. Where each of us celebrates what we accomplish, what we get done. No matter how small, no matter that you only got one part of a project done. The truth is that the ‘to do’ list will still be waiting after you’re dead and gone. So celebrate your victories this week, no matter how small. Give yourself a pat on the back, say thank you when you get a compliment, smile at yourself, be a champion to yourself. Treat yourself with the same kindness and compassion that you use for others. Life isn’t about being perfect and getting everything done. It’s about enjoying yourself and recognizing your accomplishments.
