The six sources of influence: motivation, training and skill building, positive peer pressure, the influence of managers and coaches, incentives, and tapping into the power of physical space and environment.
I came upon this fragment of information as I was poking around in some files on my computer. Copied the list from who-knows-where? It’s an important list. Continue reading
Over the years many folks have offered observations and suggestions regarding the format for our monthly B2B luncheon.
I have contemplated these suggestions and would like to share some thoughts. Continue reading
I read a great article on marketing for small business owners the other day which got me to wondering. The author did a really good job providing practical advice on gaining attention and getting prospects to take action. However, in the teaser for the article, he felt compelled to state that business owners were fooling themselves if they relied on building their business through referral. Referrals were unpredictable and inconsistent. I thought his advice was valuable enough without diminishing the value of referrals.
Which led me to the recent battle that erupted amongst a small group of friends who share articles and insights through email. Seems a difference of opinion occurred and someone had to win and someone had to lose. Of course, this Us vs. Them, winners and losers philosophy overwhelms the political world, radio and television news, and talk radio. No discussion anymore; just rebut and refute whatever the other guy is saying, regardless of merit. Just look for any way to attack them: misused word, misplaced comma, minor factual error.
So all this animosity and adversarial activity got me to thinking about how we perceive our business competition. Being in the world of small business, we are very close to customers and competitors. And if your market is anyone who , then you probably feel like you have a lot of competition. So in order for you to get business, people must recognize your worth and the shortcomings of your competition, right? But your value is not valuable to everybody.
Thus the importance of clearly defining your target market. Taking the time to do so is essential in helping you determine your value (your USP.) How do you differentiate your product and yourself from the competition?
But beyond differentiation, another value of knowing your competition is in identifying how you might be able to work together with them. My friend, Carol Shepherd, likes to talk about coopitition. Identifying what you do well and areas of strength and weakness in your competitors may offer opportunities for you to gain business from those that appear to be competitors. This opportunity may result from a specialty, qualifications, geography/location, capacity, or a host of other differences. A small IT outsource firm I know grew their business by sub contracting out jobs to competitors until they had the capacity to do them themselves. They hired engineers only after obtaining enough new business to consistently employ an addition to their staff.
Taking a close look at your competition can be helpful to your business in a number of ways. Do you know your competition?
It’s a soft snow, but more than enough to block the view I expected this morning: the ridge across the valley and the White Mountains behind that. Wanted to see the snow on Mt. Washington but dont have to look that far to see snow this morning. Yesterday was dark, rainy, and cool but we got the full view, with clouds just bumping the tops of the hills. This 2-3 inches would paralyze us back in Atlanta. Continue reading
Just back from a week in New Orleans. The City has pretty well lost its collective mind but in a good way. This coming Tuesday is Mardi Gras. Last Tuesday was Lombardi Gras. And the parade was, by all estimates, larger than any Mardi Gras parade; 800,000 in a city of less than 500,000. Businesses set the holiday watch on Monday and Tuesday. And wherever you went, the uniform of the day was Black and Gold and the greeting of the day was Who Dat! Seems like they will never tire of saying that with all that it implies.
And what it implies is that a city, once the center of commerce in the South that had been left behind by her sisters in Georgia, Florida, and Texas; a city that had become a cliché as a Third World Country with the highest murder rate in the U.S.; a city with a joke of an public educational system and local government; a city that was dealt a near death blow less than 5 years ago; and a city clinging to its NFL team that spawned fans so ashamed they wore paper bags on their heads and dubbed the team The Aints, is claiming respect.
This Super Bowl victory comes at an auspicious moment in the history of New Orleans. Recovery is strong, to the extent that they experience one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, a growing economy, a wild west entrepreneurial atmosphere, a resurgent school system and neighborhood spirit, and most importantly, an election that truly is Change. New Orleans has been named in a number of national publications as one of the best places to start a new business and, surprisingly, one of the best places to live. Much of the old guard that helped to build a reputation of Banana Republic governance is now looking for work and a new krewe of young, progressive leadership is taking the helm.
And there’s the Saints, the eye of the storm. All that is positive in the city is encapsulated in their story. The metaphors are abundant. Cast offs and the unheralded, the new and untested, the old and forgotten, brought together and formed into a team that surprised all but the most stalwart of the Who Dat Nation. They were resilient and relentless. They were bold and innovative. They were inclusive and made the most of their assets. They are a team that truly represents all of a city that deserves a place in the hearts of Americans, as a part of our American story.
So even if you are a Vikings fan, part of the Cardinal faithful, or avid follower of the Colts, celebrate with a City that is being reborn and taking its place, once again, as one of our great American Cities.
If there is one lesson we all should have learned over the past year or two, it is that the world is not what it used to be. The pace of change accelerates constantly. In our fathers times, businesses could come up with a model and stick with it for a long time. If it aint broke, dont fix it. Dance with the one what brung ya. Good advice when the environment is static for extended periods of time.
However, as we have seen, things are changing rapidly. For anyone who hadnt accepted that, 2009 had to have been a rude awakening. Todays great idea may be a phenomenal innovation. But with todays open source reality, lots of bright people are moving the ball forward quickly. If your forward thinking extends only to the end of the block, youre in trouble.
What does that mean for us small business types, immersed in the day-to-day chaos of getting the job done? How do we fit strategic planning (Yoicks!!!) into our day?
This is a great place for me to offer a business coach as the solution. And while that may be one of the solutions, networking is another. When we think of networking, we think of referral networks. But there are two others, as defined by Ivan Misner (Business By Referral): Information Networks and Support Networks.
Information Networks are those sources we turn to that help us with the technical aspects of our work and business. They are the professional associations we belong to, the mentor we have, our friend the CPA, the maven (a la The Tipping Point) we drink beer with. These folks help us keep pace with the broad range of information required in order for us do business.
Support networks are made up of people who have an interest in us and our success. They are there when we need them for moral support and encouragement, maybe to jump in at a time of need, or to just generally be there for us. They celebrate with us and help us to keep going when things are tough.
So where do you find these other networks?
I belong to a mastermind group and am fortunate to have a number of business coaches and consultants as friends and acquaintances. I read daily, both history and the current news. A lot of my social conversation is in the realm of the strategic. That is important because in your business the day-to-day pull is to the tactical. Tactics are the ways we go about doing our work; the processes and systems we follow. Generally, strategy is the carefully devised plan of action that guides us in the achievement of our long term goals. In biology, strategy is a behavior, structure, or other adaptation that improves viability. Hmmm. That sounds necessary if we want to stay in business.
So looking ahead, as we all do at this time of year, what do we see? Is the terrain changing? Will your business remain as it is, or are there changes that you can see coming? And how about the ones you cant see?
